3
The atmosphere in the camp abruptly tightened. Moyana keenly caught the fleeting change in Fayan Luo's eyes. Then she saw a photograph slip from his hand and flutter to the ground.
"Give it back!" Moyana snapped, anger surging within her.
Fayan Luo stared blankly at the photograph by his feet, then slowly raised his head to meet Moyana's gaze. "How did you get this photograph?"
It was an old, yellowed photograph. The little girl in it was the very girl he had happened upon beside a garbage heap sixteen years ago.
"It's an old photograph from my childhood. Give it back now." Moyana held out her hand, her voice trembling slightly.
"Your childhood..." Fayan Luo murmured, his gaze returning to the photograph. He stared at that young face in utter disbelief, his fingers tightening around the photograph until they paled and his knuckles turned bluish.
Suddenly, he raised his left hand, and a faint black glow quietly appeared in his palm.
The light condensed into a clear, translucent black orb. Mysterious radiance flowed over its surface, while an interwoven black-and-white grid could faintly be seen within. It was deep and unfathomable, as though it held the endless mysteries of the universe.
Fayan Luo stared into Moyana's eyes and asked gravely, "Do you remember this?"
"The Energy Crystal Ball?" Moyana's pupils contracted slightly before she gave a cold laugh. "I've known for a long time that you had it hidden away."
"No." Fayan Luo shook his head, each word ringing firm. "This is the Dragon Ball. And you were the one who gave it to me all those years ago."
"What?!"
The revelation exploded like thunder in Moyana's mind. Her expression changed drastically, and she instinctively stumbled backward.
Fayan Luo stepped forward, his voice low and distant, as though reaching