Chapter 10: Family

After fiddling with the T3 Sniper Assistance Device for a while and putting it away, David dragged his exhausted body to the bathroom. Returning home and regaining his memories, then discovering the Shadow Attendant's secrets, had left him no time to clean the grime from his body. Having survived the explosion, he was already in a sorry state. As fresh water cascaded down from his head, much of his fatigue was washed away.

After cleaning up, he inspected his injuries. The wound on his back had healed considerably in just a day, and the burns on his hand had mostly scabbed over. Compared to his former life, this body was far more robust. Injuries that would have taken a week to heal before could now recover in just a few hours.

"Emma, prepare me a dinner, and add an extra portion of fortified meat!" Dressed in clean clothes and feeling the hunger in his stomach, David called out loudly to the intelligent housekeeper, Emma.

He recalled memories related to Emma, whose name and voice were modeled after a famous actress—the one most adored by his predecessor. David felt a touch of disdain for the former owner, who had spent a considerable sum of credit points to acquire the rights to use the actress’s name and voice for his housekeeper. Perhaps this was the nature of a recluse; whether in his previous life or here, it seemed the same.

Normally, David ate fortified meat just once a day, based on his body's nutritional needs. But today, after practicing the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique, he felt his body’s demand for energy surge. Ordinary food would be insufficient, and might even hinder tomorrow’s training.

"Master, your credit point balance is only 1320. This amount is insufficient to order next month's supply of fortified meat!" While David ate, Emma reminded him.

David suddenly remembered that his predecessor had spent nearly all his assets on materials needed for sacrificial rites. Searching his memories, he relaxed. His income was not insignificant—before her suicide, his mother Cathy had ensured his future, leaving him two commercial properties in other cities, managed by an agency. He received twenty thousand credit points in rent each month.

His predecessor had neglected these properties and had no memory of their locations, but the income alone suggested their importance. For most people, whose monthly income was just three thousand credit points, twenty thousand was a substantial fortune.

So David had no worries about daily expenses; moreover, though he disliked it, Hans still transferred two thousand credit points to his identity card each month for living expenses.

Though his credit points were low at the moment, this would only affect the first few days of next month. Once the agency transferred the rent, he could return to his usual spending.

"Ding dong, ding dong!" The electronic doorbell chimed.

David stopped Emma from going to answer the door, mentally criticizing her unreliability. At this hour, he was the only one living here; it wouldn’t do to open the door to just anyone.

He put down his knife, activated his identity bracelet, and pulled up the video feed from the entrance—the bracelet managed all the security systems for his home.

On screen, he saw a thin, middle-aged man dressed in a Federation-standard official uniform. On the chest of the uniform, a golden badge gleamed softly.

David immediately recognized the man: his father, Hans Kerr, wearing the "National Hero" badge.

Now David understood why Emma had been about to open the door without asking his permission—Hans, as his guardian, needed no consent to enter. For Hans to even ring the doorbell was already a sign of deep respect.

David was still unprepared for this meeting, but he stood and went to the door.

Seeing Hans in person was different from the video feed; memories flooded David’s mind. There were moments of his predecessor with his father—fond recollections of Hans returning from the battlefield with gifts, playing together. These memories merged with David’s own from another world, suppressing the predecessor’s resentment toward Hans.

"Father!" David called out as soon as he saw Hans.

Hans looked surprised, but his face quickly broke into a pleased smile. David hadn’t called him that in years. After Cathy’s death, David had treated Hans almost as an enemy.

To Hans, this was a natural reaction after surviving a life-threatening event—David was still just a child.

"David, I heard about your accident this morning. It was so dangerous! How are your injuries?" Hans paused, then remembered his purpose for coming, asking with concern.

Though he’d learned from his subordinates that David’s injuries were minor, he’d been anxious nonetheless. He’d tried contacting Emma earlier, but was told David was resting, so he hadn’t visited immediately. Only after learning David was available did he hurry over.

"Father, I’m fine. Please come in!" David, uncertain how to interact with Hans, stepped aside and spoke softly.

His gaze drifted to the floating car parked nearby, and he glimpsed two figures, one large and one small, inside.

"David, your Aunt Bertha was worried, and Edie wanted to come too, so I brought them along," Hans explained.

Bertha was David’s stepmother, and Edie was her son with Hans, three years old this year.

"Father, invite Aunt and little brother in as well," David said, unfazed. He had inherited his predecessor’s memories, but his feelings were his own, and he had his own way of treating family.

Hans was not yet fifty, still young by the standards of the Interstellar Federation, where the average lifespan was two hundred years.

David also understood Hans’s hardships. Hans had been trained as an Armored Warrior by the military, discovered for his talent, then subjected to grueling training. Military regulations meant Hans seldom returned home, unable to be with Cathy. His deployment to the War Star had pushed Cathy into illness.

Whether Hans or Cathy was in the right mattered little to David now. He just intended to treat Hans and his family well, as his predecessor never had.

"Alright, I’ll call them over!" Hans, surprised by David’s attitude, was elated. He spoke as he turned to the floating car.

Watching Hans’s unsteady figure, David felt a surge of emotion. He knew the strength of an Armored Warrior, but Hans had long since lost his powerful physique. His left arm and leg were the finest prosthetics, but they could only ensure a normal life.

Hans had once been a Sniper Armored Warrior—a special kind. Having lost his abilities, and lacking much social skill, he remained in Pellan City even after earning the "National Hero" title.

"Brother!" Little Edie ran toward David on his short legs, calling out as he came.

Though David’s predecessor had resisted Aunt Bertha, he adored little Edie, often bringing gifts to the kindergarten.

From memory, Edie was the person his predecessor most wanted to be close to—when with Edie, he felt no troubles and could completely open his heart.

"Edie!" David smiled, opening his arms to lift Edie up, then greeted Bertha, who followed behind, "Hello, Aunt!"

Bertha was taken aback by David’s warmth, but after a moment’s pause, she returned his smile.