Kang stared at his name written on the Scroll of Genealogy, his mind a total mess.
Husband of Liu Xiao Lin...
Faces flickered through his mind—his master, his adopted mother, little Tong... and finally, Xiao Lin.
They had always been close, drawn to each other in ways neither dared to admit. Yet, there had never been a confession, or promises. He had been too afraid, afraid of disrupting the harmony of the family that had given him everything, afraid of change, afraid of loss. The last words she ever said to him before he left for that doomed expedition still echoed faintly in his memory.
"Please return to us safely."
And he couldn't even fulfill that simple wish.
"Well, I guess that solves the question about your identity~"
Lena suddenly said, breaking the silence and pulling him back from his spiraling thoughts. Xiao Yun nodded in agreement.
"I'm sorry for doubting you, senior brother," she said gently. "It must have been hard for you, carrying all that alone."
The two shared a quiet look of understanding before standing up.
"You should rest for now," Lena added softly. "You've got a lot to think about."
"We'll retire for the night," Xiao Yun said. "I'll leave the Scroll of Genealogy here for you. Please take care of it, senior brother."
Without waiting for him to respond, they both slipped out of the room.
Kang let out a weak chuckle.
"Those girls…"
He knew exactly what they were doing, giving him space to grieve in peace. It was oddly heartwarming, being cared for by girls who were, in truth, centuries younger than he was.
His gaze returned to the scroll. Thoughts of Xiao Lin filled his mind again. She had been just like that too—kind, gentle, always putting others before herself.
He had planned to propose to her after returning from that mission... if he could gather the courage. But fate had already written a cruel script. The old superstition came to mind... men who talk about retiring after one last job, or marrying after one last trip, always die before they get the chance. He gave a dry laugh.
"Guess I really did set up a flag, huh..."
So Xiao Lin had known about his intentions too. She was always perceptive, perhaps too perceptive. But to marry a dead man... what was she thinking? No, what was his family thinking? How could they possibly allow her to do something like that?
Yet, even as he questioned it, warmth spread quietly through his chest. Knowing that they had accepted him, that they had always considered him a part of the family, filled him with a bittersweet happiness.
"Damn," he murmured to himself, "what a hypocrite I am."
His fingers brushed lightly across the old scroll. Again and again, he read the names, tracing them like fragile memories... until his mind drifted back to those long-lost days of laughter, training, and happiness...
Before he knew it, night had come.
He looked at his IDB and saw that it was almost midnight.
There was no moon here in the slums. Of course, there wasn't even a real sky, only dim artificial lights casting a pale glow over the rustic temple, making everything feel cold and distant.
"Farewell, Xiao Lin, my dear wife. I will never forget you, just as you never forgot me."
In the midst of that eerie stillness, his mind had never been clearer. At last, he could let go of the past and live fully in this new era. He would protect the Liu family, his family, and carry on their martial heritage, spreading it to more people, just as his master had always wished.
Now, what should he do about a place to sleep tonight? He couldn't exactly wake someone up and ask "Hey, where do I sleep," could he? Guess he'd just rest here. He had no problem sleeping on hard floors, infact he was too used to that.
Then, he noticed soft footsteps approaching. The sound was faint, so faint that if not for his heightened senses, he might have missed it entirely.
Who could that be?
He listened more closely. The steps were light, but each one carried a subtle metallic clink.
There was only one person here with cybernetic legs. Lena. Did she still have something to discuss with him?
As if confirming his thought, the footsteps stopped outside the room. Then came the faint rustle of fabrics.
"Kang, you're still awake, right? I'm coming in..."
Before he could respond, she had already opened the door and stepped inside. Kang turned toward her and then froze, his words catching in his throat.
It took him several seconds to gather himself before he finally managed to ask.
"Why are you naked?"
-----
Kang was panicking a little.
Okay, first, calm down. Let's try to recap what happened since he met Lena.
She had been leading her gang against that pile of metal called Big John. During the fight, she and Xiao Yun were both in trouble, Xiao Yun nearly got herself killed before he stepped in and took care of the guy.
After the battle ended, they talked in this very room about his identity. Lena had been cheerful, empathetic and kind, a really nice girl. Then she and Xiao Yun left, giving him space to be alone.
And that was it.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, could've prepared him for… this.
Kang couldn't tear his gaze away from her naked body. She was slim and tall, like that of a model from his era. Her firm breasts were perfectly proportioned, just the right size to fit in his hands, their small, pink nipples standing erect. Her long, elegant cyberware legs—silver and sparkling faintly in the dim light—seamlessly joined at her thighs, a marvel of tech and flesh. Between them, her mysterious valley lay fully exposed to Kang's wide eyes, the tiny slit glistening wet beneath a natural green bush. Wait, her hair was naturally green? He'd always assumed it was dyed…
A whirlwind of random thoughts ricocheted through his mind. He couldn't make sense of it. Was this reality, or had he drifted into sleep, lost in a vivid wet dream?
After waiting for a while and seeing Kang remain silent, Lena spoke up, her voice trembling slightly.
"Is it too ugly?"
"What?" Kang asked, his eyes still glued to her body.
"This... body of mine, and these fake legs..."
Lena looked at him, searching for an answer, anxiety lacing her voice.
"Of course not!" Kang blurted out without thinking. "It's beautiful, there's not a single spot on your body that's ugly! They're perfect, like works of art..."
Damn, what was he saying now?
However, Lena's eyes lit up at his honest reaction. Her lips parted into a wicked, seductive smile that mesmerized Kang.
So she could smile like that... He thought to himself.
As if regaining her courage, Lena stepped closer to Kang. He sat there in a daze, watching that beautiful body draw nearer and nearer… until she was almost upon him.
"Wait!" He stopped her hands from caressing him. "I'm a married man!"
That's right, he was married. Married men don't do these kinds of things... or do they? Kang wasn't too sure, but it was all he could cling to right now to keep himself from losing control.
"A widowed man, you mean?"
Lena whispered into his ear, effortlessly shattering his last bastion of defense.
"A widowed man in need of some comforting, which I'm more than glad to provide..."
She was all over him, her lower body pressed against his legs, nipples brushing lightly against his shirt, her lovely face merely inches away. He could smell a faint, sweet scent on her hot breath.
"Why?" That was all he could muster weakly.
"I told you before, didn't I? I like you, that's why!"
"Still, don't you think it's a bit too fast?"
"Down here in the slum, we live in the present. No time to waste, because there might not even be a tomorrow..." She smiled and answered him softly.
Seeing his troubled expression, she think for a moment, then spoke.
"Did you know that cyberware augmentation does weird things to a body?"
Kang looked at her, recalled hearing something similar from that gangster he'd first met, and nodded.
"No matter how well they're made, they're still foreign objects to our bodies and mess us up in some way. As for my legs..."
Lena spoke between panting breaths, her face flushing red with every word.
"... when I overuse them, they make me... horny... beyond reason."
Kang's eyes widened. Was Lena telling him that her cyberware legs doubled as libido boosters? How wonderf... no, no, he meant, how terrible it must have been for her.
"... can't take it anymore... give me a little help... please..."
Lena was growing delirious, her self-control slipping away by the second.
No healthy man would refuse a girl begging for help like that. And Kang was more than just healthy. If she needed his help then he would give it to her, and then some.
Moans and panting soon echoed through the room.
Needless to say, Kang didn't get any sleep that night.