I’m here

Jiang Ci‌‌‍⁠​‌‌⁠⁠‍‌‍‌‌‌⁠​⁠‌‌⁠‍​‍ searched tirelessly for a cause, replaying every word Huo Xianfeng had ever said and recalling every detail from the moment Huo Xianfeng woke up on Earth.

Jiang Ci had always had a good memory, but as he began to recall everything about Huo Xianfeng, he realized he remembered every detail so vividly that the memories felt as clear as if they were playing frame by frame in his mind.

He sat by Huo Xianfeng’s side, gently stroking his serene, sleeping face, replaying everything over and over in his mind.

The prolonged lack of sleep, coupled with anxiety and fear, had left Jiang Ci looking somewhat haggard. Xiao X, feeling sorry for him, brought over a specially formulated nutritional drink from Dr. Wen.

Jiang Ci didn’t protest or claim he had no appetite. Instead, he accepted it decisively and drank it. With Huo Xianfeng unconscious, he couldn’t afford to collapse. On the contrary, he needed to maintain his health.

Xiao X floated over and extended its neural chain to gently pat Jiang Ci’s head in a comforting gesture.
“A-Ci, how about you take a nap?”

Since its mechanical arms were too rigid, Xiao X opted for the softer neural chain.

“We’re here—three mechas standing guard.”

Not to mention the high-level Zerg, Nora, in the corner, the First Legion stationed outside, and the dense swarm of Zergs beyond them. The situation couldn’t be more secure.

“It’s okay,” Jiang Ci replied.

Jiang Ci shook his head, unable to figure out what Nora meant by “light.” The phrase was so vague and fragmented that it felt like he was stuck in a dead end with no clues.

But in the instant he raised his hand to brush Xiao X aside, his fingers brushed against a neural chain. At that moment, something flashed through Jiang Ci’s mind like lightning. He froze for several seconds then his voice trembled yet seemed resolute:
“Forbidden Abyss, open your cockpit and give me your neural chain, along with the spare one!”

For pilots, the neural chain is essential for connecting with their mechas to achieve a state of shared perception and control. Its importance couldn’t be overstated, which is why cockpits typically included a backup neural chain.

“?”

The Forbidden Abyss didn’t understand what Jiang Ci intended to do but it followed his command anyway. It flew out of the window, transforming into its fully operational form in space, opening its cockpit and bringing both of them inside.

This sudden appearance alarmed the First Legion, so the Forbidden Abyss returned to the Zergs’ base—specifically, the underground space where the Zergs had previously buried it.

Jiang Ci didn’t have time to think about anything else. He quickly dismantled the Forbidden Abyss’s spare neural chain—not just the tip, as he had done before, but the entire device—and began modifying it.

“Wait—!”

Forbidden Abyss was stunned and tried to protest, but Xiao X quickly wrapped around it, sending a flurry of excited radio waves:
“Forbidden Abyss-dada, don’t interrupt A-Ci! You should encourage a child’s curiosity!”

Forbidden Abyss: “…”

It was speechless.

At this moment, all three mechas watched Jiang Ci’s actions in utter confusion.

Jiang Ci reset the first neural chain to its standard form, removing the small gene-collection module at the tip. The second link, however, required more extensive modifications, taking him three whole days to complete.

When the modification was done, Jiang Ci took the spare neural chain and connected it to the back of Huo Xianfeng’s neck.

Finally, the Forbidden Abyss couldn’t hold back:
“A-Ci, he’s unconscious. Even if you’ve reversed the connection program, he still can’t link with the mecha.”

Huo Xianfeng had never used a neural chain before. Even if he had, the connection process required the pilot’s active initiation. It was a one-way link, with the pilot connecting to the mecha. Jiang Ci had rewritten the program to reverse this one-way connection.

“I know,” Jiang Ci replied, connecting the other link to his own neck.

“Wait, your mental strength threshold—”

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In just half a month, Jiang Ci’s mental strength threshold had soared to one thousand!

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Jiang Ci was no longer fixated on what Nora meant by “light.” After days of thinking, he believed he understood. When Nora said, “The King is gone,” she likely meant that some kind of connection between them had been severed.

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However, the Forbidden Abyss’s mental cavity wasn’t the endpoint but a relay station. Jiang Ci planned to use the mecha as a medium and the second neural chain to cautiously and gradually connect to the other person’s mind.

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The Forbidden Abyss was stunned by Jiang Ci’s idea—it sounded utterly unrealistic.

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When neural chains were first invented, there had been attempts to connect human minds directly. But all those experiments had failed and caused significant brain damage to the participants. Typically, the individual with the lower mental threshold suffered the most damage.

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—It was so high that even the Forbidden Abyss couldn’t measure it!

Jiang Ci was aware of the risks but had no other choice. He ignored Xiao X’s protests and silenced it entirely.

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Jiang Ci felt as though he were wandering through an alternate dimension. Aside from the oppressive darkness and chill, there was nothing.

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He walked for a long time, but the darkness remained.

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“Huo Xianfeng!!!”

In the darkness, Jiang Ci ran desperately, shouting with all his strength,
“HUO XIANFENG—!!!”

His voice was nearly hysterical, but it seemed to be swallowed by the darkness the moment it left his lips.

…There was no response.

Jiang Ci felt like he couldn’t breathe, but no matter what, he couldn’t stop. He must not stop. In that moment, it felt as though some extraordinary power was surging from within him.

There.

Over there.

A strange intuition swept over Jiang Ci, guiding him through the vast darkness.

At the same moment, Nora, crouching in a corner, suddenly looked up. She saw a new light spot flicker to life within the vast, starlit spiritual network. It was faint, barely noticeable at first, but it began to grow brighter. Brighter until it dazzled like a beacon.

Bang!

Jiang Ci slammed into an invisible barrier.

Before him appeared a massive incubation pod, surrounded by countless fragments of images swirling like a hurricane.

In that instant, Jiang Ci finally understood the “prison” Huo Xianfeng had spoken of and the unspoken, blood-soaked past he had kept hidden. Jiang Ci tore through the barrier and stepped inside.

For the first time, Jiang Ci saw the painful truth Huo Xianfeng had been unwilling to share.

The King, who should have grown up surrounded by the love of his entire race, was a prisoner from the moment he was born. The first gifts this world gave him were pain, harm, and theft.

He was raised in hatred and was never truly allowed to grow. From birth to death, Huo Xianfeng had always been a prisoner.

Not just memories, but all the pain, hatred, resentment—every ounce of negativity—flooded into Jiang Ci’s mind at once.

“Ah—!”

The agony was so intense it felt like it would tear him apart. Jiang Ci’s entire body trembled, but he pressed forward, step by step, through the endless, blood-soaked fragments toward that person.

Tap.

He placed his palm against the cold glass and looked up at Huo Xianfeng.

In this moment, Jiang Ci’s posture mirrored that of the young Huo Chao from so many years ago.

But back then, Huo Chao could only kneel on the ground, crying in shame, guilt, and anguish in front of Huo Xianfeng—because he couldn’t save him. Even later, after twenty years of struggle, Huo Chao was unable to pull Huo Xianfeng out of the abyss of hatred. They had both remained trapped in the cage until their final moments of freedom, when death claimed them both.

But this time, Jiang Ci’s eyes reddened, though he didn’t cry. He clenched his fists tightly, as if gathering some terrifying power.

Bang—!

He smashed the cage with one punch.

Amid the deafening roar, Jiang Ci rushed forward without hesitation, throwing his arms around Huo Xianfeng and holding him tightly.

“Huo Xianfeng—!”

Jiang Ci held the young man’s cold, trembling body close and, in his gentlest yet firmest voice, told him:
“It’s okay. I’m here.”

Author’s Note:

Translator’s note: