On the train to New Haven City.
A young man with an upright posture and imposing aura was sitting in the carriage, enjoying the passing scenery outside the window.
At this moment, the carriage door was slowly opened, and another tall man approached, respectfully saying: "Young Marshal, the matter you wanted to investigate has some clues, but the news is not very good."
Saying this, he handed over the document bag in his hand to Alex.
Opening the bag, what appeared in his hand was a newspaper and several pieces of documentation. The newspaper's date was three years ago. The only remaining male of the Thompson family in New Haven City, John Thompson, died yesterday at the city's Chinese Medicine Hospital, and the police have launched a comprehensive investigation. The huge headline made the hand holding the newspaper tremble slightly. He had witnessed too many comrades-in-arms leave his side, but he still couldn't face the death of his good friend correctly. Looking at the photo of the deceased on the newspaper, past events once again emerged before his eyes.
"Whose child are you, and why are you begging here?"
On a night with heavy rain, a black vintage car stopped in front of a beggar. This was their first meeting. "Wait at the door for a while, after I finish eating, I'll sneak you some food, don't run around." Just like that, John Thompson secretly brought him some food every day, getting through the most difficult times.
At the age of 12, he was bullied by other children and accidentally injured a child from a noble family, and was chased and beaten by a group of noble children and their servants. The world is so indifferent. Everyone watched with smiles as a group of people chased and beat him, only John Thompson protected him.
"Alex, run quickly, they will break your legs if they catch you, run." Alex fled in panic, and when he looked back, John Thompson was already surrounded by others, being punched and kicked, but his hands were firmly blocking everyone, creating an opportunity for Alex to escape. It was then, by chance, that the Marquis of the North was mobilizing troops, and he stopped the troops, resolutely joining the army and heading to the most dangerous northern battlefield at the time.
John Thompson was the kindest and most scholarly person he had ever met in this world. Sometimes, fate is just so unfair, taking him away in his twenties, the best years of his life. The tall man handed over a mobile phone, and the video on it began to play. In the image, several young men and women were teasing and fighting, and the target of their teasing was John Thompson. At this time, John Thompson was obviously seriously ill, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably like Parkinson's disease. He couldn't control his body normally, and his movements were particularly difficult, sometimes unable to support his body with his limbs, causing him to fall to the ground from time to time. However, the other young men and women seemed to enjoy the situation very much, laughing and insulting loudly.
A crudely made wooden token was swaying not far from John Thompson, making him constantly stretch out his trembling hand, trying to grasp that broken wooden block, but every time he was about to succeed, it would be taken away and placed further away. The mockery continued. During this time, someone even rode on his body, took out their belt to whip him, and struck various poses for photos and mementos. The video was 12 minutes long, filled with scenes of insulting and abusing John Thompson in various ways.
Creak! The metal table panel gripped by his right hand made an ear-piercing sound of deformation. The sturdy metal was crushed and curled by his hand. The wooden token in the image was what he carved and when he gave it to John Thompson, he had solemnly said, "John Thompson, I will definitely become a high-ranking official, you hold onto this, and when I come back, I will also make you a high-ranking official." How many people can take childhood words seriously, but John Thompson, who was well-versed in poetry and books, believed it without doubt. Even when the Thompson family encountered difficulties and he was seriously ill, he still believed that Alex would return in glory. Now, he has returned, but…
The atmosphere in the carriage was gloomy, and the air was filled with murderous intent.
"Due to the current lack of understanding of New Haven City, the identities of the people in the image are still under investigation," the tall man said cautiously.
He and Alex had been through life and death together for many years, and they understood each other well. So without thinking, he also knew what would happen when they arrived in New Haven City. The youngest general of the Great Britain, countless enemy soldiers have died at his hands. In the eyes of Great Britain, he is a god of war, a national hero. But in the eyes of the enemy, he is a ruthless devil. Such a person, who has been defending his country on the border, but when he returns home in glory, only to find that his closest friends have been treated like this, what will happen next is predictable.
"No need, I know some of them," Alex's voice was deep and devoid of any emotion. He continued to flip through the documents in his hand.
In just a few years, the Thompson family had suffered heavy casualties, and now only John Thompson's mother and sister remained. Moreover, John's mother could not accept the family's misfortune and her son's death, and she had developed a mental illness, which was also very unstable.
"After arriving at the station, arrange to go to the residence of Thompson's mother and daughter."
"Yes, sir."
…
New Haven City.
As dusk fell, the sky was filled with red clouds.
A military green jeep slowly stopped in front of a noodle shop in a small alley in the city. The noodle shop was somewhat old, with several pieces of glass on the windows already broken and casually taped together for continued use. At the front desk was a young girl with delicate features, who was busy sorting through the bills in her hand. Hearing someone come in, she casually greeted, "Welcome, please sit anywhere."
The shop was relatively desolate, with no customers. The girl felt that the guest who came in did not move, so she looked up curiously and glanced at the young man with a smile.
"Snow, don't you recognize me?" Alex said with a smile.
Once, during the intense border battles, secrecy work was very strict, and all contacts with the outside world were cut off. Time flies, and the young lady who used to follow him and John Thompson, always throwing a tantrum, has grown into a graceful young woman, but her face, weather-beaten, shows signs of hardship.
"Beggar brother?" Snow asked uncertainly.
"It's me."
A simple "It's me!" made Snow's lips tremble and her eyes fill with tears.
After the Thompson family's misfortune, she had not seen any relatives anymore.
"Beggar brother, where have you been for so many years?"
Snow didn't know Alex's name, only knowing that when she was young, her brother had been helping this little beggar around their age.
He helped for several years.
"I went to join the army, just retired and came back. By the way, where is Aunt Thompson?"
"Out shopping, we're running this small restaurant! By the way, my brother is gone." As she said this, Snow lowered her head, her voice hoarse, as if choking.
"I already know."
Alex didn't say much, just looked solemn and spoke in a deep voice. The two sat down and chatted for a while, and Thompson's mother came back carrying a large bag of vegetables.
The image of the noble lady from memory was no longer there, now she was dressed in plain clothes, with gray hair. As soon as Thompson's mother entered the house, she looked up and saw a tall, familiar man standing in the room. At this moment, Alex's image began to overlap with John Thompson's image.
"Son, where have you been for these years?" The vegetables in her hand fell to the ground, and she rushed to Alex's side, hugging her son and loudly questioning. She hadn't seen her son for several years, and many people said her son was already dead, but she didn't believe it. Her son had always been the best student, the kindest, the most sensible, and the fortune teller said her son would be successful in the future, how could he die?
At this moment, her thoughts were also verified, her son finally came back. Seeing Thompson's mother hugging Alex and crying, Snow knew her mother was mistaken, and Alex knew Thompson's mother was mistaken, but what does it matter? One of the reasons he came back this time was to take care of John Thompson's mother and sister for him.
"Mother."
An extremely unfamiliar word came out of Alex's mouth, and he once thought when would he have the chance to call out this word. Thompson's mother cried even more fiercely, and the grievances that had been suppressed in her heart for years were finally released.
Tears instantly soaked Alex's clothes.
"Stand up straight, your wings are hard, and you know how to be wild, don't you?" Thompson's mother wiped away her tears, took out the bamboo stick from the corner of the wall, and struck Alex's body.
Each strike would make the sound of the bamboo stick and flesh colliding, but Alex stood upright and silent.
"Hey, what's all this