War.
Even the word itself was cruel.
In Zarad's eyes, war could only pointlessly snatch away things others held dear. The currently relatively peaceful state of the interstellar was a matter worth celebrating to all races.
Regarding the war that took place more than a year ago on Kesou, Zarad wasn't very clear about the actual situation. At that time, he had already retired from the military and was still depressed.
However, Zarad remembered that the military campaign had been very short, it had been a blitzkrieg.
After the Star Alliance sent troops to protect the peace, the war had ended in merely three days.
According to the way Morrison was, Zarad felt that even if the military department had not sent the special forces to take part in this military campaign, the other would still surely have requested to be sent to the battlefield on his own accord.
Taking the other's participation in the war as a fact, Zarad could conclude that the laili cub had most likely been picked up by Morrison at the battlefield on Kesou.
Zarad spoke out about all his speculations and Xie Luan's eyebrows gradually creased as well as he listened.
The cub in his arms still had his head buried in his chest. Xie Luan softly hummed a lullaby and continued to consciously channel his spiritual power to soothe the cub.
If things really were as Zarad said, this cub was probably not afraid of thunder… but of a sound similar to thunder.
Perhaps explosions.
There were many thunderstorms during this season. Xie Luan lowered his head and looked towards the eyes of the cub in his arms, his heart full of worry.
Stress reaction, he should have realized it sooner… Xie Luan thought back to the time he first met the mermaid cub. At that time, when the little mermaid had left the water, he had shown the same kind of frightened appearance.
The panic in the two cubs' eyes was similar. Gale had managed to overcome this mental obstacle with great difficulty. Xie Luan did not know whether the laili cub had it in him to do the same.
Concerned, Xie Luan went on the starnet to check the weather forecast for the remaining half of the month. It would luckily be sunny starting tomorrow until the weekend.
This weekend, Morrison once again came to Yunbao branch.
He came because he cared about the cub. The purpose of the other's visit was clearly to see how the laili cub was faring. Although he was not a parent, Xie Luan agreed to let the other be in the cub house and interact with the cub.
"Gu~" Waving his small flippers, the laili cub at once waddled around Morrison's legs when he walked into the living room. The cub had now already circled him three times.
Raising his head, the laili cub looked up at the adult with his black eyes as he waddled around him.
Because he was looking at the person he liked, the cub's black eyes were especially bright.
"Gu-Ji~" Lifting his wings on both sides, the laili cub raised his head and called out to the person in front of him with a very clear cry. This action meant that the cub wanted his parent to pick him up.
Considering the cub's condition, the club must have taken good care of him these past few days.
Having confirmed this with his own eyes, Morrison put his worries away and the taut expression on his face also relaxed a little.
He picked the cub up at last and simply held him in his embrace like normal. Morrison didn't do anything to coax the cub.
Still, just with this, the cub in his arms seemed very happy.
A tender and crisp call had continually been sounding since a moment ago, it was not hard to see how energetic the cub was.
In addition to his liveliness, it could be seen that the cub felt at ease. It should be because he got a sense of security from the person holding him. At this moment, Xie Luan felt that the laili cub's mental state was more stable than it had been at any other time.
A parent could be of much help to a cub trying to overcome a mental obstacle. As Xie Luan viewed the man in front of him as the cub's parent, an idea appeared in his mind.
"Have you ever considered adopting the cub?" Once Morrison was done visiting the cub, Xie Luan asked him this not far from the cubs.
"If you haven't, it would be better to think it over," Xie Luan added sincerely.
Morrison clearly hadn't expected Xie Luan to say this to him. Pausing slightly, he turned back to glance at the laili cub who was playing with some small feathery fluffballs in the living room. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth and replied, "I have no intention of adopting a cub."
The implication was a rejection of Xie Luan's suggestion.
Xie Luan didn't think the other would refuse so blatantly, his tone not even leaving any room for negotiations. The draft he had just now prepared in his mind got stuck at the bottom of his throat.
From Morrison's words and actions, Xie Luan was 100% certain he cared for and loved the laili cub dearly. As to why he didn't want to adopt the cub, Xie Luan couldn��t think of a reason.
When Xie Luan choked on his words, Morrison seemed ready to leave. This time he had simply come to have a look at the cub and now that he had so, he could leave.
Xie Luan didn't stop him. But when Morrison walked to the door, the laili cub, who had been paying attention to him from the beginning, raised his flippers and waddled over. The cub followed behind Morrison all the way to the door, then stood by the door and watched the other leave before sensibly turning back.
At Shilolin, the laili cub had done this every morning.
The adult would go to the military department on weekdays. Every day, the cub had gotten up early with the other and waited for him to leave before returning to bed.
It was truly not easy for a cub to wake up early in the morning, still the laili cub would at once open his eyes as soon as he heard the adult in the room get up.
"Gu?" Turning back and returning, the laili cub waddled up to Xie Luan and lightly issued a small questioning sound.
It was clear what the cub wanted to ask. Xie Luan bent down to touch the head of the laili cub and replied, "En, he will come and see Laili next week as well."
Next week, when the other came again as expected, Xie Luan tried to pry it out of him… No, actually, the task was handed over to Zarad.
Having been entrusted with this task, Zarad was thinking about how to approach the subject. In the end, his first action was to light a cigarette for himself and push the cigarette case over to the other.
To Zarad's surprise, he saw the other shake his head.
"Quit?" He casually asked. Zarad did not expect that the man in front of him would not only nod but also respond with a sound.
"En,"
Morrison answered in a steady voice.
It was not easy.
Even when he had still been at the military department, Zarad had to sneak a cigarette every few days. To stop smoking, this felt impossible for him anyway.
"One year and six months ago, you went to Kesou, right?"
Stating the exact time the war took place, Zarad observed the face of the man in front of him, then continued, "You picked up that laili cub at the battlefield on Kesou?" The other's accurate guess made the expression on Morrison's face change slightly. He nodded to confirm Zarad's words, "That's right."
"You're still the same. Whenever there is a battle, you take the initiative to apply to join. Even if you wanted to be a hero, those guys at the military department gave you the title 'battlefield maniac'…" Saying this, Zarad felt a bit like sighing. Although the friendship between the two wasn't the deepest, Zarad had to admit that he still somewhat understood the other.
The reason he was so fanatical about the battlefield, and continued to immediately apply every time a war arose, was just because the other wished to do everything in his power to end the war as quickly as possible
This was the opposite of what many people considered fanaticism.
"I can't be a hero."
And neither did he want to, Morrison replied.
Special forces sometimes had to do some things that were unsuitable to be carried out publicly. People who moved in the shadows couldn't be heroes.
Zarad was naturally aware of the kind of things the special forces had to do, he therefore chose to change the subject. "But why would you take the laili cub back with you? According to your way of doing things I assumed you would have instead looked for a cub raising branch on Kesou to place the cub."
This time Morrison's reply was not as fast as earlier. He paused for about three seconds, then slowly uttered one word, "Accident."
Once again it was 'accident'— Hearing this word, Zarad's eye couldn't resist twitching. Before, when he had asked about the other's arm, it seemed like the other had also used this word to answer him.
Wait a minute… Putting two and two together, Zarad couldn't help speculating, "Was it on that battlefield you lost your arm?" Making an affirmative sound, Morrison once again nodded in response.
With the present medical level, ordinary people who lost or were born without an arm or leg could get a prosthetic completely attached through surgery. There was no difference in appearance and there was also basically no impediment when it came to movement.
Morrison had, however, been injured by some kind of special weapon. Even after the wound healed, a prosthesis could not be attached. The medical department at the Star Alliance military department currently had no solution to this problem.
The wounds caused by this special weapon would unceasingly radiate pain even after healing. Morrison was now already used to enduring it and would thus not show any sign of being in pain.
According to the situation on the battlefield at that time, Morrison should have followed his experience and chosen the most favorable action.
But in the face of the outcome, Morrison did not regret his action that day. Because, he had managed to save a cub who had become someone very important to him.