Chapter 222: I Give This to You on Behalf of My Father

The door to the VIP lounge was tightly shut, Lei Dong personally guarding outside, leaving only Qin Feng, Su Wenqian, and the visibly uneasy Mu Bai inside.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy. Su Wenqian poured Mu Bai a cup of warm water; the boy accepted it with a thank-you, cradling the cup in both hands, his fingertips whitening from the pressure, clearly still not fully calmed from his earlier tension and excitement.

Qin Feng sat on the sofa opposite him, calmly observing the boy who had suddenly entered his field of vision. Mu Bai's eyebrows and eyes bore a faint resemblance to Mu Zhaoxue, especially the stubbornness and intelligence hidden beneath his unease.

"You said your mother left something," Qin Feng cut straight to the point, skipping all pleasantries, "about the Star Ring."

Mu Bai nodded firmly, set down the cup, and carefully withdrew from his inner pocket a metal storage device slightly larger than a USB drive, entirely black and bearing no markings. It looked plain, even somewhat aged, but its material was clearly extraordinary.

"This is it," Mu Bai offered the device with both hands, his eyes filled with trust and surrender, "When Mom gave it to me, she said the information inside was extremely important—and also… extremely dangerous. She told me to hide it well, and never show it to anyone unless I found someone truly capable and willing to oppose the threat of the Star Ring."

Qin Feng took the device; it felt slightly heavy and cold to the touch. He could sense the complex encryption structure and possible self-destruct mechanism within this small apparatus. Mu Zhaoxue's work was, as always, meticulous.

"What else did your mother say?" Qin Feng asked, passing the device to Su Wenqian. She immediately understood, pulling out her portable, specially reinforced and physically isolated reading device, beginning attempts to connect and decrypt—this would take time, and required absolute security.

At the mention of her mother, Mu Bai's gaze dimmed, revealing a sorrow and hatred unfitting his age.

"Mom said the Star Ring isn't a natural phenomenon—it's… some kind of 'filter,' or… a 'harvester.'" Mu Bai's voice sank lower, "She discovered through analyzing anomalous deep-space signals and ancient astronomical records that the Star Ring's appearances are cyclical, and each time it appears, it coincides with the… extinction of certain Earth civilizations that have reached a specific technological level."

Qin Feng's eyes narrowed slightly. Mu Zhaoxue had reached a similar conclusion in his past life—that was precisely why she was killed. It seemed the data she left behind might be even more valuable than he'd imagined.

"She suspected internal forces had long known of the Star Ring's existence, and possibly even collaborated with or compromised with it." Mu Bai clenched his fists, "That's why she was… eliminated by those people."

He did not continue, but the meaning was clear.

Qin Feng fell silent. Mu Zhaoxue's deductions aligned perfectly with the fragments of truth he had glimpsed in his past life. Behind the Star Ring indeed lay malice beyond human comprehension, and on Earth, certain factions had indeed chosen to submit—or even cooperate—perhaps for self-preservation, perhaps for profit.

"How did you find your way here, all alone?" Su Wenqian asked, monitoring the decryption process, her tone carrying a hint of concern. How had a boy, burdened with such a heavy secret, evaded all surveillance and precisely located Qin Feng?

Mu Bai lifted his head, a stubborn pride flashing across his face: "I've been following every piece of news related to space and high technology. The emergence of the New Era, and the things you've done—they were different from everyone else's. I secretly researched a lot, and I thought you might be the person Mom described. When I heard about this forum, I knew the chance had come… I saved up for a long time to buy a train ticket to Suicheng."

His words were simple, yet carried a heartbreaking resilience. A boy, relying solely on belief and meager savings, had crossed thousands of miles, just to fulfill his mother's final wish—to pass this seed, potentially concerning the fate of humanity, into the hands he believed worthy.

At that moment, Mu Bai suddenly remembered something else, fumbling again in his seemingly empty hoodie pocket.

He pulled out another object, smaller, carefully wrapped in ordinary soft cloth.

He unwrapped the cloth, revealing a very ancient-looking metal badge. Circular in shape, its edges worn, the center carved with an abstract pattern resembling an eye fused with a gear—exquisitely crafted, bearing the aesthetic of a bygone industrial era.

Mu Bai extended the badge toward Qin Feng, his expression now even more solemn, almost reverent, surpassing his years.

"Mr. Qin," Mu Bai's voice was soft, yet crystal clear, "This… I give to you, on behalf of my father."

Father?

Qin Feng paused slightly. According to his fragmented past-life memories and intelligence gathered by the New Era, Mu Zhaoxue's husband had apparently died of illness before her "incident," and was merely an ordinary engineer, never involved in these core secrets.

What did this badge represent?

Seeing the question in Qin Feng's eyes, Mu Bai took a deep breath and explained:

"My father… he wasn't an ordinary man. Mom only told me later that while he appeared to be an engineer, he was actually part of a very ancient, very secretive organization called the Watchers. This badge is their token."

"The Watchers?" Su Wenqian also showed surprise—she had never encountered this name in any intelligence.

"Yes," Mu Bai nodded. "Dad said their organization has, for countless generations, recorded and monitored the stars, guarding secrets about Earth and human civilization, waiting for the… moment when the ultimate crisis would arrive. Before he died, he gave this badge to Mom, saying that if one day the Star Ring's threat drew near, and a worthy 'variable' appeared, she must give it to him."

His gaze burned into Qin Feng: "Mom believed you were this 'variable.' Now, I believe it too. So I give you this token—on behalf of my father, on behalf of the Watchers."

The room fell silent.

Mu Bai's words struck like another heavy hammer, opening another door to deeper secrets.

Mu Zhaoxue's research was already astonishing. Now, a mysterious ancient organization—the Watchers—and this emblem of inheritance and trust had been revealed.

Qin Feng reached out and took the cool metal badge. The moment his fingers touched it, he felt the weight and expectation spanning countless ages.

He looked down at the abstract eye and gear on the badge, as if seeing through it the countless generations of Watchers, throughout history, silently gazing at the stars, guarding their secrets.

The threat of the Star Ring, the hidden currents within Earth, the legacy of the ancient organization… all clues seemed to be weaving together in unexpected ways.

And he himself had undoubtedly been thrust into the center of this vortex.

He clenched the badge in his hand, his gaze growing deeper.

"I understand," Qin Feng said to Mu Bai, his voice calm yet carrying unwavering strength, "You've done well."

Mu Bai looked at Qin Feng, watching him carefully put away the badge; his tense nerves finally relaxed, his eyes reddened again—but this time, with relief and hope.

He knew: his mother's final request, his father's legacy—he had finally fulfilled them.

And Qin Feng knew: from this moment, the burden on his shoulders had grown heavier by one more weight.