"I haven't seen you for more than a year, you've grown taller." With a smile on his angular face, Ling Zhiyuan stretched out his white gloves and wanted to touch Ling An's head.

But Ling An's indifferent eyes stared at Ling Zhiyuan, and his body was slightly sideways, avoiding his hand.

Ling Zhiyuan was not annoyed, and asked in a gentle tone:

"Are Mom and Dad in the hospital? Let's go over together. ”

"At this point, they should have gone home." Ling An's face was expressionless.

"Well, let's go back." Ling Zhiyuan seemed very easy-going.

The two of them, one smiling and the other expressionless, walked quietly towards the outside of the station.

"How was your school year? Are you sure about the exam? Ling Zhiyuan took the initiative to talk to Ling An about this year's experience.

"Okay." Ling An still replied in an indifferent tone.

Ling Zhiyuan smiled, but he still looked a little embarrassed.

"If time is not in a hurry, let's go over, I want to see the changes in Yuanyang City this year."

Ling An didn't answer, just walked forward.

Ling Zhiyuan, who was left behind, was stunned, and then shook his head imperceptibly.

The two brothers walked one after the other on the street in such an atmosphere, but sometimes Ling An would stop and feel that Ling Zhiyuan behind him had followed him, so he continued to move forward.

"Xiao An, wait a minute." Ling Zhiyuan suddenly stopped Ling An.

Ling An turned his head and asked Ling Zhiyuan with his eyes.

"I want to ...... Go to the monument. ”

……

After praying in front of the monument for a while, Ling Zhiyuan looked at the string of names below the monument with emotion.

Ling An knew that those names were the names of the Glorious Army soldiers who went out from Yuanyang City and died on the battlefield on Mars

"There are some people up there, I know." Ling Zhiyuan said with some sadness.

The speaker has no intention, but the listener has a heart. Ling An felt the emotions he had been enduring because Ling Zhiyuan's words were almost out of control.

"I'm afraid that one day your name will appear on it, and then I will dream at night that I will regret hearing you there." Ling An still tried his best to keep his tone calm, and even made some fun of him to Ling Zhiyuan's ears.

Ling Zhiyuan was stunned, and then smiled.

"There's nothing to regret about that."

"That's how you want to be a hero?" As these words came out, Ling An's tone finally couldn't stay calm anymore.

"Do you know how worried your parents are about you? Although they don't say it, but you, as the eldest son, can't you be considerate of them? Yes, you joined the Honorable Army to relieve the financial pressure on our family, but who knows when I will receive your death notice? Aren't you worried that your parents won't be able to stand it? ”

It was close to noon at this time, most of the people were going home to get ready for lunch, and there was really no one here at the monument, so Ling An didn't need to restrain his emotions.

Ling An will not forget that when Ling Zhiyuan insisted on joining the Glorious Army, his father, who had never scolded people, scolded on the spot, and then cried and begged Ling Zhiyuan to leave.

But Ling Zhiyuan at that time didn't say anything and resolutely boarded the train.

"So many warriors, so many heroes, you are the only one missing? And Xiaoxuan, even if she pretends to be happy every day, she is more worried about your safety than anyone else, have you ever thought about her? If the news of your death on Mars comes one day, who will you put the pressure on? ”

"Xiao Ann ......"

"If you die on Mars one day, how can you let us be willing to ......" Ling An, who has always been strong, was a little choked up at this moment.

"Ling An!" Ling Zhiyuan's tone suddenly became serious, he stared at Ling An, and was about to say something, but saw Ling An take a deep breath and regain his indifference again.

"Parents need the eldest son, and Xiaoxuan needs the eldest brother. If there is any reason, you can keep it and tell them. ”

This made the words that Ling Zhiyuan wanted to say stuck in his throat, looking at Ling An who turned his head and walked quickly in the direction of home, Ling Zhiyuan clenched his hands and sighed softly.

"Dad, Mom, Xiaoxuan!"

Entering the house, Ling An seemed to forget what he had just said and smiled.

"Brother!"

Ling Xuan poked his head out from behind the light barrier at the entrance and saw Ling An and Ling Zhiyuan with a smile behind him, although he had known it for a long time, he still pounced in surprise.

"Big brother!"

Ling An looked at Ling Xuan who threw herself into Ling Zhiyuan's arms with a smile, looking at her expression of dependence and affection, and felt the softness in her heart being touched.

Giving Ling Zhiyuan a look, Ling An quickly changed his shoes and walked into the kitchen.

"Mom, I'll help you."

And Ling Zhiyuan, on his side, scratched Ling Xuan's little nose dotingly and hugged this girl.

"Our Xiaoxuan has grown into a big girl." Ling Zhiyuan said with a smile.

His gaze swept over Ling Xuan's arm, there were some tiny pinholes, Ling Zhiyuan's smile stiffened slightly, and then returned to normal.

"Okay, let me go, I'm seventeen years old, and I'm still like a child."

"Big brother! How can you say exactly the same thing as the second brother! The little girl snorted dissatisfiedly.

As soon as he entered the living room, his father walked out of the study, without too much expression on his face, just some joy that could not be concealed.

"I'm back, let's sit down first."

"Dad."

Ling An took advantage of the spare time to help his mother cook, and his eyes swept over the living room "inadvertently".

Ling Zhiyuan was with his father at the moment, listening to the nagging of his little sister Ling Xuan, and then took out a gift from his handbag, which surprised Ling Xuan.

Isn't that great...... Why can't it go on like this?

"Xiao An, take the plate, the dish is in the pot!"

Ling An suddenly turned around from his emotions and handed the plate to his mother.

Yu Shuwan took the plate with an uncontrollable smile on her face.

At this lunch, the family, including Ling An, was all smiling.

Yu Shuwan gave Ling Zhiyuan a chopstick dish, then hesitated for a moment, and asked:

"Zhiyuan, that, you came back this time, didn't you...... You can apply for the following ......"

Ling Zhiyuan looked at Ling An without a trace, and then smiled:

"Mom, this is a promotion holiday, and I have to go back in ten days since I came down from the space ladder."

Ling Zhiyuan naturally knew what his mother was asking, but he couldn't help it, it was a rule.

"And how long do you have before you retire?" Ling Xiangming frowned and asked.

"Mom and Dad, don't worry, I'm already a C-level, and it's not so easy to come back." Ling Zhiyuan did not answer positively.

Seeing that Shuwan still wanted to say something, Ling Xiangming shook her head slightly.

And Ling Xuan surprisingly didn't cry like Ling Zhiyuan did last time before he left, just eating his own food quietly, not knowing what to think again.

After the meal, Ling An was studying in his room.

"Dad, Mom, I'll go out for a while." Ling Zhiyuan's voice came from outside.

A moment later, there was a knock on Ling An's room door.

"Xiao An, are you interested in going out for a walk with me?"

Ling An put down the book in his hand and opened the door indifferently.

"Where do you want to go?"

……

Tuk tuk!

Knocking lightly on the door, Ling Zhiyuan took Ling An outside the door and waited for the master to open the door.

Squeak –

The door opened, and a woman poked her head out from behind it, looking a little haggard.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

"Hello, I'm Ling Zhiyuan, Zhuo Yu should have mentioned me to you. This is my brother. Ling Zhiyuan stood straight.

"You...... Is it Zhuo Yu's comrade-in-arms? The woman showed a look of surprise and immediately invited Ling Zhiyuan and Ling An in.

"Sit, sit, sit...... I'll go and pour you water. The woman was in a hurry.

"No need, Auntie, this time, I'm giving you Zhuo Yu's family letter."

Ling Zhiyuan's words made Ling An stunned.

In this day and age, how can anyone still write letters? Convenient Tianxun network, even Mars can be contacted.

Letter......

Ling An didn't speak, only to find that the woman suddenly seemed to have lost all her strength.

“…… Condolences. ”

Ling Zhiyuan slowly handed over a letter, and after the woman took it tremblingly, he stood up and saluted.

The woman's face was a little pale, and she hesitated for a moment before placing the letter on the small table behind her.

"Well, little brother, if you don't mind, can you tell me about my son?" The woman's face was pleading.

"Okay."

Listening to Ling Zhiyuan tell some stories about him and his fellow warrior Zhuo Yu, the old woman sometimes smiled, sometimes shed tears, but no matter what her expression was, Ling An knew that this woman's heart was full of grief.

On the way here, Ling Zhiyuan didn't tell Ling An what he was going to do, but at this time, Ling An didn't mind, and patiently listened to Ling Zhiyuan tell their story on Mars.

However, Ling An could hear that Ling Zhiyuan didn't talk about anything really related to the Martian battlefield, most of them were just their daily rest.

The afternoon passed quickly, and the woman's face was still sad, but her mood had stabilized.

"Thank you, little brother." The woman stood in front of the door, hesitated for a long time, and then asked:

"That, I can ask, Zhuo Yu...... How was it sacrificed? ”

Ling An noticed that the eldest brother, Ling Zhiyuan, was silent for a moment.

"Auntie, Zhuo Yuhe...... Very heroic. In the end, Ling Zhiyuan just said so.

The woman smiled reluctantly, "Thanks, I see." ”

When he turned around and took a few steps, Ling An heard a low sobbing coming from behind him.

Out of the community where the woman lived, Ling An looked at the eldest brother who was a little depressed beside him.

"Xiao An," Ling Zhiyuan said suddenly:

"Even if my aunt tries not to show her grief, I think you can understand the pain of losing a loved one."

Ling An didn't speak.

"Maybe you think I'm cruel and can't bear to leave you, maybe you think I want to be that hero, but, my brother told you, I don't want to."

"I'm scared too."

This was the first time Ling An had heard such words from his eldest brother.

"If you're afraid, then come back! You have so many opportunities, why do you have to wait for the present and the future to regret it? Ling An couldn't help but ask loudly.

Passers-by couldn't help but look at the two brothers. But after Ling Zhiyuan cast an apologetic look, they also politely withdrew their gaze and continued to walk their own way.

"Xiao An, I'm afraid, but I don't regret it."

"If you look at all this around you, such a stable life, such a hard-won peace, requires only a very small sacrifice for the entire human race. I'm very happy to see you and Xiaoxuan grow up healthy, and I'm also very happy to see the harmony and stability of the earth, that's enough, I don't regret it. ”

Ling Zhiyuan's eyes were full of sincerity.

"Then why do you have to go? Can't you just come back and let someone else do it? ”

Even though these words were a little selfish, Ling An still couldn't help but say it.

"Why can't it be me?"

Ling An was stunned.

"Because you're our family, we don't want to lose you......"

Ling Zhiyuan smiled.

"Zhuo Yu is the second son in the family, and he is the most favored by his aunt; Fumihiko was supposed to come back to attend his sister's wedding, which was no longer possible; Cui Yanbin just wanted to sit by the lake with his father again and fish, but he died in a battle a month ago......

"They all have families."

This time, Ling An didn't dodge, and let Ling Zhiyuan gently touch his head.

"What's more, you have so little confidence in your big brother? I was the fastest recruit to move up to the C ranks. Ling Zhiyuan said with a smile.

"Hmph......" This time, Ling An didn't say anything more.

——

Earth's outer space defense line.

Inside a space outpost, a hideous-looking alien race with a dark green liquid stained all over its body, and its body was covered with rifts.

Its thick arm lifted a staff member, and a tentacle spread above his head, turning into a large mouth covered in fangs.

Evil dark red energy poured out frantically from the fangs of the big mouth, bringing up some pure white gas from the bodies of the staff who were constantly struggling.

The big mouth was about to be swallowed in one gulp, when the staff suddenly opened their mouths resolutely.

"Final...... Agreement...... Start ......

Rumble!

The staff exploded to pieces, and the explosion also sent a blow to the alien's arm.

"Ahhh

The seventh screamed frantically, all the staff were dead, and there was not a single intact corpse in sight, only a few fragments.

"Damn the Glorious Army...... Damn transhumans...... If it weren't for the suppression of this rule...... To Earth, yes, to Earth! ”

Tearing open the surrounding space again, another crack broke in the body of the Seventh Figure, and dark green blood splattered out.

Looking out the window gloomily at the small warship surrounding the place, the Alien Seventh Statue burrowed into the crack and vanished.