John couldn't care less about Jin Zhenghan's last words, bursting into a devastating scream as he flung open the door and rushed out, leaving Jin Zhenghan alone in place, his earlier words echoing repeatedly in the hollow underground.

"Seal... Siren King..."

"Siren King..."

...

At the south end of the small town, the mercenary squad advanced eastward, working in tandem and spreading out in tactical formation. Every flicker of gunfire meant another body fell straight down in the rain, be it Fishmen or family members, they massacred everything in sight.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me, I beg you, I beg you."

A member of the Lindong family was dragged out from beneath a grocery stall, the man disheveled, his lips pale and trembling incessantly, unable to speak clearly; he witnessed these mercenaries shoot his uncle right before his eyes and slit his sister's throat with a dagger.

In the man's eyes, this group of combat-seasoned, well-trained mercenaries were like Demon Kings from Hell, ordinary people had no capacity to resist in front of them!

White Snake aimed his gun at the man while Lone Wolf crouched down and stabbed a dagger straight into the man's thigh, not waiting for the man's scream of pain, a handgun directly pressed into the man's open mouth.

"I speak, you answer."

A voice devoid of any emotion came from beneath the combat mask.

The man's senses dulled by the lethally cold gun muzzle, nodded like a pecking chick.

Hawk stepped forward, waving photos of two children in front of the man:

"Have you seen these two kids?"

The man shook his head instinctively, realizing the coldness in their eyes, he hurriedly continued:

"I may not know where they are, but they're definitely children from the town, right? If they're town children, they'd certainly be in the library at this time, I saw it with my own eyes when two girls hid them over there!"

The man pointed eastward.

Then, the man forced out a smile to appease them: "I can show you the way, don't kill me, I'm a member of the Lindong family, I can give you a lot of money!"

Responding to him was White Snake's cold stare, and a gun barrel pressed against his forehead.

The gunshot echoed beneath the gray sky for a long time, under the old clock tower, in a library, children huddled together fearfully, crying into their hands quietly; they had recently witnessed their own parents being torn apart by rampaging Fishmen or shot dead by strangers.

Fear permeated the cramped room, seeing the children crying, Amy felt deeply troubled and looked towards Tang Xin, who did not comfort the crying children but calmly walked to the window, observing the surroundings. Confirming that no one noticed them temporarily, she drew the curtains, darkening the entire classroom.

Four people moving together would draw too much attention, and Shanshan, being sickly for a long time and having difficulty moving around, would only cause more trouble if any action was taken. Thus, staying in this classroom with the children was the only option.

Amy walked to Tang Xin's side: "Is this really okay?"

"There's no better way." Tang Xin said. "If you want to convince Beck to go look for Anchor Point with you, you have to take care of Shanshan too, right."

Tang Xin herself wasn't aware of it, but she was learning from the blonde girl to analyze problems from a perspective of benefits.

Amy wanted to tell the girl not to push herself when facing danger, but she knew the other was very stubborn about certain things.

Listening to their conversation, Shanshan curled up fearfully behind Tang Xin, holding the girl's waist, as Beck left with Amy to search for clues about Anchor Point. Before leaving, Beck looked back at the children in the classroom, his gaze finally landing on Shanshan behind Tang Xin.

Beck's face showed a maturity beyond his years, and he wanted to tell the other to protect his sister no matter what, but words failed him. Did the other truly have that obligation?

Past experiences had made him calmly mature, understanding at a young age the interests, obligations, and values each person carried.

In the end, he said: "I will come back soon."

After they left, the classroom's children kept crying non-stop, it was as chaotic as a large foster home, reminding Tang Xin of her time in the foster home.

Even the originally strong-willed children, once affected by hearing others cry, began sniffing and crying involuntarily. Shanshan, who had been trying to comfort others, was left at a loss.

On the podium, a girl in a doll dress looked on disdainfully: "What a bunch of crybabies, just whining and whining, it's so annoying."

She glanced sidelong and secretly observed Tang Xin beside her.

This sister is so beautiful, just like on TV, so quiet.

The girl sat next to Tang Xin, swinging her legs: "Sister, my name is Shu Tong, I know you, sister, you're a big star in the city, and I listen to your songs every night."

"Shu Tong..." Tang Xin murmured.

"The Shu as in comfortable, the Tong as in parasol." The girl added.

"Aren't you going to comfort them, sister? If they're this noisy, they'll draw those crazies over, won't they?"

Tang Xin was amazed at this girl's psychological resilience, shaking her head without saying anything. In this situation, comforting those who lost their parents quietly was impossible. She did not think yelling at them would intimidate them, instead, it might have the opposite effect.

"Sister, how about just leaving them all?" Shu Tong suggested. "Just take me, I won't cry, I'm well-behaved."

Tang Xin: "..." Her mindset couldn't even compare to a child's.

Tang Xin shook her head and asked: "Shu Tong, do you want to hear a song?"

A guitar appeared in Tang Xin's arms, her fingers plucking the strings, the familiar feel stirring many emotions in her heart. The last time she played this tune was in a small apartment room.

The two began chatting naturally like fans meeting an idol.

"Anything's fine, as long as you play it, I listen to your albums every night to fall asleep."

Tang Xin recalled the melody.

Shu Tong observed Tang Xin closely.

Sister's eyelashes are so long, her eyes are serene yet slightly melancholy, her aura is wonderful, much prettier than on TV with makeup.

"Then, I'll start," said Tang Xin.

The calm and serene melody echoed above the classroom, the soft notes flowing like gentle hands comforting the children's saddened and anxious hearts, taking them away from their world of sufferings, allowing them to momentarily forget their sadness. Gradually, the children who initially cried anxiously stopped, looking in bewilderment at the girl sitting on the podium.

Tang Xin's deep blue hair cascaded over the guitar's strings and her fingertips, the youthful inexperience in her personality was fading with growth, replaced by the strength and stubbornness in the depths of her eyes. She knew, everyone has their principles, as long as one doesn't affect others, they should do what they believe is right.

If everyone were perfect, if every action were correct, and if everything were as people wish, there wouldn't be so much injustice in the world, nor should there be so much sadness.

Is the hallmark of growth inevitably suffering?

Must growth always entail losing something?

If only she were stronger, strong enough to change the world, strong enough to alter everything before tragedy strikes, so that fate wouldn't dare joke with people.

Instead of only sitting here comforting those children who've just lost their parents with her song.

The temporarily forgotten sorrow will one day surge like a tide, drowning everyone.

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