His Only Son

Lu Yuan opened the listing page for the Transcendent Gene.

Twelve million. He raised an eyebrow at the price — though it didn't genuinely surprise him. Not every Transcendent Gene was the same. An ordinary Common Grade gene might go for two or three million; a rare, precious specimen at Common Grade could match the price of an Elite one. Healing-type genes were exactly that kind of rarity. A Gene Warrior with a healing gene was worth their weight in gold inside the Land of Origin, and the market priced accordingly.

With roughly fifty million in reserves, twelve million was within reach. He paid without haggling.

A quick check of the seller's profile brought a small smile to his face — they were right here in Xili City. Delivery would be fast.

He was already looking forward to inscribing it.

With that settled, Lu Yuan headed out to sell his materials at Wild Wolf Materials. He stepped outside and immediately sensed something off — the streets were quieter than they should be, fewer pedestrians than usual, the neighborhood heavy with a vague unease he couldn't quite name.

He didn't dwell on it and continued toward the Jiuhu Shopping District.

He arrived at Wild Wolf Materials to find Xue Wang standing motionless in front of the holographic news display. The anchor's clear, polished voice filled the shop, and the footage behind her showed ruins — scorched, collapsed, desolate.

*"...Last night, two more explosions occurred in the city's southern district. The death toll stands at sixty-six. Official investigations have again attributed both incidents to gas leaks, but a portion of the public is calling this explanation a lie by the Local Governor, claiming residents were subjected to an unknown attack. Citizens are demanding a credible account..."*

Lu Yuan stared at the screen.

*Two days in a row?*

*Sixty-six dead.*

He felt the weight of those numbers. Something that scale, that coordinated — could it really be gas? His thoughts moved immediately to the Shadow.

Xue Wang glanced at him, then looked back at the screen without a word.

Lu Yuan set his materials on the counter and began pulling them out one by one, though his mind kept drifting. Li Qinghe still hadn't replied to his messages.

After working through the pile, Xue Wang looked up. "Three point one one million total. Not a great haul this time, old Lu."

"I made a trip back to the city," Lu Yuan said. "Wasn't specifically out hunting."

"Going back to the city — that explains it, then." Xue Wang tapped something on his phone. A chime.

"Payment sent."

Lu Yuan pocketed his share and checked his phone. Still nothing from Li Qinghe.

A short silence settled. Then Xue Wang spoke, tone flat and unhurried:

"You don't actually believe the gas leak story, do you? That line is for people who don't know any better. The kind of damage that causes — plenty of Gene Warriors could pull that off. Something's seriously wrong in your neighborhood. And it's been going on for a while."

Lu Yuan's head came up sharply. "Not gas?"

A chill moved through him. If there was something that serious festering in the slum district, then —

Seeing Lu Yuan's expression darken, Xue Wang let it go at that. He added, simply: "Remember to move out soon."

"I know," Lu Yuan said.

He nodded and left.

Outside, the emptied streets made sudden sense.

*No wonder the atmosphere felt wrong today.*

He walked back toward the slum district, thoughts circling Li Qinghe. She still hadn't replied. He considered going to the Daming Martial Arts Gym to find Franming — Li Qinghe and Franming were in contact, and Franming might know something about where she was.

But he didn't know where Li Qinghe worked. He knew only that it was something like *that kind of work* — the kind he didn't fully understand and never asked too many questions about.

He'd figure it out. Try Franming later, maybe.

His phone buzzed.

He pulled it out to find a message from Li Qinghe.

The tightness that had coiled in his chest since morning dissolved all at once.

*Li Qinghe: Little Yuan, sorry about that — got caught up yesterday and only just had a moment to breathe. Why'd you suddenly reach out? Everything alright?*

He typed back quickly: *Are you home? I'd rather talk in person. I'm coming over.*

*Li Qinghe: Just got in. Let's talk when you arrive.*

He exhaled and smiled.

Almost immediately, his phone rang — the delivery line.

"Mr. Lu? Your package is about to be delivered. Are you home right now?"

"I'll be right there." He was already changing direction.

He made it back with time to spare. When he opened his door, the same two middle-aged delivery men from the previous day were standing in the hallway, smiling.

"Mr. Lu, good to see you. We have a delivery."

One of them produced a small black metal case.

"Our association has already verified the contents," he said, "but as a standard precaution, we'd ask you to inspect it yourself before signing off. If everything looks good, please confirm receipt through Battle Net."

Lu Yuan took the case and opened it. Inside, resting in a fitted interior, was a stone of white jade-like material. The moment his fingers closed around it, information surfaced clearly in his mind — the unmistakable signature of an Origin Stone.

"It's the Origin Stone. All good." He signed for it through Battle Net without hesitation.

"Delivery confirmed. We'll leave you to it, Mr. Lu."

"Thank you," Lu Yuan said with a smile. "Take care."

He closed the door.

Out in the hallway, the two middle-aged men looked at each other.

The brown-haired one murmured: "A Trainee Grade Origin Stone... this Lu Yuan is already gearing up for a breakthrough?"

The black-haired man's brows rose. "Impressive."

"He looks young." The brown-haired man shook his head slowly. "Might not have even sat his entrance exams yet. If he breaks through to First Rank before then, he could walk into any of the top ten Gene Warrior Academies."

They both let out a quiet, rueful laugh.

"If I'd had that kind of ability at his age," the brown-haired man said, "would I really be delivering packages for a living?"

A notification chimed. The middle-aged man checked his phone, then sent a reply.

*Origin Stone confirmed. No issues.*

Lu Yuan was barely through the door before he was in his room, Origin Stone in hand. Information flooded through his mind the moment he held it.

His first instinct had been to absorb it immediately, but he reconsidered. The Land of Origin made more sense — more time, better conditions, and with Constructs standing watch in the Residential Zone, the process would be far safer. He could evolve his genes there at the same time. He'd poured no small amount of Spirit Crystals into the Evolution Cube working toward exactly that.

As for the Natural Recovery gene — he was hoping it would arrive today as well. If it did, he could inscribe and evolve everything in one clean session.

He was already impatient to find out what the gene felt like.

Healing-type Transcendent Genes were a different breed. Healing-type Gene Warriors were among the most sought-after in the Land of Origin — which was precisely why a rare specimen commanded twelve million without blinking.

With fifty million on hand, the cost was fine. And the seller was right here in Xili City. Delivery would come soon.

He was already looking forward to it.

Back at Wild Wolf Materials, the news had not stopped broadcasting.

After watching Lu Yuan's figure disappear through the door, Xue Wang turned back to the display. The anchor's voice continued, measured and unhurried. The ruin footage behind her was not.

After a long moment, he stood and walked a slow circuit around the shop. He stopped. Exhaled.

He walked to the front door, closed it, and hung the *Closed* sign in the window.

He made his way through the back door into the private quarters behind the shop — a room somewhat larger than the floor out front, furnished with a dining table and a sofa. Uneaten food still sat on the table from earlier.

He didn't look at it.

He sat down on the sofa.

Silence gathered.

After a while, Xue Wang reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He stared at it briefly. Then he dialed a number he hadn't called in years.

The line rang.

It connected.

Neither of them spoke.

The silence carried a particular weight — the kind that had been accumulating for a long time.

Then a voice came through. Unhurried. Completely flat. Drained of any warmth or inflection.

"You haven't left Xili City yet."

Not a question.

Xue Wang's jaw tightened. "What are you talking about?"

No response. Neither spoke.

Then, quietly: "The southern district. That was your doing."

Only breathing from the other end.

Xue Wang's expression set like cooling iron — and then, slowly, with a thin and ugly precision, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"None of your concern," he said. "My life is my own. What — you think I've defied your orders? Go ahead and kill me. Just like you killed my mother. She disobeyed you, so she died. That's how it works with you, isn't it."

The voice on the other end remained completely flat.

"Is that everything you wanted to say? If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up. — By the way. You haven't left Xili City."

"What are you *saying* to me?"

Silence.

Xue Wang lurched to his feet, something cracking open in his voice:

"Don't play dumb with me! Who else but you could do something like that?! Your blood has *always* been cold — every last drop of it!"

The line was quiet for a beat.

Then, unhurried as ever:

"You're not the same as your mother."

A pause.

"You are my only son."

Xue Wang's laugh came out sharp and cold.

"Just you wait," he said quietly. "I risked my life to inscribe the Silver Wolf Gene. That was for one reason and one reason only — to come after you."

He slammed the phone down.

The call was over.

Xue Wang's legs gave out beneath him and he dropped back onto the sofa. He lay still, staring up at the ceiling, and let a long, heavy breath leave his body.

He stayed there — sunk deep into the cushions, eyes fixed on the ceiling above him, expression blank and distant, as though he had gone somewhere very far away.