Chapter Seventy-Six: The World Remains Beautiful

The morning light spilled into the small room, falling softly upon the white sheets, still carrying a faint scent of fresh grass. Amy opened her bleary eyes and was greeted by another beautiful day.

She left her bed and walked to the window, watching the chirping birds outside. The corners of her lips curled into a smile. "Good, it's another wonderful day."

Today, Amy woke up very early and quickly changed into the new clothes her brother had bought for her two days ago. She looked like a lovely little fairy now. Today, her most beloved brother was coming to see her. She had to dress beautifully and then cling to his arm and act spoiled.

The door to the room opened, and a nurse in white entered. Seeing Amy dressed up so nicely, she smiled gently. "Has our little princess encountered something good today?"

"Yes!" Amy replied happily. "Eddie is coming to see me today." Her long, flowing hair covered half her face, leaving only one side visible—charming and cute.

"It seems Amy really likes her brother." The nurse laughed, picking up a small syringe. Amy nodded. "I like Eddie best."

"Alright, seeing your dear brother is a happy thing, but you must take your injection on time." The nurse held the syringe, and Amy glanced at it fearfully. "No, I'm scared of pain!"

"If you don't take your injection, we can't let you go out to play with your favorite brother." The nurse smiled. Hearing this, Amy pouted and stretched out her arm.

"That's more like it. For your beloved brother, you must be brave!" The nurse aimed the syringe at Amy's already needle-marked arm, her eyes glinting with a trace of pity. This child had endured so much suffering—when would it end?

...

Eddie stood at the door with the gift he had prepared, listening to the conversation between the nurse and his sister. He leaned against the wall, quietly waiting. After a long while, he wiped his eyes, clearing away his tears, replaced them with a gentle smile, and pushed open the door.

"Amy, look who's here to see you." Eddie smiled, hiding all his sorrow behind his expression.

"Brother!" Amy, like a joyful little rabbit, leaped into his arms. "Brother, where are we going to play today?"

...

As usual, Eddie took his sister out of the hospital. He glanced back at the hospital—a place he visited so often. Every tree, every stone slab was familiar. He had been here far too many times.

"Brother, where are we going?" Amy held onto his arm, asking softly. Eddie looked down at her pretty half-face and smiled. "How about we go to the amusement park?"

"Ah! Really? I've never been! Yes, yes!" Amy jumped for joy. Eddie gently patted her head. "Brother has a whole day's leave today, so I'll spend it with you."

"Mm, I like Eddie best!" Amy clung to him like a kitten, and the two boarded the bus heading to the amusement park.

...

It was the first time Eddie brought his sister to the amusement park. To be honest, it was his first visit too. Thankfully, he had researched beforehand and wouldn't wander aimlessly.

They rode roller coasters, drove bumper cars, watched the water show, and entered the haunted house, where Amy buried her head in Eddie's chest, too scared to come out.

It all seemed perfectly normal—a pair of loving siblings.

At the ice cream stand, Eddie hesitated for a long time but eventually bought his sister a strawberry ice cream. "It's fine; I can make up the hours tomorrow," he thought, swiping his card and spending his precious points.

"Amy, this is for you." Seeing the joy on her face as she took the ice cream, Eddie felt it was all worth it.

"Brother, brother, hurry! Let's go there!" Amy, holding her ice cream, ran ahead, pointing to the Ferris wheel and calling back to him, not noticing the man in white standing before her.

"Careful!"

"Ah!" Amy bumped into the man, her small frame falling to the ground, her ice cream dropped and splattered.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Amy quickly apologized. The man turned, seeing his clothes stained with ice cream. His expression soured, but he didn't get angry. Seeing it was a girl of about fourteen or fifteen, he felt no need to argue and reached out his hand. "It's alright, are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Amy sat on the ground, stunned, but hearing his concern, she looked up. She didn't notice that her hair, which usually covered half her face, had fallen away, revealing that twisted half.

It looked as though her face had been corroded by acid—wrinkled, the eye socket empty, the entire side necrotic, resembling a dried corpse.

"You!" The man's outstretched hand froze. "You! You! You're a Mutant!" He recoiled sharply. "Get away! Stay back! Don't come near me!"

His shout caused a stir; passersby turned to look. Upon seeing Amy's face, they all recoiled, as if she were a demon.

"How can a Mutant be here? Who let her in?"

"I'm filing a complaint! Dangerous creatures like Mutants shouldn't be allowed here!"

"Get out! Get out now!"

Voices of accusation rose and fell. Eddie stepped forward, shielding his sister. Facing the man she had just bumped into, he said nothing. "She's a monster, and you still shield her!" the man yelled, stepping back. "Get out!"

Eddie's brow tensed, but he quickly suppressed his anger. He turned and embraced his sister, whose cries he could still hear. "Brother, let's go home."

"Alright, let's go home." Eddie forced a bitter smile. Did he even have a home?

They returned to the hospital at night. Amy slept quietly on Eddie’s back. Eddie placed her gently on the bed, gazing at her with only longing in his eyes.

...

"Eddie, you don't need to come to work tomorrow." The middle-aged boss handed him a card. "This is your wage for the month, plus an extra month's pay. Leave, and don't come back."

"Why?" Eddie asked in despair. This was his sole source of income, now cut off.

"You concealed your sister's status as a Mutant. We can't keep you. If clients find out one of our staff has a Mutant relative, we'll be overwhelmed with complaints." The boss continued, but Eddie protested, "But mutation isn’t transmissible through blood!"

"Who knows if that's true?" The boss looked troubled. "We really can't help you. Take care."

...

Eddie left his workplace, his mind in a daze. His sister's mutation required expensive medical treatment. The city provided stipends for registered citizens, but it only covered basic living costs, never the high medical bills.

Eddie punched the wall, bleeding without noticing. He needed another job, but high-paying jobs were rare. He had no abilities, no enhancements, no qualification for Hunter missions.

"I'll look for work tomorrow," he resolved, heading to the hospital to see his sister.

In the corridor, a doctor stopped him. "Mr. Eddie, your sister's medical expenses this month are forty-seven thousand points. Please pay soon."

"It went up by two thousand again?" Eddie asked in shock. The doctor shook his head. "The mutation has developed resistance; we increased the dosage."

"I see. Alright." Eddie paid, and his wages dwindled to almost nothing.

After all was done, Eddie went to his sister's room. Through the glass, he saw her sitting alone on the bed, gazing at the moon outside—the silhouette of her small back, the only sight.

Eddie didn’t enter. He turned, leaned against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. He covered his eyes, unable to hold back his tears.

Life was so hard. Why did all misfortune have to fall upon him?

...

Eddie didn’t enter the ward; he didn’t want his sister to see him crying.

He didn’t seek out his parents, for after learning of Amy’s mutation, they abandoned her. Only he continued to care for her.

That night, he went to the beach, watching the bright moon and the starry sky. He simply watched, silently shedding tears.

"Did you know? Those stars connect to form Orion..."

It was the first thing that girl said to him, appearing when Eddie was most lost, right there on the sand.

"Hello, my name is Sakurako Asai." The girl smiled beautifully. "You can call me Sakurako."

...

For the first time, Eddie poured out everything to a stranger. That day, he just wanted to speak.

Sakurako listened quietly, patiently.

"Why? Why must my sister and I bear all the suffering?" Eddie cried. "Does God really exist? Why is he so unfair?"

"What in this world is worth holding onto?"

Watching Eddie’s near-hysterical state, Sakurako smiled gently. "Even so, the world is still beautiful!"

...

Eddie accidentally saw a message. He learned that if one’s ability level reached five, they could use anti-mutation drugs for free. He took note of this.

But how many level five abilities were there? Two or three in a hundred. Eddie had no contact with such people. After several failed attempts to reach out to ability users, Eddie devised a desperate plan.

He attacked a level five ability user!

The one he chose wasn’t a combat type—the person said he could control bird emotions, an interesting but non-combat ability, making him an easy target.

Eddie assaulted him. As the man lay in a pool of blood, Eddie felt an uncanny awakening—he didn’t feel fear.

He took the man’s identity card, went to another hospital, and successfully obtained a large quantity of anti-mutation drugs.

Everything went so smoothly it frightened him.

Next, he rushed to his sister’s hospital to administer the drugs.

But it didn’t go as planned.

Security guards caught him, and the drugs were shattered in the scuffle...

He was detained for fifteen days. Fortunately, the man he attacked wasn’t severely injured. After a stern lecture, Eddie was released. His first act upon release was to rush to the hospital.

But Eddie never saw his sister again. All that remained was an empty bed...

The nurse caring for Amy told him that, because he couldn’t pay for her anti-mutation drugs, she died seven days ago. With no one to claim her body, the hospital cremated her and buried her in the public cemetery behind the hill.

"This is for you." The nurse sobbed, handing him an envelope. Eddie’s hands trembled as he opened it—it was the last thing his sister left him.

Only a few words.

"Brother, I’m sorry, I died, I died, I died..."

...

Once again, Eddie came to the seaside, gazing at the moon’s reflection—still bright.

"Did you know? Those stars connect to form Orion." Again he met Sakurako. "How is your sister?"

"She’s gone," Eddie said quietly. Sakurako looked apologetic. "I’m sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It’s alright. Perhaps, for Amy, death is release." Eddie forced a bitter smile. "I kept her by my side, but was it really right?"

"Sakurako, tell me, is there anything in this world worth holding onto?"

"I don’t know," Sakurako replied honestly, but after thinking, she said, "But I still feel the world is beautiful, even so."

"Let me take you to meet our boss." Sakurako invited Eddie. Lost, Eddie agreed.

...

"Do you think a world devoted to ability users is right?" The scar-faced man stood on a chair, speaking. "They’re parasites, only plundering from us! If not for them, how could you have failed to save your sister?"

"Do you want revenge?" Scar-face asked. "Then join us."

Eddie nodded. He thought, if not for being caught by those ability users, his sister wouldn’t have died.

"From today, you are a fist of the Iron Fist Organization. Your name is Serpent Fang. You are the serpent in the darkness, and one day, you’ll bite into the necks of your enemies!"

(Starting tomorrow, VIP chapters begin. I wonder how many will stay—maybe none. If so, I'll write just for myself.)