Chapter 1

Anna once told him, "Don't be a killer, find a way to escape."

He asked why, and Anna said, "You are timid and soft-hearted."

Anna died the following year, killed by a bald man. Half a month later, he killed the bald man.

Everyone was dead, only he was still alive.

Long Cheng sat on the shoulder of the armor, looking at the ground covered with corpses, his fingers holding a half-broken cigarette he found on Lao Ye. He didn't know how to smoke and couldn't find a lighter, so he tried to put the cigarette in his mouth like Lao Ye. His hands were shaking, and his lips trembled so much that it took several tries to get the cigarette in.

He was a bit scared.

He remembered what Anna said, he had to escape.

The sky was overcast, and the wind carried a metallic smell. Plop, a large raindrop landed on his cheek. Was it raining? He suddenly realized something was wrong and wiped his face with his hand, his fingers stained red.

He looked up, and fresh red blood rained down from the sky.

A blood-red curtain of rain, the rumbling sound getting closer, a huge shadow slowly approaching.

A broken black humanoid armor passed through the red rain, its left shoulder to the waist completely torn, exposing the cockpit. The cockpit was also half-gone, exposed to the air. A pale-faced man sat inside, his hair wet and plastered to his face, blood trickling down. He smiled at Long Cheng.

Long Cheng's pupils contracted, Instructor!

The blood on the ground covered the armor's ankles, like a sea of blood.

Without hesitation, Long Cheng quickly climbed into the cockpit, put on the brain control device in a flash, closed the cockpit, and activated the armor.

He had clearly killed the instructor just now...

He still had half a cigarette in his mouth, his lips no longer trembling, his face still pale, but his expression turned cold, and his hands were steady.

If he could kill once, he could kill again.

"01, you are the best student I've ever taught, the best killer, the best combat engineer."

Rumble, rumble, the ground was shaking.

One by one, broken armors passed through the blood-red rain. These armors were very familiar to Long Cheng.

He felt a bit cold, had the temperature dropped?

The blue one belonged to Scarface, who was fierce in battle but a drunkard. Long Cheng twisted his neck when he was unconscious.

The one with the shield belonged to Qiong, a retired killer. He served as an instructor in the training camp, with a bad temper. His injury was in the third cervical vertebra, making it hard to turn his head, which affected his armor operation. Long Cheng attacked from behind, hitting him once without letting him sound the alarm.

"01, do you think you can escape by killing everyone in the training camp?"

Rumble, rumble, the armor army slowly approached, the rain was loud, and the instructor's voice echoed continuously.

"Come back, 01, you belong here."

Long Cheng pursed his lips, his face pale, but he didn't waver.

Not dead? Then kill again.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a hand piercing through his chest, holding a bloody heart. The fresh heart was still beating, and the instructor's voice said in his ear,

"01, you belong here, you don't need it."

Snap, the hand holding his heart squeezed hard, the heart burst, and blood splattered.

The pain was indescribable, as if he had lost the most important thing. Long Cheng couldn't breathe, a strong sense of suffocation enveloped him.

Huff, Long Cheng opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, panting heavily, drenched in sweat.

The room was dark, but with the faint starlight from the porthole, everything in the room was clearly visible to Long Cheng.

It was a dream.

He sat by the porthole, gazing at the vast starry sky.

He didn't quite understand why others complained about the orphanage being stingy, saying it was the cheapest lower deck ticket, but they didn't have to pay for it. Thinking about his 100 credit points still intact, Long Cheng felt a bit happy. The orphanage gave each child 50 yuan as New Year's money, and he had spent two New Years there, saving 100. They complained about the room being too small and lacking a bathroom, but there was a public toilet in the hallway, which was very clean. The bed was also quite comfortable, much better than the training camp, where the beds were as hard as wooden boards, and they often had to sleep outdoors, which was miserable when it rained. They complained about poor soundproofing and loud noise, but Long Cheng thought the roar of the spaceship's engine was much safer than the sounds of snakes, beasts, and insects.

Besides, his room had a porthole.

The room was originally Big Head's. He told Big Head he wanted a room with a window. Big Head's face turned green as he glared at him, but he got the room.

Big Head was large, with a big head, so everyone called him Big Head.

Long Cheng didn't like Big Head.

Not because Big Head liked to bully others or was unintelligent, but because he was bald.

Long Cheng would think of Anna. Even after so many years, he sometimes still thought of her.

Two years ago, at the age of twelve, he successfully escaped from the training camp. After three months of hiding and fleeing, he was "accidentally" discovered by an orphanage and taken in. He got his own name, Long Cheng. The orphanage took in many orphans every year. For convenience, they usually used a naming software, which would randomly display three names, and the final decision was made by the director.

The director said, "May Long Cheng be a hero," hoping he would be a hero.

Long Cheng didn't want to be a hero. He didn't dare tell the director that he wasn't a good person and had killed people.

Long Cheng liked the orphanage. Although he had to work, and the aunts had bad tempers, they gave him food and didn't make him kill.

Long Cheng thought the good life would continue.

Half a month ago, the director told Long Cheng he had to leave the orphanage. The orphanage received an adoption application, and he would be adopted by an old lady.

Long Cheng told the director he didn't want to go anywhere, he just wanted to stay at the orphanage.

The director told him it was the law, and the orphanage would be fined or lose its license if they violated it.

Long Cheng didn't want the orphanage to be fined or lose its license, so he agreed.

He would be sent to a place called Xingxing.

Sitting by the porthole, looking out, Long Cheng sighed. If Anna were here, with her smart brain, she wouldn't be as helpless as he was.

Every time the spaceship docked, some orphans would get off and be sent to their adoptive families.

Familiar faces became fewer, and Long Cheng became quieter and more silent.

Big Head was the second to last to get off. He carried his luggage and said goodbye to Long Cheng, his eyes red. Long Cheng didn't say much, just hugged Big Head and patted his back. Big Head couldn't hold back his tears, which streamed down his face. Under the director's urging, he carried his luggage off the ship, wiping his tears and waving back.

Through the thick glass, Long Cheng quietly watched Big Head's strong and sturdy figure become smaller in the crowd.

Living together for two years, Long Cheng didn't become friends with them.

Maybe they would never see each other again.

The universe was vast, and they were small.

As Big Head's figure disappeared in the crowd, Long Cheng felt a void in his heart and silently turned back to his room.

After 22 days of continuous flight, the director looked very tired. She smiled and asked Long Cheng if he was ready for his new life.

Long Cheng said no.

The director looked at him and said she thought he wasn't nervous because he seemed so calm.

Long Cheng didn't say anything.

The director comforted him, saying he would adapt slowly.

Long Cheng nodded.

When getting off the ship, the director kept nagging at Long Cheng, who was looking down, telling him to be obedient in his new family, to be diligent, well-behaved, and clean, not to talk back, and to email them if he was abused.

The director, though she didn't let him stay at the orphanage and often scolded them, was a good person.

Long Cheng said thank you to the director.

The director was a bit surprised and moved, patting his head.

In the rusty cargo ship, breathing the air of rotten vegetables, Long Cheng sat motionless, feeling like a clay Buddha in a temple. He wasn't good at facing strangers and didn't know what to do besides being silent.

Across from him sat an old lady with wrinkles, white hair, and a smile.

Long Cheng suddenly felt a bit nervous.

The old lady said, "Long Cheng, don't be afraid."

Long Cheng didn't say anything. He wasn't afraid; his hands and feet would get cold when he was afraid, and the old lady couldn't beat him.

The old lady smiled and said to call her Grandma.

Long Cheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Grandma."

The old lady smiled happily and said, "Good boy."

Long Cheng didn't say anything. He didn't know how to handle the situation.

The driver was the old lady's nephew, called Uncle Gen, who was very strong, even stronger than Big Head. He wore a military green vest and khaki work pants, smoked, and grinned at Long Cheng, showing his yellow teeth.

Long Cheng thought his smile was ugly.

The car window showed tall buildings, metal towers like silver swords piercing the sky, and various flying objects like waves surging into the sky.

Noticing Long Cheng's gaze, the old lady said they lived in the countryside.

Long Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't like the city.

After escaping the training camp, he had wandered through many cities. People looked at him with caution, just as he looked at them. He didn't know if they had been in the training camp. The city lights were bright but cold, the people numerous but cold, even the light from the armor engines was cold.

The towering city was left far behind, flying over endless mountains, and a colorful landscape entered Long Cheng's view.

Long Cheng's eyes widened; he thought it was beautiful.

Noticing Long Cheng's surprise, the old lady laughed heartily. She told Long Cheng the red was a pepper and tomato garden, the green was vegetable seedlings, the gray was a medicinal garden, and the blue was purple sprout.

Long Cheng asked why the purple sprout was blue.

The old lady laughed again and said it would bear purple fruit.

Uncle Gen laughed so hard he was bent over, and Long Cheng thought he was a bit strange. What was so funny? He was also driving the car erratically, which would have earned him a whipping and three days without food in the training camp.

The car landed on a farm with twelve low wooden houses, freshly painted. Hearing the roar of the car, people kept coming out of the houses, waving their arms in the air.

Long Cheng also saw many strange iron lumps with armor-like bodies, connected to buckets or gear wheels, some with mud on them. They were thicker and sturdier than regular armors, a bit like Uncle Gen. They were repainted and decorated with flower garlands and red ribbons, looking a bit silly, like a row of Uncle Gen dressed up at the farm entrance.

The first iron lump had a large red word "Hot" on its chest. Long Cheng was a bit curious; could machines get hot?

The second iron lump also had a red word "Fierce" on its chest. Long Cheng looked at each one. The words were ugly, crooked like Uncle Gen's driving.

"Welcome Long Cheng home."

Long Cheng was at a loss.

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