After coming back from the base, Jiang Kai stayed at home with Yingzi for a while.
On the night before she left, Jiang Kai rode Yingzi's bicycle, slowly pedaling along the dimly lit road.
Yingzi sat sideways on the back seat, her hands lightly resting around her brother's waist.
Jiangzhong City's power supply system still cut off electricity after nine o'clock at night, leaving only a few streetlights on, spaced far apart—barely enough to see the road ahead.
The night wind brushed across the siblings' faces, the surroundings quiet and dark.
They rode until they reached the area near the shantytown where they used to live.
In the darkness, the shantytown appeared only as an uneven silhouette; from time to time, faint voices could be heard coming from the houses.
Strangely enough, even though they now lived in the Jingxin Lake Villas—one of the finest estates in the city—when they came to this cluttered and shabby shantytown, they still felt a strange sense of warmth and familiarity.
The three siblings had lived here for over ten years, all squeezed together in a tiny house.
"Brother, this was our home…" Yingzi said softly. "Back then, even though life was hard, I never felt it was bitter."
"I liked squeezing into that little house with you and big brother. At night, I'd fall asleep to big brother's snoring. I liked watching him scold and punish you whenever you got into trouble. I don't like the Jingxin Lake villa—it's too big. The house is huge, but I can't hear your voices. It always feels so empty…"
Jiang Kai was deeply moved. He held his sister's shoulders tightly. "I'm sorry, Yingzi… I only thought about giving you the best life, but I ended up leaving you all alone in that big house."
"Brother, I know. You were both fighting hard for our future. I was just saying how I felt," Yingzi said softly, lowering her head. "Anyway, once I go to Shangjing University, I'll have my own roommates."
"But I'll never forget—big brother, you, and me—we'll always be a loving family…"
Jiang Kai nodded firmly. "Yes, we'll always be a family!"
The next day, Jiang Kai accompanied Yingzi as they boarded a military helicopter bound for Shangjing City.
Even though the entire world was under the threat of the Beast Gods, Shangjing City remained the most prosperous city in Huaxia.
Its area was more than three times larger than Jiangzhong City, and its bustling districts still retained the look of that once-great super metropolis. The streets were filled with cars flowing like rivers, and military vehicles could often be seen passing by.
Among the crowds, Jiang Kai even spotted several people wearing badges marked with the words "War God Hall."
In Jiangzhong City, seeing a War God was extremely rare—but in Shangjing, it wasn't uncommon.
"So this is Shangjing City? It's so lively!" Yingzi's eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement.
Shangjing University was located in the city center, only three streets away from the military headquarters, and surrounded by the most prosperous commercial district.
The young people going in and out of the university all had faces glowing with youth and confidence.
Anyone who could enter Shangjing University was a genius from their region—people who would likely become leaders in their fields in the future.
The weather was hot. Wearing a sun hat, Jiang Kai watched these students of the ivory tower, and an odd feeling stirred in his heart.
Ghost Star and scientific research were humanity's two main approaches to dealing with the Beast Gods. He and his elder brother had chosen Ghost Star, while his sister had chosen to pursue her studies. They were walking two different paths.
Of course, judging from that technician Zhuang Yan's experience, researchers often ended up entering Ghost Star too. Who knew—perhaps in two years, Yingzi would end up there as well.
"Brother, they're all the pride of heaven," Yingzi said, looking around admiringly.
Jiang Kai smiled faintly. "You're one too. And you even got in without taking the college entrance exam. I'd say you're even more amazing."
Indeed, Yingzi was the youngest student on campus—she had skipped high school entirely, passing a special exam to enter Shangjing University directly.
"Don't say that…" Yingzi said quickly, embarrassed. "I still have to learn from all these seniors."
"It's just a pity big brother couldn't come with me to register. If he knew I got into Shangjing University, he'd definitely be so proud." Yingzi lowered her head. "Brother, I miss big brother…"
Jiang Kai patted her head. "Silly girl, don't worry. I'll find him."
"Let's go get you registered first."
Jiang Kai carried Yingzi's luggage to the freshman registration area. Several senior students were already there, warmly greeting the new arrivals.
When someone saw the siblings approaching, they hurried over enthusiastically.
"Hey, handsome, here to register? Let me help you with your luggage!" a senior girl said cheerfully. "Come on, register over here first."
Jiang Kai felt a bit awkward—it seemed she had mistaken him for the freshman. To be fair, he did look young enough.
"Uh, not me—it's my sister." He smiled politely. "I'll carry it. You probably can't lift this, it's heavy."
"Oh, her? What's your name, little sister?"
Yingzi looked a bit shy. "Senior, I'm Jiang Ying."
"Jiang Ying? Wait—you're the Jiang Ying from Jiangzhong City who got into Shangjing University straight from middle school?"
"That's me."
"Then… he's your brother… Is he… Jiang Kai?"
"You know my brother?" Yingzi asked curiously.
"Ahhh!" The girl suddenly let out a high-pitched scream that practically pierced the sky. "It's Jiang Kai! Huaxia's undefeated War God, Jiang Kai! Oh my god, I'm actually meeting my idol!"
Her scream immediately drew a crowd.
"Jiang Kai's here at our school?"
"You mean Jiang Kai—the key player of the Global Domination Tournament, the greatest contributor in the first world war between nations, the bearer of Huaxia's national spirit, the one who opened the Endless Abyss, the strongest mortal combatant in the world?! I watched every one of his fights—they were incredible!"
"Which one is Jiang Kai? The guy in the hat? That's him? Wow, he looks so ordinary in person!"
Word spread like wildfire, and soon the siblings were surrounded so tightly that not even water could pass through.
"Can I take a photo with him?"
"Careful, or he'll use his Quenching Pursuit skill on you—instant kill!"
Jiang Kai's face darkened. He was just here to drop his sister off at school—how did things suddenly get this out of hand?
Honestly, he wasn't even sure he deserved the title of 'strongest mortal combatant.' That Willis list still had a ton of ridiculously powerful people on it—he hadn't even faced most of them.
Yingzi glared at him, cheeks puffed in frustration. "Brother, I really shouldn't have let you come with me…"
Seeing the commotion grow, university staff quickly came over to check what was going on.
After understanding the situation, the teachers pulled the excited students away and escorted Jiang Kai and Yingzi out of the registration plaza.
"I'm Teacher Ma. I'm terribly sorry. It's just that many of our students have also passed the Newcomer Trials and got into Shangjing University, so they're all fascinated by you. Please, come with me to the teaching building first so we can avoid crowding here," the teacher said politely. He couldn't help sneaking glances at Jiang Kai, clearly curious about him too.
Teacher Ma led the siblings to an office and personally poured them tea.
"Please wait a moment. One of our professors just heard that Mr. Jiang Kai has arrived at the university—he's on his way here."
"Is it Zhuang Yan?" Jiang Kai asked, since that was the only person he knew at Shangjing University.
"Yes, Professor Zhuang himself."
Soon, a man hurried into the office. As soon as he saw Jiang Kai, his face lit up. "Jiang Kai, you're here! Why didn't you tell me in advance? I could've sent a car to pick you up!"
Jiang Kai looked up in surprise. "Brother Zhuang!"
Zhuang Yan grinned smugly and said to Teacher Ma, "You hear that? Jiang Kai calls me brother!"
Then he turned to Yingzi. "You must be Jiang Ying. I've looked over your exam papers—your essay responses were very original. You clearly have a deep grasp of what you've studied."
Yingzi's eyes widened as she stared at the man her second brother called "Brother Zhuang." After a long pause, she finally said, "You're… the chief designer of the Institute of Design—the Eastern Azure Dragon, Professor Zhuang Yan?!"
Jiang Kai frowned. "Eastern Dragon?"
Yingzi said excitedly, "He's one of Huaxia's four great designers! The weapon systems he created helped our major cities resist Beast God attacks. Professor Zhuang is one of my idols!"
Zhuang Yan waved his hand modestly. "Yingzi, don't say that—your brother is my idol!"
Then he looked back at Jiang Kai and said, "I'm a few years older, so I'll call you little brother Jiang Kai. You'd better keep growing stronger—after all, weapons are dead things, but War Gods are the ultimate weapon against the Beast Gods!"
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