Moscow.
The corridors were cramped. Pipes and mechanical arms crisscrossed overhead. Elder Huang Jingfeng strolled down the metal walkway with two bodyguards. They stopped at a massive metal door.
One guard stepped aside and punched in the code. The door rumbled open, spilling bright light into the dim corridor.
Outside, oil stains and dust coated the floor. It looked like a polluted industrial base. Inside… the lab was spotless.
The space was enormous. Countless instruments lined the room. Dozens of researchers in white coats stood silently. Armed soldiers patrolled around them.
"Hello, Professor Fang," Huang Jingfeng said, his smile warm and practiced.
An elderly man stepped forward—Professor Fang Wei, the one who had been in charge of studying Yilin.
"Hello, Elder Huang," Fang Wei replied coldly. His tone clipped, distant.
Huang ignored the chill. He walked straight to the tank holding Yilin.
"Can she be brought back?" He removed his white gloves, fingers tracing the glass.
Yilin floated, curled up, completely still in the liquid.
"I'm afraid not," Fang Wei said flatly. "Based on our understanding, reviving her would require assistance from other angels… and they haven't appeared in this world for over a thousand years."
Fang Wei didn't know who this angel was—but he knew it was important.
When Huang Jingfeng seized the plane and escaped, even loyal men abandoned him. Everything was to bring this angel along.
Fang Wei and his team were just accessories. Huang intended to study—or exploit—the angel further.
"What if we have it?" Huang smiled, pulling a small jewelry box from his pocket.
Inside rested a crystal, two fingers long.
Fang Wei's breath caught.
"This is…"
"The Moonstone Fragment." Huang closed the lid. "I know its value for mythic research. Previously, it was locked away beneath First City. But now… it's time to use it. Interested in leading this project?"
The professor froze. Science over life—that was his weakness. Huang had guessed correctly.
Moonstone fragments. Twenty-five worldwide. Five in First City alone. A treasure beyond measure.
Fang Wei swallowed, his hand inching toward the box.
Huang smirked and pocketed the fragment.
"You agree?"
Fang Wei didn't answer immediately. His eyes stayed fixed on Huang's pocket. Slowly, he nodded.
"Good. Tomorrow, someone will bring the Moonstone Fragment. You'll study the angel together. Professor Fang… let's cooperate." Huang's grin was sly.
In just a few days, fleeing to Moscow, Huang leveraged past influence and loyalists embedded in the base. He crushed any rebellion. The industrial complex was now his independent kingdom.
But he wasn't satisfied.
He wanted revenge—on Eve, on Adam. He should have been First City's power-holder, a world-class figure. Soon, he would be recorded in history.
Now? A traitor to First City.
Adam, appearing without warning. Eve, awakening unexpectedly. Both had threatened the purpose of his life.
With industrial might, he had advantage. But the Eden factions had low loyalty after leaving First City. Without backup troops… growth potential was limited.
Eve controlled First City. People and time were on her side. For sparsely populated Eden factions, nothing mattered more than people.
To reverse this, Huang needed a new strategy.One day, he would return to First City—and make that woman suffer endlessly.
Sunlight bathed Athens. The city looked like a painting—noble and pristine.
The carriage entered the northern district, where government offices and noble mansions stood. Adam had never seen anything so stunning.
Buildings gleamed white, dotted with emerald greenery. Bright, vivid—his first impression.
Greek-style columns rose everywhere. In the distance, Olympus loomed, its temples towering and majestic. Adam almost believed he had entered a god's domain.
The distant view was rugged and ancient; close up, every building screamed refinement. Complex carvings and murals adorned every surface, crafted by generations of artists.
Culture and wealth intertwined. No gold needed. Yet dazzling. Athens radiated power.
Adam stared, captivated.
"Those who've never been here cannot imagine the scale of the world," Yujia said. Her voice carried awe. A Greek proverb—but only those who've truly been here understand its meaning.
"Indeed… unexpected," Adam muttered, returning to reality.
Baron Bibu, their guide, observed Adam closely. Since boarding, he hadn't stopped.
Frugal to the extreme, Bibu refused to let his homeland be looked down upon. Without the carriage, he would have walked twenty kilometers in his finest clothes—never spending a single gold coin on luxury.
The carriage? Adam and Yujia insisted. Sunlight and sunblock made walking impossible. Twenty kilometers… would have cost thousands of gold coins.
Soon, they arrived at their destination: the Palais des Nations—the place where Greece received emissaries from all factions.