At an altitude of 30,000 meters, the black clouds generated by nuclear explosions and chemical weapons were beneath the youth's feet. From this position, he could see the vast sea of stars and the two silver-white moons of the planet—one large and one small. Below, a rolling sea of black clouds enveloped the world. However, the black-haired boy had no time to appreciate the strange and beautiful scenery.

“2d14, help me locate our initial landing point on this planet!” The youth spoke urgently, taking advantage of the brief moment before he fell back into the sea of clouds.

“Ding! Location confirmed: 37 degrees to the right of the smaller moon, 1,433 kilometers away,” 2d14 responded promptly.

The youth turned his gaze toward the indicated direction. He concentrated on the farthest point visible above him and used a teleportation talisman to instantly move there.

A few seconds later, the black-haired boy appeared a few kilometers higher than his previous location, "Position!"

“Ding! Adjusted position: 36 degrees to the right, 1,202 kilometers away.”

In less than a minute, the black-haired youth used the teleportation talisman repeatedly, moving rapidly along the boundary between sky and space. Finally, he reached the approximate location above the city where he had lost track of Huo Li. Gazing at the sea of clouds below, he activated the talisman one more time and reappeared at the upper edge of the black fog. Visibility below was almost zero, making further teleportation impossible. The youth retracted his wings, letting himself freefall at maximum speed, plunging straight into the dark depths.

.

The little Huo Li was surrounded by ferocious apes as tall as small mountains. Each ape's tiny eyes glinted with malice as they looked at the palm-sized Huo Li like a pre-meal dessert. One of them sniffed the air, detecting a faint minty scent mixed with the aroma of human flesh. It suddenly opened its mouth wide, aiming to bite down on Huo Li! As the ape’s jaws, dripping with saliva, closed in on Huo Li, its eyes suddenly glazed over, and it froze mid-action.

Huo Li, using his weak spiritual power, barely managed to control the mind of the ape that was so close that he could even see the remnants of other creatures’ flesh stuck between its teeth. The two were locked in a tense standoff, separated by just five centimeters. The other apes, clueless as to why their companion had stopped, saw their chance and extended their pink, vein-covered giant hands to grab at Huo Li.

Unfortunately, their brains were too far away for Huo Li’s mental power to reach. All he could do was curl into a ball, making himself as small as possible. As the apes fought over him, one managed to grab the little figure and tried to shove him into its mouth. However, just as Huo Li was about to touch its teeth, the ape’s hand spasmed, dropping the little figure into the thick black ash with a thud.

The apes crouched down, rummaging through the ashes in search of their appetizer. This movement inadvertently granted Huo Li a chance of survival! Being closer to their brains now, he exerted his psychic power to disrupt them. Every time an ape’s claws got close to grabbing him, it would suddenly veer off course, allowing Huo Li to slip through their fingers.

The apes grew increasingly agitated after several minutes of this frustrating chase. One of them picked up a massive rectangular metal slab from the side of the road and hurled it at Huo Li. The little figure desperately rolled out of the way and narrowly avoided being flattened by the heavy slab. Covered in black ash, he struggled to evade the relentless onslaught of giant hands and metal debris.

Just then, the black fog in the sky stirred, and the black-haired youth descended, gliding through the air with his wings. His sharp eyes quickly spotted Huo Li, who was desperately dodging the apes’ attacks. Without hesitation, the youth activated a teleportation talisman and appeared beside Huo Li in an instant. The youth immediately kicked aside the mutated golden-furred monkeys that were wildly smashing the ground with discarded tablet computers.

“Are you okay?” the youth asked with concern as he scooped up the ash-covered Huo Li.

Huo Li was so happy that he nearly cried when he finally saw his ‘little boyfriend’ descend from the sky. Dizzy from all the chaos, he stood in the boy's palm as he wiped the ash from his face with his sleeve and asked the question that had been bothering him the most.

The black-haired youth shook his head vigorously in response; Huo Li was almost killed by a group of golden monkeys with a tablet computer, such a serious consequence...... “Huo Li, I swear I wasn’t teasing you! I just... I was in such a hurry that I forgot about you.”

“…” Little Huo Li felt as though an arrow pierced his heart.

The youth continued, “It wasn’t intentional! How could I make such an irresponsible joke?”

“You—You forgot about me!” Huo Li angrily complained. His ‘little boyfriend’ just left him behind in another city—what if, someday, he was forgotten on another planet, never to be found again? Feeling utterly unsafe with his jujube-pit-sized brain, Huo Li wished things were as they had been before when he could sense Xiao Yi’s location at any time with his psychic powers. Determined, Huo Li demanded, “Turn me back! Back to my original size!”

Knowing he was at fault, the youth quickly tried to appease the frightened little Huo Li. “Alright, alright! How about I set up a dramatic entrance for you? Imagine riding a dragon and descending before your subordinates with the sky lit up in a dazzling display of colors!”

Huo Li was speechless, “Xiao Yi, I’m smaller in size and brainpower, not age. I’m still an adult, you know. What you just described is something a three-year-old like you would like.”

The black-haired youth had to reluctantly abandon his idea of transforming his black strands into a dragon. Instead, he suggested, "How about you use this little form to return to the survivor base with me first? After that, I can help you choose the perfect moment to take your original body out of my system space. Then, we will make it look like you've reappeared out of thin air. This way, everyone will believe that the great Leader Huo Li has always been watching over them, omniscient and in control."

Huo Li sat in the youth’s palm, hugging his knees as he thought about the plan. Finally, he nodded in agreement. “Alright, Xiao Yi, but when the time comes, you’ll need to back me up. Just tell them I have a special invisibility ability that allows me to stay by your side without being noticed. That way, it will seem like I’ve been with you all along, even on this planet, watching over everything instead of running for my life as they think.”

Finally, standing on moral high ground, Huo Li began to demand more from his ‘little boyfriend’ without restraint.

The black-haired boy, “…” (And you say you haven’t gotten more childish?)

Huo Li looked at him confidently, “Is that okay?”

“Alright, alright, whatever you say.” The youth replied helplessly.

.

Half an hour earlier, Aliena walked back to the underground base with a heavy heart. The bomb shelter was still filled with the joy of surviving a dreadful disaster. Everyone was bustling around, full of energy as they worked to restore the living facilities that had been damaged during the previous riots. They also took care of the infected individuals who lay in their beds, breathless yet smiling. The entire base was busy, and the saviors were no exception; they were all running to and fro, attending to various tasks.

DaLi was the first to spot Aliena as she entered through the doorway. Waving enthusiastically, he called out, “Hey, Little Droplet, come help us out! The reservoir’s water supply is running low, and the whole base is a mess. We need to organize the survivors for a thorough cleanup!”

Britney chimed in teasingly, “Aliena, why did you follow Xiao Yi to the restroom? Don’t tell me you’ve suddenly developed a case of obsessive cleanliness, too?”

But Aliena ignored their jokes and looked at the group seriously. She said, “Everyone, gather around. I have something important to discuss.”

“Didn’t we just finish dealing with the dandelions?” Liu Mo replied, referring to the earlier crisis. “What else can happen? By the way, the infected who took advantage of the chaos to loot the medicine have been locked up. Should we make an example of them or let it slide this time?”

Aliena, “Let the Survivors Alliance handle minor matters like that. You all need to come with me—this isn’t the place to talk.”

The five saviors exchanged puzzled looks and left their work as they followed Aliena through a narrow corridor that led to the large military control room. After turning on the lights and securing the door, Aliena addressed them seriously:

“I secretly followed Xiao Yi to the surface earlier. Do you know what I saw?”

Liu Mo exaggeratedly gasped, “Aliena, you followed sister-in-law to the restroom? That’s our sister-in-law! How could you—”

“This is no time for jokes!” Aliena snapped, instantly silencing Liu Mo. “I saw Xiao Yi pacing anxiously, and then a pair of massive wings sprouted from his back, and he flew straight into the sky!”

The group was stunned into silence.

Aliena continued, “And after all this time, have you seen him drink the high-grade healing potion? He couldn’t possibly be the useless newbie zz2d14 described on the forums who could only survive in the apocalypse thanks to the potions and equipment our boss gave him. Plus, where did he get those thousands of high-grade healing potions he distributed earlier? Do you seriously believe that nonsense about them being some kind of love token?”

Liu Mo hesitated. “So... if he’s not zz2d14, does that mean he’s an impostor?”

“Indeed,” another team member interjected. “We are the boss’s only subordinates. When the main system exiled us to this remote planet under pseudo-house arrest, what were the chances we’d encounter another savior—especially one who just happens to be the boss’s boyfriend? How is this possible?”

Britney nodded in agreement. “Exactly. There are tens of thousands of saviors in the Savior Alliance. The odds of this happening are ridiculously low. And that newbie boyfriend of the boss? He’s probably still hiding in some cozy C-level mission. There’s no way he’d willingly come to a dangerous post-apocalyptic world full of radiation and chemical pollution.”

Seeing that her reasoning had convinced the group, Aliena concluded, “This impostor pretending to be the boss’ boyfriend has shown countless flaws from the beginning. We were just too stupid to notice. We’ve already revealed a lot of information about the boss to him. If he escapes now, the consequences will be catastrophic.”

DaLi, his large frame somehow appearing smaller, stammered, “If the boss finds out, we will be …”

Liu Mo’s usual playful demeanor vanished, his face pale as he murmured, “This mistake is worse than what Lewis did. What will the boss do to us?”

The room fell silent as everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

After a long pause, Aliena finally spoke. “Things might not be as bad as they seem. The black-haired spy followed us to the survivors’ base, likely to gather more intelligence. If he wanted to escape, he could’ve done so earlier when the long-distance teleportation talismans weren’t enough to track him. Instead, he stayed to help rescue the survivors. This means he’s planning to come back!”

“Let’s hope so!” Britney whispered, clasping her hands in silent prayer.

“When he returns, we’ll lure him into this meeting room under the pretext of discussing how to rescue the boss. Once inside, we’ll trap him so that he can’t escape! With the six of us—S-class and SS-class saviors—we could subdue and interrogate him about his true motives. This way, we can contain the situation and minimize the damage without the boss ever finding out...”

Seeing a glimmer of hope, the group nodded in agreement. "We must definitely hide this from the Boss!"

The six saviors filed out of the room and returned to the main hall, resuming their tasks as if nothing had happened. However, several of them coincidentally chose the position closest to the entrance. They glanced at the doorway from time to time, waiting for the arrival of the black-haired boy with eager eyes.

Ten minutes later, the anticipation paid off as Xiao Yi walked through the base’s entrance. He couldn’t help but notice the odd behavior of the group, who kept sneaking glances at him. However, the thought was fleeting since Xiao Yi’s mind was preoccupied with a more pressing matter: deciding how to give Huo Li the most epic entrance possible.

“Sis, sister-in-law,” Liu Mo, who usually talked most casually with Xiao Yi, stammered and was visibly nervous, “Aliena said we’re going to hold a meeting to discuss how to rescue the boss. We’ve been waiting for you to start—it won’t be complete without you.”

Upon hearing the words 'rescue the boss,' Xiao Yi’s eyes lit up. This was the perfect chance for Huo Li to make his dramatic entrance! When his subordinates all thought he was struggling in some desolate corner of the world, maybe Huo Li could suddenly appear and prove them wrong.

The saviors watched the youth’s reaction with anxiety. When they saw that he was obviously interested, they all confirmed their suspicions. (He’s definitely an impostor.) they thought. (Why would the real boyfriend be so thrilled instead of being worried about their boss?)

Unaware of the real motives behind the meeting, Xiao Yi eagerly asked, “Are we holding the meeting here?”

“No, it’s in the conference room,” Aliena responded calmly, maintaining her composure. “Xiao Yi, come, follow us.”

The black-haired boy followed them through the narrow corridor, leaving the chaotic bustle of the main hall behind. The air became noticeably quieter as they entered the meeting room.

The moment Xiao Yi stepped into the center of the room, the door slammed shut behind him with a resounding bang! Before he could react, a wood-element ability user extended vine-like tendrils from their hands, tightly binding Xiao Yi in a strong knot.

At the same time, DaLi rushed to his side, grabbing his shoulders to prevent any chance of escape. The group formed a semi-circle around Xiao Yi, their expressions tense and resolute.

Satisfied that Xiao Yi was fully restrained, Aliena stepped forward and said coldly, “Hah! Today, we’re going to have a little ‘meeting’ to discuss your true motives, the spy pretending to be zz2d14. Did you think that we, the boss’s subordinates, would fall apart just because he’s down on his luck?”

“Yeah, hurry up and confess your real intentions!” another member demanded sharply. “What sinister intentions do you have against our boss?”

Hearing this, Xiao Yi blinked in confusion and let out a low chuckle. “Your boss is down on his luck? I have sinister intentions for him? Do you even realize how ridiculous you all sound?” He sighed, a smile tugging at his lips. Looking down at the vine-bound pouch at his waist, he added, “You’re strangling your boss right now, you know.”

“Stop playing dumb and tell the truth!” Liu Mo growled. “Our boss is currently in hiding, struggling to survive! He won’t know about this little mistake we’ve made as long as you come clean right now.”

“Since we're talking about your boss,” the dark-haired boy smiled as he easily broke away from the vines and reached into the system space. “I think there's one more person who should join the meeting.”

As he spoke, a familiar figure appeared in front of them.