Counterfeit Hero

Fatty was startled for a moment, feeling it made some sense. He asked in confusion, "I’ve got two Purple Emblem Freedom Medals. Even if I’m not a Savior, I’m still a hero, right?" Milan clung tightly to Fatty’s arm and shook her head, "No. A true hero sacrifices for the country and the people. He can’t get what he loves, often painfully giving it up for others. Can you do that?"

Fatty thought for a long time and asked, "Are you sure that fool is a hero?" Milan giggled, "A hero is sometimes a fool. Not only would he give up what he loves, but he would also sacrifice his life for the greater good without hesitation!" Fatty asked, "Do you like heroes?" Milan tilted her head thoughtfully and said seriously, "I like them, but I wouldn’t fall in love with one." Fatty curiously asked, "Why not?" Milan said, "Such heroes fulfill many people’s needs but sacrifice themselves and their loved ones. I’m scared of that." Fatty asked, "Then why do you love me?" Milan blushed and spat, "Who loves you, you shameless!" She buried her face in Fatty’s arm, caressing it. After a while, she softly said, "Sometimes a girl needs someone to rely on. You make me feel real and safe. You’re not a hero, but you protect yourself and your family in your own way."

There was a knock on the door outside the laboratory. Milan quickly stood up, tidied her messy clothes, rolled her eyes at Tian Xingjian with a flushed face, and turned to leave the gravity simulation room to open the door. Fatty peeked out and his face turned pale instantly. Standing at the door in a delicate manner, who else could it be but Ann Lei?

Milan was excited to see Ann Lei, "Sister Ann Lei, what brings you here today?" Ann Lei seemed very familiar with Milan, smiling, "Professor Boswell has a new kind of listening device on the Intelligence Bureau’s equipment list. He said it’s here with you, so I came to get it."

Milan grabbed Ann Lei’s hand, led her into the room, closed the door, and smiled, "Wait a moment, I’ll find it for you." Suddenly, she thought of something, slapped her forehead, and shouted to Tian Xingjian in the gravity room, "Fatty, where’s that listening device you took to play with? Bring it here." There was no response from the simulation cabin. Milan stomped her foot and said, "Hurry up!"

Ann Lei looked at Milan’s coquettish manner and, smiling, nudged her with her elbow, whispering, "Not just an ordinary relationship, huh!" Milan’s face turned red instantly, hastily saying, "Sister Ann Lei, you..." Ann Lei teased, "Don’t try to fool me. I can tell just by looking at you. Is he from the lab?" Milan twisted shyly and said, "He’s a lieutenant advisor, but that guy is silly..." Before she could finish, she noticed Ann Lei’s smile suddenly freeze, and her pretty face turned as pale as blood had drained from it.

Milan turned her head to look and saw Tian Xingjian standing dumbfounded at the door of the gravity chamber, staring blankly at Ann Lei. Milan saw the complex intertwining glances between the two and almost immediately understood! She asked in disbelief, "You two..." Ann Lei didn’t speak. Milan looked at the lowered head of Fatty. The three of them stood quietly five hundred meters underground, and the atmosphere was completely frozen.