As Lird walked out of the tent dejectedly, Jim came up to him.

"How's it going?" Jim's voice was a little anxious, and Lird shook his head slowly.

"Terrible?" said Jim, frowning slightly.

Lird shook his head again.

"Good?" Jim wasn't sure about that.

Lird sighed lightly, "She only told me that she was going to rest, and I was naturally kicked out." ”

This time, Jim was lost in thought, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Sacrifice her... Didn't you insist on letting you out of here?" Lird shook his head.

"Maybe she forgot to say it, maybe you'll knock on my door again tomorrow morning, and we'll be forced to go back to the United States, well, maybe it's not a bad thing for us, or at least we'll get away with it. ”

Jim said, "I'm going to come back here no matter what, and no matter what the mission I've received, I'm not going to abandon my people and forget my identity." ”

Lird only smiled bitterly when he heard this, although he knew that Jim's words were not aimed at him, but he did flee from his homeland, although his existence did not help the situation, but in Lird's heart there was still a strong self-blame, he would not forget the conversation before the death of Marg's grandmother, grandmother told him never to forget his identity.

Now, Lird is still in a foreign land, and the Atlantean remnants here are about to face a bloody storm of destruction like Poland in the past, and this time Lird does not want to escape, whether it is out of obsession with his father who dedicated his life, or for the simple feelings of the people of this tribe, Lird wants to do his best to solve the difficulties in front of him, but his plan is obviously too fantastical.

Qianrou's reaction was actually expected by Lird, although Lird's previous expression of extreme excitement was actually just a way for him to show his determination, in fact, for Lird, in the face of a near-dark future, he also did not have accurate goals and plans.

Jim didn't say anything, he just patted Lird on the shoulder and said, "Come back with me, you can stay with me tonight, your tent has already been torn down." ”

Hearing this, Lird smiled bitterly and said, "Just what you say, there is really a meaning that people take tea and cool." ”

With that, the two leave together relatively silently, and Jim returns to his residence with Lear.

Jim's former home had been razed to the ground by bombs, and the current residence had set up a tent with little space in it, which seemed a little cramped even for two people, but it was nothing to the two of them.

Jim didn't want to rebuild a new home for the time being, which would only make him miss Trista, who had just died, and Lird had no intention of looking for a spacious and bright room, all they needed was shelter from the wind and rain to sleep.

After a hard day's work, Lird reached a state of extreme fatigue, both physically and mentally, and after lying in a shabby sleeping bag, although his mind was still thinking, his consciousness had become more and more chaotic, and finally it melted into a pitch black mass, dragging Lird's consciousness into sleep.

He was asleep so deeply that he had not dreamed during the whole sleep, and when he suddenly woke up with a few gray rays of light seeping through the cracks in the tent, Lird thought it was dawn, but when he opened his sleepy eyes and looked at his watch, he was surprised to find that it was already noon.

Lird's spirit was suddenly startled, and he immediately turned over and sat up, and it was at this time that Lird found that Jim was no longer in the tent.

Lird opened the curtain and went out, and a cold wind mixed with cold rain hit his face, which couldn't help but make Lird shiver suddenly. It turned out that it was already dripping sleet outside, and the whole sky was dyed gray, and the gloom made people feel terrible.

There was a layer of smoke and rice incense wafting from the surrounding breath, and Lird looked for it, but saw a soup kitchen not far from him, and the smoke and aroma emanated from the soup kitchen.

After the attack of the warplanes, the food stored in the hands of the Atlantean remnants also suffered a heavy loss, and they were unable to farm like the locals here, and they could not obtain food from the outside world at this stage, so they could only rely on the existing food in their hands to survive.

Liald's mind couldn't help but think of the same sumptuous delicacy Trista had made at Jim's house the other day, and that scene made Lird feel like a world away.

Smelling the tempting aroma of rice, Liard's stomach couldn't help but growl, and he also wanted to get up and go to the soup kitchen to drink a bowl of steaming rice porridge, but looking at the people with burnt faces and gloomy expressions, Liard's heart was a little more unbearable, especially when he saw a few children with dirty bandages wrapped around their bodies, and when they were trying to lick the porridge bowl in their hands, Lird didn't want to fight for a piece of food from the mouths of these suffering people.

"Forget it, it's okay to eat less. Lird muttered to himself, and then wrapped himself tightly in the quilt and fell straight into the tent, his eyes staring blankly at the cold, gloomy sky outside the tent.

...

Also eyeing the soup kitchen were the maiden priest Qianrou and Jim.

Not long ago, a girl in white came to the small tent, while Lird was still asleep, and the girl in white told Jim that the priest wanted to see him, so Jim followed the girl in white to see Qianrou.

Qianrou's expression was also full of a little tiredness, as if she had not slept all night last night, and Jim believed that Qianrou would never have been able to sleep last night.

"It's changed. Qian Rou said coldly, and then looked up at the sky, where the drizzle slapped on her cheeks, shattering into countless small crystal droplets.

Jim felt the cold from all sides, but he was indifferent, the cold in his heart was a little heavier than the cold in the air, and Trista's death had already turned Jim into an empty shell that had lost his feelings and soul.

Qianrou stared at the sky for a moment and said: "Obviously, the first two days were not like this at all, at that time, I originally thought that it would be a warm winter, and I was very happy, so that the whole tribe could spend it in a relatively warm environment, but I didn't expect that everything was just the appearance, and the cold would always come." ”

Jim looked at Qianrou, even if he was stupid, he could understand the meaning of Qianrou's words, but he didn't answer at the first time, he just thought seriously, as if a serious but not very smart student was thinking about the teacher's question.

Qianrou was also very patient, staring at the sky while waiting for Jim's answer.

In the end, Jim gave his answer, but not what he said.

"Winter is coming, will spring be far away?"

These equally meaningful words made Qian Rou laugh out loud, and the two of them were like old monks who were not in the Five Elements outside the world, communicating with each other with a deep Zen edge.

"Do you think we can get through this winter?" said Qianrou, turning her head to look meaningfully at Jim.

Jim shook his head and said, "Whether we survive this winter or not, spring will come, and it will not change by our will. After a pause, Jim continued: "But even if spring comes, it is debatable whether we feel warm or not. The meaning of Jim's words is self-evident.

Qianrou smiled faintly, and then said, "You believe in Liard's plan very much. ”

Jim said, "Believe." ”

Qianrou looked at Jim and said, "Don't you think it's crazy?"

Jim said, "It's crazy, but it's worth a try." ”

Qianrou frowned and said in a deep voice: "Some things are not easy to try in a few words, we are not like scientists like Franklin can do experiments unscrupulously, and our hands are burdened with the deep thinking and survival of the entire tribe." ”

Jim's mood remained the same: "Trista is dead, she didn't die in the Franklin-esque madness, she died in her own tent." ”

Qianrou muttered, "For Trista and... Kid, I'm sorry. ”

Jim shook his head and said, "You don't need to apologize, because none of this is your fault." ”

"But I am the head of this tribe. Qianrou said in a deep voice.

Jim looked at the soup kitchen, where the smoke and the smell of rice had begun to dissipate, but the people who had gathered there had not yet dispersed, and the people who had just barely made fruit were still coveting that wisp of warmth, and they all stayed there, whispering and talking, and the warmth they had just gained made them smile on their faces, as if this smile alone could get them through this hard time.

"It may seem like you've been leader for less than three months, but it's not fair to you that you're going to face difficulties that you haven't faced in the last three thousand years. ”

Qianrou smiled bitterly: "How can there ever be real fairness in this world, it can be said that human beings can be independent of all animal populations, which in itself is unfair." After a pause, Qian said softly: "What I want is not some fair verdict, what I want is a viable way out." ”

Jim turned his gaze to Qianrou and asked, "What do you think of Liard's plan?"

"Crazy...", Qianrou gave her first thoughts.

"Nothing else?" asked Jim again.

Qianrou thought for a moment and said, "Actually, the plan designed by Lird is not without merit, it does provide us with a very beautiful design blueprint, if we can really complete this plan, maybe the entire Atlantean remnant will never run around again..."

"A good plan?" said Jim.

"But it's crazy. Qianrou corrected.

"It's a good plan. Jim said.

Qian Rou let out a long sigh, and then said, "You shouldn't be seriously affected by your emotions. ”

Jim looked at Qianjuu and said: "The loss of Trista does make my mind feel confused, now I am like a walking dead who has lost my soul, I have no purpose or motivation for life, or even hope of living, I want to cut myself off and die in these two days, maybe I can be reunited with Trista and my unborn child in some illusory world." But I didn't end up doing that. ”

"Self-severance is a liberation, but it is also an escape, and as an Atlantean, as a warrior of Atlantis, I should not run away from what I have to face. ”

Qian Ju said: "But you disobeyed my orders. ”

Jim said, "If someone had dared to disobey orders 10,000 years ago, maybe our clan would not have come to this point." Jim's words silenced Qianrou.

"I'm not trying to blame the past, but my grief reminds me of what I should do for our nation," Jim said. ”

Qian Ju said: "What can you do? What can I do? Do you and I have the ability to open up or create a cosmic space? If we have that ability, how can we become what we are now." ”

Jim shook his head and said, "I'm not a god, and you aren't yet, but we're not without a god. It should be clear to you that if humanity can enter the so-called multiverse space, then it can only be done by us, because in our hands... God. ”

Qianrou's face began to look ugly, but she didn't say anything to stop Jim, and even if she did, Jim was afraid that Jim would have to say everything.

"I didn't participate in Mr. Pym's plan with you before, and some of these circumstances became known later, I have to say that I was even taken aback by your audacity at that time, I didn't expect you to use what we have guarded for ten thousand years, and at the same time, I didn't expect you to inform Mr. Pym of such a 'outsider', but in any case, I admire you very much, because you are willing to take risks and sacrifices for the sake of the tribe, which many generations of sacrifices have not been able to do before, and you have done it. ”

"Although the subsequent plan failed and began to lead to a series of bad consequences, you are not to blame for these, but you should not stop at this moment, your scruples and hesitation will harm the tribe. ”

"Do not forget what caused all this, and since you have opened the Pandora's box, you should not close it immediately, and do not forget that there is hope under the evils of greed, hypocrisy, slander, jealousy, and pain. ”

"Hope," Qianrou muttered softly, her eyes revealing extremely complex emotions.

Jim looked at Qianrou, and at this moment he realized that maybe this was the only moment that could convince the other party.

"I understand your concern, that perhaps you will lose your qualifications to be a god if you do so, but now the whole tribe needs... A leader who can lead them to light and hope!"