《Minus-First Contact》 Chapter 1
Mission goal: destroy the ship''s main engine
Alan Coello couldn''t hide his happiness, and a small smile appeared on his face. This was his chance to protect Earth from a very big threat.
Mission details: disguise yourself using the clothes hidden in room 216 and make your way to the reactor hall. Sabotage the main power cell and make sure it cannot be easily fixed, then notify our allies. If you fail, we will lose the war, and Earth will be in great danger.
He was the most important part of this operation. After tirelessly working to cripple the space fleet, he could finally make sure they won''t be able to find any extraterrestrial life.
>Good luck
He willed, and the text disappeared from his eye. Sadly, it made him recall how much installing the prototype Asuki 7 into his eyeball hurt. Especially once it connected to his nerves. Once Seeker-3 is destroyed, Earth will stay hidden from aliens that may want to hurt it. Many call the Sun Guardians irrational, but they just look at the history. America and Columbus. Australia and Janszoon. First Contacts were never pleasant. But now it didn''t matter, because he was already in room 216.
>disguise ready. going in
He started walking toward his objective, but a very fat and infamous for his irresponsibility officer saw him. ¡ª What are you doing here?! Why aren''t you working?! Alan stopped walking, stood straight like a plank, and saluted his superior. As much as it hurt him to give respect to his enemies, right now he was pretending to be a part of the ship''s maintenance group. ¡ª I had an accident and had to change my suit, sir! ¡ª Then get your ass back to work! ¡ª The officer looked really mad, but it wouldn''t surprise someone who knew that he was going to his midnight lover''s room. ¡°Good luck getting killed today!¡± The poor fool didn''t know his mistress was a Sun Guardian.
>hey L. your piggybank is coming so put on something nice.
There was still some time until he gets to the engine room, so Alan started texting his friends.
Liliana was the team''s insider. Her task was unpleasant but very important for any infiltration mission.
He talked with a few people and made sure everyone was in their position.
>Get ready everyone cause I''m nearing the battery charger.
Alan saw the door leading to his objective and took a deep breath. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°This is my time to shine.¡± Walking in, he already saw the best course of action. And it wasn''t a peaceful one ¡ª Oh, you''re late. Show me your iden¡ª *BANG* Before the man could finish, Alan made a new breathing hole in the guard''s head. Everyone in the room turned toward him, but before anyone even thought about screaming, he started shooting again. Because of his eye implant, cyber-wear assisted arms, and a custom-made rapid-fire super-precise pistol, the surprised crowd had no way of defending themselves. Alan changed his gun''s magazine and ran over to the main power cell.
>I''m here. what now, O?
Orion was a technician for this operation. No one on the team knows his real name, but he doesn''t isolate himself from everyone else, so there isn''t any problem with coordination.
>Sure. I''m gonna delta out of here
Alan wanted to go out and help his friend, but an alarm started, and the engine room doors closed.
>Fuck! I need someone in the main reactor. I''m stuck
He waited for a few seconds but no one answered him ¡°they''re probably fighting, so I''ll have to wait.¡± After 10 minutes no reply came, so he tried to message them again, but instead of seeing the group chat, he felt a sharp pain in his right eye. ¡ª AH! Damn it! ¡ª He fell to the ground and covered his eye like an open wound. The pain was getting worse, and after a while, Alan lost consciousness.
After waking up, he lay on the cold ground for a while and once the pain got lighter, he looked around and started cursing the intel department for not giving him correct information about the ship. ¡ª There weren''t any signal jammers on the plans they gave us. Even though they may sound very young and unprofessional, everyone assigned to this mission is an expert in his field. This makes the flawed plans to be even more surprising. Alan walked to the door and found out it was not locked any more. He left the room and started looking for his friends. The team got very close because they''d been planning this action for over a year, so that term was not used wrongfully. But after searching for an hour, he didn''t find anyone alive. That wasn''t surprising, just a little sad. He looked around but never found anyone alive. Enemy or not. ¡ª I''m the last one alive? Well, life is life. ¡ª he sighted and was about to call his boss, but then, he noticed something strange. ¡°Where did the stars go?¡± Alan wanted to write something to his superior, but his eye didn''t connect to any device. ¡ª I don''t think I''m in a good situation.- He stated the obvious Chapter 2 Congratulations, miss! It''s a hea¡­-The doctor stopped. Sir?-Tara Osun asked, concerned. Dr. Gawin was speechless, but everyone in his position would be the same. ¡ª Doctor?-A worried nurse got closer and looked at the child. ¡ª My, my God! ¡ª She screamed, and the child started crying. Dr. Gawin quickly put the infant down and took a few steps back ¡ª W, What''s wrong? Everyone, except the clueless mother, started calming down. ¡ª Miss, this will be very hard to explain.- Someone on the medical team started slowly speaking to explain their predicament. ¡°Is the child dead? Or maybe She''s gravely ill?¡± ¡ª Tara couldn''t stop thinking about how bad can the news be. ¡ª Umm, Your child¡ªHe exhaled, and, after a few seconds passed, started speaking again.- She doesn''t have a tale ¡ª Sorry, what? Zharians are the Apex predators of planet Zhar. They are similar to humans, but they differ in a few ways. For example, zharians have tails. A male specimen has a single tail that can extend and retract at will. It fills the role of a reproductive organ and is necessary because of Zhar''s dangerous environment. A woman has two tails that extend only for 20 months (18 earth months) after becoming pregnant. They have the same purpose as a human''s breasts. ¡ª But how is that even possible?! Unlike humans, zharians have very stable DNA, which causes birth defects to be very rare. ¡ª I don''t know myself, and I doubt anyone would. Because of that, a civilization with technological advancements on the level of Earth''s XXI century has next to no research in genetics. ¡ª What will I do now? If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. And birth defects, especially serious ones, are not tolerated.
Etia entered her workplace, the local convenience store called ¡°Steady and Ready¡±. She fixed her always wet hair (a characteristic of all zharians), put on a name plaque, and positioned herself behind the counter. After idling by for a few minutes, customers started walking in. The day was mostly uneventful, but she had a conversation that made her very sad. ¡ª Can I have two small bags of pink grass? ¡ª An old lady asked Etia for a rarely used but very common herb. ¡ª That will be 1 cin and 56 kam. ¡ª Etia answered. She was happy whenever someone who didn''t know her come because these were the only times she could have a normal talk. ¡ª May I ask why a young lady like you works instead of learning at school? ¡ª The old woman asked a question that Etia hates. The reason she wasn''t attending university even though she was only 16 years old was because of her tails. Or, more specifically, her lack of them. It''s very hard to hide such a disability when surrounded by hundreds of people. ¡ª Umm, school life wasn''t for me. ¡ª Etia lied because whenever she told someone about her flaw, they would isolate her. The only person who she could talk to was her mom, and it was still very uncomfortable. ¡ª I know it''s not the whole truth. I''m old, so no matter what you say, I won''t laugh at you. ¡ª Even though the old Ms. said that Etia knew how it was going to end. But the small chance that it will work out was enough to compel Etia to confess. ¡ª I, I don''t have tails. ¡ª Every time she says the truth she feels better for a moment only to have her heart crushed again. The customer didn''t say anything. She took her pink grass and paid 2 cin, then she left without taking the change. This time, Etia didn''t even cry. She was used to this, so she bought herself a bottle of beer for 44 kam and went home.
This was her everyday life. Go to work, get depressed, and go back home. The only two things that gave her enjoyment in life were alcohol and romance books, because, at least for a moment, she could imagine herself not being a nature''s abomination. Etia desired to be loved. Not by the masses, not by every man. Just one person was enough to make her happy. But that was impossible. She was a freak of nature and didn''t deserve happiness after all. ¡ª I should stop thinking about things like this. It''ll just get worse. She took her tried and tested bottle opener, opened the floodgates of happiness, and started reading today''s book. ¡°Tiarra - White and gray¡± ¡°It''s new, so I will have to see if it''s good.¡± She read for 5 hours and went to sleep
The bell rang, and everyone went to get dressed for PE. Etia started undressing, but made sure to have her back against a wall. If someone found out her secret, it would be the first school all over again. ¡°I just have to attend for a month, and then I can leave. Just a month.¡± ¡ª Oh, you must be the one that didn''t come to school for the last two months, right? ¡ª Yes. ¡ª Etia answered her. She knew that her secret was in danger. ¡ª I was wondering why you never came, especially since you''re so beautiful. The girl was confused, since she thought gorgeous people rarely get bullied. Etia would be one of the most beautiful zharians, if not for her disability. ¡ª I just didn''t want to learn. That''s all¡ªHer life was dangerously close to being destroyed. ¡ª Really? Don''t worry about it! I''m sure the issue can be resolved. ¡ª She hugged Etia tightly, putting one hand on her wet hair and the second one on her butt. She was probably trying to make a move on Etia, but then her hand ran over the spot where two tails should be. ¡ª Wait, You don''t have tails? ¡ª Before Etia even heard her name, the girl already distanced herself.
She woke up with tears in her eyes. ¡°It''s just a dream. It''s just a dream.¡± Chapter 3
Log entry nr. 45
I''ve spent over 50 days on this ship. I haven''t been able to talk with anyone, and I''m getting a little lonely. I want to talk to somebody.
Alan stopped writing and went to the food storage to eat something. On his way, he passed through one of the many battlefields. There were no bodies because Alan already threw them out of the ships. Once he reached the kitchen, he looked to his left and saw the hibernation hall. ¡°Let''s not get close. Ever again¡±. Alan already flew in there once. He opened the hibernation pods and what greeted him were 200 brain-dead corpses. It didn''t smell bad because they were frozen, but 200 bodies flying out of their small pods broke the lonely Alan''s mind. He stopped thinking about this trauma-inducing experience and took a banana pudding from his food vault.
Log entry nr. 72
I started reading physics and astronomy books. I found out that The Ship is probably inside a wormhole. This would explain why I can''t see any stars, but that leaves an important question. Where will it throw me out?
After writing in his diary, Alan started shaving his three-month-old beard. He got used to being alone inside The Ship, even finding comfort in the solitude. ¡ª Let''s train today. ¡ª He spoke his plans to himself and went to the gym. Because of the weaker gravity, training wasn''t very useful for anything except passing time. Alan entered the room and started working out.
Log entry nr. 125
Stars! They are so beautiful! I can see so many of them. When was the last time I saw stars? I can''t even remember!
Alan was looking out of the window with his face pressing against it. He was like a child looking at a very expensive toy in a shop. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. They were the first stars Alan saw in over half a year. It made him cry from happiness. ¡ª I can''t just look at them. Maybe there is a way to go down on some planet? ¡ª He thought about the possibility of Alan pushed himself off the ground and started flying toward the power room. Because of the finite energy on the ship, most systems were turned off all the time. He flipped a few switches on and went to the observation room. It was at the other end of the ship, so he had to make a long trip. Throughout the journey, he was very excited. He spent a very long time on The Ship and was getting bored. Now there was a chance to see the outside world. Inside the room, there were many telescopes, and he used one of them to look around the ship. Alan saw that he is in the orbit of a planet. It was mostly light purple and had a small patch of green and gray. He made the system analyze the planet and after around an hour, he found out that everything except the island was a pink fluid. Just when he wanted to descend the ship, the lights went out and a message appeared on the nearest computer''s screen.
MAIN BATTERY EMPTY
Please leave the ship using an escape pod or charge the main battery immediately
This was the reason almost everything was turned off all day long. The battle from half a year ago destroyed a lot of The Ship''s compartments. One of them was the reactor room. ¡ª I should pack my things.
An hour later, Alan packed all the essential products and a few miscellaneous ones. For example, he took his personal super-pistol and a few, OK, tens of magazines, all fitting in 50 2.3 mm bullets. A badge of Sun Guardians, pined on his jacket, was giving off a beautiful shine. This was the last memorabilia left of his old team, and he would make sure it stays safe until the day he died. But before he left The Ship, he made sure that there won''t be any plastique dirtying the space. Now, before him was his new life, and behind him was a giant explosion. It was a metaphor for intellectuals and a grand show for the common folks. But for zharians, just 120 km under him, it was the greatest horror they ever experienced. Chapter 4 Etia woke up. Lonely as always. Recently, she stated having many nightmares about her past. The most terrifying ones were taking place in her early childhood because she wasn''t used to getting shunned yet. But you can''t live off crying, so she quickly got dressed and left for work.
Not many people came to the store, and even if they came, they would rather talk with someone normal. That makes it possible for Etia to stand around and do whatever she wants. For example, she can watch the TV that hangs near the entrance, ¡ª Tailless! Mass has to take care of something, so go on the register! ¡ª Her boss always called her with that insult, and no one had a problem with that. Zharian society was very straightforward, so it wasn''t weird to hear insults flying around, and that was not the only effect. Oftentimes, Etia would experience what humans call ¡°sexual molestation¡±, but for zharians, it was nothing special. Of course, any advances some romantic made would stop not long after they started, for a very obvious reason. Only today, two people tried to hit on her, and everyone knows how it went. ¡ª Good morning! What do you want to buy? ¡ª Etia greeted the customer, but he, instead of answering, just put a few products on the counter. ¡ª That will be 14 cin and 13kam. The man pulled out his card and paid for the products. Just when he wanted to leave, an important message came up on the TV.
URGENT NEWS! AN UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT WAS SPOTTED IN THE AIR! THE MILITARY SAYS NOT TO WORRY!
A streamed video conference appeared and the person on the screen started talking. ¡ª A UFO appeared in the air, but there is nothing to worry about. The government will take care of this problem, so there is no reason for anyone to panic. ¡ª Even though he said that, it was easy to see how stressed he was. Then, a photo of the object was shown. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Yup. That''s a UFO¡± The cashier thought. Apparently not caring about the man''s advice, everyone started screaming and panicking. Everyone except Etia, that is. She didn''t have anything to care about. Etia didn''t love anyone, and her colleagues didn''t like her, so even if some aliens attacked Zhar, she wouldn''t lose anything. People in the store took food and other articles, but the security stopped them from stealing. They got insulted a lot, but still didn''t let anyone who didn''t pay through. The desperate customers flocked to the registers. There were 12 people in the store, two families of four, a couple, and four individual buyers. Cash registers 1 and 3 were hurrying to scan every product and get paid. Once these people would leave, they could go back home themselves. But Etia was not rushing. ¡ª Good morning! What can I get you? ¡ª Once again, she got no answer, but this time the family screamed at her. ¡ª What are you doing! Scan our stuff and let us go! ¡ª The man, probably in his thirties, was very loud. ¡ª Right, hurry up! ¡ª A pre-teen child criticized her. It changed nothing. Etia was still scanning at her regular speed. The people were getting louder and louder, and yet, she still worked at her regular pace. ¡ª That will be 63 cin and 76 kam. A woman, probably the wife of the unnecessarily rude man, used her card to pay. ¡ª I''m sorry, but your card was declined. ¡ª Etia declared. ¡ª Please check your account status and come with products you can afford. ¡ª What the hell are you talking about?! ¡ª the father screamed, and the children started crying. Before they could say anything more, the next person already put 2.5 kg of pasta made from orkell on the counter.
After getting screamed at for some time, everyone in the shop left. Seeing as there wasn''t anyone coming, she stopped pretending like nothing is happening and turned around to look at the alcohol. ¡ª Ah, I can''t let all the beer go to waste, can I? ¡ª She wanted to pack a few bottles, but then came up with a brilliant idea. ¡ª No one will miss them, right? Etia took a super expensive bottle of well-aged blue wine. One bottle costs over 50 cin. She could never afford it, but now there was a chance to drink it. The alarm sounded, and the entry door closed, but she had a key for the backdoor for employees, so that wasn''t a problem for her. Then she slowly made her way home. On her way, she saw a person running with a full shopping cart of supplies, and one woman crying on a bench. There was even an orgy made up of 4 women and 3 men, but even in the heat, everyone avoided her. She finally managed to open the bottle with a pocket knife and looked up. Etia saw a very small dot, the spaceship, and sighted. ¡°I live sad, and I die sad. What a life.¡± She thought and kept looking at the reason for everyone''s panic. But then it flashed bright orange and transformed into a giant firework, illuminating the city. ¡ª Huh? Is that it? ¡ª Etia thought that this was her end, so she was quite surprised when The Ship blew up. ¡ª I guess that''s it. Better go back to work. She wanted to head back, but a falling object hit the building next to her. Her daily dose of giving a damn already run out, so she just looked. Once the dust settled, A weird-looking man walked out from the rubble. Chapter 5 ¡ª A small step for a man, but a big step for humans. Or was it humanity? I can''t remember. Alan Coello took a step out of his escape pod, and the first thing that entered his eyes was a very Earth-like sight. He saw many buildings, each with around ten floors. In front of him stood a pale woman. She had long, black, untied hair that looked wet. Her eyes were light pink, and they perfectly complemented the rest of her face. Alan used his eye implant to take a closer look at the woman and noticed she had peaches and cream skin. As far as Alan remembers, this was the most beautiful person he ever saw. The woman was observing him with a very surprised expression, and he returned the favor by scanning her whole body. What surprised him the most was that each of her hands had only four fingers with two phalanges. It seems that he just discovered an alien civilization, or did they discover him? His object of observation said something he didn''t understand, and a pop-up appeared in his eye.
Translating¡­
Translation failed. Reason: unknown language.
The auto-translation feature of his helmet did nothing, so, knowing he can breathe the local air, Alan took it off. ¡°I should probably try to establish contact.¡± Alan got closer to the woman and pointed at himself ¡ª Me, Alan Coello She made a step back, but then understood what he said ¡ª Me, Etia Osun. Alan started thinking about what to say next when a few red cars got close, and male aliens from Etia''s species walked out of them with WW1-looking guns.
Inside a prison van, Alan was thinking about his future. Based on the ship''s star map, he was probably over 300 light-years away, but wormholes were only theorized. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. There is a big chance Earth stopped existing eons ago, and he''s at the other end of the universe. He understood one thing. For now, there is no way back, so he should use his brain for the threat at hand. Alan and the alien law enforcement arrived at a police station. Zharians never experienced war, so there weren''t any giant military bases. They put a blindfold on his eyes. Alan wanted to make a sex joke here, but they wouldn''t understand anyway, so he didn''t do it. After walking for a while, they made him sit down and took off his blindfold. Alan saw an interrogation room. His hands were handcuffed to the table, and a pale person with a notebook was sitting in front of him. The man didn''t say anything, as if waiting for Alan to say something. ¡ª Me, Alan Coello. ¡ª Like with Etia, he pointed at himself and waited. The man didn''t say anything for a while and wrote something down in his notebook. Seeing as that was all he is going to do, Alan took the initiative. ¡ª Many. ¡ª Alan drew a few lines with his finger. There was still not much reaction. ¡ª Alone. ¡ª This time, only one line was drawn. The interrogator opened his eyes a little wider and wrote something again. ¡ª Me, Alone. Alan noticed that his new friend''s breathing calmed. ¡ª Me, Jar. After that, they started talking.
A few hours later, they let him rest In a small cell. There was only one other person in the arrest. He wasn''t very talkative, though. ¡°I wonder what Etia is doing.¡± The fact is that she charmed him. She was the only thing he was thinking about since arriving at the jail. ¡ª I wonder why they have a tail. The reason for them having a tail is a flawed evolutionary process, but Alan wouldn''t know that for a very long time. Because he was bored, he started recalling his past.
When he entered college, the government announced their plans to look for aliens. At first, there was a normal discussion about the dangers and potential gains should humans find extraterrestrial life, but later it transformed into a mess. Since most people thought that it was safe, people who disagreed were oftentimes harassed. Some were even killed for their views. From the start, Alan knew that it was very dangerous and that humanity would not get much from searching. He was vocal about his opinion, which caused his teachers and classmates to bully him. There was even an attempt to take his life, but it failed, and one of the perpetrators died. Everyone targeted him, and he had become a Sun Guard to have a place to belong. He made friends and completed many actions with them, and after ten years, he became a part of the Un-seeker mission. That was how Alan got into the position he is in right now.
He stopped daydreaming because two guards brought a person to the cell next to his. Alan opened his eyes, and when he saw his new neighbor, he couldn''t believe his eyes. It was his super hot waifu called Etia! He couldn''t give her anything as a gift because the aliens stole his stuff, but he had an idea of how to communicate. ¡ª give notebook, pen. ¡ª Alan made a demand toward the policemen, and they quickly gave him what he asked for. ¡ª Hey, Etia! ¡ª Alan was very happy to talk to her through the little window between their cells. ¡ª Hey, Alan! ¡ª She answered after a little while of thinking about what he said. Chapter 6 The soldiers took Alan away, and Etia was just watching, bewildered. He had a weird color of skin. It was very pale pink, similar to nothing she ever saw. Etia also noticed that he didn''t have a tail. ¡°He walks just like me.¡± Etia thought it was odd, but that''s because she dropped out before she could learn about it in school. Because of her taillessness, she had to walk like a human. No one moved for a few seconds until a person dressed in red mustered up the courage. ¡ª You''re going to come with us. ¡ª One of the soldiers walked up to her and declared before grabbing her and throwing her into a car. ¡ª What?! You can''t do this to me! This is Illegal! ¡ª Etia rightfully screamed at him. ¡ª We''re going to ask you about the alien you talked with. ¡ª I''m not going to help you, so just take me out of the car. ¡ª No. If you don''t comply, we''re just going to arrest you. ¡ª The man didn''t give a rat''s ass about what she was saying. It''s not like anyone cares about what happened to the freak. ¡ª Let me out! ¡ª Etia screamed, but the man still held her. ¡ª Shut the fuck up! ¡ª He slapped her, and she stopped struggling.
At the police station, Etia had a very long and exhausting talk with the authorities. She said all that she knew, but no one trusted her, and instead, they put her into a cell. But it wasn''t all that bad because through a small barred window she saw Alan looking at her. He spoke a few words, and the guards gave him a notebook, with something to write. ¡°Why the hell do they treat him better than me?!¡± The police feared angering Alan because of his unknown capabilities, but they didn''t care about Etia, so she would get mistreated and be unable to do anything about it. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡ª Hey Etia! ¡ª Alan said something before her name, but she didn''t understand what. She thought for a while, and after realizing what he meant, she answered him. ¡ª Hey Alan! ¡ª Etia answered him cheerfully since he was the only person, which didn''t avoid her because of her disability. Alan wrote something in the notebook and showed it to her. On the paper, there were two signs. One looked like a crude drawing of a mountain. It was the letter ''M''. The second one was a vertical line with three smaller horizontal lines coming out of it. That sign was the letter ''E''. ¡ª Me. M, E¡ªAlan taught her how it''s written. After that, she started learning how to write and speak English.
A few days later, Etia was spending her time learning. She was moved to the same cell as Alan because no one else wanted to share rooms with her, and the police needed more space for people who committed crimes during the fake doomsday. ¡ª Now, just sign it, and the test will be complete. ¡ª Alan was giving her lessons like in first grade. With a small exception that a first-grader can''t learn the whole alphabet in a week. She did as he said and wrote her name in the notebook. Etia was actually a very good learner, and Alan was the first person to notice it. ¡ª Here. ¡ª She passed her work to him. ¡ª Nice work. ¡ª Alan stood up from his chair and went for a water bottle. ¡ª Oh. We''re out of water. On Zhar, the ocean and river ¡°water¡± is the same, so zharians have a lot to drink. Sadly, it''s toxic for humans. ¡ª What are you going to do now? ¡ª Etia asked, concerned. At first, Alan wasn''t planning on living a long life on the planet he landed on, but now he wanted to live with Etia. This just became a problem. ¡ª I don''t know. ¡ª After he said that, Etia sat next to him. ¡ª I''m sure we can find something for you to drink. Alan looked at her and came up with a plan. He grabbed her hair and licked it. It was always wet because zharians filter the pink fluid they drink. They use their hair roots to remove the indigestible part from the body. ¡ª W, wait, what are you doing?! I told you it''s inedible! ¡ª It''s sweet. ¡ª Alan liked the way it tasted. ¡ª Also, you can''t drink it, but maybe I can. ¡ª Sure. If you can drink it, then I don''t have an issue. ¡ª Thanks. A man opened the doors to their cell and took them for interrogation.
Since they got locked up here, every day they were asked the same questions. The authorities didn''t understand Alan, so Etia had to help. ¡ª Can we go now? ¡ª Etia asked. ¡ª Yes. We have decided that none of you are a threat, so you can go now. ¡ª That was a lie. The real reason Alan and Etia are free again is that it would be illegal to hold them any longer. ¡ª We can go now. ¡ª Etia said in English and grabbed Alan''s hand ¡ª Yup. Let''s go. Chapter 7 Alan and Etia walked out of the arrest and smelled freedom. She went toward her home, and he followed behind her. ¡ª Can I live at your place? ¡ª He asked. ¡ª Ah, right. ¡ª Etia just realized that Alan was homeless. ¡ª It shouldn''t be a problem. ¡ª Thanks. This would be the first time he came into a woman''s room. Other than for assassinations, of course. ¡ª So, any Idea where I could work? Also, I checked your test, and you passed. ¡ª I don''t know who would employ you. I had a hard time looking for a job, so probably you won''t have it easier. They fell silent for a while, and after thinking about it, Alan asked. ¡ª Do you have MMA here? ¡ª What''s that? ¡ª Basically, you fight for money. It doesn''t matter what style you use. ¡ª Yes, there is something like that. They arrived at Etia''s house and entered. It wasn''t expensive-looking, but it had all necessities. There were some beer bottles scattered on the floor. ¡ª Well, you should clean up in here. ¡ª Sorry. I never thought about it, so it got a little messy. ¡ª Let''s clean it up. I''m going to help you. ¡ª Alan disliked mess. When he was on The Ship, he would clean the areas he used every day. It wasn''t necessary, but it helped alleviate the boredom. He made a photo with his eye implant and began cleaning. Etia quickly came to help him.
¡ª You got the job. ¡ª Etia gave Alan his ID card ¡ª did he tell you when''s the first fight? ¡ª Its today. Some newbie got into a car accident, so you can fight. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡ª Ok. ¡ª Alan grabbed her hair and drank a little. Surprisingly, it''s easy to get a job if you pick up a bodyguard for your employer with a single hand. ¡ª My helmet is almost calibrated, so I won''t need you to do everything for me. ¡ª Don''t worry about it. You''re not bothering me anyway. ¡ª Etia was actually happy that someone required her. ¡ª Anyway, what are we going to do while waiting? ¡ª We can go for a drink. ¡ª Even if zharians discriminate against all that''s different, they still won''t turn a blind eye to profit, so there are no problems with buying alcohol. They entered a store next to the fighting arena and bought two bottles of beer. It was made from a wheat-like plant. Sitting on a bench, they started talking. ¡ª Are you sure you can dominate them? ¡ª Etia asked Alan. They have lived together for over a week now, and she could talk fluently in English. ¡ª Yes. My body is so modified, I could defeat a hatth without a weapon. ¡ª A hatth is a creature that looks like a fusion between a T. rex and a hippo. Alan was not wrong, since It would be easy for him to win any fight. With triple the strength of a bodybuilder and twice faster reflexes than a normal person, he was undefeatable. The progress in body modification was the biggest reason why MMA died down on earth. It was a very big shame for Alan, a diehard fan. But now he could participate himself. ¡ª I''ll make sure to buy us a better place. ¡ªThey weren''t a couple, but since they were the only ones who accepted each other, they wanted ¡ª Good luck. ¡ª Etia placed a small kiss on his cheek. Actually, the first part of that sentence may change soon enough.
¡ª On the left side, we have Red eyes. His unusually dark eyes stare into his opponent''s soul. ¡ª This was The arena. A place where you can earn a lot of money in a short amount of time. ¡ª On the right, we have the Intruder. He came from a planet called ¡°Erf¡± and scared us all. Now he''s going to fight in this arena. ¡ª It was also the best place for freaks to work. ¡°What the hell is that guy talking about?¡± Alan didn''t understand much from what the presenter said. ¡ª Nooooooow! FIGHT! ¡ª The announcer screamed, and the audience started cheering for both of the fighters. It was like a ZOO. ¡ª Sorry, pal, but you''re going down. ¡ª Alan''s opponent started running toward him. ¡ª I don''t understand. ¡ª Alan declared. Red eyes was getting near the Intruder. He swung his hand, but got hit in the throat, and fell. ¡ª That was fast! Red eyes didn''t stand a chance! ¡ª Alan quickly won and got his money.
¡ª How did it go? ¡ª Etia asked. ¡ª You didn''t watch me? ¡ª No. They play the fights on TV one day after they happen. ¡ª That''s a little greedy of them. ¡ª Well, anyway. How much did you win? ¡ª Etia had sparkles in her eyes. This would probably be the most money she would ever see in her life. ¡ª I got, 2100 cin. ¡ª This was a very sizeable amount of money. ¡ª But they stole some for roughing up my enemy, so now I have 50. ¡ª That was around two weeks of food. ¡ª Didn''t you know you will get charged for that?! ¡ª She got a little angry at Alan. ¡ª No. Anyway, I didn''t know you guys have such fragile spines. ¡ª Ok. ¡ª Etia calmed down a little. ¡ª You still got five days of my salary in a few minutes. ¡ª So, want to celebrate our victory? ¡ª Alan asked her. ¡ª Yes. I think it would be a great idea to hold a very small party. ¡ª They went to buy some alcohol in the same store they bought some a few hours ago. Chapter 8 ¡ª If there is a small number like this, it''s called power. ¡ª Etia was learning math. ¡ª You have to multiply the big number by itself that many times. ¡ª I think I get it. ¡ª Alan was teaching her everything she missed by ditching school. Even without brain implants like Wat-B or Asu-B, her ability to comprehend was far greater than modified Alan''s, and he was above average by Earth''s standards. Etia realized that She not only likes but is also very talented in learning after Alan started teaching her English. ¡ª What hour is it? ¡ª Alan was falling asleep. He had been teaching her for a few hours and hadn''t slept in two days. ¡ª Can we go to sleep now? He was looking for a way to make money by contacting every single person who was looking for a fight, but everyone rejected him. Finally, one person agreed, and he scheduled a fight for the next day. ¡ª I know you were taking care of work, but let''s study a bit more. ¡ª Etia was very enthusiastic. A bit too enthusiastic. ¡ª Hmm, let me think about it. ¡ª Alan was very tired. ¡ª No. ¡ª Come on! Just one mo-- Alan picked her up and threw her on the bed. Then he took a blanket before making her into an Etia-flavored burrito. ¡ª Good night, Etia. ¡ª It was the best way he found. Calming her down was a hard job. ¡ª Hey, untie me! ¡ª She complained, but Alan already went to sleep on the mattress next to her bed.
When she woke up, Etia saw a sandvich next to a note written in very bad zharian writing. It said, ¡°Me go to police. Will come back later.¡± ¡°He probably wants the rest of the things they took¡± She got up and grabbed the sandwich. While eating, she was getting dressed for work. This was the first time Etia went to work since getting out of jail because of a law that rewards illegally arrested people. It didn''t take much time for her to get dressed and leave her home.
At the store, everything went as always. Customers came, she got screamed at by her boss, and someone found out about Etia''s secret. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The only big change was the fact, that a smile never left her face. Instead of being sad, she would think about Alan and brighten up. When she left her workplace, Alan came up to her ¡ª Hey. ¡ª Oh, hey. ¡ª Etia was surprised that he came to take her home. ¡ª Did they give your things back? ¡ª Yes, but there was a lot of screaming and throwing people around. At least I finally have them. ¡ª By them, he meant all of his most valuable mementos from The Ship. ¡ª Anyway, good job realizing why I went there. ¡ª So, what are you planning for today? ¡ª I have a scheduled flight in six hours. ¡ª It was his second fight. This time he would try to be more careful. ¡ª What are you going to do until then? ¡ª Etia asked him. ¡ª I was thinking about going to eat something. Together. ¡ª Unknowingly, they both had the same idea. ¡ª I would be happy to. They walked back into the store and bought a few snacks as well as some alcohol. After leaving, they sat down on a bench. Even if it was possible to buy food, restaurants were off-limits for them. ¡ª I''m really happy to have met you. This is the first time in many years I am truly happy. ¡ª On Earth, I was mostly alone. I''m also happy I met you. ¡ª With her, Alan finally felt complete. ¡ª I hope we can stay together for a very long time. ¡ª Wait, is this a hint, or am I misinterpreting? ¡ª Alan had no romantic experience whatsoever. Instead of answering him, she went in for a kiss.
¡ª On the left stands the Intruder! Last time he wasn''t gentle with his opponent, but it sometimes happens with newbies. ¡ª And on the right side, we have Shieldman whose tough skin lets no punches through. Can he stop the Intruder from intruding? Etia saw a wall-like man stand before Alan. She wasn''t scared for him, but it was an impressive sight. The big man towered like Goliath, but Alan would be his David. -3¡­2¡­1¡­ AAAAAND, FIGHT! ¡ª The battle started, and Alan moved. He punched forward and hit his opponent''s stomach, but made no damage. ¡ª You can''t hurt me! ¡ª The big man said, but his opinion was quickly proven wrong. Alan slid under his enemy, jumped up, and punched him in the back of the head. The giant shield fell to the ground, unconscious.
An hour later, Etia and Alan met up under the arena. ¡ª How much? ¡ª Etia knew that he didn''t use a very safe way to win. -3000. I got only 75 after they stole my money. ¡ª We would get more if you wouldn''t almost kill your enemies. ¡ª She wasn''t happy about Alan''s fighting style. ¡ª I thought this guy would be a little stronger. ¡ª Well, anyway, let''s go back home. ¡ª Alan was very tired and wanted nothing but to go back home and sleep. ¡ª Uuh, ok. Let''s go. ¡ª She grabbed his hand, and they went back to her their house. Chapter 9 Alan woke up with a headache. He didn''t remember what happened after winning yesterday''s fight. He wobbly stood up and went to drink some water. Alan poured himself a glass of water and noticed it was pink. ¡ª Ah, right. ¡ª Alan recalled that he couldn''t drink from the tap. He went back to his room and drank some hair juice. ¡°Wait a second.¡± Alan noticed that he, and Etia, were both naked. He turned on all of his brain implants that were disabled because of his hangover. He had to use a lot of power to find these memories. Alan sat down on the bed and thought about his life decisions up to this point. ¡ª What are you doing? ¡ª Etia woke up and hugged Alan from behind. ¡ª Nothing in particular. ¡ª¡­ ¡ª¡­ They said nothing more.
Alan was sitting on a building''s roof. There was no reason for him to be there other than because he wanted to be closer to the sky.
Log entry nr.126
This is the first time this month that I''m writing. I could make it into a research paper, but I will use it more as a note for me. I found a girlfriend. It''s good, I''m happy. I want to stay with her forever. Until the day I die. I love her.
Alan was very lonely for a long time. Etia was the same. They were a pair made in heaven.
Other than that, I became an MMA fighter. This planet''s people have weak bones because of the lowered gravity. It''s equal to about 0,9g. Everyone is scared of fighting me because I''m too strong. I know how to stop it.
He was very dangerous for everyone he fought. In the next fight, he would wear boxing gloves. Here, they''re used only for practice. Today, he had nothing to do, so he would visit a museum. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
He bought a ticket for 1 cin and walked in. It was a museum of art, and there were many paintings and sculptures there. Alan wasn''t the biggest fan of modern art, and most old paintings on earth were owned by the so-called 0,1%. Alan observed that zharian art is centered around the order. Every person in every painting looks very similar. Every sculpture is made with the same style, no matter when it was made. The most striking part was that almost everything was symmetrical. For him, the art was very beautiful to look at, but after some time passed, he started to feel like it wasn''t made by a living person. ¡°Let''s get out of here.¡± He decided.
Alan wanted to go to a military museum, but the manager very impolitely told him to ¡°go fuck off¡±. After that, he went to a history museum. Alan was surprised when he found out that there was only one major war on Zhar. Now there is a single country, so it''s not a problem. That caused a two-times slower speed research speed in almost every field except welfare. Especially hit was the firearm industry. The newest type of fully automatic gun was a belt-fed Gatling gun. It was sad how, in order to progress, people have to die, but Alan knew that from the start. ¡ª There is no betterment if there is no threat. Let''s go.
He has arrived at the museum of cars and boats. Once again, they wanted to kick him out, but this time it went differently. ¡ª Wait, isn''t that the Intruder? ¡ª A man who watches The Arena recognized Alan. ¡ª Can I get an autograph? ¡ª Umm, ok. ¡ª Alan knew that he wanted to get signed. He took the man''s pen and signed the piece of paper he handed him. Once more people realized who he is, everyone went to get his name on a random object. ¡°Calm down. A toilet paper roll? Maybe I will sign your divorce papers too?¡± These were thoughts he couldn''t voice because of his lacking vocabulary, of course. It took Alan around an hour to get to Etia''s workplace.
Alan couldn''t find her once he got there. Instead, he bought some light alcohol. This time they would make sure not to get drunk like the day before. He paid the cashier. No words were said between them. Then, he made his way back home, but before he got there, Etia jumped out from the bushes. ¡ª Hey! ¡ª She was very excited to see him again. ¡ª Hey. ¡ª Are you tired or something? You don''t look very enthusiastic about seeing me. They both recalled what happened that night and almost died of embarrassment. ¡ª Umm, I got something lighter than before. Want to drink? ¡ª Ok. ¡ª Etia answered timidly. They walked into their home and sat down on the bed. ¡ª So¡­ About yesterday¡­¡ªAlan wanted to straighten out yesterday''s situation. ¡ª Don''t. ¡ª She didn''t want him to continue, and kissed him. This time, they didn''t need beer to break the ice.
They were half-lying in bed, drinking. ¡ª Do you have any siblings? ¡ª Etia asked. ¡ª A younger sister. We lost touch many years ago, though. ¡ª Alan replied, visibly drunk. A very good word that describes their state would be ¡°wasted¡±. ¡ª I''m a single child. No one wanted to be with my mom because of me. ¡ª That sucks. ¡ª They talked, and talked until they fell asleep in each other''s arms. Chapter 10 Etia woke up alone. Once again, there was food and a glass of pink water next to her bed. She looked at the clock and noticed that her shift would start in 10 minutes. ¡°Alan is constantly looking for work. I can''t be late!¡± Etia wanted to work hard like Alan. She didn''t know that he was visiting museums. Etia took a big bite out of her sandwich and started getting dressed. Two minutes later, she ran out of her apartment and fell because she bumped into someone. ¡ª Sorry! ¡ª She apologized. ¡ª I''m in a hurry. ¡ª Don''t worry. ¡ª The man answered in a broken zharian. Etia looked up and saw Alan. He picked her up and hugged her. She didn''t mind it because she felt safe in his arms. ¡ª Hey. ¡ª Etia hugged him back. ¡ª It''s very nice, but I have to hurry to work. ¡ª What are you talking about? You don''t work today. ¡ª Alan pointed out. ¡ª It''s Friday. She realized that there was no reason for her to hurry so much. Etia was happy that Alan saved her from the embarrassment of coming to work on a day off. ¡ª Where even were you? ¡ª I bought some food to make dinner. ¡ª Alan said. ¡ª Wait, you can cook? ¡ª Etia was very surprised because she never saw him use her stove. ¡ª I can cook, but I didn''t know the spices. I put my life on the line to test them, and now I can make you some food. ¡ª Alan can drink pink water if it''s cooked at 200¡ã Celsius. ¡ª You shouldn''t be risking like that. ¡ª Don''t worry. I have a very strong organism. ¡ª Ok. Let me ask first, can you cook well? ¡ª Etia tried cooking in the past, but she didn''t have time for it. ¡ª Once I get used to this place''s ingredients, I will be a cooking god. ¡ª Alan quickly got bored with the pre-prepared food on the ship and started cooking himself. That way, he gained a lot of practice. ¡ª You should stay with me on weekends. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡ª Ok.
Etia was eating with Alan. He made European dumplings. ¡ª That''s a new taste. ¡ª Alan expected it to taste different, but not to this extent. ¡ª It''s different from what I normally eat, too. There was silence between them. It was very weird for Alan and Etia to speak after he made her unable to walk the day before. She still feels pain in her legs. ¡ª Sorry for yesterday. ¡ª Alan said. - I may have been a li-- ¡ª I don''t have a problem with that. ¡ª She interrupted him. ¡ª If I would want to go on a trip with you, would you agree? ¡ª Of course! ¡ª Etia always dreamed of a romantic escape from the city.
They planned to leave later. For now, they had to work. After his second fight, Alan couldn''t find the next one for three months. He would make money on construction work because of his superior strength. They were both making around the same amount monthly. One day, Alan said to Etia that he got a side job. She had a bad feeling about it, so she followed him. Alan entered a bar and, after an hour, left with a bullet wound, blood-painted clothes, and a broken gas pipe. ¡ª My god! Are you alright?! ¡ª Etia ran up to him and asked, terrified. ¡ª Yes, I will get out of it. ¡ª Do you need any help? ¡ª As I said, I''m good. ¡ª Alan had enough modifications in his body to heal from third-degree burns all over his body. ¡ª It''s an arm shot. There won''t be a problem. ¡ª Ok. Ok. ¡ª Etia calmed down. She was a collected person, especially if she had Alan by her side. ¡ª I have good news. I made a thousand cin. ¡ª Alan showed her some bills. ¡ª You shouldn''t risk your life for money! ¡ª Isn''t that what I do every day? Construction is dangerous, you know. And as I said, these things can''t kill me. ¡ª Alan tried to reassure Etia. ¡ª But what if something happens? What will I do then? ¡ª Yeah, I get it, I get it. I will try to be very careful. ¡ª I''m happy you get my point. ¡ª On the flip side, we have enough money for a trip. ¡ª A wide smile appeared on Alan''s face. They have been saving for over three months, and now they can have some free time. ¡ª That''s good. ¡ª Etia appeared calm, but one could smell the excitement coming from her. ¡ª So, let''s go and pack our stuff.
¡ª I''m good to go. ¡ª Me too. Next to them, stood two bags of clothes and necessities for a week. ¡ª I will call a cab. ¡ª Alan took out his phone and started a call. In the last three months, he got an official registration, learned to speak fluently, and bought a cell phone. Now he had almost the same status as Etia, which showed how hostile Zhar is to anything unnatural. An alien and a human would never be close in social status on earth. After a few minutes, a taxi arrived, and after paying a much higher fee than they should have, Etia and Alan got in. ¡ª This will be enjoyable. ¡ª Etia took words out of Alan''s mouth and said them herself. Chapter 11 Alan and Etia left the taxi. Before they stood a shipyard, their vacation would happen on the other end of the continent. A land trip would be faster, but it would come with a lot of danger. Only the coast of Zhar is organized, and the rest is a slum-like place. They made their way toward a big ship. Alan planned to get as far away from the capital, and now Etia saw he meant by far away. ¡ª Tickets, please. ¡ª A man with the capital''s logo on his suit was checking if everyone had a ticket. Alan and Etia waited for a bit. There weren''t many people in the queue, so after around ten minutes, they walked up themselves. -Tic-- ¡ª Don''t force yourself. Here. ¡ª Alan noticed the man''s face and gave him the papers. After a while, Alan and Etia left the building and made their way toward a ship. It looked like a normal ship from Earth, except for the fact that it swam in pink water. ¡ª This will be the first time I''m on a ship. ¡ª Me too. When I was born, they were already a relic of the past. ¡ª When Alan lived on Earth, no one, except rich people, used ships. ¡ª You only got the better part of Zhar. Remember that the rest is filled with not-very-friendly folk. ¡ª Etia was once outside the city, and many terrible things happened. ¡ª Don''t worry. I will protect you. ¡ª Alan wasn''t scared of them. He was a walking tank. People with muskets and revolvers won''t kill him. There was a very big problem with piracy in the ocean. Because of that, many people chose to stay enclosed in their cities. ¡ª Let''s stop thinking about it and just enjoy our trip. ¡ª Etia pitched the idea to Alan, and he agreed.
Alan was in the ship''s shop. The journey would take over six hours, and he didn''t bring any non-emergency food. ¡ª Two cups of that hot stuff they''re drinking. ¡ª Alan didn''t know what the coffee-like drink was called. ¡ª And some beer. And a few sandwiches. ¡ª Uhh, ok. Anything else? ¡ª The barman replied. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡ª No. ¡ª That will be 60 kam. ¡ª Here you go. ¡ª It hurt Alan to pay so much for a little food. This is around $15. Alan took his drinks and snacks. Making his way back to his room, he observed the beautiful decoration. They all felt soulless, like a robot made them. What didn''t feel soulless was a person kicking his room''s door? ¡ª Open up! Or I''m going to kill you. ¡ª A very muscular man was kicking the entrance into his room. ¡ª May I know what''s happening? ¡ª Alan very forcefully grabbed the assailant. ¡ª What?! ¡ª He screamed and turned around. ¡ª Oh shit. Alan sent a punch toward the man''s face. Alan could hear his enemy''s spine crack. There was no saving there since he was dead. The door opened, and a crying Etia showed up. ¡ª Come in, *sniff*, take him too. ¡ª Alan picked up the body and walked into the room. ¡ª What happened? ¡ª I wanted to walk around the ship, *sniff*, but a drunk man saw me and wanted to beat me. *Sniff,* He said I''m an abomination. ¡ª Etia started crying even louder. ¡ª It''s ok. Come here. ¡ª Alan hugged her and patted her on the back. ¡ª He''s gone now. Etia wasn''t touched by the dead man. She didn''t consider herself a zharian, so he was nothing more than an animal to her. Alan picked him up and threw him through the window. There were no cameras outside the room, so no one should find out. Alan led Etia toward their bed and lay down with her. ¡ª Can we be like that for a moment? ¡ª As long as you want. ¡ª Alan and Etia covered themselves with a blanket and ¡°snuggled¡± for some time.
The ship stopped moving, and people started walking out. At the back of the queue, Alan was sitting with Etia. Everyone had to be checked for illegal substances, so it took some time. ¡ª Ouch. ¡ª Etia stood up and grabbed her legs. ¡ª Sorry. ¡ª Alan apologized. He couldn''t control his strength when not calm. ¡ª I will try to be less rough the next time. ¡ª Don''t apologize. It was just a little accident. ¡ª Even if she felt pain, the happiness that being with him brought her was far greater. ¡ª Next! ¡ª One of the security guards called them. ¡ª Hello officer. ¡ª Alan came closer to him. ¡ª I, I will check your bags. ¡ª The man stuttered. Etia didn''t know if he was scared because of Alan''s skin or strength. ¡ª Is it good? ¡ª Y, yes. ¡ª The guard answered. ¡ª I''m very happy that is the thing. ¡ª Alan took his bags and left with Etia. ¡ª We''re finally free. At least for the next two weeks. ¡ª Etia already loved being here, in the city of Serrdic. ¡ª Do you want me to carry you? I still feel a little guilty. ¡ª Hmm. Ok. ¡ª After saying that, Etia was lifted off the ground, and carried to the hotel. Chapter 12 Serrdic has many tourist attractions. Both nature and the city were viral and made a lot of revenue. Alan was contemplating where to go first. He made a lot of effort, to carefully plan every single detail of the trip, and be sure that nothing could destroy his and Etia''s vacation. The weather was nice. He didn''t get arrested. It looked good for now. Alan looked at his phone and saw that it was 7 a.m. Just as he wanted to wake her up, Etia stretched and saw that he was awake. ¡ª Hey. ¡ª Alan gave her a small kiss on the forehead. ¡ª Are you ready for an adventure? ¡ª Of course. ¡ª Etia was a little tired because of the things that happened on the ship. After being put down on the bed, she fell asleep almost instantly. ¡ª Then let''s get going. ¡ª He picked Etia up and put her on her feet. It was a bad addiction of his. She went into the bathroom to wash herself up. After ten minutes of taking care of her appearance, Etia went back into the main room and grabbed Alan''s hand. ¡ª Where are we going? ¡ª Etia looked up at Alan. She wore casual clothing, but it took no attractiveness from her. ¡ª Today, we''re going to look at buildings and museums. And other stuff, too. ¡ª Let''s go.
Alan moved his hand toward the gun on his waist. It was fully loaded and ready to shoot at any moment. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡ª Watch out, he''s armed! ¡ª An officer screamed. The ten other policemen aimed at Alan. He picked up a megaphone and used it. ¡ª Drop your weapon and put your hands behind your head! ¡ª I''m sorry. ¡ª Etia was hugging Alan from behind. ¡ª It''s my fault. ¡ª He was shielding her with his body. - So-- ¡ª Don''t worry. You did nothing wrong. ¡ª Alan petted her with his left hand. The other one, he held next to his gun. ¡ª Should I fight? ¡ª I don''t want to be separated. ¡ª Etia knew that if he surrendered, they would be apart for a long time. She would rather die than live through that. ¡ª Your wish, my command. ¡ª Alan drew his pistol. Aiming it high, he fired 11 times. The shell casings shot out of the receiver before the ones before hit the ground. All of it happened in three seconds. The bodies dropped. Every person filming the situation started running away. ¡ª Let''s go. ¡ª Etia followed Alan. Even if no cameras saw his action, people were not the case. They ran out of the town and made a breathing stop because Etia got tired. ¡ª What should we do now? ¡ª Etia was concerned about the future. She won''t miss her old life, of course. ¡ª I don''t know. I will have to think about it. ¡ª Alan was a little scared, but he knew that there was someone depending on him. ¡ª I think there is a big city in the middle of the continent. I also heard that you can normally live there. ¡ª Then let''s go there. ¡ª He has decided their goal.
It was 1 am. Etia woke up and saw Alan sleeping next to her. She realized that this was not a dream and cried a little. ¡°I destroyed our life.¡± After thinking that, Etia started crying harder. It hurt, but Alan was there for her. She knew that he would never abandon her. ¡ª Are you up? ¡ª Etia looked over and saw that Alan was awake. ¡ª Yes. ¡ª Then let''s keep going. If I''m right, then there is still a lot for us to walk. ¡ª They were in for a prolonged trip. Chapter 13 ¡ª Do you need any help? ¡ª Etia was climbing a small hill with Alan''s help. Zhar''s average temperature was close to 5¡ã Celsius, so Alan wouldn''t sweat a lot. He could run and jump for hours and never overheat. ¡ª Please. ¡ª Etia was embarrassed about the fact she required him to survive. ¡ª I''m sorry for troubling you. ¡ª I don''t know how many times I have to say this. You''re not trouble. I don''t hate you. It''s not your fault. ¡ª Alan extended his hand toward Etia. ¡ª Let''s go now. She took Alan''s hand and rose. At the top, they hugged and started walking again. Two days of walking passed, but it wasn''t even a quarter of the journey. Alan took Etia''s hair and licked it. They were codependent. Etia would give Alan water, and he would pay back with food and other assistance. ¡ª Are you hungry? ¡ª Alan asked. ¡ª A little. After hearing that, he took off his backpack. ¡ª It''s getting late, so we might as well sleep here for today. I will go gather some wood, and you make a place for the sleeping bags. Alan went deeper into the forest. There were many trees, but since he had no tools, he needed to find a very thin one. It took Alan ten minutes to find a tree he could rip out of the ground. And so he did. He carried the 50 kg piece of wood back to Etia. The tree was light for him, but it would get stuck because of its shape. After a few minutes, he was back at the designer camp area. ¡ª Is everything done? ¡ª Alan broke the tree in two and set up a small campfire. ¡ª Yes. ¡ª Cool. ¡ª He crushed a part of the wood and started a fire with a lighter. If used wrong, it was powerful enough to melt iron. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Etia came closer to the fire. The temperature was slowly decreasing and could fall down to -20¡ã Celsius. Alan took some food from his bag. He chose dried meat and a few vegetables to eat. ¡ª Thank you. ¡ª Etia was getting tired from eating the same food over and over again, but Alan''s cooking was good enough to ignore it. They ate in silence and went to sleep.
Alan and Etia were lying in a clearing inside a forest. Etia was hugging Alan, and he was stroking her head. ¡ª It''s beautiful. I wish we could stay here forever. ¡ª She was looking at the nature surrounding them. ¡ª I know. We''re only a few minutes away. ¡ª After a long journey, they were finally at their destination. Alan took out a bottle of beer and ripped the cap off with his hand. ¡ª To a new beginning, right? ¡ª He took a sip and passed the drink to Etia. ¡ª Yes. ¡ª Now, she no longer blamed herself. Now, they would be happy again. ¡ª Let''s get going. We haven''t taken a bath in over a week, and I''m starting to smell the WD-40 coming out of my knees. ¡ª What''s that? ¡ª Etia didn''t know about the miraculous effects of using WD-40 on virtually anything. ¡ª I''ll tell you later. ¡ª Alan stood up and helped Etia stand up. They were both exhausted, but the sweet relief of a new house motivated them to keep going. After a few minutes, They stood before a giant wall, and two guards screamed at them. ¡ª What do you want?! ¡ª One of them screamed. ¡ª Refuge status! ¡ª Alan screamed back. ¡ª What?! ¡ª I want in! ¡ª Who the hell even are you?! ¡ª I''m the Intruder! Ever heard about me?! There was no answer for some time. After a while, the guard came back. ¡ª Are you looking for asylum?! ¡ª He guessed correctly. ¡ª Yes! The gates opened. Alan and Etia walked into the giant compound. From the outside, it looked like a post-apocalyptic town built inside a nuke crater, but on the inside, it was a normal city. ¡ª We will lead you to our mayor. He will talk to you about living here. ¡ª The guard started walking, and they followed behind.
Log entry nr.127
We lost our civilization privilege and had to escape to the wilderness. Etia said that there''s a city here, and we found it. I hope we can get back to our normal life. Good luck, future me.
Chapter 14 Many bodyguards surrounded Alan. They took away his gun and made him sit on a couch. ¡ª You will be able to talk with the mayor in a few seconds. ¡ª Sure, we''ll wait here. ¡ª Etia answered. The group of armed men left the room. When the couple was alone again, they heaved a sigh of relief. ¡ª I think it''s going pretty well. They know about our situation but still, let us through. ¡ª Alan would be kicked out of the city if they minded his crime. He connected the dots and realized that there was room for negotiation. ¡ª I hope they won''t throw us into a mine or something. ¡ª Etia cracked a joke, but Alan knew she was very stressed. They waited a few minutes, but the man still didn''t come. ¡ª Did they forget about us? ¡ª Etia asked Alan. She did not know much about politics. ¡ª Look at him pretending not to care. ¡ª Alan saw through the mayor''s game. This method was frequently used on Earth to assert dominance. ¡ª He will come in some time. ¡ª Ok. Alan and Etia waited and waited. Even after half an hour, no one came. ¡ª Well, let''s look for someone. ¡ª Alan stood up and opened the door. Just to find out it was locked. ¡ª Hmm, that won''t be a problem. He reached out toward the door and pulled forcefully. It fell and revealed a person. ¡ª I guess you got impatient. ¡ª The man wore a white suit. He had a fairly average face and an inconspicuous look. ¡ª Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. ¡ª Alan quoted Sun Tzu. He had a whole encyclopedia downloaded in place of his prefrontal lobe. ¡ª Looking at the badge in your pocket, you should have a high position. ¡ª You are right. My name is Jaon Ux, and I''m the ruler of this town. ¡ª Was this some kind of test? ¡ª Etia connected the dots and realized they were being checked for something. ¡ª I was trying to understand your characters. It is the basis of cooperation. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡ª So, how can we work together? ¡ª Alan knew that this was his chance to move to this city. ¡ª Let''s discuss this in my office.
Alan and Etia sat on a couch. Jaon handed them a bottle of water and a few cookies. ¡ª Let''s get straight to the point, then. We want to live in your city, and you want something from us. What is it? ¡ª Alan didn''t want to listen to a politician''s bull excrement. ¡ª I won''t beat around the bush. We want to conquer Zhar, and your tech will help us. ¡ª How do you know that I didn''t already give it away? ¡ª I assessed that you wouldn''t allow yourself to get cheated. The world would have burned if they had taken your help and betrayed you. ¡ª You''re not wrong. Then how are you so sure I know anything? ¡ª Alan didn''t stop interrogating Jaon. ¡ª You made a fewteen shots in three seconds, and they all hit. This hints at your brain are much more potent than a zharian one. ¡ª Ok. I guess the deal is set. ¡ª Alan extended his hand toward Jaon. He looked for a few seconds and shook Alan''s hand. ¡ª For the future, you shouldn''t do that with a man. ¡ª Etia said in English. ¡ª Sorry. ¡ª Alan answered. ¡ª Oh, and if possible, I would like you to teach us your language. It would be helpful on the future battlefield. ¡ª I rather keep it private. I can teach you old Polan, though. ¡ª It was Alan''s mother language and the only other tongue he knew. Dictionaries were large, and his hard drive had limited space. ¡ª That''s good enough. ¡ª So, when do I start, and will I get paid? ¡ª Alan wanted to get Etia a home as fast as possible. ¡ª How about now and yes? ¡ª Let''s get going.
On his way to a lab, Alan saw many unnatural people. One had two eyes in a socket. Another didn''t have an arm. There was even a person with seven fingers on each arm. Alan slowly understood why zharians evolved in the wrong direction. Because of their strong racial identity, they excluded everything that looked even a bit different, which diminished the chance to evolve. ¡°That still doesn''t explain why these mutations are so severe¡± He was unsure of the reason, but knew that it wasn''t random. ¡ª What do you want to start with? ¡ª Alan asked Jaon. ¡ª First, I''d like you to review our basic science. If we don''t work on the same foundation, it will be hard to make progress. ¡ª Mayor Ux answered. He had already prearranged the schedule for their cooperation. ¡ª Lead the way, then. ¡ª Alan followed behind Jaon. He wasn''t scared of going into the deeper parts of the lab, because Etia was temporarily staying in the ¡°White House¡± of this city-state. Alan was getting excited about seeing a clean Etia in new clothes. They walked through many areas. Some researched medicine, others technology, and a little weaponry. Before long, Alan saw a giant door. ¡ª This is my second office. I want you to write down as much as you know, so I chose a more comfortable place. Jaon started walking again. They walked for a few minutes and arrived before an elevator. ¡ª Do you know where it goes to? ¡ª Jaon made a bit of a quiz. Alan knew because he could map every area he walked through. ¡ª Of course. We''re currently under your house. Chapter 15 ¡ª Let''s go up. Jaon and Alan walked into the elevator and went up. They were silent until Jaon broke the ice by criticizing Alan. ¡ª You smell terrible. Before you work, go wash. ¡ª Now that they''re closed in a small space, Jaon could feel how bad Alan smelled. ¡ª May I know what causes it? ¡ª It''s sweat. Unlike in your organism, we use sweat to cool and not throw useless chemicals away. ¡ª Etia always gave Alan drinks from her hair, which was just water with an indigestible carbohydrate. Humans have no problem with absorbing it, though. ¡ª Interesting. The elevator arrived at its destination. The door opened automatically and allowed Alan to see the mansion. He never had the chance to see the White House, especially after the Washington riots, but this is how he imagined it to look. Everything was clean and shiny to an uncanny level. White sheets covered the windows and a few maids were making sure that no dust was freelancing inside the house. ¡ª Ad, lead him to the bathroom, please. ¡ª Jaon ordered one of the maids, and she stopped her work. ¡ª Yes, sir, Ux. ¡ª She wore a white cleaning uniform covering her whole body. The only part one could see her face. ¡ª Please follow me, Mr¡­ ¡ª she stopped speaking and waited for Alan to finish. ¡ª Alan Coello. ¡ª Addo. ¡ª she introduced herself back and started walking toward a giant staircase. It took them less than three minutes to reach a small room with a bath and a few bottles of shampoo. ¡ª Thank you for leading me here. ¡ª Alan said, before closing the door and undressing. He looked at his body and willed for all the implants to reveal themselves. Small plates made from a magnesium alloy covered his skin. Steel could never pierce them, and sapphire could never scratch them. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Long, thin blades jumped out of his arms and shone with a silver luster caused by refined titanium. Their sharp edges threatened everything softer than diamonds. No armor could stop them. No sword could dull them. ¡°Check for invaders¡± Alan spoke to his main computer. There was no answer, meaning that it didn''t find any malfunctions. ¡°Stop¡± He had to input most commands manually. If he allowed the system to control his implants, it would disconnect over 50% of his body. In order to modify his organism to this state, the Sun Guards had to turn off most security measures. This meant that Alan had to do everything that an average person could use a computer for. ¡ª Retract. ¡ª The blades, plates, lights, and wires all listened, which made him look like a robot pretending to be a person born of flesh and blood. That assumption wouldn''t be far off because, by the NATO 2072 calcification and definition book, he no longer had human rights. Alan got closer to the bathtub and turned on the tap. Surprisingly, clear water came out. He waited for it to fill and walked in. ¡ª It''s sweet. ¡ª Jaon probably saw him drinking from Etia''s hair and assumed he could also bathe in it. Alan got out, came closer to a nearby sink, and turned it on. This time, normal pink water came out. He used it to wash over and took a shampoo bottle to clean his whole body. It took him very little time to end. He quickly got dressed and allowed his bathwater to drain. ¡ª Thanks. ¡ª Alan was glad it was prepared, but he had to disclose later that he doesn''t like having a sticky body.
¡ª Let''s start with units of measurement. ¡ª Alan took out a paper. ¡ª for mass, we have kilograms. ¡ª He pulled a bullet out of his gun and showed it to Jaon. ¡ª This weighs 2 milligrams. Ten of these, 2 grams¡­ Alan explained how much mass a kilogram has. ¡ª Interesting. It makes a lot more sense than what we have in place. ¡ª Zhar used a system similar to the Imperial system. It was a novel idea to use sets of tens. ¡ª Next, let''s get onto time. A blinker will appear. It will turn on and off every second. ¡ª A small lightbulb revealed itself from Alan''s chest. It was meant to show only when a critical error occurred. Jaon took out a camera and filmed the light. Some time passed and Alan started speaking again. ¡ª Now, let''s go for distance. Meters are the unit. Do you know the speed of light? ¡ª Alan wanted to define a meter with a small equation. ¡ª Yes, I do. After hearing that, Alan wrote the equation for the speed of light. ¡ª Each second, light passes this many meters. ¡ª Alan quickly explained. ¡ª can I go now? ¡ª Yes. ¡ª Jaon started looking at Alan''s and his notes. In a few seconds, Alan ran out of The office and made his way toward the room he was assigned to. ¡ª Hey. ¡ª He opened the door and saw Etia sitting on a double bed. ¡ª I missed you. ¡ª She replied, before standing up and hugging him. Chapter 16 Etia woke up in Alan''s embrace. She didn''t remember what happened last night until she saw empty bottles of wine¡ªa few of them. That sight enlightened her about yesterday''s happenings. ¡ª Good morning. ¡ª Alan opened his eyes and spoke. He always woke up before, or not long after, Etia. ¡ª Did you sleep well? ¡ª Yes. ¡ª Etia''s hair was messy after her and Alan''s celebration. ¡ª I have some work to do. ¡ª Alan got up and dressed. ¡ª We''ll meet later. He ran out of the room and left Etia alone. ¡ª Why can''t he stay longer? ¡ª She was regretful that he had to leave, but understood that they could live in this house because of his job. ¡ª Let''s get up. Etia was hired as a teacher. Mayor Ux needed someone to teach his twins, but didn''t want to send them to a school. Etia insisted she didn''t even finish the first year of university, but Jaon wanted her as a teacher, nonetheless. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Etia stood up and made the bed. After getting together with Alan, she took care of the house much more than before their fated encounter.
¡ª So, I have to teach them how math? That''s going to be easy. ¡ª Etia was surprised that this was all she had to do. ¡ª Yes. You''re very talented, and I know it. There are many teachers, but none are as smart as you. ¡ª Eura Ux was positive she would be the best person for the job. ¡ª Other than that, you''re the cheapest option we have. The mayor was already providing them with a house and all necessities, so Etia and Alan could be paid less than ordinary workers. They couldn''t complain because it was a fair trade. ¡ª If that''s all, then I don''t have a problem. ¡ª Etia reached an agreement with the mayor''s wife. She was offered a job after expressing her will to help Alan. ¡ª So, these are the children you will be teaching. ¡ª Eura showed Etia a picture of two children. They looked about eight years old. Etia had no idea what she agreed on. Chapter 17 ¡ª Let''s go through your weaponry. ¡ª Alan was walking along a long hallway with Jaon. It was the second day of their cooperation. ¡ª That''s not what I wanted to do first. I was thinking about checking up on our medicine. ¡ª Zhar had an almost nonexistent field of genetics and very backward surgery technics. ¡ª Then, lead the way. ¡ª Alan had no problem with checking on every field one by one. It would still take a few years for Ux''s plan to start. ¡ª Wait. Alan stopped moving and grabbed Jaon''s shoulder. ¡ª What is your country''s name? ¡ª Jaon looked at him with a confused face. ¡ª Why would we need one? ¡ª It''s straightforward, really. How can you be patriotic toward a country you don''t know the name of? It would be best if you named it something like Uxland or Centralia. ¡ª Right. It would help in the future. My people are already loyal to me, but it won''t be the same for the conquered people. I declare this land as Ux. ¡ª That was fast. ¡ª Alan was surprised that it took Jaon so little time. ¡ª You should make a flag and an anthem, too. ¡ª I will do that, but for now, let''s get onto our primary objective. ¡ª They started walking again. This was the central part of the giant underground lab. It connected every section. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A few minutes passed, and the biology wing could be seen. ¡ª How did you even build a lab like this? ¡ª I didn''t build it. When I found this city, it was already made. All my men had to do were minor repairs. ¡ª So it was an old facility. Do you know who used it first? ¡ª Alan kept asking. ¡ª It looks pretty impressive compared to the rest of Zhar''s tech. ¡ª I have no idea. It was probably one of the old empires during the Only War. Every piece of evidence was burned or lost when I came to this place. ¡ª That''s a shame. I think that there is some hidden history, but there is no way for me to uncover it. ¡ª Alan thought that the history told was not complete. ¡ª I agree. Whenever a history book enters my hands, I automatically know it''s incomplete. ¡ª Sir Ux. ¡ª One of the researchers came up and interrupted their talk. ¡ª I''m sorry to stop your conversation, but the scheduled meeting is about to begin. ¡ª Unlike other zharians, his hair was completely dry. Just when Alan started wondering how he purifies the water in his organism, he realized that the researcher''s clothes were completely soaked. ¡ª I presume you''re Mr. Coello. Please follow me. ¡ª Another person came closer and handed him a lab coat. It had a big hole in the tail area. ¡ª Please call me Orin. Alan did as he was called and walked behind Orin. His name reminded Alan of his old friends. After spending almost ten months without talking to them, he didn''t feel much. That was because he couldn''t be sad for a long time. It was physically impossible. He entered a room that looked like a small office. Inside, a person without any mutations sat. This was very surprising to Alan, since he thought that everyone here had no other place to go because of their mutations. ¡ª Can you write what you know? My name is Orr, by the way. I''m Orin''s brother. ¡ª Let''s get onto it. ¡ª Alan took a pen out and started explaining medicine to a doctor. Chapter 18 ¡ª The worst day of my life. ¡ª Etia was sitting on a bed with empty eyes. A terrible thing happened to her, and it was called children. ¡ª It couldn''t be that bad. ¡ª Alan was next to her, trying to lift her mood. ¡ª I''m sure you can quickly fix whatever happened. Etia didn''t notice him about her job. She knew that he would tell her there was no need to work. ¡ª They are devils, I tell you. I made the biggest mistake ever. ¡ª What even happened? ¡ª Alan wanted to resolve any issue she had, even if it destroyed his and Jaon''s relationship. ¡ª Let me tell you. ¡ª Basked in the setting sun''s light, she started telling him a real horror story.
After accepting her job, Etia started reading the materials she had to teach. She didn''t have to learn a lot because it would be the very first math lesson they ever had. It didn''t take her long to think up a teaching plan. Her ability to learn was a great help since she never taught anyone. ¡°Should I do subtractions too? I will start with addition, and we''ll see.¡± Etia wanted to make the best lesson anyone received. She looked at the clock and saw that her class would start in a few minutes. After taking all books she needed, Etia left her room and went toward the place where she would teach. A man left it and saw Etia. ¡ª My condolences for your choice. ¡ª He made a slight bow and quickly left. ¡ª I''m getting chills. ¡ª Etia opened the door and saw her students. ¡ª We finally have a math teacher. ¡ª When is it going to end? One was a teen girl playing something on her phone, and the other was a boy lying on his desk. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The room was organized like a classroom. Etia could use a whiteboard to display anything she wanted. ¡ª My name is Etia Osun, and I will be your math teacher. Let''s star-- ¡ª Shut up! ¡ª The boy named Oll screamed at Etia. ¡ª Go back home and find yourself a tail. ¡ª I''m sorry for his behavior. ¡ª Oll''s twin sister, Ola, apologized to her. ¡ª Our first teacher taught him wrong. My brother is very hostile against people like you because of that. ¡ª I''m used to it. ¡ª Etia was more surprised than offended. She thought that a person like him would have trouble living in a city of nature''s rejects. ¡°Anything goes, as long as you have rich parents.¡± Etia knew she would have an easy life if her parents would have a lot of money. ¡ª Let''s get onto the class. ¡ª Etia started teaching the most tortuous lesson of her life.
¡ª I was lucky to have a student like you. ¡ª Alan hugged her closely and praised her character. ¡ª Teaching you was a pure pleasure. ¡ª Thanks. ¡ª Etia supported her head on his shoulder. Simply being like this made her feel relieved. ¡ª My school teachers were a lot worse than you, too. Etia and Alan stayed in this position for a few seconds, before they both started undressing. It was a choice made almost telepathically. It was after midnight. Etia was using Alan''s chest as a pillow, while he was carrying her hair. They were still sleeping off the long journey. ¡ª Do you plan to continue working? I''m sure we have enough to live off without your income. I don''t want you to have a depressing job. ¡ª Don''t worry. I have nothing better to do since the maids are taking place of our room, and I''m not the best cook. At least I can repay mister Jaon''s kindness. Not long after, in that pose, they peacefully fell asleep.
¡ª Good morning. ¡ª Alan leaned forward ¡ª Mhm. ¡ª Etia was welcomed by Alan''s kiss and a warm greeting. ¡ª What time is it? ¡ª Almost ten. After hearing that, Etia fully woke up. She stood up and started dressing, but Alan interrupted her by pulling her onto the bed. ¡ª It''s Sunday. You should stop hurrying so much, especially since you said the lessons start at 14. ¡ª Right. I forgot I no longer work in the store. ¡ª She was used to getting up at six a.m, not two p.m. ¡ª Do you have any plans for today? ¡ª How about a date? We haven''t seen much of the city, so it shouldn''t be boring. ¡ª Nice idea. ¡ª This time, she stood up calmly and dressed slowly. Etia and Alan didn''t hide their body from each other, so they put on their clothes next to each other. Coincidentally, Alan and Etia both put on the same outfits they wore on the day of the accident when they had to escape. This made them laugh a little. Now, such a disaster was nothing more than a bad, distant, and burning memory. Chapter 19 Alan sat down on the couch and grabbed the cup of coffee he was presented with. ¡ª You can''t drug me. I have a high resistance to poisons. ¡ª No, no, don''t worry. I just have an excellent friend and wanted to give him something to drink. ¡ª I don''t like coffee. Give me something else. ¡ª Sorry, sorry. ¡ª Jaon looked at a servant, and she ran out of the room. ¡ª I''m not happy. ¡ª Alan was not happy. That is unsurprising, seeing as his free day was stolen. ¡ª I know, but I had no idea you made plans. I''m sure that you are angry because of that, but we should let bygones be bygones, and move on with our lives. ¡ª Then, how about you just let me continue what I wanted to do? ¡ª Alan was extremely frustrated. One sentence couldn''t describe his negative emotions after Jaon told him to cancel his plans and go to the lab. Some talented scientists wanted to hear a lecture about research methods. Alan realized that he made a mistake by revealing his vast knowledge. ¡ª You know I can''t. Please do it for me. They''re already here, so you just have to work with them for a day. I will pay you a lot. ¡ª Jaon joined his palms together into a praying pose. Alan went silent and thought about what to say. ¡ª Okay. But if they won''t be cooperative, I''m out. ¡ª Reluctantly, he agreed. ¡ª Great! Thank you for agreeing.
¡ª Welcome to my lecture on why the Zharian civilization is progressing slowly. ¡ª Alan sat down on a chair situated next to a whiteboard. ¡ª My name is Alan Coello, and I hope you will enjoy my teachings. ¡ª He looked up and saw the bare sky. The lesson was happening in a coliseum-like open space. Students from the academy came to listen. Everyone pulled out their tablets to watch a video feed of a whiteboard next to a man wearing old, foreign clothes. He had cheap-looking pants and a jacket with an image of a sun trapped in a shield. It was Alan in his Sun Guardian uniform. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡ª After each section ends, please ask questions to your heart''s content. There should be a button that can do that on your devices. Alan opened a bottle of water and took a sip. It took him quite some time to collect enough from Etia''s hair in a process comparable to milking a cow. ¡ª So, let''s start with the positives of your situation. First, you can focus on everything not related to war. On the planet I was born, a war would start every few years. Because of this, all countries had to put a lot of effort into researching new weapons, like tanks, guns, and others. ¡ª He didn''t know much about this planet''s lost history, but he understood that not many conflicts were present. Alan took a black pen and wrote: ¡°+ peaceful focus¡± on the left side of the whiteboard. ¡ª The next plus for you is how rich in materials your planet is. The surface area of your country is very small, and the only island is equal to around three percent of Earth''s, land. Since you got that far with only a limited amount of resources, means that this limit is very high. If you can spread mining operations throughout the whole of Zhar, you will have enough building materials to colonize your stellar system. My civilization needed to spread around the entire world to collect enough resources needed to make a small city on the nearest planet. Many people in the audience started listening more eagerly. At first, they thought that Earth was just a better plat, so Alan''s tips were not useful. Now, there was a chance for them to jump over their limits. ¡ª I talked over your positives, but now I will explain why they were negative for your development, and how to fix that. First, you need to make better weapons. Let me tell you a story from my home planet. ¡ª Alan stood up to turn around his char and sit in it backward. He didn''t know that it was something women do to show they''re interested in someone. Unsurprisingly, many people started laughing. ¡ª Chuckle all you want, it''s normal for me. Anyway, back to what I was saying. In the beautiful year 1939, a war encompassing the whole world started. Three years later, a project started. After working for around three more, they launched a bomb able to destroy a whole city In a blink of an eye. That was considered a tragedy, but it allowed for further research, which threw Earth into an era of peace. That also allowed us to use the source of that bomb''s energy as a cheap and readily available energy source. Until the day I left my home planet, the quality of life was growing rapidly, and the top fifty countries were at peace with each other. Alan made a pulse and allowed some people to formulate questions. In a few minutes, many notifications popped up on his phone and he touched one of them. It read, ¡°How many countries are there?¡± Alan picked up his bottle and took another sip. ¡ª There are over 200 countries, but there were more in the past. ¡°How strong did the weapon get?¡± ¡ª Enough to wipe out all zharians. Don''t worry, you''re very far away. ¡°How can we fix that?¡± ¡ª The answer is very simple. ¡ª Alan took out a cigar and put it in his mouth, before lighting it up. ¡ª It''s an announcement from your president, by the way. We''re going to start a war. I give up I tried, but I failed. This is my second book, and I''m dropping it. Anyway, I''m going to write something new after some time. It''s going to be about AI and stuff. If you want to, you can pick it up and continue, but probably no one will do it. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I kinda fucked up a few things while writing, and I can''t get out of the hole I dug. I don''t want to reset, so I will just write something new.