This chapter is quite short (5.8k… cough cough) so I only split it into 2 parts.
Ning Tianxing: Ning Kongran’s father, Ning Tianya’s older brother.
Long Baorou: the ex-President’s daughter.
“Elder”: the mastermind of the conspiracy.
An Xei: The former Emperor’s younger brother. A Prince and a scholar.
An Tyn: An Leen’s twin brother. The Fifth Imperial Prince, now the Emperor.
Feng: The Imperial High Advisor.
Jian: the Imperial High Advisor’s son. Studies History.
When the group finished dealing with the Zerg and followed the traces to find Chu Rong, the black hole belt had already disappeared. The black-gold mecha had lost control and was lying on the ground. Chu Rong was sitting beside it, his head lowered, his foot on the blood-soaked An Xei. A terrifying force of spiritual power was swirling around, preventing anyone from approaching.
“Erge!”
Chu Yan tried to rush forward but was flung back by the force. Chu Huai quickly caught him, sensed the power fluctuations in the air, and carefully searched around but did not see Qiao Zhiya. A bad suspicion arose in his mind. He stepped forward and asked, “Xiao Rong, what’s wrong? Where’s Qiao?”
‘Qiao?’
Chu Rong finally lifted his lowered head. His tightly clenched left hand relaxed, revealing a communicator inside.
“This!”
Yuan Lie and the others who followed were all shocked. The communicator is a proof of identity — once worn, it can only be removed by the person themselves or someone they have given permission to. It is rarely taken off under normal circumstances.
Chu Rong was holding the communicator that Qiao Zhiya had worn for a long time. Most of them had seen it before. Now that this thing was in Chu Rong’s hand and Qiao Zhiya was missing, they didn’t dare to think about what it meant.
While everyone was in shock and uncertainty, An Xei, who was lying at Chu Rong’s feet, suddenly moved his fingers as if trying to do something secretly. Chu Rong, who was concentrating on the communicator, suddenly moved his other hand. A black short dagger appeared and directly stabbed An Xei’s heart.
Blood splattered, and An Xei’s body convulsed and went limp before he could even cry out in pain.
AdvertisementEveryone gasped. Chu Rong didn’t stop. The tip of the dagger twisted in An Xei’s heart, and after a gruesome sound of flesh being churned, a black and red device the size of two fingers was thrown out by Chu Rong.
“Ning Tianxing— no, that monster tried to sabotage the military after releasing the experimental subjects. He is now in the vicinity of the control room in the V area of the military. Go and capture him.” Chu Rong took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the blood off the dagger. His voice was calm and normal, but the smell of blood in the air and the increasingly violent force honestly indicated his current instability.
“You are useless now.” After wiping the dagger, he kicked the unconscious An Xei, withdrew his spiritual power from An Xei’s brain, and suddenly looked up. His blood-stained face was expressionless, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he were just thinking normally. He murmured softly, “Where… where could Qiao be now…”
Chu Yan tried to approach again, but the previously stable force in the air suddenly surged wildly, rolling up towards the sky, forcibly creating a storm in mid-air. Everyone was blown unsteady, and then with a bang, the storm exploded. Everyone was thrown to the ground. Chu Rong stood up, suddenly boarded the black-gold mecha, and shot through the night sky like a meteor, heading towards an unknown direction.
An Xei died after Chu Rong piloted the mecha to an unknown destination.
When Yuan Lie collected his body, he found it full of small holes dug out by the dagger. Scattered around him were many black and red teleportation devices, but these were not his fatal injuries. His actual cause of death was a spiritual power riot damaging his brain.
The mental lock that had once securely protected his mental sea was long gone. A more powerful force had broken his brain’s lock, scoured his memories, and sent him to the underworld.
Yuan Lie recalled Chu Rong’s dazed look when they arrived and felt greatly relieved— fortunately, Chu Rong seemed not to have lost his mind as they feared. All the damage to An Xei was purposeful.
AdvertisementThe military and government emergency departments were fully mobilized. Some were responsible for calming and guiding the evacuated civilians on the central square, some were stabilizing external public opinion, and the rest carried out a new round of cleanup and search on the main star.
Fan Xiangnan and Lin Zhen’s teams began secretly searching for Chu Rong and Qiao Zhiya. Soon, another bad news came: the Imperial High Advisor and Jian were also missing, and this happened while the Chu family’s house had the highest level of protection activated!
The situation that night was too chaotic. The guest house’s surveillance somehow broke down, and the old butler discovered their disappearance only the next morning at around eight o’clock. No one knew how or when the Imperial High Advisor and Jian disappeared, but it was undoubtedly a severe matter.
The fact that guests from the Empire had disappeared quietly in the Chu family’s main base was deeply unsettling.
The Chu mansion was urgently closed, and a new round of internal cleanup began.
The last two days of the year passed in this tense and serious atmosphere. It was finally determined that the monsters that came out to rampage were only the dozen or so experimental subjects that had escaped from the military. The identity of the white shadowy figure that appeared midway was unknown and temporarily classified as an accomplice of the monsters.
The public gradually recovered from the terrifying scenes they had witnessed during the live broadcast that night. After two days of calm, public opinion suddenly erupted.
—New monsters have appeared! Qiao Zhiya has been captured by the monsters! The Zerg still exist!
These explosive pieces of news quickly spread throughout the Blue Galaxy, with everyone discussing the black holes, monsters, and the white figure that appeared that night. People were worried about Qiao Zhiya’s whereabouts and their own safety.
Chu Huai and An Tyn promptly came forward to clarify the situation, stating that the monsters were merely human experiment products created by An Xei and Ning Tianxing, and had all self-destructed. As for the black holes, they assured that as long as people ensured there were no black and red devices around them, as previously explained by the government, black holes wouldn’t appear.
AdvertisementHowever, they were vague about Qiao Zhiya’s whereabouts.
Seeing this, the public’s hearts sank, knowing that not denying it was tantamount to admitting it.
The thought of that beautiful and kind-hearted boy being attacked by the black hole monsters again made them deeply saddened—why is it that good people always suffer, and when will the shadow of the black hole finally be gone?
Prayers and well-wishes filled the Starnet, with everyone hoping for Qiao Zhiya’s safe return and for Chu Rong, who had always protected them, to once again defeat the monsters and bring peace and tranquility back to the Blue Galaxy.
The entire Blue Galaxy was uneasy due to the appearance of the monsters, while on a primitive planet within the asteroid belt, Qiao Yi and Mi Lai experienced long-awaited peace… and confusion.
In Qiao Yi’s arms, on a piece of soft cloth, lay a small creature about the length of Mi Lai’s arm. It was covered in pale gold scales, had small wings on its back, a tail curled up in discomfort, and two small horns on its forehead. Its belly was round, making it look like a realistic toy animal… or a baby version of one.
“This…”
Mi Lai extended a finger, gently pinching one of the small wings and pulling it open. In the sunlight, the golden wings appeared almost translucent, shimmering with a beautiful soft light.
“Has Qiaoqiao turned into a dragon? But why is he so small?” She finally voiced the guess that had been running through her mind. Her hand itched to touch the small dragon’s tiny horns, but Qiao Yi stopped her.
“Qiaoqiao is still digesting his power, don’t disturb him.”
AdvertisementQiao Yi held her hand, looking at their son, who had not only disappeared for two years but had also changed species upon his return. As he continued to release magic to soothe him, he sent a portion of his power to probe Mi Lai’s body.
“What’s wrong?” Mila obediently let him investigate, looking up at him with wide eyes that were identical to Qiao Zhiya’s.
Magic naturally couldn’t reveal someone’s bloodline composition. Qiao Yi withdrew his power, looking at his wife’s perpetually youthful and naive appearance, and suddenly felt a headache.
Their son had turned into this, yet his wife seemed not the least bit surprised and even found it amusing. This was truly…
“Nothing.” He shook his head, reached out to touch Mi Lai’s face, and said, “With Qiaoqiao’s condition still unclear, the return home will have to be postponed.”
“That’s okay!” Mi Lai, having regained her former carefree demeanor after finding their son, happily threw her arms around him. Qiao Yi, startled, quickly steadied himself and held their son tightly, which only made her laugh more joyfully. She said, “As long as you are all here, anywhere is home!”
Qiao Zhiya felt like he had slept for a long, comfortable time, but the only downside was that there was always a familiar hand in his dream disturbing him — pulling his wings, tugging his tail, and occasionally rubbing his forehead, constantly interrupting his rest. Just like now, the annoying fingers even lifted his tail, reaching towards a place that shouldn’t be touched.
He grimaced and flicked his tail, unable to bear it anymore, he opened his eyes and said, “Mom, you—”
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and a huge but very familiar face came into view, gradually becoming clear.
Emerald green eyes met brown eyes, both round in shape. Mi Lai blinked, then blinked again, and then exclaimed in delight, turning her head to shout, “Qiao Yi! Our baby is awake! Come quickly!”
Advertisement“Qiaoqiao is awake?”
Another familiar voice called out, followed by another familiar face appearing, eyes filled with gentle warmth as they greeted him softly, “Good morning, Qiaoqiao.”
“Good… morning.” He responded, only to realize that what came out was not Elvish, but a weak animal-like chirp.
He froze, finally realizing something was off, and quickly looked down at his body.
Scales, a round belly, and when he turned his head, a short, chubby tail stiffly held out behind him. He tried to move his ears, but instead, a weak breeze came from his back, and his body started to slowly rise.
“Wow, our baby is flying! Amazing!” Mila clapped her hands in delight.
Fl-flying?
Qiao Zhiya was stunned, his wings stiffening, causing his body to plummet. His eyes widened in alarm, but a familiar gentle power suddenly supported him, stabilizing his fall. Then, a pair of large hands gently cradled him.
“You’re still too small to fly.”
A soft pat on his head followed, and Qiao Zhiya looked up at his father, then turned to see his mother approaching with concern. He was dazed for a few seconds before his nose twitched, and tears began to gather in his eyes, which then started to fall.
Even though he dreamt he had turned into a monster, his parents were here. He could clearly see their faces, feel their presence, instead of just sensing their power. This dream was so wonderful.
As he cried, he tried to lift his hands to wipe his tears and take a good look at his parents, only to find that he could only raise a pair of claws. He froze again, feeling even more miserable, and curled up in distress.
How could this be? After finally dreaming of his parents, he couldn’t even hug them in this form. Why did even his dreams have to be so cruel?
The pitiful whimper of the baby dragon reached Qiao Yi’s ears, and it felt like rain was falling in his palm — warm tears dripping down, hitting his heart.
He looked at his son, who had his head down, wings drooped, tail tucked in, hugging himself pitifully. Imagining the lonely and helpless life he must have led in this strange world for over two years, Qiao Yi’s eyes reddened. He gently stroked his son’s small body, comforting him, “It’s alright now. Dad will take you home, it’s alright. You’re just temporarily sick like this, don’t worry. Dad will find a way to change you back, don’t cry.”
Before he could finish comforting him, Mi Lai, who had been smiling just a moment ago, suddenly straightened her face and burst into tears upon hearing her son’s cries. Her shoulders shook as she cried harder and harder, eventually breaking into loud sobs.
Both father and son froze and turned to look at her.
“Baby, waaah…” Mi Lai’s tears flowed like a river. She reached out and grabbed Qiao Zhiya’s little paw, sobbing uncontrollably, “It’s Mom’s fault, I shouldn’t have dragged your dad around… Waaah, baby, you can hit me, bite me if you want, sob sob sob…”
Qiao Zhiya was stunned, then immediately panicked, whimpering in anxiety. Unable to speak, he was so desperate that his head felt hot, and he instinctively opened his mouth and bit her hand, gently gnawing at her fingers. He then clumsily took a few steps forward, trying to nuzzle her palm.
Mi Lai’s crying stopped. She looked tearfully at her considerate and obedient son, then at her husband, who was only capable of being dumbfounded at critical moments. Frowning, she grabbed her precious son, tucked him into her clothes, and then leapt towards a nearby yellow leaf tree.
Qiao Yi felt his hand suddenly empty, and by the time he came to his senses, his wife had already “kidnapped” their son and was perched on the tree. He first felt a headache, then a long-lost sense of peace and stability. Walking to the base of the tree, he looked up at his wife, who was nestled among the branches, hugging their son and kissing him while tearfully muttering something. He couldn’t help but smile.
Covered in kisses and recognizing the familiar yellow leaf tree, Qiao Zhiya finally realized — he wasn’t dreaming.
“Baby, don’t be afraid. Even though you’ve turned into a dragon, Mom won’t dislike you. You’re still very cute! But finding a partner might be difficult since dragons haven’t appeared for many years… But that’s okay, once we return to the Magic Continent, Mom will immediately start looking for a female dragon for you… But why are you so small? Dragons are usually much larger. What will you do in the future…”
Mi Lai’s voice trailed off into more tears as she tugged on Qiao Zhiya’s wings and stroked his tail. She even took a sly glance at a certain part of him, her sobs growing louder as she imagined her son living a lonely life. “It must be because you’ve had such a hard time these past two years. Look at you, so malnourished and thin… It’s all Mom’s fault. We’ll make it up to you from now on…”
Qiao Zhiya snapped out of his shock and quickly wagged his tail to cover his private parts. He reached out with his claw to poke his mother’s palm, feeling the soft, warm texture that was unmistakably real.
His eyes widened, and he poked himself with his other claw.
It felt ticklish, not painful.
He looked around at his surroundings, spotting the marks left behind from when he and Chu Rong had dug up the jade vein. A sense of urgency hit him as he remembered the events leading up to his unconsciousness. He flapped his wings anxiously, and to his surprise, started to lift off again.
Mi Lai reached out and grabbed him back, her tear-swollen eyes stern as she said, “Baby, don’t fly around. Your wings are so small. What if you fall and get hurt? If you want to do something, tell Mom, and I’ll help you. Are you hungry? You’ve been awake for a while and haven’t eaten anything. You must be hungry… Qiao Yi! Qiao Yi! Our baby is hungry! What do baby dragons eat? Meat or milk?”
Ten minutes later, Qiao Zhiya found himself back in Qiao Yi’s arms, with a wooden spoon holding some kind of animal milk in front of him, and Mi Lai eagerly watching.
Qiao Zhiya looked from one to the other, then suddenly bit his own claw.
Mi Lai and Qiao Yi were both startled. Mi Lai quickly put down the spoon and pried his mouth open, while Qiao Yi tried to pull his claw out, both of them speaking in a panic.
“Baby, if you want to eat meat, you can’t bite yourself. Qiao Yi, is our baby stupid? Why isn’t he talking? Does he not recognize us after turning into a dragon? Or has he regressed intellectually? Amnesia?”
Qiao Yi shook his head, his brow furrowed as he gently stroked Qiao Zhiya’s mouth after prying it open. “Qiaoqiao, are you feeling unwell?”
Although Qiao Zhiya’s dragon form was that of a baby dragon, he still had all his teeth, which were very sharp. The bite he gave himself immediately brought a sharp pain, reinforcing the reality of his situation.
He withdrew his claw and looked up at his parents’ worried faces, their voices filled with concern. Overwhelmed by the joy and the surreal feeling of it all, he hesitantly infused a bit of his transformed magic into his voice. Looking first at Mila, he called out cautiously, as if afraid of shattering a beautiful dream, “Mom?”
Mi Lai was momentarily stunned by his call, her dreadful speculations halting as she grabbed his paw excitedly, “Baby!”
Qiao Zhiya’s heart fluttered as he then looked up at Qiao Yi, whose eyes were filled with hopeful anticipation. He took a deep breath and called, “Dad?”
“I’m here,” Qiao Yi immediately responded, touching the small paw marked with teeth prints. As if understanding his thoughts, Qiao Yi bent down and kissed the tiny horn on his forehead, gently saying, “You’re not dreaming, Qiaoqiao. Dad and Mom have come to take you home.”
Having waited over two years for this dream to come true, Qiao Zhiya instinctively flapped his wings, turning to burrow into Qiao Yi’s large robe. His tail still clung tightly to Mila’s fingers as he took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar, reassuring scent of his family. His eyes reddened again, this time with joy.
The Magic Continent couldn’t possibly have yellow leaf trees, and upon closer inspection, his parents’ appearances were slightly different from his memory, seeming thinner and more worn. It was real, all of it was real!
It wasn’t a dream. His parents had truly come for him.
Gripping his father’s robe tightly, he let go of his restrained emotions and began to cry aloud.
Mi Lai, hearing his cries, felt her nose tingle with emotion and quickly hugged them both.
Qiao Yi, with reddened eyes, embraced his wife and son, sighing with contentment.
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