In fact, the moment Wendell said "This is my son", Hao Ren and the others had already imagined hundreds of thousands of words of ins and outs, background stories, protagonists, supporting roles, and conclusions after reading—all It was influenced by novels, movies and TV shows all the way, so you can't guess the inside story. But they still didn't say a word, they just hoped that the old man could briefly explain what happened back then.
"Tell me," Vivian sighed, "what's going on here."
Wendell hesitated, but maybe it was because these things had been on him for too long and he needed to talk to someone, or maybe it was because he had finally achieved something in his career that shook his defenses. After hesitating for a moment, he turned around silently. , to the edge of the platform.
Hao Ren and Vivian followed.
"He's right," Wendell said in a low voice. "I abandoned my wife and son. In the first half of my life, I didn't have a single achievement to comfort my wife's spirit in heaven."
This is an uncomplicated story: a man who is ambitious and yearns for an adventure, a complete family that could have been happy and happy, and a doomed tragic ending. When he was young, Wendell once participated in a light-seeking trip, and he already had a family at that time. He had a wife named Sasha and a son named Hope. Hope was only seven years old. Years—At that time, the Twilight City had stood in the long night for 2,300 years, and countless light-seekers had made futile efforts. Therefore, the appeal of the "light-seeking journey" in the hearts of the people had weakened to the point of A kind of limit, it can be said that except for the light seekers themselves and a few people who are almost religious groups still have faith, other people have long stopped believing that there is any life outside the dark wilderness.
The Steam Council at that time had even begun to discuss the complete termination of this ancient practice.
The light seeker represents the ancient persistence, and the steam council represents the pragmatic spirit of keeping up with the trend. Wendell obviously belongs to the former, and Hope, who was only seven years old at the time, has already begun to deeply admire the steam council sheriffs with neat uniforms. It can be said that their contradiction existed from the very beginning, and what happened afterwards only completely magnified this rift.
Wendell participated in the light-seeking journey more than 30 years ago. He trekked through the long night, and his teammates were almost wiped out. After many days, he returned home covered in wounds. His wife had died of illness, and his son never called him father since that day.
After Hope became an adult, he joined the Steam Council without any surprise.
Thirty years later, Wendell returned from the darkness once again as a light-seeker, and faced Hope, who had become a senior sheriff of the Steam Council. Obviously, the impulse and paranoia of human nature will firmly grasp For the father and son, Hope would never calmly and rationally analyze whether his father's light-seeking career was even a little bit feasible—he completely denied it, and never intended to believe anything Wendell said from the very beginning.
The son of a light seeker, he is now the most radical of the radicals in the Steam Council. Other members of the council will at least consider the ancient tradition and maintain a superficial respect for the light seekers, but Hope The Lightseeker has long been completely disfigured.
So sentimentality kills people - but what can you say, people's own mother is dead...
In fact, Wendell did not describe these past events in detail. After all, it was an unbearable past event. Just to explain the current situation clearly, he briefly talked about the process of breaking up with his own son. Most of the details It was all done by Hao Ren and the others relying on brain supplementation. During the whole process, Hope—a seven-year-old rebellious child in the past, and a middle-aged senior sheriff today—always kept his neck glaring at his own father, but he didn't do anything else overreaction.
"So that's the case, then it's understandable," Hao Ren nodded after Wendell's story was finished, and he looked at the old man thoughtfully, "No wonder you are so reluctant to meet people from the Steam Council , it turns out that there is only one person you want to avoid."
"If I could, I would send you to the Old One before he appeared," Wendell said with a hand pressed to his eyes, "I have given everything for this cause—my wife and children, my I have invested all my life in it. I hope that the whole thing can go on smoothly and without any mistakes. At least let the Old Sage see you envoys from Asgard with my own eyes. After that, no matter what the Steam Council wants to do, I will No more regrets."
Vivienne looked at Wendell silently, this old man who resolutely embarked on a journey to find the light, he showed a kind of fearless courage and unhesitating courage when he challenged fate, but when his life's work finally came to an end. When he saw the dawn, he worried about gains and losses.
Hao Ren came to Hope and nodded to the middle-aged magistrate: "It seems that you don't believe your father's words at all?"
Hope was expressionless.
"You don't believe that we came from outside the twilight barrier. You think we are extras recruited by your father just to perform in front of your eyes. Broad' drama?"
Hope remained expressionless.
"Are you out of your mind?" Hao Ren looked into the other person's eyes seriously, "Do you think this way of unfolding is a little bit reasonable? Who do you think would be so full to perform this? Do you think your father To what extent do you have to be demented to use this method to forcefully promote his career? If the journey to find light really yields nothing, is there any point for your father to find a bunch of extras? So many unreasonable things are stuck here, Why don't you believe the most obvious and logical truth?"
Hope remained expressionless.
Vivienne also came over and poked the other person's head with her finger: "So you have a hole in your brain-you have racked your brains to make up a deception full of loopholes to explain what you see. When you see that you don't It's the same reaction when you understand something. It's not as good as a child. Your brain has almost reached the level of perforation. If you look down from the top of your head, you can directly see the tops of your feet, right? I said you... Hey, I told Hao Ren that Why is this man silent?"
Elizabeth immediately jumped out: "Hey, you want him to answer the question, I didn't say it earlier, I just locked him up when I saw him upset..."
Hao Ren: "..."
Hope recovered after the little devil released the shadow bondage. He immediately took two steps back and made an extremely alert posture: "Conjurer! It is a felony for you to attack the sheriff!"
At the same time, the other security officers also recovered their freedom one after another. They took this opportunity to immediately activate some kind of device on their bodies, and the rune runes with anti-magic effect lit up on the collar of their uniforms. Afterwards, Hao Ren and his party A circle is formed around it.
"I can't help it. If you don't do this, you won't listen to us." Hao Ren spread his hands helplessly, "We really came from outside the barrier. If you don't believe me, check your demographic information and other things, there must be no us inside. How many—by the way, you have been developing for more than two thousand years, so there must be something like this?”
Hope looked at the group of dangerous elements in front of him vigilantly, and at the same time his right hand was already on a small iron box at his waist: "It doesn't make any sense what you say to me—if you really came from outside the Twilight Barrier, Then follow me to the members of the Steam Council, and they will investigate your origins. Compared with the 'Light Seekers' who are full of fantasy, I believe that a council that upholds the concept of justice and rationality is more fair and just."
"What you said makes sense, but unfortunately we are very busy," Hao Ren shrugged, "The purpose of our coming here is just to meet your 'Old Sage', now we are not cooperating with you, but we hope you can cooperate us."
"It's impossible," Hope flatly refused. The moment the other party mentioned the Old Sage, he even forgot the fact that he was helpless against these people in front of him, "I don't care who you are—whoever you are. You can't get close to the Old Sage rashly, just based on your thoughts, I have enough reasons to believe that you are dangerous!"
"I knew this matter would not go so smoothly," Nangong Sanba folded his arms, "A group of suspicious people who don't even have an ID card suddenly ran over and said they wanted to chat with the president. It would take a guard with a lot of brains to do it." Let it go."
"It seems that the negotiations have broken down," Hao Ren turned to look at Wendell, "Do you know the way to the place where the Old Sage lives?"
Wendell nodded subconsciously, and then suddenly realized that something uncontrollable was about to happen: "Wait a minute, you are going to..."
"Don't worry, we have a measure," Hao Ren gave a thumbs up, showing a brilliant and trustworthy smile, and then patted Lily on the head next to him, "Be merciful, let's open the way!"
"Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!" (to be continued~^~)