《HEROIC ERA》


 Chapter 1

    There was a restaurant with a name so retro it gleamed: "Gold Standard."Officially rated five stars, popularly reviewed as "bullshit."


    According to the feedback of the people who had eaten there, the only things that met the so-called "five-star" standard were the large sheets of gold-colored tiles on the walls and the jaw-droppingly expensive prices on the menu.


    Still, as one of the city''s most famous shrines for pretentiousness, even though it was all glitter on the surface and rotten inside, it continued to attract a steady stream of show-offs willing to be slaughtered for the sake of appearances.


    ¡­Of course, almost every person who paid a fortune here to gild their face would end up walking away, clutching their wallets and complaining through clenched teeth:"How the hell are they still in business?"


    The service was slow ¡ª bad review!The drinks looked awful ¡ª bad review!There wasn¡¯t even a single human staff member, just robots running the show ¡ª one-star review for ten thousand years!


    Mr. Robin straightened his flashy bow tie with unnecessary force and shot his assistant, Xiao Zhu, a vicious glare.


    Xiao Zhu, having failed his mission, could only lower his head and curl up his shoulders, pretending to be a quail that didn¡¯t exist.


    As he waited, Mr. Robin once again turned his gaze toward the restaurant¡¯s grand entrance. He watched, helplessly, as a female customer in heels tripped over the raised threshold, while the idiotic service robot stood by, swaying its big iron head, utterly lost.


    Yes, that¡¯s right ¡ª to keep those dumb service bots from wandering off, the restaurant had actually installed a thirty-centimeter-high threshold at the front door!


    It was absolutely tragic.


    "Can¡¯t they just upgrade those busted machines'' systems?" Robin muttered bitterly to himself, still smarting from the twisted ankle he got on that same step.


    Just as the woman was about to faceplant, a silhouette appeared in the backlight at the entrance. Before anyone could react, the figure reached out and swiftly caught the falling woman. With practiced ease, they lifted her as if she weighed nothing and placed her gently over the thirty-centimeter threshold.


    ¡°A fine warrior,¡± Mr. Robin said lazily, swirling his drink as he turned to Xiao Zhu. ¡°Definitely trained. Nice reflexes.¡±


    The female customer quickly regained her composure and thanked the person repeatedly. The figure at the entrance seemed to offer a faint smile, gracefully stepping aside to let her pass before heading into the restaurant.


    "Wait a sec, boss¡­ why is he walking toward us?" Xiao Zhu whispered, alarmed. "He nodded at you!"


    Before the words were even cold, Mr. Robin stared in stunned silence as the ''warrior'' strode directly toward them and stopped right in front of him.


    Their heels clicked together gently, spine straight as an arrow, fingers at their sides twitching slightly ¡ª as if about to salute ¡ª but after a brief pause, they seemed to recall this wasn¡¯t the place for it, and instead simply nodded politely.


    Mr. Robin craned his neck almost to the breaking point, and deep in his soul, a weak, trembling voice screamed:"Wasn¡¯t I supposed to be meeting my friend¡¯s daughter? A girl called¡­ Xiao Luoluo?"


    Then the gender-enigmatic figure looked him square in the eyes, and spoke with measured clarity:"Hello, Uncle Luo. I''m Fu Luo."


    Her voice was¡­ special. Deeper than most women, but clearer than most men ¡ª delicately balanced between the two. Every syllable was crisp, as if polished, leaving no room for ambiguity.


    Mr. Robin felt his worldview cracking and reached up to rub his eyes in disbelief.


    Xiao Zhu glanced nervously from one to the other. With three years of assistant experience in reading moods, he concluded that¡­his boss was probably about to bleed from his seven orifices and ascend to heaven.


    Mr. Robin was a man of loud luxury and little depth ¡ª a legendary poser with national fame, red-hot and ruthless in his rise.


    He was the world¡¯s most famous image consultant, serving high-ranking officials from multiple nations.


    Now, ¡°image consulting¡± was really just a glorified name for a very unnecessary job.With today¡¯s tech, gene-level cosmetic surgery had already become cheap and accessible to the masses.


    Cranial or bodily enhancements were still heavily restricted due to their long-term side effects,but altering appearance alone posed little risk ¡ª no more than an appendectomy.


    Even so, genetic aesthetics had never really taken off.Public opinion wasn¡¯t much more accepting than that of ancient people three centuries ago.People still discreetly got touch-ups now and then,but to modify yourself until your own mother couldn¡¯t recognize you?That took a whole village full of liberal parents.


    Since the dawn of civilization, humans had always chased ¡°natural¡± beauty and disdained the artificial.It was practically written into our cultural DNA.


    If a public figure got exposed for having a fake face,that was a scandal for the ages ¡ª a black mark they''d be metaphorically flogged for a hundred times over.


    Mr. Robin, though, was an expert at ¡°sculpting the natural.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    He charged a fortune, and even A-list stars lined up at his feet for a consultation ¡ªmost of whom he still turned away with dramatic flair and haughty disdain.


    As you can imagine, his temper was far from modest.


    In Xiao Zhu¡¯s opinion, just the fact that his boss had agreed to wait in a restaurant at all was already inconceivable.And now this guest had the gall to call him ''Uncle''¡ªa man whose face didn¡¯t even have a single dry wrinkle!


    Xiao Zhu clenched his bag tightly, bracing for his boss to throw a fit and storm out.


    But miraculously, Mr. Robin¡ªwearing a face like he¡¯d just been struck by lightning¡ªdidn¡¯t get mad.In fact, he exceeded expectations by squeezing out a kindly smile and speaking in a tone reserved for kindergarteners:


    "Good, good¡­ ah, Xiao Luoluo, is it? Grown so big in the blink of an eye. I didn¡¯t even recognize you. Where¡¯s your mom? Didn¡¯t she come with you?"


    The newcomer stood ramrod straight, like delivering a briefing:


    ¡°She¡¯s on her way from work. According to her flight coordinates five minutes ago, she¡¯s currently stuck in traffic over the Second Ring.Based on today¡¯s traffic model, she¡¯ll need approximately twenty-five more minutes to arrive.¡±


    Mr. Robin¡¯s eyelid twitched.


    ¡°Oh¡­ good, good. You¡ªuh, you don¡¯t need to stand. Have a seat, please.¡±


    Upon receiving the command, Fu Luo performed a standard left-face turn and, with evenly measured steps, crossed the short distance to the opposite chair.She pulled out the seat, sat down properly, all in one smooth motion ¡ª like a gust of wind in motion, like a clock in stillness.


    Mr. Robin found himself staring blankly at this ¡ª well, let¡¯s just assume it was a ¡°young lady¡± for now ¡ª this mysterious creature across from him.Tongue-tied, he racked his brain but couldn¡¯t come up with a single thing to say.


    In the end, it was Xiao Zhu who gave him a subtle tug.¡°Boss, should we¡­ order first?¡±


    Snapping out of it, Mr. Robin pressed the touchpad built into the corner of the table to activate the restaurant¡¯s ordering system.A digital menu spread across the surface.¡°Ah¡ªyes, yes. Let¡¯s order.¡±


    So¡­ who was this person sitting across from them?


    Her ID card read as follows ¡ª


    Name: Fu Luo.Gender: Female.


    This precious 32nd-generation ID card was the only thing that had cleared her name after she was once mistaken for a pervert and beaten up outside a women¡¯s restroom.


    Fu Luo had just turned twenty-three this fall.


    In the year 2413, after the tech boom, human lifespans now approached 200 years.A ¡°twenty-three-year-old girl¡± should, without question, be in the prime of her youth ¡ªa term that conjured images of radiant vitality and poetic elegance:"In the bloom of youth," "with the dew still on her petals," and so on.


    And Fu Luo, this so-called flower, stood at 175cm tall, weighed 70 kilograms, had thick brows, large eyes, and skin tanned a deep wheat tone.She wasn¡¯t fat ¡ª she was strong.Her muscular arms broadened her shoulders like the wings of a great eagle about to take flight.


    Mr. Robin estimated that her shoulder width had to be close to 44 centimeters.Her waist, by contrast, was tightly cinched ¡ª clearly the product of consistent training.Her spine was ramrod straight.In short, she had the textbook build of a man.


    Three hundred and sixty degrees of unrelenting, rugged masculinity.


    Fu Luo was dressed in men¡¯s casualwear.Her hair was cropped slightly longer than a buzzcut, sticking out in all directions like a hedgehog.


    A rugged military-issue watch clung to her bony wrist, the strap badly worn.One corner of the dial was chipped, and someone had glued it back on, making it look even more battered.


    Did her mother not even have money to buy her a new watch?Mr. Robin sucked in a breath through his teeth as his mind involuntarily queued up a familiar jingle:¡°O mighty delivery rider, your rocket-steed does fly¡­¡±


    As the camera-ready Adonis of the image design world sat across from this¡­ well, gender-challenged young brute,the visual contrast was almost comical.


    Xiao Zhu, ever the diligent assistant, tried to play his part.¡°So¡­ what does Fu Luo like to eat?¡± he asked cautiously.


    Fu Luo turned her gaze to him, her previously blank face softening into a faint ¡ª very faint ¡ª smile.¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can order. It¡¯s my treat today.¡±


    Meeting her eyes directly, Xiao Zhu froze.Her features were sharply defined, striking in their boldness.Her gaze was clear and lively ¡ª and under the soft lighting, it seemed to shine.


    ¡°Kinda¡­ handsome,¡± Xiao Zhu thought, flushing involuntarily.


    He recalled hearing an old storytelling segment at the historical museum once.His imagination kicked in: deck her out in a lion-helmet and kirin-armor, five-colored tiger-head boots,and a black-iron halberd with nine rings¡­Now that would be a fearsome general! A scourge of demons, a god of fire and steel!


    Mr. Robin¡¯s molars throbbed.He remembered what Fu Luo¡¯s mother had told him on the phone:¡°She¡¯s graduated. Not very good-looking. A bit socially awkward.She¡¯s got some time off ¡ª let her follow you around for a while as an intern.¡±


    He¡¯d imagined a plain-faced, quiet little girl.What he got instead¡­was a plasma cannon when he¡¯d been expecting a pocket flashlight.


    ¡°So, uh¡­ what school did you go to, Xiao Luo? What was your major?¡±


    It didn¡¯t have to be anything impressive.Literature, commerce, medicine, even a diploma in ¡°Space Pig Farming Technology¡± would do¡­


    Fu Luo¡¯s expression turned serious.She answered clearly and firmly:


    ¡°Military Commission Academy. Department of Space Combat Operations.¡±


    Xiao Zhu¡¯s hand, which had been hovering over the menu, jerked and accidentally selected the ¡°hell spice¡± level.The touch-sensitive table¡¯s AI promptly popped up a warning:


    <blockquote>


    ¡°Kind reminder: This dish is extremely spicy and may cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal discomforts. Please reconsider.Attention: Customers with hemorrhoids should especially take caution. Repeating: Hemorrhoids ¡ª please be careful.¡±


    </blockquote>


    Xiao Zhu, face turning green, hurriedly closed the intrusive pop-up.


    ¡°You¡­ space combat major¡­¡±


    Mr. Robin looked solemnly at this elite from the nation''s future-generals academy and spat out each word carefully:¡°Is here¡­ to intern¡­ at my¡­ image design firm¡­ for six weeks?¡±


    Fu Luo paused for two seconds, then responded with complete honesty:


    ¡°It¡¯s not an internship. Our internships are centrally arranged by the academy.I just graduated and am about to begin active service.I have a six-week leave before that¡­ My mom made me come.¡±


    Mr. Robin slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon.¡°Tell me,¡± he groaned, ¡°what exactly did your mother say?¡±


    Fu Luo repeated, in a perfectly flat tone:


    ¡°She said, ¡®If you dare not go, I¡¯ll die in front of you.My eternal resting place will be a dark, floating trash pile in the void of space.Turning into space debris is still better than watching you ruin my mood every day.¡¯¡±


    Mr. Robin covered his face with both hands.After a long moment, he groaned:


    ¡°Yup¡­ that¡¯s her style.¡±


    If only he didn¡¯t sound quite so tragic while saying it¡­

 Chapter 2

    The connection between Robin and the Fu family dates back over twenty years.


    Fu Luo¡¯s mother, Fu Xiaoxin, was an engineer employed at a major state-owned military-industrial enterprise. At the time, the now highly esteemed ¡°Mr. Robin¡± was nothing more than an unknown engineering graduate. After completing his bland and uneventful internship, he became one of Engineer Fu¡¯s students.


    Back then, he didn¡¯t have a fashionable name like ¡°Robin.¡± He was simply Luo Xiaobo, with features delicate enough to resemble a young lady.


    Coupled with his gentle, soft-spoken personality, his fondness for grooming, and his rather unhealthy obsession with skincare products, he carried a natural air of effeminacy. In a macho-dominated military-industrial environment, it was obvious¡ªaside from dropping the soap, he had little future.


    Colleagues his age found him tiring to deal with and kept a lukewarm distance. Even the senior staff didn¡¯t think much of his style. Only Fu Xiaoxin¡ªwho had probably just given birth and was experiencing an overflow of maternal instinct due to hormonal shifts¡ªtook special care of him.


    Luo Xiaobo was the type of person who would call for help if the ¡°household material management system¡± malfunctioned. Swapping out a chip in a basic domestic robot¡ªsomething even junior high kids could handle in extracurriculars¡ªhe couldn¡¯t manage it properly.


    Whether it was choosing a college major or entering a military research institute, it was clear he¡¯d picked the wrong path.


    He relied on rote memorization and textbook regurgitation for all technical skills. Whenever a hands-on experiment was required, he¡¯d lose sleep the night before. Even Fu Xiaoxin had to admit: her incompetent student simply didn¡¯t belong in a research institute. She wasn¡¯t sure if he was doing research¡ªor if the research was doing him.


    Truth be told, Luo Xiaobo had no desire to become a civilian military officer. He lacked ambition and merely dreamed of styling people in a dynamic photo studio.


    He was lost in life, drowning in confusion. What appeared to be a glamorous life at the institute was, to him, a heavy burden and an unspoken torment. Whenever he thought about living like this forever, the pain made him wish he had never been born.


    He endured over two agonizing years at the institute¡ªuntil he was on the brink of depression. At last, he made a bold decision: to walk away from it all and pursue a life in hairstyling. He submitted his resignation, determined to become an apprentice at a photo studio.


    Everyone around him was stunned, unanimously convinced that Luo Xiaobo had either gone mad or was on the wrong medication. Fu Xiaoxin tried to visit and talk him out of it several times, but eventually had to give up¡ªhe was as stubborn as a turtle who¡¯d swallowed a lead weight.


    As it happened, Fu Xiaoxin had a distant relative¡ªone of those ¡°a face known across three thousand miles¡± types¡ªwho ran a small dynamic photography studio. She pulled some strings through that connection and arranged for Luo Xiaobo to be taken in. She even kept looking out for him through acquaintances, and that¡¯s how ¡°Mr. Robin¡± came to be.


    Today, Mr. Robin might be busy, but he has always been grateful and never lost touch with Fu Xiaoxin. Over time, his respectful ¡°Teacher¡± evolved into a more affectionate ¡°Big Sister.¡±


    But Fu Xiaoxin was busy, and so was Mr. Robin. After she divorced Fu Luo¡¯s father, Wang Yizheng, she changed her daughter¡¯s surname and never remarried. To Robin, she had once been ¡°teacher,¡± and later became a sort of honorary sister¡ªbut there were no actual blood ties. Whenever he did visit, he rarely stayed long.


    As for Fu Luo, she had moved into a boarding school during middle school. So once she got older, Robin hadn¡¯t seen her again. His impression of her remained fixed in the past¡ªas the chubby little girl she had once been.


    Most children aren¡¯t judged for their looks, and a plump kid tends to come across as cute. Mr. Robin never imagined that the round-faced little girl from over a decade ago would grow up into such a striking, statuesque presence.


    Robin¡¯s mind was bubbling with questions, like air pockets rising from the bottom of a swamp. He couldn¡¯t help but think: ¡°What on earth did that woman, Fu Xiaoxin, feed her kid to raise her into this?¡±


    Over the phone, Robin didn¡¯t even have time to ask whether Fu Luo was still fat or thin before his ¡°Big Sister,¡± the engineering brute Fu Xiaoxin, barked her final verdict:¡°All right! As long as you¡¯re willing to take that useless niece of yours, I¡¯ll have her shipped over right away!¡±


    Now, as he faced the ¡°shipment,¡± Mr. Robin finally understood what she¡¯d meant with that ¡°no refunds, no returns¡± tone.


    By the time Fu Xiaoxin arrived, the big iron-headed robots had just about finished preparing the food. Once Fu Luo picked up her knife and fork, both Robin and Xiao Zhu were once again left stunned.


    In Xiao Zhu¡¯s experience with the fashion world, young women went to absurd lengths to stay slim. One girl had even secretly undergone illegal gene-editing surgery in an unlicensed clinic¡ªtrying to block her body¡¯s ability to absorb fat. Her endocrine system went haywire, she developed severe vitamin D deficiencies, and her bones crumbled at the slightest tap. Multiple organ failures followed. Her autopsy had so many issues that the coroner couldn¡¯t even determine a primary cause of death.


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    Most people wouldn¡¯t go to such extremes, but dieting had remained a timeless national sport ever since the days of the King of Chu and his love of tiny waists.


    In front of this beauty¡ªwho would feel guilty just eating half a bowl of salad¡ªempty plates began to multiply at an astonishing pace.


    The plate-clearing ¡°iron-head¡± robot made constant trips to and from their table, its bearings creaking in agony from the workload. At one point, it rushed too fast and slammed headfirst into the table leg, collapsing into a miserable heap.


    Mr. Robin and his ever-gawking assistant once again learned what it meant to witness ¡°true heroic spirit.¡±


    A bottomless pit?


    No, that would be an insult to bottomless pits. Please, have some respect.


    Classmate Fu¡¯s approach to food was like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves¡ªfocused, efficient, and unstoppable.


    Within ten minutes, she devoured two appetizers, a bowl of soup, two pieces of complimentary lunch bread, half a roast chicken, an entire steak, three stacks of fries, two full bowls of salad¡ªone meat-based, one vegetarian¡ªand four dessert plates.


    Fu Xiaoxin finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and gave Fu Luo a solid smack on the back.¡°What are you, the reincarnation of a starving ghost?¡±


    (She nearly followed that with ¡°eat a pot, poop a vat,¡± but swallowed the second half for the sake of everyone¡¯s mental health.)


    Fu Luo shot her a disgruntled glance, obediently put down her knife and fork, wiped her mouth, and sat up straight.


    Mr. Robin tried to untie the metaphorical bowtie on his tongue and stammered, ¡°N-no need to hold back. L-let the kid eat¡­ don¡¯t let her go hungry.¡±


    Ms. Fu Xiaoxin was already pushing eighty, which¡ªby modern standards¡ªonly just nudged her into middle age. Her appearance fit the part: a very average-looking middle-aged woman, not particularly fat, not especially fit. She didn¡¯t wear makeup, but wasn¡¯t exactly eye-searingly ugly either.


    Fu Luo¡¯s father was reportedly a military academy graduate, though no one really knew what he did. He didn¡¯t quite match the traditional image of a soldier¡ªthin, quiet, a bit withdrawn. Robin had met him once in his youth and remembered him as polite, but not particularly warm.


    With parents like that, what kind of genetic mutation had produced a daughter like this?


    Robin watched as Fu Xiaoxin gave her daughter another hard slap on the head.¡°Cut your own hair again, huh? How many times have I told you! Even rodents don¡¯t gnaw their teeth as often as you cut yours. What¡¯ve you got against those two tufts of hair? Why not just shave it all off!¡±


    Fu Luo responded sincerely, ¡°If I shave it all off, it¡¯s annoying¡ªonce it starts growing back, I¡¯d just have to shave it again.¡±


    This twisted logic made Fu Xiaoxin fume with rage. In the middle of a public place, she unleashed a storm of parental violence. Fu Luo, however, sat there like an immovable mountain, neither dodging nor resisting, as if her mother were merely dusting her off. She said with weary resignation, ¡°Mom, stop picking on me all the time.¡±


    Ms. Fu Xiaoxin¡¯s gaze shifted to Robin¡¯s young and beautiful assistant, Xiao Zhu. The moment she laid eyes on the girl¡ªtall, well-proportioned, sweet and pleasant¡ªenvy instantly consumed her. Then she looked back at the living brute she herself had given birth to, and truly experienced what people meant by ¡°the difference between clouds and mud.¡± She didn¡¯t even know how to describe the bitterness in her heart.


    Mr. Robin stiffened his face, doing his best to keep his expression from cracking.


    ¡°I must¡¯ve been exposed to some unidentified radiation while I was pregnant with her.¡±In the end, after beating her daughter to the point of exhaustion, Ms. Fu summed up her child¡¯s entire existence in one line.


    ¡°Sis is entrusting this creature to you. If she screws up, don¡¯t hold back¡ªfeel free to smack her or whip her. You¡¯ve seen it yourself: thick skin, tough meat, nearly impossible to kill.¡±


    Robin: ¡°¡­¡±


    Thus ended the meal, with Fu Xiaoxin catching up with old times in between her continual verbal and physical assaults on her own daughter.


    After finishing her meal, Fu Xiaoxin left with Fu Luo. But Mr. Robin had the table cleared, then ordered another drink. He seemed to be waiting for someone.


    Fu Luo, meanwhile, looked like an oppressed servant from a bygone era¡ªclearing the path, carrying her mother¡¯s bag, holding her coat¡­ and enduring random backhand slaps that could come at any time from the sky above.


    At the restaurant¡¯s threshold, Fu Luo offered her mother an arm. Then she opened the glass door, stepped aside with a polite hand gesture, and lowered her voice:¡°This way, Your Majesty. May you live a thousand years.¡±


    ¡°The Empress Dowager¡± let out a heavy ¡°hmph,¡± then strutted off with regal arrogance.


    Just as Fu Luo was about to follow her, a man stepped into the restaurant.


    He appeared to be in his early thirties¡ªtall, lean, and strikingly handsome, with features that aligned perfectly with modern beauty standards. But the frown etched between his brows, far too deep for his age, gave his entire face a strange, brooding intensity.


    Fu Luo glanced at him again, feeling as though she had seen him somewhere before.


    One was about to exit, the other about to enter. The two paused at the threshold, each gesturing for the other to go first.


    In the end, it was Ms. Fu Xiaoxin¡ªalready a good five or six meters ahead¡ªwho lost her patience. She turned back and barked at Fu Luo:¡°What the hell are you dawdling for? Honestly, you¡¯ve got the makings of a top-tier doorman. Get your butt over here!¡±


    Fu Luo gave an apologetic nod to the man and hurried after her mother.¡°Here I come¡ªrolling, as requested.¡±


    It was apparently not round enough, as Ms. Fu Xiaoxin responded by rising onto her toes and smacking the back of her daughter¡¯s head.


    Fu Luo ducked her head obligingly, adjusting her height to suit her short mother¡¯s attack range. Without missing a beat, she added,¡°Careful not to twist your ankle.¡±


    The man at the restaurant entrance turned back at the sound of their voices. He looked at the backs of the mother and daughter as they walked away.Something seemed to come to mind. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a smile that appeared and vanished in a flash.But once the smile faded, the gloom between his brows deepened.He walked straight over to Mr. Robin¡¯s table.


    ¡°Mr. Luo.¡±


    This time, Robin stood up to greet the man¡ªreserved and formal.¡°Colonel Yang.¡±