[Offspring Descent]

?

"Know everything in advance?" Sanguinius looked slightly puzzled.

Sui Yang's expression remained unchanged. Nor did he find it strange that Roboute would ask such a question. He even praised him in passing. "It seems gaming has made you sharper when it comes to strategic deployments. That's right. I did know all of RDA's and the enemy's movements in advance."

As he spoke, Sui Yang raised his left hand and gestured outward, minimizing the first draft of the contract and the many documents before placing them in a corner of the central console. He then made a few more adjustments and brought up a holographic map.

!

Upon reexamining the map, which was marked with countless details and happened to reflect every aspect of the battlefield, their father had openly admitted it without concealment?

"Father..." Sanguinius grew even more perplexed. "Could it be that you truly possess some kind of precognition, or the ability to foresee the future?"

"..." Roboute remained silent, but Sanguinius had already voiced the question for him.

Seeing the two sons unable to figure it out, Sui Yang could have played the riddler or maintained an air of mystery. However, he believed it was best to help his children resolve certain doubts early on, lest they leave behind hidden troubles—like now.

"Rather than foreseeing the future, it would be more accurate to call it time reversal or a time Reset. That is why I can make targeted combat deployments." Sui Yang gave them a brief explanation of [Reset].

However, Sui Yang did not explicitly state that he had already [Reset] "today" six times.

Even though he knew the plot of "Avatar 1" in advance, Sui Yang still needed more precise timing—for example, when he could prevent RDA from suffering catastrophic losses while still allowing RDA to experience despair, before having the ARS company under Atlas make its entrance.

When Sui Yang learned that Universe 02 was the world of "Avatar," he had already considered taking Miles Quaritch and the RDA mercenaries for himself, making the timing especially important.

Another point was that he needed to avoid or minimize casualties among the ARS company as much as possible.

Furthermore, whenever Sui Yang [Reset], he had to account for the differing rates of time between universes. He could not abuse it, since the [Reset] skill only worked on a single universe.

Therefore, only the staff members at Relic Base in the Main Universe who were specifically responsible for recordkeeping knew that Sui Yang had completed six [Resets].

In contrast, Roboute and Sanguinius knew nothing of [Reset]. First, the two Primarchs had only been infants at the time. Second, neither had returned to the Main Universe during this period, so they had not noticed it yet.

There was also a third factor: Sui Yang had deliberately downplayed his special ability, which could barely be considered "foreseeing the future," and had forbidden senior employees who knew the truth from discussing it.

If soldiers about to enter combat learned that their boss possessed the ability to [Reset] the day, then even the most elite and valiant among them would inevitably develop a sense of complacency, believing that everything could simply "start over."

Sui Yang wished he truly had the ability to wave a hand and eliminate every enemy, evil god, or demon, sparing soldiers from sacrificing their lives to extend humanity's survival. But he did not, so he absolutely could not gamble.

Still, he could do his utmost to prevent and reduce casualties.

Furthermore, the discrepancies in the flow of time between different universes caused by [Reset] would also gradually adjust, eventually returning to the same month and day, down to the exact hour, minute, and second.

"..."

As Primarchs, although their minds had yet to fully mature and they still retained a childlike innocence, Roboute and Sanguinius instantly inferred why their father had intentionally downplayed [Reset] after hearing the brief explanation and connecting a series of details.

Sanguinius had long since lost his earlier air of seeking praise. Instead, concern filled his face. "Father... bearing so much alone, do you ever feel tired or weary?"

"Feel tired or weary?" Sui Yang's expression shifted slightly, but the change vanished in an instant. He then fell silent for a moment before speaking words that were, more or less, his true thoughts.

"It would be impossible to say no. But compared with the warriors fighting on the front lines, the researchers in the laboratories, and everyone faithfully fulfilling their duties in their respective posts, what does this little bit of exhaustion amount to? Besides, if I can save more lives, I would instead feel that I had gained something.

"Perhaps you two might find it a little ridiculous, because sometimes I really do quite enjoy this work of mine. Watching Atlas gradually grow stronger brings satisfaction and fulfillment from deep within my heart, just like..."

Sui Yang paused there, glanced at his two sons, and continued, "Just like the similar feelings I have as a first-time father when I see the two of you growing up strong and becoming more outstanding by the day."

!

The two Primarchs had clearly never heard their father say anything like that before, and both froze for a moment. However, Roboute recovered first and spoke with utmost solemnity from his youthful face.

"Father, please rest assured. It will not be long before Sanguinius and I can stand on our own, share your burdens, and better protect the company and humanity in your stead."

"Yes, Father." Sanguinius solemnly echoed him.

Hearing this, Sui Yang smiled with slight relief and said nothing more. He then dismissed the holographic map and brought the various files back above the central console before saying,

"In half an hour, the Hunter Company will head to the Venture Star along with the technical personnel. You two may accompany them..."

But his words stopped halfway.

Because within his mind, that cold, emotionless voice that had been silent for over a year sounded once again: [A Primarch... has descended upon... Pandora...]

?

"Father, are you all right?"

Seeing Sui Yang stop midway through his sentence, Roboute and Sanguinius could not help finding it strange. Yet his next words left both of them utterly stunned.

"I'm fine. However, the two of you have gained another brother."

"Huh??"

"A brother?"

--

Not long afterward.

It was noon on Pandora's sunward side, within the rainforest roughly sixty kilometers north and slightly east of Atlas's Frontline Base.

The environment here was not much different from elsewhere. All manner of gigantic plants and insects filled the area, while the occasional Beast flashed through the undergrowth.

A serpentine creature whose scales reflected a bluish-green sheen slithered over the damp soil with its tongue flicking out. Suddenly, as though it had caught a scent, it accelerated and darted ahead.

It passed through dense grass and arrived at a sunlit hollow in a tree.

There, the snake-like creature saw a blond human infant lying in the tree hollow, unclothed and without a filtration mask.

Moreover, the infant seemed to have already adapted to Pandora's atmosphere. He neither cried nor fussed, merely staring at the serpentine creature without a change in expression.

Very strange.

"Hiss!"

But why would the serpentine creature care about any of that? It only saw the infant as delicious food rich in protein. Immediately opening its bloody maw, it lunged forward.

(End of chapter)