The reinforced gate hissed open with a mechanical sigh, and Li Wei stepped into the luxurious confines of his residence—well, it was technically his father's, but considering the man was off playing soldier somewhere in deep nowhere, the place felt more like his personal kingdom. Just with less privacy. And more surprise ambushes.
The first thing he saw was lace. Lots of lace. It attacked his eyes like an aesthetic ambush.
Then he saw her.
"Muah~, I missed you so much, Sweetie!"
A warm body collided into him with the momentum of a war mech in full charge. Li Wei barely had a second to process the incoming missile before his mother's arms coiled around him, spine-crunching affection activated.
Venina. His mother. Stunning. Elegant. More dangerous than a beauty trap in a spy holodrama. Also completely obsessed with him to a degree that made most Oedipal scholars sweat.
"Mom! Boundaries!"
He wheezed, wriggling like a caught cat.
"Nonsense," Venina said brightly, pressing her cheek against his. "You smell like gunpowder and manhood. I'm so proud!"
Behind them, Old Liu made a strangled sound and began studying the floor tiles like they were sacred scripture.
Venina's tone flipped like a switchblade.
"Did he encounter any problems?"
She asked, her voice silk over steel.
"No, Mistress!"
Old Liu responded fast, practically saluting.
"The young master was... exemplary."
"Good. Now leave."
Old Liu vanished like he'd rehearsed for this moment his whole life.
...
They reclined on the plasma-cushioned sofa, the kind of seat that could cost a mid-level administrator their annual bribe bonus.
A teapot steamed between them, its aroma suspiciously calming. Li Wei side-eyed the pink macarons on the tray. Traps came in all forms.
"So," Venina purred, stroking his hair like he was six. "Tell mommy everything."
"I killed a two-headed black snake," Li Wei muttered.
"Mm-hmm," she replied, like he said he did laundry.
"I recruited Tiger Fang Team."
"Expected."
"I also might have befriended someone. Potentially dangerous."
Venina blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"Luo Feng. He's... interesting."
Silence.
"Do you want mommy to kill him for you?"
She asked in the same tone one uses to offer soup.
"No!"
Venina tilted her head. Her eyes gleamed like twin death flags.
"Are you sure? I can make it look like a hovercar crash. Mommy is very efficient."
"I said no," Li Wei growled.
She pouted.
"You used to be so cute and bloodthirsty."
"I have to play nice now. Politics."
"Clever! That's definitely from my genes," she beamed.
Li Wei sighed and sipped tea that had mysteriously appeared in his hands.
"Where's dad?"
"Hmph! Missing your boring father while your sexy mommy is here?"
Li Wei choked on his tea. Emotional damage: critical.
"He's off doing something about Beast General signals. Stuff like that."
"You let him go alone?"
"He has his squad. I'm not a brute."
Pause.
"You're oddly casual about this."
Venina smiled, nostalgic.
"He's the first man who didn't die after proposing to me. He's capable."
"That's... not worrying at all."
She sipped tea with angelic calm.
...
After more banter and light psychological trauma, Venina leaned in, eyes sharp.
"Why didn't you kill Luo Feng?"
Li Wei's gaze fell.
"He's a Spirit Master."
Venina froze.
A low whistle escaped her.
"You're sure?"
"The pressure was... different. Not raw power. Mental depth. Weight."
Venina leaned back, serious.
"You were right. Befriending him was smart."
Li Wei shook his head.
"I did it to live. I refuse to be a footnote. A tragic example."
Venina reached out and cupped his face.
"Don't say such things. It hurts mommy's heart."
"I'm an adult now."
"You'll always be mommy's baby."
Li Wei groaned like a man sentenced to eternal cuddling.
Venina leaned forward, fingertips lightly brushing his cheek. Her voice softened, but it was the softness of a drawn bowstring.
"You're hiding something from mommy, my little baby."
Li Wei's eyes flicked toward the tea, then back.
"I'm hiding nothing."
She didn't laugh. That was worrying.
"I'm serious, Wei'er. Spirit Masters aren't random warriors. They're… curated. Chosen. Like relics returning from a forgotten age."
"Yeah," he muttered, "I figured that out around the time my bones were vibrating in sympathy."
Venina stared for a beat longer, then exhaled, brushing his bangs aside like he was five again.
"I've spent years protecting you from this world. From enemies. From destiny."
"I know," Li Wei said. "And you will continue to do so."
A pause.
"Do you want to hang out with mommy?"
She asked, suddenly cheerful.
He blinked.
She was... Flexible and unpredictable.
"Not yet," he said slowly. "Later."
Venina smiled. But also a little… dejected.
"Then I'll wait for you. Rest. Then mommy's going to take you for quite a ride."
He nodded.
...
Later, he stood alone in his training chamber. Energy-dampened walls. Lights that buzzed with artificial warmth.
Before him hovered a translucent interface. This time echoing a term completely uncertain.
『Initiate Gene Evolution Triggerance?』
『Y/N』
His hand hovered. Not hesitation. Reverence.
This was the cheat. The thing. The classic switch that turned cannon fodder into main character material.
But in Swallowed Star, there were no guarantees. Power didn't come with plot armor.
Li Wei wasn't here to roll the dice.
He was here to forge them.
He nodded.
『Confirmed. Beginning Gene Evolution...』
Then came the pain.
Not the cinematic kind. The kind that chewed on your soul with iron teeth. Bones liquefied and re-cast like demonic pottery. Every cell in revolt.
He couldn't scream. That would bring her.
So he bit down on cloth, letting the blood soak through it as his body seized, twitched, burned, froze, shattered, and screamed without making a sound.
Time collapsed. Hours became moments. Eternity passed in waves.
Then stillness.
He collapsed. Sweat and blood painting the floor beneath him. Every breath a rebellion.
He was still Li Wei. But also not.
He was Aris. A Transmigrator. A Genre saboteur. A Walking trope defiance.
And this time?
He would win.
No matter who the hell thought otherwise.