In Xiao Hei's long life, it had witnessed numerous events: the laughter and tears of humans, their gatherings and partings, the ruin and restoration of the world, the resurgence of spiritual qi, and the rejuvenation of the land. Now, Xiao Hei lay under a tree, eyes half-closed, enjoying the breeze and casually remembering its stories.
...
Xiao Hei wasn't named Xiao Hei from the moment of its birth, nor was it a fortunate dog initially. It used to be a stray dog on the fringes of the city, born in a garbage heap with few siblings. However, the life of a stray was never easy. When it failed to snatch food, Xiao Hei had to endure hunger. Sometimes, the leftovers in a tattered plastic bag were a rare "delicacy" for it.
One day, Xiao Hei was roaming around a construction site. Although the place was filled with dust, it could always find some scraps of food. Just as it was biting into a really hard piece of bread, a pair of rough hands reached out. "Hey, little guy, have this," a thin man said, crouching down and offering a meat bun.
That was the first time Xiao Hei met Jiang Tianming.
Jiang Tianming wore a warm smile. He patted Xiao Hei on the head and said, "You've been a stray for quite a while, haven't you? Do you want to come with me?"
Xiao Hei was startled for a moment, and its ears twitched slightly. Then, it licked the meat bun, approached him tentatively, and finally lay down at his feet. At that moment, Xiao Hei thought it might have found its home.
From that day on, Xiao Hei went home with Jiang Tianming. Jiang Tianming cleaned the dirt off its body and named it. "Let's call you Xiao Hei. It's easy to remember." Xiao Hei wagged its tail, accepting the name.
One day, Jiang Tianming returned from the construction site, holding an ancient - looking dog tag in his hand. He smiled at Xiao Hei and said, "Look how nice this is. I found it when they were demolishing a house at the construction site. It seems to be a treasure. I'll put it on you."
Xiao Hei didn't know what a treasure was, but the dog tag felt rather comfortable around its neck. However, from that day on, it always felt that it was somewhat different from an ordinary dog. Sometimes it heard faint whispers from far away, and sometimes a strange warm feeling rushed through its body, making it run faster. Xiao Hei didn't understand these changes and didn't care much about them.
Once, Jiang Tianming took Xiao Hei home to visit relatives. That was the first time Xiao Hei saw Jiang Yulian, a gentle woman who didn't talk much but always wore a comforting smile. Xiao Hei quickly accepted her presence. She stroked Xiao Hei's head and softly chuckled, "You're quite clever. You seem like a shrewd little thing." Xiao Hei sniffed her hand with its nose and decided to consider her as part of its family from then on.
When the apocalypse thunderstorm hit and the city turned chaotic, Xiao Hei felt the pressure from the surroundings. Its body seemed to grow bigger and stronger. It vaguely thought it was all because of the dog tag.
Nevertheless, it didn't care about these things. The only thing it cared about was the safety of Jiang Tianming and Jiang Yulian.
It became more vigilant and powerful. When running through the ruins, it could easily leap over obstacles half a person's height; when facing zombies, it could bite off their heads in one bite. Xiao Hei thought that perhaps this was its mission: to protect its family.
In the shelter, Xiao Hei had close contact with Lin Yuan and Cao Yuwei. Lin Yuan had a strange smell. Xiao Hei felt his aura was a bit like the World Tree's it later met. This made Xiao Hei curious about Lin Yuan.
As for Cao Yuwei... At first, Xiao Hei didn't have much of an impression of her. But later, the two started to cooperate frequently in building the shelter. Cao Yuwei used her spatial ability to transport supplies, and Xiao Hei used its large body to clear the way. Over time, they unexpectedly became great "partners". Cao Yuwei would also occasionally share some food with Xiao Hei. The food wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. Xiao Hei thought this person was okay.
...
On the day Jiang Yulian died, Xiao Hei was also at the scene. It tried its best to save her but was powerless. It could only watch her fall, filled with grief and anger.
When the World Tree took Jiang Yulian's body back, Xiao Hei seemed to sense something. It circled around the tree and whined softly. It didn't want to lose this family member, but there was nothing it could do.
Later, it discovered that a "small" World Tree emerged beside the World Tree, and its aura was somewhat similar to Jiang Yulian's. Xiao Hei kind of understood, but couldn't say it. After all, it was just a dog.
...
Lin Yuan seemed unreliable, always fond of complaining, but Xiao Hei knew that he was a trustworthy person. Lin Yuan had saved Jiang Tianming several times in battles, and Xiao Hei would always remember that.
Lin Yuan left later and left a letter. Xiao Hei didn't understand the content of the letter, but it knew that Lin Yuan wouldn't be coming back.
Now, Xiao Hei was over thirty years old. Although its body was old, it was still full of energy. The Capital City had recovered a great deal. Jiang Tianming and Cao Yuwei became a couple, living simply. Xiao Hei liked this life and thought it was great.
"Xiao Hei! It's time to eat!" Jiang Tianming's voice came from not far away.
Xiao Hei wagged its tail, barked, and then trotted over cheerfully.
For it, as long as its family was still around, that was enough.
====================
在小黑漫长的一生中,它见过许多事情,人类的欢笑,泪水,团聚与离别,世界的破碎与重建,灵气的复苏与大地的重生.而现在,躺在一片树荫下,眯着眼享受微风吹拂的小黑,正悠闲地回忆着它的故事.
...
小黑并不是一出生就叫小黑,也不是一只幸福的狗.它曾是城市边缘的一只流浪狗,出生在某个垃圾堆里,兄弟姐妹都不多.可是流浪的生活从来不是轻松的,抢不到食物的时候,小黑不得不忍饥挨饿.有时候,一只破旧的塑料袋里的剩饭对它来说,都是难得的 "美味".
有一天,小黑在工地附近游荡.这里虽然灰尘弥漫,但总能找到些残羹冷炙.就在它埋头啃着一块硬得掉牙的面包时,一双粗糙的手突然伸过来: "嘿,小家伙,你吃这个." 一个清瘦的男人蹲下,将一块肉包递到了它的面前.
那是它第一次见到江天明.
江天明笑得很暖,他拍拍小黑的脑袋:"流浪够久了吧?要不要跟我走?"
小黑愣了一下,耳朵微微抖动.然后,它舔了舔肉包,小心翼翼地靠近他,最后趴在了他的脚边.那个时候,小黑想,它可能找到了自己的家.
从那天起,小黑就跟着江天明回了家.江天明给它洗干净了身上的泥垢,还给它取了名字:"就叫你小黑吧,简单又好记." 小黑摇了摇尾巴,决定接受这个名字.
有一天,江天明从工地回来,手里捧着一块古朴的狗牌.他笑着对小黑说:"你看这个多好看,工地拆房子的时候发现的,像是个宝贝,给你戴上."
小黑不懂什么是宝贝,但那个狗牌戴在脖子上倒是挺舒服.只不过,从那天起,它总觉得自己好像和普通的狗不太一样了,有时候能听到远处人的细声细语,有时候身体会涌出奇怪的热流,让它跑得比平时更快.小黑不懂这些变化,也没太在意.
有一次,江天明带小黑回家探亲.那是小黑第一次见到江玉莲,一个温柔的女人,话不多,但总是带着一种令人安心的笑容.小黑很快接受了她的存在.她摸着小黑的头,轻轻笑道:"你还挺聪明的,看着像个人精呢." 小黑用鼻子嗅了嗅她的手,决定从此以后把她也当成自己的家人.
当末日的雷阵雨降临,城市陷入混乱时,小黑也感受到了来自天地间的压力.它的身体似乎在慢慢变大,力气也逐渐变强.它隐隐觉得,这一切可能和那个狗牌有关.
可是,它不在意这些.它唯一在意的,是江天明和江玉莲的安全.
它变得更警觉,更有力量.在废墟中奔跑时,它能够轻松跃上半人高的障碍;面对丧尸时,它能够一口咬下它们的头颅.小黑心想,这或许是它的使命,保护它的家人.
在避难所,小黑近距离接触到了林远和曹雨薇.林远身上有一种奇怪的味道,小黑隐隐觉得那种气息和过后遇见的世界树有些类似.这让它对林远有些好奇.
至于曹雨薇... 小黑起初对她没什么感觉,但后来,两人开始频繁合作修建避难所.曹雨薇用空间异能搬运物资,小黑用它高大的身躯开路,时间长了,居然成了意想不到的 "好搭档".曹雨薇还会时不时给小黑分点好吃的.虽然食物都不怎么美味,但至少不至于难以下咽.小黑心想,这个人,还挺不错.
...
江玉莲死的那一天,小黑也在现场.它努力想救她,可是无能为力.它只能眼睁睁看着她倒下,心里充满了悲伤和愤怒.
当世界树将江玉莲的尸体接回,小黑似乎感应到了一些什么.它在树下转悠了一圈,低低地呜咽着.它不想失去这个家人,但它无能为力.
后来,它发现世界树旁出现了一棵 "小" 世界树,气息和江玉莲有些相似.小黑隐隐明白了什么,但它说不出来是怎么一回事.它只是一条狗.
...
林远这个人,看起来不靠谱,嘴上总是喜欢吐槽,可是小黑知道,他是个可以信赖的人.林远曾经在战斗中救过江天明好几次,这一点,小黑永远记得.
林远后来离开了,留下了一封信.小黑不懂信里的内容,但它知道,林远不会再回来了.
现在,小黑已经活了三十多年,身体虽然老了,但它依旧精神抖擞.首都城已经恢复了不少,江天明和曹雨薇成了一对夫妻,日子过得简单又平淡.小黑喜欢这种生活,它觉得这样就很好.
"小黑!吃饭啦!" 江天明的声音从不远处传来.
小黑摇了摇尾巴,吠了一声,然后屁颠屁颠地跑了过去.
对它来说,家人还在,这就够了.