In the blink of an eye, morning had arrived.

By the time Ming Yi stumbled into the hall—rubbing sleep from his eyes and yawning—he found the entire Loki Squad already waiting. Senior Brother, Senior Sister, and Old Lei were there too.

“Uh… What’s going on?” Ming Yi blinked in confusion.

“Ah, Brother Ming Yi! Perfect timing,” Meryl waved him over with a grin. “Got some good news for you~”

Ming Yi greeted everyone. When he reached Akiko, she gave a slight bow and offered a meaningful smile.

Seeing her serene, intelligent face, Ming Yi scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled. To Akiko, his expression held no trace of guilt—only reinforcing her certainty that he had nothing to do with the Xiao En incident.

The fact that he’d saved her had become their unspoken secret.

He turned to Meryl with a smile. “What’s the good news? Everyone’s glowing this early?”

“We’ve finished the map! Once your team’s ready, we head back to the East Asia Branch!”

*Right.* Ming Yi nodded. *Duh. We’ve got the White Bloodsource. Why linger in this backwater?*

Still… he wondered. According to Meryl, the East Asia Branch of the Liberation Syndicate was a major metropolis—the first human civilization outpost they’d encountered here.

What would this world’s civilization look like? How different would it be from his own?

“Huh? We can leave?!” Xiao Chengcheng, still groggy from sleep, perked up instantly.

Meryl nodded with a smile. Xiao Chengcheng’s eyes lit up.

“Wa-ha-ha! My overpowered isekai life is finally starting! Kinda excited!”

“Break levels against fate! Flaunt power like the wind! Harem stretching to the clouds! I’m coming!”

“I think your isekai life’ll mostly involve getting beaten into a pig’s head,” Dandan drawled, walking over while fixing her hair.

“Hey! Short-sighted woman—don’t you know? In novels, someone this handsome is *always* the protagonist!”

“I haven’t read those web novels,” Dandan smirked, covering her mouth, “but I *do* know one character whose story sounds just like yours—”

“—Dongfang Bubai!”

“Damn it! You’re the shemale! Your whole family’s shemales! When I become the one who crushes all existence, don’t come crying for my support!” Xiao Chengcheng sputtered.

“*Me* beg *you*? Xiao Chengcheng, your face is thicker than a Ravager’s scales. Peel it off—guaranteed A-rank Corruption Artifact shield!”

“You bitch! Wanna fight?!”

“Se~ni~or Sis~ter~” Dandan wrinkled her petite nose, pouted, and blinked back tears. “Xiao Chengcheng’s threatening to hit me!”

Her coquettish tone made everyone’s bones melt.

“Xiao—Cheng—Cheng—” Senior Sister narrowed her eyes, then smiled sweetly.

“You *want* to become Dongfang Bubai?”

A cold shiver shot up Xiao Chengcheng’s spine. He snapped his mouth shut.

The others burst into laughter.

*What a live-wire,* Ming Yi thought, shaking his head with a wry smile.

Honestly, wherever Xiao Chengcheng was, joy followed. Thanks to the banter, the gloom of the past few days lifted from Ming Yi’s heart.

“Since everyone’s ready—let’s go!” Meryl announced.

“Uh… Sister Meryl,” Xiao Chengcheng asked, “where *is* the East Asia Branch? Far?”

“You’ll recognize it. Right where the capital used to stand.”

“Holy crap! The imperial capital?!” Xiao Chengcheng yelped. “Over a thousand kilometers away! We walking?!”

“Relax, buddy,” Kailuo clapped his shoulder with a laugh. “Even if we made you walk, you couldn’t.”

Jin Xuanwen’s voice drifted over: “Don’t underestimate locals here. Hundreds of thousands of elites aren’t joking. And this world’s tech? Fix it up a bit—it works.”

“In the Shattered Realm,” Meryl added, “basic land, sea, and air transport still exists. Just expensive. Routes and vehicles are controlled by powerful groups—not open to civilians.”

“So… how *are* we getting there?” Xiao Chengcheng frowned.

Meryl smiled mysteriously and led them to a clearing near the base.

Everyone froze.

A massive helicopter sat there—as if it had appeared overnight.

“CH-47 Chinook heavy transport! American hardware!” Old Lei blurted out, stunned.

Xiao Chengcheng gaped. “Whoa… Old Lei, you know this stuff?”

Old Lei scratched his head shyly. “Just… a hobby.”

“Original 1950s model,” Senior Brother nodded approvingly. “Bulky by today’s standards, but high payload, strong engines. Should get us there in hours.”

“Exactly. You’re impressively knowledgeable,” Meryl said, glancing at them with new respect. “Is this typical for Third-Generation talents?”

*No. Just Senior Brother’s freakishly smart,* Ming Yi thought silently.

Xiao Chengcheng and Old Lei had already scrambled into the cabin, gasping in awe.

Once seated, Kailuo’s voice crackled from the cockpit:

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the *Loki*—cargo plane, *my* rename. Sit tight, buckle up. Journey begins now—”

“Have a pleasant trip.”

Rotors roared to life. The helicopter lifted smoothly, soaring into the sky until it vanished on the horizon.

—

—

Meanwhile, deep within the distant capital.

Amid endless ruins, a zone enclosed by white walls stood out starkly.

Inside, buildings stood pristine. People moved freely—a thriving civilization in bloom.

At its heart rose a dozens-of-floors-high skyscraper, towering like a crane among chickens.

On the top floor, a single room.

An eleven-year-old girl with light-pink twin tails lounged in an office chair bigger than herself.

Frowning, lips pressed tight, her crystal-clear eyes darted across documents on the desk. Her long lashes trembled slightly.

If Ming Yi’s group saw them—they’d recognize their own files.

“Decided yet?” A woman’s voice echoed from the speakerphone.

The girl flinched. Her gaze flickered faster.

Suddenly, she flung the papers. “Waaah!! Can’t choose! I want *all* of them! Why did I report this?! Should’ve kept them quietly!”

A cold snort. “Kid, think you could hide this? Their potential dwarfs your imagination. If the Elders found out you hid them…”

A gentle male voice cut in: “Good things are meant to share. Hogging’s no fun.”

“Hogging’s fun *now*! Hogging forever’s fun *forever*!”

“Pick fast. For the record—Yu Chen is mine,” the woman said.

“No!!” The girl rolled on the floor, fists waving. “No no no! *My* team found them! All mine!”

“I’ve no patience for tantrums,” a cool, clear youth’s voice interjected. “Don’t choose? Leftovers go to you.”

Her lower lip quivered. Tears spilled. “You’re bullying me!! All bad people!! Waaahh!”

“Shh, don’t cry,” the gentle voice soothed. “Shi Ling was teasing. We promised—you pick first.”

“Stop crying… I’ll send macarons and chocolate cake. Promise.”

“Really? Pinky promise?” Sobs softened.

“Pinky promise.”

“…Okay.” She stared at the files, then spoke softly:

“I want Xiao Chengcheng and Ming Yi.”

“Yu Chen is mine,” the woman confirmed.

“I’ll take Lei Yunjun,” the cool youth said.

“Then… Miss Alice?” The man sounded surprised. “Such a beauty—none of you wanted her?”

“Her chest’s too big. Annoying to look at,” the girl muttered, pouting.

“Settled,” the woman said contentedly. “Per protocol, Huang Dandan won’t enroll. Let her stay in your East Asia zone.”

“I’ll send someone in two days. Hanging up.”

*Click.* The phone light dimmed.

The girl sighed, hopped down, and pressed her forehead to the floor-to-ceiling window. Gazing at the vibrant city below, she whispered:

“You two… don’t disappoint me.”

End of Volume 1.