I could only hear Xing Chuan wearing his clothes in the quiet room. I focused on the map in front of me. The expansion of the Ghost Eclipsers" territory was worrying.
“The Ghost Eclipsers have a new leader now. He is smarter than the previous one," Xing Chuan walked next to me and looked at the map restlessly. "In the past, the Ghost Eclipsers only knew how to rob and eat humans. But the current ones know how to conquer and make use of the resources. There is hardly any killing now.”
He pointed at some of the red dots and said, “They first conquered here. Then, they used it as their expansion fortification point. When the people in the city were willing to surrender, the Ghost Eclipsers didn"t kill them, making them serve the Ghost Eclipsers. However, if they were not willing to surrender, they were all killed.” Xing Chuan frowned and looked solemn. “Look, their fortified points are very close to each other. If one city is under attack, the surrounding cities can send support immediately. The Ghost Eclipsers have formed a magnitude. We underestimated the enemy back then. They were already much stronger by the time we realized it.”
“So, is it harder to attack them now?"
Xing Chuan nodded. “We have to build a basecamp on the ground. But it is tough for Silver Moon City as of now, even if it is in terms of resources or armed forces. So, we have to focus on defending. We have to have really strong defense at the livable Zone Twelve.” Xing Chuan pointed at the only area which was blocking the Ghost Eclipsers.
On both sides of the livable zone, there were two extremely huge radiation zones. They almost covered two large segments of the land. The Ghost Eclipsers would have to go around these radiation zones if they were to attack us. It would be really tough.
The Ghost Eclipsers relied on robbery, and they had robbed half of the land.
Silver Moon City had the most advanced technology, but they could only float in s.p.a.ce and not on land. From this map, it showed that the number of the Ghost Eclipsers was far more than Silver Moon City.
It seemed like it was easier to be the bad guys.
“We can gather the people after Zone Twelve,” I pointed at the other half of the planet.
“Humph,” Xing Chuan suddenly chuckled. That chuckle sounded like full of mockery to my ears.
I looked at him unhappily and said, “What"s so funny?”
“I"m laughing at your innocence,” he patted my head. I immediately backed off anxiously. Then, he laughed again. His laughter was different from the previous one. He retracted his hand and smiled, “How many people do you think would be willing to sacrifice for this world?”
I was stunned. I was dumbfounded at his question. I seemed to understand his earlier chuckle as well. What he meant to say was that everyone beyond Zone Twelve would be protecting themselves. They wouldn"t be willing to join the war to fight against the Ghost Eclipsers.
If the Ghost Eclipsers were using the tactic of sparing people"s lives when they surrendered, most of the people beyond Zone Twelve would probably surrender in order to keep themselves alive.
It was the end of the world. Everyone was told to live by using every means possible, since birth. There was no nation, no home, no strong patriotism. It naturally wasn"t national dignity or honor.
People would only be s.h.i.+vering in fear when they come across the Ghost Eclipsers. If they could save their lives by raising a white flag, then their first choice would be to surrender.
If everyone was willing to pick up weapons and join the war, it wouldn"t be so difficult for He Lei and his team to recruit more army.
“I will meet with He Lei when the time is right,” Xing Chuan said suddenly. I looked at him while he looked back at me. “You told Harry to break He Lei"s gla.s.ses, right?”
“Mm,” I admitted. There was nothing to hide about it. He had already found out about me and he could naturally guess that it was me who had told Harry to hit He Lei"s gla.s.ses, back then.
“Humph…” he chuckled lightly. He looked up and sighed, “Luckily, you"re with me now. Otherwise, if we were enemies..." He looked at me with a sharp gaze and said, "You would be scarier than the Ghost Eclipsers.”
I didn"t bother to look at him. “Just don"t come and provoke me.”
“Then... Does it count if I come and sleep with you?” He sounded a little playful.
He took a step towards me. He looked at me with a gaze that was almost loving. It made me numb all over.
I rubbed my arms. “You don"t have to pretend in front of me. The look is too disgusting.”
He smirked maliciously and took another step towards me. He looked down and his hair hung by the side of his face. "Because..." He stared into my eyes deeply, “I am addicted.”
I immediately took a step back and maintained a safe distance from him. I looked at him with a strange look, “Why do you need someone to sleep with you all the time?”
His playful look vanished the moment I asked that question. He stood up straight, almost expressionless. He resumed his usual indifferent expression where he took no interest in any matter. “When I was young... there was a sister who would keep me company...” He said softly as he looked out of the balcony without any expressions on his face.
“Little sister?” I raised my eyebrow.
He walked to the balcony and gazed upon the crimson planet. “My grandfather casted my dad out from Silver Moon City because he was a rebellion..." The words came out of his mouth extremely calmly. But I was surprised.
Xing Chuan continued to gaze upon the planet. He wore no expression as though he was narrating a story of another stranger.
“My mom left to look for my dad. So, she left me too. Then, my grandfather sent me an older sister to take care of me. I had been sleeping with her since then. It felt like I was sleeping with my mom when I slept with her... It was heartwarming and secure...”
"Then? What happened to her?”
“She died," he continued calmly, “She died when I was thirteen. She died in front of me. She had turned eighteen that year." He turned and said without any expression, "Silver Moon is actually her."
I stood dumbfounded at the original spot.
He looked at me calmly, “She was the person whom I loved the most then. She was my mom, my sister and my family. After she died, I…” He paused and became quiet, as if he had suddenly run out of energy.
“Sorry, I shouldn"t have asked.” I felt guilty. I looked at him, and I could feel the pain and sadness that he had been through. Thirteen is the age where one is the most sensitive.
Perhaps, Xing Chuan would be a different person if his sister was still alive.
Xing Chuan blinked as though his energy was recharged. From the beginning until then, there was no sorrow nor agony across his face. There was no expression indicating the loss of a loved one. It looked more like he was numb from the pain, which had made him ruthless.
“Humans are bound to die one day, right?” He looked at me and said plainly.
I looked at him with a complicated feeling. He had really become numb and ruthless because of her pa.s.sing.
“Yes, humans are bound to die,” I said. I didn"t know what else to say to him.
He chuckled lightly as though he wasn"t bothered about what had happened in the past. It was also as though it had left no trace in his heart. Nothing could stir any emotion in him.