Colonial Suit

The old man's eyes were strange, filled with confusion, sadness, and… memories.

His thin, dry fingers gently caressed the paper bag, but he never opened it. Unknowingly, they began to tremble slightly.

A gentle breeze rustled through the forest, causing the leaves to whisper. The old man gazed at the sunlight filtering through the canopy, seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, he sighed softly.

"Now that you've left, why come back…"

"You sent this kid to see me… do you think I'll help you?"

"Or… are you as willful as ever."

The old man didn't continue, but with trembling hands, he opened the paper bag. The contents were simple: a bloodstained scarf and a pair of worn-out boxing gloves.

The boxing gloves were in tatters, clearly having been worn by their owner in countless battles. They bore not only scorch marks but also bullet holes. Unidentified bloodstains had soaked into the material, turning it a dark brown color. The scarf was newer than the gloves, but it had also seen its share of years. It was hand-knitted, but poorly so. Many of the stitches were misplaced, making it look like a child's toy. Only on one corner of the scarf were a few words crookedly embroidered with silk thread.

"Old Deadhead."

The old man silently stared at these words, his eyes gradually becoming moist. Slowly, he released the scarf and closed his eyes.

In truth, he had known all along what was in the paper bag. He knew everything!

But when he opened the bag and saw the contents with his own eyes, he was still overwhelmed with pain. A faint image appeared in his mind, a playful shadow tugging at his beard.

"Woo-aah…"

The pain grew more intense, and the old man finally raised his head and howled.

The sound was like rolling thunder, like a storm. It instantly swept through the entire jungle. The clouds in the sky were driven away by the sound waves, creating a tsunami-like cloud surge. Looking around, all the ancient trees bent over in an instant, as if the entire jungle had shrunk by a level. The sound waves rolled away, and the distant mountains began to tremble. Mountain after mountain, cloud after cloud, in just a few breaths, the entire planet seemed to feel the old man's sorrow.

The howling subsided. The distant jungle slowly parted, and Bloodshot's figure appeared in the old man's eyes.

He was covered in wounds, and little remained of his black combat suit, making him look like a primitive savage. Behind him, he dragged a strange giant snake. Bright red blood dripped from his wounds, and every step seemed to exhaust all his strength. Yet he refused to fall, dragging the giant snake step by step.

Bloodshot's expression remained calm, as if he hadn't heard the awe-inspiring howl earlier. He simply threw the giant snake to the ground and mechanically began to skin and roast the meat.

A bonfire blazed, and the rich aroma of roasted meat slowly spread.

The old man silently watched him from behind, and after a while, he suddenly said, "Aren't you going to ask me why?"

"…" Bloodshot was silent, his gaze flickering with the firelight. "If you want to tell me, you will."

As he spoke, he flipped a piece of roasted meat and tossed it to the old man without looking back. He had done this countless times in the past few days, making it extremely skillful. But the old man took it and, instead of devouring it as usual, first smelled the aroma and then sighed.

"What a pity, I won't be able to eat this again."

"I'm not a full-time cook," Bloodshot replied.

In fact, he had seen the opened paper bag when he returned, so he naturally knew that the old man was the target he was looking for on this trip. He just didn't know why the other party was hiding it, instead using the excuse of hunting to train him.

That's right, the old man's torment of Bloodshot these past few days was a subtle form of training. Bloodshot hadn't understood it at first, but as the hunting progressed, he would have been a fool not to guess.

The prey the old man chose for him always changed right at the limit of his strength. The environmental restrictions were also just right, neither leaving him without a chance to fight nor allowing him to win easily. As a result, Bloodshot had to do his best in every battle, which was equivalent to a kind of actual combat training.

However, unlike the battlefield nightmares he was used to, the old man arranged for him to fight against ferocious beasts. These beasts were of various kinds, completely lacking human tactics and skills, but possessing a kind of combat instinct. This gave Bloodshot a different kind of experience. No insidious schemes, only cruel and wild combat experience. Bloodshot was no stranger to this experience, as he had gone through it in X35, but the beasts here were stronger and more ferocious.

To be honest, it had been a long time since Bloodshot had fought like he did in X35. That feeling had gradually faded away from him. But after these few days of fighting, that fierce wildness returned to his side, making him exude a dangerous aura from the inside out, as if he had transformed into a brutal and ferocious beast.

But today… is it coming to an end?

Flipping the pieces of meat on the bonfire, Bloodshot thought silently. Although he seemed to be in a fog from beginning to end, he now vaguely had a feeling. That was, Heck's purpose in sending him to deliver the letter was not actually the paper bag, but to have him come here and see this old man.

Or rather, to have this old man see him.

Why was that?

Bloodshot was puzzled, but he silently continued to do what he was doing. He wouldn't ask, because he knew that what he should be told would be told to him, and what he shouldn't know would not be revealed even if he asked.

Sure enough, hearing his answer, the old man's eyebrows relaxed a little, and he chuckled a few times. Then he bit into the piece of meat.

The fragrant oil splattered, and the old man chewed heartily. While eating, he said vaguely, "Alright, kid, thank you for taking care of me these past few days. So, according to the agreement, your mission here is complete. Go back in a while. I think Heck must be getting impatient."

"…" Bloodshot was silent, and after a while, he said in a deep voice, "I… still don't know your name."

"Hehe." The old man laughed again, revealing a mouthful of uneven yellow teeth, with pieces of meat still stuck in the gaps. "Don't tell me Heck asked you to ask that, it's your own question, right?"

"Yes."

"What a… troublesome kid." The old man muttered a few words, but still said vaguely, "Just… call me Old Deadhead. That guy Heck calls me that too. I think it's pretty good."

Old Deadhead? What kind of name is that?

If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, Bloodshot would have almost thought the old man was joking. But it was impossible for him to continue asking. Although the old man was cynical, he was extremely tight-lipped, especially when it came to pretending to be crazy and selling foolishness. If he asked again, he might just put on a show for you.

Helpless, Bloodshot could only remember the name and continue doing his work.

In the forest, the leaves swayed, and the scenery was picturesque.

The bonfire gradually went out, just like the meeting of the two, which was finally coming to an end. Bloodshot silently bowed to the old man and was about to turn and leave. But just then, the old man spoke.

"Wait a moment."

"Hmm?" Bloodshot stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Come here, let me see." The old man beckoned to Bloodshot. Bloodshot hesitated for a moment, but still walked over, allowing the old man's thin, dry fingers to rest on his wrist. A strange aura was transmitted, and in an instant, it swept through his entire body.

The next moment, Bloodshot was surprised to find that all his injuries had healed, and all fatigue and pain had disappeared.

His body was as if it had returned to its peak state in an instant. Every cell radiated strong vitality.

"This is…" Bloodshot opened his mouth slightly, a horrified look flashing in his eyes.

This was, surging vitality… vitality that even the Sanikster potion from back then couldn't fully compensate for. What was the old man's identity, how could he do this? Moreover, the magical thing was that even after doing such a magical thing, the old man was still lazy, as if he had just done a trivial thing.

What kind of existence was this old man who called himself Old Deadhead?

Bloodshot was instantly confused, leaving only shock in his heart.

He had seen strong people before, but he had never seen a strong person as strange as Old Deadhead. Although he still didn't know Old Deadhead's identity, he could tell from Old Deadhead's actions that he must be a remarkable existence, and his status was probably far beyond even Heck's.

Heck was already a planetary-level 'Star Shattering Nine Kings', so wouldn't this old man be…

Bloodshot's pupils suddenly contracted, and he thought of an extremely terrifying name.

King!?

"Don't look at me like that. This is just a reward for you. You can't have been busy for me for so long without getting any benefits." Feeling Bloodshot's horrified gaze, the old man smiled and waved his hand casually.

"Go, go back and tell Heck. I understand what he means, but I still need to consider it. Tell him not to disturb me anymore."

"…" Bloodshot was silent for a while, and finally bowed and left the jungle. He didn't need to know more. If the old man was really the identity he imagined, then in any case, it was not something he should continue to probe.

Because that was definitely an existence of two different worlds and two different levels from him.

And what he didn't know was that, not long after he left, the old man also slowly stood up and said in another direction.

"Come out. You've been following me for so many days, don't you even have the courage to show your face?"

With the old man's voice, the distant jungle parted, and a burly figure walked out. He was wearing heavy armor, and every step was as heavy as a mountain. A dense black mist enveloped his body, making him look like a demon from hell.

But such a powerful man was extremely respectful in front of the old man. As soon as he appeared, he knelt on one knee in front of the old man.

"Planetary-level warrior Adam, pays respects to Lord Old Deadhead."

He said, his voice hoarse like a desert…