The rest room door slowly opened.
Hao Ming stepped over the threshold and his eyes immediately darted around the room, taking in every corner.
The room was small, but to him it felt like a true royal chamber. Walls covered in wood paneling, a soft carpet underfoot, simple but neat furniture.
He slowly approached the bed and carefully, barely touching it, ran his palm over the snow-white sheet. Dirt soaked in blood immediately stained the fabric. Feeling the unfamiliar softness, Hao Ming instinctively pulled his hand back, as if burned.
Hao Ming turned away silently and went into the shower room.
He removed his hide clothing and stepped under the shower. When the warm streams of water hit him from above, Hao Ming flinched—his body, accustomed to either icy or scalding hot water, tensed up. He stood motionless under the water for ten minutes. Years of blood and grime couldn't be washed away by running water alone.
He took soap and a washcloth. He scrubbed, again and again. Even so, it took Hao Ming a whole hour, mountains of lather, and a stiff washcloth to finally scrub himself clean. When he finished, his dry, tangled, coarse hair had become unexpectedly smooth and manageable.
After drying off, he put on the prepared clothes—simple medical pants and a white T-shirt. He tied his long hair back at the nape of his neck with an old, faded green ribbon, as he always did—the only thing that seemed to connect him to his past.
Hao Ming froze in front of the mirror. For several minutes he stood in complete silence, unable to look away from his reflection. Finally he slowly raised his hand and touched his face, running a finger along his only scar—a thin line beneath his right eye.
He looked at himself a while longer, then quietly said, as if not believing his own words.
—So this... is what I look like.
Hao Ming turned away from the mirror and returned to the room. He carefully sat on the edge of the bed, then, giving in to impulse, fell backward. His body instantly sank into the softness; his muscles, forever taut as bowstrings, began to relax for the first time in a decade.
—Comfortable...—he couldn't help a short laugh.—Ha-ha... Well, how about that.
—Ten years. I spent ten years in that place. I'm back.... But....
Hao Ming fell silent, listening to his own heartbeat, which in this silence seemed unusually loud.
—<
In his office, Colonel Xing sat at his desk smoking a cigarette. His posture was relaxed, even lazy.
At that moment the office door burst open.
Bai Le entered.
Colonel Xing reacted instantly. He put out his cigarette, tossed it into the bin, stood up sharply, and, fist to chest, gave a military salute.
—Major Bai Le, greetings!
Bai Le waved his hand, stopping him.
—Colonel Xing Le, if anything, I should be the one saluting, not the other way around.
Xing Le smirked.
—Major Bai Le, when it comes to you, rank doesn't matter much.
Bai Le pulled up a chair and sat down across from him.
—As always, good at flattery,—he said dryly.—Even the army couldn't shorten your tongue.
Xing Le scratched his head awkwardly.
—In my line of work, it's not individual strength that matters, but the power of words.
Bai Le nodded, agreeing with him.
—Alright, let's save the small talk for later. Right now, our main topic is Han Li and the rift.
The smile instantly vanished from Xing Le's face. His gaze turned cold and focused. He pressed a button on his Soul Communicator.
The next moment a large holographic screen unfolded above the desk. Qian Ye's reports, medical data, records of Hao Ming's interrogation.
Bai Le crossed his arms over his chest, waiting silently.
—You're already familiar with Qin Ye's report and Hao Ming's testimony,—said Xing Le.
He swept a hand across the hologram, and the image changed—a medical report with video and doctors' comments.
—Look at this,—he pointed at the video recording.—We couldn't draw his blood using standard methods. Ordinary needles simply bent. We had to use special needles made of Starlight Silver alloy with a reinforcement array.
The image enlarged, showing test footage, photographs of blood cells.
—According to the test results, his blood is completely normal. No trace of bloodline power, no foreign energy. One hundred percent—human blood.
Xing Le frowned slightly.
—But that's not the interesting part.
He scrolled through the data.
—His body. Bones, tissues, tendons—density at the level of a peak Holy Spirit (7). Although his blood is ordinary, its circulation speed is dozens of times higher than the human norm. An ordinary Spirit Master would die from a ruptured heart.
Xing Le looked at Bai Le.
—But his circulates constantly like that. Even now, while he's in the rest room. Our sensors are recording his readings in real time.
Bai Le simply nodded calmly. He'd already suspected that Hao Ming couldn't be ordinary.
—And that's not all,—Xing Le brought up a three-dimensional image of Hao Ming's body. The projection became semi-transparent, revealing vessels and meridians.
—His meridians and blood vessels are abnormally wide. The vessels can still somehow be explained. But for a person with no Spirit Power and no Battle Spirit, it's impossible to have meridians this wide.
He pointed at the diagram.
—In elasticity and strength, they're on the level of the meridians and vessels of a Title Douluo (9).
Colonel Xing Le's face turned truly serious.
—Major Bai Le, doesn't this seem suspicious to you?
Bai Le raised his hand, stopping him.
—I understand what you're getting at. I've also considered the possibility that he might be a spy. His body contradicts the logic of our world. After all, without Spirit Power and a Battle Spirit, it's impossible to grow stronger.
He raised his hand and showed two fingers.
—There are two possibilities. First, that he really turns out to be a spy.—He folded down one finger.
—Second, that he's still a person of the Federation, in which case he's an incredibly valuable person. Not just for us in the military, but for the entire Federation. If we can understand how he achieved all this, it could mark the beginning of a new era.
Colonel Xing nodded, but then scrolled through the report and said grimly.
—Major Bai Le, I'm afraid the second option should be ruled out. And the first is questionable too.
Bai Le raised an eyebrow and looked at him intently, waiting for an explanation.
—A person like Hao Ming doesn't exist. Not with that name. Not with that blood type. Not at that age. There's no one.
Xing Le brought up a large red inscription on the screen.
"SUBJECT NOT FOUND"
—Doesn't exist?—Bai Le frowned.
—We checked everything,—he said dryly.
—Blood, retina, fingerprints. We checked the databases of missing persons over the last twenty years. All birth registrations. All Battle Spirit awakening ceremonies.
Xing Le paused, then said.
—The result—zero.
—This person, Hao Ming, never existed in the Federation. Not on Heavenly Dou Planet. Not on the Mother Planet.
A heavy silence fell over the office.
—However...—Xing Le slowly inhaled.—There's something that shocked everyone. And, admittedly, me too.
He brought up a new hologram.
Two DNA strands appeared on the screen. They slowly drew together, merged... and formed a new structure. A third strand flashed instantly beside it—Hao Ming's DNA.
"100% MATCH"
Bai Le looked at Xing Le questioningly.
—The scientists used the most advanced modeling methods. The databases include every known DNA sample that has existed throughout the Federation's history.
He changed the image. Photographs appeared on the screen.
A woman.
A man.
A girl.
When Bai Le saw the faces of the woman and the man, he involuntarily jumped up and straightened, almost reflexively ready to salute. Realizing what he was doing, he abruptly sat back down.
Xing Le paid no attention to his reaction.
—According to the modeling, Hao Ming's DNA matches one hundred percent with two of the Federation's War Gods. The First War Goddess, Title Douluo—Heavenly Moon Lan Yue, and the Ninth War God, Title Douluo—Indestructible Sword Fang Hobin.
The screen changed again.
—Moreover,—Xing Le lowered his voice,—the DNA of their daughter, Fan Yue... fully matches Hao Ming's DNA.
Bai Le slowly leaned back in his chair. His gaze drifted into emptiness. He silently analyzed, running through the possibilities one by one.
Xing Le looked just as tense.
The War Gods weren't ordinary Spirit Masters. They were the pinnacle of military rank in the Federation; these people represented the military might of the entire Federation. Each of them stood at the level of a God.
—Major Bai Le....—Xing Le finally broke the silence.—How should we proceed? Report this to higher command?
Bai Le frowned, staring at the screen.
—They have only one official child—Fan Yue. She's currently studying at Shrek Academy. I've personally seen reports on her progress.
—War Goddess Lan Yue disappeared fourteen or fifteen years ago. And War God Fang Hobin, according to our data, went to search for her... and never returned. He's been gone for about two years now.
Bai Le looked up.
—How can one couple have two children with identical genetic code, if one of them was never officially born? Could they be twins?
He pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly rubbed it with his fingers.
—Colonel Xing, we don't have the authority to decide this ourselves. We're obligated to pass all the data on to higher command.
Location unknown.
A man sat on the shore of a boundless sea.
A huge, two-meter-tall figure sprawled in a beach chair. He wore a bright floral-print shirt, simple shorts, and sandals. His massive body seemed carved from stone—broad shoulders, a powerful chest, arms like the trunks of ancient trees. His entire appearance spoke of strength and overwhelming power.
The man looked relaxed to the utmost degree.
Black sunglasses hid his eyes. His hands were folded behind his head. A short white beard, gray hair blowing freely in the sea breeze. He looked old—but not decrepit. His skin was smooth, his body radiating a strange sense of youth and vitality.
He gazed lazily at the sky, basking in the sunlight.
—Haaa...—he drew out with pleasure.—Now this is the life! Finally, some rest! Those old geezers at headquarters have really worn me out with their requests!
At that moment his communicator gave a quiet beep.
Qin Tianmo: File. Qin Tianmo: Hu Chen, you should take a look at this.
Hu Chen lazily lifted his head and opened the file...
And for a brief moment his face turned serious.
But the very next instant he burst into loud laughter.
—RA-RA-RA-RA-RA!
The laughter was rough, strange, and incredibly powerful. The sea reared up. Waves rose, as if something had struck them from above. The air exploded in a hurricane gust, blasting outward in all directions.
Hu Chen rose from the chair and stretched lazily.
—So... right now I'm on Heavenly Luo Planet...—he bent his legs slightly.
—Well, a day or two and I'll be on the Mother Planet. I've been wanting to drop by the Academy for a while now anyway.
The next instant, the giant's figure vanished.
Only a few seconds later did the ground shake, covering itself in cracks. A powerful shockwave rolled outward in every direction, the sea foamed, waves surged as if a natural disaster had struck.
Hao Ming lay in the room for an entire day.
He didn't sleep.
Sleep had long since stopped being a necessity for him. After ten years of hell, that state had vanished as completely and traceless as his sense of taste.
He rose from the bed and stretched slowly. At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
—Breakfast!
Hao Ming walked over and opened the door. A tray of food sat at his feet. He glanced briefly at the retreating figure in military uniform, then picked up the tray and began to eat.
He spent the entire day in the room.
No one came. Not soldiers. Not doctors. Not scientists. Not even Bai Le.
As if everyone had forgotten about him.
Hao Ming didn't mind. After ten years of survival, he genuinely needed peace. Even if that peace was confined to four walls.
—I guess they're thinking about what to do....
—<>
He recalled her face. She was around his age, so he wanted to talk to her. Not just out of boredom, but to thank her. She was the first person he'd met. The one who had pulled him out of the rift.
Hao Ming understood—the main credit belonged to the military. But it was toward her specifically that he felt gratitude.
His thoughts were interrupted by a crash. The front door, torn from its hinges, flew across the entire room like a rocket and slammed with a clang into the opposite wall.
Hao Ming sprang up sharply. All his instincts howled with alarm, his heart pounding wildly. His hand instinctively jerked toward where his sword should have been, but his fingers grasped only empty air.
—I left it there!?
At that moment a massive figure stepped into the room—in a bright floral shirt, shorts, and sandals.
—HEY, grandson! Your grandpa's here!—Hu Chen barged in and stared at Hao Ming. His face spread into a wide grin.
—Hmm...—he narrowed his eyes.—<
Hu Chen looked over his build and height. Then nodded several times, quite satisfied.
—Yeah, you're way better than those brats.
At that moment Hao Ming was literally hit by a wave.
His entire body trembled, and within seconds all his clothes were soaked with cold sweat. His instincts screamed one thing:
RUN!
He had never felt anything like this before.
His legs began backing away on their own.
He didn't even register how Hu Chen closed the distance. The speed was beyond comprehension—so much so that Hao Ming couldn't even catch the movement.
A powerful hand grabbed him by the collar.
—Hmm... What a face. Lan Yue used to smile all the time at your age. And you look like you've seen a ghost.
He clicked his tongue.
—Tsk-tsk-tsk! Won't do. Well, I'll fix that!
At that moment, tense and out of breath, Colonel Xing and Major Bai burst into the room. Seeing the man before them, both froze for a moment. Then they blinked several times, as if not believing their eyes.
Colonel Xing rubbed his eyes and slowly turned to Bai Le.
—Am I dreaming? Isn't that...
—RA-RA-RA-RA!—Hu Chen cut him off, roaring with laughter.—Kids, I'm taking this wild wolf cub. Consider it approved by the President of the Federation himself.
Hao Ming tried to break free from Hu Chen's grip. But...
—BAM!
A heavy, powerful blow landed squarely on the back of his head. Everything swam before Hao Ming's eyes, the world clouding over for a moment.
—Don't struggle!
Hu Chen slung Hao Ming over his shoulder and walked past the frozen Bai Le and Xing Le.
—Major Bai Le... Is that really....—Colonel Xing couldn't finish the sentence, his voice literally trembling.
Bai Le, having already collected himself, let out a long breath.
—Yes. That's the Federation's Hero.
—Are you really going to let him just take him like that?—Xing Le asked quietly.
Bai Le shot him a helpless look.
—Who am I, and who is he? Not even the President of the Federation could stop him..... Do you want me dead?