Rustle... rustle...
Footsteps pressed into the soil echoed through the forest.
Sui Yang was heading north, with Roboute and Sanguinius following behind him. More than a dozen Hunters nearby remained on alert.
"..."
As they watched Sui Yang's back, Roboute and Sanguinius both wore strange expressions—confused, yet curious.
In truth, the two of them had long known they were extraordinary, and they had learned all sorts of information through the internet...
That was right, the internet. Sui Yang had never restricted their "surfing" online, allowing them to gain early exposure to all kinds of information, news, and knowledge.
The two also played all sorts of single-player and multiplayer games. Their skills were so exceptional that online players practically worshipped them, and they had even formed their own gaming guild.
As for the internet itself, in the Main Universe, where Atlas led communications technology, the transition from 2G to 3G Networks had already begun gradually in the early 1990s, even before the Titan 3G phone was announced. Once Titan 3G was released, connecting personal mobile devices to the internet became far more convenient and faster.
Although Father had never gone into detail about their origins, Roboute and Sanguinius instinctively believed that they were "superhumans" cultivated through biological genetic engineering by Father and Dr. Alexia Ashford.
After all, when Dr. Alexia Ashford taught them biology, she had mentioned test-tube babies, cloning technology, and so on.
Yet even without scientific testing to prove that they shared blood ties with Father, they still possessed some indescribable sensory connection with him—Psychic Power. It was especially obvious in Sanguinius, while Roboute was somewhat slower to sense it.
But now, they had suddenly gained another brother out of thin air. Sanguinius and Roboute's minds were more or less frozen. They had no interest in heading into space to board the Venture Star, instead following Father to find their brother and hoping to receive an "answer."
"Hiss!!"
At that moment, the roar of a serpent-like creature came from ahead.
?
Hearing the commotion, everyone quickened their pace. Before long, they arrived at a tree hollow bathed in sunlight.
Looking inside, Sanguinius and Roboute saw their other brother, as well as the serpent-like creature that had roared earlier. But it had already stopped breathing, its twisted body lying at the edge of the hollow.
"Heh... heh..."
Their brother, who was also blond, had initially seemed calm in the face of danger. But the instant he saw Father, he suddenly became innocent and carefree, letting out the unique giggles of an infant.
From the scene alone, the two Primarchs could easily guess that the serpent, whose scales reflected a blue-green sheen that indicated potent venom, had discovered their still-infant brother before they had. It had tried to prey upon him, only to be killed instead.
"..."
As for Sui Yang, he recognized at a glance that the Offspring lying in the tree hollow and reaching out both hands to him was Lion, the "Lion King," without prominent canine teeth.
He slowly walked to the tree hollow, bent down, and lifted Lion into his arms using a white swaddling cloth he had prepared beforehand.
Infant Lion was unlike the "barbarian of Civilization" described in Warhammer 30k or 40k. After sensing that Sui Yang was his father and being held in his arms, he beamed with delight.
Perhaps he had gained a sense of security, or perhaps he was tired after killing a venomous snake shortly after being born. Lion soon fell asleep in the swaddling cloth.
"Father..." Sanguinius walked to Sui Yang's side and looked at the sleeping Lion in Father's arms with confusion. "What exactly is going on?"
"..." Roboute also came over and silently waited for Father to give him an "answer."
Sensing the obvious emotional fluctuations in the two Primarchs, and understanding how severe the backlash could be if he continued playing the riddler or ignored the questions his children raised, he said:
"You two, including your brother, share a biological blood relationship with me. There is no doubt that I am your father.
"As for where you came from, it may have something to do with a series of romantic debts I incurred a century ago, causing you to be born into this world in an extremely unusual manner. But I cannot provide a definite answer to that question."
Sui Yang could never reveal the true facts. Besides, he could not be completely certain whether his own experiences, Psychic Power, and Offspring were connected to the God-Emperor of Mankind. So for now, he redirected the topic toward his romantic exploits from his "younger" years.
Romantic debts?
Although the two Primarchs were still underage, they had learned enough through the internet to understand what their father meant by romantic debts.
"Father, are you a god who's lost some of your memories?" Roboute suddenly voiced his thought.
"How so?" This time, Sui Yang was the one who seemed slightly confused.
Seeing that Sui Yang had no intention of stopping him, Roboute immediately gave his own analysis for both Sui Yang and Sanguinius:
"Father, you possess the constitution of an Immortal and have lived in the Main Universe for at least a hundred and fifty years. That alone is longer than the existence of many nations. At the same time, you don't need drugs like Compound V or super serum. You possess an incredibly powerful physique on your own, and you can even open Space Gates and use Mind Reading.
"Combined with recorded human history, along with all kinds of myths and legends... compared to those fictional gods, you are a god who truly stands before us in the flesh.
"And Sanguinius, I, and this newly born brother may have been arrangements you made before losing your memories. We appeared at the right time, received your teachings, and will fight for you and for humanity."
"Right! That's what I think too, Father." Sanguinius agreed with Roboute's view.
"..."
Sui Yang did not know how to refute them. After calming himself, he did not directly comment on Roboute and Sanguinius's opinion, instead saying, "Let's set aside what gods truly are. But you must understand that I have never considered myself a god. I am human.
"And these are secondary matters. Our primary goal is to explore different universes and make the humans of the Main Universe and Atlas as strong as possible, until we possess the power to protect humanity across all universes.
"To reach the point where, even if gods or demons truly stand in our way, they will be helpless—or even fear humanity's strength. Only then will we be free of all worries and able to seek the truth together."
"Yes!" the two brothers answered in unison.
They had merely been confused and bewildered for a moment. On top of that, they were in their "adolescent" years, so they had been curious about Father's "secrets" and lost over their brother's sudden arrival.
But after speaking frankly with Father, they realized that those questions had only caused themselves needless worry. Though their studies were busy now and they knew they would shoulder heavy burdens in the future, they honestly liked their current lives. In an instant, everything became clear.
"Very good." Sensing that his two sons were no longer trapped in conflicted emotions, Sui Yang smiled as well. Holding Lion, he walked out of the tree hollow and said to the two behind him, "Once we finish our work in Universe 02, it'll be time for a vacation... I think Egypt would be quite nice. You two haven't seen real pyramids yet, after all."
Hearing that, Sanguinius and Roboute froze for a moment before quickly reacting.
"Haha! That's great, Father! I've been wanting to see the Egyptian pharaohs!"
"I'd rather study the internal structure of the pyramids up close."
The two brothers chatted and laughed as they followed Father and the Hunters out of the rainforest.
(End of chapter)
Before you continue