On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

“He used this method to reassure us and get our consent to let him take you away, and that’s exactly what happened. The church’s test results are right in front of me. Even though I know you’re already a tainted one, I’m speechless. I have no reason to stop you from leaving the Black Hole. I think your mother, Nolan, must feel the same way.”

Perhaps the young man hadn't thought that far ahead; it was just a moment of impulse. But Brian didn't care anymore.

Since he couldn't stop or prevent Yilin from being taken away from the Black Hole gathering place, he could only choose to believe that Liao Ji was such a person, take a gamble, and then remove the barbs that Yilin had against the young man.

"This old man... he's done so much for me?"

Irene was speechless, a mix of emotions swirling within her.

Seeing the girl's appearance, Brian knew he had achieved his goal.

He patted Irene on the shoulder one last time.

"When you discover something good, you shouldn't think about how to reject or stay away from it. Instead, you should think about how to make it your own, to possess it, and to make it belong to you. Otherwise, if you don't cherish it now and miss this precious opportunity, you can only watch helplessly as someone else takes it away."

"This is basic common sense for us scavengers, have you forgotten it?"

"Oh?! You old bastard! You stinking old man! Wait a minute, what, what do you mean by this! Explain yourself!"

Irene nodded in a daze at first, but after she came to her senses, she immediately questioned Brian with a face full of shame and anger.

"Yes, and also, aside from a very small number of people, girls who constantly use vulgar language won't be popular. Irene, you really need to change that."

"I already said that my relationship with him isn't that kind of thing!!"

Brian scoffed at this.

"is it?"

"Then why didn't we see Miss Irene dressed so beautifully, elegantly, and appropriately at my recent fiftieth birthday celebration, such a significant occasion?"

When Brian finished speaking, he focused his gaze on the high heels on the girl's feet, clicked his tongue, and shook his head.

A daughter is like a tree that grows up and cannot be kept at home.

Chapter 27 New Player Gift Pack

"Brother Liao, while those two are away, quickly tell us how you trained our Sister Lin to be like that, and when did it start?"

"Exactly! I never dreamed that Sister Lin, who has an even worse temper than us, would ever wear a dress! And her face is so fair, the makeup is amazing! It's like she's a completely different person!"

"You might not believe it, Brother Liao, but back then, Sister Lin took us to nightclubs and gave us her enthusiastic critiques of the dancers on stage. Haha, I still remember that day when Brian stormed into the club and dragged Sister Lin out. You could hear Brian cursing from far away!"

The group of people at the Sea Sand Bar were unusually enthusiastic towards Liao Ji, trying to explain to the young man just how surprised they were by Yilin's current appearance.

Liao Ji, who had nothing better to do, took the opportunity to learn more about the girl from other people.

So

Ok

Leading the way to visit brothels.

Yes, that's very Irene.

Fortunately, some of the people in Hai Sha's group were sensible. They started coughing incessantly and gave the others who were talking non-stop a meaningful look. It was as if they were saying that it was obvious that Sister Lin had become Brother Liao's girlfriend. If they were talking about Sister Lin's embarrassing moments in front of Brother Liao, wouldn't that be degrading Yi Lin's image?

After being reminded, everyone realized, "Oh right! This concerns Sister Lin's future happiness, we can't be bad friends!" So they immediately laughed it off and quickly changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, Brother Liao, when the church cops wanted to test you, we were really scared to death. To be honest, we almost actually thought you were Evil Ones. But it was you, Brother Liao, who volunteered to be tested! And then you really proved everyone wrong!"

"So, Brother Liao, if you're not a Calamity-Borrower, then how did you manage to do that? How could you send that monster flying with a single punch?"

"Yes, yes, and Sister Lin too. I admit she used to be pretty good, but not to the point where she could take down an entire team of Kalevas by herself. That's just too exaggerated!"

"I've heard that most of the big shots and wealthy people in the [Mechanical Alliance] have some kind of high-end thing installed in their bodies called 'cybernetics,' I think. I bet Brother Liao's combat power is so strong, and he's not a Calamity-Binder, so it's definitely because he has a super expensive 'cybernetics' inside him!"

"Is it really true, Brother Liao? Could you please take out your precious treasure and let us see it? Please, just one glimpse would be fine, just to broaden our horizons!"

Just as Liao Ji was facing the group of Hai Sha, who seemed to have instantly gone into heat after the topic of "cyborgs" came up, the door to the private room opened and Brian and Irene returned.

Liao Ji naturally looked at the girl immediately, but strangely enough, the moment their eyes met, the girl hurriedly looked away, as if she was afraid of meeting his gaze.

After that, he went straight to fight with the other people from the Sea Sand Bar in the private room, completely ignoring me.

This puzzled Liao Ji. What was wrong with Yilin? Could it be that the older man had said something bad to Yilin, telling her to stay away from him? That shouldn't be the case, right? Liao Ji believed he had done enough in front of Yilin's friends and brothers.

At this time.

The sofa next to him dipped inward, and a middle-aged man with a thick beard sat down next to him.

"Want one?" Brian pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Seeing Liao Ji shake his head, Brian didn't mind. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then looked at the group of Hai Sha people on the other side of the private room who were now gathered around Irene, chatting animatedly, just like they had surrounded Liao Ji before. Brian then spoke to the young man beside him:

"Thank you."

“Xiao Wu found a wife a few months ago, and I heard she’s pregnant recently. If it weren’t for you, who detected the taint and pollution in his body and got the church to help purify and treat it, I really don’t know what would have become of him in the future.”

Liao Ji shook his head: "There's no need to thank me, this is the church's doing."

"Hmph, the church? Maybe churches in your big cities are more dutiful, but in the Black Hole, if the church really tested every survivor after every contamination incident, then Irene's mother wouldn't be lying in the clinic waiting for surgery now."

Brian laughed sarcastically, and it was only then that Liao Ji realized that the root of Irene's mother's illness had been planted when his father went berserk.

This might explain why Irene was able to become a Calamity-Transformer relatively smoothly and reach the three-star level. It's possible that from that time onward, Irene and her mother's bodies had already been contaminated with a lot of Calamity.

"Alright, I won't waste any more time on nonsense. I'm here now to give these to you."

After exhaling a smoke ring, Brian stubbed out the cigarette, which was still mostly lit. Then, in the dim light of the private room, he took out two items from his coat pocket that were clearly prepared in advance and pushed them toward Liao Ji.

Liao Ji looked over and saw that...

A car key.

And a red and black patterned credit card?

“I know you’re from somewhere else, and you seem to come from a well-off family, but in the wilderness, especially from a remote place like Black Hole to a big city, it takes at least a week. I think you need a more professional vehicle.”

Brian pointed to the car keys as he spoke.

"This old buddy of mine has been with me for over ten years. Don't let its age fool you; I've maintained it very well, and with all the modifications I've made, its off-road performance is absolutely top-notch, even in the entire Black Hole. And now..."

"It's yours now."

Although the sand shop owner spoke very casually, Liao Ji could still easily see a hint of lingering affection in the depths of his eyes.

For Liao Ji, a car was indeed a necessary issue if he wanted to leave the Black Hole gathering place. He originally planned to just take one from the gang, but he didn't expect that Brian would give him such a pleasant surprise.

"Irene told you we were leaving? But why me?"

"Ha, do I need that brat to tell me? Ever since Nolan, who is also Irene's mother, got sick, that girl has rarely come to Haisha. Even when she does come, it's only to get to Nolan's clinic through the back door of the bar. So as soon as she brought you here, I knew what that little girl was up to."

"If I'm not mistaken, you probably told Irene that you could cure her mother's illness, right? Surgery at a small clinic like Black Hole can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. If you really want a cure, you still have to go to a church in a big city. That's the only reason I can think of that Irene would agree to leave with you. So, am I right?"

Brian stared into the young man's eyes, while Liao Ji... Although there were some discrepancies, judging from the results, the boss of Hai Sha's prediction was actually largely correct.

Seeing Liao Ji nod, Brian finally felt relieved. He visibly relaxed, lit another cigarette, and smiled as he said:

"As for that card, it contains the surgery fees I originally raised for Nolan, totaling over 50,000 Ash Coins. I can't just watch that brat risk her life to raise money all by herself. I had just raised this money myself, but unfortunately, it seems we won't need it now."

“I know you might not care about this small amount of money, but once I've decided to give it away, there's no reason for me to take it back. So consider it my way of thanking you. Thank you for helping that unfortunate mother and daughter.”

Brian was actually fooled by Liao Ji's appearance.

He's not some rich kid.

Both the modified car in front and the more than 50,000 Ash Coins are huge resources for Liao Ji, who is currently penniless.

Therefore, Liao Ji didn't stand on ceremony and didn't even try to refuse. After a simple thank you, he accepted everything.

Brian burst out laughing at this.

"Haha, good! I like decisive people like you! Seriously, if I were ten years younger, I'd definitely drag you out for drinks all night, and I'd shamelessly swear to be your sworn brother. Too bad time waits for no one, I'm old now."

"Now I understand a little better why so many people are willing to take such great risks to become a Calamity Seer."

Brian's slightly cloudy eyes flickered with disappointment. The wrinkles of time were visible on his face. Even just sitting there, the outline of his burly body was still discernible, but upon closer inspection, it would be discovered that many of his muscles had begun to sag.

This is the limitation of ordinary people. No matter how glorious or powerful they are in their youth, time will smooth out all their edges.

Before he knew it, he had finished a cigarette. Brian patted his butt and got up from the sofa.

"You probably already know what that card is, right? It's a savings card from the 'Black Gold Bank' in Shanghai. That's the advantage of a neutral bank in an independent city—you can withdraw cash anywhere without worry. Oh, right, I almost forgot, you can just ask Irene about the car's location. Finally, let me answer your initial question."

“I also wanted to give these directly to Irene, but do you think that brat would accept them if I gave them to her?”

"Irene is very lucky to have you as a family member," Liao Ji said earnestly.

"Pfft, come on, I don't have the ability to give her a better life, but I think, kid, you do have that ability."

"Although Irene is usually impulsive, has a foul mouth, and sometimes isn't very bright, she's prone to saying one thing but meaning another, isn't very feminine, doesn't easily trust others, and likes to get stuck on things. Once she's made up her mind about something, she's as stubborn as a mule. Damn it! How come this brat is full of flaws!"

It's clear that Brian originally intended to use a "although but" structure, but as he spoke, the uncle suddenly started grumbling in exasperation.

"Ahem. Well, anyway, she's a good girl, and she's the kind of girl who would die for you once she's put you in her heart. I'm absolutely certain of that."

"Besides, I take back what I said about her lack of femininity. Although it's a bit harsh to say it like that, Irene looks even more beautiful than her mother did when she was young. Kid, you have no idea, back in the day, Nolan was one of the most beautiful women in our Black Hole. Countless people dreamed of her. Cough cough cough!!"

Brian stopped in time, not revealing anything further. Liao Ji then tried to explain with a bit of helplessness, "I think you may have misunderstood something. Irene and I are really just ordinary friends."

Brian chuckled and turned to leave, leaving Liao Ji with only one sentence and a weary, regretful silhouette.

"That bastard Irene's dad—said the same thing to me back then, and I, that bastard—actually believed him!"

Liao Ji: "."

After saying what needed to be said and giving what needed to be given, Brian walked towards Irene and began to kick her out.

"Hey, you brat! It's our men's time now. You have things to do, so hurry up and get going!"

Many of the people from Hai Sha were reluctant to part with Irene, but after Brian glared at them and then saw Liao Ji, who had followed behind Brian, they all had an "I understand" look on their faces and stopped trying to keep her. They even joined Brian in urging Irene to leave quickly.

The girl took one last deep look around at the people on the beach, the scavengers who had accompanied her through the most difficult times, and her good uncle Brian. The thought of never seeing them again made Irene's nose sting a little, but from the look in Brian's eyes, Irene understood that leaving like this was the best ending for her.

Irene left the bar, while Liao Ji was already waiting at the bar entrance.

"I thought you would say goodbye to them one by one."

"No, there's no need. Since Brian hasn't told anyone, I think we should just leave it at that."

"Oh right, that uncle gave me a car key and this card, saying it was a newbie gift for us."

"oh oh."