Starforce Warriors

Mount Tai. It was the foremost among the Five Sacred Mountains of Great Xia. It was late autumn, so a chill lingered in the air, but the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. Li Guorui and his senior, after a long night of effort, had finally reached the summit of Mount Tai to await the sunrise.

A year of university life had already passed in the blink of an eye. The past two years had been more extraordinary than Li Guorui could have ever imagined. He had constantly shifted between the identity of a superpowered individual and that of an ordinary student. It was like experiencing two completely different lives.

His experiences as a superpowered agent gave him a distinct presence. He had an air of aloof brilliance among his peers. Coupled with the financial rewards he earned from completing Dragon Group missions, he had now become what many classmates regarded as a top-tier catch which earned him the so-called 'priority in romantic selection'.

His senior was Xue Xue. She was the belle of the Foreign Languages Institute and a top student in both character and academics. And yet, she had taken the initiative to invite him to watch the sunrise on Mount Tai. Coincidentally, he had a mission at Taiwai Village near the foot of the mountain, so he accepted the invitation.

"Look!" The senior suddenly grew excited and grabbed Li Guorui's hand. "The morning glow is so beautiful!"

The sun had yet to rise, but the clouds were already bathed in vibrant hues, as if painted with dye. All around them, the tourists waiting for the sunrise grew animated with excitement.

Li Guorui looked toward the distant horizon, also awaiting the breathtaking moment of sunrise. He held a camera in his hand, hoping to capture the beauty and bring it home to show his parents. Suddenly—

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

A shrill sound tore through the sky. A single streak of flowing light suddenly appeared from the distant mountains. It left a crimson trail, like a midnight meteor, as it streaked wildly across the sky.

"A meteor?"

"How could there be a meteor in broad daylight?"

"A fireball meteor!"

"Could it be a UFO?"

The crowd erupted in chatter and speculation.

Xue Xue narrowed her eyes, leaned gently against Li Guorui's shoulder, and said, "It's so beautiful. Quick, make a wish."

As she spoke, she closed her eyes and made a wish. It was a simple and pure wish, the kind a third-year university girl would cherish in her heart. But before she could open her eyes again, cries of alarm suddenly rose around her. Someone shoved her forcefully, and a wave of deep drowsiness overwhelmed her. A moment later, Xue Xue lost consciousness.

She had no idea how much time had passed. When she slowly opened her eyes, a bright light filled her vision.

"Huh? I actually fell asleep? Oh no... I missed the sunrise... and the meteor... I made a wish..."

She gasped instinctively, but then suddenly realized something wasn't right. She was no longer atop Mount Tai. She was in a hospital room. When she turned her head, she saw Li Guorui sitting at the bedside, his face full of concern as he looked at her.

"What happened?" asked Xue Xue, her expression turned dazed.

Li Guorui paused for a moment and said, "You were hit by a fireball meteor."

"What?" Xue Xue's mouth fell open in shock.

Li Guorui continued saying, "There was a serious meteor impact incident on Mount Tai. Several fireball meteors hit the area and you were one of several people caught in the shockwave of its impact. You were knocked unconscious and the rescue team worked on you for a whole day and night. You just woke up."

Xue Xue's mouth opened even wider as she asked, "You... you're joking, right?"

She looked at him in disbelief. Just then, the television in the hospital room began broadcasting the midday news, and as if on cue, they started to report:

"According to this station, follow-up efforts are ongoing regarding the Mount Tai fireball meteor incident. Municipal Party Secretary Lu Zhengdao has expressed condolences to the civilian rescue teams involved. Statistics show that, as of now, the incident has resulted in eighteen people injured, and several tourist facilities have been damaged..."

Only then did Xue Xue truly believe it. She suddenly remembered something and quickly looked around for her phone.

Li Guorui said, "Don't worry. Your parents have already been notified and are on their way. The doctors already informed them that you're safe. Other than a mild concussion, you don't have any visible injuries. All your tests came back normal. Your body is perfectly healthy."

Xue Xue finally let out a breath of relief. She was from Xin Jung Province. Her mother belonged to an ethnic minority, which gave her features a distinct and exotic beauty. She had fair skin, a high nose bridge, large bright eyes and pale green irises. She had the look of someone with mixed heritage, a mesmerizing blend that made her the acknowledged beauty of the entire university.

As they spoke, the door to the hospital room swung open. A pair of middle-aged parents burst in, their faces filled with worry.

"Xue Xue, are you alright? Oh, Mom was so scared!" said Xue Xue's mom. Her mother was a plump and elegant woman with long, chestnut-colored hair slightly curled at the ends. She wore a tasteful outfit that radiated refinement and grace. Clearly, she was the kind of noblewoman who maintained herself meticulously. As soon as she reached the bed, she wrapped her arms around Xue Xue and tears fell as she examined her from head to toe.

Her father was tall and broad-shouldered. He was easily over 1.9 meters tall. His short black hair was thick, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses softened his otherwise intimidating presence. It gave him a scholarly air.

The moment Li Guorui saw them, he knew Xue Xue did not come from an ordinary background. Her parents were clearly people of wealth or power, likely both. He thought for a moment, then quietly slipped out of the hospital room to wait outside. They deserved some time to reunite as a family.

The Mount Tai fireball meteor event had been extremely unusual. Even he hadn't had time to fully react. Those fireballs had come crashing down on the crowd with unimaginable speed. All Li Guorui could do was shove Xue Xue out of the way, then the fireballs had exploded among the people.

Fortunately, despite how dramatic the impact had looked, the actual damage had been surprisingly minimal. Xue Xue's injuries had been the most serious among all the victims.

In the end, that ball of fire had struck her squarely on the forehead. At first, Xue Xue had been burned so severely she looked like a charred figure made of coal. There had been a doctor during the rescue attempt who had almost immediately pronounced her dead. But Li Guorui had refused to give up. He had used his lightning-based superpower to resuscitate her heart while rushing her to the hospital as quickly as possible.

No one had expected what came next. Xue Xue's recovery was astonishingly fast. The charred skin peeled away, and fresh new skin began to grow. In just a day and a night, all traces of injury had completely vanished from her body. Blood tests and physical exams revealed results that were far beyond normal; she was in near-perfect health.

Those fireball meteors were definitely not ordinary. This supernatural phenomenon needed to be thoroughly investigated. As Li Guorui remained deep in thought, someone approached and handed him a cigarette.

"Want one?"

Li Guorui shook his head. "I don't smoke."

The tall man lit one for himself and said, "I'm Xue Xue's father. My name is Xue Ruqi."

"Hello, Uncle Xue," Li Guorui replied politely.

"And you and Xue Xue are...?" Xue Ruqi asked casually, though his tone carried a subtle edge.

Li Guorui answered, "Xue Xue and I are classmates. I came to Mount Tai with my mentor to conduct field research, and by coincidence, ran into her hiking at night. She invited me to watch the sunrise together... Uncle Xue, please rest assured, we're not in a romantic relationship."

Xue Ruqi looked a little surprised at his words. The young man before him was tall and upright. His wheat-colored skin, clear and well-defined features, and pearly white teeth gave him a clean and composed appearance. His manner of speaking was calm and respectful, yet not servile, carrying a hint of maturity rarely seen in those his age.

"And who's your mentor?" Xue Ruqi asked.

"Professor Zhou Defeng, from the Department of Philosophy," Li Guorui replied.

"Old Zhou?" Xue Ruqi's eyes lit up with surprise as he said, "I was one of his students too. Philosophy Class of '78. Looks like we're not just alumni, we're fellow disciples of the same mentor."

Li Guorui was stunned. He hadn't expected that kind of connection.