Chapter 438

Chapter 438: Great! I’m Charging Ahead!

Aside from that, there was another small matter that somewhat shook his worldview.

After replaying the trial process of Arthur, Wencheng, and that judge in his mind many times, Liu Xiaoheng felt something was off.

Fortunately, those responsible for broadcasting had very flexible boundaries. They recorded the entire trial and archived it, allowing ordinary citizens to rewatch the entire process of the ten council members stepping down by simply following the application process.

After watching the replay twice, Liu Xiaoheng finally found the inconsistency—

He is thirty-nine years old, meaning he should have been born in the 14th year of the New Era.

His parents had him when they were twenty-six, but this did not match the known timeline—

His parents were obviously not awakened humans from the Old Era; otherwise, they could not have worked in a factory their entire lives.

So, Liu Xiaoheng rummaged through his home and eventually found his adoption records.

With this adoption record and his identity information, Liu Xiaoheng applied to access part of the public documents.

These documents, containing resident information, were made available to all residents of Hope City at Arthur’s suggestion. After all, the matter of everyone’s memories being altered could not be reversed, but at least they had the right to know.

Soon, Liu Xiaoheng found his parents in the files, and based on the timeline, his parents were both “Accelerated Adults” from the early New Era, and their age at the time of adoption wasn’t twenty-six but… twelve years old.

"Accelerated Adults" often display unpredictable physical defects, with the most common being infertility.

To stabilize the loyalty of "Accelerated Adults" and avoid a crisis of continuity in Hope City, the council members once again thawed and cultivated a batch of embryos left over from the Old Era.

However, this time they did not use any special agents for rapid growth; instead, they genuinely nurtured the embryos in greenhouses for ten months and then randomly distributed the newborns to couples of "Accelerated Adults" who had exceeded half of their lifespan, had no children, and had filed an application.

With the continuation of new lives, the stability of Hope City significantly increased. Although the lives of the newborns would likely be no different from theirs now, one reason life brings hope is the uncertainty of the future.

After the council members performed several mass adoptions, they deliberately weakened memories related to the adoption relationship during the subsequent uses of Unit One, ensuring that neither parents nor children would easily remember their adopted status.

Until now, Speaker Arthur unveiled the truth to everyone in Hope City.

While this did not bring any substantial benefits, it at least marked a significant increase in trust.

As for Liu Xiaoheng, aside from receiving an unexpected fortune and learning about his original identity, his daily life improved significantly in terms of safety but seemed to have changed little otherwise.

On a day in early March, he finished work early and returned home. Just as he sat down to take a couple of sips of water, he heard a knock on the door.

How strange.

Liu Xiaoheng thought to himself; he had few friends, and the few who did visit rarely came in person unless there was something urgent.

He set down his cup and opened the front door to see a familiar face.

“Captain?”

The visitor was a former officer from his time in the city defense army. Although he had come in light clothing, the expression on his face was unusually serious.

“Please come in.”

Liu Xiaoheng showed enough respect to this old acquaintance and superior.

However, when the door fully opened, he noticed that his old officer was followed by two soldiers who were dressed somewhat strangely.

Yet given that they were in official attire, coupled with the recent improvement in security and Liu Xiaoheng’s disbelief that anyone would dare harm a city defense army officer, he invited all three into his humble home.

Even so, Liu Xiaoheng could still feel the serious atmosphere. He intended to serve water to the three guests but was stopped.

“We’re here to ask you something, and we’ll leave once we’re done.”

Liu Xiaoheng sat on the single sofa and gazed at the three people:

“What’s the matter?”

“I heard you still want to return to the city defense army?”

The Captain inquired cautiously.

“Yes, I dream of it every day.”

Liu Xiaoheng responded without hesitation,

“Sweeping the streets is dull. Fighting extraordinary beasts on the frontlines is what truly excites me.”

The Captain turned to the two oddly dressed soldiers:

“See? Spirited personality, proper attitude, brimming with enthusiasm.”

One of them nodded, while the other retrieved a folder from his oversized coat and handed it to Liu Xiaoheng:

“Please verify your personal information. If everything is in order, there’s an opportunity for you to return to the battlefield.”

Having served in the city defense army for over a decade, Liu Xiaoheng was literate. He took the folder, opened it, and saw his life history:

[Name: Liu Xiaoheng

Gender: Male

Birth Date: April 10th, New Era 14 (Batch Six from the greenhouse)

Reason for Discharge: Decline in physical function (Common greenhouse symptom 6-4)…]

After carefully reviewing the details, Liu Xiaoheng signed his name at the bottom and returned the folder to the soldier.

The other soldier stepped forward and began to deliver what seemed like a well-rehearsed speech:

“Under the directive of Mr. Speaker, the three major organizations are currently collaborating to develop a new batch of combat equipment, which will be deployed immediately after production.

“To ensure efficiency and seize combat opportunities, the army is forming a new unit for equipment testing and the development of new tactics. Retired soldiers with ample combat experience and unwavering loyalty to humanity are given priority to join.

“This is not compulsory; the choice is yours. However, regardless of your decision, you must not disclose today’s conversation to anyone.

“That’s all I have to say. Former city defense army soldier Liu Xiaoheng, you may now ask questions. If there are none, please make your decision.”

The impassioned speech stirred Liu Xiaoheng’s blood as he sat on the single sofa, but after a moment of thought, he asked the question that weighed most heavily on his mind:

“But my body can no longer endure the rigors of training.”

“That’s not an issue.”

The soldier replied:

“If you choose to join, professionals will provide treatment and rehabilitation for you. Mr. Speaker has emphasized that the sole criterion for selection is—boundless loyalty to humanity.”

This response filled Liu Xiaoheng with even greater excitement. He could feel the veins on his temples pulsing, and the rush of blood in his ears was almost audible.

He looked at the people before him, took a deep breath, and declared resolutely:

“I choose to join!”