Chapter 174 Xingmei and Jiaojiao
"Hope Township." Xiao Zhen slowly repeated the place name. He had heard of this place a long time ago.
Even in the Galactic Federation with billions of planets, Hopeland is mysterious. There are countless contradictory rumors surrounding this planet. Some say that this planet is a paradise full of hope, and anyone can realize their dreams and live and work in peace on this planet. Others say that this planet is actually a terrifying relic hiding a lot of dark and mysterious technologies, and that the workers back then did not actually succeed. This planet, formerly known as Yasa, is still ruled by some dark strange creatures, and its prosperous and free appearance is just an illusion. Of course, the latter statement is regarded as sour talk from other planets whose economies are inferior.
Unlike most of the prosperous city stars in the Galactic Federation, Hope Township does not have a direct governor sent by the Galactic Federation. It is an independent planet with complete autonomy by citizens. No matter how much this planet is slandered, it is still a rare civilized world open to all citizens of the Galactic Federation. It is thriving and full of vitality, attracting countless dream chasers and tourists who come to vacation.
"I've heard about Hope Township," Xiao Zhen said, "What about Xingmei and Jiaojiao? Do they really exist?"
He Zhining thought for a moment, and then said, "They really exist, or you could say they don't really exist."
"What's the meaning?"
He Zhining said, "I noticed that you called the three crew members on your ship Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei? I remember that these should be three heroes in a local historical novel in Laura."
"Oh, these three Gnus people like the Three Brothers of Peach Garden in the Three Kingdoms very much, so they used this name as the local name in Lola, um, Earth."
"Then do you know the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"
"Well, I'm pretty familiar with it."
"So, do you think the three heroes fighting Lu Bu really happened?"
"This..." Xiao Zhen said, "As far as I know, this incident should only be a plot in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. There is no record of it in history books."
"Yes, but the classic scenes of the Three Kingdoms that local people talk about with great relish always include the battle between the Three Heroes and Lu Bu. This theme can also be often seen in wood carvings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. People love this story."
"you mean?"
"Xiaozhen, stories are a very interesting medium. Different from historical events that are recorded in a cold way, I think when stories are passed down from generation to generation, they are alive, and they must have some driving force for the storytellers to spread them. Just think about it, facing the invincible Lu Bu at that time, the three unknown brothers Liu, Guan and Zhang were willing to stand up and fight against the undefeatable enemy. What an exciting and passionate scene. The reason why the Three Kingdoms stories are timeless is that people have loved these stories for thousands of years." He Zhining said, "If they were just recorded coldly like in history books, saying that these heroes never met, people would not like to hear this."
"I think I understand what you mean. Are you trying to say that Xingmei and Jiaojiao were both made up by the locals?"
"No, this is not completely fabricated. Xiao Zhen, the story of Losa that my mother and her friend asked me to play in Lola has been circulating in Hope Township for a thousand years. During the long time of a thousand years, this story has gone through countless narrators, and each narrator will give new meaning to the story. In order to be passed down, there must be a hot spot to attract the audience and make the audience moved or happy. Only in this way can the legend have vitality. Narrators are not history teachers. They are not responsible for the rigor of history. They are only responsible for the fun of the story."
"I understand. Interesting legends always spread more widely than real history."
"In history, there have been many outstanding heroes around Lothar, the most famous of whom are the great prophet Ms. M'li and the wise founder Ms. Lianna. Their glorious names are recorded in the history books of Hopeland. The storytellers drew inspiration from these heroines and continued to embellish and render them. After generations of expansion, Xingmei and Jiaojiao were born." He Zhining held onto the wall of the ship and stared at the dark starry sky. "In this sense, Xingmei and Jiaojiao have been endowed with the love and hope of many generations. They are not real, but they are also real heroes."
“Then can I also say that the Losa in the animation is not real, but Losa is also real.”
He Zhining smiled and said, "To borrow a phrase from a certain philosopher, stories are lies, and stories are also the truth."
After counting the number of refugees on Xinyue III, the Zejin began docking with the abandoned ship, and the refugees lined up and walked along the side corridor. Both mentally and physically, these refugees were in a terrible state. A pair of young Homo sapiens who looked like siblings walked up to He Zhining, and the elder sister asked softly, "Excuse me..."
"What do you want?" He Zhining asked her. "You are going to another ship now. If you have any questions, you can ask this person directly..." He Zhining paused. Xiaozhen looked so young that he didn't know how to introduce her to her.
"I'm Yan Zhen." Xiao Zhen said, "Do you need any help?"
"Hello, Mr. Yan Zhen." The elder sister, who was estimated to be only 10 years old in human years, timidly pointed to a room in the wreckage, "Our parents are there..."
Two cold, blood-stained body bags floated in the room. This was not surprising. About 80% of the passengers on the ship died, and most of the survivors had lost their families. In just a few days, they were forced to leave their homes, and now they had lost their loved ones, and they couldn't even take their bodies with them. He Zhining said softly, "Now your parents are in eternal sleep, and they can't go with you."
My sister's eyes turned red, but she remained strong and did not shed tears. She asked again, "So, when can we see their...bodies again?" She did not pronounce the word "bodies" correctly, obviously she had just learned it.
"When everyone is safe, the government will send people to recover the bodies. Don't worry." He Zhining pretended to be sure of what he said, even though he himself was not sure. His sister nodded, pulled her brother and turned around to look at the bodies of their parents again, and continued to move forward with the team.
"Will the government really come to reclaim the bodies?" Xiao Zhen asked He Zhining in a low voice.
He Zhining said: "This area is full of refugees fleeing, and there are such things everywhere. There is no time to deal with it."
Zhang Fei suddenly said, "I hope we don't encounter any pirates."
Guan Yu patted him and said, "Don't say such unlucky words on the boat."
Zhang Fei muttered, "Brother Liu Bei's business was ruined when his merchant ship encountered pirates. I just hope that this won't happen again..."
Before he finished speaking, a red signal light suddenly flashed wildly on the bulkhead, followed by an alarm on the communication channel.
"An unidentified ship is approaching!! Warning!! Warning!! It's pirates!!! It's pirates!!"
"Oh my God, you really mean what you say!" cried Gamor.
Zhang Fei: “…”
Xiao Zhen quickly came to the control room and saw a large shadow on the screen. The leading ship was approaching them at an accelerated speed, heading straight for the Zekin and Karbela.
The communication channel kept transmitting alarms. He Zhining's communicator kept ringing. They were all from the captains of the four transport ships. Pirates are coming! Pirates are coming!
"Everyone, hurry up and get on the Zekin! Go to the bottom of the cabin immediately! Ms. Fei will guide you!" Xiao Zhen shouted to the refugees. The refugees ran in panic, running along the corridor of the Zekin.
Xiao Zhen turned around and shouted to He Zhining: "You stay on my boat! It's dangerous for you to go back now."
He Zhining shook his head: "I have an obligation to protect the refugees on my ship."
"The Carbella is on the outside and will be the first target to be attacked by pirates."
"My crew are all there, I have to go back." He Zhining turned and ran towards the hangar, and left in a small boat.
A signal suddenly cut into Xiao Zhen's communication channel. Captain Madara shouted: "I told you long ago that these three Gnus people are really unlucky!!"
"Don't talk about this now!!"
The pirate ships were approaching. There were six modified ships, and the leading pirate ship had the bones of an alien whale on its huge hull, clamoring for murder. This was a modified military cruiser, and its gunfire was definitely not something that ordinary civilian ships could withstand.
If it concentrated its fire, the Carbela would be smashed to pieces in ten minutes. But their purpose was obviously not that. The screen showed that a number of landing craft were approaching the Carbela. Their goal was to capture the ship. And the pirates' occupation was always just killing and looting.
"Captain Madara."
"Um?"
"You take charge of the command," Xiao Zhen said, "I'll go to the Calbella."
Now that he had met He Zhining, he certainly had the obligation to protect this future brother-in-law. He didn't want to see An Keke's crying face.
A loud bang suddenly sounded, followed by a violent shaking, and Captain Madara said, "I have good news for you, Xiaozhen, I'm afraid you can't go for a while. Our ship has also been invaded by a landing craft."
“…”
Pressing the button on the metal handle, a blue force field light spurted out, the light wrapped around the sword body and kept shaking and dancing. This is a power sword, a weapon that Xiao Zhen used in the past. Soldiers will regard their weapons as a testimony of glory. But Xiao Zhen has never been interested in this kind of glory. It was damaged once, and Xiao Zhen abandoned it. Unexpectedly, Ze Jin actually found it and repaired it, and quietly put it back in Xiao Zhen's room on the ship.
Does this guy think that I will definitely encounter something that can only be resolved by force?
The light danced on the sword, and Xiao Zhen could feel the power contained in it. This repaired sword was far from its former peak, but it was still usable. Xiao Zhen swung it a few times, leaving several afterimages in the air.
The repaired sword had not been adjusted, so it was not easy to use and its power was greatly reduced, but it would definitely be enough to deal with the villains on the ship.
Xiao Zhen thought so and walked on the vibrating deck, heading straight for the accident site.
…
…
After a few minutes, he stared in silence at the invading enemy.
"Oh, we meet again." The other party showed a venomous smile.
Shark Tooth, the most wanted criminal of the Galactic Federation, stood on the deck and greeted him like a ghostly shadow in the darkness.
Xiao Zhen looked at him in silence. The man's dark hair was casually scattered, his scarlet metal claws were shining coldly, and his pupils on his pale cheeks were burning like lava. He was like the god of death from the underworld. In a sense, this dangerous man was more terrifying than the real god of death.
Suddenly, a dog came out from behind Sharktooth's legs, sniffed, and wagged its tail at Xiaozhen.
Xiao Zhen looked at the dog, and then he said loudly to Shark Tooth: "It turned out that you stole our Lao Guo's dog!!!"
