Transcendence

Do you miss your dad?

Shen Heng raised his hand and gently stroked Little Bell's head.

"Mmm," Little Bell responded vigorously.

"It'll be soon."

"Is it almost here?" Little Bell stared wide-eyed at Shen Heng.

"Yes, just a few more days. In the next few days, Little Bell should write down what she's been doing at her uncle's house and give it to her father, okay?" Shen Heng nodded.

"Okay!" Little Bell nodded with a smile.

"Then go to sleep now." Shen Heng smiled and ruffled Little Bell's hair.

"Um."

Shen Heng watched the Little Bell with its eyes closed and silently stayed by its side.

Three days later, in the early morning.

Shen Heng had just finished washing up when the doorbell rang.

"They're here!"

Shen Heng strode towards the door.

The door opened, and Wang Hai was standing outside, carrying two exquisite gift boxes.

"Captain, so early?" Shen Heng, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I came straight here after getting off the plane." Wang Hai nodded slightly, glancing around the room.

"Is Little Bell still asleep?"

"She should be here soon. I'll go call her." Shen Heng turned and walked towards the room.

A moment later, Little Bell rubbed her eyes and came out of the room. When she saw Wang Hai, her eyes widened instantly.

"Daddy!" she cheered and rushed over to him.

Wang Hai knelt down and hugged his daughter tightly, his face full of doting smiles. "Did you miss Daddy?"

"Yes! I want to! I really want to!" Little Bell nodded vigorously, rubbing her little face against Wang Hai's shoulder.

At this moment, Xu Yuqin also came out of the kitchen, carrying freshly brewed tea.

"This is?"

"Mom, this is my... boss, Wang Hai."

"This is my mother, Xu Yuqin."

Shen Heng introduced them to the two of them respectively.

"Hello, Auntie!"

"Hello, hello, please come in and have a seat," Xu Yuqin greeted.

"No need, I have other things to do. I'll help Little Bell pack her luggage and then take her back. Thank you so much for your help these past few days!" Wang Hai said, handing over the gift box.

"This is a small token of my appreciation; please accept it."

"No, that won't do. Little Bell is so cute, we all love her. There's no need to be so polite," Xu Yuqin quickly waved her hand.

"Besides, Xiao Heng owes a great deal to your care while he was with you."

"Compared to how we take care of him, he actually takes care of us much more, so please be sure to accept this," Wang Hai stated his point of view.

"This..." Xu Yuqin was still somewhat hesitant, and she turned to look at Shen Heng.

"It's a token of my appreciation, please accept it." Shen Heng chuckled lightly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuqin finally accepted the two gift boxes.

Shen Heng asked his mother to look after Little Bell a little longer, and then he and Wang Hai began packing Little Bell's luggage.

"Oh, right, Captain." Shen Heng suddenly looked at Wang Hai.

"What's the difference at the Fourth Tier? Breaking through requires a special trip to Capital, and it takes so many days."

Wang Hai paused for a moment, then resumed his movements, replying aloud:

"Do you remember when I first joined the Supervision Bureau, I told you what it would be like to break through to the First Tier?"

"Reach the limits of humanity, and then break through those limits?" Shen Heng recalled.

"Well, if going from Tier 0 to Tier 1 is breaking through the limits of humanity, then going from Tier 3 to Fourth Tier is breaking through another limit and truly beginning the path to transcendence," Wang Hai said.

"Is this the true beginning of the path to transcendence...?" Shen Heng's gaze narrowed slightly.

The fact that a captain who had spent a long time in Third Tier could say such a thing is enough to illustrate the difference between Fourth Tier and Third Tier.

"Yes, whether it's the use of Origin Power or physical fitness, the Fourth Tier is completely different from the Third Tier. This difference isn't gradual; it's a level you suddenly reach after reaching the Fourth Tier," Wang Hai confirmed once again.

As he spoke, he looked at Shen Heng and said earnestly:

For example, flying!

Shen Heng's pupils contracted slightly. "Fourth Tier can already fly?"

"Yes, but flying at this point would put a lot of strain on your Origin Power. To maintain the balance of your Origin Power, you'd need to be at least at the Fifth Tier," Wang Hai said.

Shen Heng nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.

"By the way, I brought back the Origin Crystal you applied for this time as well. When are you going to try to evolve it?" Wang Hai asked Shen Heng.

Shen Heng pondered for a moment and said:

"Let's do it tonight!"

After packing his things, Wang Hai took Little Bell and walked to the door.

Just before leaving, Little Bell suddenly remembered something.

He carefully took out two paintings from his schoolbag, handing one to Shen Heng and the other to Xu Yuqin.

"Uncle Shen, Grandma, this is what I drew!" Little Bell said proudly.

Shen Heng unfolded the drawing paper and took a look.

In my own portrait, there is a little girl with pigtails in the middle, flanked by a tall man and a kind woman on either side.

Xu Yuqin's painting depicts a dining table laden with food, surrounded by three people.

"It's beautifully drawn!" Xu Yuqin's face lit up with a peaceful smile. "Grandma will definitely treasure it."

Shen Heng smiled and patted Little Bell's head.

"Thank you, Little Bell. Uncle likes it very much."

"Uncle Shen, can I come to play again in the future?" Little Bell held Shen Heng's hand reluctantly.

"Of course, you're welcome anytime," Shen Heng said, squatting down with a smile.

Xu Yuqin nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Little Bell can come whenever she wants."

Upon hearing this, Little Bell happily raised her hand and waved.

"Okay, then I'll go with Daddy now!"

Shen Heng and Xu Yuqin waved with smiles.

Only after Little Bell left did Xu Yuqin sigh with a sense of loss.

She looked at Shen Heng, "By the way Xiao Heng, how's that colleague you took to the hospital last time doing?"

Shen Heng's smile stiffened slightly.

night.

After the meal, the members of the Supervision Bureau gathered together out of curiosity.

They wanted to see if Shen Heng could evolve successfully, and what his abilities would be after evolution.

Even Old Li, who was supposed to go back, specially brought Dahuang over.

"Fourth Tier Origin Crystal." Wang Hai handed over the Origin Crystal.

Shen Heng took a deep breath, took the Origin Crystal, and held it to his forehead.

Following his guidance, the Origin Power quickly drilled into the brain.

Warm and refreshing, followed by...

Boom--!

The world suddenly fell silent.

It wasn't true silence, but rather that in that instant, they were pulled out of Shen Heng's audible range.

Then, the world began to change before Shen Heng's eyes.

Its colors seem to have been stripped away by some invisible force, leaving only black and white.

Subsequently, the ripples symbolizing sound were also completely erased.

Immediately afterwards...

The world collapsed before Shen Heng's eyes!

A strange, lingering, and ethereal dullness filled Shen Heng's mind.

He just sat there quietly.

At some point, Shen Heng's vision returned.

Along with the restoration of vision, there was also that somewhat anxious and worried voice.

"It's been so long, why isn't it done yet?"

"Twelve minutes...?"

"This... could it be that we failed?"

"Did it fail...?"

"Why isn't that pig-oinking kid up yet?"