"Hey, you can''t move on your own! You need rest!" Amelia blurted out, her voice tinged with concern and urgency as she stepped forward.


    At her warning, Anran clung to Wang Xiao like a ko to a sturdy trunk.


    Her eyes—a mixture of mischief and mirth—blinked in surprise before she theatrically closed them again.


    Amelia, "??"


    Then, with a grin that stretched mischievously across her face, Anran stuck out her tongue at him. "Pthhh!"


    "..."


    "What?" Amelia, standing just behind Wang Xiao, felt her heart skip a beat in shock.


    ''This girl...'' Her eyes, wide as crystals, mirrored a blend of astonishment and amusement.


    Never in her life had she expected such childlike actionsing from a grown woman, a mother of two!


    "..."


    The air around Wang Xiao tightened with tension as Anran''s arms ensnared him, herughter tickling his ear.


    He believed this whimsical woman desperately needed some discipline—after all, she had abandoned her parental duties and was now wreaking havoc.


    "Anran... I thought you were going to be—responsible," he managed to say, his voice tinged with both irritation and reluctant amusement, muffled by her proximity.


    "Hm! Very responsible! I am!" Anran dered, nodding vigorously and pointing to herself with her thumb to emphasize her point even more.


    "..."


    Wang Xiao wondered if she was merely pretending not to hear or genuinely oblivious to the chaos she stirred.


    Like Amelia, he was momentarily petrified, as the next words tumbled from Anran''s lips—


    "Bàba!"


    "!"


    Locking eyes with him, Anran''s grin widened, impish and triumphant, before she repeated, her voice soft yet clear, "Bàba!"


    "..."


    "..."


    Today marked the day Anran knew she should have held her tongue, restraining the impulsive words that so often escaped her.


    Yet, she didn''t—and the mischievous twinkle in her eyes only brightened as she anticipated the consequences.


    For the first time in the world, a woman who hade back from the dead was now soaring through the air.


    Anran felt herself thrown aloft, embracing the G-force as if to test her own shock absorption capabilities.


    Amelia could only shout in rm as Wang Xiao catapulted Anran—a seemingly normal human—into the air like a projectile.


    Racing after her with heart-pounding urgency, Amelia was determined to ensure that this girl wouldn''t meet death once again, increasing her own workload!


    [A/N: Bàba = Dad in chinese]


    _________


    December 31, 2026!


    The new year was almost there!


    After permitting Anran an additional day in Gaia''s high-tech facility for thorough examinations, Wang Xiao made the decision to transfer her back to the stately King''s Mansion in Sylvergard.


    Consolidating everyone in one secure location seemed like a smarter tactic to Wang Xiao, especially considering Eveline would now be living among them.


    However, a singr dilemma stayed: the secret of reviving the dead.


    This groundbreaking discovery, now fallen into human hands, came with significant limitations—it was impossible to resurrect anyone with a mutted body or if a considerable amount of time had psed since death.


    Yet, the secret was irrevocably revealed.


    Wang Xiao was uncertain about how the staff at Gaia''s facility would handle such potent knowledge.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    For the moment, he delegated this thorny issue to Li Zhiming to manage, given his leadership role in Project Zero.


    It was only during a video call with the old man that he discovered Li Zhiming was already in Frostholm, staying in a remote outpost for unknown reasons.


    He promptly received the contact details of Li Zhiming''s secretary for any further matters.


    Nheless, having warned him of the technique''s dangers, Wang Xiao was not overly concerned.


    His own method of dealing with enemies—turning their bodies into nothing more than a mist of blood—left no chance for revival.


    After settling Eveline and the two little terrors—yes, Wang Xiao genuinely considered these charming girls as little monsters, a sort of abomination—it was somewhat amusing to see him scrutinizing the two adorable infants with a suspicious and overly cautious gaze.


    This unexpected behavior elicited a chuckle from Seraphina, who found herself puzzled by the man''s apprehension towards such innocent beings.


    Meanwhile, news that Fra Ind was bing uninhabitable and manifesting bizarre phenomena after a bombardment of gamma rays dominated the television broadcasts.


    Fortunately, Levos Ind, where Wang Xiao and the others resided, remained perfectly safe.


    If Eveline''s words were to be believed, Maliketh would not dare to enter this territory again, apparently deterred by some ominous presence he feared lurking in the sky.


    Wang Xiao himself was unclear about what Eveline was signalling to, yet he had his suspicions...


    Putting aside these thoughts, the immediate concern became Amelia.


    Wang Xiao sensed that after their prolonged separation, she might wish to stay with him, yet she was already expressing a desire to return.


    Convinced that Amelia would find greater safety in Xianthera, he resolved to escort her back himself.


    As for the care of Anran during this period and overseeing her recovery, he had decisively abducted Reba from Gaia''s Facility to fulfill this role.


    Reba naturally was very resistant, so he had no choice but to ce her in a stic bag, dragging her all the way in.


    Now, standing on the frozen outskirts of Xianthera, Wang Xiao couldn''t help but take in a deep, fresh breath of the crisp air.


    The outskirts appeared eternally cloaked in snow, a strange phenomenon, yet there was an undeniable magic to the ce.


    "You are not going toe inside?" Amelia inquired, a note of hope mingling with reluctance in her voice. "Time moves slowly here; you could even stay for a few days," she suggested, her eyes conveying a subtle plea.


    Wang Xiao smiled faintly, his eyes sweeping over the vast, frostyndscape of Xianthera. He couldn''t deny its breathtaking beauty.


    "Not right now, but you could alwayse outside to meet me; I''ll keep the entrance open. Don''t worry about anyone infiltrating this ce. This part of the ind will be dered a restricted zone and will remain off the surveince grid."


    "You guys can freelye outside from now on. It''s the perfect opportunity for you to import technology from the outside world and help this ce catch up—or even surpass it," Wang Xiao outlined his ambitious ns for Xianthera.


    He believed deeply in the potential of this ce; it had given him so much during the ten years he spent here, though he was only awake for five of them.


    Now, with his influential status in the outside world and with the support of Li Zhiming, he was confident he could preserve this sanctuary''s secrecy forever.