Upon learning that the host was going out, the system volunteered to help project a map of the surrounding area, but Chu Lu refused without hesitation.
He is not really blind. He closes his eyes to reduce the amount of information input. The system also projects a special projection to him. Doesn't that simply add to the burden on the brain of this body?
…
As Abner had expected, the nutritional supplement subsidies for District 36 had stopped a few days ago.
In recent days, he has been going to the recycling station - this is his daily "job", picking out usable energy blocks, scrap parts and the like from the garbage dump and reselling them to several fixed stores on West Street.
"I won't be able to do this job for a few days."
On the way there, Abner lowered his voice and explained to Chu Lu, "Several games have been suspended in the 'Fighting Arena'. I'm afraid those big shots don't have the mood to have fun right now... The tickets can't be sold, and the Fighting Arena won't keep idle people..."
He seemed to be just speaking casually, not expecting Chu Lu to understand his meaning.
After all, although he still didn't know the identity of the boy he picked up, he could tell at a glance that he was not someone who struggled to survive in the mire of the slums in District 36, so it was natural that he didn't understand the rules of survival in this place.
He said this mainly to remind the other party that he might not have much chance to come out in the future. If he wanted to do something - such as leaving a mark for the people who came to rescue him - he'd better take advantage of today's opportunity to do it.
When Abner heard Ling Lu hum a low "hmm", he was not sure for a moment whether the other party understood what he meant or was just responding casually.
The young man frowned tightly, thought for a while and decided to speak more clearly, but when he turned his head, he was met with a pair of pure black eyes.
——Did this kid open his eyes?
What? It turns out I can see.
It was not surprising. Although the boy had his eyes closed, Abner was skeptical as to whether he could see it.
The main reason was that the other party moved too smoothly and did not have the qualities a blind person should have.
When he was leaving, Abner wanted to ask if he needed help, but he found that this guy was still able to move freely not only in the room but also outside.
...I opened my eyes and looked at it when he wasn't paying attention, right? Like now.
I don't know what's wrong with always closing my eyes.
But after opening his eyes, he looked younger.
Ling Lu's eyes are big, the pupils and whites of the eyes are clearly defined, and the tails of the eyes droop slightly...
Although she is about the same height as him, she is slightly taller.
But... kids, right? This is.
In a sense, there is nothing wrong with Abner's guess.
It has only been eight years since the research institute where TY-376806 was located was destroyed. Before that, the researchers in the institute spent half a year to confirm that TY-376806 had no practical value and decided to stop the TY project and destroy the experimental body. Therefore, if we calculate the age from birth to now, this body is still a baby of only eight and a half years old.
However, the so-called experimental subjects are naturally in an adult state from the day they leave the culture tank.
This overly childish face was originally designed for reasons such as "lowering the enemy's vigilance" and "reducing vigilance", but the special version of TY-376806 used for testing was designed to further develop the brain area, abandoning the physique of his brothers who did not survive. This face, coupled with the non-threatening thin body condition, really looks like a child at first glance, and one can even ignore the height.
Although the TY plan failed in the end and TY-376806 has been proven to have no combat capability, some useless designs actually play a role in unexpected places.
In short, seeing such a face, Abner even reflected for a moment whether his behavior these days could be considered child abuse.
But I quickly realized, damn the little kid!
Are there such beings in Area 36? They are just a bunch of little demons.
And this person's age is also beyond the range of "young child", right? !
In addition, whether it is providing food or shelter, what he has done these days is rare in District 36 even as a guardian.
Abner, who was a little angry, reminded him with a dark face, "Hurry up and follow!"
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but wonder if his tone just now was too harsh, but after realizing his thoughts, he became even angrier.
Chu Lu didn't care about the other party's psychological activities at that moment. He agreed casually, took another last look at the man in the gray-blue jacket who disappeared around the corner, closed his eyes again, and followed the boy.
…
…………
With some awkward resistance, Abner did not pay special attention to Ling Lu's subsequent actions, which resulted in him not knowing whether the other party left a distress sign (this was why Abner thought Ling Lu had gone out).
But it was this trip today that made him realize that he might not have many opportunities to go out in the future.
He saw a few familiar people on the road, they might be low-level fighters who were kicked out of the fighting arena. Although they were low-level, they were already a nightmare for many people, just like the few people who robbed the energy blocks that day, they were trash who couldn't even enter the fighting arena.
And those fighters don’t mind killing people. No...it should be said that blood and broken limbs will only stimulate them to become more crazy.
Thinking of that, Abner's eyes darkened slightly.
——Beast, madman...
[Ai, I can’t do this anymore… If I continue like this, I will become like them sooner or later…]
…
…………
Abner pursed his lips and asked Chu Lu: "Have you finished your work?"
Get a gentle affirmation from the other party.
Abner recalled carefully, but he really didn't notice any special behavior of the boy on the road.
If I must say...
"Is that the guy? The one... the man in the gray-blue coat."
He recalled the moment he noticed the boy suddenly open his eyes on the road, and he seemed to be looking at someone.
Chu Lu hummed, neither confirming nor denying.
Abner also realized that his question was a bit beyond the line, and immediately said: "Nothing, you don't have to answer."
The iris recognition system detects the owner's return and the room door opens automatically.
As he stepped in, Abner heard the voice behind him. The boy said calmly: "You can exchange information with him."
This time it was Abner's turn to remain silent.
There are specialized intelligence dealers in District 36. Although he occasionally secretly takes on some work, the outside world is so chaotic right now that he doesn't need to come into conflict with those people over such matters.
Abner didn't pay much attention to the word "exchange".
He thought for a moment and said in a slightly subtle tone: "The things in here are not as simple as you think, brat."
The way he punctuated and paused these words was different from his usual way of speaking. It was obvious that he was repeating someone else's words, and even his tone was subconsciously imitated.
After Abner finished speaking, the corners of his lips unconsciously curled up.
——No wonder that bastard Zach loves to preach so much, this feeling... is really good...
However, the listeners' reaction this time was different from what he had done back then.
Abner heard the boy's calm voice again, "Just tell him the basic situation nearby."
"From outside?" Abner asked, and then fell into deep thought.
If he just wanted to understand the basic distribution of forces here, he could do it. After all, he could find out by asking anyone. Those intelligence dealers probably wouldn't bother to care about such trivial matters.
He heard Ling Lu respond vaguely again, and then continued, "You can ask him about your brother. He should... um..."
The hand that suddenly grabbed his neck drowned out Chu Lu's unfinished words in his throat.
The body's stress response made Chu Lu's face suddenly turn pale, but this time it was obviously much better than before. Although he still needed to open his mouth slightly to assist breathing and his pupils were dilated for a moment, at least he was still conscious.
Seeing the other party's extreme fear, Abner subconsciously relaxed.
But after realizing what he had done, he increased the strength in his hands again.
The boy frowned, his expression was fierce and stern, he said, "How do you know about Zack?!"
This is not a big secret and many people know it, but obviously not the boy in front of him.
He was sure he had never mentioned this to the other party.
Chu Lu struggled to pry open the hands that were pinching his neck.
Although the young man had a ferocious expression as if he wanted to kill him, the strength in his hands was not lethal, and even his malice was not as strong as that of the gangsters he met when he just returned to this world that day.
But even at this level, it is enough to trigger the body's crisis response.
He expected that the other party would get excited when he brought up this topic, but even though he had prepared in advance, the body's stress response still caused him some trouble.
Chu Lu controlled his breathing and calmed it down. His throat was still a little tight, and his voice was a little tense, but he still tried his best to explain calmly, "...I can see that."
"Impossible!" Abner retorted sharply.
When that bastard just left, he got angry and disposed of all of that person's things. ...That time he cleaned it up so thoroughly that even if he wanted to find something later, he couldn't find it.
Several years passed after that, and even if there were any signs of life, they had completely disappeared by now. It was impossible for the boy to find anything in the room.
Abner's hand tightened unconsciously, and Chu Lu couldn't help but cough a few times, his face turning even paler.
He lowered his voice and said hoarsely, "...sleeping bag."
Abner was stunned for a moment.
…There were two sleeping bags in the room.
It was also because of this that Chu Lu didn’t have to sleep on the floor covered in wounds on the first day after being moved back.
But... this really doesn't mean anything. Just because there is an extra sleeping bag, guessing that he has a brother, there is no logical connection at all?
Although he was still full of doubts, Chu Lu's explanation made Abner loosen his grip a little.
The boy still looked chilled, and he said, "It's just a spare sleeping bag."
Chu Lu's breathing was still difficult, but it was much better than at the beginning.
He took a deep breath and continued, "... and this room."
The fierce expression that Abner was forcing himself to maintain froze for a moment. He heard the boy continue to ask, "He left it for you, right?"
Chu Lu had made some guesses a few days ago when he was in the room listening to the people coming and going here. After going out and making comparisons today, his previous thoughts were further confirmed.
——This residence now is not something that the young man in front of him can occupy. He has, or at least had, a protector.
Abner's eyes widened slightly.
He looked at Chu Lu carefully this time and was a little suspicious... Was Zach picking up children outside again? After picking them up, he took care of them for a while and then threw them away, and then the other party chased them here?
...If it was that bastard, it doesn't seem impossible?
…
…………
Just when Abner was thinking wildly about whether he would have a new brother, Chu Lu had already taken advantage of the time when his hands loosened their strength to free himself and raised his hand to straighten his collar.
The purpose was to test the body's tolerance. After getting the result, there was no need to maintain the previous awkward posture.
——It’s a little worse than expected, but still within an acceptable range.
Abner came to his senses and found that his hands were empty: ???
But his mind was no longer on this at the moment. He just thought that he accidentally let go of his hand when he was distracted.
He stared at the boy in front of him, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. "You..."
Chu Lu sensed Abner's confusion.
Although he felt that the emotions he felt from the boy were a little subtle, he did not expect that the other party could imagine such a weird thing. He just guessed that the two conditions he just mentioned were not enough to convince the other party.
Because of the slight guilt he felt for using the boy as a testing tool, Chu Lu was still patient at this time.
He thought for a moment, and then continued to explain: "Based on your age and current physical condition, you should not be able to enter the fighting arena, but you are very familiar with the situation inside... It's not the kind of knowledge from the outside. Obviously, someone close to you - based on your age, it can only be a family member - has been inside."
"And you weren't happy when you brought it up."
"...unhappy, obviously 'he' is not a manager inside, he can only be a 'fighter'."
"Besides, you are very alert, so the chances of you getting hurt should be rare. But when you bandaged my wound, you were very skilled. You are very familiar with wound treatment, especially treating other people's wounds."
"Unhappy but not hateful. He didn't die in there... but he didn't live with you either."
"He left."
"Except for the sleeping bag, there is only one set of other daily necessities. He has been gone for some time."
"But it won't be too long. It's been a few years since the lifetime contract system was abolished. He won't be able to get away before then. And your worry about him is within the normal range, which means he was not weak or old when he left, but in the prime of his youth."
"But this reason cannot completely deny the possibility of the elder. But your attitude towards him is not that respectful."
"We even had a big fight because he left and threw all his things out... If it were an elder, they would not normally do that."
"He could be your brother or sister, but in a place like this..." Chu Lu said, curling his lips downwards, "According to probability, the possibility that he is your 'brother' is greater."
Chu Lu did not mention anything like blood relationship. After all, in a place like this, there are not many "family members" who are bound by blood.
…
…………
Silence, silence.
The expression on Abner's face was dull.
He blinked twice very slowly, as if he wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, only a meaningless sound between "ah" and "hmm" came out.
"you--"
Chu Lu pretended to listen attentively, but after a brief pause, he heard the boy hesitate and say, "Actually... you have a lot to say..."
Chu·Chatty·Lu: “……?”
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