Chapter 385: Jessica
Chapter 385 of "Galaxy Fall: All My Skills Are Maxed" begins unfolding events: "You won’t achieve your goal." Jessica muttered under her breath, her voice fragile but laced... Continue reading!
"You won’t achieve your goal." Jessica muttered under her breath, her voice fragile but laced with a stubborn, lingering defiance."Oh child, my current goal is to extract the powers from you, and also plunged this world into chaos... Today, everything will change. The three empires will clash in a bloody battlefield, and countless will die. From this chaos, I will get Mirabella." Nadia shrugged, a casual, terrifying gesture that dismissed the lives of millions as mere collateral damage.
"I am not 100% sure this plan will work. But Mirabella is now a God general, only through war can I get my hands on her."
"You want to kill millions for a plan you’re not even sure about?!" Jessica looked up at her in surprised, the sheer scale of the sociopathy finally breaking through her paralyzing fear.
"I will take any chances I set my eyes on, this is just one of them... Okay now, you should rest well, by tomorrow, I will be eating your flesh." She smiled softly, and silently focusing on her food, ending the conversation with an air of absolute finality.
Jessica understood her actions, and also remained silent, hugging her legs tightly against her chest as the cold dampness of the cave seeped into her bones. The realization of her own powerlessness crushed her spirit heavier than the iron cage.
’I am so useless.’
The gritty, neon-lit streets of pre-apocalypse Queens were slick with a cold evening drizzle, highlighting the sharp contrast between the comfortable patrons under the awnings and the desperate souls wandering the gutters.
"What are you looking at beggar?!!" A man, holding a stray of food yelled, staring at the red hair kid standing before his shop, dressed in rags.
"I... I am hungry." She muttered in a low voice, staring at the stray in the man’s hand, her stomach twisting in agonizing knots at the rich scent of roasted meat and spices.
"All these homeless kids are so annoying! Out of kindness, I brought one inside my shop and gave him food, but he stole all my money and ran away! Get lost, I’m not giving you anything!!" The man snapped at the 13 years old girl, and walked towards his customers, sitting outside beneath the flickering city lights.
Instantly transforming his hostile scowl into a practiced, sycophantic grin, he bowed slightly. "Sir. This is your food." He said, with a smile, placing the food on the table.
The girl stood on the street, staring at the food, swallowing hard. The harsh rain began to fall slightly heavier, matting her unwashed hair against her bruised face.
The broad-shouldered man with an aura of undeniable authority, ignored the shopkeeper’s fawning. "Thank you." The man nodded his head, then turned around to face the little girl.
"You said you’re hungry, come." He said with a smile.
The store owner was stunned, but quickly said: "Sir, she is a homeless beggar! These kids only knows how to steal and do other disgusting things... Why would you..."
BAM!
A firm hand grabbed the store owner’s shoulder, and he froze. He quickly looked over his shoulder, seeing a muscular man in military uniform, staring down at him with eyes like cold steel.
"You already did your job, why keep bothering the Commander?" The soldier’s voice was low, carrying the undeniable, threatening weight of military discipline.
"Co... Commander?" The store owner was horrified, and quickly turned to the man, sweating buckets: "I am sorry for speaking out of turn." He quickly turned to the small red hair:
"Little girl, please come over. Please." He said, almost begging.
’Please come, so I can escape from here.’ He thought to himself, terrified of offending high-ranking military officers.
The kid tilted her head to the side, then at the Commander; before turning to the food on the table. With hesitant steps, she slowly walked towards them, standing beside the store owner, her gaze fixed on the food like a starving animal approaching a trap.
"You are hungry, sit down." The commander gestured to the seat opposite him, and watched as the girl nervously sat down before him, her gaze still fixed on the food.
’Poor child.’ He thought, staring at her tore clothes, and dirt filled hair, her face was filled with bruises, and more dirt.
"Go and get another stray, with fruits, dessert, and juice." He ordered.
"Yes, Sir!!" The man quickly nodded his head, and rushed back inside the store, eager to escape the suffocating pressure.
"Don’t be shy." The Middle-aged man moved the stray of food towards the girl, a smile on his face.
"I... I can... Eat?" She asked in a low voice, finally looking up at the stranger.
"Yes... It’s all yours. If it isn’t enough, I will ask for more." He answered with a smile that carried a rare, genuine warmth.
’I came to Queens for a visit, and didn’t expect to run into such a kid. She had suffered.’ He thought, watching as she finally picked up the spoon, and started eating, taking big bite. Impatience and pure starvation quickly took over; she paused, dropped the spoon, and moved to her hand, tearing into the meal desperately.
"Slow down, the food won’t run away." He joked, watching as she continued eating.
Five minutes later, the store owner returned with the second order, and was stunned, staring at the empty stray. The sheer volume of food consumed in such a short time defied logic. With a dumbfounded expression, he placed the second stray on the table, and quickly walked away with the first stray.
"Go ahead." The commander gestured to the cake, fruits and juice on the table.
"Really?"
He smiled at her, and nodded his head.
She nodded, and took the cake, and juice, and continued the second round.
The military man standing aside was also dumbfounded, watching as the girl finished everything on the second stray, then started drinking her juice, her small stomach seemingly a bottomless pit of neglected hunger.
"If I may ask, what is your name?" The commander asked, staring at her.
"My name?" The girl thought for a moment, and nodded her head: "My name is Jessica."
"What a beautiful name." He smiled at her: "Okay, Jessica... What about your parents?"
"My parents don’t like me, saying I’m not their child." She answered in a low voice.
’Huh? Was she adopted? But if she was adopted, why would they hate her?’ He thought, and asked again: "Do you know the location of your house?"
"My house got destroyed some months ago... I heard from people that it was a terrorist attack, my parents died inside." She answered, her tone chillingly hollow for a child discussing such trauma.
The man raised an eyebrow, and turned to the second:
"Commander, I think it’s the mission that happened six months ago." The man answered, his gaze fixed on Jessica with a sudden realization of her tragic past.
"Hmm..." The commander stared at the kid before him, and asked again: "Okay, what’s your plan? Do you want to go to school?"
Jessica shook her head: "You are a good person, you gave me food... I want to be like you, Sir. Can I be like you?" She asked, staring at him with a look that says, I am very serious. There was a raw, unpolished iron in her gaze that most hardened recruits lacked.
The commander chuckled lightly: "You want to be like me? The path will be very difficult, and is filled with dangers; you might even die in the battlefield."
"Really? But Sir, what’s the difference if I die today, and if I die tomorrow?"
The two were stunned, staring at Jessica in surprised, deeply unsettled by the profound, nihilistic truth coming from a thirteen-year-old. After some moments, recognizing the unbreakable spirit hidden beneath the grime, he finally nodded his head, stood up, and stretched his hand towards her:
"Okay, come with me, and I will make you a fine soldier... The best."
Jessica blinked, staring at him, then raised her hand, and took his. It was the moment her destiny shifted forever.
"I will work hard, I won’t be useless."