“Mom, you’re finally awake!”
“Honey, I missed you so much!”
Mother Lin was held tightly in Father Lin’s arms, with Lin Jingqiu and Lin Chiyang huddled close around her, pouring out their feelings of longing.
Grandpa Lin and Grandma Lin, who rarely had moments of clarity, were wiping away tears as they watched this scene.
Only Lin Xiaohe stood at the doorway of the hospital room like an outsider, watching this woman who had just regained consciousness with a calm and rational gaze.
Her eyes were a warm brown, filled with gentleness and serenity—exactly the kind of woman her family often described: gentle, wise, and virtuous, all rolled into one—Mother Lin.
But was it really her?
As if sensing something, Mother Lin looked up and met Lin Xiaohe’s gaze without the slightest hint of guilt.
Grandma Li smiled and waved at Lin Xiaohe. “Good child, aren’t you overjoyed? Come here, this is your mother. When you were little, you loved clinging to her so much that even when she went to the bathroom, you’d follow right along.”
Lin Xiaohe didn’t move.
The atmosphere grew colder by the second. Father Lin glanced at his daughter, then at his wife, not daring to say a word—he could only shrink his neck like a timid quail.
Lin Jingqiu didn’t want her mother to feel hurt, but she also didn’t want to pressure her little sister. The conflict and urgency in her eyes were practically spilling over.
Lin Chiyang opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing, just sighed heavily while holding his head.
Mother Lin, as if completely oblivious to the awkward tension, reached out her hand and looked at Lin Xiaohe with a gentle, indulgent smile. “Xiaohe, come here to Mom.”
Lin Xiaohe didn’t budge. “I see you.”
When the other party showed no sign of cooperation, Mother Lin lowered her hand, the curve of her smile unchanged, and spoke in a soft, warm voice: “I know. I see you too. Thank you so much for bringing me back.”
Lin Xiaohe didn’t like riddles, nor did she like guessing. She preferred to be direct. “Who are you, really? You’re not my mother.”
Mother Lin tilted her head slightly, letting her smooth, jet-black hair slide down to her chest, making her look even more gentle and refined.
“You’re right, I’m not your mother. But I can be your mother.”
Lin Xiaohe’s gaze turned cold. “Stop with all that nonsense. I’m asking you—who are you? Where is my real mother?”
Mother Lin’s eyes glistened like a clear spring. After a moment of thought, she said, “I’m an ordinary citizen of the Shentao Empire. Our civilization faced an unprecedented crisis. To preserve the seeds of our civilization, the Queen selected a group of people and mobilized the full strength of the empire to protect us and help us survive the catastrophe.”
“Only the purest and kindest girl could awaken me.”
“Good girl, you woke me up, and I’m willing to be your mother.”
Lin Xiaohe rolled her eyes so hard they practically spun.
The purest and kindest girl my foot!
Who was she trying to mock with that line?!
What a load of nonsense!
Lin Xiaohe turned and walked away.
Her powerful spiritual perception allowed her to hear the chatter of the Lin family behind her.
Father Lin remarked with emotion, “Honey, you’re still as good as ever at spinning tall tales!”
Grandpa and Grandma Lin nodded in agreement. “No wonder she’s a talented writer on the side—she can whip up a story on the spot and make it sound pretty convincing.”
Mother Lin, seeming quite experienced, said, “Xiaohe is in her rebellious phase right now, and she hasn’t been in contact with me for a long time. At times like this, you can’t go against her—you have to go along with her.”
“Wow, honey, you’re amazing! That’s exactly it! I always thought Xiaohe was the one with issues, but it turns out she’s just going through puberty.”
Lin Chiyang looked thoughtful. “So that’s it! The one who’s really troubled is my little sister. I guess we need to show her more care.”
Overhearing all this, Lin Xiaohe deliberately stomped her feet hard to remind her family not to gossip behind her back.
Sure enough, they stopped talking.
Lin Xiaohe grumbled to herself. This new occupant of her mother’s body was way too skilled—she had all the other Lins completely wrapped around her finger.
And her dad and the rest—honestly, they couldn’t be in denial about their own problems! How could they say with a straight face that they were the normal ones?!
Sigh. Without me, this family would fall apart!
Late that night, when everyone in the Lin family was fast asleep, Lin Xiaohe slipped quietly into the hospital room.
Green vines coiled around Mother Lin’s neck.
But Mother Lin’s eyes were wide open, a gentle smile still on her face. “Xiaohe, are you playing a game with Mom?”
“Where is that place?”
Both of them knew that Lin Xiaohe was asking about the undersea city.
Lin Xiaohe had expected to have to put in a lot of effort to get a straight answer, but to her surprise, Mother Lin was quite honest.
“That is the capital of the Shentao Empire—Poseidonis.”
Lin Xiaohe was speechless.
Really? Or is she making this up?
“Where is the Shentao Empire?”
Mother Lin replied, “Hmm… its territory spans thousands of miles and is everywhere.”
Lin Xiaohe took a deep breath. “Can you not understand plain human speech? I’m asking for the location of the Shentao Empire! Its position on the star map!”
Mother Lin lowered her head apologetically. “I’m sorry. I’ve just taken over this body, and I’m not yet familiar with your human language. If you’re asking where the Shentao Empire is now, then I can tell you—it no longer exists. It has faded into the river of time.”
There was so much wrong with that answer that Lin Xiaohe didn’t even know where to start.
“So, you’re not human?”
“Of course not. We’re a deep-sea race. You’ve seen us, haven’t you?”
Lin Xiaohe’s eyes flickered. “Then why is your body humanoid?”
Aha! Caught you slipping!
But Mother Lin showed no sign of panic. “According to our research, before the Shentao Empire, there were at least three other powerful civilizations, one of which had a humanoid form. The High Priest deduced that after the fall of the Shentao Empire, the next civilization to rise would most likely be humanoid.”
Lin Xiaohe: “Are you talking about us?”
Mother Lin blinked. “I don’t know. I just woke up.”
Lin Xiaohe thought back to the civilization of Number 741, which had also mentioned several prehistoric civilizations before theirs.
So… did that match up?
“As far as you know, how many civilizations came before yours?”
Mother Lin sighed helplessly. “You really should have followed the guidance of the divine spirits instead of choosing me. I’m just the most ordinary citizen of the Shentao Empire—I don’t know that much. All I know is that there were three. The first two were human civilizations, reportedly related to psychic powers. And there was one non-human civilization, but I don’t know the details.”
Lin Xiaohe: “What’s behind the door with the golden totem?”
“The hope of the Shentao Empire.”
Lin Xiaohe: “Last question—how did you know you could be awakened? And is the Neptune Cult something you guys cooked up?”
Mother Lin held up two fingers and corrected her, “That’s two questions, you know. Your math seems a little off. As for the first question—I don’t know. That was for the High Priest and the Queen to worry about. As for the second—I have no idea what the Neptune Cult is. In our civilization, Neptune referred to the great, mysterious, and most energy-rich nobles of the deep sea!”
Lin Xiaohe let out an “Mm.” Now she could be fairly certain that the Neptune Cult was connected to the Shentao Empire.
It was very likely that other remnants of the Shentao Empire, similar to this woman occupying her mother’s body, had awakened and founded the Neptune Cult.
But why weren’t they lying low? Why were they stirring up trouble within the Federation?
Were they trying to restore their empire?
