Chapter 2: The Power of SSSS-Level Genes

When the husband announced the news of his wife’s death, he still wore a delighted smile. Anyone else in his place would have been condemned as heartless. Yet for Jiang Chen, his declaration was met only with cheers and congratulations.

Who was Xu Rui, after all? She used her beauty to entice and manipulate, her affectations and selfishness destroying countless families. She had also once masterminded a notorious star piracy event that claimed tens of thousands of lives. This time, after General Jiang Chen discovered the Zerg broodmother’s lair, Xu Rui went so far as to steal deployment information and fled to the broodmother, pleading for the Zerg to spare her.

How could such a woman ever be worthy of their great hero and god of war?

“Hahaha! Wonderful! That wicked woman is finally dead!”

“I still remember how smug she looked when General Jiang was forced to marry her. I wanted nothing more than to slap her across the face.”

“Congratulations, General Jiang! At last, you are free.”

“She deserved to die!”

Of the ten awaiting their medals, a man dressed in a sharp suit, half his face concealed by a mask, strode forward. Gripping Jiang Chen’s collar in agitation, veins bulged on his forehead.

“What did you say? She’s dead? You saw it with your own eyes?”

“We of the Celestial Spirit race are not like ordinary humans. Our soul force is powerful; only by utterly destroying the body can we truly die. Especially that woman Xu Rui—deceitful and cunning, she’s faked her death and escaped many times. I must see her body destroyed before I’ll believe it!”

He was Xu Rui’s own brother, Xu Chu.

Though he and Xu Rui were the only remaining blood of the Celestial Spirit line, he harbored not the slightest familial affection for her. On the contrary, he wished nothing more than for her to die with no grave to receive her. The method to kill Xu Rui had been his suggestion. They had tried many times without success—Xu Rui always managed to cheat death and reappear, lively as ever. But this time, at last, it seemed they had succeeded.

Jiang Chen nodded. “I saw her die with my own eyes—killed by the energy cannon. Not a hair was left.”

“Haha, wonderful!” Xu Chu released him, wild joy lighting his features. “At last, it’s done!”

Suddenly—

Every screen in the plaza flickered, the lights went dark for an instant, then returned. Strange images began to flash across the screens, and amid the flicker, Xu Rui’s face could just be made out.

At once, several of the honorees stepped forward to shield the leader.

Bu Xingye’s exosuit had already shifted into combat mode, its cannon aimed at the main display.

“It’s Xu Rui? What trick is this? Did she hack into the Imperial Capital’s network?”

Liu Han, refined in appearance behind his glasses, pressed a button on his frames, projecting a virtual notebook. His fingers flew over the virtual keyboard, becoming a blur.

“No—there’s no sign of hacking. But there’s a strange energy interfering here. Could it be Xu Rui’s soul has returned? I’ll try to kill her with a virus.”

Xu Chu’s face hardened. “It might be a soul lantern.”

The others stared at him in shock. “A soul lantern?”

He nodded. “She died under such a powerful energy blast—her soul would have been momentarily strengthened, generating intense electromagnetic waves. Those waves may have followed your ship here, letting us see her soul lantern.”

By now, the image had stabilized, showing a desolate star. Distant memories surfaced—Xu Chu’s childhood spent here with his sister. Yet those recollections stabbed at his heart like needles.

His breath caught, his voice hoarse. “Liu Han, can you gather her soul’s electromagnetic waves?”

Liu Han pushed his glasses up, his tone icy. “You want to resurrect her? Sorry, I won’t allow it.”

Xu Chu’s voice grew rougher. “She carries the royal blood of the Celestial Spirit race—her soul is powerful. I’ve waited for this moment. I want to use her soul to save my wife and child.”

“She was the one who ruined them! It’s her soul that must atone!”

A heavy silence fell. Xu Chu was a business prodigy, the richest merchant in the interstellar world. Everyone knew about the accident that had left his wife and children in a vegetative state. No one knew, until now, that Xu Rui had been involved.

Liu Han hesitated, then, after a flurry of keystrokes, said, “I can’t interrupt the soul lantern. The electromagnetic waves are too strong, but I can strike once they weaken.”

Xu Chu nodded. “Good.”

The images continued.

On the desolate star, oxygen was thin, the ground riven with deep, jagged fissures and sharp, forbidding rocks. Two young children trudged across the barren land, both with naturally red hair and eyes, their features refined and delicate. The girl leading the way was particularly exquisite—her face sculpted as if by the hand of God, flawless in every detail.

“What an adorable child!”

“Truly the product of top-tier genes. Xu Rui might have been vicious, but no one can deny that beauty.”

“I never realized how handsome Xu Chu was as a boy—what a pity about his ruined face.”

“Those two were each other’s only support on that dead world.”

Hearing these remarks, Xu Chu gave a cold laugh. Each other’s support…

“Xu Rui’s nature never changed. She’s always been this way—cruel and selfish. She couldn’t stand anyone prettier than her, nor did she like to see me smile. Especially in danger, she’d abandon anyone without a second thought. Surely you all know that from experience, don’t you?”

At those words, Bu Xingye glanced down at his own legs. He had once given Xu Rui his heart, only to be heartlessly abandoned, losing both legs as a result.

…

The two children had walked for an hour before they saw, in the distance, a miniature dust storm forming from mineral particles, heading their way.

Hands on her hips, Xu Rui’s soft, childish voice came out as a command. “Chu, go see if there’s a cave nearby where we can shelter from the storm.”

Xu Chu, a head taller than her, was not as exquisitely beautiful, but he had a sturdy, endearing look.

He nodded. “Yes, sister.”

Scanning their surroundings, he headed towards a valley to the west.

Xu Rui urged him on. “Run! Don’t dawdle!”

“Yes.” Xu Chu broke into a run, his small figure moving across the barren earth.

He returned, sweating, having found a narrow cave in the valley. “Sister, come quick! There’s a cave here!”

Xu Rui, watching the approaching storm, finally started moving at his call. Her steps were light, her pace unique, almost as if she was gliding.

Watching her move—her toes barely touching the ground, seeming to float forward with airy grace—the audience was astounded.

“That’s Silverfrost Star in the T5 System! It was struck by a comet and became a wasteland. The gravity there is fifty times that of a normal planet! How can she move so lightly?”

“I’ve been there—visiting Silverfrost requires an anti-gravity bracelet, and they don’t have any!”

“My god! Is this the power of SSSS-class genes?”

“Wait a minute—aren’t Xu Chu and Xu Rui siblings? Why is Xu Chu already out of breath after a short run?”

Xu Chu answered coldly, “I was born weak, never as strong as her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have abandoned me so mercilessly.”