Outside the window is a dark gray sky, and not far away is a floating island like a spinning top.

The skyscrapers above are bathed in sunlight, and the snow-capped mountains and vast green fields are a sight to behold.

And in the shadows below the floating island, the densely hidden buildings give people a chilling and eerie feeling.

Like a stranger standing silently outside a frosted glass window...... Even if you glance at it unintentionally, it will immediately give people a deep chill like the bottom of a winter lake.

"It's been a sunny day."

However, the man sitting across from Russell was sucking on freshly squeezed orange juice and said with such a ripe sigh: "It's good that it didn't rain." ”

"yes."

Russell whispered in response and turned his head.

Common sense suggests that it was indeed a sunny day.

There were no storms, no typhoons, no blizzards, and no heavy clouds that fell from the sky and covered the sky like a barrier......

…… But, perhaps, it is an illusion.

Russell always felt that the sky shouldn't be like this.

It seemed like he had seen it somewhere, brighter...... It was not grayish-white or yellowish, but a cloudless blue sky.

- But that's probably an illusion.

Everyone knows that the sky is gray.

Since ancient times, this world has never had a clear blue sky.

"Still...... It's the first time I've sat in first class," Russell stared at the man across the table, the golden cat ears on his head twitching uneasily, and the tail behind him raised high and slowly swaying from side to side, "But generally speaking, does the Tianen Group sell tickets to first-class tickets to two people who don't know each other at all?" ”

On the man's head stood a pair of white, furry canine ears, and the volume of hair was frighteningly healthy - long white hair, long enough to hide his tail in it.

His face has etched lines like scars.

The lines ran from top to bottom through his left eye, from his eyebrows to his chin. The left eye, which passed by on the way, has long been replaced with a cold, delicate diamond-like prosthetic eye.

Just being watched by that single prosthetic eye makes you feel a chill down your spine.

The man did not respond to Russell's question, but asked with a smile, "Little friend, are you alone?" ”

"That's rude, Your Excellency. It may seem incredible, but it's been two years since I graduated from graduate school. ”

Russell replied angrily: "It's just because of the problem of spiritual relatives, it looks a little tender." Just like ...... You're so big, too. ”

Soon after each person is born, the "spiritual affinity" that begins to occur after they begin to speak varies from light to severe.

Russell had seen heavily psychogenic individuals with long hair and erect brown bears, almost indistinguishable from bears except for their ability to speak and wear clothes; I've also seen very mild psychic individuals with only a pair of cat ears and no tail.

As for Russell himself, he has the reflex nerves and soft body characteristic of the dune cat species, weighs less than normal, and has stronger bouncing, balance and explosiveness. His ears are larger than those of other cats, and his hearing is stronger.

He is one of the rare "all-positive representations". That is, he did not inherit any negative traits from his spiritual relatives.

…… If shortness is not a negative trait.

If you count the height of his ears, the guy in front of Russell must be close to 1.9 meters. Russell, on the other hand, is in his twenties, but he is still in his early sixties.

Even if this guy just sat opposite Russell, Russell clearly sensed a very strong sense of oppression.

"Spiritual relatives don't necessarily affect height, which is classic pseudoscience. For example, my spiritual parent is a Samoyed, which is just a medium-sized dog in terms of breed. ”

Mr. Samoyed bit the straw and said casually, "For example, I know a moose." His height is indeed quite tall, but he is only 1.8 meters. But if it is said to be a spiritual parent, the moose is the largest cervid. Don't talk about that...... You have beautiful light blonde hair, what breed of cat is your spiritual parent? ”

"My mom and I are both dune cats. It is said to be a very small cat...... But I haven't seen it either. ”

Russell replied listlessly: "But it could also be a genetic problem, after all, my mother is a little shorter than me......"

"Just by looking at your appearance, you know that your mother must be a beauty."

The young man said with heartfelt admiration.

Russell also knew that he had inadvertently revealed some personal information.

But it can't be helped.

Although the "Samoyed" was smiling all the time, Russell's spiritual instincts kept telling him that the person in front of him was very dangerous.

Russell's heart pounded and pounded against his chest, his ears were erect, he was extremely nervous, his hair was slightly bursting, and he even had some stomach pain.

- He had never seen such a terrible person.

In those movies and TV shows, the guy who owes a loan shark sits in front of the leader of an underground gang...... That's probably how it feels.

It's hard to sit still.

Russell instinctively tried to tell a part of himself that was not so important.

It's like when you make a mistake as a child, and when you suspect that you might be discovered, you suddenly become talkative. Will actively and voluntarily admit some less important mistakes in an attempt to distract the other person.

According to the Spiritual Parenting, this is a common instinct in humans who use small animals as their spiritual relatives.

It's as if the little beast would roll over in front of the fanged leader, baring its belly, trying to prove its harmlessness and tameness.

"Won't your mother come with you?"

The man with a dangerous aura asked.

This must be a cross-examination. Russell thought so.

"She's dead."

While thinking, Russell replied softly, "Her funeral just ended.

"I still remember what it was like. Even clenching your fists makes you feel empty and powerless...... After that, I dreamed of her every night. Although the contents of the dream are forgotten shortly after waking up, the pillow towel is a little wet every time you wake up. ”

Russell's right hand, which was not wearing leather gloves, subconsciously touched the necklace on his chest.

It was a hexagonal pendant that held the mother's personal chip.

Although the data stored in the chip has been destroyed through the funeral process...... But the complete chip left behind is also a kind of souvenir for loved ones.

And this crystal pendant that stores the chip is also the last gift that his mother left to Russell.

"Sorry...... And what about your father? ”

The man on the other side patiently continued to ask.

Russell felt the danger more and more.

This kind of in-depth and intimate inquiry has gradually moved away from the level of "small talk on the way".

According to the emotional intelligence of ordinary people, since Russell only mentioned his mother, he obviously didn't want to talk about his father, right?

But Russell didn't change his face.

He has a lot of experience working with dangerous people.

Just like when he was a child, when his mother hadn't left work, he came home from school alone.

After entering the door, Russell realized that there were thieves in the house, and the other party had not left.

Russell clearly realized that at this time, he had to stay calm and relaxed, and not panic because of fear.

He maintains his acting skills and maintains his innocence and harmlessness. I called my friend for the first time, and after getting in touch with my friend, I calmly left the house under the excuse of "let's go out to play ball".

He didn't rush to leave, nor did he run away after leaving the door. Instead, he hummed a song and grinded for a while before slowly moving away.

This is presumably the same crisis we are facing.

"That man, he's long gone."

Russell scoffed, showing a disdain and subtle hatred.

But in reality, he didn't have any feelings for that man.

There is no love, and there is no hate. It's like just a passer-by who has nothing to do with him. Russell did not have the idea of having a father of his own.

"He left before I could barely remember – taking all the possessions of the family with him. Unlike my mother and me, the man's spiritual parent is said to be an eagle. Presumably he was destined to fly away.

"We used to live on Sogo Island, which is not like Happiness Island with upper and lower urban areas. A lot of work is handled by artificial intelligence, and it's hard to find decent jobs that make people live. My mother struggled to provide for me and get me to school. In the past 20 years, the man has not even sent a penny back, and all the messages are only read and not returned. Even after my mother died of illness, I sent him the location of my mother's funeral, and he ignored me.

"You know what, sir? For the first time, I knew that when you die, you get very heavy. And after that, it's going to be very light again. The crematorium will not give you all the ashes. There is only a symbolic handful...... The urn is probably that big. ”

Russell gestured, his tone indifferently permeated with a little sadness and self-deprecation: "They even gave me a minute for the farewell ceremony of the body. Because I was the only one who came to say goodbye...... I can't even afford to hire a priest from the Cyber Church to complete the ceremony. Luckily, I did some odd jobs when I was in school. Otherwise, even a mass cemetery with such a light and small box cannot afford it. If you can't pay for it in the first place, you can only choose the 'eco-friendly package' – that is, scatter the ashes directly into the sea. ”

It's not exactly acting.

It was a real sadness, something that had actually happened.

It's just that Russell wasn't actually that helpless—he was much stronger than the kid he described in his words.

After all, if he wasn't strong enough, he wouldn't have been able to finish college in that kind of environment on Sogo Island.

But he has been accustomed to proper "selling miserably" since he was a child. In other words, show your own scars and shortcomings to an appropriate extent, and try to eliminate the hostility of others without being looked down upon.

It's like a stray cat pretending to be well-behaved and rubbing passers-by to cheat on food.

It's weird...... Maybe it was because he was focused on the performance, or maybe the other party had let go of some kind of evil intentions towards him, Russell felt that the tension that permeated the air gradually dissipated.

Perhaps, I'm not entirely trying to gain the trust of the other party.

Russell thought.

Although only as a means of socializing for self-preservation.

But talking about these things did make him feel better.

"Listen to me," the voice of the young man on the other side became a little lower, "When you find the man, remember to give him a shot." If you abandon your wife and children, you should teach him some lessons. ”

"Forget it."

Russell shook his head: "I don't want to go to him." ”

"Even if he makes your life so difficult?"

"He's a bastard. But I can't be like him and become a jerk. ”

Russell said softly, "Mother said that I was going to be a great big man. ”

- That's the truth.

Mother did say so, and Russell thought it from the bottom of his heart.

“…… What does it mean to be a 'great guy'? ”

"It can be admired from the heart...... Right? ”

Russell was silent for a moment, and said with uncertainty: "At least it can't be hated." ”

Hearing this, the young man with long white hair was silent for a while.

"That's too hard."

The young man said softly, "It's even more difficult than becoming a director of the 'head office'. ”

With that, he gave up the topic and once again showed a lame smile that was unprofessional and could only make people shudder: "In that case, how can you afford a first-class airboat ticket?" ”

"My mother told me before she died...... I have an uncle on Happiness Island. ”

The corners of Russell's mouth rose slightly, and his tone was calm: "An uncle I have never seen or heard of." My mother asked me to move to Happiness Island to live...... This first-class ticket was also bought for me by my uncle. Let me tell you, this ticket is very valuable, and if it is exchanged for my living expenses, it will allow me to live a life of meat for five or six years.

"But unfortunately, I really don't have the money to buy a suitcase. Luckily, I didn't have anything to carry, and my school bag was enough, and it was even quite loose. This saved me money on shipping. ”

"Is your uncle ......?"

"Tianen Group. He is the person of the 'head office', which should mean the top management. ”

Russell said.

Naturally, this is also the information he deliberately revealed.

On the one hand, it is to gain the goodwill and trust of the other party, and on the other hand, it is also a silent threat.

"Tianen Group...... That's big business. ”

The tall white-haired young man sighed in a low voice.

He thought for a while, and casually handed a small box to Russell: "You are a good boy......

"But good boys are on the island of happiness, so you can be more careful."

"It sounds like the island of happiness and the island of Sogo are not much different."

Russell muttered and opened the box casually.

The next moment, he felt the hairs on the tips of his ears explode directly.

The heart almost stopped.

The moment his fingertips touched, he realized what it was.

It was a gun.