Chapter 1: Alan

In the year 423 of the Dawn Era,

On the first Sunday of June, the black and yellow land lay in deathly silence.

In one corner of this land, a stone shifted, and a nearly meter-long rock scorpion emerged from beneath. After the Dawn War, 50% of Earth's original species had completely disappeared. However, those that remained had evolved into perilous creatures.

The surviving humans called these creatures "dangerous species."

The rock scorpion was searching for food when a vast and sinister aura suddenly rose from afar. This presence was so immense, it felt like a mountain looming over the horizon. The rock scorpion looked up to see a shadow spreading across the sky.

This shadow was so vast it spanned the entire horizon. It moved slowly but steadily, casting a shadow from an airborne island the size of Texas, one of humanity's greatest creations after the Dawn War. The Babylon Floating Island, powered by cube energy, circled the planet continuously like a low-Earth orbit satellite.

By dusk, the Babylon Floating Island had become a silhouette against the distant sky. At this time, the Gobi Desert came alive again. Some dangerous species, like the rock scorpion, gradually moved toward the western edge of the Gobi, where there was a small town whose inhabitants lived by mining. To these creatures, humans were the best source of food.

The town was small, home to a few hundred people. The houses were rudimentary, with the iron-shed homes being the most luxurious, capable of shielding from wind and rain. Most were shanties made of wooden planks and rusty iron sheets.

Surrounding the town was a circle of barbed wire and sharpened wooden stakes. These could effectively prevent lower-level dangerous species from entering the town. At night, three to five hunters would guard the town's entrance with torches.

Night wasn't completely dark, with strange blue, green, and red phosphorescent lights floating in the wilderness outside the town. Suddenly, a rough gunshot rang out from the town entrance, the sound of a powder firearm echoing across the night wilderness, reducing the number of wandering phosphorescent lights.

A man wearing a cowboy hat and a patched checkered shirt, with worn-out jeans tucked into oil-stained boots, lowered his smoking double-barreled shotgun. He was in his prime, with gray-blue eyes and a rugged face adorned with stubble as tough as steel bristles.

"Damn, the dangerous species are increasing," he muttered.

"Come on, Uzz, you're the best hunter in town. The more dangerous species there are, the more you earn, right? You must be secretly delighted," joked a bald black man with an eyepatch over his left eye and a mechanical prosthetic below his right knee. He carried a second-hand submachine gun, more powerful than Uzz's shotgun.

"Shut up, Peg. I'm serious," Uzz retorted angrily.

"Alright, Peg, stop teasing Uzz. He's not in the best mood," said the last hunter, who wore a miner's hat and a leather jacket, an odd combination. He played with a knife that twirled dexterously between his fingers, casting rings of orange light in the dark.

Peg laughed heartily. "Right, I almost forgot. Lanny's about to give birth tonight."

"That's not the worst part, Peg. The real problem is our leader Uzz hasn't even kissed Lanny, and now she's giving birth," the knife-wielding hunter added with a smirk.

Their mocking laughter echoed at the town entrance, followed by Uzz's furious voice: "By God, if you don't shut up, I'll shove this gun up your ass!"

But his threats only made Peg and the other hunter laugh harder. Just as Uzz was about to act, a woman's piercing scream echoed from the town. Hearing this, the three hunters looked toward the town. Peg sighed, "I wonder which bastard got lucky with Lanny. But leaving a woman like that, he's no man!"

The knife-wielding hunter looked at Uzz, asking seriously, "What are you going to do, Uzz? Lanny isn't just a girl anymore; she's a mother."

"No matter what she is, I'll take care of her!" Uzz replied firmly.

At the town's edge, a faint sigh floated away with the wind.

In a relatively decent iron house in the town center, several middle-aged women busied themselves around a bed.

"Push harder, Lanny. I can see his head."

"For God's sake, open up more."

"That's right, use your abdominal muscles, miss!"

Childbirth was arduous, the first challenge for new life. Fortunately, this newborn had a strong mother, and with a final, agonizing scream, the new life finally emerged.

"Look, it's a boy." A short-haired woman wrapped the baby in a tattered blanket and placed him beside his mother.

The young mother looked wearily at her child. His small, blood-stained face had a long, straight nose and large, bright red eyes curiously observing the world. His lips were tightly pressed into a line of determination. Unlike other newborns, he didn't cry, an eerie silence enveloping him.

The women whispered among themselves until silenced by the short-haired woman's stern glance. She then spoke softly, "Lanny, he is your son. Have you thought of a name?"

The young mother nodded, her gaze filled with complex emotions as she whispered, "Alan. His name is Alan."

Upon hearing his mother's voice, the baby's expression froze slightly. He then turned to look at the woman who had given birth to him, and finally, his tightly pressed lips curled into a smile.

He smiled.

Seeing this tender smile, the mother felt a calming warmth in her heart.

In June of the year 423 of the Dawn Era, Alan was born. The first image he remembered was his mother's beautiful yet exhausted face. People remembered the silent baby, but no one knew that Alan, barely born, already possessed memory!

The world continued its relentless march forward, with the gears of time meshing tightly. On Babylon's floating island, the privileged indulged in their revelries. Just recently elected, President Mobit had concluded a grand celebration. Yet, in an unremarkable corner of the earth, an extraordinary life was quietly beginning.

Fate often delights in leaving small surprises for people when they least expect it.

In the autumn of the 428th year of the Dawn Calendar, on the last Saturday, the clatter of activity echoed through the small town. It was the rallying call for purchasing winter supplies. As a woman carrying a large bag of food walked into an alley, several men sitting at the street corner nodded to each other and followed her.

Dusk was falling, and night descended.

In the alley, the woman had already noticed her pursuers. She quickened her pace, but just as the men were about to act, a double-barreled shotgun emerged from the shadows, its dark muzzle silencing them immediately.

Just as he had been five years earlier, Uz, clad in his cowboy attire, stepped out of the shadows with the shotgun leveled. A nearly burnt-out cigarette dangled from his lips. Uz flicked the cigarette butt upwards and said in a deep voice, "Get lost, all of you!"

Under the threat of the firearm, the men retreated and vanished into the alley. Only then did Uz lower his gun and walk toward the woman. "I arrived just in time, Lannie."

The woman lowered her headscarf, revealing a delicate face. She sighed, "I owe you another favor."

"Don't say that. I'm counting on you for free treatment if I ever get hurt." Uz tipped his cowboy hat with the gun barrel, revealing a broad smile. "Here, let me carry that for you. It looks heavy."

The cowboy took the bag from Lannie and walked with her back to her home in town. It was a simple tin house, but sturdy enough to keep out the winter's ice and snow. As soon as they entered, a small figure collided with Lannie, and she knelt down to embrace him. In the lamplight, the five-year-old child appeared sturdier than others his age.

He had rare ash-gray short hair, which shone under the light like a myriad of stars. 

The boy's youthful face already bore chiseled features, suggesting that he would grow into a handsome man. However, a small bruise on his cheek made Lannie frown. "What happened?"

The boy's eyes flashed with panic as he looked to Uz for help. Uz shrugged with a smile, indicating he was helpless. The boy bit his lip and said, "Today, Moss next door called me a white-haired pig, so I..."

He glanced at Lannie, who wore a stern expression. The boy continued reluctantly, "So I punched him in the nose. Then he pushed me to the ground, and I got this bruise by accident. But don't worry, Mom, I've sorted him out. He won't dare call me names again."

Uz whistled, "Well done, Allen. Moss is a year older than you, right?"

"Thirteen months older, to be precise," the boy corrected.

Lannie shot Uz an exasperated look, and he obediently fell silent. She sighed, stroking her son's hair, "Allen, not everything can be solved with fists. Besides, you'll eventually face someone you can't beat. What will you do then?"

The boy's vivid red eyes darted, and he said without hesitation, "I'll run away and wait until I'm older and stronger, then I'll come back and teach him a lesson!"

Proudly, he added, "But Mom, there's no one I can't beat yet. Uncle Uz's lessons are really useful."

Uz's face turned awkward. When Lannie looked back at him, he smiled wryly, "I only taught him some self-defense, really."

"Um, I just remembered Peg has something to discuss with me. I'll be going now."

The cowboy made a hasty retreat. Watching his departure, Lannie shook her head, "Come on, it's time for dinner."