Chapter 713 Cold

Rain Rain, falling from the sky of a high building, the tiny dots rapidly expanded in the pupils, and finally hit the forehead and the ground, splashing tiny water.

The sky is always gloomy, and you can't see the sunrise and sunset. This is a jungle full of steel, a maze with no way out.

With both hands in my pockets, I walked aimlessly along the black and winding streets, and all I saw were silent figures.

Since the end of the turmoil four years ago, all walks of life in Lusheng Star Region have entered a downward state of decline.

At first, it was just the businessmen who felt that there were fewer tourists, and then major companies began to generally cut salaries, and some small marginal industries began to collapse.

But this is not the end. As the star regions in various regions banded together and the policy of trade protection was implemented in various star regions, the exports of Lusheng Star Region further decreased, and the economic winter gradually spread to the entire society.

There is no abundant natural output, nor outstanding industrial products or powerful factions here. This is just a star region with a small reputation for tourist scenery. Every summer, the cool reed lakeshore can attract many foreign guests. The local dance, water fish, and handmade products can also bring a lot of economic benefits.

As the federation gradually splits and the environment changes dramatically, star regions without hard power support such as Lusheng Star Region have become the first victims. Unlike other economic models, there are too many alternative options for tourism. If it doesn't work, the planet's own will do. In fact, a person's life is only a hundred years, and it is not easy to walk around the planet where he was born.

Shuilu City, the largest city in Lusheng Star Region, has about 30 million people living around this city circle. Countless high-rise buildings stand in a row, and flashing lights decorate the night. Even if you walk in the dark alleys, you can look up and see various laser images shooting into the sky, reflecting the earth in a colorful and changing way.

"Hu..."

The hot air blows through the wet collar, which is particularly clear in the night. He lifts the collar with one hand, and the cold water drops slide along his fingertips, making him feel a little sober.

Is it autumn already? Suddenly realizing something, he took out his personal terminal from his pocket, unlocked the interface amidst the raindrops and water marks, and then lit up the projection to show the current time.

[September 26, 1264 20:19:49]

Summer has ended without him noticing. The summer that

was always lively in his memory, decorated with lights and colors, welcoming all kinds of tourists, holding all kinds of activities, and the streets were crowded with people, ended

but he still couldn't find a job.

He squatted on the side of the road, swiping the interface with his hand, trying to find a familiar friend to come out and talk about his depression and vent his somewhat wet emotions, but after the long list was finished, he didn't choose anyone in the end. Is

there really anyone willing to come out on this rainy night just to listen to his repetitive complaints?

He doesn't have such good friends.

In various games and film and television works, even if the protagonist is down and out, there will be one or two friends who will encourage him together, and then regroup, or pull the protagonist together to do a "big thing".

But the real down and out will only make people annoyed, and no one will always pity them.

He put his hands back into his pockets and strolled along the cold rainy street, letting the water droplets run down his eyebrows.

When a person is forced to be alone, he often falls into memories, and he also took the same path.

Although he was also very poor in his youth, both he and his familiar friends were full of hope for the future, just like a gorgeous ink painting, messy and full of vitality.

But as he grew up, the future did not usher in the wonderful plot as he imagined in his youth. He just relied on his youth to find joy in the boredom of various studies and work. He felt that he just lacked an opportunity and a little experience, and there would be a day in the future when he would display his talents.

The white reeds swayed, and boats passed on the cool lake. The tourists who came and went prayed to the undulating night lights on the water, and sighed at the beautiful scenery here.

Year after year, one summer after another, the

years passed, and the years passed

. His future was like the night lights floating on the river, which went out one by one.

When a child is born, he has infinite possibilities, but this possibility will shrink as he grows older. One day, he suddenly realizes that there are only a few options left for him, and those are not what he hoped for when he was young.

His steps stopped. In front of him at this moment is the most famous "Red Wish Bridge" in the city. It is said that if lovers write each other's names on the same red ribbon and tie it on the bridge, they can have a long-lasting relationship.

Even though such stories and legends appear in various tourist cities, there are still people who believe in them tirelessly and are willing to pay the price to fulfill the little wishes in their hearts.

Walking up the long bridge slope, the cold wind blows diagonally along the way, and the water drops hit the thin clothes. Without the cover of the steel forest, the wind and rain here are obviously stronger.

Only occasional vehicles pass by, bringing the sound of mud and water, and the lights fall on the ground, and the water stains reflect the broken white.

The cloth of the trouser legs clung to his legs because of the wind, cold and wet, and mixed with the weight of mud spots. He walked towards the bridge step by step. Under the red background light, there was only an empty steel structure now. Many tied red ribbons were drooping in the rain. Only a few of them, with dried mud stains, swayed in the breeze, occasionally illuminated by the lights of passing cars, showing the long-faded color.

The bridge, which used to be crowded with tourists, was now deserted. He turned his eyes and swept across the long bridge. Finally, he saw a young couple. The two were wearing simple and plain student uniforms, leaning against each other, carefully tying the ribbon with their names on it on the bridge.

Looking at this scene, his heart was not moved, but there was a little mockery and sadness.

Maybe he should have confessed his love back then, just like the most foolish couple, leaving his name here, so that he could walk there today, take off the ribbon, and throw it into the river under the bridge.

With his fingers gripping the cold and wet guardrail, he wanted to yell loudly here, but because he didn't know what to say, he finally exhaled a burst of hot air and let it cool down in the rain.

Resist, complain? He didn't know what to resist or who to complain to, but he felt that the future would be like this bridge, with only a downhill road that could be seen at a glance.

He probably didn't make any big mistakes, nor did he encounter any good luck. He just slowly fell along the tide of the times. The vision in his heart still stayed in the sky, lingering on the orange neon lights.

Tonight should be the best day in the future.

He looked up at the raindrops falling into his eyes, then lowered his head to let the waterdrops slide down his cheeks.

His steps were particularly light, as if he was walking on clouds that could break at any time. The road on the bridge became increasingly deserted, and the couple who had been tied with ribbons before also disappeared.

He had nowhere to go, so he just walked down the road step by step, unwilling to look at the lights in the distance.

This was a big city, a prosperous city, but it still made him feel cold.

Along the road in the rain, he walked forward in a trance, crossed the streets, walked past the high-end stores that were still lit, and walked through the night. Only the street lights occasionally illuminated his hair, allowing him to see his lonely shadow. He

kept walking, kept strolling, and kept moving forward without end. His body temperature was getting lower and lower. Perhaps it would be better to find a place to stay, but this would make his gradually cold body obsessed and unwilling to wake up.

He passed by countless streets, and the road under his feet still had no end. Just like the advertisements in the sky, this is a metropolis with 30 million people, a prosperous city where countless people can live.

Finally, on a downward slope, he finally stepped on empty air and rolled down, hitting his head and nose on the ground. The dizzy pain made him curl up in the mud and struggle, licking his fishy lips. After several failures, he slowly supported his body and climbed up with difficulty, limping forward with the help of the guardrail.

The body that was walking fast in his memory disappeared. At this time, he felt that he looked just like those pitiful old people in the past, funny and funny.

"Heh--" He laughed at himself, staring at the path in front of him with his eyes, holding the guardrail with his fingers, using the cold metal touch to make himself sober.

"Fuck"

"Uh, hehe, hahaha." The unpleasant laughter dissipated in the night, especially bitter.

After walking nearly a hundred meters with support, his legs recovered a little, and he didn't have to hold the guardrail all the time. Now he stood by the road again, watching the big car coming in the rain in the distance.

The bright lights made his vision dizzy, and a strange thought arose in his mind, but he quickly suppressed it.

Not yet...

He shook his head to wake himself up a little, took out his personal terminal, and looked for the nearest way back. It

was so far away. Looking at the high taxi fare displayed on the side, he slowly put down his personal terminal and walked slowly into the night again. His

almost frozen fingers were put back into his pockets. He walked with wet steps and lowered his head again, as if the checkered pattern on the ground was the most worthy scenery to appreciate.

It was late at night . There were

fewer and fewer shops and buildings with lights on the roadside, and the road was getting quieter and quieter. Only the occasional propeller sound came from the night sky, which was the trace of the advertising airship.

He was not a spoiled person, but moving forward in this cold rain, his physical strength was slowly exhausted, which made his steps slower and slower. Every step was painful and heavy, and the center of gravity of his body was difficult to maintain, and began to shake.

It's no good, he must find a place to rest and recover his strength.

But when he looked around, he found that this was already a remote suburb of the city, and even the street lights were particularly dim. Perhaps due to some subconscious psychological effect, he did not take the brightly lit avenue, but deliberately chose a side road with few people, which also caused the current bitter fruit. He

could only continue walking

with this thought in mind. After resting for a while, he got up with difficulty and walked along the road again, as if dragging the rest of his failed life.

The black sky, frozen fingers, trembling body, cold and numb legs, everything was not good.

He saw a small flame burning on the roadside in the distance, and the folded paper pages were lifted up in the orange flames, then flew up, and quickly fell down.

Only the small flame was left in his pupils. He moved in that direction almost obsessively until his fingers touched the rolling flames. The high temperature and burning pain woke him up again, but he was already a little dazed at this time.

Everything in front of him seemed to collapse and hit the wet and cold ground. His ears were pressed against the rushing water, and only noise filled it.

A pair of hands tried to help him up, but he had completely lost his strength and could no longer cooperate, making the process particularly difficult.

Then, a few more hands pulled him up slowly and carefully carried him to a place without rain. During this time, he should have heard voices, but unfortunately he no longer had the energy to distinguish them. His eyelids were also particularly heavy, so he couldn't lift them up. He didn't

know how long it took in the darkness. During this time, there seemed to be a warm touch that wrapped around his body, making him fall asleep. When he regained consciousness again, he felt a little warm and could hear a slight whisper of prayer.

"May the winds of the four directions protect me, the girl holding sage brushes away the pain, and guides the only lantern for those at the end of their ways..." This was the first time he had heard such a prayer, but some of the key words in it were not unfamiliar.

He moved his dry throat and tried to sit up slowly. Such an action naturally attracted the attention of others. Soon someone helped him up and prepared a cup of warm water with sugar for him.

The cheap purified water mixed with the newly added sugar granules had a sweet taste that had not yet melted. It was not as delicious as the mature industrial beverage, but it still fascinated him. After drinking one cup, he drank another cup, and then slowly put down the cup.

At this time, he found that he should be in a dilapidated warehouse. There was not even electricity here, and the walls were covered with gray and black mold marks, but it was very warm here. Someone blocked the leaky windows. There was also a group of people in black robes around him. They looked like men and women, about 20 people.

"You guys?" He wanted to ask who the other party was, but it felt a little rude.

"Thank you." He thanked sincerely.

"It's okay." An old man with a beard helped him cover the blanket on his body, and then made way for a younger woman to come in front of him.

The woman looked about 20 years old, with an ordinary appearance, not good-looking, but her black eyes were very bright in the orange light.

Seeing him wake up, the woman held his hand and passed on a warm magic to him to heal his pain.

"Are you feeling better now?" He felt the sincere kindness of the woman in front of him, which made him feel like he was looking directly at the sun, not daring to look up.

"I'm much better." He took a deep breath with a slight tremor, and felt that his body was indeed much better now.

Later, the woman and the people around him told him what happened. It turned out that they were doing a prayer ceremony on the side of the road and encountered him who had fainted in the rain. They carried him here, helped change his wet coat, covered him with a blanket, and gave him simple treatment.

"Prayer ceremony..." He couldn't remember what festival it was today.

"Yes, pray for those poor and difficult people." At this point, he saw a rare piety in the woman's eyes, and such an expression made him feel a little strange and fresh.

In today's era, there are very few true believers, because everyone knows that there is no omniscient and omnipotent god in this world. If it is just powerful, then the "Golden Flame Flower" Isenissa is probably the most famous god.

"Lady Isenisa, the 'Flower of Golden Flame', is great, but her eyes are more focused on those glorious people, rather than on us, the unknown dust people." A man spoke.

"Then what do you believe in?" He suddenly became curious and remembered the prayers he had heard before.

"We believe in the eternal cradle wings, Her Highness Loranhill, she is the protector of all the poor, the kind-hearted person who never abandons or despises us, and only she will not forget us and will always keep a place for us to rest."

When he mentioned that name, he saw the glittering hope in the eyes of the people present, that was the perseverance and belief in life, the hot and boiling faith.

Why would they believe in the person who had left this world for thousands of years, the name that had long faded in time.

He didn't understand, but he felt a little sour in his nose.

This must be a cult. The highness no longer responded to people's prayers, and slept forever in the Sea of ​​Aijaka, never waking up again.

"I..." He wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

"It's okay, take a rest, and then we will help you go home."

"I don't have any money." If it was a cult that wanted to cheat him of his money, then forget it. He was not a young man who had just entered society and did not understand the evil nature of human nature.

The other party shook his head, held his hand, and spoke those sincere words again.

"We will help you, even if there is no reward. Maybe this is strange, but I think if it is that princess, she will not give up any of us."

"Individuals are lonely and weak, but if they unite, trust each other, and warm each other, they will gain great courage."

Is that so? Such words have actually appeared in countless literary and film and television works, but only today did they really penetrate his defense.

"Do you really believe it?" It seems that he is asking the other party, but it seems that he is asking himself, are you still willing to believe in that figure that has long disappeared, that dream that has long been broken?

"I believe it."

"Even if everyone has abandoned their former ideals, it is still a belief that illuminates the entire era and warms countless people."

"The singer is only a gift given to a few people, and what we can ultimately rely on is still only our own hands and companions."

The cold rain still fell in this city, passing through the gaps between the tall buildings, hitting the black earth, and the streets in the cold wind were lonely and bleak.

The small flames swayed slightly in the dilapidated house, warming the scarred and lonely heart.

(End of this chapter)