Sunflower Seeds

Campbell Russell was almost shocked, his eyes wide in disbelief. "They're edible! Why didn't Grandma tell me?" He scratched his head, and a look of regret immediately appeared in his dark eyes, as if he regretted giving us the seeds.

"That's great!" Edmond exclaimed with excitement as he looked at the seeds in my hand. "We've found another edible crop!"

"Indeed, not only can the seeds be eaten, but we can also make sunflower oil, which is delicious for cooking," I added. Campbell Russell blinked, turned his face up, and swallowed hard.

Suddenly, he turned to Edmond with a serious expression. "You must cultivate them well!"

"Yes!" Edmond nodded emphatically.

The two boys, bathed in moonlight, completely let go of their preconceptions about each other because of these small sunflower seeds.

Seeing that they had exchanged gifts, I looked at myself. I wasn't wearing anything, and what was in my bag? No, the things in my bag were too meaningless. Suddenly, a glint caught my eye on my chest – the emblem! It was the only thing that looked somewhat significant.

I immediately took off the emblem and placed it in front of Campbell Russell. "This is my lucky badge, and I think..." I lowered my head, and both Campbell Russell and Edmond looked at me. "Today, meeting you both and surviving a great danger, it's because of this badge bringing me luck." I raised my head, and Edmond and Campbell Russell's faces showed a touch of emotion again as they fell silent once more.

I took a step forward, and Edmond immediately supported me. Limping, I reached Campbell Russell and, with a complicated expression, he gazed deeply at me. I pinned the emblem on his chest. "I hope it will protect you in the future. Thank you, Campbell Russell, for saving my life." A lucky charm is something people invest with special meaning. Our emblem, our Martian Group, the flag on the emblem burned like flames, a spark of hope like a star.

Also... red is an auspicious color in our Mars Group. In case... just in case, I mean, if I can't go back, I hope to see Campbell Russell again here.

Campbell Russell stared at the emblem on his chest for a long time. It shone particularly brightly in the moonlight, like a tiny star in the night sky. His expression became complex, and when he looked at me again, the deep black starry eyes revealed a trace of reluctance and sincerity, a sentiment belonging to one boy for another.

He raised his hand and touched my head. "Take care." He uttered these three words but couldn't say anything else. His hand lingered on the top of my head for a long time. He furrowed his brows, withdrew his hand, and walked toward his fellow tribesmen. In that moment, he took away the warmth that had been above my head.I could feel his concern for me. It seemed like he didn't want me to go with Edmond because he disliked the people of Silvermoon City. However, he had no choice. As he said, he couldn't heal my injuries, so he had to hand me over to the person he disliked.

"Let's go too," Edmond said as he held onto my arm. I nodded, and he let go of my arm. When I looked confused, he crouched down in front of me. "Get on."So, he wanted to carry me.

I obediently laid on his back, and he lifted me up. I turned my head to look at Campbell Russell, who was walking away from us. The people coming out of the warehouse had their eyes fixed on him, just like me. He was destined to be a leader, attracting the attention of others. That was his charm, and his fate was bound to be extraordinary.

 A long vehicle emerged from the warehouse, towing the cages we had seen before. When the vehicle stopped, the people went back into the cages. Following that, Campbell Russell jumped onto the front of the vehicle, and the person in the driver's seat stepped aside for him to sit.

He glanced at us from a distance, withdrew his gaze, and began operating something. Suddenly, I saw steel plates rising around each of those cages! The cages were enclosed one by one, appearing like confinement, but it looked more like a form of protection.

"That's a radiation-proof vehicle," Edmond explained as he placed me at the entrance of the spaceship, seeming to sense my confusion.

I continued to gaze in confusion. He jumped onto the spaceship and looked down at me with doubt. "Do you really... not remember anything?"I withdrew my gaze and shook my head.

"How do you then recognize the sunflower seeds?" He stared deeply at my face, with purple light flowing in his eyes. I looked into the distance and said, "I don't know. I just suddenly remembered..." Mathematicians can still solve complex math problems even if they lose their memory. Scientists can still conduct research. Special forces can still use their skills. The brain is a mysterious thing, and I felt like I didn't need to explain.

Edmond looked at me quietly for a while, then helped me up and walked towards the cabin.

The cabin of the spaceship was also disc-shaped. In the middle, the most spacious area had two white, egg-shaped chairs. Edmond helped me onto one, and as soon as I sat down, the seat emitted a blue light, and the safety belt was already fastened around my body. Edmond sat in the other chair, but his expression suddenly became serious and deep, completely different from before. He exuded an aura of detachment, warning others not to approach.

The cabin door slowly closed, and I could clearly feel the spaceship floating up. Through the round window on the side, I saw Campbell Russell's vehicle slowly leaving. The long string of vehicles looked like a centipede moving slowly in the moonlight. As the spaceship ascended, the vehicles became smaller and thinner, turning into a thin centipede on the red earth.At this moment, I noticed that there was not a single plant in my field of view! Only that crimson land, emitting a blood-red glow under the moonlight!

How could this be?!I leaned on the window, and the chair beneath me turned as I turned towards the window. I anxiously looked out, but there were no cities, no houses, no fertile fields, no forests, and no mountains, rivers, or streams—nothing! Just that red soil!

At this height, the visible range should be vast! The desolate world I witnessed made my heart start to panic. The vast stretches of polluted land, the land they occasionally mentioned, the precious seeds, tattered clothes, impoverished and dirty civilians, and even the radiated individuals, and those with abilities!

All the desolation, devastation, poverty, and despair revealed seemed like the arrival of the apocalypse, leaving no hope, surviving in the cracks!

"Is Campbell Russell still unwilling to go to Silvermoon City?" Suddenly, I heard the pilot's words. I was surprised; it seemed like the pilot knew everything? Moreover, the tone sounded like Edmond had known Campbell Russell for a long time?

I turned slightly to look at Edmond beside me. He appeared somewhat tired, leaning in his seat. The egg-shaped seat slightly obscured his profile, making his profound features somewhat elusive.

"Yeah," Edmond responded briefly, without saying more.

"Heh, that's his loss. It seems there was nothing gained this time," the pilot chuckled.

"No, the gain is even greater," Edmond said as he raised his hand, revealing a green, glass-like container. Inside it was the seed that Campbell Russell had given him.

Partially concealed by the seat, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, a faint smile tinged with coldness. This coldness seemed to indicate that he had no lingering attachment to the owner of this seed, as long as he obtained it.

I looked at him in astonishment, and he seemed to sense my gaze, leaning back a bit, completely obscuring his face from my view. He reached out and pressed a button on the armrest of the seat. Instantly, a small circular platform rose in front of him, with a small hole in the center. He casually placed the glass tube into the hole, and it rotated down, disappearing into the platform, which then slowly descended.