Early the next morning.
Xu Zhi crawled out of bed and glanced outside. The courtyard was lush with life, draped in greenery that shimmered in the morning dew.
He breathed in the air deeply. He liked this kind of life — idyllic, quiet, simple. Farming, tending to plants, and raising a few animals in the yard. There was a peaceful rhythm to it all. Of course, the "animals" he cared for were anything but ordinary.
Even if outsiders entered the courtyard, they wouldn't be able to see the miniature world hidden within — not unless Xu Zhi allowed it. The Mother Hive excelled at mental interference, capable of subtly manipulating human perception. Without that ability, controlling so many Tyranis would be a logistical nightmare.
He showered and stood in front of the mirror, studying his reflection.
He looked... better. Healthier. Human again.
The hair he'd lost to chemotherapy had finally started growing back. His complexion had brightened, his gaunt frame now filled out with lean muscle. In the mirror stood a young man with sharp, defined features and a body sculpted like an athlete. He still looked a bit too pale — like a vampire freshly risen — but compared to before?
A world of difference.
"I've finally started recovering from the chemo," he murmured. "Been off it for over two weeks now... My body's back to normal. Even my face looks better."
He paused, studying his reflection more closely.
"This must be from the energy feedback... from the Tyranis that died."
He closed his eyes and spread his senses.
When Tyranis died, their life force and soul energy flowed back into him. The stronger the lifeform, the more potent the energy returned. The recent mass extinctions — the first during the Dark Age, the second in the Radiant Age — had fed him well.
Though primitive, the creatures had died in droves. What they lacked in strength, they made up for in sheer overwhelming numbers. Only last night had he finally absorbed the last remnants of their energy.
He opened his eyes and grinned.
"But the most important thing is — I have hair again!"
It was a ridiculous thing to be happy about. But in that moment, Xu Zhi laughed like a child.
His mood light, he hopped on his bike and headed out. He had breakfast on the far side of town and then took a slow walk through the village, following a dirt path flanked by paddy fields and buzzing with dragonflies. The air smelled of soil and fresh cow dung — oddly comforting.
Then a voice interrupted him.
"Hey! Aren't you Xu Zhi?"
He turned. A round-faced elderly woman with a basket of vegetables squinted up at him.
"I didn't believe it when little Chen Xi said you were back!"
Xu Zhi gave her a polite nod. "Yeah, I just came back recently."
"I heard you've got cancer?" she asked, not bothering to lower her voice.
"...Right," he said calmly.
The woman clucked her tongue in dismay. "Aiyah, that's no good! The Xu family's only got you. What are we gonna do if you don't recover? You know... my daughter's a good girl, actually. Why don't you—"
Xu Zhi blinked.
Wait, what? You hear I've got a terminal illness, and your first instinct is to marry me off? To preserve the bloodline?
He stared at her. Was she... serious?
You think I've got money, don't you? Waiting to inherit it after I kick the bucket? How kind of you. Truly touching.
Just as he was about to politely decline, a familiar voice broke in.
"Ignore her!" a girl called out.
Xu Zhi turned to see Chen Xi hurrying over, accompanied by a small squad of middle-aged women.
"I knew it! You're trying to marry off your daughter again, aren't you?" Chen Xi pointed an accusing finger at the older woman. "That girl's got a temper like a volcano! Didn't she beat her husband so bad he ran off and never came back? And now you want Xu Zhi to take his place? Are you kidding me!?"
"You little tramp!" the woman — now dubbed Pig Lady — shrieked, then faltered as the other aunties gathered around, arms crossed.
She huffed and retreated with a scowl.
"Xu Zhi, that's the only person in the village who's no good," Chen Xi said firmly. Then she did a double take. Her eyes widened.
"Wait—what the hell?!"
She stepped closer, blinking rapidly. "You weren't like this a few days ago! You were balding — really balding! And your back was all hunched over like a dying sage!"
Xu Zhi scratched his cheek, feigning innocence.
Chen Xi's mother, Aunt Li, elbowed her sharply. "Nonsense! Xu Zhi's always looked like this. Haven't you?"
Aunt Li turned to Xu Zhi with a radiant smile. "My, you've grown into a handsome young man. Even more so than before! Come now, come sit at my place for a bit."
"Yes, let's go to Aunt Li's house!" the other ladies chimed in cheerfully, rallying behind him like an escort squad.
"No, seriously! He was bald just the other day! He looked like a monk!" Chen Xi protested, stomping her feet.
"My daughter, how could you say that about your older brother Xu Zhi! Bald? Really!" Aunt Li scolded.
Xu Zhi just raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.
Damn right. Hair restored. Dignity reclaimed.
A man's hair, after all, was no trivial matter.
Unable to reject their enthusiasm, he followed them to Aunt Li's home — a traditional siheyuan with weathered walls and a shaded courtyard. The old ladies doted on him, their concern genuine as they learned about his illness. They scolded him affectionately for neglecting himself after his parents had passed.
The countryside people — simple, sincere, and warm — left him feeling strangely at peace.
It had been so long since he'd returned. Sitting there, surrounded by people who had watched him grow up, Xu Zhi felt like he had stepped into another life entirely — one full of distant memories and quiet comfort.
Before he left, they loaded his arms with fruits, vegetables, and home-cooked meals.
"Stay here and rest, child. Don't work yourself too hard. You'll recover, we know it!"
"Yeah," he replied with a smile. "I will."
Not far away, Chen Xi lounged on a wooden chair, muttering under her breath.
"This is too much... There's no way that's the same person. His hair's back, his posture's straight... He looks like some character from a shoujo manga now! No way. That's gotta be a body double. Something's off!"
Xu Zhi, pretending not to hear, continued walking with an air of serenity.
Internally, he was grinning like an idiot.
Their care and warmth had touched him more than he realized. In that moment, he made a quiet decision: he would stay. Forget the noise of the city. This simple village, this quiet life — this was enough.
When he finally got home, he headed straight to the sandbox.
Time moved differently in the miniature world. Even with the evolution slowed down, one day outside equaled a hundred years within — fifty years of day, fifty of night.
"I've been out most of the day. That's about eighty years gone by in the sandbox." Xu Zhi muttered as he grabbed his binoculars and climbed onto the chair by the door.
He didn't like entering the world unless necessary — every step he took disrupted the delicate balance of its ecosystem.
Peering through the lenses, he scanned the terrain.
Then he froze.
In just eighty years, the Bugapes had made startling progress. Tribal structures had emerged. They lived in groups. The first signs of language... even rudimentary culture... had appeared.
But they were also teetering on the edge.
They've grown. But they're about to fall.