Magic City International Cruise Terminal.
A long whistle pierced the sky, and a giant cruise ship slowly docked, ending its journey.
Ye Jianguo and Liu Yun, a couple, dragged their luggage, large and small, and walked down the gangway with the crowd.
Their faces showed the fatigue of the journey, but their eyes were full of excitement and satisfaction.
"This trip was really enjoyable! It's just that the signal on the ship was as good as non-existent; I couldn't even make a phone call."
Liu Yun complained while adjusting her scarf, her tone full of showing off.
Ye Jianguo patted his wife's hand, a smile on his face: "Our son has taken over the business now, so it's normal for him to be busy."
"When we go back this time, we'll give him a surprise! We brought him a lot of gifts!"
The two happily connected to the terminal's network... The next second.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz—"
The phone vibrated violently as if it had gone mad.
Countless messages and missed call notifications, like a flood breaking through a dam, instantly overwhelmed the phone screen.
[Dear Mr. Ye Jianguo, your loan is overdue, please repay it as soon as possible...]
[Regarding your company's equity transfer agreement, please confirm as soon as possible...]
[Old Ye! Did something happen to your family? Your son mortgaged both the company and the house! Call me back quickly!]
[CEO Ye! Please come back quickly! Young CEO Ye sold the company, and we've all been laid off...]
Message after message... made the smiles on their faces instantly freeze, and the color drained from their faces at a visible speed.
"What... what's going on?!"
Liu Yun's voice was trembling, and her phone almost slipped from her hand.
Ye Jianguo's face was ashen, his fingers trembling, as he dialed the company's old accountant.
As soon as the call connected, a sobbing voice came from the other end.
"CEO Ye! You're finally reachable! Something big has happened!"
A few minutes later, Ye Jianguo hung up the phone, feeling as if all his strength had been drained, he staggered and almost fell.
The truth was far more cruel than the messages.
Their son, Ye Chen, during their trip, at an almost insane speed, sold off the company, real estate, stocks... all convertible assets, at low prices to cash out.
Decades of hard work, overnight, turned into nothing!
And that astronomical sum of money, its whereabouts unknown!
"Rebellious son! This rebellious son!"
Ye Jianguo trembled with anger, his eyes bloodshot, and he rushed out of the terminal like a madman, hailing a taxi... On the outskirts, in front of that underground fortress.
A taxi sped up, then hastily departed.
Ye Jianguo and Liu Yun got out of the car, looking at the huge metal door, like a military base, in front of them, completely dumbfounded.
This was the last clue about Ye Chen they had found after many twists and turns and using various contacts...
"Rebellious son! Ye Chen! Get out here!"
Ye Jianguo could no longer control his emotions, he rushed forward and heavily pounded the cold blast door with his fists, making muffled "bang bang" sounds.
He used all his strength, his voice hoarse, filled with despair and anger.
"You've squandered the whole family's fortune! What exactly do you want to do?! Get out here!"
Liu Yun cried uncontrollably beside him, calling her son's name over and over again.
"Screech—"
The incredibly heavy iron door slowly opened inward with a piercing screech.
Ye Chen stood at the doorway, expressionless.
His hair was a bit messy, and there was no trace of guilt in his eyes, but rather an impatience at being disturbed.
Before Ye Chen could speak, Ye Jianguo, seeing his son's appearance, felt his blood rush to his head and raised his hand, wanting to slap him.
"I'll beat you to death, you beast!"
But his hand was easily caught by Ye Chen in mid-air.
"Dad, stop making a scene."
His voice was calm and cold, "I'm not squandering the family fortune, I'm saving you, saving our whole family."
"Saving us?"
Ye Jianguo was almost driven to laughter by anger, "You turned our life's work into scrap metal, and you say you're saving us?!"
"Money will soon be useless."
Ye Chen looked at his father, who was like a madman, and even a hint of pity flickered in his eyes, "Only here, this fortress, is our only way out."
"Xiao Chen! Wake up! Has someone tricked you?"
Liu Yun cried out and rushed forward, grabbing her son's arm, "Come home with Mom! If the money's gone, we can earn it again! You can't go crazy, my son!"
"Home?"
Ye Chen gently pushed his mother away and shook his head.
"Outside, it will soon be hell."
"You don't understand, and that's okay."
"I will keep you safe here, to witness with your own eyes how I am right."
His tone was as certain as if he were stating an undeniable truth.
This certainty sent a bone-chilling cold through Ye Jianguo and Liu Yun.
Their son had truly gone mad.
"Madman! You're just a madman!"
Ye Jianguo roared, "I'm taking you to see a doctor today!"
The last trace of patience in Ye Chen's eyes also vanished.
He stopped talking nonsense and waved his hand behind him.
From the shadows, two burly men with fierce auras emerged.
They were retired mercenaries he had hired at great expense, responsible for the fortress's security.
"Take them inside."
Ye Chen gave the order, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"Arrange a room and keep them protected."
"They are not allowed to leave the room a single step until I give the command."
Ye Jianguo and Liu Yun were completely stunned; they looked at their son in disbelief, then at the two burly men walking towards them.
"Ye Chen! What are you doing?!"
"I'm your dad!"
"Xiao Chen! You can't do this!"
However, all their cries, curses, and pleas seemed so powerless.
They were held by the two burly men, one on each side, and forcibly dragged into this cold, oppressive underground fortress.
"Bang!"
The heavy blast door slowly closed again, completely cutting off the last light from outside, along with their last hope.
They went from "parents" to their son's "prisoners."
Ye Chen stood at the doorway, listening to the faint cries and curses coming from inside the door, his expression completely unperturbed.
He murmured to himself:
"I'm sorry."
"When the apocalypse comes, you will thank me."
With that, he turned and walked towards the monitoring room deep within the fortress.
He glanced at the electronic calendar on the wall; the bright red numbers pointed precisely to the day he remembered the apocalypse fully breaking out.
That's today!
He took a deep breath, walked to the main seat in the monitoring room, and pressed the master switch.
In front of him, dozens of huge screens lit up simultaneously, displaying 360-degree, dead-angle-free surveillance footage of the fortress's surroundings.
The sky was clear, the streets were calm, and traffic flowed.
A scene of peace.
A cruel and expectant smile, however, curved Ye Chen's lips.
He was going to sit here, in the posture of a "god," waiting for the destruction of the old world and the beginning of the new... Meanwhile.
Tianchen Club.
Dongfang Yue changed into a red dress, her figure graceful, and once again stepped into this mysterious place.
This time, there were only two people in the room.
One was "Fuzi," and the other was "Tianji."
"Little friend Dongfang, please sit."
Fuzi smiled gently and personally poured her a cup of tea.
Tianji pushed up his glasses and placed a document on the stone table, pushing it towards Dongfang Yue.
"Little friend Dongfang, since our last parting, I have further deduced the fate of that disaster star."
"This child has a peculiar fate, carrying a trace of the Dragon Qi of the End, and his existence itself is a kind of interference and pollution to this world."
Dongfang Yue picked up the document; it contained Ye Chen's photo and basic information.
Fuzi took over, his voice still gentle, but with a hidden meaning.
"Those of us who are fortunate enough to glimpse the secrets of the heavens are both beneficiaries and guardians. Maintaining the balance of the Heavenly Dao's operation is an unwritten rule here."
He paused, his gaze falling on Dongfang Yue.
"For such a variable that could cause great chaos, such an uncontrollable abnormal Tianming Zhe (Fated Ones), it needs to be corrected, or... eliminated."
Dongfang Yue's heart skipped a beat.
Eliminated?
Fuzi saw her doubts, his smile unchanged, but his words were unquestionable.
"Little friend Dongfang, you are new to this path, and perhaps many things still confuse you. We want to see your methods."
"This disaster star, let's consider him a small test for you, how about it?"
He didn't say "join us," but used "test" and the vague "us," which seemed more arrogant and more alluring.
As if to say, you only qualify to touch the threshold of this circle if you pass the test.
"Of course," he added, "you are not alone."
"Jueying will provide you with intelligence support in secret, ensuring everything is foolproof."
"After it's done, you will be qualified to know more about us and the secrets of this world."
Eliminating Ye Chen... Although Dongfang Yue could see the flow of luck, she didn't know Ye Chen's abilities.
However, this was an opportunity to break free from Lu Cheng's control and truly become strong!
A perfect opportunity to continue to strengthen herself, to further infiltrate them, and then she could mark more Sons of Destiny and enhance her strength!
Thinking of this, she looked up at Fuzi... "I accept."
...And at home, the man who watched all of this through the system, from her perspective...
"Excellent."
"The hound is in position."
"I just wonder... what kind of show will my hound put on when it meets the foolish monkey waiting for the apocalypse?"
He stretched, stood up, and walked out.
"Let's go, let's go, it's my turn to watch the show again!"