The black-haired youth noticed that the wings of the butterfly man radiated tiny blue arcs of electricity as thin as a spider web. A moment later, the butterfly man sharply turned his gaze toward where the youth stood. Upon seeing Xiao Yi's human-like form, his wariness heightened—his wings darkened to a deep blue, ready to strike at any moment.

"Don’t worry," the youth said calmly. "I’m not human."

But this statement did nothing to ease the butterfly man’s tension. The youth’s perfectly human appearance made him even more suspicious.

"I've seen a lot of humans like you!" the butterfly man said angrily. "You’re just another human trying to steal research data or smuggle us away as merchandise!"

The black-haired youth paid no mind to his hostility. He casually walked over to a lab bench, picked up a stack of documents, and flipped through them. Then, he leaned forward and pressed the red button on the control panel.

With a soft beep, the metallic restraints and the cage holding the butterfly man simultaneously unlocked.

The butterfly man leaped out at once, displaying an agility that starkly contrasted his previously weak and lethargic state during blood extraction. He stopped two meters in front of the youth, observing him carefully. Confusion was written all over his translucent face.

"You're really not a human, right? Are you here to save us?"

"No, I'm not. Yes." the youth replied succinctly, still focused on the documents in his hands.

"Oh… alright then." The butterfly man slightly lowered his wings, stepped forward, and extended his right hand in a handshake gesture. With a trace of apology in his voice, he said, "Sorry for the hostility earlier. I’m Lance, a butterfly man."

"Hello, I’m an Alien."

When the butterfly man heard the entire reply, his hand jerked back like he had been electrocuted. In a flash of blue lightning, he bolted toward the exit, only to be pulled back by the wings as the youth caught him.

"Why are you running? It's not like I want to kill you," the black-haired youth said. "After all, I am also a non-human intelligent being. I’m here to get you all out."

"Then let me go! I’ll save the others!" No matter how hard he struggled, the butterfly man couldn’t free his wings.

Black-haired youth: "If I just let you low-risk creatures go like this, how many days do you think you’ll survive in the human world? I see that your abilities are quite strong. You never killed any of your companions in combat experiments. Hmm… only one was seriously injured…"

"You will lead the tens of thousands of intelligent beings here. For the next hour, the humans in this place are yours to deal with. After an hour, everyone will gather. I will not allow a single intelligent being to escape on their own."

The butterfly man asked, "What are you going to do?"

The black-haired youth replied, "Help you get revenge and then lead you to escape."

Although the butterfly man was still full of doubt, his sixth sense—honed through years of teetering between life and death—seemed to tell him to trust this human who claimed to be an alien! This was his only chance.

"Okay, Mr. Alien," the butterfly replied, then hesitantly asked, "What about those humans?"

The black-haired youth reassured him, "Don't worry, they won’t wake up. Also, do not reveal my alien identity. Now go!"

Sensing the impatience in the youth’s voice, the butterfly man shot out of the laboratory in a flash, rushing off to rescue others.

Everything was proceeding smoothly. Lance freed his own kind first, then split up to fly toward various small experimental bases. A few intelligent beings who attempted to escape on their own were subdued by the butterfly man's electric arcs.

The butterfly man may not have been the strongest subject among the Weyland Company’s experimental subjects, but no one wanted to provoke trouble at this critical moment when they all shared a common enemy.

Half an hour later, the experimental subjects crammed Weyland Corporation’s 230,000 employees into cages and experiment pods. Meanwhile, the 4,000 researchers who usually conducted experiments on intelligent beings were singled out.

Tens of thousands of intelligent creatures pounced on those once-aloof researchers, delivering a thorough beating. Among them, 31 researchers who had taken pleasure in abusing test subjects were beaten to death. The rest were left with bruised faces, swollen eyes, and even a few broken ribs.

All the intelligent beings had long noticed the black-haired youth who had been silently standing on the side. They knew he was their savior, the one who had paralyzed Weyland Corporation. However, seeing his human appearance—and thinking of the 31 dead researchers—they couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

"Sir, we, intelligent beings, are not a bloodthirsty race," an elderly butterfly man took it upon himself to explain. "These dozens of researchers were the scum of humanity! Some of them even pretended to apply for interspecies exchange programs to cut off our wings and sew them onto mermen just to see our blue wings glow underwater!"

"That’s right! Some of these twisted researchers would lock ‘extra test subjects’ in cages and force them to fight to death before releasing the survivor!" Standing beside the black-haired youth, Lance’s eyes were filled with hatred as he gritted his teeth.

"If we didn’t fight hard enough, we were subjected to endless electric shocks and starvation! You’ve never seen the kind of despair in those cages. When both sides were too exhausted to move, they would keep shocking us until we were forced to struggle back up. Even when our wings were torn to shreds, scattered across the experiment pods, we still had to use the last of our strength to tear our own companions…"

"I’ve never seen anything like that," the black-haired youth nodded and calmly continued, "After all, in the space station lab where I was held, the most dangerous creatures could kill in a single strike. Fights usually lasted less than five minutes. If a battle failed to showcase the experimental subject’s genetic strengths, both sides were immediately dropped into a carbon dioxide chamber to die without scars. Even the victor was no exception."

Lance drew in a sharp breath as he suddenly remembered the youth’s true identity.

Black-haired youth: “Are you done with your revenge?”

Half of Lance’s previous rage had already been scared away, and he hurriedly replied, "Yes, sir."

The black-haired youth instructed Lance to organize the intelligent beings and have them board a large Weyland starship in an orderly manner. Leaving the now-empty shell of Weyland Corporation behind, they set off toward the edge of the universe.

Several hours later, the Weyland Corporation’s anomaly was finally discovered. The media arrived with cameras to interview the employees trapped in the experimental pods. However, this shocking incident was overshadowed by the collapse of the Interstellar Federation and the ensuing war between Ability Users and the human government.

A week later, the massive starship—marked with Weyland’s prominent logo—miraculously slipped through countless layers of blockades and checkpoints. As if it had turned invisible, it smoothly navigated past all obstacles and successfully exited the territory of human galaxies.

When the starship landed in a vast primeval forest, the intelligent beings finally believed that they were truly free.

At that moment, tens of thousands of intelligent beings, whether flying or running, rushed out of the ship’s cabin, their eyes brimming with tears as they embraced the vast wilderness. Even the aquatic intelligent species, who struggled with mobility on land, were carefully carried off the ship in water tanks by other races.

After the initial excitement subsided, all the intelligent beings—whether capable of speech or not—gathered once more in front of the starship to express their gratitude to the black-haired youth.

At the same time, Lance and his fellow butterfly people, who had played a key role in their escape, stepped forward and bowed deeply before the youth.

"Sir, our butterfly race once again thanks you for your help. We, the butterfly people, will surely lead the intelligent beings—"

"Wait!" the black-haired youth interrupted.

Lance immediately fell silent. "Sir?"

Black-haired youth: "Who told you that the butterfly race is the leader of intelligent beings? I just noticed that you have decent abilities, so I asked you to assist in organizing the escape."

Lance and the butterfly people behind him stood awkwardly while other races showed subtle expressions of anticipation.

The black-haired youth continued, "I only wanted to get you out of human territory. Whether you choose to form a kingdom, fight among yourselves until destruction, or both—none of that concerns me. You’re free to explore the planets in this region. If any species wants to claim a territory for themselves, go ahead. If others want to fight for it, then go ahead and fight…"

Some of the intelligent beings looked thrilled and ambitious, while others appeared worried or merely curious.

Black-haired youth: "Of course, if any of you manage to make all races coexist peacefully, I’ll applaud you from afar. I just hope that after escaping human cruelty, you won’t end up suffering even more than you did in those laboratories. Develop as you wish in the surrounding star systems—enjoy your freedom. I have only one condition: don't return to the human galaxies!"

"Yes, sir."

A few intelligent beings at the front responded first, their voices scattered but resolute.

The black-haired youth nodded. "Alright, do as you please."

With that, the youth turned slightly and vanished into thin air while most of the intelligent beings were still processing his words.

.

For the past week, tens of thousands of Ability Users have been battling against ordinary humans' upper government and military forces while the Main system was still experiencing a so-called 'hardware failure.'

Despite their initial confidence, the human armies and ruling forces, pampered by the Main system for millennia, were utterly overwhelmed. Much like an arrogant child who had never faced real hardship, they were easily crushed by the Ability Users.

Many lower-ranked Ability Users, once insignificant and struggling to survive in the apocalypse, suddenly realized just how powerful their abilities were when confronting high-ranking human officials. Sometimes, all it took was a few teleportation talismans to sever the power supply of a starship’s main control room, paralyzing an entire fleet in an instant.

Low-level psychic Ability Users only needed a small hint of mental manipulation to throw an entire planetary government into chaos…

In just one week, the iron-fisted regime that ordinary humans had built over millennia crumbled completely. With no other options left, the remaining human authorities were forced to negotiate for peace.

At first, the general public was heavily influenced by media propaganda. They either feared or dismissed the Ability Users. But as events unfolded, a small but growing faction emerged among ordinary humans, blindly worshiping the very beings they once despised…

Amidst this galactic upheaval, every faction scrambled to take advantage of the first major power shift in thousands of years, securing their own foothold for the future. On the very next day after the Interstellar Federation’s downfall, Huo Li left after quietly disintegrating every strand of Black Thread he had spread across the galaxy.

He knew that the youth despised the idea of the Black Thread going out of control, so he could not allow any of the mutated Black Thread creatures, which carried the youth’s genetic traces, to continue existing.

Those who had been coveting the Alien genes—hoping to use them for scientific advancement and to bolster their own factions—could only watch in frustration as the monstrous creations formed from Black Thread suddenly crumbled into dust, leaving no recoverable DNA behind.

Meanwhile, the Philip Conglomerate, a financial empire with a history spanning centuries, saw its entire leadership vanish overnight. Across the galaxy, thousands of hospitals also mysteriously lost a significant number of doctors and nurses. Yet, in the face of the intergalactic war and political reshuffling, no one had time to care about these smaller disappearances.

.

On a desolate planet near the Zerg capital, at the edge of a vast forest, stood an old, dilapidated villa.

The forest and grasslands surrounding it thrived with life, but the villa itself was steeped in silence—its oppressive atmosphere was so heavy that even the birds avoided landing nearby.

Xiao Yi appeared on the grassy field outside the villa.

Now, at last, he was free from humanity’s relentless pursuit and constant fear. He no longer had to exhaust himself, scheming for the fate of society.

The black-haired youth took a deep breath and broke into a wide, genuine smile.

His heart was filled with yearning for his future life.

'There will be no more Aliens in the world. I’m just a human now!'

To surprise Huo Li after everything he had endured, the black-haired youth concealed himself using his psychic abilities and tiptoed toward the dilapidated villa.

Silently, Xiao Yi turned into the hallway, where he saw Huo Li’s figure standing in the front hall. Just as he was about to rush forward and hug him, he suddenly heard Huo Li’s suppressed, guilt-ridden voice:

“Xiao Yi… I’m sorry…”

'Is he still blaming himself for my death?'

A pang of regret hit the black-haired youth. Perhaps his reaction had been too extreme before. He was just about to take a step forward when Huo Li continued speaking to himself.

“I know this isn't right! But I just can’t help it… I really can't stop myself… I’m sorry. I’m nothing but a selfish, despicable villain…”

The youth was confused. 'What is Huo Li talking about?'

With quiet, careful steps, the black-haired youth edged forward, shifting to Huo Li’s side to see what lay at the center of the living room.

Following Huo Li’s pained, resolute gaze, he saw something on the white table before him—a single strand of Black Thread writhing slowly.

Huo Li seemed to steel himself. He reached into his spatial storage and pulled out a large bundle of fresh, tender grass and flowers, placing them on the table.

The Black Thread instantly coiled around the plants. Within seconds, every blade of grass and petal had transformed into the substance of Black Thread itself.

The black-haired youth froze.

He unconsciously held his breath, watching what would happen next.

'Huo Li, he… can manipulate my Black Thread?'

The Black Thread on the white table wriggled and merged, gradually stretching and forming into a human shape. At the same time, Huo Li seemed to reach his breaking point, burying his face in his hands, murmuring bitterly:

"Xiao Yi, I know… the thing you fear and guard against the most is your own Black Thread—the Black Thread that carries Alien genes. You even eradicated every last Alien in the world just because you couldn’t tolerate the existence of Alien genes beyond your control.

Xiao Yi… I never meant to deceive you, but I truly didn’t know how to tell you that my psychic ability also has the capability to manipulate and differentiate the Black Thread…”

Huo Li kept his face hidden in his hands, but behind him, Xiao Yi could clearly see the strands of Black Thread—once a part of his own body—morphing under Huo Li's control to form his shape. The figure sat motionless, its vacant eyes staring straight ahead.

A perfect replica of Xiao Yi. A humanoid Alien with no soul and no memories—nothing more than a lifeless puppet on strings.

The 'black-haired youth' sitting at the table slowly opened its eyes. It blinked, then looked past Huo Li, its gaze locking onto the real Xiao Yi standing behind him.

The instant their eyes met, an overwhelming wave of disgust surged from the depths of Xiao Yi’s soul, nearly bursting through the roof! His deeply ingrained instinct—his pathological need to destroy any creature sharing his blood—erupted to its extreme. Just as Xiao Yi was about to lunge forward and crush the abomination into dust, Huo Li moved even faster.

With a violent burst of motion, he flipped the stone table over, sending the replica flying with it. The figure crashed into the wall and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Xiao Yi followed silently, raising an eyebrow as he watched Huo Li angrily grab the limp 'black-haired youth' by the limbs and drag it toward the basement. Huo Li’s eyes were filled with revulsion that he deliberately avoided the face of the imitation as if he were avoiding the plague.

"You are not him!" Huo Li glared down at the unconscious replica on the floor as though, in the next second, he would grab the chair beside him and smash it to pieces.

But in the end, Huo Li only slammed the basement door shut with all his strength. Then, without looking back, he stormed into his bedroom and locked himself inside.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Xiao Yi had been teleporting around, skillfully avoiding Huo Li’s gaze. Now that the dust had settled, he finally stopped in the basement, muttering to himself with a hint of innocence,

"The one with the ‘kill-all-blood-relatives’ disorder is me, okay? I haven't even lost my temper, yet here you are, a thief crying 'stop thief,' getting all worked up…"

Huo Li leaned against the door of his bedroom, drowning in guilt. And yet… he still couldn’t suppress the desire to look at Xiao Yi again.

At the same time, in the basement, the black-haired youth sat silently, staring at the unconscious copy of himself lying on the ground.

'It turns out Huo Li’s ability can manipulate Black Thread, too! But I also didn't tell Huo Li that I acquired his ability either… So, I guess this makes us even?'

'Now, both of us have psychic abilities and Black Thread manipulation. Really interesting.'

With no distractions left, Xiao Yi’s killing intent toward the replica on the ground steadily rose again. The black-haired replica slowly opened its eyes, wiped the blood from its forehead with his sleeve, and asked softly,

"Who are you? This is…?"

At that very moment, Xiao Yi’s mental power picked up on Huo Li upstairs, whose guilt had finally overpowered his restraint. He had unlocked his door and was making his way toward the basement.

Xiao Yi snapped, and in an instant, he regained control of the Black Thread copy. Without hesitation, he obliterated it, reducing it to a fine dust that scattered into the air.

Xiao Yi listened to the footsteps on the stairs approaching from afar. In that instant, a surge of vengeance rose sharply in his heart. He manipulated his own body to manifest a scrape on his forehead identical to the one on the replica. Then, he clutched his forehead as he turned and sat on the floor. As he slightly raised his head, his large, innocent eyes met Huo Li's gaze just as he pushed the door open.

　　　The black-haired youth's gaze was filled with a mix of confusion and innocence.