"Huh?" Number 43 was holding Hopelily, staring in shock at the crumbling Old Six before him.
At that moment, the dense influx of information nearly blew his mind.
What about Sun Jack, what about 'fuck his mother'? What was all this about?
Number 43 quickly pulled Hopelily behind him, picked up the Eight-Star Stat from the table beside him, and aimed it at the group of mercenaries in front of him.
"Get out! Ever heard of Steelheart from Eighteenth Street? I work for him! You can't afford to mess with us! Scram!"
"Fuck!" In his excitement, Old Six grabbed the laser emitter beside him and suddenly raised his hand towards Number 43's head.
"Stop!" Hopelily rushed out, forcefully shielding Sun Jack beneath her.
Old Six, looking at the familiar face before him, found himself unable to fire the weapon in his hand, "Fuck!!" he cried out in frustration, throwing the weapon furiously to the ground.
He never imagined that he would meet his mother again under such circumstances.
Just at that moment, accompanied by a crashing sound, a grenade smashed through the window, landed inside, and exploded with a bang, the shrill screams and dense foam instantly enveloping the room.
"Kid! Hurry!" Upon hearing the system notification, Number 43 pulled Hopelily towards the window and without hesitation, jumped out.
As they fell, a strong sensation of plummeting enveloped them, and they headed towards the ground dozens of meters below right through the foam.
In the midst of the howling wind, Number 44 rode by on a motorcycle in the air and caught the two steadily.
The unicycle at that moment had twin circular propellers on each side, allowing it to fly through the air.
Sitting at the back, Number 43 looked up to see that no one had followed them and felt a bit relieved. Then he patted his sister's sturdy back.
"Thanks! Sister, I definitely can't go back home now, how about staying at your place first?"
"Fine, since you've helped me be prosperous, I'll let you stay," Number 44 throttled up, leading them toward her home. "Who are those people causing you trouble?"
"Forget it, damn, some asshole, we'll talk at home."
Number 44's home wasn't located in any specific district of Metropolis but was a large caravan moving at a steady speed, seemingly evading someone.
As the Flying Motorcycle landed, the caravan's roof opened, and the three returned to Number 43's abode.
: The entrance featured a shoe rack and hooks, convenient for storing shoes and coats, with possibly a small storage cabinet below,
The interior included a convertible sofa, used as a seating area during the day and pulled out into a bed at night.
Next to it was equipped with a mini-fridge, microwave, portable stove, and sink.
The walls, with hooks, magnetic boards, and corner shelves, hung full of weapons and ammunition, maximizing every inch of space.
Beyond that were various trash, leftover food containers, used condoms, and unwashed clothes.
"Good grief, this place is a real mess." Number 43 disdainfully kicked away the fluorescent thong on his foot.
"That's not mine, that belongs to a little boy who played 'fist' with me yesterday and left it here."
44 went to the fridge, took out three syringes, injected himself in the neck, and then passed one to 43 and Hopelily, "Want a shot?"
"No need. If he wants, I can adjust his dopamine at will."
Hopelily declined for 43 and added one last thing. "This stuff doesn't metabolize, it's harmful to the body."
"Pfft, we who fight physically just look down on you electronic drug junkies. How is that any different from jerking off?" she said as she flopped onto the couch.
"Speaking of which, who the hell did you piss off? Don't tell me your enemies have come knocking?" 44 reached out her right hand toward Hopelily, but 43 slapped it away immediately.
"Don't know, nor do I know where that gold-toothed maniac came from, stormed in shouting 'Mom' at Hopelily, freaking lunatic."
43 said irritably not wanting to tell his sister about Sun Jack, as his mind was in utter chaos.
"Hahaha, could it be a cyborg lunatic?" 44 joked.
"Maybe, let me check this guy's background." 43 moved a pink massager from the couch and sat down with Hopelily, then started pulling up the facial data of the gold-toothed man for a big data search.
However, the information that popped up suddenly made his heart skip a beat: Song 6pus, director of the personnel management department at Utopia Security.
"Utopia Security? Isn't that Borrow King's company? Could I really be..."
43's heart skipped another beat, but as he looked up at Hopelily by his side, seeing the concern in her eyes, and the memories of his 'sisters' flashed through his mind—those vivid images.
The two conflicting memories tugged at his mind. If he really was Sun Jack, then everything about his past would be false.
Thinking that the memories of his family and lovers could all be fake, a wave of intense fear enveloped his heart.
This couldn't be possible! He shook his head hard, "No! I'm not Sun Jack! I'm 43!"
"Plus... plus... a guy who mistook Hopelily for his mom, that's just too freaking stupid. His story is just too unlikely."
43 patted Hopelily's back, feeling the concerned gaze she returned, which eased his heart a little.
"No matter what the deal is with my memories, I definitely can't leave Hopelily! Though that guy is crazy, he's no weakling, if we stay, he might come after us again."
After glancing at his ample bank account, 43 contemplated for a moment and then looked toward 44 and said, "Sis, that lunatic is no small fry, I plan to take Hopelily and hide out in another city."
"Didn't you see we're at war? Intercity flights have been grounded. How are you planning to get out?"
"If the legal route doesn't work, then we'll take the illegal route, find a smuggler."
"Damn, why are you getting so worked up? When something happens, you just think of running, that's not like you. When our incest was caught by our parents, you covered for me. What's to fear from this little thing?" 44 rested her foot on a low table.
43 was stunned, was he really escaping? What was he running from? Breathing erratically, he shook his head hard. "I'm not thinking of escaping, it's just that Metropolis is at war. It's not safe!"
"And what other city is doing so well? With Borrow Wang Yikaiyuan, everywhere's messed up now. If you really run, where can you find a job as lucrative as digging up Sun Jack?"
Frustrated, 43 stood up, his hands on his knees, and walked toward the trailer's side door, "I'm tired of arguing with you about this. Do I need your permission where I go? Hopelily, stay here. I'm going to find a smuggler."
Just as he sent a command to the door, it whooshed open, and there in the rush of traffic stood a cyborg, the same gold-toothed man from before at the entrance.