"You and Dad are from Shandong. Why did you travel all the way to Daliang Mountain?"
Mother sighed. "You know your father and I were married for years and never had a child, so we wanted to adopt. At first, we tried the orphanages nearby, but for some reason nothing worked out—either there were no spots, or the ones we liked had already been taken. Your father and I figured, well, maybe we just weren't meant to have kids."
"We'd pretty much given up, but one day someone from the civil affairs bureau told us there were adoption spots available at an orphanage in Daliang Mountain. The kids would be older, though. They asked if we wanted to take a look, and if so, they'd cover our travel expenses. We thought we might as well try our luck, so your father and I set off."
"The moment we walked through the orphanage doors, we saw an outdoor training yard. There was only one kid in there—you—barefoot, punching a sandbag. My heart broke right then. Such a little thing, how could that be okay?"
"Maybe it was just fate. The moment your father and I saw you, we knew you were meant to be ours. So we brought you home." She stroked my head. "Look at that—from a barefoot kid punching a sandbag to a grown man."
My nose stung. Tears slipped from my eyes, one after another.
"Don't cry," Mom rubbed my hair. "Little Ryan, remember—you don't owe us anything. It's your arrival that brought life and completeness to this home. If anything, your father and I—an ordinary family—couldn't do much to help your career..."
"Mom, please don't say that." I gripped her hand quickly.
She patted my shoulder, sighing with emotion, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She pulled a small tin box from a drawer: "If you want to recall things from your childhood, these are what came with you from Daliang Mountain. Take a look yourself."
I took the box, running my thumb over its rusted surface, and hazy memories seemed to sharpen. Back in my room, I laid out the contents one by one, and childhood came flooding back.
Playing cards I'd hoarded, a plastic robot redeemed from the corner store, a broken four-wheel-drive toy car, and a pile of colorful glass marbles... Then, a health examination certificate caught my eye.
It was an examination report from when I left Daliang Mountain, issued by the orphanage when I was adopted to certify the child's health status. The form listed routine items like height, weight, blood type, eyesight... but the doctor's signature at the bottom read: "Victor Day"?
I checked again carefully. No mistake—though the handwriting was scrawled, it absolutely said "Victor Day"!
A jolt ran through me like a lightning strike. This was no coincidence!
I immediately texted Selene about it.
Her reply was just five characters: Come quickly. I'll wait for you.
Had she already guessed the truth behind this?
It seemed I had no choice—I needed to find her.
I bid farewell to my parents, claiming work was too busy to stay. They understood young people had their own struggles and didn't push, just reminded me to take care of myself.
I nodded, silently promising to visit more often and spend time with them.
But first, some things had to be resolved.
I followed the address Selene had given me and found her place in another city. By the time I arrived, it was past midnight.
I raised my hand to knock, then reconsidered and pulled out the key she'd left me. I turned it in the lock and the door clicked open.
I crept inside. No lights were on—only a thin thread of refracted moonlight filtered through the window. I stood still for a moment, letting my eyes adjust to the dark, when suddenly a figure slipped into my arms, hands clasping behind my neck, and a woman's scent washed over me.
"Selene..." I stammered. "I was afraid of waking you, so I used the key..."
Her lips pressed against mine, silencing me. Her full chest pressed tightly against mine. I wrapped my arm around her waist and felt that she wore only a nightgown, which set my heart hammering.
Selene kissed me as she pulled me toward the bedroom, then pushed me onto the bed. I sank into a soft haze, my whole body melting—except for one part. But even in that intoxication, something felt wrong.
I couldn't say exactly what.
She straddled me, tearing at my clothes, her movements growing wilder. No—something was definitely off. This feeling was too strong. I twisted suddenly and flipped on the bedside lamp.
A woman with cascading black hair and full, moist lips sat on top of me, gazing at me with tender eyes. She was beautiful—undeniably so. But she was absolutely not Selene!
I shoved her away. "Who are you?"
"Just as the intel said—you really are a straight man. Not exactly chivalrous." She irritably pulled her nightgown back into place. "I honestly don't get what kind of woman would fall for a guy like you."
"Cut the crap!" I grabbed her by the throat. "Who are you? Where's Selene?"
She pulled out a phone, tapped it, and played a video. In it, Selene was bound with her hands tied, duct tape over her mouth—clearly, she'd been kidnapped.
I froze, not understanding what they wanted.
She pried my hand off. "Your sweetheart is in our hands. If you want her safe, you'll cooperate with us."
"What exactly do you want?"
"You've lost your enthusiasm for Death Trip, haven't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have posted all that online."
She was right. When I'd posted online, I'd already decided to quit the game. Exposing the truth was my way of making it public.
"Our demand is simple. You will continue competing in the next trip," she sat on the edge of the bed, her cleavage faintly visible, "and you will kill Shiva in the next trip."
"What?!" I thought I'd misheard.
"You heard right. That's the only way you get Selene back."
"Kill... Shiva? Why?" A new possibility dawned on me. "Who exactly are you?"
"Don't be nervous. I'm with Headquarters, and I'm a firm executor of their plans. Eliminating Shiva is a direct order from Headquarters."
"I don't understand."
"You don't need to understand. Just execute." She smiled behind her hand. "But I can give you a little personal tip, as a reward for being a straight man—Shiva's existence has begun to backfire against Headquarters. He's become the single greatest destabilizing factor. But dealing with a Neo-human is extremely tricky. Only another Neo-human can do it... Right, you should be clear about your own origins by now?"
More or less clear, but not entirely. I shook my head. "With Headquarters' track record, I can't be the only test subject. Why me?"
"Correct. As a vast and protracted project, there's more than one Neo-human. But various incidents occurred during cultivation—some didn't survive to adulthood, some lost their minds after awakening, some can't appear in public... After screening, you're the optimal candidate."
"But Shiva's appearance in the trips is erratic, and he only joins competitions with prizes over one million..."
"Don't worry about that. The next trip carries a very high tier—prize of 1.8 million. Plus, we'll offer an extra reward that Shiva can't refuse. I guarantee he'll be on the same flight as you."
"A flight trip?"
She nodded. "And you must ensure Shiva is killed without causing an aviation disaster."
I gave a bitter laugh. "That's pure fantasy. You know how strong Shiva is. There's no way I can—"
"Don't worry. When the time comes, my colleagues and I will assist you."
"You?" I eyed her skeptically.
"What, you think I'm just some floozy who uses kidnapping and seduction to get her way?" She sneered. "The title 'Iron Fist Queen' isn't for show. Maybe one day you'll get a taste."
To save Selene, I had no choice but to agree to her terms.
But I made a demand of my own: "I need one more person on this flight. On my team."
"Who?"
"Jasper Locke."