Chapter 41: Welcome Home, Master
“Your destination has been reached.”
Hearing the prompt from the navigation system, Chen Nian looked out the window.
Number 170 Xingguang Road was a museum—imposing in scale, yet utterly deserted. Chen Nian wasn’t especially surprised; in this age of highly advanced metaverse technology, almost no one bothered with obscure museums in the physical world anymore.
He opened the car door and stepped out, continuing forward, only to discover that the area where Number 171 Xingguang Road should have stood was now a vast, abandoned construction site. Mounds of building debris rose like mountains, blocking the entire intersection. Without forcing his way through, there was no way to see what state Number 172 was in.
At the entrance to this forsaken lot, a military checkpoint had been set up. Several armed soldiers patrolled the perimeter.
“Chen Nian, where exactly are you trying to go?” Old Li had gotten out of the car as well.
“I want to cut through this site... Do you think that pass will work?” Chen Nian gestured toward the construction area.
“Let’s give it a try,” Old Li said, striding directly toward the checkpoint, with Chen Nian close behind.
As soon as they approached, a soldier came over, his tone stern. “This is a restricted zone. If you have no business here, move along.”
Old Li produced the pass issued by Wang Yinlong, along with another document, and said with a smile, “We’re from the Space Force, here on special assignment. Would you let us through?”
The soldier glanced at both documents, hesitated only briefly when he saw the pass, then, after seeing the second credential, gestured to the other soldiers behind him.
A path through the checkpoint was swiftly cleared.
“Thank you, Old Li. I owe you one,” Chen Nian said sincerely.
He had seen the soldier’s hesitation when presented with Wang Yinlong’s pass—only after examining the second document had the man made up his mind. Clearly, it was that second credential that made all the difference. But what exactly was it?
“No need for thanks. We’re comrades from way back, after all. I’d never refuse you a favor,” Old Li replied with a faint smile, tucking the documents away and leading Chen Nian through the checkpoint.
...
“A military checkpoint, an abandoned construction site...” Chen Nian grew increasingly anxious as he walked; things were becoming more complicated by the minute.
After weaving through several mountains of debris, his view suddenly cleared.
And then, a hundred meters ahead, he saw a solitary, sprawling manor.
“Exactly the same... Exactly the same!” Chen Nian murmured in disbelief.
Before coming, he had imagined what he might find: perhaps a flat expanse, as shown on satellite maps, or maybe a long-abandoned park. Never had he expected to see a manor identical to the one in his dreams.
After all, the events from that dream had taken place eighteen, perhaps even twenty, years ago.
Such a long span of time could have changed everything—demolition, redevelopment, human destruction, and countless other possibilities. So why did this manor remain just as it had always been?
Unconsciously, Chen Nian quickened his pace toward the estate. In that moment, a nameless dread welled up within him—despite having steeled himself for anything on the journey here.
“What... am I really afraid of?” The more he tried to reason with himself, the greater his unease grew.
He crossed the hundred-meter distance in no time, arriving before the manor.
It was fronted by an electric gate, with a warning in enormous red letters painted on the ground: “EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. TRESPASSERS ENTER AT THEIR OWN RISK.”
Chen Nian stared at the gate in a daze. Through the slats he could just make out robots inside, trimming the gardens and trees.
“Is anyone there?” he called out.
No answer.
Just then, Old Li’s voice sounded behind him. “No point shouting. There’s no one here.”
Chen Nian turned around, his eyes unwittingly rimmed with red. “Old Li, what is this place, really?”
Old Li looked at him deeply, then said with a sigh, “This was the residence of a very famous scientist. But he’s long since passed away.”
“Who was he?” Chen Nian’s voice quivered.
At the same time, a flood of fragmented memories surged into his mind—scenes of himself playing in the manor.
“He...” Old Li hesitated, then enunciated each word:
“He was the inventor of Genetic Serum A01—Chen Jianghe.”
A thunderclap seemed to explode in Chen Nian’s mind, followed by waves of excruciating pain. Before he could grasp what the name implied, fear, hatred, and resentment from his subconscious crashed over him like a tide.
“He was once the most renowned scientist in Huaxia. When he developed Genetic Serum A01, it caused a sensation around the globe. Because of that discovery, he became the target of relentless assassination attempts. Other countries feared that this genius, barely in his thirties, might create an A02 or A03.
To defend against these attacks, he built this manor. Don’t be fooled by its unassuming appearance—inside, there are countless hidden dangers. Any intruder would face certain death.
It’s said that over two hundred spies and assassins perished here.”
“And after that?” Chen Nian looked up, his face contorted with pain.
“You must have heard some of what happened eighteen years ago. For the sake of genetic technology, the world was nearly plunged into nuclear war. But it wasn’t just the serum that frightened those nations. After all, A01 could only be safely administered to children under ten, and it would take at least another decade for those new humans to mature into outstanding talents. The real reason they were desperate for war... was this man.
So, at the critical moment before nuclear war broke out, he was assassinated, and peace was restored. Afterward, his name became taboo across the globe.”
Old Li’s expression grew ever more complex. “Though he’s been dead eighteen years, his influence lingers... To be precise, the world is under his curse, forever deprived of true peace.”
...
“Ugh... Ah...” Wracked with agony, Chen Nian couldn’t suppress a low growl as images flickered through his mind like a slideshow.
“Daddy! What gift did you bring me?”
“You like those robotic pets, don’t you? I got you three!”
“Daddy, you’re the best!”
...
“Son, this time Daddy brought you something a little different.”
...
“It might hurt a little...”
“Don’t be scared, sweetheart.”
...
A brittle laugh escaped him—then, suddenly, Chen Nian burst into wild laughter and staggered toward the electric gate.
In an instant, beams of red light shot out, scanning his face.
Then a gentle electronic voice sounded:
“Welcome home, young master.”
The next moment, the gate swung open.