429: status quo

"Dad, let's go to the Space Administration first. Bai Yiming's capture will surely alert the Rebel Army," Xiao Xiao said.

Tian Ming nodded and followed Xiao Xiao to a massive battleship. On the battleship, a striking emblem was imprinted—the symbol of the Space Administration.

Inside the battleship, various advanced instruments flickered, and the crew members were busy operating different equipment. Upon reaching the bridge, a middle-aged man hurried over. He looked at Tian Ming, his eyes filled with shock, then immediately with joy.

Tian Ming looked at the man before him, seeing that his temples were graying, but his appearance had not changed much.

"Boss, you, you're finally back," Meng Xian opened his arms and embraced Tian Ming.

Tian Ming gently patted Meng Xian's shoulder and smiled, "Yes, I'm back."

Meng Xian's eyes welled up with tears from excitement. He choked out, "Boss, you don't know, we searched for your whereabouts globally, and that search lasted over a decade."

At this moment, Bai Yiming, who was suspended beside Tian Ming, also woke up. He looked around and, upon seeing Meng Xian, a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

Tian Ming waved his hand, and Bai Yiming regained his freedom. Moments later, Bai Yan rushed over, fuming. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Bai Yan raised his hand and gave his son a resounding slap.

"Dad!" Bai Yiming covered his face and shouted, lowering his head.

Bai Yan angrily retorted, "Don't call me Dad. I don't have a son like you."

"But, but!"

Bai Yiming was about to argue, but Bai Yan interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "You betrayed the Space Administration, became a running dog for the Rebel Army, and you still have the nerve to see me."

A flicker of guilt crossed Bai Yiming's eyes, but it vanished instantly. He stiffened his neck and said, "Why can't the Space Administration accept Tian Quan? You should know, Tian Quan contributed greatly to solving the zombie problem on Blue Star."

Bai Yan glared at him: "Are you still talking? Just wait, wait for the Arbitration Tribunal to sanction you." Bai Yan waved his hand, and several mechanical soldiers stepped forward, putting an Ability Users suppression collar on Bai Yiming and escorting him away.

"Mr. Lu, I apologize. It's my fault for not raising my son properly."

Watching Bai Yiming being led away, Tian Ming smiled and said, "It's fine, I've already reformed your son for you!"

Looking at their aged appearances, Tian Ming said with some emotion, "I was taken away by the Yuanchu God, and only a dozen hours passed for me, but I didn't expect over twenty years to pass on Blue Star. You've all grown so old."

Meng Xian smiled calmly: "Only our bodies have aged. Our consciousnesses have all been backed up. In fact, we could have changed to mechanical bodies long ago, but the Space Administration's Comprehensive Management Department has a regulation that consciousness backup can only be activated when a natural person's lifespan ends. But Boss, you haven't changed at all."

Tian Ming chuckled, "Yes, now when Xiao Xiao and I walk together, we don't look like father and daughter at all, more like siblings."

"Yes, all of us have always believed that you, Boss, would return."

Tian Ming asked, "What exactly happened in these twenty years? Why did so many Ability Users side with Tian Quan?"

Bai Yan sighed slightly and said, "Mr. Lu, let's go to the conference room. I'll tell you in detail about what happened in these twenty years. The Tian Quan issue is difficult to handle. Rather than Ability Users joining them, it's more accurate to say that during the joint operations, it implanted thought imprints into the Space City military personnel."

Tian Ming nodded slightly, and everyone went to the conference room. Tian Ming turned to Xiao Xiao and asked, "Xiao Xiao, have you told Mom I'm back?"

"I know you're back," Shen Yuan's voice came as a woman in a black trench coat walked in from the conference room doorway. Twenty years had passed, and Shen Yuan was now over forty, but her appearance hadn't changed much. She walked quickly, her eyes shimmering with tears.

Tian Ming quickly stood up, looking at Shen Yuan.

"Little Yuan..."

Shen Yuan punched him, her voice full of resentment: "You disappeared for so long, don't you miss us?"

Tian Ming gently held Shen Yuan's fist: "Wife, I only disappeared for a dozen hours."

Shen Yuan glared at him, then tears streamed down her face as she laughed: "No wonder you haven't changed at all! It's just a pity that I've grown old."

Tian Ming smiled calmly, and a surge of energy came from his hand. The telomeres in Shen Yuan's cells began to rapidly repair, and her appearance instantly became youthful.

Everyone in the conference room watched this scene, too shocked to speak. Even with current technology, achieving reverse aging in living organisms is not an easy feat, much less instantly changing a person's body to make them young again.

Shen Yuan was also quite surprised by the changes in her body. What exactly had Tian Ming experienced during these twenty years of his disappearance?

Tian Ming motioned for everyone to sit down. Old Man Lin Yao also came, as did Ji Ruping, Shen Yi, and other people Tian Ming had known before, all of whom were called over.

Everyone had aged, but these key figures had all had their consciousnesses backed up. They could achieve immortality through another form, but the number of immortal slots in the entire Space City was limited. Once a biological entity achieved immortality, it would become stagnant. The entire social state and structure would also become fixed.

This is not difficult to understand. If an entire group were immortal, then the power structure of that entire group would become solidified, which is even more terrifying than class solidification. New forces would never be able to rise, and the entire group would be controlled by a group of old, immortal monsters.

Tian Ming looked at everyone and said, "The time I disappeared, for me, was only a mere dozen hours. I was taken to the Primordial Starfield Graveyard, billions of light-years away from the Milky Way. The Yuanchu God lifted all my restrictions. Now, apart from my consciousness still being Lu Tianming, everything else is no longer what it was."

As Tian Ming spoke, he raised his hand, and his hand changed with his will. At this moment, Tian Ming was the rule of this universe. Within the rules, he was omnipotent.

"In the Primordial Starfield Graveyard, I received his complete memories. In the God's memories, I witnessed the birth and demise of countless civilizations, and experienced the true meaning of life, power, and wisdom." As Tian Ming said this, everyone in the conference room couldn't help but fall into contemplation.

Xiao Xiao asked, somewhat astonished, "Dad, are you a God now, or are you my Dad?"

Tian Ming smiled as he looked at Xiao Xiao and replied, "I am still your Dad, but I am also the God of this universe. I can directly solve the Tian Quan problem, directly disintegrate Blue Star, and then reassemble it. But doing so would also make those defecting Rebel Army members disappear. Human thought is too complex; there is no absolute right or wrong. Therefore, I need to know what happened in these twenty years to make my own judgment."

Bai Yan nodded slightly and said, "Let me tell you. In these twenty years, human technology has made significant progress; it can be said to have advanced by leaps and bounds. After the Space City completed its personnel relocation, it expanded more than tenfold its original design. However, internal conflicts also gradually emerged."