Welcome to... Douluo Continent!

Half an hour later.

The streets within a two-kilometer radius had been completely sealed off, with yellow-and-black police tape—the kind only seen during counterterrorism drills—stretched across them.

Dozens of unmarked black SUVs surrounded the police station, while two silent drones circled overhead.

And at the center of the storm, inside the police station cafeteria—

Su Yun sat in a specially raised child's chair, clutching an Orleans-style roasted chicken leg in both hands and eating with grease all over his mouth.

Several botanists in white lab coats crowded around the stainless-steel thermos Su Yun had just brought back.

"Well? Is it some kind of miracle medicine?"

Professor Li stood nearby, craning his neck, his voice full of anticipation.

"Can it extend your life if you eat it?"

Professor Wang, the lead botanist, pushed up his glasses and studied the data on the screen. Though visibly excited, he kept his assessment objective.

"You're getting ahead of yourself. Judging by its cellular structure, this thing has about as much nutritional value as roadside foxtail grass. Its fibers are even coarser, and it might taste worse than lettuce."

Professor Li looked disappointed.

"Huh? So it's just a bunch of useless weeds?"

"No, that's what makes it astonishing!"

Professor Wang spun around, waving the report in his hand.

"The structure of its chloroplasts and the arrangement of its cell walls are completely unlike those of any plant on Earth, including those found in the fossil record! This is indisputable biological proof of an extraterrestrial species! It proves that an ecosystem with its own independent evolutionary tree really exists!"

It had no miraculous effects, but the words "extraterrestrial species" were enough to make every official present look eager.

Just then, the cafeteria doors swung open.

A burly middle-aged man in civilian clothes strode in, radiating an air of steely resolve.

He glanced at Su Yun, who was gnawing on a chicken leg, then pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him without a word.

Since Su Yun was in a child's high chair, their eyes were level.

"I'm Lei Zhan, head of the Security Special Operations Unit. You can call me Uncle Lei or Officer Lei."

Lei Zhan's voice was low and firm, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"The DNA test results are in. You really are Su Yun, who went missing six years ago. Science can't easily explain why you've gotten smaller, but that door tells us everything."

Hearing that the DNA matched, Su Yun was surprised.

He'd always thought he'd transmigrated into someone else's body. He hadn't expected to have crossed over in his own.

Lei Zhan tapped the table. "But you said you need to go back?"

"That's right."

Su Yun took a napkin and wiped his mouth. His little face turned serious.

"My Martial Soul is a door. As long as I stay here, my Soul Power keeps draining to maintain the coordinate anchor between the two planes."

"I'm Innate Full Soul Power, so my blue bar is longer than most people's, but even I can't withstand this kind of massive drain every second."

He glanced at the clock on the wall, his voice growing urgent.

"If my Soul Power runs out on Earth, not only will this door close forever, but I might also die—or worse—from the backlash of my Martial Soul."

"What support do you need?"

Su Yun held out a small, tender hand.

"A gun. I want a Type 92 Pistol, with plenty of ammunition. There are Soul Beasts over there that eat people."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Before Lei Zhan could reply, the weapons specialist beside him spoke up in alarm.

"Kid, the recoil of a Type 92 Pistol is no joke. Your bones aren't fully developed at your age. You'd break your wrist the moment you fired it! An electric stun gun or pepper spray would be more like it."

Su Yun sighed and hopped down from his chair.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me."

He walked to the corner of the cafeteria, where several thick solid-wood dining tables had been stacked to make room.

Su Yun took a deep breath as the surging level-ten Soul Power inside him flowed through his body.

As everyone watched, the little boy, barely over a meter tall, grabbed the lowest table leg with one hand.

"Hah!"

A childish little shout.

Then, an astonishing sight unfolded before their eyes—

The solid-wood table, weighing dozens of jin, along with the two chairs stacked on top, was lifted overhead with ease in one hand!

He even gave it a casual shake without changing expression.

"What...?"

The weapons specialist gaped, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

"The energy system in that world is called Soul Power."

Su Yun set the table down, not even out of breath, and dusted off his hands.

"I'm Innate Full Soul Power. I haven't got a Soul Ring yet, but Soul Power has already tempered my body, making me stronger than a grown man. So, can I have a gun now?"

A gleam flashed in Lei Zhan's eyes. He made the call at once.

"Give him one! Two full loads of ammunition!"

Just then, a technician who'd been adjusting the equipment nearby spoke up.

"Captain Lei, wait. If we're sending him back, we have to solve the communication problem. We just ran an experiment."

The technician pointed to the corner where the door had stood before automatically closing after its time ran out.

"Just before it closed, we tossed a military signal transmitter through. The door's closed now, but... our receiver is still picking up a clear signal!"

"What?"

Lei Zhan and Professor Wang both stood up.

"That means the spatial barrier between the two planes doesn't completely block electromagnetic waves—or Su Yun himself is a human antenna."

The technician spoke faster and faster, excitement in his voice.

"If we strap a portable field base station to his back, we'll be able to communicate across planes!"

Lei Zhan immediately turned to Su Yun.

"Can you carry it?"

"As long as it's under fifty jin, no problem."

Su Yun shrugged.

"Good!" Lei Zhan waved his hand.

"If the signal gets through, then there's no need to hold back. Give him the highest-spec tactical communications system we have. And—"

Lei Zhan paused, a hint of daring in his eyes.

"Since we can transmit data, we might as well set up a livestream."

"A livestream?"

Su Yun blinked.

"For whom?"

"For us, and for the expert team."

Lei Zhan gestured to the busy staff around them.

"We need to get visual data from that world as soon as possible so we can analyze the environment, its creatures, and the language. We'll set up an encrypted livestream for you as part of the mission record."

Ten minutes later.

Su Yun looked completely different.

He wore a black tactical vest specially altered to fit him. It still looked a little like he'd stolen an adult's clothes, but with his stern little face, he had the strange air of a child prodigy turned secret agent.

A silver-gray box was strapped to his back: the portable military base station.

A Type 92 Pistol, which looked more like a hand cannon in his hands, was holstered on the outside of his right thigh.

He wore a tactical monocle over his right eye. A red light blinked faintly on its arm, showing that the livestream was connected.

"Listen up, 001."

Lei Zhan's voice came through the earpiece.

"Only a few top officials and experts with the highest clearance can watch the stream. Your mission is simple: stay alive, then show us what that world is like."

"Copy that."

Su Yun steadied his breathing, raised his hand again, and slashed through the air.

Vwoom—!

The dark blue vortex of light opened once more.

This time, there was no hesitation and no wasted words.

Su Yun pushed up his tactical glasses before they could slide down, hefted the base station—which was wider than he was—and trotted forward on his short legs, stepping through the Light Gate.

"Goodbye, Police Uncle. Next time I come back, I'll bring you some real local specialties."

Light swallowed his tiny figure.

The next second, the Large Screen on the Special Operations Unit's wall flickered, and the video feed came through.

The image shook a little, but the picture was crystal clear—

Towering ancient trees stretched across the scene, sunlight filtering through their leaves and casting dappled shadows.

Su Yun's young, excited voice came through, accompanied by the crisp click of a gun being cocked.

"Hello, hello? Special Command, can you hear me? This is Pioneer 001, Su Yun."

"Welcome to... Douluo Continent!"