Chapter 475: Modern Era (If-Things) (03)
Hicks and his team soon reached the point of returning home. After handing over their mission to their superiors, Hicks' squad members were granted leave to go home or go on vacation.
Their squad is a special mission unit that brings together talents from all over the world. Apart from carrying out missions, they usually go home or return to the legion under their command.
This mission was their last one of the year. Now that the handover was complete, they could all go home for the holidays.
Everyone parted ways at the airport, and they were all reluctant to leave Anunu. They said goodbye to her for a long time before Hicks kicked them away one by one.
The team of more than a dozen people has now been reduced to four: Hicks, Apa, Bai Zhi, and Ji Wenjia. They are all from Dongwuzhou and will be taking the same flight back.
Anunu quietly followed beside them, waiting in the VIP lounge, holding a large apple and munching on it. She hadn't eaten enough in a long time and was somewhat attached to food; she would also show unease and anxiety when she didn't have anything to eat.
Hicks was afraid that she would get a stomach upset, so he could only give her small portions of food each time, and she could eat small meals frequently. She couldn't eat snacks, but she could eat fruit.
Anunu was munching on an apple, swinging her legs around. She was happy as long as she had food.
Hicks was contacting the person in charge who was coming to pick up Anunu, while Apa and the others were talking to her and trying to cheer her up.
After spending a week together, Anunu was willing to talk to everyone except Hicks, but due to the language barrier, they still didn't talk much.
Anunu kept glancing at Hicks, who had his back to her and was constantly looking at his phone. She could tell he wasn't in a good mood.
This feeling started the moment he entered the airport. Anunu is very sensitive to people's emotions; she can sense changes in people's emotions, good or bad, and use this to distinguish how others perceive her.
A short while later, several people in suits entered the waiting room, followed by a group of people in military uniforms.
Hicks stepped forward and shook hands with the leader. After exchanging a few words, the two looked at Anunu who was standing to the side.
Anunu watched Hicks walk towards her, then her gaze shifted to the group of men in suits, a vague unease creeping into her heart.
"Nunu".
Hicks knelt down in front of Anunu and softly told her about the origins and purpose of this group of people.
"They will take good care of Anunu, find Anunu a father and mother, and Anunu will live in the best house, wear the best clothes, and have good food every day."
The person in charge was a man in his thirties who looked very gentle and upright. He walked up to Anunu and spoke to her softly in Yugoslavian.
Anunu now understood that Hicks was going to give her away to someone else.
She didn't listen to what the person in charge was saying at all; she just looked at Hicks and asked, "Don't you want me?"
Her voice was soft, yet it seemed to weigh a ton, pressing heavily on his heart.
Those crystal-clear eyes looked at Hicks without tears or crying; it was just a simple question.
Hicks was speechless for a moment. After a while, he stroked her head and said, "Anunu, be good. I will come to see you often."
Anunu's gaze gradually dimmed as she looked at the half-eaten apple in her hand and handed it to Hicks.
Hickston paused for a moment, then took the apple.
Taking advantage of the moment, the person in charge handed Anunu a small bear plush toy he had brought, saying, "Baby, be good. Uncle will take you to eat something delicious and find your mom and dad, okay?"
Anunu stared at the doll for a while without saying anything, but simply took the doll.
They all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Anunu accept the doll.
The person in charge and Hicks praised Anunu, saying she had a good personality and was very well-behaved.
Hicks felt an indescribable sadness, especially seeing Anunu hugging her teddy bear with a disappointed look on her face.
Bai Zhi and Wen Jia came over and talked to Anunu, trying to cheer her up.
"Let's take Anunu to board the plane first."
After the person in charge finished speaking, he led Anunu toward the private boarding gate.
Before leaving, Hicks tried to hug Anunu, but she pushed him away and refused his touch.
Hicks could only stand silently in place, watching as the person in charge carried Anunu away and gradually disappeared from his sight.
After a long while, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and was about to light it when Apa pressed it down on his hand. "Boss, you can't smoke here."
Hicks's expression revealed a hint of irritation. He strode to the smoking area, lit a cigarette, but did not smoke it.
Looking at the burning cigarette in his hand, he cursed under his breath and punched the wall.
"How about we keep Anunu with us?"
Bai Zhi had somehow arrived at the smoking area and was leaning against the door watching him.
Hicks took a drag of his cigarette, his voice deep and muffled: "I'm not old enough to be adopted, and you guys are all younger than me."
Bai Zhi said, "We are not of adoption age yet, but we are not the only ones who can adopt Anunu."
Hicks exhaled white smoke and looked at him, saying, "You mean finding her another adoptive family in the country? I've thought about it. She grew up in Yugoslavia and is of Yugoslavian descent. The adoption process is complicated and won't be completed in the short term."
“Anunu is still young. By the time the paperwork is done, she will have already adapted to her new environment.”
Bai Zhi understood. Hicks had indeed considered many things. If Anunu were in China, everything would be much simpler.
Hicks was taking out his second cigarette when his phone rang.
He picked it up and saw that it was a call from the person in charge who had taken Anunu away.
Anunu had only been gone for less than twenty minutes, why was she calling again?
He answered the phone immediately, and the person in charge's anxious voice came through, "Hicks, Anunu ran away! Did she go back to look for you?!"
"They ran away?!"
Hicks's tone turned serious. "She's only five years old. How could you let a five-year-old child run away?"
The person in charge was so anxious he was practically tearing his hair out. "She just said she wanted to use the restroom, so I asked a female colleague to take her there. We waited for a while but she didn't come out. When we opened the door, she wasn't even there. We searched every restroom but couldn't find her. We've been standing guard outside the door the whole time, but we haven't seen her leave either."
Hicks didn't say much to him and quickly called Apa and the others to go out and look for the person. He also notified the airport to check the surveillance footage and make announcements to find the person.
At the elevator entrance leading to the waiting lounge, Anunu watched the elevator ascend step by step, tried to stick out one foot, but quickly pulled it back after touching the elevator, frowning as she stared at this "staircase" that could walk on its own.
Many people cast curious glances at Anunu.
The child in front of them wore an adorable bunny ear hat, a plaid pinafore dress, and unusually long pink-gold hair tied into two strands hanging down her chest. Her eyes were as clear and blue as the sea, and her face, which looked like that of a mixed-race person, was so exquisitely beautiful that it seemed unreal.
Seeing her standing alone at the elevator entrance for a long time, some passengers came up to ask her if she needed help. However, these passengers spoke different languages, which she could not understand. Moreover, she was quite wary of strangers. As more and more people gathered around, she squeezed through the crowd and ran away.
At that moment, the airport announcements were already broadcasting the physical description of a missing five-year-old girl.
Passengers who had just seen Anunu, upon hearing about her pink-gold hair, blue eyes, and the rabbit backpack and hat, immediately shared the information with airport staff.
Anunu jogged through the bustling airport terminal, trying to find an exit. The stares of the tall people around her made her uneasy. She longed to return to the desert, to the glowing stones.
A patrol of soldiers walked towards Anunu. When she saw the guns they were carrying, she panicked and ran to an elevator. This time, she tried to step on it.
As soon as she stepped onto the elevator, people on both sides of the elevator looked at her.
"Hey? Isn't this the child they're looking for on the radio?"
"The rabbit backpack and rabbit hat, that must be her."
So many people reached out their hands to her, "Little girl..."
Those smiling and well-meaning expressions, in front of Anunu now, are the same as those of the people who used to deceive her in order to capture her.
She shrank to the side, dodging their hands, and quickly ran up the stairs.
As soon as she went up, she saw the group of people who had led her earlier running towards her.
"Found her! She's there!"
Anunu immediately ran in the opposite direction and saw a group of armed men running towards her.
She stood in the middle, and seeing that there was nowhere to run on either side, she stepped back, pressing her back against the glass railing.
As they drew closer, Anunu leaped nimbly and landed directly on the railing.
The surrounding passengers gasped in shock at her actions, and the staff who came to find her were also too frightened to approach.
Hicks and Bai Zhi, who rushed over, almost had their hearts stop when they saw this scene.
They were on the second floor, below which was the service hall. This height could be fatal for a four- or five-year-old child.
Many passengers and staff stood below her, some holding blankets, others pulling out coats, ready to catch her at any moment.
When Hicks saw the patrolling soldiers with guns, he knew that Anunu was frightened by them, so he quickly shooed them away from Anunu's sight.
"Anunu, be good, don't move, I'll come get you."
Wenjia cautiously approached Anunu. When Anunu saw her coming, she immediately took a few steps to the side. In such a narrow space, no one knew how such a small child could stand. They all clutched their hearts and broke out in a cold sweat for her.
"Don't come any closer."
Anunu said, "You're lying to me."
Wen Jia and Bai Zhi, who had been secretly approaching her, immediately stopped and said softly, "Anunu, we didn't lie to you, and the people who took you away aren't liars. They will find you loving parents."
Anunu shook her head: "I want to go back."
Wenjia couldn't help but feel a little anxious. "Where are you going back to? Shall we take you to your new home?"
"Anunu, come to me."
Upon hearing Hicks's voice, Anunu paused, then took two more steps as she watched Hicks approach her. "I'm not going."
"You're lying to me."
She took the backpack off her back, opened it, and threw all the apples and candies Hicks had packed for her at him.
Hicks didn't dodge, letting her vent her anger. After throwing away all the food in her backpack, she threw the backpack out as well.
"You don't want me."
Hicks felt a pang of pain in his heart and opened his arms to her. "It was my fault, I was wrong, Anunu. Brother will take you back, and I won't give you to anyone else."
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