"That's what you think." Lucy stood up, looked at Link and said, "Maybe I'm being selfish to say that, but whatever I do will hurt you." Rather than that, it would be better to make it clear to you here. Link, I don't want you to be my sword and shield. You shouldn't be my knight either, Link, you should be you. Instead of anyone's knight, you're Link, and there's only one Link in the entire Adahua! ”

Link was shocked, and looked at Lucy's eyes a little dazed.

"I know your intentions very well. But I like Alan, and I'm willing to stay for him. If anyone has to protect me, it's Alan, and it's going to be Alan. Only He has the duty to protect me, because I am his woman. ”

Lucy whispered, "As for you, I'm honored to have such a friend as you. No matter what you will do in the future, I will always remember that you were the first friend willing to approach me. You can hate me, it's your right. And I have the right to choose who I like, because it's my freedom. ”

The room was silent.

After a moment, Link suddenly smiled. He stood up and put his hand on his chest: "It's hard here, but, I'm glad Lucy you're willing to say these things to me. Because you still treat me as a friend, and it also makes me understand that you are no longer the girl you used to be who needs my protection. Because there are already more suitable people than me by your side. So that I can leave with peace of mind......"

"Now that I think about it, Eren could have dodged without having to fight me. But at that time, behind him was you. I think that's why he fought back. I think I can rest assured that there is such a man to protect you. Link sighed, "Looking back, I was so unbearable. Because he didn't want to accept the facts, he lost control and even ignored you. But even at that time, Alan still keeps an eye out for your safety, and he is a careful person. ”

Lucy looked at Link in surprise.

Link nodded at her and said, "Since you don't need me as a knight, then I'll be your friend." As for my father's side, I will find a way to get him to cancel his plans to marry the royal family. But I'm not the only one you're marrying, and that kid Alan has to work harder. ”

Lucy laughed, "I'm sure he will." ”

"Hmm." Link laughed, "Then go, go find him." ”

"What about you?"

"I'm fine, I'm not so fragile that I have to find life if I fall out of love. Don't confuse me with those, I'll be mad if you do. ”

Lucy shook her head and said, "Of course you won't, we Mr. Link, but we're tough guys. ”

Link laughed: "To be flattered by His Highness, this trip is worthwhile." ”

"Then I'm leaving, Link. You'll have to take care of yourself in the future. ”

"Of course."

When she stepped out of the room, Lucy finally felt much more relaxed. Being able to make it clear to Link and get his understanding undoubtedly unravels a knot in Lucy's heart. She exhaled, and when she looked up again, her eyes returning to their usual brilliance. She walked out of the training ground and saw Alan and Metalon chatting from a distance. The old man and the young seemed to be talking very happily, and there was a burst of laughter from time to time.

She quickened her pace and ran over, stretching out her arms to hold the two men who had occupied important positions in her life.

In the room, Link looked out the window at the three figures. With a faint smile on his face, he turned to Lucy's back and said, "Bless you as a friend only." Goodbye, the girl I once loved. ”

He closed the window and walked away.

The weather seems to be getting colder.

Ned couldn't help but tighten his coat, but the fur coat on his body couldn't give him the warmth he used to have. Looking at Froststar's dim sky, Ned sighed. A thin-faced man with sunken eyes was reflected in the frost-flowered window panes, his eyes sunken and surrounded by an unhealthy black. His lips pursed lightly, and there was no blood on his lips, like the gray clouds in the distant sky, with a sickly feeling.

Ned stretched out his hand, his once muscular arm now so thin that it was almost a layer of skin. The thin, sleek, black palm fell to his face, and even Ned felt that the bones on his face were so high that he shook his head and smiled bitterly. It turned out that he was terminally ill, and he would be such a terrible appearance.

The disease came suddenly.

Half a month ago, Ned suddenly developed a high fever. Although he is not a master, he also has the strength of the early twenties. Not to mention that Ned is an awakened person, even if he is only a non-commissioned officer of the tenth level, he has almost no chance of illness. There is usually only one disease that can make the source person sick.

Genetic collapse.

This disease is difficult to cure even with the current medical technology of the Federation, and it can only barely stabilize the genetic structure of the patient and delay the complete collapse of the gene chain. But the probability of this disease is very low, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as one in 10,000, and it is even a little too much. But with such a low chance, Ned unfortunately contracted this disease.

After the high fever that day, he felt subtle changes in his body. The first is that the source power begins to drain, and the body gets worse and worse. In the past week, he has lost a lot of weight, and his weight of 100 catties has now dropped sharply to less than 100 catties. After a series of careful sampling inspections by the medic at the Kaiyan base, Ned knew that he was being taken by death when he saw the medic officer's solemn expression.

The rate of gene collapse depends on the individual's situation, some take a few years to completely collapse, and some may only take a few months, or even a dozen days. Ned's condition is undoubtedly critical, and in the gene chain structure diagram shown to him by the medical officer, even a medical layman like him knows that he is collapsing extremely quickly when he sees the appearance of the gene chain in the picture.

Strictly speaking, he has less than a month left to live.

Under these circumstances, Ned could no longer continue to serve as the director of the base. At present, all the affairs of the base have been temporarily handed over to his lieutenant, and as for Ned, the Federation has allowed him to board the starship and return to Earth today. He would be taken to the military hospital in Babylon for treatment, and Ned had lost hope for himself. He only wished he could see his wife and children before he died, and he hadn't been back for five years.

I don't want to be able to go back this time, but I want to say goodbye at the end.

Thinking of this, Ned sighed wistfully. I thought it was still a long time, but I never thought that life had entered the cold winter in a blink of an eye.

There was a knock on the door.

The adjutant pushed the door in, revealing a helpless and solemn expression: "Lieutenant Colonel Ned, the starship is ready, you can board the plane." ”

Ned nodded, and he didn't salute either. Walking to the door, he patted the adjutant on the shoulder: "The base will be handed over to you, my friend." Keep an eye on it, and don't let the damn headhunters get it dirty. ”

The adjutant sighed, "I will, sir." You take care. ”

Ned smiled, wrapped his robe and left.

Moments later, he boarded the small starship. The starship will return to Earth directly through the Rainbow Bridge, and it will take less than a few hours. Thinking that he would probably be able to see his family in the evening, Ned felt a throbbing in his heart, and a little anticipation.

He sat in the starship's cabin, which had less than five seats. And now, naturally, there is only one passenger in Ned. After the soldiers on board fastened his seatbelts, Ned turned on his brain and put the photos stored inside on the screen. In the photo, there is a gentle wife, two well-behaved daughters and a naughty boy. Ned touched the picture on the screen, and a wave of sleepiness hit him, and he couldn't help but close his eyes and pretend to sleep.

I don't know how long it was, but suddenly my heart was pounding, and Ned opened his eyes. At this time, the portholes on both sides of the cabin had lowered their light shields, and it seemed that the starship had set sail. He clicked on the line drawing of the brain, and sure enough, a point of light representing the starship had left the frost star. But suddenly, Ned realizes that something is wrong. The starship eventually headed for the Rainbow Bridge space station, but flew somewhere else.

Ned immediately clicked a few buttons, and the brain made an estimate based on the flight direction of the starship, and the dotted line representing the flight trajectory actually pointed directly to the Garden of Eden!

"What's going on?" Ned turned on the walkie-talkie at the armrest and spoke directly to the cab: "Please tell me, why are we going to Eden?" ”

Ned asked three times, but no one answered. It took a moment before a voice chuckled lowly, "Isn't that good, dear Lieutenant Colonel Ned." You can rest in the Garden of Eden, but what many can't hope for. ”

"Who are you?" Ned drank urgently, and no matter how sluggish he was, he realized that something was not quite right. He called the guards again, but no one answered in the cabin. Ned had no choice but to unbuckle his seatbelt and stand up in his seat.

Now it's so hard for him to even move, but he has to go to the cab to see what is going on.

At this time, the automatic door of the cabin opened, and the soldier who had just fastened his seat belt walked in. Ned was about to ask him why he had only come in now, when he suddenly saw a large patch of blood under his feet. The soldier seemed to want to say something, but suddenly fell to the ground. On his back, a dagger was stuck in his body until it was out of handle!

Footsteps rang out, and a man came in from outside the gate. It was a man, he smiled, the X-shaped scar on his face that covered almost the entire face undulating slightly with his movements. When the man walked in, the air was a little sweeter, and the rich smell of blood was rolling, as if the cabin was already filled with blood. Ned forced himself to composure, forced himself to straighten up, and asked, "Who are you?" ”

"My name is Rice, Honorable Sir." As soon as he spoke, Ned knew it was the person he was talking to. He walked toward Ned, circled around Ned, and said in his ear, "But more people are willing to call me Bloodthirsty Les." ”