Chapter 1 A Fruitful First Day
The first day yielded many rewards, and Lu Wanqing fought to her heart’s content. They returned to the spaceship that night, her palm-sized face still flushed with excitement.
However, after the initial elation, as she calmed down, her mood turned complex.
She suddenly understood why humanity, having developed to such a remarkable level in the interstellar era, didn't return to save Earth.
Earth was so polluted that it had become a completely ruined planet, beyond any hope of salvation.
Or perhaps, Earth had already purified a new ecosystem—the black water, the dark forests, the mutated animals. Maybe this was a new biological cycle, and the green, vibrant era of ancient Earth had become a relic of the past.
Lu Yang took out his aircraft and, following the coordinates, finally flew over a certain area.
The aircraft descended slowly. Lu Yang explained, "This is Haiqing City."
"Haiqing City?" Lu Wanqing asked, confused.
Lu Wanqing looked blankly at the land, which no longer resembled its former self at all.
She crouched down, wanting to touch the soil of her homeland.
Lu Yang grabbed her hand and said sternly, "The pollution is severe. Don't touch it. Be careful of infection and gene mutation."
Lu Wanqing nodded quickly. "Okay."
On this land, Lu Wanqing could no longer find any familiar traces from her memories. When evening came, she couldn't help but feel sad.
The next day, they set off to leave. Her third brother had said that Earth's pollution was very severe and they couldn't stay too long, or they might be affected by the environment and trigger gene mutations.
Thinking of the horrors of gene mutation, Lu Wanqing ultimately didn't insist and left with her third brother.
The spaceship journeyed back, taking nearly another week to return to the Empire.
As soon as they arrived, Little Harvey rushed over, overjoyed. He hugged Lu Wanqing tightly. "Mommy, you're finally back! I missed you so much!"
Lu Wanqing missed Harvey dearly too. She held her cub and nodded. "Yes, Mommy missed Harvey too."
"Mommy, I got a certificate!" Little Harvey exclaimed happily.
A certificate?
Lu Wanqing was surprised.
Little Harvey, impatient, immediately took a yellow certificate from his little schoolbag.
Lu Wanqing was dazed. After more than three thousand years, she could actually see a familiar certificate?
"Mommy, I'm a star of progress. Teacher said I've improved a lot and I'm the best!" Little Harvey said excitedly.
"Wow, Harvey, you're amazing!" Lu Wanqing praised him with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"Then, Mommy, can you take me to eat crayfish? I really want to eat crayfish!" Little Harvey added, his eyes sparkling as he looked at his mother expectantly.
Lu Wanqing: "..."
Were there still crayfish?
Lu Wanqing hesitated and looked at Lu Yang beside her.
Lu Yang said, "I'll have someone go catch some."
"Yay!!!" Little Harvey immediately became excited.
Xavier stood not far away, watching the little cub's happy demeanor with a hint of helplessness.
Lu Wanqing also looked at Xavier. Come to think of it, she hadn't had a proper conversation with Xavier in a long time.
"Are you doing well here in the Empire recently?" Lu Wanqing asked with concern.
"Mommy, Daddy opened a martial arts school. He teaches martial arts specifically, and many people come to learn from him!"
"Hiyah! Super amazing!"
Little Harvey said excitedly, demonstrating a few powerful-looking moves.
A martial arts school?
Lu Wanqing was surprised but then felt it was quite fitting. Xavier had been a military academy student in the Federation before; he was probably most skilled in martial arts.
"Mommy, do you want to go see Daddy's martial arts school? It's super cool!" Little Harvey grabbed Lu Wanqing's hand and said excitedly.
"Alright," Lu Wanqing replied with a smile.
The martial arts school Lu Wanqing imagined was like those in the 21st century, where one master taught a group of children martial arts. But upon arriving at Xavier's martial arts school, Lu Wanqing was speechless.
Was this a martial arts school?
It was clearly a legitimate arena, a direct replica of the underground arena on Mushi.
Lu Wanqing suddenly suspected Xavier. Looking at him with questioning eyes, she wondered if Xavier had also owned the underground arena on Mushi.
Xavier suddenly felt a burning gaze upon him. He looked at Lu Wanqing and then explained, "My arena has state approval, and I pay taxes annually."
Lu Wanqing’s mouth twitched. She was speechless.
However, with Xavier’s capabilities, she didn’t need to worry about his future livelihood.
"Mommy, if you want to train later, you can come to Daddy's arena. There are many people here, and it's fun," Little Harvey said happily.
"Okay," Lu Wanqing nodded.
After touring Xavier's "martial arts school," Lu Wanqing returned to the palace with her third brother. After all the commotion, she was truly tired.
Especially thinking about Earth's current state, Lu Wanqing’s mood wasn't very good. After briefly comforting Little Harvey, she returned to her room and fell asleep.
But Lu Wanqing hadn't expected that she would sleep for a full day and night. When she woke up again, everyone was surrounding her, and she was lying in a medical pod in the hospital.
"Qingqing," Lu Yang immediately came over and held her hand, looking anxious.
Lu Wanqing blinked, then felt a slight ache in her head. She shook her head in confusion.
Did… did she get sick?
"Mommy, how are you? Do you feel uncomfortable?" Little Harvey, on the other side, held her hand and asked with great urgency.
"Do you feel anything wrong anywhere, or does it feel like something is growing on your body?" Little Harvey asked anxiously.
Lu Wanqing: "???"
Lu Wanqing was utterly bewildered. What did he mean?
Something growing on her body?
Why did Harvey's question sound so strange?
Just then, Lu Yang pulled her into his embrace, comforting her. "Don't be afraid. No matter what happens, third brother will always be with you."
Lu Wanqing: "..." Am I dying?
Lu Wanqing thought so, as she indeed felt something wasn't quite right with her body.
For some reason, she recalled her days of terminal illness on ancient Earth. Her face suddenly turned pale. Could it be…
"Third brother, I… did I get a terminal illness again?" Lu Wanqing asked nervously, holding her third brother's hand.
"No," Lu Yang tightened his grip on her and said seriously.
"Qingqing, you've mutated," Lu Yang suddenly stated.
The next moment, Lu Yang’s voice was filled with guilt. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken you to Earth."
Despite being a simple sentence, it was laden with immense pain.
Lu Wanqing's mind reeled. Mutated? Had she mutated too?
At that moment, she suddenly understood what Harvey had meant earlier. Did her body feel like something was growing because she had mutated, and something would grow from her body?
Lu Wanqing suddenly thought of the transformed faces, hands, and other facial features of many people in the interstellar era.
"Mirror, third brother, give me a mirror," Lu Wanqing suddenly panicked, her voice urgent.
However, as she said this, Lu Wanqing suddenly remembered that her Lumina had a mirror mode. Trembling, she carefully opened her Lumina and activated the mirror mode.