Tonight, Su Ziyu's mind isn't very clear.
It wasn't until he was blown by the cold wind for a while and returned to old Bob's inn that he truly sobered up. It's a feeling that's hard to describe; he just felt he was a bit impulsive earlier.
Sitting at the inn's entrance was the young man, holding a beer bottle, playing with a dagger in his hand. He nodded slightly upon seeing Su Ziyu. He was a very skilled man, with thick calluses on his hands. During the day, old Bob watched over the inn, but at night, it was him. He looked slightly aloof but didn't give off a dangerous vibe; he knew how to restrain his sharpness. People here each held onto a kind of industry within the camp, so there was no need for them to go out scavenging. Old Bob's status should be high as he had a lot of prestige among these white people.
Upon entering, Su Ziyu saw another guest—a mixed-race male with slightly yellow skin tone, hard to guess his origins, but he looked imposing, giving off the vibe of a soldier.
Because he had a stern face, looking meticulous, and carried a faint trace of murderous intent.
The other person's gaze swept over Su Ziyu before heading upstairs. Su Ziyu noticed the bulging at his waist, seemingly not holding firearms but a grenade, though unsure as it's just a guess based on shape. This man lived in the room next to Su Ziyu's and had likely arrived today.
Once back to his room, he didn't feel very sleepy.
Su Ziyu connected his consciousness to that peculiar golden hourglass, then his spirit gradually sank into the vast data stream. It's an excellent method for sleep; looking at code made one sleepy, and observing it he'll feel a hint of drowsiness. Su Ziyu remembered those peculiar twenty-seven characters but couldn't understand their meaning; he could only confirm they originated from a very advanced civilization.
"Name: Su Ziyu."
"Race: Human [Divine Being]."
"Biological Level: Tier Two."
"Ability: White Crow Swordsmanship LV1, Firearms Mastery LV0 (Not started), Time Acceleration LV3 (Spiritual Energy)."
"Attributes: Physical Enhancement LV6, Agility Enhancement LV1."
"Source Power Value: 0."
"Divinity Value: 0."
Upon arriving in this world, Su Ziyu gained the Agility Enhancement LV1 attribute, which seemingly refers to a passive type of ability. The Hourglass of Time would enhance him to some extent, although its principle remains unclear. He acquired a new ability today—[Firearms Mastery], but since he only practiced for a day, it's LV0, meaning he hasn't started yet. His past environment made it difficult to access firearms, though he occasionally played with a bow and arrow when bored. If possible, Su Ziyu wants to try practicing firearms ability a bit in this world.
An uneventful night passed.
Outside last night, it seemed like there was another fight.
Su Ziyu woke up a bit late; yesterday, he was somewhat impulsive for unknown reasons, acting not quite like his usual self. Most of the money obtained from the plunderers was given to that man, leaving Su Ziyu with just a few hundred bucks, not nearly enough for the coming expenses. If he didn't give the man money, Su Ziyu could live fairly comfortably at the inn until this journey ends, but now he has to figure out how to get some money, unless he's willing to end up on the streets eating those cheap grilled rat meat every day.
But to talk about regret.
Su Ziyu actually doesn't regret it in his heart; he just couldn't understand why he slapped that man at the time. It's not his way of doing things.
He felt some emotions inside might have been repressed and exploded in last night's environment.
Upon stepping outside, he saw that man again.
The other seemed sleepless, with bloodshot eyes full of blood threads, already waiting there for a while. Seeing Su Ziyu, he quickly approached, lowered his head slightly, and said: "Thank you."
"You thanked me yesterday." Su Ziyu looked at him and asked, "Is everything okay now?"
"Yes." The man nodded, full of gratitude, then said sincerely: "I will find a way to repay you soon for that money."
Su Ziyu smiled upon hearing this.
Currency in this era had strong purchasing power. Whether he could earn so much money quickly wasn't the point; even if he earned it, Su Ziyu might have left by then.
"What's going on?" Pasha's voice sounded from behind.
She walked up a few steps, separating Su Ziyu and the man, looking at him with a guarded and slightly cold expression.
"Nothing." Su Ziyu patted her shoulder and said to the man before him: "Go back and take care of them. As long as they're alive, there's still hope."
The man bowed deeply to Su Ziyu, then turned and left.
"What happened?" Pasha's voice revealed a hint of concern.
Su Ziyu casually talked about last night's events; there was nothing much to hide. He himself had endured a period of utter helplessness; if not for someone pulling him up by a hand, he wouldn't know what he'd become. Perhaps it was the silent crying of the man last night that touched him. He remembered when he was still in school, one day when small snow was falling, he walked out of the station with a suitcase and saw a man whose face was marked by frost, with hands full of dry, cracked blisters from frostbite. He was sitting next to a rickshaw, enveloped in snowstorm covering his hunched body—not tall, somewhat thin, silently gnawing a cold bun. He started crying without any sound, just silently eating and crying, then clapped his hands, stood up after finishing his bun, and wiped his tears with his dirty sleeve.
Afterwards, he went about pulling the rickshaw.
He remembers this scene vividly. It was very ordinary, many hurried travelers nearby didn't notice, but he stared at the man's back for a long time. In Su Ziyu's growth trajectory, there weren't many traces of his father; it took him a long time to understand how to live like a man.
Living like a man isn't easy.
Pasha quietly listened all the time. Her gaze fixed steadily on Su Ziyu, with not much change in expression; just her eyes became brighter and brighter. She held Su Ziyu's hand, facing the rising sun, and smiled: "Let's go."
"I brought you quite a few bullets."
This man has the scent of the sun.
That's the breath leftover from civilization.
Very warm.
She was born in a post-catastrophe world. Even those who left the shelter were already assimilated into a type replicated by this era, and even herself gradually conformed to this era, living a life she once abhorred.
She was fortunate to meet Su Ziyu at this time, shortly after he left the shelter, before he got assimilated into this era.
If she had anything to say to Su Ziyu.
That word would be—stay true to yourself.
.........
Finally started a new book.
What should I say?
When younger, hormones were at a peak, the mind was full of thoughts of women, bold actions, decisive killings. It was close until thirty before learning life needs pause for reflection, only then finding a slight flavor in what I wrote. Swaying back and forth between ideals and reality, almost succumbed, finally climbed back up toughly.
Didn't live as dreamed but did live without regret.
This book is my culmination from years of accumulation; many abandoned creative settings will appear as separate worlds.
Hope to write the words I desire.
If it doesn't come true.
Then ten years later, let's try again from another angle.
Hahaha.
Thirty years old, stepping into middle age, finally I dare not cheekily claim eternal youth at eighteen anymore.
Cheers to you!
Cheers to youth!
——From your beloved Futuzi.