Super God Academy: Kabuto

The Juxia, a highly encrypted central command and control room.

A deep blue holographic star map slowly rotated in the center of the room, reflecting General Dukao's angular and serious face. His voice was deep and clear, each word striking the heavy air:

"Yesterday at 08:45, an alien life form from the Angel Nebula appeared directly on the top floor of the Angel International Building in Juxia City, bypassing conventional defenses. The Central Database of the Super God Academy confirmed that its physical characteristics and energy signatures match those of an ancient, advanced civilization that calls itself 'Angels'."

Uncle Huang, seated in the main seat, had a calm expression, his eyes gleaming with the wisdom of someone who had weathered many storms. He slowly began, "Angels... are said to have a civilization history of over 30,000 years. The last recorded instance of one descending upon Earth was 1,392 years ago, during the Tang Dynasty."

"Yes, sir." Dukao nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over every senior officer and representative present. "Our understanding of this civilization is extremely limited, mostly based on fragmented pieces of interstellar history. In the context of the angels themselves and the default assumptions of many interstellar civilizations, they... claim to be and are usually considered the 'Kings of the Gods,' that is, the order setters and the highest form of civilization in the known universe."

He paused, his tone growing more somber: "My personal memory database—a legacy from the Deno system—contains records of numerous brutal wars between angels and another extreme civilization, 'demons.' But Earth has never had any direct, in-depth contact with them. The angels adhere to an extremely strict and exclusive order of 'justice,' the specifics of which and their standards of execution remain a mystery to us. Their motives for breaking their long silence and descending upon Earth this time are unclear. Whether they are friend or foe, we cannot currently make any effective judgment."

Dukao tapped his fingertip on the holographic console, bringing up the energy rating and some theoretical calculations of the Angel Civilization. The conclusion was incredibly stressful: "Based on its demonstrated technological level, which far surpasses the technology left by Deno and the current level of Earth civilization, and given the reality that we are completely unable to track its movements and lack effective countermeasures, the Supreme Command has initially agreed on the following policy: maintain the highest level of vigilance, but if the other party shows any willingness to communicate, prioritize trying to establish dialogue channels and strive for a peaceful resolution to the contact issue."

He turned to the other side of the conference table, where a young-looking but authoritative red-haired woman sat: "Lena, your analysis of last night's attack on the target on Feiliu Airport Road."

Goddess Lena—the chief goddess of the Sun Star—presented a serious expression, setting aside her usual casualness. "The target has been confirmed as a vanguard unit of the Taotie civilization. This civilization belongs to the Styx Galaxy, whose ruler is a supreme god known as 'Death God Karl.' Karl is obsessed with the study of death and the void, therefore the entire Styx Galaxy's ecology and civilizational orientation are extremely devoted to killing, destruction, and the end of death."

"God?" Uncle Huang keenly grasped this key word, his brows furrowing slightly.

Lena nodded understandingly and explained in more accessible terms: "Uncle Huang, on interstellar scales measured in light-years, relying on fragile life forms and limited speed for shipborne space travel is not feasible. Therefore, gene enhancement technology and life form upgrade projects—the so-called 'god-making projects'—have become the core path for the development of advanced civilizations. I know you have some reservations about this, which is normal. Don't be fixated on the term 'god'; you can understand it as... a highly advanced super-genetic life form."

She paused briefly, and to ease the tension, pointed to herself with a slightly teasing tone: "For example, they sometimes call me 'the light of the sun,' Goddess Lena. Of course, it's just a nickname."

Getting back to the point, Lena's expression turned serious again: "The Taotie civilization operates on the logic and belief of pure slaughter and conquest. I strongly suggest that we immediately and fully activate the 'Black Great Wall' defense and counterattack plan that General Pan Zhen previously proposed to your side. Earth needs its own super soldiers to deal with this kind of threat."

"Furthermore," she changed the subject, pulling up a blurry but stunning battlefield video—the footage of the silver-black-red armored figure instantly annihilating the Taotie vanguard—"regarding this unknown target who suddenly appeared and vanished—tentatively named 'The Red Armored Man.' We've compared him to all known civilization databases, including some forbidden files, and the results are all zero matches. He, and the technological system he used, are completely absent from any records."

Dukao's eyes sharpened as he interjected, "It's not entirely without clues. The girl who disappeared with him, Qilin, is a local police officer in Juxia City. We can use her as our primary breakthrough point and conduct an in-depth investigation. Any unusual interpersonal relationships or recent activity patterns could provide crucial information for us to unveil the mystery of this armored man."

Uncle Huang pondered for a moment, his fingers lightly tapping the table, before finally making his decision: "Hmm. Lena's analysis and suggestions have strategic value. I will immediately submit a formal application to the Supreme Command to push the 'Black Wall' plan into the execution phase." His gaze turned to Dukao, filled with trust and reliance, "Dukao, this plan will be entirely your responsibility."

Dukao snapped to attention, his voice ringing out, "Rest assured, sir! I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"

Uncle Huang nodded slightly, then his gaze fell on A-Jie, a burly, silent, and resolute man on the other side: "A-Jie, you are in charge of the specific personnel selection and organization work. Strict confidentiality is essential; better to have fewer but better candidates." Finally, he looked at Lena, "Lena, I'm entrusting the initial training and guidance of the future Black Armor Company to you. They will be the core of the plan."

A glint flashed in Dukao's eyes as he added, "Black Armor Company... that name is fine as an internal codename. But externally, perhaps we need a more resounding, more unifying name." He paused, then uttered three words, "Super Soldier Company. What do you think?"

"Super Soldier Corps..." Uncle Huang pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded, "Okay."

---

Meanwhile, at Lin Yu's residence.

In the bedroom, Qi Lin's eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings a few times before slowly lifting. Her vision was initially blurry, then cleared, settling on the familiar crystal chandelier on the ceiling. She blinked blankly, raised her hand to rub her still throbbing temples, her mind feeling heavy and chaotic, as if stuffed with a wad of damp cotton.

"Did I...sleep for a long time? Did I have a...long and terrifying dream?" she murmured to herself, her voice hoarse from just waking up. But every detail of that "dream"—the deafening explosion, the desperate cries of her colleagues, the chilling, piercing blue beam of death pointing directly at her, and the final moment, the red, silver, and black figure, as dazzling as flames and as reliable as a mountain—was imprinted on her mind with a heart-stopping realism, so clear that it made her chest tighten and her palms sweat.

She threw back the covers, her feet touching the cool floor. Composing herself, she pushed open the bedroom door and whispered towards the living room, "Brother, are you there?"

"Qilin's awake?" Lin Yu's calm reply came immediately from the kitchen, accompanied by the sizzling sound of hot oil hitting the ingredients and the rhythmic stirring of the spatula. "Wait a little longer, your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs will be ready soon. Go wash your face and wake up."

"Oh, okay," Qi Lin replied, but instead of immediately washing up, she shuffled to the kitchen doorway in her slippers and leaned against the doorframe. She watched her brother's back as he focused intently on stir-frying food, the dim light from the range hood softening his silhouette. The familiar smell of cooking oil eased her tense nerves slightly, but a lingering, unreal unease still lingered in her heart.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she couldn't help but speak, her voice softer than usual: "Brother, I just... I think I had a really, really vivid nightmare. In the dream, alien monsters attacked, flying in the sky, and guns couldn't penetrate them... Many people died, police officers, soldiers... I, I was there too, and then lasers shot towards me, I thought I was going to die, but... but then I saw someone, wearing something red, like armor, blocking my way..."

She tried to describe it, attempting to make sense of the chaotic scene, her gaze unconsciously following Lin Yu's movements.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu turned off the stove. He turned around, his face showing just the right amount of brotherly concern. He very naturally reached out and touched Qi Lin's forehead with the back of his hand, then touched his own, his brows slightly furrowed, his tone full of worry: "No fever. Your face is a little pale. Is it because you've been too tired from duty lately, and the stress has caused you to have nightmares? Or did you catch a chill from being caught in the rain yesterday?"

Looking at his utterly sincere face, so genuinely that he seemed like a caring older brother worried about his sister overworking, Qi Lin's doubts and urge to speak deflated like a balloon pricked by a needle, replaced by a vague, inexplicable annoyance. She puffed out her cheeks and slapped his hand away from her forehead: "Lin Yu, get away from me! Annoying!"

Lin Yu wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he smiled as if her reaction was perfectly normal. He turned back, restarted the stove, and skillfully poured the thick, glossy sweet and sour sauce over the golden-brown fried ribs. With a sizzle, the mouthwatering sweet and sour aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen, creating a warm and ordinary atmosphere.

Qi Lin stood still, watching her brother's steady, busy figure amidst the cooking fumes. The enticing aroma of food filled her nostrils, and the familiar clanging of spatulas filled her ears. Everything was just like countless evenings she had experienced since childhood.

But in my mind, the moment the armored figure in that "dream" slightly tilted its head, its compound eyes reflecting the blue light of its own face, those eyes... that feeling...

She lowered her eyes, staring at the tips of her slippers, and muttered something very softly, almost inaudibly to herself, as if questioning the incredibly familiar brother before her, or perhaps questioning her own chaotic memories and intuition:

"Was it really... just a dream?"

The setting sun outside the window is painting the sky a warm orange hue, as serene as ever. But some things, once glimpsed, can never truly return to the tranquil darkness.