There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

"Who's making noise over there? Can't a person get any sleep?!"

I rubbed my eyes as I walked out of the rancher's house, even more furious as I searched for the culprit. I found the short, stout mayor panting heavily at the ranch gate, wiping the sweat from his brow. He looked up, his eyes fixed on the unidentified flying object piercing the atmosphere, emitting a dazzling flash of light, as if admiring a unique sight that was clearly visible even in daylight.

Upon hearing footsteps, Mayor Thomas pointed frantically at something in the sky and cried out, "Look! Something's falling! Mineral Town is doomed!"

He grabbed me by the collar, babbling incoherently, and said, "Get someone here! No... get people out of here! Get people out of here! Call the police! Get refuge! Marcus, get refuge now!"

At this point, his eyes suddenly widened as he recalled what he had just said: "Hey... Marcus? Hey!!! Marcus, why are you back!"

Realizing what was happening, he jumped even more violently, grabbing my neck and saying, whether in shock or excitement, "You actually came back! That's great..."

I was just about to say that this guy still had some conscience, since he was so excited about my return, when I heard him continue.

"...Great! Now I don't have to worry about receiving a salary without actually working!"

...I take back what I just said! That guy is a bastard!

I've been missing for so long, and he's been doing this scumbag thing—drawing a salary without working! Quick, get my forty-meter-long broadsword, kill him first, then dress him in enemy uniforms!

Thomas the Tank Engine realized his slip of the tongue and quickly explained with an embarrassed smile, "Marcus... Marcus, don't... don't get excited! I just firmly believed you would come back, so I didn't report your disappearance to the Federation. I'll also keep your allowance for you... I'll pay you back later!"

I sheathed my sword, which was about to be drawn, and calmed my grumpiness from being disturbed during my afternoon nap. I scolded him with exasperation, "Mayor, you're a veteran, how can you be so careless? It's just something falling from the sky, isn't that something that happens all the time?"

Thomas muttered to himself, "I've lived all these years, and I've only seen this twice..."

I retorted, "Still being stubborn? It's still happening! When was the last time?"

Thomas pointed at me and said, "It was the time you fell from the sky!"

"...Okay, never mind. Practice makes perfect, and you'll get used to it the third time."

Seeing the unidentified flying object streak across the sky without landing in the pasture, I turned away, losing interest. I wanted to go back to sleep, but then I heard Thomas speaking in a trembling, slightly hoarse voice.

"Marcus... Marcus! What's that on your ranch?!"

Following the direction of his finger, I saw some tall creatures stirring up clouds of dust in the weeds in the center of the pasture, increasing the surrounding air pollution index.

But if you look closely, you'll find that the creatures moving around there are four-legged, covered in thick fur, rolling around on the ground in groups and happily munching on the grass sprouts.

A group of wild, unruly horses from the countryside—their appearance is a bit strange, but it's not that surprising, is it? Besides, there's an adorable little pony with an expressive face among them, which completely offsets their odd shapes!

"Don't be nervous. As a rancher, it makes perfect sense for me to keep horses on my estate, right?"

I offered a casual explanation, but I saw the mayor's expression become even more distorted as he kept patting my arm and shouting, "No...not over there! It's in the tree! In the tree!"

On the tree?

In the trees in the center of the pasture, variegated fur is peeking out. Agile and nimble creatures leap from branch to branch, their footprints darting lightly through the foliage.

These two cheetahs also came from the countryside and probably had never seen a temperate maritime island in their lives. Unlike the herds of horses running wild, they were exploring the boundaries of their territory, marking it, and testing the surrounding enemies.

"Uh... there's no need to be nervous. As a rancher, it's perfectly reasonable for me to keep cheetahs for circuses on my estate, right?"

Thomas was almost in tears: "How is this reasonable?! I've been in this town for twenty years and I've never encountered such a dangerous creature!"

Just as I was about to comfort him, I saw a strange-looking green creature, covered in mud, leap out of the pond and run towards me.

"Master, the pond is so dirty! I finally managed to dredge it! Give me a cucumber! Give me a cucumber!"

Damn, I forgot about this guy. He's used to getting along with people in the Brown Pond tribe, and I forgot to tell him to avoid people. As a result, the kappa was born out of the mud right there!

Thomas, you just said there are no dangerous creatures in town?

Right in front of you is the most dangerous creature in Mineral Town! It can stand up to four meters tall and weigh nearly half a ton, making it an absolute apex predator!

Fortunately, I have now converted him to Buddhism and he has become a vegetarian...

Seeing that Thomas's eyes were starting to glaze over, as if he was about to lash out at any moment, I quickly came up with an explanation.

"Uh... Thomas, let me explain... no, no, let me explain. As a rancher, it's perfectly normal for me to fight back against aliens trying to kidnap me, right?"

Thomas took a few steps back, looking at me incredulously: "Marcus, were you abducted by aliens and that's why you disappeared?"

I nodded, then hesitated slightly before saying, "Uh... more or less. Anyway, I woke up one day to find myself captured on an alien planet, and then I kept running and running, and they kept chasing and chasing. But what happened next was quite a rollercoaster ride... In short, it's a story about how I eventually managed to escape back home!"

Thomas then breathed a slight sigh of relief, muttering, "So it's an alien creature... It shouldn't be too dangerous for someone that big..."

I breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to trick this guy away in one go. I'd been lazy and gone to sleep before tidying up the ranch, which is why the mayor trembled so much when he arrived—he was practically like the neighbor's son, Wu Lao Er. I still need to hurry up and settle these strange things down…

As I was thinking this, I pushed Thomas the Tank Engine out of the ranch with all my might, when finally a voice rang out behind me.

"Marcus, there was a problem with the location tracking just now, and they airdropped me to the foot of Mount Mads, killing a few weird bugs in the process... Hey, Thomas, you're here too! Long time no see!"

Harris's cheerful greeting reached Thomas's ears, but it turned into something terrifying. Thomas began muttering "wanted criminal...wanted criminal..." and his eyes went blank again, on the verge of fainting!

I quickly pinched his philtrum, "Don't roll your eyes! Don't faint! I... as the acting sheriff of this town, it's perfectly reasonable for me to catch a wanted criminal, right? You agree, right? Hey, Thomas! Wake up!"

Chapter 536 A Shura Field at the Corner

The long-awaited hospital in Mineral Town.

"I'll leave this locomotive here, Dr. Dort."

The bizarre sight of Harris and I carrying the unconscious fat man on either side immediately shocked Dr. Dort, who was swaying back and forth in the hospital in his white coat. Judging from his expression, his surprise was no less than that of Thomas the Tank Engine earlier.

"Marcus?! Harris?! You guys are back! When did this happen?!"

The doctor with thick eyebrows and big eyes rushed in front of us, rubbing his eyes repeatedly and saying in utter shock.

I said helplessly, "Currently, only the people inside the house, oh right, and Boss Dart, four people know. As for Gray, he's having some kind of existential crisis and has gone off to isolate himself somewhere."

Harris smiled and said, "Long time no see, Dort! I'm back to tell you all that my arrest warrant has been dropped, and I can now move back to Mineral Town openly and be your neighbor again."

It's great to see Harris's wanted status as a pirate supernova removed; I thought he'd rise to the position of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea or even one of the Four Emperors. Judging from what I heard on my journey back home, this horse-faced old bachelor really does have extraordinary potential…

Dr. Dort smiled with delight, then nodded knowingly: "That's great! Oh, by the way, don't worry about that rumor about Gray, I've never believed it!"

Upon hearing this, I immediately grasped his hand gratefully and said, deeply moved, "Dr. Dort, I knew you understood me! I'm so disappointed that Mr. Dart actually believed such absurd rumors!"

Harris said to me with a strange expression, "Marcus, from what I know, Boss Dart most likely recognized you a long time ago and was just teasing you. Someone with his level of observation skills isn't so easily fooled."

...Mr. Dart, you really are this kind of person! I really misjudged you!

Dr. Dort, however, said with exceptional pride, "When it comes to observation skills, we doctors are experts. Gray's behavior is a typical case of same-sex attachment resulting from the development of peer consciousness in late adolescence. It's a normal psychological issue that will resolve itself with psychological growth and does not constitute an abnormal sexual orientation! So this is clearly a rumor!"

...That makes a lot of sense, but something just doesn't seem right.

As Dr. Dort spoke, he subtly withdrew his hand from mine, looking at me with a subtle gaze, seemingly trying to convey empathy: "But at your age, Marcus, a complete cure is a bit difficult... Anyway, I'll do my best! Let's start counseling tomorrow! I believe in you!"

"Tutor my ass! You're kidding me! You should refute this rumor properly, instead of making baseless medical analyses!" I yelled, grabbing his white coat.

The rumors have spread so widely in town, and this guy must have played a part in spreading them!

Imagine this: when this rumor first came out and everyone was still skeptical, this self-proclaimed expert suddenly appeared and gave an analysis. Wouldn't that instantly prove, theoretically, that I am gay?

I even suspect that Mr. Dart is one of the few rational people; if others saw him, they might immediately shout, "Look, that man who symbolizes freedom!"

I irritably threw a paper bag into Dr. Dort's arms, turned around and walked out of the Mineral Town hospital, leaving Dr. Dort behind with a concerned yet bewildered expression.

I kindly brought back wild herbs to provide materials for Dort, who was determined to develop new drugs, and this is how he repays me?

In response, I, the acting sheriff of this small town, can only sigh: When morale is low, it's hard to lead a team.

…………

"Marcus!"

I had just left the hospital and was walking heavily on the stone path, gazing absently at the bright sun in the sky, when suddenly a pleasant voice called out to me.

Ellie, dressed in a light blue nurse's uniform and a white apron, was standing in the middle of the road, looking at me in disbelief. She seemed to have called out my name unconsciously, but then didn't know what to say next, so the two of us fell into a very awkward and subtle atmosphere.

"Ellie, it's been a long time."

I scratched my head a little embarrassedly. I've been missing for so long, and I still haven't figured out how to greet the people in town, so I'm just being careful and avoiding them.

Escaping is shameful, but it's damn useful!

Facing Ellie now, I felt even more guilty...

After thinking for a long time, I handed her a folded piece of clothing.

"what is this?"

Ellie took the clothes and asked a question instinctively.

I could only apologize and explain, "I'm sorry, this is a piece of clothing that my grandma made for me before, and I accidentally ruined it..."

The clothes from the Pinruzhijia brand were damaged, and I think everyone here shares the responsibility—why couldn't I control myself?

Using the word "damaged" is inaccurate. I can't explain that the clothes were damaged by bullets because I threw them out in a fit of rage to attract fire.

Sure enough, upon hearing what I said, Ellie frowned slightly, examined the damage, and said, "It's badly damaged... It was so difficult to make that day..."

Oh no, I've driven her crazy! If no one makes me clothes from now on, am I just supposed to wear the tribal outfit and wooden armor I just learned to make and become the town's Native American mascot? Wouldn't that sound a bit racist?

Fortunately, Ellie wasn't bad-tempered, and she eventually regained her composure and asked in a low voice with concern, "Marcus, you... have suffered a lot these past few days, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, I initially wanted to exaggerate the story to elicit sympathy, but then I suddenly remembered the town of Happiness in a parallel world that had suffered misfortune. I glanced at the still sunny town and finally said with satisfaction, "It's nothing. Being able to see everyone is the greatest blessing."

Ellie seemed to want to ask something but hesitated, unable to get the words out. I quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand! Gray's disappearance has nothing to do with me! It's just a coincidence! A coincidence!"

Ellie chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Of course! Poppy told us that she also saw Gray running out of the house across the street late at night, and guessed that Grandpa must have hit him, which is why Gray ran away from home. But Sebala insists that he wasn't hit that day, and that Gray was kidnapped by you..."

Good grief, my background music almost changed from "My Heart Will Go On" to "My Electrocardiogram Will Never End." By the Silmarillion, why doesn't Thorin Oakenshield come and take this old bastard away!

In summary, I found the situation in town to be relatively clear. Apart from a few malicious individuals (especially Sebala) who were spreading rumors and slandering me, most people were able to make normal judgments.

"Oh, right, Ellie."

I said to her seriously, "Don't tell everyone I'm back yet. I haven't figured out how to greet everyone..."

Ellie, holding the clothes in one hand and covering her mouth with the other, chuckled: "My little brother Mei Tiantian said he's waiting for you to come back so he can have a lesson. Remember not to think about it for too long, okay?"

I scratched my head in exasperation: "This is really difficult. How long is considered a long time?"

To my surprise, my words made Ellie rest her chin on her hand and start thinking seriously. Finally, she said with a very earnest expression, "I think if you can come up with a reasonable explanation within thirty seconds, there might still be hope."

I looked at her, completely bewildered, but then I noticed she was chuckling and gesturing for me to turn around.

In that instant, I felt a chill run down my spine and slowly turned around, only to find Karen, Lin, and Poppy walking menacingly from the end of the street!

I quickly looked to Ellie for help, but she only gave me a "good luck" look and said in a teasing tone, "Remember to come back for the mended clothes," before walking briskly past me, carrying the clothes, and disappearing into a side path.

...Well, you little corner killer have secretly evolved into a corner battleground!

What should we do in this situation? Finding a time machine seems too late, right?