When Xu Le was fifteen years old, he spoke those words—his voice trembling, sincere yet filled with panic. At the time, he probably didn't even believe himself. Just a lonely orphan tucked away in the remote Donglin District, staring at the ultrathin screen on his lap, mooning over the image of that purple-haired idol of the Federation. It wasn't love—it was just puberty throwing its usual tantrum.
The poor are allowed to dream. They're even allowed to have the courage to dream. But between dreams and reality lies the unbridgeable gap of class. Hard work can't close it. And Xu Le had nothing but poverty. Not talent, not looks, not even connections. Whether he would ever set foot on the Capital Star—even as a tourist—was anyone's guess.
Xu Le wasn't ugly, but no one would call him handsome either. He was just... ordinary. A boy with a face too soft, too plain to be memorable. No godlike beauty. No porcelain skin or delicate frame. Just another face in the crowd.
If there was one thing that stood out, it was his eyes—narrow and dark beneath thick brows. Pity, really. Those brows were quite nice. When he was deep in thought, his eyes squinted even more, giving him a kind of dazed, dopey look that didn't do him any favors.
But if you looked deep—really deep—into those eyes, you might glimpse something else. A quiet resolve, like bedrock. Something unmistakably Donglin: unshakable, persistent, sure.
"From fifteen to fifty... every man in the Federation thinks Jian Shui'er is beautiful. Every single one of them would marry her in a heartbeat."
Beneath the pale night tree, Vigor patted Xu Le's narrow shoulders with a look of heartfelt sympathy. "Me included. I just didn't have the guts to say it out loud. You, on the other hand, are shameless."
"I… I think so too." The small boy tagging along beside Vigor snuck a glance at Xu Le. He saw that Le-ge was still lost in the glowing face of the purple-haired avatar frozen on the screen, and gathered the courage to speak up.
Xu Le raised his head slowly, smiled at the kid, and said, "Qiangzi, you're ten. What the hell do you know?"
Then he stood up, leaned back against the tree trunk, and tapped beside the crystal screen. With a soft mechanical whirr, the entire display retracted into a slim metallic cylinder.
He ran his hand over the smooth surface, a trace of regret flickering in his brows. "This is a high-end N98 replica. Worth at least four grand on the open market. It's yours now, Li Wei. But if you ever need it repaired, I'll be charging you."
"Don't act like a damn girl." Li Wei rolled his pale blond curls in frustration and snatched the device. "Did you not see Bao Longtao's face today? We took a huge risk with over a hundred people. You think all that was just for some stupid screen?"
Xu Le just chuckled and slapped Li Wei on the shoulder. "Same deal as always. If I ever need something, I'll come to you."
Li Wei didn't answer right away. He just stared at Xu Le's plain face for a long time before blurting, "Where the hell have you been these past two years? Why've you been avoiding us? I know you hate how we run the streets. I know you're scared we'll end up on the wrong side. But the school's always had a spot for us. Hell, for once in ten years, the government's actually treating us okay."
Xu Le sighed. "We've been out of school for too long. Can anyone really catch up?"
Li Wei didn't try to argue. He swore under his breath and muttered, "I'm just afraid you'll turn into some kind of recluse."
That made Xu Le laugh so hard his eyes nearly disappeared. Like he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. But instead of answering, he changed the subject: "You gonna test it out?"
The ten-year-old clearly had no idea what the two older boys were talking about. The screen was pretty, expensive, and worked just fine earlier under the tree. What was there to test?
But Li Wei's face turned serious. He held the slim metallic cylinder tightly, his thumb slowly nudging a barely visible panel.
Crackle—!A strange sound split the night. Thin arcs of electric-blue lightning burst from the end of the cylinder, crackling through the air like deadly ribbons. They curved in a half-meter arc beneath the tree before snapping back into the device.
The little boy dropped to the ground, arms over his head. Clearly, he'd seen this kind of weapon used against street kids before. Li Wei's face turned pale too. He stared at Xu Le, voice trembling. "That thing's insane. You call that a stun baton?"
"It just looks scary," Xu Le replied, frowning. "The actual force isn't even half of what the military models pack. It just took a hell of a lot of work to get it running. Only use it against street thugs. If Division Two ever sees it, you're screwed."
Li Wei clutched the cylinder like it was made of gold, eyes wide. "I thought it'd just throw a few sparks… You're seriously talented, you know that?"
Qiangzi finally peeked out from his crouch, looking up at Xu Le like he was some kind of angel. Even without much schooling, even these orphans understood how much skill it took to turn a luxury retractable screen into a high-voltage stun weapon.
"Heh… I am a genius," Xu Le said with a small lift of his thick brows. Not cocky—just honest. It made him look even more sincere.
Li Wei stared into his eyes and asked, dead serious, "Xu Le, this thing must've cost you a lot to build. Don't tell me… you did all that just to watch Jian Shui'er?"
Xu Le nodded, even more serious. "Of course."
Li Wei wanted to punch him. In the end, he just swore. "You idiot."
Watching the two figures disappear into the city's shadowed outskirts, Xu Le finally relaxed. He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, hiding his face in the folds of darkness. Only then did he leave Qingqiu Hill, slipping away on a different path, heading toward a distant district in the Hexi State capital.
But tonight, the road home wasn't easy.
Under a flickering streetlamp near Luolan Street, he was stopped.
"That hood… won't hide your face.I'm sure we met—four years ago."
The man under the streetlight spoke in a voice as cold as the night. Bao Longtao, deputy director of Hexi State's Second Police Division, stood tall and grim. He looked down at the boy who barely reached his chest, and at the hood shadowing the boy's face, and spoke again:
"You remember me, don't you?"