Initial Transformation

Evening!

At the Limit Main Hall, Yang Wu made a special trip to meet Zhuge Tao.

The overwhelming achievements he brought with him gave the Angel Investor quite a scare.

At Zhuge Tao's suggestion, he updated his warrior rank to Advanced Warrior Level.

By the rules, once a warrior of the Limit Martial Hall achieved a certain level of merit, their rank had to be revised in their certified warrior information.

Of course, it was not mandatory.

But as one's strength rose, so too came the corresponding benefits and rights.

After a brief gathering, Yang Wu did not linger in the main urban district. He took the train back to Yangzhou City.

Yangzhou City, Mingyue Community.

"Phew... I'm back!"

Only here did he feel even a little sense of "home"—familiar people, familiar things, familiar events, familiar surroundings...

Familiar enough to let him completely relax.

At the community entrance, six heavily armed soldiers stood in a row, steadfastly guarding their posts.

Outside the guard room, Uncle Qin lay in a rocking chair with his eyes closed, enjoying the leisurely evening. The afterglow of the setting sun fell across his full head of white hair.

Only then did Yang Wu realize that this old man, who usually loved to smile, seemingly did not have much time left either.

"Huh? Yang Wu, you're back!"

Apparently hearing some movement, Uncle Qin opened his eyes and pushed himself up from the rocking chair. Seeing Yang Wu, a trace of delight appeared in his eyes.

"Yeah, Uncle!"

Since he had already arrived at Mingyue Community, Yang Wu was not in a hurry to return to his villa.

He simply went into the guard room, carried out a chair, and sat across from Uncle Qin. The two began chatting.

Their conversation ranged freely, from customs to culture, from history to politics, then gradually from military affairs to everyday life...

"Uncle, where are your children?"

"Why don't I ever see them visiting you?"

Yang Wu asked this because, from before his awakening to his testing at the Limit Hall and up to now, he had not seen any other guards over the past few months.

Could such a huge Limit Hall really have only one guard?

"Them? They've been gone for a long time!"

The old man seemed to recall something, and sorrow appeared in his eyes.

"Uncle, I..."

"Haha, it's nothing. Those things happened long ago!" The old man smiled casually and waved his hand, acting as though he did not care.

Yet Yang Wu felt that smile contained far too much bitterness.

"The Great Nirvana was the beginning of humanity's disaster. My family and friends died one after another during that time, while I could only flee helplessly... flee..."

"Until later, humanity relied on laser cannons and powerful warriors to form a standoff against the land-dwelling monsters. Only then did the Great Nirvana end, and humanity entered the era of base cities."

Uncle Qin tilted his head up, gazing at the sun that was about to sink behind the mountaintop, his eyes carrying a trace of reminiscence.

"But because of my age and talent, I achieved nothing in cultivating Genetic Force. I remained an Elementary Warrior for my entire life."

"Later, I found Hall Master Wu Tong. With his arrangements, I became a guard for Mingyue Community."

"When you're alive, you have to find something to do!"

"Isn't that right?"

Yang Wu listened intently. Though he had never experienced it and could not truly empathize, the few days he had spent in abandoned Wilderness Area cities had allowed him to feel the despair of that era.

"You're very lost."

Uncle Qin suddenly changed the subject, his expression turning serious.

"Yang Wu, though I'm getting old, I see things very clearly. I can tell that you don't fit in with the people around you at all."

"You seem carefree, but in truth, you're deeply lost. You don't know what you truly want to do."

"Yang Wu, at your age, you should be full of vigor. Don't let a momentary confusion delay your bright future."

"Sigh, I'm old. I talk too much!"

Yang Wu's heart shook. Uncle Qin's words made him realize that although he knew this was a real world, he had never truly integrated into it.

"Uncle..."

Yang Wu wanted to ask more, but found Uncle Qin resting his head against his shoulder, seemingly asleep. He quietly stood, carried the chair back into the guard room, and walked into Mingyue Community.

A long time later, Uncle Qin woke from his dream. He smacked his lips, then slowly got up and carried the rocking chair back into the guard room.

When he saw the tea leaves on the table, he froze for a moment, then smiled with quiet gratification.

"Hehe, that child!"

Stars dotted the pitch-black night sky, while moonlight illuminated the roads between the buildings.

The curtain of midnight had been drawn, and night descended upon the community. The daytime heat gradually faded, and occasional cool breezes left people feeling refreshed.

Whenever night fell, the once-quiet community became lively.

Men, women, young, and old strolled leisurely along the tree-lined paths. Groups of elderly people sat on benches in the community's pavilion garden, waving all kinds of fans as they chatted cheerfully about everyday matters.

Some walked, some chatted, some cooled off, some exercised...

The children were having a wonderful time as well, their clear laughter echoing through the community park.

Yang Wu, dressed in loose training clothes, walked alone through the community. Yet Uncle Qin's words kept replaying in his mind.

"When you're alive, you have to find something to do!"

"Am I really that lost?"

Yang Wu asked himself. After his awakening, his first goal had been to lie low on Earth until the Cosmic Genius Battle, so he had deliberately kept a certain distance from the people and things around him.

But upon thinking more deeply, this was also part of his life experience. How could he simply skip over it?

And being lost?

Had he truly ever been lost?

Yang Wu did not know. Unconsciously, the three ultimate questions of life philosophy surfaced in his mind.

Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

He stood there quietly, lost in thought, until a familiar call startled him awake.

"Brother Yang!"

Yang Wu came back to his senses and saw Luo Feng in the distance, pushing his younger brother Luo Hua's wheelchair as the two strolled through the community and chatted.

Seeing Yang Wu standing there in a daze, Luo Feng called out to him.

"Luo Feng strives for his family, to protect the beauty in his heart."

"Then what am I striving for?"

"Family? Friends? A lover..."

"No, none of those. I only want to climb to the summit and witness the most beautiful scenery!"

"I can be low-key, I can be wild, I can be wantonly flamboyant, I can be uninhibited... but I alone cannot afford to slack off."

After thinking through some things, Yang Wu's heart finally became completely calm. It was a calmness unlike anything he had ever felt before.

His heart was still as water!

When he looked again at the relaxed people in the community, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Perhaps... this was not bad either!