Birthday

July 23, 2223.

Today was Ji Xinghuo's twenty-second birthday. Just as Lu Yunhai had said, this might be the most important birthday of his life.

Because on this day, Ji Xinghuo would meet his biological parents.

If they were still alive.

That afternoon, after training and waiting until his physical strength and Stellar Force had mostly recovered, Ji Xinghuo went out as usual to practice archery at Qishan Wutong Archery Hall.

He had already signed up for the Shoot Leaf Cup, which would be held in three days.

Over the past few days, following the training plan Lu Yunhai had made for him, Ji Xinghuo had been practicing on moving targets and random targets. He improved rapidly, and his hit rate had risen significantly.

When training ended, Lu Yunhai came over and said, "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks." As Ji Xinghuo packed up his bow case, he asked, "Are you really not coming to the birthday dinner tonight?"

Lu Yunhai shook his head. "No. After all, it's a gathering for your family. I won't intrude on it."

"Alright. I'll treat you separately tomorrow."

Ji Xinghuo did not press him. Once he had packed up, he left the Archery Hall.

After returning home, he washed up and changed into new clothes. He looked fresh, clean, and well put together.

However, he did not leave immediately. He walked to the wall and opened the glass viewing window, silently gazing at the bustling cityscape outside with a complicated expression.

As evening fell, the setting sun stretched Ji Xinghuo's shadow across the wall behind him.

Neon lights came on across the skyscrapers, while the Maglev Cars on the Superconducting Highway switched on their headlights, converging into brilliant streams of unceasing light.

Ji Xinghuo came back to himself, checked the time, and turned to leave.

Seven that evening.

Ji Xinghuo arrived at Weiyang Tower in central Chang'an City. The skyscraper stood eighteen hundred meters tall, one of the capital's tallest buildings. Designed like a magnificent palace soaring into the clouds, it was known as a heavenly palace.

He took the elevator to the 228th floor, where an upscale restaurant called Gu Xiang was located. He had reserved a table the previous week.

"Welcome back to Gu Xiang!"

Following a slender female server through the lavish corridor, Ji Xinghuo passed guests who were all elegantly dressed and clearly well-to-do.

He rarely came to places this upscale, but his mind was elsewhere at the moment.

He entered the private room.

One wall of the room was a seamless sheet of transparent glass, overlooking more than half of Chang'an and taking in the splendor and bustle of the Asian Commonwealth's capital.

Standing there felt like standing above the clouds, looking down upon the masses below.

But Ji Xinghuo did not spare it another glance. He sat down, ordered a table full of dishes, and waited quietly.

A moment later.

"Xinghuo." A tall young man pushed open the door and entered.

He was handsome, with a sunny smile on his face. He carried himself with confidence, and as he approached, Ji Xinghuo could feel an unusual warmth radiating from him that made people feel comfortable.

"Second Brother."

Ji Xinghuo rose to greet him.

The two hugged. Zhong Ming gave him a firm pat on the back before letting go and handing him a gift box. "This is your birthday present. The latest Lightning Chaser Power Shoes. You can use them for getting around, and I think you'll like them."

"Thanks, Second Brother." Ji Xinghuo accepted it without ceremony.

Zhong Ming's income was high. A pair of Power Shoes worth over ten thousand was only a few days' wages to him.

Among the five siblings, he had achieved the most. He had become an Aberrant at nineteen, with the Flame Berserker Class Template.

Last year, Zhong Ming had advanced to Intermediate Esper at twenty-two. After graduating, he signed with a club and was now competing in the Tier B League.

His team believed he had the potential to enter the Super League in the future, and he had already gained quite a bit of fame.

"Hm?"

Zhong Ming was about to sit down when he suddenly paused. After scrutinizing Ji Xinghuo for a moment, he could not help asking, "Xinghuo, did you become an Aberrant?"

Ji Xinghuo was just about to answer when an astonished cry sounded from outside.

"Third Brother! You became an Aberrant?"

A young man and woman hurried into the room. Both were only in their early twenties, and the one who spoke was the pretty young woman.

She wore a tight crop top that exposed her navel, a colorful pleated miniskirt, and thigh-high socks. Her face had light makeup, and her sea-blue dyed hair was styled meticulously. She radiated youthful beauty.

In comparison, the young man beside her looked quite ordinary. He was thin and unkempt, with his hands in his pockets and a lazy air about him. He deliberately kept some distance from her.

In truth, he was keeping his distance from the camera floating beside the girl.

"Feifei, turn off the livestream," Zhong Ming reminded her.

"Second Brother, I'm not livestreaming. I'm just recording my life. If I become famous someday, this will be documentary material!" Liangqiu Feiyan entered with a radiant smile, controlling the camera as it flew around the room before aiming it at Zhong Ming and Ji Xinghuo.

Zhong Ming glanced at it and confirmed that it was only recording. He shook his head helplessly.

"Third Brother, you don't mind, right?" Liangqiu Feiyan asked again.

"It's fine."

Ji Xinghuo did not care about it, and he had long since gotten used to it.

When Liangqiu Feiyan turned eighteen, she had vowed to become a globally famous streamer. She could sing, dance, play games, and perform, but she was not particularly skilled at any of them. Relying on her fairly outstanding looks, she had been streaming for three years and was now a small streamer with several hundred regular viewers.

Other than when she slept or used the bathroom, she was almost always livestreaming.

There were tens of millions of people across the country who livestreamed their private lives like her. Walking a few hundred meters down the streets of Chang'an, one could run into seven or eight of them.

Ji Xinghuo had never wanted to appear on camera.

In his Personal Network Privacy Security settings, he had activated Portrait Protection mode.

As a result, in any publicly posted livestream, video, or photograph containing him, regardless of who recorded it, his appearance would automatically be processed and replaced with a randomly generated generic face unless he authorized it himself.

Of course, this applied only to public portrait protection.

If legal matters or criminal cases were involved, government agencies had the authority to access the data and obtain the real information.

Liangqiu Feiyan leaned affectionately against Ji Xinghuo. She had always been close to her Third Brother, and she asked happily, "Third Brother, you still haven't answered me! Did you become an Aberrant?"

"Yes." Ji Xinghuo nodded.

"When did it happen?" Liangqiu Feiyan had learned it had been nearly three weeks ago. Her eyebrows immediately shot up, and she gave an angry little snort. "It happened at the start of the month, and you never told me!"

Before Ji Xinghuo could explain, she grinned and pressed on, "Third Brother, what Class Template did you choose?"

Zhong Ming also asked with concern.

"Ranger."

Ji Xinghuo answered with a smile, then looked at the young man who had not said a word since entering and had already sat down. "Zizhen, what have you been busy with over summer break?"

"Third Brother, isn't that obvious..." Liangqiu Feiyan answered before he could. "What else can he do besides play games?"

Then she began complaining. "I live with him, but I don't see him more than two or three times a week. Today, he even forgot your birthday. If I hadn't dragged him out, he'd probably still be lying in his gaming pod, growing moldy!"

Liangqiu Feiyan and Wang Zizhen attended the same university, so they rented the same apartment.

They were both a year younger than Ji Xinghuo and would not graduate until next year.

However, their personalities could not have been more different.

Liangqiu Feiyan was lively, cheerful, and positive, making her very likable. Wang Zizhen, the youngest, was extremely introverted and had completely given up on life. At fifteen, he had decided never to work for the rest of his life. He had no desire to become an Aberrant either, hopelessly addicted to virtual games.

"I didn't forget. It's just that the boss in this dungeon was pretty tough, and I couldn't finish in time, so I got delayed a little."

Wang Zizhen defended himself, then took out a gift box.

"Third Brother, this is my gift for you."

"Thanks!"

Ji Xinghuo accepted the gift. Though Wang Zizhen did not say what was inside, Ji Xinghuo could tell from his expression that he had prepared it long ago and put a great deal of thought into it.

"Third Brother, I bought you a birthday present too." Liangqiu Feiyan hurriedly presented her gift as well, smiling. "You've been using your phone for years, so I bought you a new one. It's the recently popular Demon Star phone. I specifically picked the Black Gold Edition for you, your favorite color."

Ji Xinghuo was touched. "Thanks, Feifei. You spent too much."

"Last week, a 'little capitalist' came into my stream. He was very generous and sent me several tens of thousands in gifts, so it worked out perfectly for buying Third Brother a phone. Hahaha..." Liangqiu Feiyan looked smug.

Ji Xinghuo and Zhong Ming exchanged a glance, and a trace of worry flashed in both their eyes.

Zhong Ming said seriously, "Feifei, make sure to protect your information when you stream. If anything happens, tell us immediately."

"I know!"

A sly look appeared on Liangqiu Feiyan's face. "I'm not a child anymore. I know exactly what those rich guys who throw money around in my stream are thinking. I'm going to become a big star someday. I should avoid even a serious relationship, so how could I mess around with someone over this little bit of money?"

Ji Xinghuo felt somewhat reassured and nodded. "As long as you know what you're doing."

The four of them sat around chatting.

Since it was Ji Xinghuo's birthday, he was naturally the center of attention.

Zhong Ming asked curiously, "Xinghuo, wasn't your goal always to become a Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man? Why did you choose Ranger instead?"

Liangqiu Feiyan and Wang Zizhen were also curious.

"The competition for Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man is too fierce. I'd need at least another two years of training before I'd have even a fifty percent chance, but I was really getting impatient." Ji Xinghuo had already prepared his explanation before coming. "Besides, I've been practicing archery with a classmate recently and found that I have a real talent for it. Ranger suits me very well."

Seven parts of what he said were true, three parts false, and he had reversed the order of cause and effect.

But his three siblings did not doubt him.

"What a pity!"

Zhong Ming could not help shaking his head. Regretfully, he said, "Your talent is higher than mine. If you became a Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man, you'd truly soar to the heavens."

He and Ji Xinghuo had grown up together, made vows together, and trained together. They knew each other's situations very well.

Ji Xinghuo's talent was undoubtedly the greatest in the family!

Of the five siblings, only Ji Xinghuo could truly be called a genius.

Although Zhong Ming had achieved the most and was the strongest now, he knew that Ji Xinghuo had delayed becoming an Aberrant for several years in order to build a solid foundation. He was certain Ji Xinghuo would surpass him in the future. He had not expected Ji Xinghuo to fall short at the final step and fail to hold on through the last two years.

The gap between a Ranger and a Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man was simply too great!

Zhong Ming felt only regret and sadness for Ji Xinghuo, though he did not show it on his face. After all, it had been Ji Xinghuo's own choice.

"Yeah..."

Liangqiu Feiyan and Wang Zizhen also looked regretful.

Neither of them had much talent or willpower. They could not endure the hardship of training, their physical fitness was average, and their chances of passing the Astral Department's tests to become Aberrants were extremely low.

Silence briefly fell over the private room.

"Why isn't Big Sister here yet?" Ji Xinghuo changed the subject and checked the time. It was already seven-thirty.

Of the five siblings, Ye Dongyun was the eldest.

She had graduated two years earlier. After failing to fuse with an Ability Seed, she had given up on the path of becoming an Aberrant and passed the civil service examination to become a government employee. She was now busy every day, rarely even speaking in the group chat. Whenever she did appear, it was usually to forward government notices.

"Big Sister recently joined some kind of key project. Apparently, if she does well, she might get promoted."

Liangqiu Feiyan had been closest to her Big Sister since childhood and kept in touch with her more often in private.

"She's here, she's here!"

Her voice arrived before she did.

As soon as the words fell, a woman dressed in an exquisite, capable style pushed open the door and entered.

She carried a briefcase and a gift box. The instant she entered, her originally solemn expression immediately turned into a warm smile.

"Little brothers and sister, sorry to keep you waiting."

"I had something come up this afternoon and had to make a trip to Tianfu City. I rushed back as soon as I was done, so I was delayed by half an hour." Ye Dongyun explained with a bright smile, presenting the gift in her hand. "Third Brother, happy birthday!"