When 15-year-old Xu Le, with a trembling and sincere tone, panic-strickenly uttered those words, he never thought they could have the slightest possibility of becoming a reality. In the remote Eastwood Grand District orphanage, where poverty prevailed, he dared to express his strong feelings for the purple-haired goddess displayed on the ultra-thin federation screen, but it eventually turned out to be an indiscreet act caused by the physiological issues of puberty.
The poor have the right to fantasize, the courage to dream, but in a society marked by huge class disparities, individual efforts can hardly bridge the gap. Not to mention that Xu Le, besides his poverty, had no connection with the capital city. He didn't even know if he would ever set foot on the capital star, let alone travel there...
Xu Le's appearance was unremarkable, not exactly ugly, just an average teenager with a slightly shy and immature demeanor. His ordinary face lacked any standout features, except for his eyes. Underneath the ink-black darkness resembling black ink, his eyes were slightly narrowed, making them appear small and pitiable. Especially when he was deep in thought, his eyes would narrow even further, revealing a hint of foolishness beneath his originally sincere and simple gaze.
Of course, if someone were to look deep into the depths of those pupils, they would find a trace of an indomitable spirit unique to the people of Eastwood, as well as a resolute and unwavering determination.
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...
"From 15 to 50 years old... all men in the federation find Jian Shui'er attractive and are willing to marry her," Xu Le declared under the pale green tree, as Elder Brother Wei gently patted his thin shoulder, expressing immense sympathy. "Including me, but I'm too thin-skinned to say it. You, on the other hand, have no shame."
"I... I feel the same way," the young boy following Elder Brother Wei confessed quietly, stealing a glance at Xu Le. He noticed that Elder Brother Le's gaze remained fixed on the ultra-thin crystal screen, capturing the final image of the purple-haired girl before it disappeared. Emboldened, he added, "Xu Le, you're really shameless!"
Xu Le slowly raised his head, looking at the young boy, and smiled. "Hadron, you're only ten years old, you wouldn't understand."
Having said these words, Xu Le stood up and pressed gently on the tree trunk of the green tree, causing a melodious sound to resonate. The entire crystal screen shrank into a small round device.
He gently caressed the smooth metal surface of the round device, a trace of pain flickering in his eyes. "This is the Tall Fang N98, worth at least 4,000 dollars on the market. I'm giving it to you, Li Wei, but if it needs repairs in the future, I might have to charge you."
"Don't pretend to be a good person," Li Wei angrily grabbed his golden curly hair, snatching the round device. "Have you not seen the expression on Bao Longtao's face today? More than a hundred of us took such a big risk, was it worth it for this broken television?"
Xu Le chuckled and didn't argue further. He patted Li Wei's shoulder and said, "As always, if anything happens in the future, I'll come to you for help."
Li Wei didn't reply immediately, but looked at Xu Le's ordinary face with a puzzled expression. After a long time, he couldn't help but ask, "Where have you been during the daytime for the past two years? Why do you always avoid us? I know you don't like hanging out on the streets with us, fearing that we'll end up in a gang... but the school has always welcomed us. To be honest, the government has treated us well for the past ten years."
Xu Le sighed reluctantly and said, "I've neglected my studies for several years. I can't keep up with you guys."
Li Wei didn't expect to convince him, so he scolded him in annoyance and said, "I'm afraid you'll become a nobody in the future."
Upon hearing these words, Xu Le's narrowed eyes formed a smile, as if he had heard the funniest joke in society. However, he didn't dwell on the topic and asked, "Why don't you give it a try?"
Clearly, the ten-year-old boy didn't understand the dialogue between the two teenagers. To him, it was just an attractive, expensive, and good device, and the TV signal reception under the tree had been good before. What was there to try?
But when Li Wei heard those words, his expression turned serious. He held the round device tightly and cautiously pressed a barely noticeable switch.
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...
A strange sound resonated under the green tree. The pale blue electric arcs danced like ethereal threads, emanating from the tip of the thin metal device, ionizing the air and forming a circular arc about one and a half meters in diameter under the green tree before returning to its starting point!
The appearance of the blue electric arcs startled the young boy, who crouched on the ground, clutching his head in fear. Clearly, he had experienced such humiliation on the streets at the hands of these weapon-wielding thugs. Li Wei's complexion also turned pale, and he stared dumbfoundedly at Xu Le, trembling as he asked, "Is it really that powerful? Is this what they call an electric shock stick?"
"It looks scary, but it's not even half as powerful as a military-grade one. Its main purpose is to create dazzling effects," Xu Le frowned and said, "This is only suitable for fights with those street thugs. You should try it out, but be serious."
Li Wei held the round device close to his chest, finding it hard to believe Xu Le's words. He finally said, "I thought it would produce a spark... You... you're talented, at most."
At this moment, the cockroach finally crawled up from the ground, looking at Xu Le's figure under the tree with angelic eyes. Although they were orphans with little education, they understood that only someone with great ability could shrink a television crystal screen into such a powerful electric shock stick.
"Hehe, I do have talent," Xu Le touched his pair of thick black eyebrows, but there was no trace of frivolity in his expression. Instead, he seemed particularly sincere and honest.
Li Wei, with a serious expression, finally asked him earnestly, "Xu Le, this thing must have cost a lot... Do you really like Jian Shui'er?"
With an even more sincere tone than before, Xu Le replied, "Absolutely."
Li Wei felt the urge to hit him and scolded him, "You idiot!"
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...
As they watched the two figures disappear into the night on the outskirts of the city, Xu Le felt a sense of relief. He raised the brim of his casual hat, obscuring his face in darkness. He descended the azure mound and headed towards another residential area in the Hexi Province capital, taking a different route.
However, his journey home today was not smooth. He was stopped under the streetlight at the Lolan intersection.
"The hat won't hide your face... I think we met four years ago," Deputy Director Bao Longtao of the Hexi Province second police station appeared under the streetlight with a particularly ominous expression. He looked at the young boy in front of him, who was two heads shorter, and attempted to remove the hat that concealed the boy's face. He said coldly,