Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 780: Harsh Winter

"You really think so." Lucy stood up and looked at Link. "Perhaps I'm being selfish, but I'll hurt you no matter what I do." Instead of doing this, it would be better to tell you clearly here. Link, I don't want you to be my sword and shield. You shouldn't be my knight, Link. You should be you. "Not anyone's knight. You're Link, and there's only one Link in Adahua Planet!"

Link shook and looked at Lucy blankly.

'"I know what you mean. But I like Alan, and I'm willing to stay for him. If anyone has to protect me, it's Alan, and only Alan. Only he has the responsibility to protect me, because I'm his woman."

Lucy whispered, "As for you, I am honored to have a friend like you. No matter what you do in the future, I will always remember that you are the first friend who is willing to approach me. It is your right to hate me. And I have the right to choose who I like because it is my freedom."

The room quieted down just like that.

After a while, Link suddenly smiled. He stood up and put his hand on his chest, "It's uncomfortable here, but I'm glad you're willing to say those words to me, Lucy. Because you still treat me as a friend and let me know that you're no longer the girl I used to be. Because you already have someone more suitable than me by your side. That way I can leave without worries …"

'"Now I remember that Alan could have dodged without fighting me. But you were behind him at that time. I think that's why he fought back. With such a man protecting you, I think I can rest assured." Link sighed, "Thinking back, I was so unbearable that I lost control of myself and even ignored you because I didn't want to accept the truth. But even then, Alan was mindful of your safety. He was a careful man."

Lucy looked at Link in surprise.

Link nodded to her, "Since you don't need me as a knight, I'll be your friend. As for my father, I'll think of a way to get him to cancel his plan to marry the royal family. But I'm not the only one who's going to marry you. That kid Allen needs to work harder."

Lucy laughed, "I'm sure he will."

"Yes." Link smiled and said, "Then go and find him."

"Then you?"

"I'm fine. I'm not so fragile that I have to look for death if I lose my love. Don't confuse me with those losers. If you think so, I'll be angry."

Lucy shook her head and said, "Of course you won't. We, Mr. Link, are tough guys."

Link laughed, "Your Highness, this trip is worth it."

"Then I'm leaving, Link. You have to take care of yourself in the future."

"Of course."

When she left the room, Lucy finally felt much more relaxed. To be able to speak clearly to Link and gain his understanding was undoubtedly to untie Lucy's knot. She exhaled and raised her head again, and her eyes returned to their usual brilliance. She walked out of the training ground and saw Ellen and Metallon chatting from afar. An old man and a young man seemed to be chatting happily, and from time to time, they could hear a burst of laughter.

She quickened her pace and ran over, stretching out her arms to hold onto the two men who occupied an important position in her life.

In the room, Link looked at the three figures outside the window. With a faint smile on his face, he turned to Lucy's back and said, "Bless you as a friend. Goodbye, my beloved girl."

He closed the window and left alone.

The weather seems to be getting colder.

Ned couldn't help but tighten his coat, but the suede coat on his body couldn't give him the warmth of the past. Ned sighed as he looked at the dim sky on Frost Star. A thin-faced man was reflected in the frosty window glass, his eyes sunken and his surroundings dyed with an unhealthy layer of dark darkness. She pursed her lips lightly, and there was no blood on her lips, just like the gray clouds in the distant sky, carrying a morbid feeling.

Ned stretched out his hand. His once muscular arm was now so thin that only a layer of skin remained. The thin, dry, black palm landed on his face. Even Ned felt that the bones on his face were so tall that it pricked his hands. He shook his head and smiled bitterly. It turned out that he was terminally ill, and he actually had such a terrifying appearance.

The illness came all of a sudden.

More than half a month ago, Ned suddenly had a high fever. Although he wasn't an expert, he was still in his early twenties. Not to mention that Ned was an Awakened, even though he was only a rank ten sergeant, he was almost unlucky to be ill. Usually, there was only one disease that could cause Origin Energy practitioners to fall ill.

Gene collapse.

The disease is difficult to cure even with the current federal medical technology. It can only barely stabilize the patient's genetic structure and delay the complete collapse of the gene chain. However, the probability of such a disease occurring was very low. It was not an exaggeration to describe it as one in ten thousand, and it was even a little too much. But with such a low chance, Ned was unfortunate enough to suffer from the disease.

After that high fever, he felt a subtle change in his body. The first was the loss of Origin Energy, followed by the deterioration of his body. In the past week, he had lost a lot of weight. His original weight of over a hundred jin had dropped sharply to less than a hundred jin. After a series of careful random examinations, Ned knew that he was attracted to Death when he saw the solemn expression on the medical officer's face.

The rate of gene collapse depended on the individual's condition. Some would only collapse for a few years, while others would only take a few months or even ten days. Ned's condition was undoubtedly serious. In the gene chain structure diagram that the medical officer showed him, even a medical layman like him knew that the gene chain in the picture was riddled with holes. He knew that he was collapsing very quickly.

Strictly speaking, he had less than a month to live.

Under such circumstances, Ned naturally couldn't continue to hold the position of base manager. As for Ned, the federation had already allowed him to board the starship and return to Earth today. He would be sent to a military hospital in Babylon for treatment, and Ned had no hope of him. He only hoped to see his wife and children before he died. It had been five years since he had returned.

He didn't want to be able to return with great difficulty this time, but he was going to say goodbye for the last time.

Thinking of this, Ned sighed with extreme melancholy. Originally, he thought that it would be a long time, but he never thought that in the blink of an eye, his life had already entered a cold winter.

There was a knock on the door.

"Lieutenant Colonel Ned, the starship is ready. You can board the plane." The adjutant pushed the door open and entered with a helpless and solemn expression.

Ned nodded. He didn't bring any salute. Walking to the door, he patted the adjutant's shoulder and said, "The base is yours, my friend. Watch it and don't let those damn headhunters dirty it."

The adjutant sighed, "I will, sir. Take care."

Ned smiled and wrapped his clothes tightly as he left.

A moment later, he boarded the small starship. The starship will return to Earth directly through the Rainbow Bridge in less than a few hours. Thinking about meeting his family at night, Ned's heart skipped a beat, as well as a bit of anticipation.

He sat in the cabin of the starship. There were less than five seats in the cabin. Right now, Ned was naturally the only passenger. After the soldiers fastened his seat belt, Ned opened his brain and placed the pictures on the screen. The picture shows a gentle wife, two obedient daughters and a naughty boy. Ned touched the picture on the screen and felt a burst of sleepiness. He couldn't help but close his eyes and sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Ned opened his eyes and his heart skipped a beat. At this time, the portholes on both sides of the cabin had already been lowered, and it seemed that the starship had already set sail. He clicked on the line diagram of his brain. Indeed, a dot of light representing the starship had already left Frost Star. Suddenly, Ned realized something was amiss. The starship did not head for the Rainbow Bridge Space Station, but instead flew elsewhere.

Ned immediately clicked a few buttons. Intelligent Brain predicted the direction of the starship's flight. The dotted line that represented the flight path actually pointed directly at the Garden of Eden!

"What's going on?" Ned turned on the walkie-talkie at the armrest and spoke directly to the driver's seat, "Tell me, why are we going to the Garden of Eden?"

Ned asked three times in a row, but no one answered. A moment later, a low laugh sounded, "Isn't that good, my dear Lieutenant Colonel Ned? You can rest in peace in the Garden of Eden, but there are many things that people can't expect."

"Who are you?" Ned shouted anxiously. No matter how slow he was, he realized that something was wrong. He called the guards again, but no one answered in the cabin. Ned could only remove his seat belt and stand up with his seat on his back.

Now that he had difficulty even moving, he had to go to the driver's seat to see what was going on.

At this moment, the automatic door of the cabin opened, and the soldier who had fastened his seat belt just now walked in. Just as Ned was about to ask him why he had just come in, he suddenly saw a large amount of blood under his feet. The soldier seemed to want to say something, but he suddenly fell to the ground. On his back, a dagger was stabbed into his body until there was no handle!

The sound of footsteps rang out, and a person came in from outside the gate. '"It's a man," he smiled. The X-shaped scar on his face, which covered almost his entire face, rose and fell slightly as he moved. When this person walked in, the air was a little more sweet, and the strong smell of blood was rolling, as if the cabin was filled with blood. Ned forced himself to stand up and shouted, "Who are you?"

"My name is Les, respected sir." As soon as he spoke, Ned knew that it was the person he was talking to. He walked towards Ned, circled around him, and whispered in his ear, "But more people are willing to call me Bloodthirsty Rice."