Hyberian Wars Chronicles

"During your vacation, I certainly know you're on break right now. If you don't take this time to learn some skills, are you planning to continue working as a Harvester three years from now?"

"Learn? I haven't really thought about that yet," Qianlong replied honestly.

Kromi rubbed his forehead and said, "Do you have any idea how many Harvesters returned this time?"

Qianlong shook his head.

"Two-fifths, with more than half dead. It's pure luck that you made it back alive," Kromi replied seriously.

After hearing this, Qianlong fell silent and nodded slightly.

Seeing Qianlong's mood drop, Kromi patted his head, realizing he might have gone a bit too far.

"Actually, this time was just an exception. I've heard that it's usually not that severe."

Just as Qianlong was about to speak, his wristband suddenly popped up a message.

Confused, Qianlong raised his wristband. Who would send him a message? "Dear Mr. Qianlong, please report to Area C1, Sixth Street, Building 7, Room 403 for a psychological counseling assessment by tomorrow."

After reading it, Qianlong looked up and asked, "What does psychological counseling assessment mean?"

Kromi was also taken aback and hesitated before replying, "It's meant to help soothe the trauma from the war. Generally, receiving such a message indicates that many who returned have some psychological shadows or issues. You should go; it's not a bad thing."

"Got it. By the way, what did you come to find me for?" Qianlong suddenly remembered to ask.

Kromi was momentarily stunned, then coughed and said, "You're on vacation today, so you shouldn't have anything going on?"

"Nothing at all."

"Great, come with me to find a laborer." Kromi said cheerfully.

Qianlong helplessly replied, "Wait a moment."

"Okay." Kromi waited at the door.

Qianlong went inside to wash up a bit and came out with a few Nutrition Bars.

"Where are we going?"

"Just follow me," Kromi said vaguely.

Qianlong followed Kromi, winding through a remote pipeline area.

As they walked deeper, they encountered residents dressed in worn-out clothes, each of whom waved to Kromi in greeting.

"Why are there people living here?" Qianlong asked in confusion.

"Either they can't find work, or they have health issues, or for other reasons," Kromi explained.

After hearing this, Qianlong understood that the area he lived in wasn't the lowest tier.

After walking for a while, Kromi stopped.

Milo was already standing not far away, and she seemed quite angry.

It appeared that the laborers being recruited weren't just him; besides Milo, there was another woman with shoulder-length, slightly inward-curled blue hair and blue eyes.

"Why did you call us here? Today is my rare day off!" Milo said irritably.

The woman standing next to her smiled and said, "Milo, there's no need to be so angry. Kromi must have his reasons for doing this."

"You don't understand, Feixina. Forget it, I won't say more." Milo was fuming.

Kromi cleared his throat and said, "Actually, it's like this. I found that the pipelines here are aging and need repairs."

"Repairs!" Milo's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Kromi, shouldn't repairs be handled by a professional department?" Feixina asked, puzzled.

Kromi rubbed his forehead and said, "Normally, yes, but the situation is a bit unexpected. If we follow the usual process and let the people above handle the repairs, they'll definitely discover that a group of illegal residents is living here, and that would be a problem."

"So the rapid aging of the pipelines is related to people living here," Milo retorted angrily.

"Certain factors are indeed related. I've already informed the higher-ups to shut off the pipeline here. We just need to work hard to replace it and then report it as completed," Kromi replied.

"My day off!" Milo was completely defeated.

Qianlong then asked, "What can I do?"

Kromi said seriously, "You have a lot to do, like driving the specialized repair vehicle I borrowed."

"Uh, I've never driven before," Qianlong was also taken aback.

"You can drive a Harvester; that thing is just a toy. Trust yourself, you'll get the hang of it in no time."

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

"Come on, let's get to work. I'll treat you to dinner tonight," Kromi said enthusiastically.

Milo shook her head helplessly, "Well, there's no helping it now."

"Don't worry, it's not just us," Kromi said with a smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of residents came out from behind.

"We're here."

By late at night, Milo couldn't help but pound her waist; she was utterly exhausted.

Qianlong jumped down from a multifunctional vehicle and said, "The merging is complete."

Kromi let out a sigh of relief and replied, "Finally done."

"Next is the cleanup," Feixina wiped the sweat from her forehead and said.

"Yeah, thanks for your hard work, everyone."

Not long after, the four of them returned to Kromi's small place.

"Wait a moment, I'll go cook. I promise you'll be satisfied."

Milo slumped over the table, responding weakly.

"You've already spent all your wages; where are you going to get Points to buy ingredients?"

Kromi coughed a few times and said, "I have my own ways; you don't need to ask."

Before long, a dish of stir-fried vegetables and meat was served on the table. Milo sat up straight, looking at Kromi in surprise.

"You really prepared this."

"Of course," Kromi replied.

Feixina smiled and said, "When has Kromi ever gone back on his word?"

"Pfft, he keeps his word to others, but not to himself. Whoever marries you is bound to be unlucky," Milo said irritably.

Kromi placed a bowl of fragrant rice in front of Milo.

"Does this shut you up?"

"That's more like it," Milo nodded in satisfaction.

"Qianlong, Feixina, here's yours," Kromi placed two bowls in front of the two.

"And you?" Feixina asked.

Kromi shrugged nonchalantly, "I won't eat. I had too many Nutrition Bars earlier, and I'm not hungry now."

"But…" Feixina started to say but was directly interrupted by Milo.

"Don't mind him; this is what we deserve. Let's dig in."

Milo took the lead in eating, and Qianlong didn't hold back either.

Seeing this, Feixina also didn't say anything.

The four of them chatted and ate, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

The next day, Qianlong arrived at the designated place early. He saw Aina and Jones.

"You're here too," Qianlong greeted.

Jones looked Qianlong up and down, then glanced at his

wristband and said, "That's more like it; what's the point of saving money if you don't spend it?"

Aina said, "When we go in, try to cooperate with the doctors inside. There's only benefits and no downsides."

Qianlong nodded.