Super God Academy: Kabuto

Qi Lin pushed open the door, and the aroma of home-cooked meals wafted out. The warm, bright light instantly enveloped her, washing away the dust and fatigue of a whole day on duty. However, while the light could dispel her physical exhaustion, it failed to illuminate the slight furrow in her brow and the lingering doubt in her eyes.

At the dinner table, she absentmindedly stirred the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. Each grain was glistening, but it didn't whet her appetite much. After hesitating for a while, she finally looked up, her voice very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something: "Brother, do you think... there really are people with superpowers in this world? Like in the movies."

Lin Yu's hand, which was holding the food, paused almost imperceptibly in mid-air before naturally placing the food into the bowl. He looked up, his gaze calmly falling on his sister's face, easily catching the ripples of confusion deep within her clear eyes. "Why did you suddenly think of asking this?" he asked gently, with the characteristic concern and guidance of an older brother. "Did you encounter something... inexplicable at work today?"

"Hmm." Qi Lin nodded, put down her chopsticks, and unconsciously clasped her hands together. The chaotic scene seemed to replay clearly in her mind's eye: the shocking craters in the concrete floor, the twisted and deformed metal trash can, and the air conditioner unit that had been forcibly pried off its wall support, its parts scattered all over the floor. "Today I handled a fight case, the two involved… the destructive power was astonishing. The scene didn't look like something that could be done with bare hands, or even ordinary tools. It was… like two humanoid beasts had fought." Her description maintained professional restraint, but the slightly faster pace of her speech and the lingering tremor in her eyes betrayed the turmoil within her.

Lin Yu listened quietly without interrupting, his gaze growing increasingly profound, as if he could see through the surface and perceive the nascent world that was quietly changing behind his sister's words.

A moment of silence fell, broken only by the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks. Lin Yu suddenly spoke, asking a question that seemed completely unrelated to the current topic, yet was incredibly weighty: "Qilin, if… I mean, if one day Earth truly faces an invasion by an alien civilization, and the flames of war reach our home, reaching the most critical moment when people most need to step forward, and the nation happens to need you, needs your strength, what would you do?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Lin almost reflexively straightened her back, like a javelin with a taut bowstring. She raised her head, her gaze no longer clouded, but burning with an unwavering determination in her clear eyes. She looked at Lin Yu, her voice clear and steady, each word ringing with conviction:

"Brother, first and foremost, I am a guardian of China in police uniform, protecting this land and hundreds of millions of compatriots—it is my oath and my sacred duty." She paused, the flame in her eyes settling into a deeper, more unwavering sense of responsibility. "And then, I am your sister. If that day truly comes, and the motherland needs me, I will not hesitate. My gun, my life, I am always ready to fight for this land."

Without grand pronouncements, her words resonated more powerfully than any vow. Lin Yu gazed intently at his sister, as if trying to etch her resolute, unwavering profile, her burning gaze, inch by inch into the depths of his soul. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, but ultimately, he uttered no words of emotion or advice. Instead, he nodded slowly and solemnly, suppressing the complex emotions surging within him—pride, worry, and determination—and transforming them into the simplest yet most powerful three words:

"I know."

Seeing the unwavering purity in Qi Lin's eyes, Lin Yu knew he couldn't wait any longer. The facade of peace was about to be shattered, and he had to hold up the first umbrella for her, even if that umbrella itself meant stepping into the storm.

"Eat first." He softened his voice, reaching out to place a piece of her favorite pork rib on her plate. "The food's getting cold." The unspoken words, "Brother will always be here," were a promise, and also an ultimatum to himself. What he was about to show her would be like a boulder thrown into a lake, shattering their seemingly ordinary and peaceful life.

After dinner, under the warm yellow light of the living room, Qi Lin stared intently at Lin Yu's empty palm, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation in her eyes. Her heart was inexplicably racing.

next moment--

A red phantom, as fast as lightning, swept across the field of vision without warning!

The strange mechanical life form named Kabuto Zecter lay silently in Lin Yu's outstretched palm. It resembled a majestic rhinoceros beetle, its dark red metallic shell gleaming with a cold and precise light under the lamplight. Its single horn pointed sharply to the sky, its posture serene yet seemingly containing the power of thunder, like a silent knight returning from the future.

"Ah!" Qi Lin instinctively covered her mouth, choking back the soft gasp. Her eyes widened, her pupils clearly reflecting the wondrous being that could not be created by Earth's current technology.

"It's called Kabuto King," Lin Yu said, his gaze lowered as he stared at his seemingly living companion in his palm. His voice was soft, yet carried an unwavering certainty. "It's my comrade-in-arms, and also... proof of another kind of power."

He paused, raised his eyes, and turned his gaze to Qi Lin. His usually gentle eyes were now as deep as the night sky, filled with tender resolve, as if making a promise that transcends time and space:

"When the time is right, I will definitely find you a companion like that. Let it... take my place and protect you forever."

"It...is it alive? Or...a high-tech robot?" Qi Lin's voice was filled with barely suppressed surprise. She leaned forward slightly, her gaze fixed on the quietly floating red mechanical construct as if drawn by a magnet. After a moment's hesitation, she cautiously extended her index finger, her fingertip tentatively touching its cool, finely textured metal shell.

Looking at his younger sister's adorable expression—a mixture of wanting to touch it yet being afraid of breaking it, a blend of immense curiosity and instinctive caution—Lin Yu smiled slightly and said gently, "Don't underestimate it. It's a remarkable companion, possessing its own 'will'."

As if to provide the most compelling evidence for its master's words, the rhinoceros beetle, known as "King Kabuto," surprisingly nodded its "head" up and down with remarkable intelligence and a touch of arrogance. The movement was so lifelike, it clearly said, "You have good taste." Then, it gracefully circled in the air, producing a deep, melodious hum, like the meshing of precise gears, and slowly flew around Qi Lin once. Its compound eyes seemed to glow faintly, as if performing some kind of scan or confirmation. After completing this circle, it transformed into a swift red streak, flying back to Lin Yu's palm with a "whoosh," disappearing in a flash, as if it had never been there.

Qi Lin remained frozen in place, her shoulders slightly hunched, her eyes following its movements. Several seconds later, she slowly exhaled, her face a mixture of shock, bewilderment, and a dazed excitement as if her worldview had been quietly pried open. She looked at Lin Yu, her eyes filled with a thousand questions eagerly awaiting answers.