Chapter 59: Chapter Fifty-Nine: Sigh

"After you finish this meal, prepare yourself to integrate into this new group."

Beros stiffly pulled up the corners of his mouth, straining every facial muscle to force a friendly expression.

Yet his words sounded like an executioner leading condemned prisoners to the chopping block.

His tone was icy, as if death itself spoke through him to deliver the world's final judgment.

Towering over two meters, Beros hunched in his chair; ordinary bowls and chopsticks looked like infant toys in his hands, and when he lifted the drink cup to his lips, it seemed like he was swallowing a bottle of oral medicine.

The simple opening and closing of his mouth sent a deep, rumbling vibration through his throat, shaking the entire dining table.

It was ridiculous.

Melissa lightly shook her head and continued chewing the mashed synthetic meat filling.

The massive shadow completely blocked the light; Melissa lowered her head, eyes wide, eating with extreme caution.

Though the room was brightly lit, she felt as if she were trapped in darkness, terrified that one misstep might cause her spoon to jab into her nostril.

Melissa's mind whirred; she glanced at Rowena and Bit, who were utterly unfazed by the situation, and nodded silently in response to the Captain's words.

Beros awkwardly scratched his head.

He was simply unsuited for this kind of thing.

Even with the friendliest smile he could muster, no outsider could sense even a trace of warmth.

His ferocious face, paralyzed expression, towering augmented body…

A pure killing machine.

"Anyway, let's eat first." He cleared his throat lightly—yet nearly sent the glass on the table flying into the air.

Even Rowena couldn't help flinching, let alone the newcomer Melissa.

"What are we doing after this? On a mission?"

After a long silence, Rowena set down her bowl and chopsticks, wiping her mouth with a napkin, and kindly asked on Melissa's behalf.

"Gear upgrade, guys—also, let our new recruit get some exposure." At the mention of his specialty, Beros perked up.

His voice involuntarily rose, making Melissa grimace and cover her ears; even Bit and Rowena frowned in discomfort.

Rowena subtly signaled Bit; the two rivals exchanged a knowing glance, then stepped forward together, one on each side, dragging the excited Beros away from the table.

Melissa sighed, looking at the messy table, yet the faint chill in her chest was dispelled by the warm soup—leaving only a deep warmth.

Perhaps things weren't as bad as she'd imagined.

A few lonely madmen huddled together for warmth—somehow more human than the properly dressed normals outside.

Melissa glanced at the empty seat, sighed softly, then picked up her spoon and bowl and began gulping down the warm food in large bites.

January 19, 2074, 12:30

Only when she stepped out of the hut and onto the broad rooftop did the gentle winter sun wash over her face, making her aware of the slow passage of time.

Long sleep had frozen her in the shattered temporal rift from ten days ago, her consciousness drifting aimlessly in the deepest darkness.

Now, the golden hoe's swings had rescued her from the ice.

"I finally feel alive again!"

She instinctively stretched her arms wide, breathing deeply into the cool breeze, as if trying to suck every trace of golden mist into her lungs, her hunger boundless.

"Wait one more minute—our Floating Car's arriving soon." Rowena watched Melissa's reborn expression and couldn't help smiling faintly.

"Floating Car?" Melissa shyly brushed back her slightly long bangs, embarrassed by her earlier outburst.

Unable to resist the itch of curiosity scratching inside her chest, she hesitated for a few seconds, then finally asked.

"You look so eager—this your first time riding a Floating Car?" Rowena stood beside Melissa, keeping the two men far away.

"Something like that… Flying through the sky… feels freer than racing on the ground." Melissa nodded, leaning lightly against the sturdy rooftop railing.

"Enjoy it while the novelty lasts—later, you'll fly until you're sick of it." Bit leaned over to speak to Melissa, but his eyes kept darting toward Rowena, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Nobody thinks you're mute, Bit! When will you ever learn to speak like a normal person?" Rowena scowled, one arm around Melissa, the other pointing at Bit's crooked nose.

"Wow, congratulations, our dear Rowena—another language mastered! Arguing with me so smoothly? Must've studied hard!"

"I *****" Rowena snarled, nostrils flaring, eyes blazing at Bit, her red hair whipping in the breeze like the unquenchable fire within her.

Melissa stood aside, glancing at Beros, who had drifted far off, looking utterly disinterested, then turned back to watch the two bickering again—and softly laughed.

"You two look… like a married couple fighting…" Melissa blurted out, without thinking, revealing her true thought.

"Ah!?"

"Ah?!"

The two rivals always shared a strange synchronicity.

They shouted in unison, their mouths opening at identical angles, their brows lifting with the same arc.

"Stop copying me, stupid dog!"

"Stop copying me, idiot!"

Their foreheads pressed together like two enraged bulls ready to gore each other to death—or like intimate lovers, noses touching, exchanging each other's breaths.

"They're always like this. You'll get used to it." Beros had quietly appeared beside Melissa.

Even with his voice lowered to a whisper, the muffled thunderclap made Melissa dizzy and lightheaded.

"Why do they act like this?" Melissa steadied her breathing, gently patting her chest, and asked slowly.

"Believe me—you won't want to know the truth…" Beros shook his head, avoiding a direct answer, then turned away and walked off heavily, step by step.

No matter how tender or harmonious a madman appears, he remains an out-of-control killing machine.

Melissa is no exception.

When she loses herself, and twin mantis blades extend from her arms, swimming through oceans of flesh and blood…

Even if she were reborn ten thousand times, she could never escape that inevitable fate.

Beros thought, and let out a long sigh.