In that fleeting moment, a torrent of debris capable of destroying heaven and earth rushed towards them, evoking the image of the apocalypse.
“Huo Xianfeng—!!!”
The young man opened his eyes, and in his chaotic and blurry vision, he seemed to glimpse a faint silver hue, like a dim star, faintly shining in the turbulent hurricane.
Clasp!
A hand tightly grasped him. The ferocious wind gusts surrounding them carried around unknown metal fragments, cutting dozens of bloody marks on that arm in the blink of an eye!
“……..”
An inexplicable sense of familiarity swept over him like a raging tide, and even his soul seemed to tremble slightly. It seems that, once upon a time, there was a person who also rushed towards him regardless of anything.
…Who?
Huo Xianfeng couldn’t recall, so he closed his eyes and plunged into the chaotic darkness of his mind.
The endless gloom seemed to spread for a long time, yet it also felt like a brief moment, until Huo Xianfeng heard a muffled light tapping sound.
Thud, thud!
It was like someone tapping on a glass tank filled with water.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
[I’m back.]
Ktlr nblmf yfibcufv ab j ybs, j nblmf ybat ecojwliljg jcv ojwliljg. Ktf xcbmxlcu rbecv, ilxf j rabcf vgbqqfv lcab j ijxf, glqqifv atgbeut atf vjgxcfrr bo fafgcji cluta, jcv revvfcis, tlr fcalgf qlamt-yijmx kbgiv yglutafcfv klat atlr nblmf.
—Pa kjr j teuf ijybgjabgs,
Ktf kjiir, oibbg, jcv mflilcu kfgf jii rlinfg-ktlaf, qgfrfcalcu j nfgs tbis jawbrqtfgf. Jbecaifrr fzqfglwfcaji lcragewfcar kfgf delfais qijmfv bc atf vfrxr, jcv bc atf rmgffcr, vfcrf vjaj ragfjwr rteaaifv rkloais, gfrfwyilcu j gjqlvis oibklcu glnfg.
In the center was a large spherical incubation pod, filled with pale blue nutrient fluid. And, at the very center, a child of about four or five years old was curled up inside, with dozens of thin tubes inserted from the back of his neck to his spine, giving him a particularly terrifying appearance.
A boy in a white robe stood in front of the incubation pod, extending his hand. He lightly tapped on the glass with his knuckles and then pressed his warm palm against the cold glass surface.
[I’m back.]
His voice was a bit childish, but he had an extremely gentle tone of voice, like the mountain breeze gently brushing against you in the early morning.
Huo Xianfeng quietly stared at the side-profile of this white-robed youth, easily recognizing him as the young Huo Chao. After escaping from Earth, he consciously searched for photos of Huo Chao, but most of them were of Huo Chao in his adulthood—dignified, sharp, and stable—a figure that perfectly matched the image of a commanding officer in the Alliance.
However, looking at Huo Chao at this moment revealed a stark difference between him and the Alliance commander in the future. He seemed to be around 6 years old, with a young but handsome face that made people unable to defend against it.
Due to the resulting force, there were slight ripples in the incubation pod’s liquid, but Huo Chao received no response. Yet he wasn’t annoyed; he simply gently stroked the cold glass and murmured to himself,
[Today, I met an interesting person named Jiang Jinsheng.]
[He has silver hair and crimson eyes; it’s quite unique. He appears to be very friendly, but in reality, he’s very intelligent. Among the children selected by the Church this time, he’s the smartest…]
[Yesterday was the beginning of spring, and the Capital will soon bloom with many flowers. However, Changyun doesn’t like it because he’s allergic to pollen. These days will probably be very difficult for him…]
The white-robed boy rambled on about many trivial daily matters, but most of them were irrelevant. Huo Xianfeng furrowed his eyebrows slightly, feeling like he had heard these things before, but upon closer inspection, he hadn’t.
It was strange. If he was truly Huo Chao, if… all these things before him belonged to his memories, he felt that they should be presented from a first-person perspective. Not like now, where he stood in a third-person perspective, quietly watching this bygone past buried in the torrent of time, as if watching a surrealistic holographic movie.
[Your Highness Huo Chao,]
Both Huo Xianfeng and the young Huo Chao turned around at the same time, and saw several individuals in white robes at the door. They bowed slightly, revealing a very respectful demeanor.
…Your Highness.
Huo Xianfeng knew that the people of the Church referred to the Pope as “Your Holiness.” As for the title “Your Highness,” this seemingly proved that Huo Chao’s status in the Church was likely second only to the Pope’s.
The leader in the white robe took a step forward, and, as if reciting a sentence of judgment. He said,
[―Time is up.]
Dong!
This sentence hit Huo Xianfeng’s mind like a heavy hammer.
The scene in front of him stretched like blurred pixels, leaving only a bloody and erratic blur.
An intense pain struck, like sharp needles being thrust into his spine and brain, as if something were being extracted yet being injected at the same time.
This extreme agony prevented Huo Xianfeng from uttering a single scream. He could only kneel on the ground, convulsing, his fingers leaving countless chaotic bloodstains on the metallic floor surface.
At this moment, he couldn’t see anything, and the current scenario was a blur. He could only hear some intermittent and apathetic conversations,
[Commencing extraction… brain fluid… Zerg King…]
[Monster… Huo Chao… compatibility…]
[Testing… increase in mental threshold… breakthrough…]
Extreme hatred and pain seemed to fill his chest at this point, like a hellfire erupting in a dark forest, vowing to incinerate and consume everything.
[Ahhhhhh――!!!]
Huo Xianfeng heard two hysterical screams—one coming from Huo Chao and the other coming in the language of the Zerg race. It was the voice of a larva, very tender, even younger than those he had heard on Earth, equivalent to the crying of a one to two-year-old human baby.
He became drenched in cold sweat, and the suffocating sensation in his chest surged like he was struggling to survive a raging tsunami. This intense and stimulating illusion seemed to last for a very long time, yet it also felt like only a moment.
As he slowly raised his head, the blurry scene in front of him gradually became clearer. It was the same scene, the same place, but each time, Huo Chao’s height had subtle differences. He always earnestly spoke to the silent incubation pod for a long time, often mentioning the names Pei Changyun and Jiang Jinsheng.
Occasionally, the young Huo Chao would bring something, like toys that human children liked or some beautiful candies, but there was no response. Until one day, he cautiously brought a sprig of Gardenia Rose blossoms.
For the first time, the silent Zerg King Cub gave a response, and a strange language was clearly transmitted to the boy’s mind.
[Human, listen up,]
[One day, I will personally let your race…]
Its golden vertical pupils were cold and ferocious, carrying undisguised killing intent, and each word was dripping with hatred.
“[――Be eradicated from the universe!]”
“……..”
Snap
The beautiful flowers fell to the ground.
After a moment, a harsh yet restrained sob echoed in the silent space. The broken flowers were tremblingly picked up by the scar-covered little hands and instantly covered with big, hot tears.
Wait what noooo?!! I’m not sure if this is happening to HC , HXF , or a zerg or all but it sounds messed up! Cliffhanger :’)
Thank you for the chapter 🙏
I’m so lost lmao
So huo xianfeng has the consciousness of the previous zerg king that’s being experimented on?? Is the Church trying to create hybrids from zerg king and huo chao?? Aghh the suspense is killing me
Big 👁️👁️
Thank you for the chapter.
For me HXF is a hybrid of HC and the Zerg King or the Zerg King with HC’s DNA. Neither a human nor a zerg
Aw poor HC. He just wanted to zerg friend ; o ;
😢
thanks for the chapter!
The backstory is coming but it’s also sad and heartbreaking 🥺
Thanks for the chapter 💞