Chapter One: Eldest Sister

America, Star City.

There is a legend in Star City: in this place, whenever someone in distress prays to his name, he will appear to help them.

...

“Hurry up, hand over the money or I’ll shoot.”

Several burly men pointed their dark gun barrels at the trembling woman behind the counter, ordering her to give up the cash.

The woman, terrified, shakily opened the register, muttering a name in prayer.

Seraphim.

He hears the prayers of the world, never tolerating the existence of evil.

“Kerry, what’s taking so long? Move it,” one of the robbers behind her urged impatiently.

“Damn it, why did you say my name?” The robber at the counter suddenly shrieked like a madman.

Suddenly, he swung his gun toward the cashier. “Sorry, you know my name now. I have to kill you.”

“Please don’t kill me, I beg you!” The cashier pleaded desperately, but the robber showed no mercy. His eyes gleamed with bloodlust, and his finger slowly tightened on the trigger.

“Seraphim, save me!” The woman collapsed to her knees, wailing in agony, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t want to die.

“Goodbye, dear cashier.” The robber pulled the trigger.

A scream.

Gunshots rang out—bang, bang, bang.

The gunfire mingled with the cashier’s shrieks and the robbers’ howls, shattering the silence of the night.

After a long while, the cashier slowly lowered her hands from her eyes. The robbers were now writhing in pain on the ground, blood pouring from their arms and knees.

A golden card was lodged upright in the hard floor.

When the shock subsided, the woman knelt before the golden card, folding her hands in gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you, Seraphim.”

Beneath six wings, golden eyes burned like a shaft of light in the darkness, fixed unerringly on the sins of the world.

“Star City’s criminals are getting weaker and weaker.”

A faint, roguish smile played at Ye Qiu’s lips, coldness flickering beneath his playful facade. Then he melted into the darkness, as if nothing had happened at all.

Except for the wailing sirens that soon tore through the night.

...

“Boss, you were five seconds faster than last time! You really are the fastest gun in town.” A stunning blonde woman threw open the heavy doors of the underground fortress, greeting Ye Qiu with enthusiasm as she wrapped her arm around his.

Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow. The woman quickly released him, her face eager to please. “Boss, Yunyan has already found the information on the seven girls you asked for.”

Who could have imagined that the Witch, feared like the plague by every criminal gang in Star City, would behave like a docile Persian cat before a man from Huaxia—coyly currying favor like a kitten before its master.

“Really?” Ye Qiu strode swiftly into the main hall. At the center, a holographic figure suddenly appeared—at once elegant and gentle, exuding an ethereal grace. She was the very image of the classic Huaxia beauty.

Yunyan.

Liu Yunyan.

An artificial intelligence carefully cultivated by several top scientists.

“Yunyan, show me the information.”

“Yes, Master.” Yunyan snapped her fingers, and five more female figures appeared on the floor’s projection—tall, dainty, elegant, and noble.

As he gazed at those lifelike images, old memories long buried began to stir in Ye Qiu’s mind.

“Little brother, you’re growing. Here, eat this.”

When his stomach rumbled at night, eldest sister Liu Yiran would always produce an egg for him. He didn’t know at first, but as he grew older, he realized that the welfare home only allotted one egg per day. His eldest sister would save hers for him, never eating it herself.

“Little Leaf, what happened to your face? Did Fatty bully you again? Come, second sister will get even for you.”

“Promise me, third sister, you’ll never climb such tall trees again.”

The little girl, her arm broken by Ye Qiu’s fall, face slick with cold sweat, still forced a comforting smile for him.

“Little Leaf, which sister do you like best?”

“I like all my sisters—eldest, second, third, fourth… every single one.”

Bit by bit, the memories of his childhood flickered through his mind like old film strips—the girls he had sworn to protect with his life were now all graceful and lovely young women.

Wait.

Ye Qiu’s brow furrowed, his face darkening. “Why are there only five?”

“Master, you only allowed me to build a firewall to protect Huaxia. You didn’t permit me to access the Huaxia network. I can only collect data from the phones of those who have traveled abroad. I’ve never found any trace of the sixth and seventh mistresses. Unless you permit me to enter the Huaxia network...”

“When you defeat 001 and become humanity’s true guardian, then we’ll talk.”

Ye Qiu sighed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to find his seven elder sisters through Yunyan, but if he allowed it, 001—the flawless AI nurtured by countless American experts—would use Yunyan’s trail to invade Huaxia’s network. Then, all of Huaxia’s information would be at America’s disposal.

At that point, America wouldn’t need to spend billions hiring internet trolls. With a single command, countless Huaxia accounts could post whatever they desired.

Ye Qiu couldn’t take that risk.

At least, he had found five of his sisters.

“Yunyan, summon all the squad leaders.”

“Order received.”

With a single command, one holographic figure after another lit up the grand hall like a sky full of stars.

In moments, hundreds of people had assembled.

They shouted in unison, “Boss!”

Every one of them wore a black mask and bore a number instead of a name—from 1 to 500. They had long since forgotten their true names, remembering only their numbers and their duties.

Each of those forgotten names was once enough to shake the world. Now, all eyes shone with reverence as they looked at Ye Qiu.

“From now on, the Witch will temporarily command the base. Her orders are my orders.”

“Boss, are you really going back to Huaxia?” The Witch hesitated a long time before finally asking.

At this moment, she felt no satisfaction at her newfound authority—only jealousy and envy filled her eyes.

Only they could make the boss throw caution to the wind like this.

How infuriating.

Still immersed in the joy of finding five of his sisters, Ye Qiu failed to notice her change in mood. He stared quietly at the holographic projections of his sisters and nodded. “I promised them I’d protect them for a lifetime. Now, it’s time to fulfill my vow.”

...

Linhai, CBD District.

Many stylish women in light summer clothes sat outside the café, sipping coffee as their fingers danced across laptop keyboards. Others sat in small groups, animatedly discussing business. The streets bustled with fashionable, lively crowds.

Ten years.

Ten years, and Huaxia had transformed beyond recognition.

Ye Qiu still remembered how, when he left the orphanage and was adopted by American scientists, Linhai had none of these tall buildings. Now, skyscrapers soared across the city, and the infrastructure surpassed even America’s.

Eldest sister, I’m coming.