章 28: The Unlucky Hamilton Family!
"This is it. What do you think?" someone asked.
In a small, dimly lit house nearby, Angelina clutched her daughter tightly, her eyes sharp and guarded as she confronted the group of strangers who had just barged into her home. Her protective grip and wary gaze spoke volumes: this was no ordinary visit.
Ahead stood two men, their presence unsettling and their faces harsh. The one on the left bore a long, jagged scar curling from the corner of his mouth, half of one eyebrow conspicuously missing. The other, short and rotund, looked even more menacing, his fleshy face set in a cruel sneer.
Behind them loomed a group of tall, broad-shouldered men, their sheer size and numbers intimidating. A few more lingered outside, keeping watch. Residents in the area watched from a distance, too afraid to intervene.
The two leading figures were well-known troublemakers, infamous in the slums for their brutality. But the men behind them were different; clean, sharp, and well-dressed, exuding an air of authority that hinted at ties to the nobility.
As the group spread out, a man in the center stepped forward. He was strikingly composed, wearing single-rimmed glasses and a crisp gray suit. His gaze was cold and calculating as he appraised Ava from head to toe.
Angelina, clutching her daughter protectively, shivered under his scrutiny. She knew that look all too well, it was the same one she saw in the market, when buyers picked over meat.
"Perfect," the man said flatly, his tone devoid of emotion. "That's one quota met." Without further words, he turned away.
Angelina held Ava tighter as the men moved in, trying desperately to shield her daughter. Ava screamed, struggling in pain as they pulled her from her mother's grasp. The moment Angelina's grip faltered, her daughter was wrenched away.
"No!" Angelina cried, chasing after them. But before she could get far, the short, stocky man stepped forward and delivered a brutal kick to her stomach. She crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath, and before she could recover, two of the thugs began beating her mercilessly. Fists and boots rained down, and a vicious kick to her head sent her spiraling into unconsciousness.
The group left as quickly as they came, disappearing into the slum's winding alleys. It was only after their departure that a few neighbors dared to approach. One bent down, shaking his head grimly.
"The Hamilton family… so unlucky," someone muttered.
Others kept their distance, muttering quietly. "If they're tied to nobles, there's nothing anyone can do."
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Far from the cozy mountain lodge, deep within a twisting mountain path, a carriage rattled along. Inside, Alfonso sat quietly, his dark brown eyes suddenly transforming into a piercing, crystalline blue. The change was startling, their blue glow was like the shimmer of a glass orb, faint sparks of electricity dancing within.
Alfonso's gaze seemed to pierce through the fabric of reality, as if locking eyes with something or someone, in the unseen void. Across from him, Leonard, absorbed in a book, stiffened. A wave of unease swept over him, nausea bubbling up in his chest. His neck prickled as though an invisible force was watching him.
But just as quickly as it came, the sensation vanished. Leonard glanced at his teacher, Alfonso, who remained calm, betraying no sign that anything unusual had occurred. Shaking off the discomfort, Leonard returned to his book, its dense pages holding an irresistible allure. The more he read, the more the extraordinary world of "Variation Science" unfolded before him. Each line deepened his understanding, not just of mutations, but of bloodlines, a revelation that thrilled him.
"Sir, we'll reach Bangor Harbor by day's end," Kenny, the coachman, called out. The carriage had sped up after leaving the rugged mountain trails, but the monotony of the journey began to weigh on Leonard. Anticipation mingled with fatigue as the destination drew nearer, and conflicting emotions churned in his heart. He imagined both the joy on his parents' faces and the dread of hearing bad news that might await him.
Pulling back the curtain, Leonard peered outside. The coastal sky was a deeper, richer blue than inland, dotted with clouds drifting lazily. Sparse trees lined the road, and the signs of life increased as they approached Bangor Harbor. Civilians bustled about, their clothes vibrant and varied, far brighter than the muted tones of inland attire.
The streets were alive with chatter and occasional laughter. Women, rarely seen out and about in the interior, walked confidently here, clad in colorful garments, their conversations punctuated by bursts of excitement.
Kenny glanced at the lively scene, a wistful smile tugging at his weathered face as he puffed on his pipe. The vibrancy of the harbor town stirred a fleeting envy in his heart. 'What a life it would be to live here,' he thought. But he dismissed the notion quickly. At his age, dreams like these belonged to younger men.
Instead, he focused on working as hard as he could for the few years he had left, saving every penny for his grandchildren and his son. For himself? He had no great ambitions. In his hometown, a "Kenneth" was like an ox; steady, hardworking, and enduring. That was enough.
Finally, as the carriage rolled to a stop, Leonard's mixed feelings peaked. He braced himself for what lay ahead, stepping out onto the bustling streets of Bangor Harbor. The bright world outside the carriage felt almost overwhelming after the long, dusty journey.
------
That evening, Hamilton walked home from the pier with a bounce in his step, a large fish swinging in his hand. The scales glinted dully in the fading light, smudged with blood, and the fish wasn't particularly fresh. But it had cost only 10 copper coins, and to Hamilton, it was a prize. Ava loved fish, and tonight he planned to make her favorite soup, a hearty, nourishing meal for his growing daughter.
His left hand brushed the coins in his pocket, their warmth filling him with a quiet pride. In a few more days, he thought, he'd have enough to pay the rent. Then they could finally leave this damp, miserable part of town. The sea air was too harsh, even for him. Every morning his knees ached from the cold and humidity.
The wooden planks beneath his feet were slick with moss, the chill wind biting at his collar. Hamilton pulled his coat tighter, oblivious to the furtive glances from those around him.
"Hamilton." A man sitting on a small wooden stool in front of a nearby house suddenly called out to Hamilton.
Hamilton turned his head and recognized that it was Bart who called him.
This person was a fellow refugee who fled with him in the same town. He used to be a carpenter in the town and also opened a small grocery store. He knew some handicrafts.
During the escape, the two families helped each other.
However, Bart injured his leg while fleeing, and now he usually helps others do some carpentry work to make a living.
"Haha, Bart, come to my house tonight and have some soup together?" Hamilton laughed heartily.
Bart was silent for a moment, then said, "Go home and see Angelina as soon as possible."
After Bart finished speaking, he lowered his head and continued to polish the stool in his hands.
Hamilton was stunned. Listening to Bart's words, he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
He quickly ran towards his home. Just outside there homw he saw his son James, James, noticing his father. The boy walked silently by his father's side, his hand gripping Hamilton's tightly. There was an unease in the air that James couldn't shake.
"What's wrong, James?" Hamilton asked, glancing down. "Are you cold?"
James shook his head, but his grip only tightened not responding to his fathers question.
Hamilton Looking at the half-open door, Hamilton quickly pushed it open.
Seeing Angelina lying on the ground with a weak breath, and Ava missing from the house, the man's eyes suddenly turned red.
"Angelina!"
I carried Angelina to the bed. My wife's forehead was as cold as ice and her breathing was weak.
This honest and simple man was so panicked that he didn't know what to do. He asked Patton to stay at home to boil water and take care of his mother while he went to get a doctor.
It was windy outside at night and the old doctor was reluctant to go out. However, when he saw the man with red and bloodshot eyes taking out double the consultation fee, the old doctor in his sixties reluctantly came to Hamilton's house with his medicine box.
The old doctor checked Angelina's body and shook his head. "The cold has entered her body. There are also wounds on the back of her head and bruises on her stomach. Her internal organs may have been injured. The main reason is that the cold has taken the opportunity to enter her body after she was injured. Even if she can be cured, she will have to take a long time to recover and will leave sequelae. Fortunately, her physical fitness is still good. If it were someone with a weaker body, she would have died.
But even if it is cured, I probably won't be able to do heavy work. If you want to treat it, it will cost a lot of money. Are you sure you want to treat it? It's not that my fees are high, but many medicines are not cheap. "
Hamilton dug out a dozen silver coins from the cracks in the corners, and took out hidden silver coins from various corners of the house, piling them up in a small pile on the bed.
"Is this enough money?"
"There will definitely not be enough follow-up medicine, but it is enough for now." The old doctor shook his head, nodded, hesitated for a moment, and reminded: "Are you sure you want to save her? This will drag your family down."
He had seen too many similar examples where an illness could bring a family into a heavy abyss.
Hamilton gritted his teeth and nodded. He had to save her. He would have to work two jobs to earn money to save her. He had suffered the pain of losing his son once, and he could not lose his wife again.
And there is also the missing Ava. At this moment, the man in a foreign land suddenly felt deeply powerless.
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