NABC Chapter 10 Heart-to-Heart Talk by Quill
Chapter 10 Heart-to-Heart Talk by Quill
Over the next two days, the Holy Lord deliberately approached Quill.
It's not overly enthusiastic closeness, but rather just the right amount of contact.
During training breaks, chat a bit, sit close together at lunch, and ask more questions about extraterrestrial life when discussing the characteristics of the wreckage.
He is building a subtle connection.
Not friends, not enemies, but a temporary ally.
When the training ended on the third day, Quill took the initiative to talk to him.
"You're quite interesting."
Quill handed him a bottle of cola: "He's different from the other Earthlings."
The Holy Lord waved his hand, explaining that drinking cola was inconvenient in his current state: "How is it different?"
"You seem to know something."
Quill thought for a moment: "It's not the kind of knowledge you learn from books, it's real experience. You remind me of some old guys I've met out there, not many words, but every word they say carries weight."
The Holy Lord lowered his eyes, feigning shock at being seen through: "You're the same. You've seen more things in the universe than anyone here combined."
Quill laughed: "I like hearing that."
They walked out of the laboratory; night had already fallen.
In the distance, the lights of New York flickered in the darkness, and the ruins still being cleared and the construction sites under reconstruction showed a silhouette in the night.
Quill stood there, looking at the lights, and suddenly fell silent. The Lord could sense that he was reminiscing.
Quill took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "When I left, New York wasn't like this."
The Holy Lord stood beside him without speaking, making it appear as if I was listening.
Quill continued, "Back then I lived in Missouri, a small town, not many tall buildings, and my mom..."
He paused for a moment: "My mom likes to listen to old songs, she plays those songs from the 80s and 90s every day."
The Lord did not interrupt him; this was the moment he had been waiting for.
"You should go back and take a look," he said.
Quill turned his head.
"What?"
Missouri.
The Holy Lord looked at him: "More than twenty years have passed, perhaps some things are still there."
Quill remained silent for a moment.
"Maybe," Quill said softly.
The Holy Lord did not say anything more.
He turned and walked toward the waiting vehicle, leaving Quill standing there alone, gazing at the city in the distance.
Steve was waiting for him in the car.
"The training is over."
Steve handed him a list: "There are a few more cleanup points that I need you to check on."
The Holy Lord nodded.
As he started the car, he glanced at the rearview mirror through the window.
Quill was still standing there, holding something in his hand.
That pendant.
Monkey Talisman.
The Holy Lord withdrew his gaze. No rush, there's still one day left.
The moment Quill decided to return to Missouri, he had his chance.
The car drove into the night.
The Holy Lord closed his eyes, feeling the pull from the Monkey Talisman gradually fade away.
Upon returning to his temporary lodgings, the Holy Lord received a message from Quill in the cleanup team's group chat:
"Guys, I've decided to stay an extra week. A friend said the barbecue in Missouri is pretty good, I have to try it."
The Holy Lord looked at the message and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
On the morning of the fourth day, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains of their temporary lodgings. Steve's communicator vibrated; he had sent a notification to the cleanup group:
"Urgent Notice: Today's cleanup mission is cancelled. All personnel are on standby."
Just as the Holy Lord was still pondering the reason, Steve called: "Something's gone wrong."
Steve's voice sounded tired: "Last night, an unidentified force attempted to infiltrate Stark's lab, targeting the remaining Chitauri remains samples."
"Tony needs time to reassess the security level, so all cleanup operations are suspended for today."
The Holy Lord was silent for a moment: "So everything's alright today?"
"That's how it is in theory."
Steve paused for a moment: "However, S.H.I.E.L.D. would like you to take some time to visit the warehouse in Brooklyn, where some wreckage fragments need secondary identification."
"Yes," the Holy Lord said without refusing.
Just after hanging up the phone, Quill noticed a message he had posted in the group chat a few minutes earlier: "So, it's a day off today? Anyone want to try an authentic Earth breakfast? My treat."
Several cleanup team members replied with emojis, but no one actually responded.
The Holy Lord stared at the screen, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. This was an opportunity, but he couldn't appear too proactive.
Ten minutes later, the Holy Lord appeared at a small restaurant near the cleanup team's temporary camp.
He didn't contact Quill; he just "happened" to be passing by and "happened" to find the shop looked nice.
The moment he pushed open the door, he saw Quill sitting alone by the window, with a fried egg and bacon in front of him and a glass of Coke that never seemed to run out.
Quill looked up, paused for a moment, then laughed: "Is this what you call stalking me?"
The Holy Lord sat down opposite him, adjusting the position of his tail behind him to avoid bumping into the table and chairs: "I'm just here for breakfast."
"Come on."
Quill pointed at him with his fork: "A guy like you who came out of legends doesn't need to eat, right? I don't think you drank a drop of water during training."
The Holy Lord did not deny it.
The waiter came over and noticed his expression stiffen slightly, but having seen many strange things in New York in recent years, he quickly resumed his professional smile.
The Holy Lord casually ordered a glass of water, simply to avoid appearing too abrupt.
"Why are you all alone?" he asked.
Quill shrugged. "Those guys all have families. Who wants to have breakfast with some alien lunatic?"
He paused, then looked at the Holy Lord: "As for you, I thought you would have a lot to do."
"Today's task has been cancelled."
"I know, I received it too."
Quill stuffed the last piece of bacon into his mouth: "So what are your plans for today?"
The Holy Lord looked at him: "There's a warehouse in Brooklyn that I need to take a look at."
"and then?"
"And then... that was it."
Quill put down his fork and looked at him thoughtfully.
Outside the window, the streets of New York were already starting to bustle.
Pedestrians hurried past, and occasionally children ran on the sidewalk. One child saw the Holy Lord through the glass, stared wide-eyed, tugged at his mother's clothes, and was quickly pulled away by his mother.
“You know what,” Quill suddenly said, “I looked up Missouri last night.”
The Holy Lord raised his eyes and looked at Quill thoughtfully.
"My hometown is still there."
Quill's voice sounded somewhat dazed: "I found some photos online, and the gas station I used to go to as a kid is still open."
The Holy Lord did not respond, his tail swaying gently.
"I was thinking of going to check it out today," Quill said, scratching his head. "But to be honest, going back alone... feels a bit strange."
He looked at the Holy Lord with an indescribable expectation in his eyes.
"Do you want to come with me?"