Dead Planet
After Vũ Gia Hoàng adopted Vũ Kỳ, he remembered—while checking out of the hotel—that his nano AI assistant was broken, so he couldn't pay anymore. This was also the first time in the young major general's life that he truly understood the hardship of poverty: not enough to eat, not enough to wear. As he thought, "Truly, even a hero can be defeated by a single coin," he subconsciously reached into his pocket—only to remember that he never carried spare credits when going out.
Vũ Gia Hoàng stared emotionlessly at the payment summary board.
"No credits?" the receptionist hesitated.
He nodded.
He searched his pocket—empty.
His coat pocket—still empty.
He paused, then took off the black hair tie from the back of his head and tossed it onto the counter.
"This?" the receptionist's eyes widened.
Vũ Gia Hoàng remained expressionless, voice steady as he said:
"Mutant beast tail hair, S-grade rarity. Soft to the touch, elastic, prevents hair loss."
"…Excuse me?"
At that moment, a bald guest walked by. He spotted the hair tie, and his eyes lit up like headlights.
"I'll buy it! Name your price!"
Vũ Gia Hoàng patted the man on the shoulder: "It's yours. Pay the room bill for me."
Vũ Kỳ, who had watched the whole exchange, was rendered speechless. He searched the host body's memories and knew that S-grade mutant beast tails were razor-sharp and deadly; if that tie was really made of one, it should've been used as a weapon, not some soft, stretchy accessory… Then again, it had nothing to do with him, he told himself.
After leaving the hotel, they entered the forest.
Gia Hoàng didn't say much. Vũ Kỳ didn't ask anything either.
One led the way, the other trailed behind — at first, three steps apart; after a few hours, it became five, and by noon, it stretched to seven.
"Why are you walking farther and farther away?" he turned and asked.
The child, panting and clutching his stomach, replied, "B-Because your legs are too long…"
He stopped, pulled an energy bar from his pocket, and tossed it over.
"Eat. Doesn't taste good, but it fills you up."
After a pause, seeing the kid take a bite and continue eating in silence, he walked over and teased with a grin,
"Why not call me ba ba already?"
The little mouth froze mid-bite, then blushed furiously.
"B-Ba…"
He smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.
"Mm, just like that next time too."
The boy lowered his head, remembering how he had hugged and sobbed, crying out ba ba—it was so embarrassing. He, once the strongest man on Earth, already an adult, had acted like such a child. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide.
That evening, they stopped by a large tree to train.
No one really knew what they were training for. There were only the sounds of snapping branches, dull thuds of someone falling, and faint muttered curses.
On the second day, Vũ Gia Hoàng woke up and stretched—only to freeze.
Right in front of him, Vũ Kỳ was hanging upside down from a tree branch—sleeping. And snoring. In rhythm.
He blinked. Once. Twice.
He wasn't seeing things.
Vũ Kỳ was genuinely sleeping while balancing at a height of five meters, tied by a loosely knotted vine.
Vũ Gia Hoàng: "…"
He tilted his head.
"Is this kid a cat reincarnated or something?"
---
A few months later, it was time. Vũ Kỳ was turning three (and of course, Vũ Hữu Duyên was one—they're two years apart), and it was time to awaken his nano core.
During their noon break, Vũ Gia Hoàng patted his little son's head and asked, "You're three now. You know about the nano core awakening ritual, right?"
The boy was silent for a while before answering, "I know."
"Then why haven't you ever asked me to take you? Can you tell me the reason?"
Vũ Kỳ pressed his lips together, hesitating. He was about to give a casual answer but, looking up into those warm, loving eyes, he felt reassured and no longer afraid. He began to speak his true thoughts.
"There are too many people there... I don't like it. And besides, awakening later might sti—" His voice grew softer and trailed off when he saw Vũ Gia Hoàng's slightly angry, disapproving eyes.
"Do you know that delaying the awakening can seriously harm your body? If the nano power within you is too great, then by the time you awaken, your body might not be able to handle it and explode. The rule of awakening at age three exists for a reason: to protect the body and guide development toward a proper nano path. You're playing with fire!"
The boy said nothing, only hung his head lower.
Vũ Gia Hoàng watched him for a long while, then sighed and gently stroked his head.
"Don't be afraid. Isn't your baba right here? Don't you trust baba?"
The boy looked up, his eyes firm.
"I trust baba."
It wasn't blind trust—these past months, he had come to understand that this man truly cared for him. He once thought he'd never trust anyone again, but in just a few short months, he had seen the dedication and tenderness Vũ Gia Hoàng showed him. Baba never scolded harshly, but always taught with patience and reminded him to be cautious of the world. Even though training was a bit strict and sometimes painful, it was all for his benefit.
"Then let's go awaken your nano core at dawn tomorrow. There'll be fewer people then."
Seeing the boy's quiet nod, Vũ Gia Hoàng cheered inwardly, "YES!" He stealthily pulled out a small notebook he had bought at a nearby village and marked a check next to: "When child makes a mistake, correct with gentle tone and loving gaze." He slipped the notebook back into his pocket and decided to treat it as a precious treasure from now on.
At daybreak, soft sunlight fell on the crude rooftops of a small village nestled at the foot of a ruined mountain range—a relic of the dead planet. Vũ Kỳ stood silently in the awakening room. Next to him stood Vũ Gia Hoàng, quiet and protective. They had heard that the awakening could happen at any moment.
Ahead, a small window looked out onto the village marketplace. Vũ Kỳ's eyes, cold and distant, gazed at the crowd bustling in the morning mist.
Inside, a storm churned. Memories of experiments, the harsh white lights of research labs, and screams of despair surged back. He hated crowded places. Every noise, every glance—even a passing one—could send him spiraling into high alert.
But your face remained expressionless — perfectly emotionless, to the point that no one noticed you. No one knew that inside your body, the Nano Core was violently surging, as if it were about to break free and awaken.
Vũ Gia Hoằng stood silently behind you, saying nothing. His eyes quietly observed, then he gently placed a hand on Vũ Kỳ's head — a warm, steady hand. Not to comfort, not to guide. Just a touch to remind:
"Daddy is here. But this… you must face on your own."
Vũ Kỳ did not reply. His gaze fell on a child who had fallen in the market, people crowding around. His heart rate spiked. Fear engulfed him. But he didn't retreat. He didn't back down.
In that moment — the Nano Core in his chest ignited.
Like a silver flame bursting from deep within his marrow, it spread through every vein, every cell. His body trembled slightly. Cold sweat ran down his forehead. In his eyes, the world suddenly became clear, as if a glass pane had been wiped clean: every movement, every sound, every detail separated — vividly distinct.
[Nano Core: Awakening Level One – Activated.]
No one noticed anything. He remained standing there, cold gaze, wind brushing through his hair. But Vũ Gia Hoằng knew — in that moment, Vũ Kỳ had truly stepped onto his own path.
After the awakening, their life returned to how it had been before: mornings training the body, afternoons studying all human knowledge, and evenings either resting and talking or continuing training — but now focused on mastering the nano to firmly attach to the body for physical enhancement, or to the mind…
And that life continued until the boy turned six.
---
_ Three years later.
In the middle of a dense forest, sunlight danced on the leaves, reflecting like gold on the stream below. A teenager sat quietly, his entire being blending into nature, yet exuding an untouchable aura.
Vũ Kỳ.
He was extremely beautiful.
A beauty that defied gender — skin as pale and smooth as morning dew, silver-gray eyes as quiet as still water, black hair falling gently against sharp cheekbones. So beautiful that anyone who looked could only hold their breath — unable to distinguish male or female, only knowing that this existence was too perfect, too blinding.
He was cold, composed, never showing excess emotion. But simply by standing there, he made the world seem to slow down.
Three years ago, Vũ Kỳ awakened the Nano Core. At first, everything was under control.
However, over time, the amount of nano in his body kept increasing — without any external input, without special training, it was being generated from within. The speed of recovery, replication, restructuring… all far beyond normal standards. Too fast. Too strong. Too dangerous.
Vũ Gia Hoàng soon noticed something was wrong.
He tried everything — stabilizing medicine, growth inhibitors, energy limiters… but nothing worked.
The nano in Vũ Kỳ wasn't just a combat tool. It evolved with him. And eventually, became one with him.
He was no longer a human possessing nano — but a living nano entity in human form. A perfect weapon. Total destruction.
Vũ Gia Hoàng felt no joy. No pride. Only fear.
> "If they find out… Tiểu Kỳ will be in danger."
After living with him for three years, the initial pity had turned into genuine fatherly love.
Just one small sign, and the world outside would label Vũ Kỳ a threat — something to be eliminated.
He possessed a beauty beyond gender, yet housed a power that could make an entire planet tremble.
Vũ Gia Hoàng stayed by his side through those three years. He didn't say much, only taught him how to survive, how to hide his difference, and most importantly — how to control himself. He trained him with everything he had, hoping the boy could one day protect himself.
When Vũ Kỳ sensed this intention from his father, a sourness rose in his chest — because he feared that with such power, he'd be abandoned, condemned to eternal ruin like in his past life. But then… the things unfolding before him made him place a hand over his heart and wonder whether he should open up to this man — to this family.
Was it worth it?
The answer appeared in his mind immediately: "It's worth it."
Of course, he knew that aside from his father, he had a younger sibling of unknown gender, and a mother.
His father had told him many stories about the world beyond this dead planet. Hearing them, he was surprised — and a little hopeful for this small family.
As for Vũ Gia Hoàng, he remained silently troubled.
Only silence. And darkened eyes.
Because he knew… if the truth was ever exposed, the world would not forgive the boy.
Power that others envy — is also the reason they want to destroy him.
> "No one can know."
"Never."
He vowed to protect the boy and constantly reminded him to keep this secret safe.
Day by day, month by month, everything fell back into rhythm.
For years in the deep forest, Vũ Kỳ trained nonstop. With each control of the nano, his body evolved — lighter, faster, more perceptive. The nano was no longer just a combat tool; it was his breath, his blood, his consciousness.
Then one day, while adjusting his energy frequency to ease the nano pressure, he sensed a strange spatial fluctuation.
The sensation was similar to his old space-time ability — it felt like it had returned.
After thinking for a while, he attempted to tear open space.
He tried.
A small crack, as thin as a strand of hair but so blinding it scorched the surrounding air layer, opened before him.
Beyond it… was...
(To be continued)