Mr. Si

The Ark space station resembles a colossal diamond set in black velvet, reflecting a cold yet vibrant luster beneath the starlight. Countless ships, like moths drawn to the light, shuttle back and forth along their designated routes in an orderly fashion. This is the forefront of human civilization, a hub where power and secrecy intertwine.

The Night Owl shut down all non-essential energy outputs, floating like a silent space rock at the edge of the station's long-range scanning range. Inside the bridge, the atmosphere was so heavy it could squeeze water out of it.

Hong Kushal's fingers danced across the console, his green eyes fixed on the dense stream of surveillance data. "Authentication passed. Ms. Lin arranged for us to be the representative of 'Stein's Biotechnology'. The cover is effective. However, we only have 72 hours of temporary access. Tickets for the summit's core forum are still being processed."

The screen in front of Ahmet displayed the Ark's complex internal structure and dynamic security deployment. "The security level is even higher than expected. IGEC's markings... their personnel have already moved in. Inquisitor Valeria's flagship, the Judgment, is at berth three."

Gu Zhixing was conducting the final data analysis and simulation demonstrations, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Some key data, particularly the records regarding the annihilation properties of the 'Original Blood' energy, were destroyed in the laboratory collapse. We can't fully reconstruct the complete energy model of Shao Qing's final self-destruction, which may affect our persuasiveness."

Shao Wei stood at the porthole, his back to the crowd, gazing at the massive artificial celestial body in the distance. He wore a well-tailored dark gray suit, secretly sent by Lin Huang, befitting a conference delegate. This attire made him look more like a stern young scholar or business elite than an avenger harboring a devastating secret.

"We don't need a complete model," Shao Wei said, his voice calm but metallic. "We only need to prove two things: First, that the 'Original Blood' is poison wrapped in honey, which will eventually lead to madness and destruction. Second, there is a path... of 'purification.'"

He slowly turned around, his icy blue eyes sweeping over his makeshift "team." "Before the forum begins, proceed according to the plan. Red Falcon, secure the evacuation route. Ahmet, deploy the jamming system. Gu Zhixing, prepare the data slices."

His instructions were clear and unquestionable. No one raised any objections.

---

The interior of the Ark space station resembled a miniature, extremely bustling futuristic city. Suspended vehicles glided silently through transparent tubes, holographic billboards flashed alluringly, and a bustling crowd of people from various star regions and races bustled about. The air was filled with a carefully crafted pheromone fragrance that maintained a moderate level of arousal.

Shao Wei walked alone on the broad corridor leading to the summit's main venue, the "Temple of Creation." His steady steps and impassive expression made him stand out from the crowd of attendees, some engaged in animated conversation, others in reserved greetings. He could sense countless gazes on him, both overt and covert: curiosity, scrutiny, and even the undisguised vigilance of IGEC security personnel.

The identity arranged by Lin Huang temporarily served as a cover, but it was like a thin layer of ice that could break at any time.

At a corner of the covered bridge, a figure wearing the uniform of an IGEC low-level technician, walking hurriedly with his head down, seemed to accidentally bump into him.

"Sorry." The man apologized in a low voice.

At the moment their bodies touched, a tiny, cold metal object was silently stuffed into Shao Wei's hand.

It was the highest-ranking entry ticket to the core forum. Lin Huang's people had gotten it.

Shao Wei's expression remained unchanged as he continued forward, slipping his ticket into his suit pocket. His heart beat steadily in his chest, without acceleration or hesitation. All the tension, fear, and even sadness were compressed into a cold, hard core, buried deep within his consciousness.

His only goal now is to stand on that stage.

---

The main forum of the Galaxy Technology Summit is “Temple of Creation”.

The vast circular venue was packed, its dome a simulated starry sky, broadcasting a magnificent epic of humanity's exploration of the universe. Representatives from major powers, top universities, and giant corporations gathered, and the air was filled with the scent of wisdom, ambition, and power.

The theme of the forum was "The Boundaries and Ethics of Genetic Technology." Several respected scholars and IGEC representatives were engaged in a bland discussion on the stage, the content filled with professional jargon and cautious official rhetoric.

Shao Wei sat in an unassuming seat in the back row, eyes closed, resting. He could sense several sharp gazes fixed on him. They might have come from IGEC, or perhaps from the remnants of Shao Qing's power.

When the forum entered the free question session, the moderator scanned the audience as usual.

At this moment, Shao Wei opened his eyes and raised his hand.

His movements weren't abrupt, but under some invisible aura, the venue seemed to fall silent for a moment. Many people subconsciously turned their gazes to this young Alpha with a unique aura.

The host obviously noticed him as well. Perhaps out of curiosity about the unfamiliar representative of "Stein Biotech", or perhaps because he felt the unusual sense of oppression, he signaled the staff to hand over the microphone.

The whole audience focused their attention.

Shao Wei stood up, looking at no one, and walked straight to the podium. His steps were not fast, but they had a strange rhythm, as if each step was a milestone of fate.

Several officials at the IGEC table exchanged glances. One of them pressed the microphone, seemingly about to issue an order. The chief judge, Valeria—a woman with short silver hair and a stern expression—raised her hand slightly, stopping her subordinate. Her gray eyes, like a precision instrument, calmly observed Commissioner Shao, with scrutiny and assessment.

Committee Member Shao stood at the podium and adjusted the microphone. He spoke without preface or greeting, his voice booming through the speakers, clear and calm, like the dripping of an icy spring:

"What you are discussing today is boundaries and ethics."

He raised his hand, and the wrist terminal projected a light screen, on which complex genetic sequences and energy maps began to scroll rapidly.

"But the basis of your discussion is built on a lie."

The first sentence was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves! The whole place was in an uproar!

"Who are you? What gives you the right to speak so arrogantly here?" someone in the audience asked harshly.

Shao Wei ignored him and slid his finger across the light screen, calling up the enlarged image of the dark red genetic map of the "Blood of the Origin" that was full of ominous fluctuations.

"This, known as the 'Original Blood', is believed to be the natural source of top-tier Alpha power and the cornerstone of some families' glory and power."

His voice was flat, as if he was giving an academic report.

"But its essence is a gene-induced mutation catalyst produced by radiation from an unknown meteorite numbered X-7. While it grants power, it also plants irreversible instructions for collapse deep within its genes."

More commotion erupted! The X-7 meteorite! This was a top secret, strictly sealed by all the major powers!

"Nonsense!" A middle-aged man in military uniform stood up suddenly, his face ashen.

Shao Wei still ignored it and called up another set of data, which was the attenuation curve of physiological indicators of those who had long-term contact with the "Blood of the Origin", as well as... several secret cases of pheromone rampage and organ failure, including some of Shao Qing's non-public medical records in his later years!

"Relying on it is like drinking poison to quench thirst. The greater the power, the faster it collapses, and ultimately... it leads to madness and self-destruction."

The audience erupted in an uproar! Questions, shouts, and screams filled the air! Security personnel began to surge forward.

At this moment, Shao Wei made a move that left everyone dumbfounded.

He turned off the light screen, and then slowly released his pheromones.

No longer the restrained depths of the ocean, it swept across the venue like a polar storm! Cold, majestic, and carrying a pure, steady, soul-freezing power! This power far exceeded the capabilities of a typical top-tier Alpha, yet possessed none of the chaotic, violent qualities of "Original Blood"!

At the same time, the relatively soft ice-blue gene sequence map he had shown before appeared again, side by side with the dark red "Original Blood" map.

"And I am living proof." Shao Wei's voice pierced through the chaos, reaching everyone clearly. "I am an example of someone who has escaped the curse of 'Original Blood' and, through 'purification,' gained more stable and powerful strength."

His ice-blue eyes swept across the entire audience, finally settling on Valeria's expressionless face at the IGEC seat.

"This is the truth. This is the dirty and dangerous secret that has been hidden about the power of the top alphas."

"And now..."

He paused, his tone still calm, but with the weight of a declaration.

"I stand here not to accuse anyone, but to ... offer an alternative."

"A choice to escape the poison and gain a new life."

The venue was dead silent.

All eyes, shocked, angry, greedy, and fearful, were focused on the lone young Alpha on the stage.

He opened Pandora's box, exposing the darkest secrets to the brightest light of the galaxy.

The storm has arrived.

And the eye of the storm is Shao Wei himself.

The dead silence in the "Temple of Creation" lasted less than three seconds.

Then, a tsunami-like chaos broke out!

"Catch him!"

"Seal off the venue!"

"He's spreading fear!"

"That's the Shao family's experimental subject!"

"IGEC! What are you waiting for!"

Shouts, commands, and screams mingled as armed personnel from the station's security forces and IGEC poured in from every entrance like a tide. Energy weapons sizzled as they charged, and red targeting lasers instantly covered Shao Wei's entire body.

Below the stage, those well-dressed representatives could no longer maintain their decency. Some panicked and looked for cover, while others had flickering eyes, revealing undisguised greed - greed for the "purifying" power that Committee Member Shao mentioned.

Standing behind the podium, facing countless pointed guns and focused cameras, Shao Wei remained as steady as a rock. He didn't even strike a defensive stance, simply raising his chin slightly, his icy blue eyes calmly meeting those gazes, whether angry or frightened, as if the clamor before him had nothing to do with him.

He is waiting.

Waiting for the inevitable response.

"Quiet."

A cold, clear, emotionless female voice came through the venue's public address system. The volume was not loud, but it strangely suppressed all the noise.

It was Inquisitor Valeria. She had unknowingly stood before the IGEC's seats, her silver-gray uniform immaculate, her face as stern as a marble statue. Her gaze, like two beams of high-energy light, pierced through the chaotic crowd and locked onto Shao Wei.

"Mr. Shao," Valeria began, her voice carried throughout the room through the microphone. "What you just said involves top secrets and could potentially cause social unrest in interstellar space. In accordance with Article 7, Paragraph 3 of the Pan-Galactic Genetic Ethics Convention, I, IGEC Level 3 Inquisitor Valeria, hereby order your urgent arrest for 'endangering genetic safety and public order.'"

Her words were like a final verdict, carrying unquestionable authority.

Several elite IGEC "Purifier" warriors emerged from the crowd, armed with specially designed restraint gear, and approached the podium with expressionless faces. Their pheromones carried a cold, repressive quality specifically targeting "abnormal" individuals.

Seeing this, the other armed personnel in the meeting room slowed down slightly, handing the reins to IGEC. Everyone looked at Shao Wei, awaiting his reaction—would he surrender, or fight to the death?

Shao Wei looked at the advancing Purifier, his lips curling up in a barely perceptible arc. It wasn't a smile, but rather a kind of... cold, successful feeling.

Just as the first "Purifier"'s hand was about to touch him—

“Buzz!”

The lights of the entire "Temple of Creation" suddenly flickered! Immediately afterwards, all the large screens, including those broadcasting live broadcasts of the venue, were forced to switch instantly!

The screen no longer showed the chaotic conference hall, nor did it show Committee Member Shao's face. Instead, it began to scroll through carefully edited data clips at high speed!

A close-up of the dark red "Original Blood" gene chain, with its energy decay curve and known side effect cases marked next to it.

Comparison of photos of Shao Qing at different times, with his eyes gradually becoming more crazy.

A fragment of Shao Wen's handwritten experimental notes on replacing the "Original Blood".

The horrifying images of the twisted biological culture chambers in the basement laboratory of the old Si family house.

And... after Shao Wei was enveloped by the light of "The Thread of Life", the stable and powerful gene sequence and pheromone spectrum analysis chart appeared!

These images and data, like a virus, spread uncontrollably throughout the galaxy through the internal network and media signals of the "Ark" space station!

"What's going on?!"

"Our system has been hacked!"

"Cut the signal! Quick!"

The technicians' exclamations were drowned out by an even greater uproar. Everyone in the conference room was stunned by the shocking content on the screen! This was no longer Commissioner Shao's unfounded accusation; it was irrefutable evidence!

"It's Ahmet!" Gu Zhixing, mingling in the panicked crowd, watched the "Data Transfer Completed" message displayed on his wrist terminal, his heart pounding. They'd succeeded! With Red Falcon's cover and Ahmet's precise control, they'd breached part of the Ark's firewall and released the information bomb!

For the first time, Valeria's expression changed, a cold fury of blatant provocation. "Arrest!" she ordered harshly.

Those "Purifiers" no longer hesitated and pounced on Shao Wei!

At this moment, Shao Wei moved!

Instead of retreating, he took a step forward! The icy blue pheromones around him were no longer just released, but suddenly condensed and compressed! It was as if an invisible, extremely cold field had formed around him!

The "Purifiers" who first came into contact with this area instantly became sluggish, as if they were trapped in sticky ice slurry. A layer of white frost even condensed on the surface of their specially made restraint equipment!

Shao Wei's movements were as swift as a ghost! He didn't use any weapons, simply raising his hands, blocking, and swinging! Each of his strikes precisely hit the nodes or vulnerable joints of the "Purifier" where its energy flowed! His movements were simple and efficient, with a cold and violent aesthetic!

"Crack!" A teeth-grinding sound of bone breaking was heard!

The weapon-wielding arm of a "Purifier" was bent at a strange angle, and he fell to the ground with a scream!

Several others were also forced to retreat again and again by Shao Wei's lightning-fast attack. The suppressive pheromones they were proud of had little effect in the face of Shao Wei's purer and more stable power!

The whole audience was shocked!

Everyone stared in amazement at the young Alpha who, despite being besieged by several elite IGEC warriors, not only didn't quickly fall, but actually appeared to be handling the situation with ease! The power he displayed completely exceeded their understanding of what an "Alpha" could be! Was this the power of "purification"?!

Valeria's pupils narrowed slightly. She stared intently at Shao Wei's fighting style, as if analyzing an extremely precious specimen. "...perfect energy control, genetic stability beyond all known records...is this the result of the Thread of Life's interference?"

There was more surprise than anger in her tone.

Taking advantage of the confusion as the IGEC fighters were distracted by Shao Wei, Hong Kusanagi, disguised as a waiter, quietly infiltrated the valve of an emergency escape route at the venue. Ahmet remotely disabled the valve's safety lock.

"Commissioner Shao! Retreat!" Hong Xuan roared through the encrypted communication.

Shao Wei knocked away the last Purifier who was blocking his way with a punch, and swept his eyes across the entire audience - those shocked, greedy, and frightened faces, as well as Valeria's cold and scrutinizing eyes.

His goal had been achieved. The seeds had been sown, the suspicions had been nurtured, the evidence had been spread.

He no longer wanted to fight, and with a flash of his body, he left the battle circle like a ghost and rushed towards the escape passage opened by the Red Falcon!

"Stop him!" The commander of the space station security force reacted and shouted orders.

But it's too late!

Shao Wei's speed was incredibly fast. Before the dense energy beams could hit him, he had already disappeared into the dark tunnel entrance! Hong Kusanagi followed closely behind him. The heavy blast-proof door slammed shut behind her, temporarily isolating her from the pursuers!

"Chase! He can't run far!" The commander was furious.

Valeria raised her hand to stop her subordinates and the station guards from taking any further action. She stared at the tightly closed blast door, her gray eyes flashing with calculation.

"That's unnecessary," she said calmly, her voice returning to its previous cold calm. "The data has already spread, and the target has achieved its initial strategic objectives. Forcible interception would be too costly."

She turned to face the stunned attendees and the flashing cameras and announced in her characteristically even voice:

"The target, Mr. Shao, has been designated as IGEC's highest priority for monitoring. IGEC will conduct a comprehensive investigation and clarification of the false information he has spread."

"At the same time, given the 'abnormal' power characteristics it has demonstrated, IGEC has officially initiated an investigation into the 'Thread of Life' and related 'purification' technologies."

Her words were less a warrant than a galaxy-wide research announcement. Shao Wei, the young man who had just caused such a stir, had been transformed, according to the official IGEC definition, from a "dangerous anomaly" to a "special specimen of immense research value."

Inside the conference hall, undercurrents surged. Representatives from various factions exchanged glances, their thoughts diverging. The truth and power Shao Wei unleashed were like a boulder crashing into a seemingly calm lake, and the ripples it created were only just beginning to spread.

At this moment, deep in the complex maintenance pipes of the "Ark" space station, Shao Wei and Hong Shun were moving quickly in the darkness.

"Damn, that's a big deal!" Hong Jian panted, his tone filled with excitement, "Now the whole galaxy knows who you are!"

Shao Wei didn't respond, but continued running in silence. His face was expressionless, as if he wasn't the one who had just stirred up such a storm under the spotlight.

Only he himself knew that at the moment he released his power and fought against IGEC, a tiny crack appeared in the frozen core deep in his heart.

In the gap, there were those determined eyes of Si Qi when she finally pushed him away.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

The liquidation has just begun.

His journey is the sea of ​​stars and also... the boundless hell.