With Fuli's abilities, slipping into Old Wataru's apartment without a sound would have been child's play. However, he chose the most direct method—stating a fact so world-shattering that it could make anyone's reality collapse, all in a calm tone through the entryway intercom.
"Hold on! What do you mean my dad's ashes were turned into a bishoujo figurine, came back to life, and returned to my side?!"
Sure enough, the door was violently yanked open from the inside. A balding, middle-aged man in pajamas charged out like a cavalryman, his face a canvas of incredulous absurdity and rage. Even under the influence of the Shugenmu ritual, which had siphoned off most of his negative emotions, the sudden, mind-bending news still triggered what little remained, creating a sensation of absolute, explosive outrage.
"You may find this hard to believe, but it is the truth." Fuli sighed softly and placed Murasame, who had been sitting on his shoulder, onto the shoe cabinet by the door.
Old Wataru's gaze instinctively followed. He saw the cute little figurine with yellow-green hair staring at him with eyes that seemed truly alive, filled with an indescribable, complex mix of excitement, sorrow, and loving affection.
"No, no, no, this is all kinds of wrong!" Old Wataru slammed his fist against the wall with a dull, bone-cracking thud. He was no longer a boy who believed in miracles and Ultraman Tiga. Besides, despite having faithfully lent his "light" to the giant on TV as a child, that giant had taken the light and never returned, leaving his future shrouded in darkness ever since.
"When you fall in love, the light you lost will come back to you," Fuli attempted to console him.
["He means the green light of being cuckolded, right?"] Dr. MEI quipped.
["It could also be the blinding light of total hair loss,"] Prometheus added with a synthesized sigh, gazing at the particularly shiny top of Old Wataru's head under the lights.
The man in question obviously couldn't hear the moon-based duo's banter, but his anger hadn't subsided. "I don't know what kind of black magic is powering you, you little thing! But I'm warning you, get the hell out of my house right now, before I completely lose it!"
With that, he snatched the Murasame figurine, which was trying to inch closer to him, and roughly hurled it at Fuli. The boy reacted in a flash, catching it securely.
"Well now, this is just like the US invading Israel—family fighting family," he scratched his head with a helpless expression. "And old man, you need to calm down first. Try to think if there's any keepsake or secret password that only you and your father would know."
"Hmm..." After the initial shock of their reunion and Fuli's reminder, Murasame gradually calmed down as well. He pondered for a moment, then, under Old Wataru's gaze—a mixture of vigilance, anger, and a flicker of hope so faint that he himself hadn't noticed it—he slowly spoke. "Wataru, do you remember your favorite cartoon from when you were a child?"
"It was Digimon Adventure." Before his son could answer, Murasame, lost in reminiscence, continued on his own. "Back then, two episodes would air sharp at 6:30 every evening. Every day after school, you'd rush home, not even bothering with your homework, and squat impatiently in front of the TV. When the Dark Masters easily defeated WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, you were so scared you even knelt down and kowtowed desperately to Piedmon, begging him to spare Tai and the others."
His voice was soft yet clear. "And another time, you excitedly held a wedding for your favorite yuri ship in a game, even collecting virtual gift money from the guests. But then you got an official warning from the game company and had to sheepishly refund everyone and cancel it."
"Later, you wanted to write web novels to make money. You audaciously created a group chat and dragged all the website's editors into it, brazenly asking, 'I've invited all you editors here just to ask: why isn't a masterpiece like mine getting a contract?'"
"And after your first heartbreak, you hid under the covers, crying your eyes out while listening to Todokanai Koi, and—"
"Stop! Don't say any more!" Old Wataru suddenly let out a cry of near-total breakdown.
Despite his most embarrassing secrets being laid bare in such detail, the man felt no shame. Instead, tears instantly flooded his eyes. With a thud, he fell to his knees, his hands trembling. He carefully took the small Murasame figurine, cradled it in his arms, and broke into heart-wrenching sobs.
"Dad!"
"My son!"
"Dad!"
"My son!"
"Waaaaaaah—!"
Father and son wept together, a decade of pent-up longing, grievances, guilt, and the complex emotions of reunion bursting forth in that single moment. The scene was both heartbreaking and bizarre, carrying an indescribable poignancy and warmth.
"Sob... so touching." Standing to the side, Fuli couldn't help but wipe away a non-existent tear from the corner of his eye. He never understood why people would look forward to being visited by ghosts. Did they really want to become undead knights that badly? Little did he know, the ghosts that some feared were the people others longed for day and night.
After fully venting a decade of accumulated grief and longing, Old Wataru and Murasame gradually stopped crying. The man stood up again, walked over to Fuli, his expression now incredibly serious and resolute. "Father has roughly explained the situation to me. You want to infiltrate the Pepian company headquarters, right? I can help!"
Once upon a time, the boy who hated giants became a giant. The one who hated ghouls became a ghoul. The one who hated monsters became a monster. After struggling in Jigui City for ten long years, through a bit of luck and decent talent, Old Wataru—who once hated work more than anything—was now a mid-level manager at Pepian Food Co., Ltd.
"That would be a huge help," Fuli said sincerely. "But you don't need to risk yourself personally. I just need to borrow your keycard for the core area of the headquarters and a detailed blueprint of the building." The boy wouldn't let an ordinary person venture into a place that was so obviously a lion's den. If danger struck, saving him would waste time; not saving him would weigh on his conscience.
---||---
The Pepian company headquarters stood like a steel behemoth in the north of Jigui City. Ninety stories high, its glass curtain walls gleamed coldly under the city lights. When night fell, it transformed into a pillar of light that pierced the sky, the absolute sovereign of the urban skyline.
At this moment, on the 58th floor of the building, a figure walked unhurriedly down the internal corridor leading to the CEO's office. He wore a black hoodie adorned with fluorescent green lines and the character "武" (Martial) on the right hem. He wore a white mask that revealed only his right eye, emblazoned with a pattern of two crossed daggers. Even indoors, he held a black umbrella and never took off his hood, just as the Ox Warrior never took off his mask.
Three minutes later, Gray Serpent arrived before a heavy, solid wood door. He stopped and politely raised his hand, knocking three times with his knuckles.
"Come in." A steady, slightly authoritative male voice came from within. Gray Serpent pushed the door open.
The office was incredibly spacious and luxurious, with massive floor-to-ceiling windows offering a dazzling night view of the city. A man with slicked-back hair and a thick cigar between his fingers was sitting by the window. Hearing the footsteps, he slowly turned around, his face breaking into a warm, sincere greeting.
"It's been a long time, my old friend!" The man fit the stereotypical image of a capitalist perfectly: meticulously styled hair, a tailored suit, a wealthy-looking face, and an air of arrogance that came from being in a position of power for a long time.
If Fuli were here, he would have recognized him at a glance. This was Kane Pepian, the very man who had shamelessly promoted Light Cone technology at the press conference by denigrating Vill-V's Stigma system. Yes, the same guy who often spouted lines like, "The proletariat is glorious. If you don't exploit them, how can they maintain their glorious identity?"
"What wind blew a busy man like you here?" Kane exhaled a thick ring of smoke, his smile amiable, but a shrewd, assessing glint hidden deep in his eyes.
"The Taixu Frontline has noticed the anomaly in Jigui City and has dispatched investigators of considerable strength," Gray Serpent said, slowly rotating his umbrella. A flat, mechanical voice filtered through his mask.
"You mean those three little brats who haven't even grown hair yet?" Kane scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "After plotting right under Shenzhou's nose for so long, they're only just now reacting? Don't those high-and-mighty bigwigs think they're a little slow on the uptake?" The man certainly had the confidence to say so; after all, the lives of millions of Jigui City's citizens were in his hands.
"Perhaps," Gray Serpent said noncommittally, cutting straight to the chase. "Native of the Jigui bubble-world, do you remember our deal?"
"You help me block divination-type spells and divert Shenzhou's attention, and I provide you with a spacious, undisturbed testing ground," Kane narrowed his eyes, the cigar's embers reflecting two cold points of light on his glasses. "What? Has your experiment achieved the desired results?"
"Since the experiment began, I have successfully improved and selected over a thousand excellent individuals with the potential for Stigmata awakening through methods such as micro-dosing Honkai energy," Gray Serpent stated calmly. "The number has met my requirements, so I am preparing to terminate our cooperation."
"Met your requirements? More like you're scared of the Taixu Frontline's retaliation when this all comes to light!" Kane sneered and stood up, his shadow looming over Gray Serpent. "I thought a high-ranking executive of World Serpent would be someone of substance, but it turns out you're just another coward afraid of death!" His domineering presence was a stark contrast to his meek and subservient demeanor in front of Vill-V and Mobius. Perhaps that had been his carefully crafted disguise.
"But, my old friend," Kane leaned forward, his gaze suddenly fierce and sharp, "Although I have yet to tell you what I'm truly plotting... with your abilities, you must be well aware that my plan is just one step away from success. At such a critical juncture, you want to pull out?" He casually stubbed out his still-burning cigar on the priceless mahogany desk, leaving a charred mark. "You can't be naive enough to think I'll just let you walk away, can you?"
Before the words had even faded, the obsidian ring on Kane's finger erupted with a dark glow! Black flames that consumed life itself spewed forth, morphing into a roaring, ferocious dragon that lunged at Gray Serpent, clearly intending to eliminate this unstable element for good.
However, an instant before it made contact—
"Hissss!" An eerie hissing sound echoed from thin air. Dozens of massive pythons, as thick as water buckets, materialized from nothing!
Serpent's Speech, the snake-shaped bracelet worn by Gray Serpent. It allowed him to sense and understand the emotions of serpentine creatures and control weaker ones. By injecting enough Honkai energy, he could summon up to 666 snake spirits with low-level intelligence that obeyed his commands.
These spirits possessed impenetrable scales and incredibly venomous fangs, and their venom could corrode most substances, posing a threat even to Critical-class powerhouses in sufficient quantities.
"Hisss!"
"Roar!"
The fire dragon and the pythons tore at each other violently. The serpents spat venom that continuously weakened the dark divine flames, while the flames melted the serpents with their intense heat.
Ultimately, the obsidian ring was of a higher grade. After incinerating dozens of summoned snake spirits, the fire dragon finally broke through the defenses and surged towards where Gray Serpent had been standing.
As expected, it hit nothing but air.
"Hmph!" Kane snorted and dispersed the residual energy around him. He straightened his slightly disheveled suit and tie and sat back down in his chair, a symbol of his power. After a moment of contemplation, he picked up the encrypted phone on his desk and dialed an extremely confidential number.
After a brief ringing tone, the call was answered.
"Hello, is this Lord Overseer Otto Apocalypse? Oh, it's Miss Amber! Hello, hello! This is Kane Pepian, the one who purchased your 'Fourth Divine Key Weather Forecasting Service' three months ago!" The man's voice did a complete 180, becoming clownish and sycophantic, identical to his pathetic display at the Light Cone press conference.
"Yes, that's right. I'd like to place an urgent custom order for a Category 15 typhoon," he said fawningly. "Yes, yes! As soon as possible would be best. The route should form in the waters near Luzon and then move towards the coast of the South Shenzhou Sea... Yes, excellent! Thank you so much! I'll arrange for the remaining payment immediately!"
After hanging up with Schicksal, the sycophantic expression on Kane's face vanished, replaced by his usual cold, decisive look. He then dialed the number of Jigui City's highest-ranking public official, his tone now aloof and unquestionable.
"I've just received an urgent report from the meteorological department. A super typhoon is moving towards the coast of Shenzhou... Yes, immediately issue a highest-level typhoon warning to all citizens in an official capacity. Simultaneously, shut down all air traffic hubs, including Suxing International Airport, as well as external communications. Also, deploy troops to urgently block and sever the only cross-sea bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Do it under the pretext of ensuring safety from the impending natural disaster."
A complete information lockdown.
---||---
The power of the Key of Tempest: Planetary Domination was undeniable. Just a few minutes later, weather satellites observed a powerful tropical cyclone rapidly forming and intensifying over the sea east of Luzon, its trajectory aimed directly at the southern coastal region of Shenzhou.
The intense air currents not only interfered with real-time satellite and technological monitoring but also brought an unseasonably fierce storm to Jigui City.
On the edge of a high-rise rooftop, more than ten kilometers from the Pepian building, Gray Serpent's figure quietly materialized. Under the curtain of rain, he still held his black umbrella, silently watching the brightly lit skyscraper in the distance, a red light flashing in his mechanical eyes.
"Kane Pepian, a native of the Jigui bubble-world. A foolish and pathetic man."
"You believe the Taixu Frontline are predators invading your world, shattering your peace, and seizing your land, women, and resources. To this end, you were even willing to cooperate with the likes of me, hiding in the shadows, just to reclaim what you believe 'belongs to the locals'."
"Unfortunately, you chose the wrong partner and misunderstood our true intentions."
"No matter the sacrifice, no matter the cost, the founder of the Serpent—my great creator, the Flame-Chaser who bore the name of Infinity—once said that the ultimate meaning of our existence is one thing and one thing only: to fight and defeat the Honkai."
"And now, for your own desires, you have placed the millions of lives in this entire city at the immense risk of total zombification, standing on a path from which there is no return."
"Therefore, there is only one ending that awaits you."
The breeze, carrying threads of rain, swept past. Gray Serpent's figure vanished as if melting into the night.
At almost the same instant, Yunli, who was searching another part of the city for other potential Honkai energy sources, suddenly felt something. She reached out her hand, and a piece of paper, as if drawn by an invisible force, landed precisely in her palm. The girl unfolded it, her pupils constricting.
"This is..." It was a detailed map of Jigui Island, marked with dense annotations and routes. Several key locations were specially circled, with concise notes beside them.