Meeting the Past

Young Kahn's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Rakien. He simply couldn't believe that the world was on the brink of nuclear destruction in the future, and this teenager before him was the reincarnation of Oren!

Gradually regaining his composure, he finally accepted the reality that the elderly man who looked exactly like him was indeed his future self. Taking a deep breath, he led Rakien and Old Kahn into his bar. At the end of the bar was a concealed door, leading to a place where he usually rested alone. Old Kahn looked at everything with a sense of familiarity, "This place hasn't changed much," he murmured.

The room was small, but sufficient for the three of them. Young Kahn ordered a hearty meal for his guests, and Old Kahn and Rakien ate ravenously, with particular exaggeration. Seeing this, Young Kahn couldn't help but ask curiously, "How long has it been since you've had a decent meal?"

Old Kahn laughed bitterly as he ate, "You can't even imagine what we eat in the future... It's endless wasteland out there, food is almost a luxury, not to mention this meat."

Rakien also looked up and chimed in, "It's full of famine and desolation. Only a few people live underground, barely struggling to survive."

Young Kahn was stunned, his mind's eye conjuring images of the future, unable to imagine his planet and country in such a dire state.

After satisfying their hunger, the three sat in the room and began discussing their next steps. Old Kahn posed a crucial question to his younger self, "We look too alike, we need to change our appearance, otherwise we can't be seen together, people will get suspicious."

Young Kahn nodded, understanding the risks involved. So Old Kahn made some changes, growing a beard and putting on a hat to conceal their similarities. Meanwhile, Young Kahn shaved his beard and his head, so that the two would not easily raise suspicion in public.

After their disguises were in place, the three began to discuss in detail how to find Oren. Old Kahn looked out the window and whispered, "Oren is the key, we must prevent him from triggering the nuclear war."

Rakien pondered thoughtfully, "But he's just an ordinary officer now, he probably hasn't fully seized power yet."

"That's our opportunity," Young Kahn took up the conversation, his gaze resolute, "Find him, explain everything to him, tell him he absolutely must not launch a nuclear war in the future."

Old Kahn nodded, "It won't be easy, Oren is not an ordinary person, he has a very strong will and ability, what if he doesn't believe us?"

The three sat around the table, the room filled with a tense and heavy atmosphere. Old Kahn lit a cigarette, the smoke rising beside his face, carrying a hint of world-weariness. Young Kahn folded his arms and lightly tapped his hand on the table, looking a bit anxious. Rakien sat silently, his eyes shifting between the two, having stepped from the wasteland of the future into this seemingly prosperous society, but knowing in his heart that all of this was an illusion, and if they didn't do something, this place would become a silent ruin in ten years.

"We still need a detailed plan!" Old Kahn finally spoke, his tone firm and calm. "Oren is not an easy person to approach; he should already be an important figure in the military by now."

Young Kahn frowned, "So what do we do? We can't just barge into his office, can we?"

"Of course not, we wouldn't be able to get in without a pass," Old Kahn stubbed out his cigarette, his gaze turning to the window, as if reminiscing about something. "I remember he once told me about his child; we could try to find Oren's child."

"Child?" Rakien's head jerked up, clearly surprised. Although he often dreamed and had many fragmented memories, he never expected that Oren, who launched the devastating war, would have a family and be a father.

Old Kahn nodded, "Yes, his child should still be in elementary school at this time. Although we can't contact Oren directly, we might be able to find a breakthrough through his family."

Young Kahn thoughtfully stroked his chin, "It's indeed a breakthrough, what should we do specifically?"

"First, we need to confirm which school his child attends," Old Kahn said, taking out the futuristic mini-supercomputer from his backpack. The screen lit up in his hands, the blue light reflecting on his face. Through commands, they quickly hacked into the city's various databases, searching for information related to Oren.

Before long, Rakien pointed excitedly at the screen, "Found it! Oren's child is attending a private school in the city center."

"That's great," Young Kahn stood up, looking at the child's photo on the information sheet, a glimmer of confidence in his eyes.

"We'll go to that school and wait until after school to find Oren or his family picking up the child."

Old Kahn nodded, "Be careful, don't be too reckless."

Over the next few days, the three began a cautious surveillance operation. They drove an old car purchased from a used car dealership, quietly hovering around the school, observing. They changed different time slots, even pretending to be passersby, moving around the area in a low-profile manner.

One evening, as school was letting out, Rakien noticed a military vehicle parked at the school entrance through the rearview mirror. He tapped Old Kahn, who was in the driver's seat, "Look, isn't that Oren's car? I think it has a military license plate."

Old Kahn stared at the black sedan, nodding with delight, "Yes! It's a military vehicle!"

As the school gates slowly opened, groups of children walked out. Soon after, a middle-aged man dressed in a simple suit got out of the car, hugged a child, and lifted him into the vehicle. His expression was stern, and his steps were steady; Young Kahn confirmed it was Oren!

Rakien's heart raced. The handsome man before him was his past life! The future culprit of the world's destruction, and now, an ordinary officer and father.

"Follow him," Old Kahn whispered, starting the car and slowly merging into traffic, tailing Oren's vehicle.

Young Kahn kept an eye on the surroundings through the rearview mirror. "We can't let him notice anything; if he realizes he's being followed, he'll try to shake us off, and our plan will be ruined."

All the way, the three remained silent, intently watching Oren's car. The car passed through several streets and finally entered a quiet residential area. Oren's car stopped in front of a luxurious villa, then he got out, leading the child into the house.

"We know where he lives," Old Kahn whispered, stopping the car.

"What do we do next?"