The whole nation: You're put to survive on a desolate planet, you'll be running an alien b

The motorcycle leaped through the gap in the broken bridge, its wheels screeching under the strain in the gale.

Li Haotian twisted the accelerator hard, but the purple mist in front of him seemed like a gaping mouth that suddenly closed.

The air in mid-air rippled, like a mirror struck by a boulder, shattering instantly into countless shimmering spots of light.

The front of the motorcycle slammed into a node in the void with a muffled thud, and then the rider and the motorcycle were forcibly pulled in by a tremendous force.

His vision was blurry, and by the time Li Haotian stepped onto solid ground again, the sound of the waves under the bridge was gone.

He held the still-running motorcycle with one hand and lifted Lin Mo up from behind.

The lights here are blindingly white, and there's a pungent smell of formaldehyde in the air.

The walls were made of thick alloy, with a dense array of observation windows embedded in them.

"Su Wan, can you hear me? I think I've fallen into the Zhao family's territory."

Li Haotian patted his earpiece, and all he could hear was a piercing electrical sound, like someone on the other end frantically twisting a wire.

A dull metallic scraping sound suddenly came from the ceiling, and four huge hydraulic rods were rapidly descending.

With a piercing locking sound, a mirrored cage the size of a football field descended from the sky.

Li Haotian took a step to the side, and just as he was about to draw his bronze dagger, the weight under his feet suddenly disappeared.

He was suspended in mid-air, and the mirrored walls began to spin rapidly, reflecting thousands of disheveled figures.

"Don't bother, Bodyguard Li. I'm the one who calls the shots here."

A frivolous laugh came over the loudspeaker in the observation room, revealing the arrogance of a petty person who had achieved success.

Li Haotian squinted, staring at the bulletproof glass that had become transparent directly in front of him.

Zhao Tianming changed into a sharp white suit, holding a glass of whiskey with ice in his hand, and raised it to him through the glass.

"Zhao Lao Er, this suit of yours isn't cheap. Once it's stained with blood, it won't be able to be washed off."

Li Haotian stood in the void, his right hand gripping the bronze dagger, golden light dancing between his fingers.

Zhao Tianming chuckled and fiddled with the control panel for a bit.

"You still have the nerve to worry about my clothes? Look at your oxygen gauge, kid."

As he moved his finger, hissing sounds came from around the cage.

Li Haotian felt as if a stone slab was pressing on his chest, making each breath extremely difficult.

The mirrors inside the cage reflected an eerie purple light, which intertwined to form a large net that was gradually shrinking.

"This is called 'closing the door to beat the dog,' a toy my dad specially prepared for people like you with awakened bloodlines."

Zhao Tianming downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, a flush appearing on his face.

He pressed a button on the monitor next to him, and the screen switched to another dark room.

Su Wan was tied to a chair with electrical wires, her mouth stuffed with a strip of cloth, and her face was as white as paper.

Several figures dressed in gray robes were surrounding her, holding half-meter-long syringes and gesturing towards her prosthetic limb interface.

"Boss... let's go..."

Su Wan seemed to sense the presence of the surveillance camera, shaking her head frantically, letting out broken sobs.

Li Haotian's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints, and the golden flames deep within his heart suddenly surged outwards.

"If you touch a single hair on her head, I'll crush every bone in your body into dust."

His voice lowered, carrying a chilling undertone that sent shivers down one's spine.

Zhao Tianming laughed wildly through the glass, tears almost dripping onto his eyelashes.

"Touch my bones? You'd better crawl out of here first!"

He slammed down the red overclocking button, and the purple light in the mirrored cage instantly turned into a blinding deep red.

Blood began to seep from Li Haotian's skin, as if the distorted gravity was pulling him in different directions.

He bit his tongue, reached into his robes with his right hand, and touched the still slightly warm purple bead.

The bead's surface was covered with extremely complex geometric patterns, pulsating in sync with his heartbeat.

"Old Han's things are indeed not very effective, but you may not be familiar with the fire I have."

Li Haotian pressed the bead onto the hilt of the bronze dagger, and the two completely different forces collided instantly.

Golden-red flames and dark purple lightning patterns swirled wildly around the blade, emitting a roar similar to that of a dragon.

He took a deep breath of the last bit of thin oxygen and slowly brought his right fist back to his waist.

"Zhao Tianming, take a good look, this is the 'ticket' you wanted."

Li Haotian took a sudden step, and the void beneath his feet actually cracked into solid form.

He threw a simple, unadorned punch at the mirror directly in front of him.

A torrent of golden-purple energy burst forth from the fist, like an ancient beast breaking free of its shackles.

At this moment, the dimensions of the entire underground space shifted strangely, and the floor and walls began to twist like putty.

"boom!"

The seemingly indestructible mirror cage crumbled like an expired cookie before that force.

The fragments exploded like raindrops, each one sharp enough to cut through the alloy.

Before Zhao Tianming in the observation room could react, he was thrown to the ground by a huge shockwave.

The bulletproof glass shattered into powder like paper, and various sophisticated instruments and equipment emitted dazzling sparks.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Li Haotian's figure vanished from the spot.

Zhao Tianming, his head covered in blood, got up from the ground. Before he could even touch the pistol at his waist, he felt a chill on the back of his neck.

A wave of heat, a mixture of the smell of the sea and the smell of burning, hit his ears directly.

"Little friend, you seemed to be laughing quite happily just now?"

Li Haotian's voice sounded behind him, calm and without any ripples.

Zhao Tianming froze, and the pistol fell onto the thick carpet with a dull thud.

He slowly turned his head and saw Li Haotian squatting on the back of a chair in the observation room.

The dagger, blazing with golden flames, was pressed against his left temple, the flames singeing his hair, which was coated with hair wax.

Li Haotian stretched out his left hand and flicked the still-dry purple bead.

The buzzing sound emitted by the beads reverberated in Zhao Tianming's head.

"Do you think you've got everything figured out, that this mirror cage can trap me for the rest of my life?"

Li Haotian leaned closer, the golden light in his eyes illuminating Zhao Tianming's pale face.

"Or do you think your gray-robed henchmen are faster than me?"

Zhao Tianming's teeth were chattering, and he couldn't even squeeze out a complete word.

He looked at Lin Mo, who was being carried on Li Haotian's shoulder, and then at the face covered in soot and blood.

"Little friend, do you have many questions?"

Li Haotian curled his lips down and suddenly exerted force with his right hand.

"For example, could your head withstand this punch from me?"

He sheathed the dagger, spread his fingers, and grabbed Zhao Tianming's entire face.

Zhao Tianming let out a half-scream of agony as Li Haotian lifted him up and slammed him heavily against the still-shattered screen.

"Where is Su Wan? If you mispronounce a single word, I'll pull out one of your teeth."

Li Haotian's knee was pressed against Zhao Tianming's chest, while he casually played with the purple bead in his hand.

Zhao Tianming pointed to the small door on the side, making a gurgling sound in his throat.

"It's...it's next door...that's the core of the Mirror Lab..."

Li Haotian tossed aside Zhao Tianming, who was slumped like a dead dog, and turned to look at the side door that was slowly closing.

A thick plume of purple smoke billowed from the crack in the door, swirling in the air into various distorted human faces.

He clenched his fist, and Lin Mo on his back suddenly let out an extremely faint cough.

Li Haotian's body trembled, and the killing intent in his eyes almost solidified into a tangible form at that moment.

He kicked open the door and rushed into the thick purple fog.

In the very center of the laboratory, inside a huge, semi-transparent cylinder, floats a beating heart.

It was a pure black heart, with purple liquid flowing through every vein.

Below her heart, Su Wan's eyes were tightly closed, and several purple tubes had been inserted into her spine.

"Li Haotian...you've finally arrived..."

A figure holding a black umbrella stood with his back to him in front of the black heart.

The person slowly turned around, their face hidden in shadow under the umbrella, revealing only a pair of ghastly green eyes.

Li Haotian stopped in his tracks, and the metal floor beneath his feet emitted a tooth-grinding groan.

The bead was jumping wildly in his palm, so fast it looked like it was about to explode.

"Are you the master of that gray-robed man, or the backer of that old dog Han Dehai?"

Li Haotian swung his longsword horizontally, and the golden-red light forcibly dispersed the surrounding purple mist.

The man with the black umbrella let out a low laugh, like two pieces of rust polishing each other.

"Who I am is not important. What matters is that I am very satisfied with the 'gift' you brought back."

He stretched out his pale finger and pointed at Lin Mo in Li Haotian's arms.

"Her consciousness resides within this heart; if you wish, come and take it."

The black umbrella suddenly closed, and the man transformed into a blur, the tip of the umbrella in his hand aimed straight for Li Haotian's throat.

Hook: Who exactly is the Black Umbrella Man? Is Lin Mo's consciousness truly trapped inside the Black Heart? Su Wan's condition looks dire; can Li Haotian rescue her before the base completely collapses?