CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 42: PEERLESS MACHO MAN

The Ma Ran known and understood by the people of Grass Hut Academy was not the real Ma Ran, but just a persona he adopted.

The real Ma Ran was not a cold-faced, indifferent man.

He would laugh wildly when happy.

When encountering unhappy things, he would feel bad.

This time, in the alien invasion incident, Ma Ran had done quite well.

Compared to the previous life where 653 people died, 30 or so seemed to be an insignificant number.

Looking at it objectively, Ma Ran’s efforts indeed bore fruit.

Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.

For saving more than six hundred lives with foreknowledge, saying that Ma Ran’s merits are boundless is no exaggeration.

But he just didn’t feel good!

If possible, he wanted to save all his compatriots.

But such a thing, just a little thought reveals, is not going to happen.

"Next time, I’ll do better!"

Ma Ran took a deep breath, with a faint light flashing in his eyes, quietly cheering himself on in his heart.

A week later, a catastrophe broke out in A3 District.

At that time, compared to the current alien invasion incident, the death toll was only going to be higher.

A3 District is between Sui Province and Jingmen, a safe zone. Ma Ran, who obtained the official researcher certificate of supernatural phenomena, indeed had the qualification for free passage.

"Want to go for on-site investigation, and adjust your mood in the process?"

President Huang Weiguo thought he understood Ma Ran’s mind.

After a little consideration, he decisively approved Ma Ran’s leave: "Go ahead, take half a month off, have a good rest, and don’t overthink."

"Birth, old age, sickness, and death are a common fate of man. In this world, people are dying with every passing second."

"Maybe after you see more, it will get a little better..."

Here, President Huang felt that what he said was problematic, not really comforting.

But a teenager like Ma Ran, what he needs to know, he already knows, there’s no need for him to chatter on.

After pondering for a long while, Old Huang sighed and patted Ma Ran’s shoulder.

All words are expressed in this action.

No matter what happens later, no matter how the world changes..."

"Remember, I and Grass Hut Academy will always support you!"

Ma Ran nodded with an extremely faint movement: "If it’s for leave, one week is enough."

He certainly knew that because of car accidents, disease, hunger, cold, natural disasters, etc., people on Earth are dying all the time!

Moreover, the deaths Ma Ran had witnessed with his own eyes were more than all the people in Grass Hut Academy combined!

But he just couldn’t get used to it!

From this perspective, the evaluation Liu Huadie gave him before Ma Ran’s rebirth is quite pertinent.

"Little Ran, you are good at everything, just too soft-hearted, always thinking about saving everyone."

"But sometimes, you have to face the choices of human nature, abandon the few to save the many."

"With your level of awareness, you can’t protect Earth!"

This kind of filtered evaluation is evidently not impartial.

Soft-hearted?

Those people Ma Ran sent to reincarnation would definitely not think so.

Now, he believes what Sister Die said is eerily precise in some ways.

Ma Ran is not a saint, nor does he have a Holy Mother complex.

When encountering those ignorant fellows who might repay kindness with enmity, it is normal to leave them to die, and often he would kick a man when he’s down.

However, Ma Ran believes...

All those worthy of being saved have the right to survive!

Every survivor who, in the darkest and most desperate apocalyptic crisis, blooms with the brilliance of humanity, he feels heartache for each one that dies.

No matter how many times he has witnessed it, no matter what he has been through, he just cannot get used to it!

Or rather...

Ma Ran doesn’t want to face life and death numbly like a walking corpse.

Not noble and heroic, nor sinister and dark.

He is just an ordinary Earth Civilization Guardian, striving to fulfill his duty.

"This matter, for now, comes to an end."

Ma Ran rubbed his somewhat swollen temples, with several complete Enclosure Texts in his mind emitting a faint glow: "Next, I need to start dealing with the trouble in A3 District..."

The batch of alien invaders that were just taken care of, counted as relatively easy to deal with types.

With the current science and technology, and weapons of Earth Civilization, by paying a certain price, they could be perfectly resolved.

But the real world is not a video game.

The invaders who covet Earth will not continuously send small monsters for Earthlings to upgrade slowly.

If that were the case...

People like Su Qiangwei would not have died so early and tragically in their previous life.

Thinking of this, Ma Ran immediately started packing, ready to set off.

...

A3 District, originally a characteristic tourist village, because of the emergence of naturally awakened superpower users, all the villagers became relocated households, taking subsidies to live comfortably in other cities.

Now, the whole A3 District has been transformed into a research base for supernatural phenomena, with all entrances sealed off.

As an outstation researcher of Yingchuan Academy, Yang Guangzhao had already stayed in this place for more than twenty days.

Although he had good food and drinks every day, the calm days made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Having been a soldier, he really couldn’t get used to the plain life.

Without the stern drill sergeant, or morning exercises, Yang Guangzhao felt his joints were almost rusting.

But when he tried to train by himself...

He always felt the atmosphere was missing, that something was lacking while exercising.

"Brother Yang, I heard a peerless macho man is coming to our A3 District today. Do you know who it is?"

The speaker, in his early twenties, stood like a green pine, walking with the wind, exhibiting a soldier’s posture.

Yang Guangzhao, as the veteran, habitually called him Xiao Wang.

"Peerless macho man is a bit too much."

He rubbed the bristles on his chin, speaking in a deep voice: "That person was still in high school before..."

"But..."

"When he arrives, you little brats better show some respect!"

"Did you hear me?"

Xiao Wang, being of the type that ignores the consequences, retorted with a stiff neck after hearing these words: "Why should I? A student who hasn’t even grown all his hair yet..."

Yang Guangzhao slapped him on the head, interrupting his words: "Hey, you rookie! Still want to argue with your older brother!"

"The man has accomplished great feats!"

"Yesterday’s ’temporary exercise’ over in Jinshui Town, you know about it, right?"

Xiao Wang, who was a bit playful before, immediately adopted a serious demeanor: "I know, whatever they say about exercises, we soldiers all know, that can’t be an exercise."

"I’ve heard, more than thirty comrades-in-arms were killed..."

Yang Guangzhao sighed, patting Xiao Wang on the head: "As long as you know."

"Let’s put it like this..."

"If it weren’t for the ’macho man’ we just mentioned, the death toll would’ve at least been this!"

Saying this, Yang Guangzhao raised his right hand, indicating a six.

"Hmm..."

Xiao Wang gasped: "Ah, this! Directly doubled?"

"Hehe."

Yang Guangzhao grimly replied: "Sixty? Six hundred!"

"This number was derived by the staff department after repeated deductions and calculations."

"So how about it?"

"Convinced yet?"

Actually, this is a misunderstanding.

The 653 deaths Ma Ran mentioned included the overall number of civilians, and the staff department’s calculation was about the same.

Yang Guangzhao misinterpreted the scope of this number.

However, no one explained these details to him.

At this point, the previously dissatisfied Xiao Wang immediately wilted.

Even though Yang Guangzhao liked to hit people, had a bad temper, and a basket full of bad habits, he had one merit – he hated others bluffing, and never boasted himself!

So the credibility of Yang Guangzhao’s words was high.

After wrestling with himself for a while, Xiao Wang finally asked: "What’s the name of that macho man?"

Yang Guangzhao didn’t answer.

He just looked up, squinting, gazing into the distance: "He’s already arrived."