"After the competition ended, Dave withdrew from the Church and returned to his hometown in District Twelve, where his relatives and friends were. I heard he got married in that scenic coastal city, had children, and opened a ship repair yard."
Lu Xiang listened to the story quietly while savoring the tomato-flavored potato chips she had bought from a convenience store on the way there.
The taste of flavoring was there, indeed not as delicious as the snacks Song Lan made at home.
Dave was a contestant in the 35th Cricketer Contest, which was already the tail end of the war by then. The Church had gained absolute advantage, and the entire Review Meeting had fallen into the hands of the Church, with Mechanical Church remnants hiding scattered.
The contest of the 35th edition was held to resolve the disagreement over "whether to disband the Mechanical Church and ban all Prosthesis Modifications entirely."
