"Yes," TaiYin replied with a graceful nod, her tone smooth and composed.
"To add further detail, this vessel— The Forbidden-Class Battlecruiser— Ji, The Ultimate measures eight kilometers long, one kilometer wide and stands one kilometer tall but it is not the only one of its kind." She continued, almost rhythmically.
"Other vessels in the armada include the Kami-Class Super Dreadnoughts: Yamato, Musashi, and Shinano… the Titan-Class Battlecarrier Olympus, the Ragnarok-Class Destroyers Gungnir and Mjolnir, and the Rosetta-Class Corvettes Sphinx and Scarab."
WuYan, still standing at the doorway, blinked in disbelief. The magnitude of what she just said hit him like a wave. He instinctively raised his hand interrupting her.
"Hold on—wait," he said with his voice rising with a mixture of shock and urgency.
"You're telling me… there are more of these ships? This isn't the only one?"
He stepped into the corridor then glanced back and forth between the two androids, his pulse quickening.
"Where are they now? Are they operational? Are there people or survivors, onboard those ships too?"
For the first time since waking up, a flicker of hope lit up behind his eyes. Maybe he wasn't alone after all, maybe, there was still someone out there.
"Unfortunately…" TaiYin began to say, her voice calm but edged with something deeper, something tired and almost mournful.
"From the archived logs TaiYang and I were able to recover, we lost all contact with the other starships over a century ago. The moment they left Earth's underground hangars and entered space, communication ceased entirely."
"It was a strategic decision. The fewer transmissions, the less risk of being traced or hunted down." Her eyes briefly lowered with the slightest trace of melancholy crossing her usually impassive face.
"We believe they enacted deep-veil protocols—radio silence, no energy trails. We can't say where they are now. They might still drift within this star system… or they may already be light-years beyond our galaxy. All we know for certain is that we're alone…for now." TaiYang stepped forward, his tone steady yet subdued.
WuYan, still standing by the doorway, felt the weight of their words pressed into his chest like a fierce tsunami.
"Wait... hold on." He raised his shaky hand as his pulse began to race. "You said all this happened over a century ago… then how long was I in that pod?"
"One hundred and eleven years." She said softly. "You've been in deep stasis, slumbering within the restoration pod all that time." TaiYin looked him in the eyes, her expression unreadable but no less solemn.
"111... years?" he echoed, barely louder than a whisper.
The number hit him like a freight train. He staggered back a step, one hand bracing against the wall for support. His breath quickened, chest tightening as reality sank in.
"I've been… gone that long? Everything I knew… everyone I cared about… they're all—" His voice caught.
"We understand it's overwhelming. Please take the time you need to process this, General. We'll be here when you're ready." TaiYin moved subtly, a step closer but not encroaching.
WuYan closed his eyes, trying to steady the storm inside him. His world, his entire existence had vanished in the span of a breath.
Noticing WuYan's horrified expression and the way his breathing grew shallow, TaiYang instinctively took a gentle step forward. The revelation of his century-long slumber had clearly shaken him. His face pale, his eyes distant and his posture unsteady as if the weight of time itself had collapsed onto his shoulders.
Sensing that any further discussion might only worsen his condition, TaiYang shifted the tone with calm precision. His voice remained composed yet softened with empathy.
"Forgive us, General. That was a heavy truth to place upon you so soon…" he said.
"Perhaps... a change of pace would help ease your thoughts. If you're willing, we can continue the ship tour. There are still many areas to see, quiet places that may give your mind some space to breathe."
He wasn't brushing aside the pain but only offering WuYan something to hold onto, a thread back to the present. TaiYin standing silently beside gave a slight, knowing nod, a subtle support in her usually unreadable expression. WuYan let out a slow breath, steadying his nerves.
"I… I suppose a tour might help take my mind off things," he said while casting a wary glance down the corridor.
"But this ship… it's eight kilometers long. Is there any way to see everything in a single day?"
"For us androids, it's not an issue. Our internal reactor, what you might call a heart is a miniaturized Hypernovae Boost Engine. The same model that powers this vessel. We can operate at full sprint, continuously without needing rest." TaiYin, calm and composed as ever, responded without missing a beat.
"That's… pretty insane," WuYan muttered with half in awe and half in disbelief.
"But… I'm not entirely human anymore either, am I? The system said things—graphene skin, boron nitride nanotube muscles, aerogels…" He looked down at his body, the synthetic skin, the way his muscles moved with unfamiliar precision.
"…And what about this? My arm. It doesn't feel like mine. What happened to it?" He hesitated, flexing his mechanical right hand.
"Your right arm was already gone when you were discovered. It had been replaced with a high-grade prosthetic. Records indicate it was installed long before your arrival here. The full story behind it... will take time to explain." TaiYang stepped forward with a graceful bow of his head with a voice calm and respectful.
"There's much to unpack," TaiYin added but her tone was slightly softer than usual. " I've summoned a transport. We can speak more comfortably along the way."
With practiced synchronicity, both androids turned to the corridor, each gesturing politely in invitation.
"This way, General," TaiYang said with quiet formality.
"We'll answer what we can," TaiYin added. "Step by step."
WuYan froze for a heartbeat as he was stunned by what he'd just heard. The fact that he'd already lost his right hand before arriving on the ship hit harder than expected. He instinctively looked down at his new arm that's crafted from metal and synthetic nerves. It moved as naturally as any flesh and blood limb but the weight of its unfamiliarity lingered. He flexed his fingers slowly, trying to recall a sensation that simply wasn't there.
Still, there was no time to dwell. He swallowed hard to reset his thoughts and started walking, falling in behind TaiYin while TaiYang kept pace a few steps behind. The corridor ahead hummed with soft ambient light, the silence only broken by the rhythmic echo of their footsteps against the metallic floor.
After a short walk, they passed through a threshold into a wider hallway. WuYan slowed then glanced back over his shoulder. Above the doorway, illuminated in soft, bluish-white letters, was the sign: 'Medical Bay'.
It looked deceptively ordinary but what lay behind that sign was anything but healing pods filled with strange liquid. He had been submerged in something he could breathe and heard the quiet hum of machines that rebuilt his body like a puzzle. The science of it, if it could still be called that, was so far beyond his understanding that it bordered on sorcery.
Still, he knew one thing and it's that disbelief wasn't an option anymore. These androids had brought him back from the brink. Even if none of this made perfect sense, it was his reality now and he had to keep moving forward.
And with that quiet thought, he turned his gaze ahead and followed TaiYin deeper into the unknown.
TaiYang approached the sleek, rugged machine and placed his palm on its armored hood with a touch of reverence , its thick frame glinting faintly under the corridor lights.
"This is the Kuafu-Class Titan Strider. Designation: KF-1. A roofless, all-terrain vehicle built for hostile environments. Four-wheel drive, magnetic tread-adaptive tires, and reinforced chassis to withstand low-orbit drops. This is your ride for today." he said calmly, though there was pride in his voice.
"KF-1?" he echoed as his curiosity piqued. WuYan tilted his head, eyeing the machine as he slowly circled it.
The vehicle standing before WuYan looked like something forged for survival in the harshest corners of the galaxy. A four-seater beast nearly five meters long and almost three meters high and width, it exuded a silent kind of power. Its surface was cloaked in a matte dark green, a color that whispered utility over vanity. The frame blended aerodynamic curves at the front with a more rugged, box-like structure along its flanks, an intentional mix of speed and defense.
The armor plating was thick and unmistakably visible, layered one over the other until some parts appeared nearly eight centimeters deep, giving the impression it could shrug off more than just bullets. Its 21-inch wheels were wide and reinforced, the kind that looked ready to tear through sand, ice, or collapsed urban ruins without complaint. At the rear, a deep open compartment stretched like a heavy-duty pickup bed, hinting at multipurpose utility whether it be cargo, equipment, or whatever the mission demanded.
WuYan stepped closer, running a hand along the dense, cool metal.
"Its name comes from a mythical giant in the Shan Hai Jing—Kuafu, the one who chased the sun." TaiYang explained with a gleam of pride in his voice. "
He stepped up beside the vehicle, running his fingers across the reinforced hood before giving it a firm, respectful tap.
"It runs on the Zhuyao Core Engine, first-generation—ZCE-1, also called 'Heavenfire,'" he said in a tone carrying a touch of reverence. "That core alone lets this five-ton beast hit speeds of up to 480 kilometers per hour. It's not just an engine, it's divine combustion engineered into a machine. A stabilized atom reaction wrapped in ancient power and modern design."
"That's nearly a tank's weight…" WuYan blinked.
"Indeed and it requires no fuel change or recharge for an entire decade. Its hull is a laminated fusion of titanium and tungsten alloy that's resistant to heavy ballistics, extreme pressure, and most battlefield conditions. Even the tires are engineered for airlessness, reinforced with multi-layered ballistic polyethylene fiber, puncture-proof and melt-resistant." TaiYang nodded
"This isn't just transport… it's a mobile fortress." WuYan gave a low whistle, circling it with growing appreciation.
"Designed for survival in hostile terrain. Built for war but also equally reliable in peace." TaiYin who's silent till now finally added in her calm tone.
"You sure you're not trying to sell me this thing? All that fire in your pitch—I was half expecting a discount code at the end." WuYan gave the vehicle's hood a light pat while raising an eyebrow as he looked at TaiYang.
"Apologies, General. I may have gotten carried away. Machines are something I'm particularly… fond of." TaiYang chuckled, his hands clasped behind his back in his usual composed stance.
"If he starts offering free test drives and loyalty rewards or even extended warranty, I'll shut him down myself. Now then, shall we get moving?" Before WuYan could add more, TaiYin gave a faint sigh, arms loosely crossed.
WuYan smirked, shaking his head as he walked toward the back seat. An amused glance exchanged between the androids, they all boarded the vehicle with TaiYang at the wheel, TaiYin riding shotgun and WuYan lounging in the back with one arm resting over the seat, the weight of mystery easing slightly under the dry edge of his humor.
With just a gentle press on the accelerator, the engine hummed to life and the vehicle rolled forward, smooth and silent despite its size. As they drove deeper into the main corridor hall, WuYan finally understood what TaiYin meant earlier about touring on foot because this place was enormous. The corridor stretched endlessly, wide enough to fit a small aircraft hangar and tall enough that their headlights barely reached the ceiling.
Itt wasn't the grandeur that caught his attention but the eerie stillness. Most of the lights along the walls were off or flickering faintly, casting long shadows. The starship had clearly entered a power-saving state and without the vehicle's headlights cutting through the gloom, they'd be driving in near darkness.
As the vehicle rolled forward, the dim corridor lights barely lit the way. The KF-1's headlights cast long beams ahead, revealing the vastness of the ship's internal passageways—just as TaiYin described earlier. WuYan sat back, quietly absorbing it all. Despite the size, the atmosphere felt still and hollow, as if the ship had been asleep for far too long.
"Apologies for the ship's current condition, General, The system only reactivated us after you awakened." TaiYang said from the driver's seat, his tone calm and steady.
"From the system logs, we were constructed a year after your arrival… but remained in standby. For over a century, neither of us was online. If we had been, we might've managed the power systems and general upkeep." TaiYin added, her voice precise and cool.
"That's a long time to keep everything dormant. Why would the system take that risk?" WuYan frowned.
"It was by Lady NuWa's command. The ship is bound to obey her directives. As for her reasoning… we weren't programmed with that information." TaiYin replied without hesitation.
"Much of the ship has been powered down to preserve core systems. This tour won't cover everything since most facilities are sealed or offline. Frankly, the KF-1 here was one of the few vehicles not locked inside the hangars. We were lucky it was accessible." TaiYang nodded slightly, eyes still on the corridor ahead.
"Still… I'm a cyborg now, right? Shouldn't I be able to handle a run across the ship? Catch up with you two?" WuYan let out a breath, glancing down at his hands.
"You will in time but not right now. When you were brought in, your body had suffered extensive trauma. Most of your skin, muscle, and even some nerve tissue were too far gone. Reconstruction was the only viable path." TaiYang said, his tone gently reassuring.
"Your internal organs however, were largely intact. Heart, lungs, liver and even your reproductive system were all unharmed. Your military fatigues might've shielded you from the worst." TaiYin continued with her usual matter-of-fact cadence.
"Well, I guess I should be thankful my crown jewels survived. Good to know that my bloodline didn't end with me." WuYan let out a short breath, somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle.
"But the modifications changed your metabolic requirements so a regulator was implanted near your heart. It's a compact support unit that boosts your circulatory output. You'll need time to adapt to the new equilibrium. That's why I recommended using the vehicle." TaiYang added.
"Unless you'd prefer we leave you in the dust." TaiYin glanced back over her shoulder, dry as ever.
"Well, aren't you considerate?" WuYan let out a faint, sardonic chuckle.
As the vehicle rolled steadily through the vast, dimly lit corridor, the vehicle's onboard system emitted a soft chime before the display flickered, flashing a notification: "1 New Encrypted Message Received."
TaiYang and TaiYin exchanged quick, hopeful glances—something in their expressions shifted, as if they'd been waiting for this. WuYan, noticing the tension, tilted his head slightly, unsure whether to be curious or concerned.
Without answering, TaiYang's demeanor sharpened. His fingers flew across the touchscreen, rapidly inputting commands, while his other hand kept the vehicle steady on the wheel with almost effortless precision. The glow from the screen reflected off his face, hinting at both urgency and anticipation.
A synthesized voice followed.
"Message decrypted. Playing now."
There was a brief pause, then the message began, calm and clear:
"At 1600 hours, deep within the easternmost forest of Yunnan, you must assist the recently awakened man in rescuing the woman. She holds one of the keys—crucial to resolving this crisis."
The screen dimmed.
"End of transmission."
"The woman… could it be Lady NuWa?" TaiYin asked, her voice unusually soft as she glanced at TaiYang. There was a flicker of doubt in her tone, but also something else—hope.
"Current localized time in Dynasty China: 15:45. We've got fifteen minutes left to act." TaiYang's eyes narrowed at the dashboard screen as a digital clock ticked.
"Apologies, General, but the tour ends here." He looked over his shoulder briefly at WuYan.
With that, he slammed his foot on the accelerator. The vehicle surged forward with a deep mechanical roar, speeding through the dimly lit corridor toward the bridge.
"Wait—'Dynasty China'? What the hell does that even mean?" WuYan gripped the edge of his seat, trying to process what he just heard.
"Let's just say… the world you remember is gone. What's out there now? It's better you see it for yourself." TaiYin turned her head slightly but didn't see his eyes.
Dynasty China? What the hell…? That's... real?
WuYan blinked hard, his brain struggling to catch up. Then the message replayed in his mind—"You must save the lady..."—and it hit him like a cold splash of water.
There's someone alive out there. Someone waiting to be saved… by me. He sat back, stunned with his gaze fixed on the blinking screen.
And here I was, sulking in the medical bay like a forgotten fossil, convinced I was the last man breathing. Damn.
A short, bitter laugh escaped his throat.
Guess I panicked so hard about being alone in this giant starship that I completely forgot the obvious—if there's still tech moving, signals transmitting… there's still life.
Then came the creeping weight of responsibility, settling on his shoulders like an old uniform he hadn't worn in years.
Figures. I wake up from a century-long nap, missing a hand, now a half machine and the first thing I'm told? Go rescue someone. He sighed through a dry smirk.
No time for coffee or closure but just straight into hero duty.
Still, beneath the sarcasm, something stirred and that's not dread or even pressure.
Purpose.
And that, more than anything, gave him the strength to face what was next.
It took them barely a minute to reach the bridge since TaiYang had slammed the accelerator the moment the message came through. The KF-1 roared down the corridor like a missile, its tires gripping the dimly lit floor with unnerving precision.
As the vehicle screeched to a halt at the bridge entrance, WuYan stumbled out, his legs barely catching up with the rest of him. The high-speed ride had turned his insides into soup and the second his boots touched the floor, he felt the whole world tilt sideways.
"Oh… my…" he muttered, one hand gripping the side of the wall for support. "Just give me a few seconds. I… really need a moment. Everything's spinning."
"Time is of the essence, General. I'm sorry, but we must hurry. An important life depends on our actions." Without missing a beat, TaiYin stepped beside him, her expression unchanged, then with a swift but measured movement, she lifted his arm and placed it over her shoulder to steady him.
"That—uh, that won't be necessary," WuYan stiffened and said quickly, his pride flickering through the dizziness. He pulled his arm away with a sheepish breath and straightened up. "I think I'm good now. Just… a bit of a shock to the system."
TaiYin didn't seem to take offense as being an android, she simply registered his vitals, confirmed he could stand and gave a small nod.
"If you can walk, then walk fast. We're running out of time." TaiYang, already moving toward the console ahead, called over his shoulder.
WuYan inhaled deeply, steeling himself.
I've barely stood up, and we're already diving into the fire… He pushed forward, the dizziness lingering but fading beneath the urgency in their voices.
The three of them stood before a massive door. It's taller than any gate WuYan had ever seen, easily dwarfing the one back at the medical bay. Unlike the harsh utilitarian style he'd expected, this one bore subtle carvings along its metallic surface, etched patterns that resembled ancient celestial maps and flowing glyphs.
At its center hovered a sphere-shaped mechanism, seemingly inert but alive with quiet anticipation. Lines of golden light pulsed across its surface, shifting like the slow, deliberate movements of a ritual dance.
"Please step forward and allow the system to scan you, General," TaiYang said, his voice calm but laced with quiet urgency. He gestured toward the orb with an open palm, his posture respectful as though inviting WuYan into a sacred hall rather than just a starship's control center.
"Alright, glowing orb of judgment. Let's see what's inside you."WuYan raised a brow, eyeing the hovering device as he stepped into place, only half-joking.
The sphere hummed softly and emitted a blue beam of light. It swept vertically from his head to his feet in a single smooth motion as if measuring not just his biology, but his worth.
"ID identified. Authorization granted. Welcome aboard, General WuYan," the ship's system intoned in a deep, almost ceremonial voice that reverberated through the corridor like a temple chant.
With a resonant hiss, the great door split open, its halves gliding apart with mechanical grace. A faint breeze brushed past them. It's cool, dry and laced with a slight aromatic scent that makes WuYan feel both relaxed and concentrated.
The bridge lay beyond. It's vast, luminous and awe-inspiring. Smooth white-metal surfaces flowed seamlessly into sweeping arcs. The walls, engraved with shimmering circuit-like calligraphy, gave off a gentle ambient glow. Large windows of reinforced crystalline glass curved around the front, revealing a majestic 180-degree view of the starscape outside. It was like standing within the inner sanctum of a celestial temple as it gave a sacred, serene, and brimming with silent power.
"Well, someone clearly wanted this place to feel like the gods themselves ran the ship." WuYan took a moment to breathe it in then he murmured.
What caught WuYan's attention immediately was the massive holographic projection of Earth that's suspended in midair at the center of the bridge. The planet hovered silently above a wide circular table, its surface slowly rotating, oceans glowing with a soft sapphire hue, clouds unfurling and drifting gently across the sky. It didn't feel like just a map but it felt alive as if Earth itself was watching him back.
The circular table beneath it was embedded with consoles. They are sleek and meticulously arranged and at its front sat a single, heavy swivel chair fixed to the floor—part command throne, part vigil seat. Surrounding the globe and the table, layered into the bridge's architecture, were rows of vertical monitors. Each screen streamed live surveillance from around the planet such as a vine-choked ruin of a forgotten city, mist curling through empty streets, mountains standing stoic beneath starlight. Below the monitors, more consoles blinked quietly, awaiting instructions that hadn't come for decades.
The entire space was bright, perhaps much brighter than the rest of the ship so far. Its lighting refracted off white metallic surfaces, making everything appear almost clinical in cleanliness. WuYan stepped forward slowly, his eyes locked on the floating globe but heart caught somewhere between awe and unease.
"Let's head to the holographic Earth, shall we?" TaiYang said with quiet confidence, already making his way toward the luminous globe hovering at the center of the bridge.
WuYan simply nodded and followed, still recovering from the whirlwind ride through the ship. TaiYin peeled off without a word, heading toward a row of monitors, her eyes already scanning streams of incoming data with practiced focus.
TaiYang raised his hand and the projection responded instantly. With fluid gestures, he rotated the Earth and zoomed in, the image rippling as though made of water and starlight. The continent of Asia came into focus and soon, the map centered on China.
WuYan's brow furrowed. Something about it seemed… off. Too wide. Too vast. Has the country always been this large? Or had time and isolation warped his memory?
"Is the map wrong, or… did every continent somehow grow while I was asleep?" he muttered under his breath, more amused than alarmed.
TaiYang didn't answer. Instead, he tapped a glowing icon labeled "Yunnan", and the display shifted again, zooming into a region wrapped in deep green and mountain fog.
"Focus on the easternmost forest in Yunnan. Scan for any anomalies—heat, movement, sound—anything unusual." TaiYang commanded, his tone sharp with urgency.
The holographic display shimmered as the starship's system processed the order. Within moments, the AI responded in a calm, neutral voice:
"Detected heat and audio signatures within the region. Approximately twenty lifeforms identified… numbers are decreasing."
"Decreasing? Are they turning on each other… or is something hunting them?" TaiYang's brows drew together.
Before anyone could answer, TaiYin leaned in toward one of the wall monitors. Her fingers flew across the console, adjusting visual filters.
"Monitor YN-17 just picked up multiple moving figures. There's activity deep in the canopy, but… I can't tell which one is Lady NuWa." She said, her voice clipped with focus.
WuYan stepped forward slowly, eyes narrowing at the shifting shadows flickering across the monitor's display. The forest was alive with motion, blurs of bodies between the trees, too chaotic to distinguish friend from foe.
"Then we better figure it out fast. Because whatever's happening down there… it's already started." TaiYang said, eyes never leaving the screen.
TaiYang glanced at the chronometer—15:50. Only ten minutes left. He and TaiYin both turned toward WuYan, their eyes silently asking the question the message had already spoken aloud. They didn't pressure him with words, but the urgency in their gaze was unmistakable. It wasn't a command but a plea.
'I know you damn well, boss. You'll take this job—help them, even if it means the op drags us into the red.'
The voice was deep, weathered, and rang out so clearly in WuYan's mind that for a split second, he swore the man was standing right beside him. He turned instinctively, just in time to catch the fading silhouette of a broad-shouldered figure. There's no face and no words, just a shadow that dissolved like mist before he could grasp it.
Was it a memory? A trick of the mind? Or simply his own conscience borrowing a familiar voice to nudge him forward?
It didn't matter.
WuYan felt the weight of it all press against his chest. He had only just woken up, barely piecing together who he was or where he had been. A hundred years had passed without his knowing. He was stranded aboard a massive starship drifting through space, Earth looming on the holographic display seems bigger, somehow different than he remembered. The ship's system addressed him as "General." Two androids greeted him like he was someone important, someone meant to lead. And now, here's a cryptic message, a countdown and someone on Earth who needed saving.
He didn't have the full picture, not even half. None of it made sense and yet… something inside him shifted. Doubt still clawed at the edge of his mind but underneath it was a pulse of clarity, like an instinct buried deep, finally beginning to surface. He refused to walk away.
He looked up at TaiYang and TaiYin. Both watching him, silent but expectant, their eyes quietly pleading for an answer. WuYan gave them a slow nod not because he understood but because it felt right.
The two androids exchanged a faint but unmistakable smile. An unspoken relief in their expression, like a long-delayed moment of hope had finally arrived.
Without another word, TaiYang led him to the front of the bridge. There, centered beneath the sweeping arc of reinforced viewing glass, stood a raised circular platform that's barely wide enough for one person. Its smooth surface glowed faintly under the lights, humming with restrained energy, waiting.
"Please step onto the platform, General," TaiYang said with practiced calm, gesturing to the circular disc nestled at the center of the bridge's observation deck.
WuYan gave a side glance but complied, stepping forward and positioning himself in the center. The surface beneath his boots hummed softly, its faint vibrations crawling up his spine.
"Location pinned: Yunnan, easternmost forest," the ship's voice announced, smooth and emotionless. "Initiating transport sequence."
"The ship will launch you directly into the atmosphere. It's a high-speed kinetic descent. Once you're through the cloud layer, TaiYin and I will re-establish contact and guide you from there." TaiYang looked up at him from the console with a steady tone.
WuYan blinked. "I'm sorry—did you just say launch?"
The platform began to glow beneath his feet.
"TaiYang. I thought you meant teleportation. Or an elevator. Not a goddamn space cannon!"
"You'll be fine," TaiYang said, helpfully.
"I just woke up from a hundred-year nap, lost a hand, found out Earth's gone weird, and now you're FLINGING ME INTO ORBIT?!"
"Correction," the ship added, "you are being flung from orbit."
"THAT DOESN'T HELP!"
The lights flared, gravity dropped and WuYan screamed, "I DID NOT SIGN UP TO BE A HUMAN BULLET!"
WuYan didn't even get the chance to finish his panicked sentence and then he was gone.
A brilliant pillar of hard light erupted around him. It wasn't painful but just sudden. The sensation was indescribable, like being peeled apart by warmth and then dissolved into something weightless. His form flickered, phased and then vanished entirely as the platform beneath him unlocked with a quiet mechanical hum.
From the underside of the bridge, a hatch spiraled open and in one seamless motion, he was launched toward Earth, not as a man but as a streak of pure light. The starship's advanced transport system didn't rely on traditional drop pods or shuttles. No, this was precise, undetectable and left no trace behind, except perhaps the echo of a startled scream swallowed by the vacuum of space.
As the beam of light pierced the planet's upper atmosphere, it began to fragment like a prism in reverse. Within the cover of clouds, the particles pulled themselves back together—nerve endings reconnecting, bones slotting into place and lungs remembering how to breathe.
WuYan was whole as a human again and now, he was free falling—arms flailing, heart racing, eyes wide at the terrifyingly familiar feeling of gravity's pull.
"Anyone? Come in! I'm freefalling through the sky without any equipment!" WuYan shouted, his voice strained against the roaring wind.
"This is TaiYin, General. Listen carefully, your armored battlesuit is ready to deploy. It's the same unit as ours." came the calm reply through the comm-link.
"What do I do?" WuYan struggled to steady his breath, panic still bubbling beneath his calm exterior.
"Raise your metal arm in front of you and close your fist. Then focus your mind and mentally command 'Suit up.' Two glowing circles will materialize in front of you. Pass through them and the suit will assemble around your body, stabilizing your descent" TaiYin instructed steadily.
"Understood. I'm doing it now." WuYan nodded to himself despite the vertigo and began to lift his arm.
"Trust the system, General. It's designed to synchronize with you perfectly." TaiYang's voice joined softly, calm and steady.
With the wind roaring past him and the ground drawing closer, WuYan didn't hesitate. He raised his metal arm, clenched his fist and focused, just like TaiYin instructed.
Two glowing rings materialized in midair before him. One white, soft and radiant like moonlight; the other black, edged in a metallic shimmer. As he fell through the first, white plates of armor swiftly assembled around his body, locking into place with sharp precision. A white duster coat followed, flowing out behind him like a banner. When he pierced through the second ring, streaks of black rippled across the armor and coat, sleek lines that gave the whole design a striking balance, a harmony of contrast.
Then came the helmet, descending and sealing over his head. The smooth, dark visor slid into place, cloaking his face behind a polished mirror sheen.
Inside, the visor flickered to life. HUDs and system readouts emerged across his view in quiet, glowing lines. A heartbeat graph pulsed at the top left. To the side, a digital anatomy display showed real-time vitals. Below, a scanning radar bloomed outward in rings—1m, 3m, 5m—tracing his descent in relation to the terrain.
As the last of the startup diagnostics faded, the visor cleared, revealing the endless green expanse of forest rushing up to meet him. Leaves shimmered beneath drifting cloud cover and distant mountain ridges lined the horizon like jagged ink strokes. He was still falling but no longer helpless as he's now armored, equipped, and aware.
"Altitude: 100 meters. Imminent threat detected. Hardening muscle tissues. Enhancing suit integrity. Brace for impact." WuYan heard the calm, male voice of the suit system echo in his helmet. The tone is steady,without a hint of urgency.
Before he could even fully process the warning, he was crashing through the dense canopy. Branches snapped like brittle bones against his armored body, leaves burst around him in flurries and thick vines tangled then tore free as he dropped through layers of foliage. The noise was sharp but short-lived, nature giving way to technology.
The suit did exactly what it promised. Reinforced plating absorbed the brunt of each hit and by the time he reached the ground, the kinetic energy had been dissipated just enough. His boots slammed into the forest floor with a heavy thud that's loud enough to feel, but soft enough not to echo.
He landed in a crouch, both legs absorbing the final shock. Around him, leaves settled in the wake of his descent. The only sound now was the soft rustle of branches swaying above and the rhythmic sound of his own breath in the helmet. His visor adjusted, clearing the dust and refocusing the HUD display.
'Limited energy detected. Prioritizing user vitals. Time remaining for Battlesuit TaiJi: 3 minutes,' the suit's neutral voice announced calmly in WuYan's helmet.
"Alright, I've landed. No broken bones, no flames, so far so good. But what's this about a three-minute limit?" WuYan exhaled through clenched teeth, scanning the green terrain ahead.
"The suit and your body are both high-demand systems, General. Even with your cyborg heart and internal support unit, it can't generate enough energy to run TaiJi mode for long. Three minutes is the maximum before it starts damaging your internal systems." TaiYang's voice came through the comms, steady but urgent.
TaiYin added quickly, "You're approximately 500 meters west of the heat zone. Locate the target and extract her. Avoid escalating the situation if you can. You've got five minutes until 1600."
"So I've got three minutes in the suit, five minutes to complete the mission, and zero ideas where exactly she is." WuYan let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head inside the helmet.
TaiYang's voice cut in sharply. "Hold on. I'm picking up a faint heat signature to your right. It's weak and irregular—could be injured."
WuYan turned his head in that direction, eyes narrowing behind the visor and stopped cold.
There slumped against the base of a tree was a man dressed in ancient dynasty-era armor, its once-proud plates now cracked and smeared in blood. His body was broken and his robes soaked dark, his chest rising and falling in shallow, struggling breaths. Blood streamed from the corner of his mouth with every violent cough, painting his chin red.
His left arm was completely gone, severed at the shoulder. Blood pulsed from the wound in weakening spurts, soaking the earth beneath him. The man's head tilted slightly as if trying to look up, his eyes unfocused and cloudy. He couldn't see clearly and maybe not even hear, but he seemed to sense someone was near, someone standing in front of him.
WuYan could only stare for a moment, frozen by the brutal reality of it. Not just a dying soldier… but a man barely holding on, caught between life and death, still clinging to something—or someone.
"Who… whoever's there…" the dying man wheezed, each breath gurgling through the blood that soaked his mouth. "Please… save… her…"
His voice was faint but the desperation clung to every syllable. He used the last of his strength to push the words out, his final plea and then his body slumped. His chest stilled, eyes wide frozen in unfinished purpose.
WuYan stood motionless for a moment. Fear twisted inside him but it was something else that weighed heavier. It's grief and the silent burden of the unknown woman the man had begged him to save. He dropped to one knee, gently placing a hand on the man's blood-streaked face. With two fingers, he closed his lifeless eyes.
"…Be at peace," he whispered.
There was no time to mourn. He rose and took off, sprinting through the underbrush toward the heat signatures TaiYin had reported. His suit enhanced his speed, his footfalls soft but sure against the forest floor.
Then far behind him—a low tremor, then another.
The ground quivered under something massive. Something dark had found the body. From the shadowed trees, a towering form emerged. It paused only for a breath before it reached down, wrapped a monstrous hand around the lifeless corpse… and bit down.
CRUNCH.
The sound echoed through the forest. It's wet, violent, and sickening. Bones cracked like dry twigs. Blood sprayed in thick arcs, soaking the grass beneath in a deep, murky red.