Chapter 23: World Peace

"Five years ago, the final war of humankind came to an end, leading to the establishment of the Earth Peace Treaty. Today, the Earth is at peace. Everyone should celebrate living on such a beautiful and peaceful planet. We have successfully eliminated war; please fully express your joy of being born into a peaceful society."

On a new day, the voice of a female newscaster echoed from the floating screen in the sky, broadcasting the significance of this day to the people.

"Happy planet!"

"Hahaha..."

Walking down the street, Jin often saw people drinking and celebrating. On the overpass, a well-dressed middle-aged man was shouting excitedly, his swaying body clearly showing he had consumed a fair amount of alcohol.

"Happy planet!"

"Sorry, I'm sorry..."

Not paying attention, the middle-aged man bumped right into Jin, offered a hasty apology, and continued to stagger forward, expressing the joy within his heart.

Shaking his head, Jin carried the vegetables in his hand, a pleased expression finally dawning on his face.

No matter what, the absence of war among humans in this world was indeed something worth celebrating.

Turning his head, Jin saw a woman in white, gazing blankly at the floating screen in the sky.

"You're also here to watch the television program commemorating Earth's peace?" Seeing her, Jin did not show much surprise. He had become somewhat immune to the elusive woman in white, or rather, he had grown accustomed to her occasionally appearing by his side.

"Perhaps..."

The woman said softly, wondering what thoughts were hidden in her heart. Her tone seemed to carry a hint of mockery.

"Earth is at peace, after all..." Jin said, with a hint of emotion in his voice.

"Maybe..."

"Maybe... it really is at peace..."

Jin paused for a moment, and asked with some confusion, "What is... that supposed to mean?"

"Indeed, this planet hasn't experienced war or conflict for five years..."

"Isn't that wonderful?"

"Of course..." The woman nodded slightly, yet hesitated as if she wanted to say more.

"However..."

Her gaze shifted not far away, where two well-dressed men in suits were wrestling with each other. The crudeness and violence of human nature were thoroughly exposed.

"Can people really just simply abandon conflict?"

***

Listening to the woman's contemplative words, Jin shook his head and said:

"One cannot simply dismiss the significance of the Earth Peace Treaty from fifty years ago for that reason alone. Perhaps covert struggles and rivalries are inevitable, but aren't conflicts truly absent from the surface of the Earth? This is also a manifestation of social evolution..."

Yet, even as he thought this, Jin knew deep down that true, absolute peace was an impossibility for humankind. Why was the Peginera race able to spread so rapidly through human society? Tracing back to the root, it was because humans had always possessed the urge to procreate, expand territories, and conquer their environment.

Human civilization, ever since ancient times, had evolved by leveraging power.

Therefore, the advancement of human civilization could never completely detach itself from strife.

The peace of the present was merely a peace brought about by the emergence of extraterrestrials.

It might sound somewhat ironic, but reality was precisely like this.

The successive visits of extraterrestrials had brought immense hazards to human society. Yet it was precisely under the pressure of this external force that humanity was truly able to unite and sign the Earth Peace Treaty.

Shaking his head, Jin was unwilling to dwell on such unpleasant matters. He raised the bag of vegetables in his hand, "Would you like to come over to my place for a meal? I still don't even know your name."

The woman in white fixed her gaze on Jin, hesitated for a moment, but shook her head.

"You will know. That day will surely come."

She turned and left, as full of mysterious significance as her arrival had been.

Meanwhile, in the outer space of today, an alien spacecraft was flying swiftly toward Earth. Like a meteor streaking across the edge of the sky, it plummeted toward the Earth's surface.

Accompanied by a blinding flash of fire and the sound of an explosion, amidst a forest filled with rising smoke and dust, a stumbling figure crawled out from a deep crater.

He appeared to be injured, his palm pressed against his chest. After walking a short distance with great difficulty across the ground, he collapsed into a sitting position, heavily gasping for breath.

His slender physique was entirely similar to that of a human, yet his deep blue skin resembled that of an Avatar. Unlike them, however, his stature matched that of a human, or perhaps he belonged to the leaner fraction of humankind.

Yet, as he raised his head, a third eye prominently stood out in the center of his forehead, blinking its eyelids bizarrely, appearing both eccentric and sinister.

He retrieved a smooth communicator from behind him and spoke in the bizarre language of his home planet:

"I have arrived on Earth. Please transmit the relevant intelligence to me."

As he looked up, the third eye on his forehead vanished from sight, and the color of his skin gradually shifted to a pale blue, eventually transforming into a normal human skin tone before he vanished into the nocturnal forest.

***

"Dinner is ready."

Bringing out the delicious dishes from the kitchen, Jin sat at the table, looked at the adorable little Kyoka, and said:

"Dig in."

"Thank you, big brother. I'm starting now!" Little Kyoka nodded politely, picked up a piece of chicken into her mouth, her eyes narrowing into crescents as she exaggeratedly proclaimed how delicious it was.

Jin, while eating his meal, looked over at Yoshikawa Hiroshi seated beside the table and asked:

"How is it? Have all those recent matters been settled?"

"Yes, yes, no problem at all. The remodeling crew will come over tomorrow to redo the interior. And little Kyoka's room will definitely be decorated according to her preferences."

"That's good..." Jin nodded.

He had no missions these past few days, yet he hadn't bothered to handle these trivial chores himself. For one, he didn't enjoy dealing with others; for another, he was deliberately nurturing the bond between Kyoka and Yoshikawa Hiroshi. With his own identity and situation still unclear, Jin always harbored a lingering worry.

If he were to ever leave... then the only person little Kyoka could rely upon would be Yoshikawa Hiroshi.

Turning his gaze back to Kyoka, Jin asked gently:

"How is Kyoka getting along with her classmates?"

"Very well! I've learned so many things at school!" Kyoka exclaimed excitedly, gesturing with her hands and feet as she recounted her school life. This warmed Jin's heart even more, and he couldn't help but gently ruffle her hair.

Life like this was truly wonderful...

Ordinary people would envy the lives of heroes, envying their ability to gain universal adoration and perform the magnificent feat of saving the world. Yet for him, he much preferred the life of an ordinary person—having a warm home and a lovely little girl by his side.

What truly constitutes happiness? This right here was happiness...

Precisely because of this, he needed to work even harder. He had to protect Kyoka's smile, to protect this world.

This resolve had never burned so fiercely before.

Just at that moment, his portable smart computer on his wrist emitted a beeping sound.

Jin felt no need to conceal this from them; they were family, free from such reservations, and Jin possessed ample strength to protect them.

"An extraterrestrial intrusion has been confirmed. Please rendezvous with Agent K and initiate an investigation!"

Commander Deus's mechanical voice echoed from the wrist watch. "If attacked by the target, annihilate them immediately!"

"Is big brother going out on a mission?" Kyoka looked at Jin obediently.

Nodding slightly, Jin said: "That's right. Big brother is an agent in black, after all, and it's our job to protect this world."

"Then... big brother, please be careful..."