Hao Ming spent the rest of the day in the forest.
He returned only in time for dinner. He ate in silence, then went back to his room.
The house was very quiet. He sat on the edge of his bed and glanced at the communicator on his wrist. He hadn't had a proper chance to examine it over the past few hours.
Figuring out how it worked wasn't difficult. Ten minutes were enough for him to understand where everything was. Hao Ming ran his finger across a small icon, and a transparent holographic panel unfolded above his wrist.
His personal information appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Hao Ming
Date of Birth: September 28, 4016
Age: 15
Place of Birth: Mother Planet, Bi Fang City, Central City Hospital
Battle Soul: None
Spiritual Power: None
Educational Institution: Central Federation Academy]
Dozens of other entries were listed below.
Hao Ming slowly scrolled through them one by one.
Elementary school. Middle school. High school. Enrollment and graduation dates. Addresses. Medical records. Examination results. Various registration details.
Suddenly, his finger stopped when he reached the section labeled Family.
The fields where his parents' names should have been were blank. The only information displayed was their status: [Deceased].
For several seconds, Hao Ming simply stared at the screen. Then he slowly scrolled down.
The only relative listed in the system was Hu Cheng, identified as his grandfather.
Hao Ming returned to the previous page and read through his personal information again.
Then a second time.
By the third, he was barely paying attention to the other entries. His gaze kept returning to the same section.
Family.
He didn't remember either his father or his mother.
Yet somewhere deep inside, he had a strange feeling that their absence should have hurt. He felt nothing, and still, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen.
Hao Ming stared at the Family section for a long time before quietly asking,
"What's the point of fighting?"
He didn't even understand why he'd asked the question.
<
Three evenly spaced knocks at the door interrupted his thoughts.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Hao Ming shook his head, stood up, and opened the door. Zhou Shengyang was standing outside.
"Qin Ye is gathering everyone at her place," he said without preamble.
Hao Ming nodded.
"Let's go," Zhou Shengyang said.
Zhou Shengyang was already turning to leave when his gaze slipped past Hao Ming's shoulder and into the room.
His eyes settled on a wooden sword standing against the wall. It was worn and covered in cracks, clearly a weapon that had seen plenty of use.
Realizing he'd lingered at the doorway, Zhou Shengyang stepped away.
Hao Ming closed the door and followed him.
The evening was warm. The scent of grass and cooling earth drifted through the courtyard, while nocturnal insects chirped somewhere nearby.
They walked several dozen steps in silence.
At first, Hao Ming kept half a step behind, but Zhou Shengyang soon slowed down a little, allowing them to walk side by side.
"Do you know how to use a sword?" Zhou Shengyang asked, looking straight ahead.
"Yes."
"Did someone teach you?"
Hao Ming hesitated slightly before answering.
"No. I taught myself."
Zhou Shengyang remained silent. It was only after they'd taken several more steps that he asked another question.
"Then why didn't you use one during our sparring match?"
"I didn't have a sword."
The answer was so calm and matter-of-fact that it sounded as though the question hardly needed an explanation.
But for Zhou Shengyang, that simple answer was more than enough.
He was the kind of person who respected only the strong and paid little attention to the weak. After sparring with Hao Ming, he'd clearly recognized his own shortcomings.
Over the past ten days, he'd replayed that fight in his mind countless times, trying to figure out exactly where he'd gone wrong. With every training session, the answer had become a little clearer.
Under Hu Cheng's guidance, Zhou Shengyang had indeed grown stronger. His footing was steadier, and his movements more precise.
He wanted to fight Hao Ming again and find out whether he'd finally discovered the answer.
But not now.
The upcoming mission was far more important than a personal duel. Nine Dark Soul Masters were hiding somewhere on Planet Elven, and tomorrow, they would begin searching for them.
They continued along the path in silence and soon entered Qin Ye's house.
The place greeted them with immaculate cleanliness and order.
The kitchen and living room shared the same space. Not a single unnecessary item was in sight. The washed dishes were neatly arranged on a shelf, the table gleamed, and everything else was precisely where it belonged.
A holographic screen floated above the table.
Qin Ye had brought up a map of the Starflow Forest, an enormous expanse of dark green wilderness cut through by rivers and mountain ranges.
Beside it was a dossier. The photograph of Mo Tong was blurry, as though it had been taken from a considerable distance.
The others had already gathered and taken their seats.
Sheng Ming was perched on the armrest of the sofa. Jin Luo lay sprawled across the cushions with his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Hui Mi stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Every so often, he cast a brief glance toward Sheng Ming, only to immediately look away again. Xiao Yu sat directly on the floor, studying the map intently.
Hao Ming and Zhou Shengyang approached and took the available chairs.
"Everyone's here," Qin Ye said, surveying the group. "Then let's begin. Since I've been appointed leader, I expect my orders to be followed during the mission without unnecessary questions. Even if a task seems simple, it must be taken seriously."
No one objected. Silence was her only response.
She tapped Mo Tong's image.
"Our primary target is Mo Tong. According to the intelligence report, he's a Soul Emperor, rank six. However, that information is already two months old. He may have broken through to a higher rank since then. Furthermore, the intelligence department has no reliable information about his Battle Soul and hasn't ruled out the possibility that he possesses Battle Armor."
Qin Ye enlarged the map.
"Their base has yet to be discovered."
"How amusing," Jin Luo drawled lazily without opening his eyes. "These people are doing an excellent job of hiding from the Federation's intelligence network."
Qin Ye looked at him.
"Because they aren't behaving like ordinary criminals."
She pointed to several marked locations.
"They haven't attacked any local residents. They haven't hunted Spirit Beasts. They haven't attempted to leave the forest. If the information is accurate, they're simply hiding."
"Aaah..." Jin Luo drawled again, still keeping his eyes closed. "If they're that good at hiding, they must have something helping them. A soul tool, most likely. Or a formation."
"That's the most likely explanation." Qin Ye nodded. "I'll handle reconnaissance. My skill, Seraphim's Eyes, allows me to see through illusions. Xiao Yu will accompany me."
"Xiao Yu."
There was no response.
Qin Ye looked at him and raised her voice.
"Xiao Yu!"
He jolted and lifted his head.
"Huh? Yes. Of course. I'll go."
He quickly glanced at the map, as though only now realizing where he was.
Qin Ye closed her eyes for a moment, suppressing a sigh.
"Hui Mi, you'll be responsible for capturing the targets. Your Lightning Chains are highly effective against groups of enemies."
Hui Mi pushed himself away from the wall and frowned.
"Capturing them? That doesn't suit me very well. Wouldn't Jin Luo or Zhou Shengyang be better choices for that role?"
"Why do you think so?" Qin Ye asked calmly, without a trace of irritation.
Hui Mi remained silent for several seconds before answering more seriously.
"Because they're Dark Soul Masters."
His voice acquired a barely perceptible edge.
"They're worse than beasts. I'm not sure I'll be able to stop myself in time."
Silence fell over the room for several seconds.
Qin Ye considered his words, then turned her gaze toward Sheng Ming.
"Haaah... Fine. We'll change your assignment. You'll stay close to Sheng Ming."
Hui Mi looked at her in surprise.
"Me?"
"Yes. Your main task is to make sure no one gets close to her."
Qin Ye looked him directly in the eyes.
"And remember: if you lose control, she'll be the first to suffer. So keep an eye on yourself as well as the enemies."
Hui Mi pressed his lips together. He said nothing for several seconds before giving a short nod.
"All right."
Sheng Ming lowered her gaze.
"I'm sorry..." she said softly. "You probably don't want to spend your time looking after me. And now, because of me, you'll have to stay by my side the whole time."
"Th-that's not true!" Hui Mi blurted out, a little louder than he intended.
He immediately crossed his arms over his chest again and turned away, as though that could hide his embarrassment.
Sheng Ming looked at him for several seconds before smiling gently.
"Then please take care of me."
Hui Mi nodded, trying to hide his reddening face.
Qin Ye pretended not to notice anything, although the corner of her mouth twitched for a moment.
<
Shaking her head, she continued.
"Jin Luo, you won't be on the front line. You'll position yourself behind Hui Mi. Your primary responsibility is battlefield control: supporting the others, monitoring the situation, and covering anyone who comes under attack."
"What a hassle," Jin Luo sighed, still without opening his eyes.
Qin Ye shifted her gaze to Xiao Yu.
"You'll operate from the rear. Speed, evasion, and reaction time are your greatest advantages. Don't engage in combat unless necessary. Watch the flanks and guard the group's rear. If anyone tries to escape, stop them."
Xiao Yu nodded several times.
"Understood."
"Zhou Shengyang, Hao Ming, and I will form the main attacking force," Qin Ye said, looking between them. "According to our intelligence, there are nine enemies. However, that information is two months old, so their numbers may have increased. For now, though, we'll proceed on that assumption. Mo Tong is my target. The two of you will handle the rest."
Zhou Shengyang nodded silently.
Hao Ming said nothing either.
Qin Ye held their gazes for a moment.
"I'll say this again. Unless your lives are in danger, do not kill them."
She spoke calmly, but her voice had grown noticeably stricter.
"If an enemy surrenders, or you can incapacitate them without endangering yourselves, capture them alive. Sheng Ming can provide medical treatment even if you cut off their arms or legs."
Qin Ye swept her gaze across everyone in the room.
"Is that clear?"
"Clear," Zhou Shengyang answered first.
The others nodded one after another.
"Then we'll get up at five tomorrow morning. The flight to Planet Elven will be long—it'll take fifteen days. Don't be late."
The meeting ended almost as quickly as it had begun.
Hui Mi was the first to leave, followed by Zhou Shengyang. Jin Luo struggled to his feet and lazily made his way toward the door.
Hao Ming lingered for only a few seconds before leaving as well.
Xiao Yu was already walking ahead along the path.
Normally, after ten days together, it was almost impossible to catch him in silence. He was always telling stories, cracking jokes, complaining, asking questions, and somehow managing to comment on even the most insignificant events.
But tonight, he was quieter than the grass beneath their feet. He was so uncharacteristically silent that it felt downright unnatural.
Without really understanding why, Hao Ming quickened his pace and soon caught up with him.
Xiao Yu glanced sideways at him.
"What's wrong with you?" Hao Ming asked before Xiao Yu could say anything.
"What?" Xiao Yu looked around in confusion, as though Hao Ming might have been talking to someone else. Then he pointed at himself. "You're talking to me?"
Hao Ming nodded.
"Why have you been so quiet all evening?"
"Oh, that..." Xiao Yu awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "It's nothing. I just don't like long flights."
"Then why did you ask?"
"I don't know. I just felt like it."
Having received his answer, Hao Ming's brief fit of curiosity subsided. He continued walking in silence, leaving Xiao Yu standing alone.
Xiao Yu watched his retreating back.
<
Back in his room, Hao Ming lay down on the bed without even changing his clothes and stared at the ceiling.
His body was aching more than usual. Ten days of training had drained him more thoroughly than a month of hunting in the Rocky Mountains. Back there, exhaustion had been a foreign concept.
Here, without his former strength, neither his body nor his mind could keep up with the pace he'd set for himself. Little by little, he was burning himself out from within.
His eyelids twitched.
He gave in to his exhaustion and fell asleep against his will—for the first time in ten nights, during which he'd deliberately gone without sleep.
It seemed he'd finally reached his limit.
His eyes closed completely, and darkness followed.
At that moment, he felt as though his body had suddenly grown smaller, returning to the size it had been when he was six or seven years old.
He didn't remember what he'd been like as a child, but something inside him told him this was right.
A spacious room. A strip of soft light falling through the window.
He lay beneath a blanket that felt unbearably heavy, though it was probably perfectly ordinary. His head was burning as if it were boiling from the inside, and the edges of the room kept blurring before gradually coming back into focus.
His throat was dry. He wanted water, but he didn't have the strength to ask for it.
Someone was sitting beside him.
A large hand rested against his forehead. It was covered in scars and calluses, roughened by years of hardship, yet surprisingly gentle and warm.
"Sleep," a quiet voice murmured in Hao Ming's ears.
He tried to open his eyes wider and make out the owner of that voice, but he couldn't. The light swam before him, and the man's features blurred like ripples on water.
Only the hands remained in his memory.
Large, warm palms that repeatedly replaced the damp cloth on his forehead, unhurriedly, as though there were nothing in the entire world more important than this simple, repetitive task.
Unable to control his own body, Hao Ming let a weak, barely audible word slip from his lips.
"Dad..."
"I'm here," the voice answered again. "I'm not going anywhere."
Suddenly, the man's figure began to recede.
Farther and farther away, until he dissolved into the light.
Hao Ming felt his heart tighten with confusion, with the fear of losing someone whose face he couldn't even see.
"No... No..."
Hao Ming's eyes snapped open.
"Dad!" he cried out, louder than he would ever have expected.
His arm shot forward, his fingers closing around empty air—as though he were still trying to grasp the person who had been beside him only a moment ago, now vanished without a trace.
The ceiling above him seemed unfamiliar.
He slowly lowered his hand and stared at it as though seeing it for the first time. His fingers were still slightly curled, as if he were holding something.
After the voice he'd heard so clearly, the silence in the house seemed especially loud.
Hao Ming sat up on the bed, rested his elbows on his knees, and stared into the darkness before him for a long time without moving.
<
He tried to hold on to something—facial features, a scent, the sound of the man's voice—but all that remained was the sensation of a warm, rough palm against his forehead and that one simple, short word he'd spoken without even thinking.
He couldn't remember ever calling anyone that before, neither in a dream nor while awake.
The word had come naturally, as though he'd learned it a long time ago.
Hao Ming ran a hand over his face, as if trying to wipe away the remnants of the dream, then looked at the communicator glowing faintly on his wrist in the darkness.
There were still several hours until he had to get up.
He lay back down and stared at the ceiling, but he couldn't fall asleep again.