Chapter ( 41 )
United States
Pentagon Military Headquarters...
In the office of the Secretary of Defense, General Louis frowned as he read the report in his hand. The problem was that the report detailed strange disappearances of items in various parts of New York City the previous night.
What made it strange was that the disappearances resembled the theft of weapons. After dealing with an enemy far beyond his understanding, he had been up all night with a headache.
Now, that enemy had reappeared, stealing everything from cars to electronic devices and even canned food. The method of theft was always the same. Couldn't the thief have changed their approach?
With this report in hand, should he go to the President and say, "The person who stole advanced weapons yesterday is now a canned food thief"?
Secretary of Defense George, on the other hand, was staring out the window. After hearing the news, he seemed detached from reality. He sighed and said, "Let's not report this... No matter what, if we say the weapon thief and the canned food thief are the same person, both you and I will be fired for being insane. Let's just leave it at that... Make sure the news doesn't spread."
---
Zhen Chen and Xin Lan were sitting at the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Zhen Chen looked at Xin Lan and said, "The pharaohs actually worshipped cultivators as gods. They believed these gods descended from the sky to bless their people. The cultivators passed down some advanced technologies. Those cultivators probably came from the Asura Planet. In truth, our world is like a forgotten little place between the factions and the universe. How long we can live peacefully depends on the human territory being built."
Xin Lan asked softly, "When do you think Yu Xue Yin will return?"
Zhen Chen gazed into the distance. The wind blew fiercely, causing some of Xin Lan's hair to flutter. Zhen Chen turned to her, and a beautiful hair tie appeared in his hand. He tied her hair and said, "She probably won't return. Her body is an ancestral energy body, extremely rare and with the potential to reach the pinnacle. The organization behind her and her father won't allow her to return. They'll gradually distance her from us... They won't let her break free with other things. She knows this too. You know she's a smart woman. This is the path she chose, so she must walk it to the end."
Xin Lan leaned into Zhen Chen's embrace and asked, "Can't you go and bring her back?"
Zhen Chen kissed her forehead and said, "Even if I become strong enough to bring her back one day, I'm not sure if she'll want to come. People can't escape the influence of their environment. By the time we meet again, she might have changed a lot."
Xin Lan looked up at him and said, "I won't change. I'll be waiting for you to return..."
Zhen Chen smiled, hugged her tightly, and then they flew away as a beam of light.
---
25 trillion miles from Earth...
At this distance, it would take 150,000 years for human spacecraft to travel there with current technology. This is the first star system visible from the solar system where humans live.
Alpha Centauri , as it is called, has nothing but three stars orbiting each other, locked in a gravitational dance.
In the dark void at the edge of this star system, a constellation-class spacecraft was parked. Inside the control room of the massive ship, Yu Xue Yin, Lin Su Su, and Yuan Yuan sat while an old man with a white beard explained a star map to them.
"This place is between Human Worlds 15 and 16. This is Human World 18, where Xue Yin and Su Su came from. We're not going back to Human World 17 or the asteroid field. From here, we'll return to the Asura Planet."
Yuan Yuan asked, "But the two brothers haven't returned yet, Master."
The old man ignored Yuan Yuan's question. Instead, he looked at Lin Su Su and Xue Yin and asked, "Can you two wait a little longer to meet my disciple Yu?"
Lin Su Su asked, "Is Brother Yuelong in trouble?"
The old man shook his head and said, "No, he's fine. But the summons from the leaders isn't just for him. It's for everyone to gather. That includes Yu. By now, she's probably meeting the leaders on the Royal Asura Planet. I can take you to the regular Asura Planet, but not the Royal Asura Planet. So, can you wait on the Asura Planet with Yuan Yuan? I'll explain everything to Yu when I meet her at the meeting. We'll see her after the meeting."
Lin Su Su nodded and said, "We've waited for years. A little longer won't make a difference."
The old man nodded and then looked at Yu Xue Yin. "What about you, Xue Yin? Have you thought about becoming my disciple?"
Yu Xue Yin nodded and said, "If my father agrees, I'd be honored to learn from you, Uncle Yuelong."
The old man laughed and said, "Hahaha, Yu's daughter is as clever as her father. Don't worry. I'll arrange for your parents to meet your father first."
The old man's expression was calm. This girl was as sharp as her father. Moreover, she possessed an ancestral energy body. With such talent, why wouldn't he take her as his disciple? Besides, her father didn't have time to teach her. So, it was up to him.
Yu Xue Yin asked, "Uncle Yuelong, can I ask you something?"
The old man nodded and said, "Of course. Ask whatever you want. And don't call me Master. Call me Uncle Yuelong."
Yu Xue Yin nodded and said, "Yes, Uncle Yuelong. I have a younger brother back on Earth. He's already reached the Earth Formation level. Could you take him as your disciple too?"
Yuelong stroked his beard, pretending to think. In truth, Yuan Yuan had already told him about the boy. According to Yuan Yuan, the boy had no special talent or potential. He was even said to be weak-willed. Yuelong had no intention of accepting him as a disciple. However, he didn't want to reject him outright, so he said warmly, "Alright. When we next visit Human World 18, we'll meet him and discuss it then. It's too early to decide now."
At that moment, a small spacecraft approached the massive ship. Yuan Yuan noticed and shouted, "Master, the two brothers are back!"
Yuelong waved his hand, and a beam of energy shot toward a mark on the wall. The small spacecraft entered through an opening and soon, two middle-aged men entered the control room.
"We pay our respects to Master. We have completed our mission."
Yuelong nodded and introduced his two disciples to Lin Su Su and Xue Yin. Then he said, "Let's return to the Asura Planet through the dimensional tunnel. You two, take them to the resting room. We'll depart soon."
"Yes, Master."
"Miss Su Su and Miss Xue Yin, please follow us."
Yuan Yuan shouted, "Brother Rowen, that's favoritism! Why aren't you calling me?"
Rowen, embarrassed by his junior sister's teasing, said, "Shaofeng will call you."
Yuan Yuan smiled knowingly and then said to Yu Xue Yin, "Xue Yin, let's go. I'll take you there."
Yu Xue Yin and Lin Su Su followed Yuan Yuan to the resting room. The room had four beds and was spacious enough for the three of them. Yu Xue Yin sat on a bed, lost in thought. She was clearly thinking about Zhen Chen.
For her, this journey meant leaving behind everything she owned, especially the man she had fallen in love with for the first time. Losing other things didn't matter much to her, but Zhen Chen was different.
She had made the decision to reunite her parents, even at the cost of her own heart. She wasn't sure if she would ever see Zhen Chen again, and she didn't even have confidence in herself.
She didn't know if her decision was right, but it was too late to change it. She was already in a place far, far away from Zhen Chen. She closed her eyes, and hot tears streamed down her cheeks.