The hatch depressurized with a sharp hiss.
A gust of hot air blew outward, scattering dust across the ruined valley floor.Liu Fang instinctively stepped in front of Zhao, who instinctively grabbed her shoulders and moved her behind him, because he was bigger and more paranoid.
Lin Wei didn't move.
He couldn't.
His legs felt rooted to the earth, as if the Core itself was anchoring him in place.
Every beat of his heart echoed a single truth:
My mother is alive.
The ramp lowered slowly.
A silhouette appeared—slender, upright, wearing a form-fitting flight suit of matte black alloy. Not military issue. Not anything they recognized.
Her steps were quiet.
Measured.
Confident.
Liu Fang's fingers dug into Lin Wei's sleeve.
"Lin Wei… is that—"
He swallowed.
"I don't know."
Because the woman emerging from the ship did not look seventeen years older.
She barely looked older at all.
Her hair, long and dark, blew in the valley wind. Her eyes—sharp, intelligent, bright—swept the surroundings with careful precision.
Not until they landed on Lin Wei did she freeze.
Just for a breath.
Just for the smallest flicker of emotion.
Then she smiled.
Softly.
Knowingly.
"Lin Wei."
The sound of her voice broke something inside him. He hadn't heard it since he was a child. Not in recordings. Not in dreams.
But that warmth, that exact timbre—he remembered it instantly.
He whispered:
"Mom."
The Reunion That Wasn't
She descended the ramp slowly, as though approaching a wild animal that might bolt.
When she was close enough, Lin Wei could see it: the small scar near her temple he remembered touching when he was small. The faint laugh line near her lips.
Real.
Alive.
His chest tightened painfully.
But then—
Something was wrong.
She was smiling with warmth.
But her eyes…
Her eyes were scanning him.
Measuring him.
Assessing him.
As though he were a subject.Not a son.
Lin Wei's heart faltered.
"Mom… where were you all these years?"
She stopped just out of arm's reach.
Zhao gripped his rifle tighter.
Liu Fang looked between them, breath held.
The woman—Lin Qiang—exhaled.
"It wasn't safe for me to stay."
"That's not an answer," Lin Wei whispered.
She tilted her head.
"You grew up. You're stronger. Taller."
"You left," Lin Wei said, voice trembling.
Her expression didn't change.
"It was necessary."
"For seventeen years?" he snapped.
Zhao stepped closer.
"All due respect, Dr. Lin, but your disappearing act nearly killed him yesterday."
She didn't even glance at Zhao.
Her eyes locked on her son.
"Oh, I know," she said.
Lin Wei's blood ran cold.
"You… know?"
She smiled gently, almost proudly.
"The Core told me."
Liu Fang Feels the Wrong Kind of Chill
Liu Fang whispered under her breath:
That's not… how a mother reacts.
No tears.No shaking relief.No desperate run toward her child.
Just observation.
Analysis.
A scientist examining her greatest experiment.
She subtly slid one hand toward Lin Wei's, needing contact.
Lin Wei laced his fingers with hers instantly.
Lin Qiang's eyes flicked downward to the gesture.
Her smile thinned.
The Core Within Responds
Inside Lin Wei's skull, the Core vibrated—uncomfortable.
As if recognizing something.
A familiarity.
A danger.
Lin Wei's vision tinted white at the edges.
The Core whispered directly into his neural pathways:
"User Warning.Behavioral anomaly detected.Emotional signature does not match stored memory."
Lin Wei's breath hitched.
The Core was afraid.
Of her.
The Woman Speaks
Lin Qiang stepped forward one more pace.
Close enough to touch him.
Close enough for him to hug her.
He didn't move.
Nor did she.
She studied his glowing eyes, the faint luminescence along his skin.
"You completed the Merge," she said softly."I didn't think anyone could."
Lin Wei's voice was hoarse.
"You designed the Core. You should've known."
She tilted her head again.
"I knew it was possible. Theoretically."A pause."But… I didn't intend for you to be the one."
Liu Fang sucked in a sharp breath.
Lin Wei froze.
Zhao swore under his breath.
Lin Wei whispered:
"…What do you mean?"
Lin Qiang clasped her hands behind her back.
"The Merge protocol was designed for someone with specialized physical conditioning. Neural enhancements. Genetically optimized stability."
Her eyes softened.
Almost pitying.
"You weren't supposed to do it."
Lin Wei stared at her, unable to breathe.
He wasn't supposed to survive.
He wasn't supposed to have the Core.
He wasn't the chosen one.
She stepped closer.
"You weren't built for it, Lin Wei."
The Breaking Point
The world blurred.
Liu Fang's nails dug into his palm.
Zhao raised his rifle fully.
"Lady, if you take one more step—"
She ignored him completely, eyes on Lin Wei.
Her voice softened.
"This wasn't meant to happen. But it did. And now…"
She reached for his face—
Slowly.Almost lovingly.
Lin Wei didn't move.Couldn't move.
"…now I need you to come with me."
Liu Fang grabbed his arm desperately.
"No. No he won't."
Lin Qiang's eyes slid briefly to Liu Fang.
Cold.Evaluating.
"You're hurt," she noted clinically."Your arm. Your ribs. And you're afraid. You should step back."
"Not happening," Liu Fang growled.
Lin Qiang sighed.
"As expected."
Then she turned to Lin Wei again.
"The Chairman is coming. With extraction teams. You don't understand what you're holding. You don't understand the power inside you."
Her eyes softened in a way that didn't comfort him at all.
"I do."
A chill spread through Lin Wei's spine.
His voice came out shaking.
"Mom… what do you want from me?"
She looked at him with the eyes of a mother—
And the smile of a scientist who had found her missing prototype.
"Everything," she whispered.