1202 Andrew’s Past
Andrew immediately touched his nose in embarrassment and said, “We mercenaries are all outlaws. Our pursuits in life are far from exquisite. Most of us have experienced difficult situations before. Even after joining the mercenary group, finding our kind and companions, and earning a lot of money, we are still only satisfied with food and clothing. We feel that this is enough.”
Andrew’s tone was calm, but it was not difficult to hear some emotions in his words. It seemed to contain some unknown past.
Chi Yang was already a little curious about Andrew because he was a Black man. He was not bronze-skinned but had a tanned and shiny skin tone. One could tell at a glance that he was African.
Chi Yang stopped cutting the vegetables and looked up at Andrew. “Are you from South Africa?”
“East Africa,” Andrew answered softly.
East Africa was the poorest and most backward place on Earth. Natural disasters shrouded it all year round, and famine and disease eroded people. It was the area with the lowest human happiness.
Chi Yang had never been to East Africa, but he often saw reports of war there on television. Although it was a barren land, it was also a place where terrorist organizations took root.
“Did you nurture this ability after birth?” Chi Yang thought of some superpower movies he had seen. There were often scenes of normal people being captured by the laboratory for mutation experiments. He couldn’t help but ask curiously.
Andrew chuckled and denied, “No.”
Without waiting for him to ask, Andrew seemed to have found someone to talk to. He took the initiative to say, “Us ability users are born with our abilities. No one knows why it’s like this. We also mocked ourselves and said that we were mutants!”
“When I was young, my body would often spontaneously combust for no reason. Once, when my mother saw me, she helped me put out the fire in horror with water and a blanket. However, she realized I had no injuries, not even blisters. Later, she saw me a few more times. Only then did she know I was different from ordinary children.”
“But I’m her child, after all. She helped me hide this matter and didn’t tell anyone. She also didn’t allow me to go to school again because she feared that others would discover my abnormality.”
“It’s just that I was too young at that time and couldn’t control the power in my body freely. Every time I wanted to spontaneously combust, I would feel my body gradually heat up. This gave me enough time to hide in an empty place.”
“However, I was still discovered. The fire on my body burned the family’s house, and the neighbors rushed over to help put out the fire. However, at that time, my ability seemed to have improved and not even water could extinguish it. The fire burned for a day and a night, turning the family’s house into ashes. Everyone thought it had burned me to death.”
“However, when I walked out of the ruins unscathed, I will always remember the way those people looked at me.”
At this point, Andrew looked up at Chi Yang with a smile on his face.
That smile had a deeper meaning. Because his face was too dark, no emotions could be seen. However, there was inconsolable pain in his bright eyes.
Andrew continued, “The East African continent is an extremely backward and closed place. There are many religions there. Because they suffer from famine and war all year round, people comfort their uneasy hearts and hardships by revering the gods.”
“I, who can’t be burned to death, was seen as evil. I was the incarnation of Satan, the reincarnation of an evil spirit!”
“I was tied to a cross made of rocks as a sacrifice. Everyone wanted to use me to offer sacrifices to the shrine to show their loyalty to the gods.”
At this point, Andrew chuckled at himself again. “But it’s ridiculous. The sacrificial rituals in East Africa are all performed with fire. Fire represents holiness and heat, and it’s the best way to express loyalty. The chief ordered to burn me to death with fire, and the fire burned for three days and three nights, but it couldn’t burn me to death.”
“Not only that, but the fire sacrifice woke up the remaining power in my body. However, I couldn’t control it. The energy that erupted instantly destroyed everything around me. Houses, lives, everything…”
Hearing this, Chi Yang could not help but be secretly shocked. He did not expect that there would be such a heartbreaking story behind Andrew’s powerful strength.
“You left East Africa after that?” Chi Yang asked, following Andrew’s words.
Andrew nodded. “When I walked down from the altar, my entire body was covered in fire. When the others in the village heard the commotion and rushed over, they were scared silly. No one dared to stop me, so I left my hometown with my mother.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Andrew sighed softly and whispered, “At that time, I was only nine years old.”
Chi Yang was stunned. Nine years old…
Everything Andrew had experienced was undoubtedly a trauma from his childhood. A nine-year-old child was going to be burned to death as a sacrifice by his clansmen. Just the thought of it made one shudder.
“I’m sorry to remind you of such a dark past,” Chi Yang apologized guiltily.
Andrew smiled and shook his head with a meaningless expression. “Actually, I’ve long gotten over it because I’ve already calmly accepted the fact that I’m an abnormality. Coupled with the situation and environment at that time, it’s normal for a person like me to be treated as a demon sacrifice in East Africa.”
“Besides, this memory is not painful for me. Although I was burned for three days and three nights, I didn’t feel any pain. The only thing I remember is that my hands and feet were numb. You also know how difficult it is to be tied up like Jesus for three days and three nights.”
Chi Yang chuckled. Seeing Andrew’s smug attitude, he subconsciously heaved a sigh of relief.
Although he had interacted with Andrew and the rest for a while, the two sides were still hostile, so they did not know each other at all. As a Black man, Andrew even subconsciously had a gap in skin color with everyone.
However, after hearing his story, Chi Yang suddenly felt that Andrew’s entire body had warmth and was more three-dimensional. The distance between the two of them instantly shortened.
“What about you?”
At this moment, Andrew suddenly changed the topic to Chi Yang. His eyes were filled with curiosity as he said, “I was already very curious when we fought before. Your abilities completely shocked me. They’re powerful and unbelievable. I’ve never seen them before.”
Chi Yang’s expression froze when he heard that. Then, he asked, “Other than your companions and us, have you met any other ability users?”
