Their striking resemblance

Cecilia seemed​⁠‍‍⁠‍‌‌‍‌‍​‍‍‌‍​⁠​​⁠‌⁠​ particularly fascinated by the growth process of the “Son of God.” Since the first time she saw the child in the incubation chamber, she had returned to observe him almost every few days for over a month.

Squatting in front of the chamber, she studied the young man intently with a curious glint in her eyes. Just over a month ago, the child resembled a three- or four-year-old baby. Now, he appeared to be around eleven or twelve.

“Your Highness Huo CHao…” Cecilia murmured softly.

—He looks so much like him.

Even though she knew this was merely a thoughtless puppet, the familiar face still evoked a deep sense of fear in her.

Despite Bai Min’s reassurance that Huo Chao was not frightening and was, in fact, kind-hearted, Cecilia didn’t believe it. From the first moment she laid eyes on him, she had felt an innate terror.

After all, how could one not fear the strongest Alpha humanity had ever produced?

The Pope had explained that this Huo Chao clone was not only a political tool to destabilize Pei Changyun but also a key weapon for reclaiming the SSS-level asset. However, Cecilia wasn’t privy to the specifics of the latter plan.

The woman touched the cultivation pod and instinctively softened her tone before the young face.
“You’re growing so fast, already this big. But… this doesn’t seem to match human growth patterns at all.”

Cecilia though it was strange, so she turned to the silent researcher standing guard beside her and asked,

“Even for a clone, isn’t this speed a bit extreme?”

But the researcher responded flatly, “Lady Cecilia, His Highness Huo Chao is different from others. What you are observing is a normal rate of growth for him.”

“Oh.”

Although it sounded like an answer, it was as good as nonsense.

Cecilia clicked her tongue internally and turned back to the child.

Just then, a crimson Holy Stigmata appeared on the clone’s chest, blooming like a blood-red rose carved from a heart. Its black tendrils spread outwards, intertwining across his chest and back.

“This Stigmata looks… unusual.”

The researcher offered the same explanation:
” His Highness Huo Chao is different from others.”

“…”

Half an hour later, an Alpha assistant escorted Cecilia out of the laboratory. Bowing slightly, he spoke respectfully:
“Lady Cecilia, please take care.”

“…”

Cecilia glanced at him and suddenly laughed.

“Hmm, getting access to His Highness’ genes is quite the challenge.”

Yet she still couldn’t fully understand. Considering Huo Chao had grown up in the Illusory God Church, how was it that such an important asset didn’t have preserved genetic backups?

Her gaze darkened briefly before her expression returned to normal. With a sweet smile, she said,
“By the way, Mr. Assistant…”

The charming omega leaned closer, her voice softening as she spoke.
“Lia has a question for you.”

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Her rare pink hair and eyes, her enchanting figure, and a stunningly beautiful face—
She was nothing short of a peerless beauty.

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“Lady Cecilia, this…”

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Cecilia leaned in closer and looked up with her head slightly tilted. Her lowered lashes and delicate expression made her appear even more pitiable.

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“Oh… alright.”

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She glanced at the nametag on his chest.
“Yuri, was it? I’ll remember you.”

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“Lady Cecilia, I… I don’t really know the details,” he stammered, his voice trembling so much it was almost inaudible.
“I only know that His Highness Huo Chao’s genes are… a bit different from others. So, samples were collected periodically, but as you know… His Highness rarely returned later on.”

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…Different?

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Indeed, everyone’s genes are indeed different, but it was unlikely that person would bring up such common knowledge, especially about the periodic collection of samples…

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“By the way, Ace, do you remember? After His Highness Huo Chao joined the army, he seemed to rarely come back, didn’t he?”

“Rarely? That’s an understatement, Lady Cecilia,” Ace replied obediently as he followed behind her.
“He almost never returned. In fact, after His Highness Huo Chao was granted the rank of General, he never came back at all… until—”

Cecilia knew what he had left unsaid.
—Until the people from the Holy Stigmata Research Institute sent an omega in heat to Huo Chao.

Cecilia speculated their goal was to extract Huo Chao’s genetic material and use the complete bond of an Alpha-omega marking to control him. But they failed… Instead, they completely enraged Huo Chao, leading that so-called Son of God to break his entire connection with the Church.

That incident was etched clearly in Cecilia’s memory—or rather, anyone in the Illusory God Church who lived through it vividly remembered it.

Huo Chao stormed the Holy Relic White Tower like a madman, killing everyone in his path. It didn’t matter if they were low-ranking devotees or Rhodes, the then-Archbishop—he beheaded them all without exception.

Cecilia had always feared Huo Chao and naturally didn’t dare to intervene. She hid far away and didn’t witness the carnage herself. Only after everything was over did she realize that the entire White Tower had been almost completely washed in blood.

But… would Huo Chao really go insane and act so brutally just because of an omega in heat?

Cecilia didn’t think so.

Perhaps Huo Chao was enraged at being manipulated, but that alone shouldn’t have driven him to slaughter the White Tower or even attempt to kill the Pope. Everyone knew that he was fated to become the next Pope if he hadn’t acted so drastically.

There must have been another reason—something serious enough to cross Huo Chao’s boundaries.

What could it be?

“Speaking of which, His Highness truly lives up to his title as the Son of God,” Ace sighed. At that time, he was just the lowest rank of a disciple, but he still heard the rumors.
“His self-control is incredible. To face an A-grade omega in heat and remain unmoved—it’s truly remarkable.”

Alphas also have heat cycles, but unlike omegas, whose cycles stabilize to two or three times a year after maturity, Alpha heats are passive. They’re triggered by omega pheromones, igniting an uncontrollable drive to reproduce. This primal instinct makes them irrational, violent, and desperate to claim the omega.

“What a pity for the A-grade omega… No one knows who ended up benefiting from it,” Ace said.

Cecilia’s eyes darkened.
She knew. It had been a patrolling soldier. At that time, Huo Chao had hidden himself in the Forbidden Abyss, but the omega’s heat had drawn in the soldier. The omega was then fully marked and became pregnant. Cecilia knew these hidden details because Bai Min had told her.

Suddenly, Cecilia stopped in her tracks and turned to ask,
“Ace, why do you think someone’s genetic material needs to be periodically stored as backup samples?”

“?”
The man was stunned. He quickly glanced at her, then lowered his gaze.
“Lady Cecilia, I don’t understand such technical knowledge and can’t give you a precise answer.”

“…”
Cecilia pursed her lips, then turned away, walking as if she hadn’t asked anything.

Technical knowledge…

Tsk. Cecilia thought of He Zhun.

Ever since she had turned He Zhun down last month, she’d heard that the young man immediately sought out Leinster. She didn’t know what kind of benefits he’d gained, but when he returned, his behavior had improved significantly. He now worked diligently as a data recorder at the Holy Stigmata Research Institute and even earned a promotion recently.

It was worthy of being a little fox, climbing the ranks so quickly. Though He Zhun occasionally still greeted her, he no longer bombarded her with questions. Cecilia guessed that Leinster must have advised him on something.

“Lady Cecilia, would you like me to summon him?” Ace asked cautiously. Cecilia knew he meant He Zhun but waved her hand dismissively.

“No need. I was just asking casually. You know how I get a headache whenever I hear those strange technical terms.”

But the casual question lingered in her mind even after she returned to her quarters.

If Huo Chao’s clone was meant to be a secret weapon against Huo Xianfeng, then there had to be a connection between the two. And the most obvious link was their striking resemblance.