The airplane moved quietly above the endless clouds.
Outside the window, the sky looked peaceful and beautiful. Soft sunlight touched the wings of the aircraft as it continued its long journey.
Inside the cabin, Leo leaned against the window while his best friend Chen Wei sat beside him. Both of them were laughing quietly like two children who had nothing to worry about.
A few seats ahead, Lily was holding their little baby in her arms while feeding him.
"Come on, eat properly," Lily said gently while moving the spoon closer to the baby's mouth. "If you don't eat, how are you going to become strong like your papa?"
The baby grabbed the spoon happily and started playing with it instead.
Leo turned around and laughed.
"Look at that. He's already stronger than me."
Chen Wei smirked.
"That's obvious. Your son already eats more food than you."
Leo placed a hand on his chest dramatically.
"Wow… betrayed by my own best friend."
Both of them started laughing again.
Yuna, who was sitting beside Lily, watched the baby with a soft smile.
But a few rows away, Chen Wei's mother was quietly looking outside the airplane window.
Her eyes looked distant, as if she was lost somewhere far away in her memories.
"God of Speed…" she whispered slowly.
"I wish you had accepted my proposal back then."
Her fingers tightened slightly on the armrest.
"We were childhood friends… yet things ended like this."
She slowly closed her eyes.
"I don't even know how old I am anymore… Experiments were done on my body."
Her voice became lower.
"There's something inside me… something that won't let me die… but also won't let me age."
She let out a quiet sigh.
"I was never supposed to live like this…"
The laughter of Leo and Chen Wei nearby finally pulled her out of her thoughts.
Meanwhile, Leo leaned closer to Chen Wei with a mischievous grin.
"So tell me something," Leo whispered. "When are you finally going to become a responsible husband?"
Chen Wei rolled his eyes.
"I already am."
Leo pointed toward Yuna.
"Then why does she look like she wants to beat you every time you talk?"
Chen Wei sighed dramatically.
"Because marriage is basically a battlefield."
Leo burst out laughing.
"You're the one who entered that battlefield!"
Chen Wei smirked back.
"At least I'm not raising a flying baby."
Leo froze.
"…You saw that?"
Chen Wei nodded.
"Yeah. Your kid was floating yesterday."
Leo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I still don't know where he got that ability from."
Chen Wei looked at him seriously.
"Maybe from your Lion bloodline."
Leo slowly looked out the window again.
"…Yeah. Maybe."
Several hours later, the airplane finally landed.
The group walked out of the airport and stepped into the busy streets of China.
Leo stretched his arms while looking around.
"Hmmm… when I came here last time for the tournament, nothing seems to have changed."
Chen Wei immediately made a strange face.
"You're joking, right?"
Leo looked confused.
"What?"
Chen Wei pointed at a nearby street stall.
The vendor was frying insects.
"Look at that! People eat bugs here!" Chen Wei complained.
Leo started laughing.
"But your country has amazing cooking styles."
Chen Wei crossed his arms.
"Really?"
Leo nodded.
"Yeah, but there's one thing I don't understand."
"What?"
Leo replied honestly.
"Why do people here use so much chili powder and oil? It's like everything is spicy."
Chen Wei glared at him.
"You're insulting my country."
Leo quickly raised his hands.
"I'm just telling the truth!"
Not long after that, they finally arrived at Chen Wei's house.
Inside the living room, everything looked completely normal.
A large television stood against the wall while comfortable sofas surrounded a glass table.
Chen Wei's mother slowly walked toward the television.
Without saying anything, she pressed something hidden behind it.
Click.
Suddenly, the curtains across the entire house closed automatically.
Leo blinked in surprise.
"…Okay, that's interesting."
The floor beneath them suddenly moved slightly, and a hidden door quietly opened under the carpet.
Chen Wei smiled proudly.
"Welcome to our secret base."
Everyone followed his mother down the stairs into the underground chamber.
Inside the secret room, she opened a large digital map.
"China has many deserts," she explained calmly.
"There are five ancient temples hidden in this country."
She pointed carefully at the map.
"Three temples are located in the desert."
"And two are hidden inside major cities."
Leo folded his arms.
"So what exactly is our mission?"
Chen Wei's mother looked at each of them seriously.
"You four must visit these temples."
"Each temple is protected by a special girl."
"You must bring those girls back safely."
Everyone became silent.
She continued explaining.
"Inside those temples, there are also ancient artifacts hidden there. Bring those as well."
Then she opened a metal case placed on the table.
Inside were black tactical suits.
"These were specially designed for you."
After changing, all four of them looked like professional spies.
Leo looked at himself in the mirror and smiled.
"Wow… this is cool."
He pointed his fingers like a gun.
"I am Agent Leo."
Chen Wei immediately covered his face.
"Please stop."
Lily looked completely exhausted.
"I'm already a mother," she complained dramatically. "And you people are still making me go on missions like this."
She wiped fake tears from her eyes.
"What kind of life is this?"
Yuna crossed her arms.
"I just got married and my mother-in-law is already sending me into danger."
Chen Wei leaned toward Leo and whispered quietly.
"…She's scary."
Leo nodded seriously.
"Very scary."
Chen Wei's mother then handed everyone small Bluetooth earpieces.
"Wear these. Stay connected with me at all times."
After that, she opened another metal box.
Inside were several advanced guns.
"These are not ordinary weapons," she explained.
"You can channel your speed beast power into the bullets."
"The attack created by this method is called a Spirit Bullet."
Leo picked up one of the guns and examined it carefully.
"That's actually pretty cool."
Then Chen Wei's mother placed a massive weapon in front of him.
It looked like a long golden staff.
Chen Wei's eyes widened immediately.
"Mom… why does this thing look so heavy?"
She smiled slightly.
"You remember the legendary monkey god?"
Chen Wei nodded slowly.
"Sun Wukong."
"This weapon is inspired by his famous staff," she said.
"It weighs more than a thousand tons."
Leo almost choked.
"Wait… WHAT?!"
Chen Wei groaned loudly.
"Mom… I'm not a Japanese samurai. I don't even know how to use weapons like this."
His mother suddenly started laughing.
The smile on her face looked slightly frightening.
"That's exactly why…"
Her eyes became sharp.
"I'm going to train all of you."
The room instantly became silent.
And just like that…
their mission had finally begun.
---
Author Note
Gayatri… please forgive me.
You all probably know that I left school after 5th grade.
Because of that, writing stories is not always easy for me.
I also have to go to work, so I don't know if I will be able to continue this passion for a long time.
Lately I've also become very lazy.
I cannot sleep at night, and even if I do sleep, I wake up very late — sometimes around 11 or 12 in the morning.
My body feels weak, and sometimes I feel like it might be because of my heart condition.
If anyone has advice or a solution for my situation, please tell me.
I would really appreciate it.
Thank you for reading my story.
— Author