Chapter Twenty-Five: The Knot in the Heart

A patrol unit consisting of a two-meter-tall Marine, a Firebat, and a Medic marched through the streets, making their rounds every ten minutes. The occasional Vulture hoverbike passing by added to the scene. Since the city was not in a state of war, the defensive metal plating covering the top of "Have-a-City" was retracted. Under the refracted sunlight, the unique architecture and the patrols of mechanical soldiers gave the city a distinct sci-fi aesthetic.

If not for the occasional human passerby, one might mistake this for a city of puppets!

"Can we really do this? Everything here is just too inconceivable!" one of the ten people gathered in Hu Yu’s apartment whispered.

"What are you afraid of? No one here knows who we are. If I weren't on a mission, I’d actually like to spend some time here. It’s a pretty nice place!" another replied.

"Do not forget your duties. If this mission goes wrong, none of you will leave here alive!" Hu Yu sat on the sofa, staring coldly at the ten of them.

"For now, do not make any moves. Familiarize yourselves with everything here and keep your wits about you. All of you, get out."

The others wanted to say more, but seeing the dark look on Hu Yu's face, they swallowed their words. After they filed out, Hu Yu muttered, "A disgrace to humanity," within the room. Even though the others heard him, they acted as if they hadn't, dispersing to their own rooms.

They were practitioners of the Demonic Path, cunning and wicked individuals capable of anything for profit and power. This was exactly why Hu Yu had recruited them—not that he shared their typical methods, which he personally despised, but they were convenient for this operation.

Hu Yu sat on the sofa for a while, finding a comfortable position. He felt that living here for a while wouldn't be so bad. After all, there was nothing else to do, and the Demon Emperor hadn't explicitly ordered the city's destruction—likely because he couldn't grasp the Commander's true strength and didn't want to be the first to charge in. It seemed the Commander’s appearance had bought humanity a precious breathing spell.

Is it really a good idea to let it develop? Maybe we won't even need to intervene!

As these thoughts drifted through his mind, Hu Yu drifted off to sleep on the comfortable sofa.

In his hazy dream, a voice rang out.

"Yu'er, stay here and don't come out, no matter what you hear, you understand?" A stunning face appeared in his vision. Despite her voice trembling, she tried her best to sound gentle.

The fox-kin's slender, jade-white fingers trembled as she pressed a switch. She looked at the little fox’s stubborn eyes, fighting back tears, though two tracks still remained on her cheeks.

"Mother, I will avenge you!" the stubborn little fox choked out.

The beautiful fox-kin didn't speak again; she simply looked at the little fox with longing as the stone door slowly closed, vanishing from her sight. In its place remained an inconspicuous mound of dirt.

"I hope you never find out who your mother really is." The beautiful fox-kin had said something that left the little fox utterly confused. Without looking back, she flew off in a determined direction.

"You beast," a roar came from the distance, followed by a purple longsword that arrived through the air, hovering above the mound.

The sword circled the mound a few times as if searching for something. Finding nothing, it whistled off in another direction.

Soon, an elderly man with a white beard flew to the mound and hovered in mid-air. "The stinking fox lingered here for a while? Once marked by our Taoist tracking talisman, it’s not so easy to clear off, hmph." Finding nothing further, he flew off in the same direction as the sword.

In the secret chamber, the little fox listened quietly for a while. Feeling that the human had gone far away, he turned back to see a large black rat looking at him respectfully. The rat spoke in human tongue: "Young Master, I am the sentry Wo Hei. I will take care of you from now on. Rest assured, it is very safe here!"

Hu Yu woke up slowly, frowning. "Mother, it’s been so many years. I wonder if you’re still alive?"

"I heard that old man is about to tear through the spatial barrier! The chance for revenge is becoming increasingly unrealistic. Sigh." Hu Yu lay on the sofa, lost in thought.

Entering the city, carrier pigeons were useless; they couldn't fly out. To leave, one had to apply at the city gate, state their reasons to the registration office, and wait for approval. That was what the people calling themselves "Property Management" had explained. It was so troublesome. The whole city was just one big metal shell without even a city wall. It was frustrating. If he wanted to sneak out, would he have to dig through the ground? Hu Yu thought idly.

Just as he was lost in thought, a knock at the door sounded, and a property management staff member walked in.

The person approached Hu Yu with a stiff, unnatural smile. These people were androids, so their grasp of human emotion was lacking and required practice—their smiles were awkward and almost pathetic.

Hu Yu watched him calmly, waiting for him to speak. That smile was truly hideous; the previous staff member had been much more pleasant.

The man didn't speak. He simply smiled and pulled a smartphone from his clothing, handing it to Hu Yu.

Hu Yu blinked his large eyes at the phone. His first thought was that he had been discovered. How could they just give away something so valuable? He knew what this was—it had spread far and wide and was currently the object of everyone's desire.

He didn't reach for it, asking instead, "How did you find me? I don't believe I left any clues. My stealth techniques are impenetrable! Unless it’s by someone above the fifth level!"

"And why are you giving me a phone?"

The staff member replied, "You have no choice. Take the phone; the Commander has something to say to you."

"I don't think you can keep me here if I want to leave," Hu Yu said, squinting and still refusing to take the phone.

The moment he finished speaking, his heart skipped a beat, and a drop of cold sweat appeared on his temple. Within a thousand-meter radius, five Ghost operatives had their weapon sights locked on Hu Yu inside the room!

The ten Demonic Path practitioners who had just returned to their rooms were also highly skilled, and they suddenly felt a wave of panic. Locked in the crosshairs of the Ghost operatives, they dared not move a muscle; the very air seemed suffocating.

They knew that any move they made could result in their deaths.

On the other hand, the people who weren't locked onto showed no reaction, continuing to busy themselves with researching various household appliances as if nothing had happened.

Suddenly, the screen of the phone in the property staff member's hand lit up. A young face appeared, and a lazy voice drifted from the device: "Do you really think what you think you think is what you think?"

Although Hu Yu didn't know what kind of sorcery allowed a human to appear on the phone, he tried to remain calm, pondering the meaning of the human's words.

"Do you really think what you think you think is what you think?" The sentence echoed in his mind.

The air seemed to freeze. The property staff member maintained his posture, while Hu Yu, the elite of the demon race, entered a daze. His eyes lost focus, and the memories in his mind began to collapse and rearrange.

His clan had always refused to speak of his parents, and he understood they were trying to protect him. He had always interpreted things on his own. When he recalled the last time he saw his mother, the memories played like a slideshow. Suddenly, one of his mother's phrases anchored itself in his mind: "I hope you never find out who your mother really is."

The phrase became clearer in the corner of his memory. Hu Yu wasn't a fool; he finally understood. That fox-kin wasn't his mother. Then who was she, to protect him so desperately, and with such deep affection?

Could she be my father? The thought struck the little fox, and as the knot in his heart unraveled, everything finally made sense.

Hu Yu’s consciousness returned, his eyes much clearer. He looked at the young man on the phone screen with newfound curiosity.

"Commander, how did you find me? Did you invent all of this yourself, or did you inherit the true teachings of some puppet master? I’ve never seen any of this before; it’s not even recorded in history books!"

Shen Yi had been waiting boredly for a long time. This spy was actually dazed while he was ready to execute him at any moment. Is this what a "strong individual" is? He checked with the system again—it was indeed a strong individual. He was speechless. Are all the strong people in this world like this?

After snapping out of his daze, the guy just started asking a barrage of questions. *Damn it, why should I tell you? You're a spy, aren't you? Is it really appropriate to be asking me questions after being caught?*

Shen Yi wanted nothing more than to capture him and interrogate him for three days and three nights, just to see if he’d talk.

But seeing those curious, large eyes, his heart softened. "I won't answer those questions. I’m just giving you a warning: since you're here, behave yourself. If you try anything, don't think that just because you have some ability, you can run wild in Have-a-City. I can kill you at any time!"

As he finished speaking, a bullet whizzed past Hu Yu’s ear, and several strands of hair drifted slowly to the floor.

Under Hu Yu's gaze, the staff member placed the phone on the table and walked away. The Ghost operatives shifted their aim, and the temperature in the room seemed to rise by a few degrees. Sunlight fell upon the phone, reflecting a dazzling light.