I, with a long knife in my hand, can only do one move

In the settlement.

Cheng Rang had just helped to load and unload the salt water transported by the sea in the morning, and then walked non-stop across the square to the studio on the second floor.

From this afternoon to evening, it happened to be my turn to be on duty at the observation deck-it was a good day to catch fish.

Ahem, fishing is too much to mention, mainly because this job is the most leisurely for Cheng Rang.With his keen five senses, as long as he leans on the watchtower, he can have a panoramic view of the possible threats near the settlement even without the goblin telescope repaired by Crone.For others, it's a tedious but never relaxing chore.

Passing by the classroom, Cheng Rang saw through the window that Kelong was standing in front of the stage and was teaching the children in the settlement to read and write. Her capable and serious appearance was completely opposite to her usual carefree appearance, and she had a different kind of charm.

"Klong Kelong! This word is so difficult to write... What does it mean?"

"In class, you have to be called 'Teacher Kelong'! Let me see—"

Kelong first corrected the children's address to herself in a serious manner-although it didn't work all the time, she just cared.

Then he went to the child who asked the question and explained it patiently.

It's just that Cheng Rang, who was passing by, didn't intend to disturb Kelong and the children's class time, so he stopped at the door for a while and then continued to walk towards the studio.

"Every day Kelong lets us learn these difficult words, what's the use? As long as we can communicate with each other, wouldn't it be fine?"

The questioning voice of the child just now was faintly heard in the classroom.

Kelong leaned over the table and patiently explained: "Because if you learn these languages ​​well, you can help everyone interpret more important information in the future, and our lives will be better."

"What kind of information?"

"..." Kelong showed bitterness, and the smile on the corner of his mouth seemed forced.

"—Other people in the settlement risked their lives to obtain information from other races."

Hearing Ke Long's silence, Cheng Rang turned back and explained to the boy standing beside her at the door.

"...Procedure!"

"Your father, Corey, wanted to get that kind of information.

, sacrificed for this reason. "

This boy was Curry, one of the 47 people who died in five years, and the child entrusted to the care of Rick and others.

The boy's body trembled slightly, and he lowered his head thoughtfully, with sadness in his eyes.

Cheng Rang glanced at the other people in the classroom, and slowly said: "It is precisely to prevent heroes like Curry from vainly sacrificing their lives, that you need to work hard to learn language, writing and knowledge... Do you understand? "

........

When get out of class was over, Kelong pushed open the door of the studio and found Cheng Rang sitting on the observation deck.

"There's no need to let the children accept things they can't understand, right?" Kelong said in a helpless tone, "Don't you think it's cruel to them?"

"But for these, the outside world is more cruel, isn't it?" Cheng Rang sighed and explained: "Instead of keeping them in the greenhouse to protect them until they grow up, it's better to give them the hard work they have to do from now on." reason."

"They will always grow up until the day they face this cruel world in person. At that time, they will be able to live better here with sufficient psychological preparation and skills."

"Kelon, haven't you noticed... the person who is studying most seriously in the classroom is Nong Na."

Ke Long silently closed his mouth, Cheng Rang was right.

After experiencing the cruelty of this world first-hand, and almost saying goodbye to her father Yiwang, Nonna has been the most serious student among the children since then.

And all this changed because Rick let him face the most naked and real side of the world.

Because I know what kind of attitude and awareness my father and other people in the settlement have when they go out, I can understand how precious the things they brought back are. In order to help more people, I have a clearer motivation to make progress.

"But it's also a big blow to the children... Eric didn't cheer up until the end of get out of class." Kelong frowned lightly, with a serious tone.

Cheng Rang listened to the approaching footsteps outside the door, and said with a smile: "But when he cheers up, he will definitely become a man who can take charge of himself."

Tuk Tuk Tuk....

There was a knock on the door of the studio, and Eric—that is, the boy just now— stood at the door, with tears still on his face.

But the reddish eyes were full of determination.

He said to Ke Long, who had his back to this side: "Mr. Ke Long, it's time for class."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry!" Kelong first turned around and agreed to Eric, and then immediately noticed his change, and looked back at Cheng Rang who was smiling aside in surprise.

"Go, the children are waiting for you, Teacher Kelong~"

The girl's cheeks flushed slightly because of this, and she stomped her feet: "Don't call me teacher you bastard! Really~"

Crone took Eric back to the classroom, the studio door was closed again, and the room returned to the quietness that could be heard from a needle drop.

Chapter 44 The Storm of Death

In front of the secret passage in the ruins of the elf city and the long underground stairs, there is an incomprehensible scene.

Rick couldn't help but asked in surprise: "What is this?"

A spacious hall - there are several huge pillars standing side by side in the center.

The pillar was twisted wonderfully, with countless crimson patterns engraved on the surface.

"...180 six...patterns are the protection engravings of Kainas, the god species?...No."

Hubby instantly grasped the quantity and wanted to analyze its truth, but she turned her head sideways and felt puzzled.

"...doesn't match...all the engravings and spells...that the elves use on the data?"

"Probably they were making new weapons that Hubby didn't even know, or they had already made them. No matter what those guys have done now, even if they want to split the planet, I won't be surprised—first Never mind that."

From a human point of view, there is actually not much difference between splitting a continent and splitting a planet.

Regardless of this question, he immediately went to the bottom of the juxtaposed wonderful pillars, brushed off the dust on the base of the pillars, and read the words on the signboard.

"——Number Zero Protector Theoretical Verification Test Furnace... Shubi, do you have any impression of this thing?"

"... No matching data found... The props used by the elves, the magic of the catalyst itself... No matching data found."

So that's the case—even though he couldn't understand it, Rick's intuition told him: "Anyway, it's useless to stay for a long time, although I don't know if there are any left... After searching the remaining documents and materials, go out quickly."

Hubby nodded in agreement, and neatly collected the remaining documents.

On the way, Rick's eyes fell on a piece of paper in his hand.

"Even the developer's name is written in code, what kind of thing is that..."

Seeing this roster full of codes, Rick couldn't help but feel shuddering.

It's useless to stay for a long time, Rick and Huby prepare to evacuate as soon as possible, but——

"It's nerve-wracking...it's impossible to move in such a climate."

After walking out of the mysterious research institute converted from a library and leaving the abandoned capital, the two encountered a "death storm".

That is the phenomenon that the black and ash with the increased ash amount react with each other to produce a blue light cyclone.

Once you encounter this phenomenon, no matter what you do,

If any protective measures are taken, the spiritual remains contained in the ashes will penetrate the protective clothing, causing the human body to be contaminated and die.

So the two returned to the abandoned capital in a panic.

"...Rick, at times like this...what did you do before?" Hubby, who was hiding in a small room on the top floor of the research institute in the abandoned city, asked Rick.

"Nothing to do, I can only find a cave or ruins, if there is none, dig a hole to hide in, and wait for the storm to pass."

Rick replied with a sigh.Death storms are not very uncommon, and the experience can be as short as a few hours, and it will stop after a day.Burying myself in a small hole and waiting for a day is not just one or two such experiences.

The question is - is it safer than a cave.

"How does Hubby do it? Can it detect life reactions?"

".....obstructed by spirit bones.....long-distance viewer.....almost unusable...."

"Hmm... But if that's the case, it means we are safe to some extent."

That is to say - thanks to the death storm, Rick and the others are not easy to be found.

Anyway, I can't go outside, and it's dangerous to move at high speed when Shubi can't search in a wide area.

So Rick asked Hubby, "I said Hubby, did you bring a chessboard?"

"......"

Bring only the bare minimum, because Rick said so, so Hubby probably thought he'd be blamed—

"....sorry...."

As if trying to hide her face, while apologizing, she took out the chessboard from her backpack nervously.

That action——the Ex-Machina's appearance of being afraid of being scolded by humans had a strange sense of incongruity, and Rick couldn't help but wryly smiled.

"I'm not blaming you....There's nothing to do until the storm dies down, so let's play a game."

".....?is it okay.....?"

Hubby seemed surprised, and seemed very happy to finish speaking, and then started arranging the pieces.

Rick stared at the board thinking, this is nearly a year and more than Shubi's record.

——220 Zero wins in three games.Not to mention beating Shubi, there is not even a draw.

However, he made moves that surprised Hubby several times, forcing her to think for a long time.

Rick thought to himself, that is to say——I am not absolutely unable to beat Shuby.

Rick unconsciously showed a smug smile, but when he thought of his record with another close friend, the smile turned bitter and then disappeared.

Rick vs. Cheng Rang—one loss and eighty draws.

Except for the first time when I first met Huobi and told him to die, no matter how hard Rick tried in all subsequent chess games, he could only draw with Cheng Rang. Even if he deliberately showed his flaws, it was impossible to lose the game .

Such a probability is even more unacceptable than Rick's disastrous defeat. That guy seems to be able to read people's hearts, and he can almost [-]% guide the game to the result he wants.

And every time something like this happened, Rick would always put Cheng Rang's initial words on the scale.

"Because I can easily defeat her. After all, even machines have their limits - in terms of games alone, she can't understand people's hearts."

Can't read people's hearts... so can easily win her?

How is it possible, this kind of thing, I have tried hundreds of times.

......

Hubby suddenly asked at this moment: "Rick, why...you still have to continue fighting...?"

"What, that's a strange question. Isn't Shubi the one who asked me to give me the information if I win?"

"...Liar, Rick, there's no way you didn't realize..."

"The information that Rick wants... Hubby, give it all to Rick..."

There was a heavy silence, with only the sound of the wind blowing, Hubby said: "Rick... is amazing, he worked hard..."

"Don't comfort me."

Coincidentally, Crohn said the same thing in the past, and Rick's answer was the same as then.

That's it, the conversation ends.Rick thought so, however—

"...Consolation? No...just stating the facts." Hubby refuted Rick with wide-eyed eyes in surprise.

Then Rick opened his eyes wide as if he saw something rare.

The expression on Shubi's face obviously expressed hesitation and not knowing whether to say it, but in the end she still chose to speak.

"...The current planetary environment is fatal to human beings... As far as creatures are concerned, being able to live is already abnormal..."

It was a year ago that made Rick lose himself in anger and choked on Hubby.

Even though she knew it was a sentence that hurt Rick, Huby continued to say it tremblingly.

"...Such a correction, Albert...is able to do it because of Rick's 'heart'...will."

Staring straight at Rick's eyes that couldn't reflect any emotion, Hubby said decisively:

"—No matter what Rick thinks...that is... [objective facts]..."

Chapter 45 Choose Hope

"Ha! What do you want to say? Machine