At the Supreme Office of Lungmen
Wei Yenwu, the governor of Lungmen and the master of this land, stood gazing out through the glass wall of his office, smoking his pipe and reminiscing about the past.
He had always believed that Lungmen would be a land of new beginnings—a place he could truly call home. From the very moment he dragged his exhausted body and a spirit filled with despair here, along with his younger sister, he had hoped for peace.
They had come to escape the bloodshed of what was called the "royal succession."
Here, he met many people—like the determined sewer rat who would become a close friend, or Draco of Victoria, a rival he could never defeat in combat. But over the years, through countless events, their bond deepened, and they swore brotherhood together.
The three of them had fought side by side to reclaim power over Lungmen. Their greatest enemy at the time was a man whom Wei Yenwu hated more than any other:
Koschei, the Duke of Ursus—rumored to be a descendant of the evil Black Serpent, a nightmare, and a dark god of Ursus.
Having faced him firsthand, Wei Yenwu could say confidently that those legends were nonsense. The truth was far worse—Koschei wasn't just a descendant, but the original entity itself, merely borrowing bodies through the ages.
He had seen that power with his own eyes. Its victim, that time, was none other than his sworn brother—Edward Arthorius—who had fallen deeply in love with Wei's sister, a love that bore them a daughter.
That event became both a curse and a lingering shadow for Wei Yenwu. To this day, he could never say for sure whether that birth was born from love... or from the serpent's grand design.
He always blamed himself for letting love cloud his judgment. From the moment he held that baby in his hands and allowed her to be born into this cruel world.
Tallulah Arthorius—a child with the bloodline of the Yan royal family and the origin blood of the Red Dragon. She held legitimate claim to both thrones, made even more dangerous by being a true-blood Draco like her father. Her existence was a threat to both nations.
From the Yan officials who loathed the Red Dragons, to the noble houses of Aslan (the Lions) who feared the Draco reclaiming power—
Knowing this, Wei Yenwu had done everything in his power to hide Tallulah's birth. Yet again, love had led him astray—he could not bring himself to kill that child before it was too late.
The Black Serpent, already possessing Edward's body, had known about Tallulah's birth from the beginning.
He sent word to Victoria directly, and even conspired with a mysterious girl claiming to be of the holy Unicorn lineage—cornering Edward between his bloodline and his own child.
Of course, Edward, who valued justice above all else, chose neither. He devised a plan—a ruse to help all members of his Draco bloodline escape Victoria's pursuit. That was when he discovered the Serpent's control within him—after seeing a massive ambush of steam-powered soldiers slaughtering his own kin without mercy.
Though Edward survived and made it to Lungmen, he was gravely wounded and hopeless. Still, with unwavering resolve, he vowed to destroy the Black Serpent once and for all to save his wife and daughter.
Edward revealed his final plan to Wei: he would plead for aid from the Yan Empire—his own younger brother, the Emperor—by offering Lungmen's submission as a vassal state in exchange for protection.
Wei Yenwu vehemently opposed this. He knew the true nature of Yan's imperial court. Not only would it fail to save Edward, but his sister and niece would never live in peace—they would become mere puppets of Yan forever.
They would never have the happy life Edward wished for.
And so, Wei made another mistake. He let trust blind him, unaware that parts of Edward's heart had already been consumed by the Serpent.
Edward, in despair over his family's death, fell deeper into corruption. With a twisted smile that no longer resembled him, he tried to kill Wei with Wei's own weapon—Xi Xiao.
Wei drew his own weapon to defend himself. It was the darkest moment of his life. He screamed Edward's name again and again, trying to wake his brother with memories of his wife and child.
It nearly worked.
But the Black Serpent chose instead to force Edward to burn himself alive—so that Wei couldn't use Edward's body as leverage with Yan.
In a stroke of final willpower, Edward awakened. He drove Xi Xiao into his own heart, purging the Serpent's spirit from his body, and then begged Wei to behead him—so that the Emperor of Yan would believe it, and so that Lungmen would be safe from Victoria.
Though Wei didn't want to, Edward's final plea—spoken like a true brother—forced his hand.
At that final moment, Wei's sister walked in with baby Tallulah in her arms... as if the entire scene had been scripted by fate.
In Edward's final moments, he smiled in peace—while Wei's sister wore the expression of utter despair that he could never forget.
"...Phew." After his long reflection, Wei Yenwu exhaled smoke calmly.
"In the end... I couldn't save anyone."
He turned to his desk, where a phone screen was displaying Tallulah, now the leader of the Reunion movement for the infected, featured in the demo of the game he had just finished.
"My niece, now possessed... The infected army burning with vengeance... A mysterious pharmaceutical company... and the demonic spirit of Babel Tower..."
"What a ridiculous future," Wei muttered with a dark chuckle, returning to his seat.
Even so, his eyes faintly glimmered when he noticed the presence of a man—even Wei himself could not fully identify—who had appeared in this land.
Wei looked toward the file on his desk. A photo of a frail young man was clipped inside.
Codename: Zhongli
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Origin: Leithanien
Race: All races (crossed out) → Aegir
"I can't believe that old penguin managed to fish up such a treasure... what a waste," Wei muttered.
If it were anyone else, he would've devised a plan to snatch the boy away. But since the boy had already fallen into their hands, he would have to find another way.
Still, with his vast connections and special privileges, Wei believed he could win the boy to his side—as long as he remained in Lungmen.
That said, Wei was a bit disheartened by a recent failure. His dear little niece, though emotionally dense and often ruining plans with her stubborn nature, was still young. In time, things could change.
Boys were easier to deceive than girls, after all. With a bit of physical allure or the promise of wealth and power, they usually came around. Especially if they were naïve and inexperienced.
But Wei had a hunch—he shouldn't rush his plans just yet. Best to wait... until the next episode of that "future-predicting game" aired.
If his guess was correct, the ranking results would finalize the current phase, and the next one would begin immediately. The only unknown was what rewards the higher-ranking participants would receive.
Wei glanced at the ranking list and found himself surprised:
Time Remaining Until Ranking Results: 28 Days 10 Hours 40 Minutes 51 Seconds
Amiya (No casualties) – Success Rate: 92%
Kal'tsit (1 casualty) – Success Rate: 86%
Wei Yenwu (4 casualties) – Success Rate: 85%
Scout (2 casualties) – Success Rate: 84%
Texas (No casualties) – Success Rate: 82% [unauthorized participant]
...
"It's quite surprising that the leaderboard is dominated by members of Rhodes Island."
And the top spot? None other than the little girl who was the game's main character.
Normally, Wei would assume the app's creator was affiliated with Rhodes Island, perhaps to boost their reputation. But he shook the thought away. It made no sense. Why would an organization fighting for the infected make the infected look worse?
On the contrary, if the creators possessed such advanced technology—able to broadcast information globally in real time—it was even more concerning.
This kind of tech wasn't something even top organizations could dream of. Not Babel Tower, nor even the grand Imperial Court of Yan, could compete.
Global broadcasting without using relay towers? That was the stuff of fantasy in Terra.
Even basic communication was a struggle. If such a thing were possible, there'd be no need for "disaster couriers" to exist in the first place.
"But... Rhodes Island, huh." Wei Yianwu paused for a moment. Although he was someone who didn't easily believe what he was told, he tended to place more trust in his own hypotheses than in others' claims. That's why the existence of Rhodes Island was a crucial factor. Even if the image that appeared on the screen couldn't confirm a definite future, he still held hope that building relationships with those people in advance would benefit them in the long run more than it would harm.
'Especially with Lady Kal'tsit... that woman would never refuse this proposal.'
Wei Yianwu prepared a document, getting ready to hand it over to a transport company for delivery to Rhodes Island in one month's time.
And of course, the company he wanted to hire for this particular job was none other than—
Penguin Logistics.
Only they could make his intentions a reality.
'Having allies is always better than having enemies. And if those allies are on your side and give you a chance to alter the future... then why wouldn't you seize it?'
Wei Yianwu stared at a stuffed toy on his desk—something a foolish little girl had once given him back when she was still innocent. He gently ran his fingers across it, wearing an expression rarely seen on his face.
'If there's even a one percent chance to save her... I won't hesitate to take it.'