"Brother, where have you been? Why haven't you come home?"
Just as Han Dong quickly emerged from the dark alley, preparing to inquire the pedestrians about the situation... a pleasant feminine voice sounded from his side.
Han Dong's brain responded swiftly.
In his mind, he pictured a cute blonde girl with sparkling green eyes, dressed in a lace puffy skirt standing next to him... From her words, it's clear she's Nicholas' sister.
But as Han Dong turned his head, the reality was quite different from his imagination.
Compared to his slim figure, the girl seemed much healthier... However, similar to him, due to a lack of certain vitamins, her skin was somewhat yellowish.
She should be around fifteen years old.
No presence of the wavy blonde hair he imagined.
Instead, she had short brown hair, the same color as Han Dong's, and a pair of sea-blue eyes.
The girl was wearing rather rough copper goggles, dressed in a pair of denim overalls, a tool bag tied to her side, very much like a young artisan.
Moreover, she had a bag of tempting food in her hands... Held tightly in her arms, as if afraid it would be snatched from her.
"I just needed some fresh air… we don't have much time left."
In his previous life, Han Dong was an associate professor at a local university in Italy, fluent English was a basic requirement.
Intriguingly, Han Dong intentionally mentioned 'the issue of time' in his response, shaking his bracelet in front of the girl.
Unbeknownst to him, this action made the girl's eyes brim with tears. She hugged Han Dong from the side.
"Brother will never die... Nina believes brother will definitely become a 'Returner' and come home alive."
Nina.
Now he knew his sister's name.
However, Han Dong was more concerned about the countdown issue and the term 'Returner' mentioned by Nina, rather than her name.
There's a high likelihood that the young man's choice of suicide was related to the countdown.
What exactly could push someone into such despair, leading them to give up their life? This was something Han Dong was curious about.
"Yes, I'll come back alive… Of course, I'm a bit nervous, so that's why I'm out here trying to unwind. Nina, don't worry, I'll be fine."
To avoid the hassle of dealing with a crying girl, Han Dong tried to act as cheerful and confident as possible.
Nina slid her goggles up, wiped her moist eyes, and pulled out the food she had prepared.
"Alright! This is the fish and chips and coleslaw sandwich mom made for you. Eat it on the way to the Festival Square… try to get there at least fifteen minutes earlier."
"Okay…"
Han Dong mentally noted the 'Festival Square' location.
It seemed that he had to reach there before the gear device countdown ended, or something terrifying would happen.
On the way to the square, Han Dong was so hungry that image was the least of his worries. Every bite he took was 'luxurious' - at least a whole fried fish paired with a few chips.
Whenever he felt overwhelmed by the oily food, he would take a bite of the coleslaw sandwich for some balance.
Given the circumstances of the country and his family, such food was sometimes only available once a year... This was why Nina held the food as if it were a priceless treasure the entire time.
However…
Nina, who was standing to one side, was almost driven to tears out of envy by Han Dong's crude eating manner and the tempting smell of the sandwiches and fish chips.
Han Dong was left helpless.
After all, he hadn't had a single human meal for seven years, and honestly, he didn't really want to share.
This sibling relationship could likely play a role in the future, and information about the Holy City could also be obtained from Nina.
This was why Han Dong shared a small piece of fish.
"I'm not hungry."
Seeing the fish that Han Dong handed over, Nina, while wiping the saliva from her lips, feebly said so.
After all, this might be Han Dong's last meal... Nina was fully aware of the dangerous situation her brother was about to face.
"Take it, I'm full."
"...Alright, thank you brother."
The moment Nina received the chunk of fish, it seemed as if she wanted to follow Han Dong's example and stuff the whole fish into her mouth... but she felt it was extravagant, so she started biting it slowly.
After each bite, she would sneak a shy glance at Han Dong.
...…
After nearly half an hour of brisk walking, they finally reached the Festival Square.
Massive.
Han Dong had never seen such a massive square before.
Also, the square was home to more than ten thousand people at the moment.
At a glance, at least half of the people had gear bracelets similar to Han Dong's on their wrists... and the majority of them were adolescents.
This also explained why Han Dong saw so few youngsters in the civilian buildings.
"Only 20 minutes left... I have a bad feeling about this. A scene for mass sacrifice?!"
Han Dong's first thought was the sacrificial ceremony.
However, upon further thought it was rather unlikely... a country that sacrifices thousands of youngsters who symbolize the future national strength wouldn't want to continue to exist.
More importantly, according to Nina, his death wasn't a certainty, he just had a high likelihood of dying.
"Nina, I'll leave you here. Don't worry, I'll be back alive."
"Yes, I'll wait for you whether or not you 'are my brother.'"
This took Han Dong by surprise.
Nina, who had already made her departure, stopped at the edge of the crowd, stuck out her tongue, and waved him goodbye.
At the same time.
A familiar metallic clattering sound of horseshoes echoed.
However, this time it wasn't a carriage, but a group of knights in black robes riding mechanical horses.
Thirty in total.
Han Dong had an intuitive sense that the aura emitted by these thirty knights was higher than that of the tens of thousands of common people gathered in the square.
"Black Rose Knight Squad!!"
The people in the square could not help but yell this esteemed and awe-inspiring name.
They are the backbone of this country, the real hope for human survival.
The Black Rose Badge is their emblem.
The black iron armor they wore seemed heavy, but it was light and body-fitting.
The knights had no helmets on, but donned a black steel mask that was a fusion of goggles.
Han Dong was curious about this, as the people in the carriage he saw earlier were also wearing similar goggles.
It seemed that in this world, the prop 'Goggles' had a special significance... It was not only used in industry but also required when dealing with the 'Oddities'.
As for their steeds, they were top-quality purebred Black Horses.
Unlike the horses drawing the carriage he had seen earlier, these Black Horses retained their strong muscular legs to a certain extent and were enhanced with high-end modifications to increase their agility.
"Those knights are probably not ordinary people, it's better to keep a low profile."
Han Dong attempted to blend in with crowds where the density of people was relatively high, reducing his presence to the lowest.
Thirty black knights formed a circle around the perimeter of the square, standing at even intervals, completely sealing off the square.
The leading knight pulled out a gorgeous sword from his waist, the blade seemed to be wound with a white chill.
The blade pointed to the night sky.
The booming voice emanating from beneath the mask covered the entire square.
"The ceremony is about to begin... all non-selected personnel evacuate immediately!"