Back in 1999, long before the invasion, the Martians had already dispatched several waves of spies to Earth in preparation for a smoother takeover. The group that tried to assassinate the princess was just one of many. These spies had quietly blended into Earth society over the past 15 years. Some were loyal to the nobility, others to the emperor.
When the war began, they were thrilled. Finally, it was their time to shine. They'd be the ones guiding the way, providing key intel, helping their fellow Martians live comfortably on Earth. But no one expected Earth to turn things around in just 40 days, forcing Mars into retreat and hitting the Vers Empire with nuclear devastation. The unconditional surrender treaty that followed was a humiliating disgrace.
Even though the Orbital Knights had pushed the Second Princess to become the new queen and rejected the authority of the official Queen of Vers, their advance was still crushed by Earth's military, now armed with Martian tech. They had no choice but to hole up on the Moon.
Now, the Martian spies were activated again. They managed to uncover the real reason behind Earth's sudden power surge—United Government Major General Liu A'dou.
Despite strict confidentiality, Liu A'dou's location was eventually exposed. A secret assassination mission was quietly launched by the Martian spies. Mars may have lost all hope, but at the very least, they could kill the general who brought such devastation. They could avenge the hundreds of thousands of Martians who died.
Although Ada had already recovered, Liu A'dou insisted she stay in the hospital so he could feel at ease. He even claimed an empty bed for himself. As Earth's war hero, no one would dare ask him to give it up.
Late at night, a group of assassins dressed in black dropped down from above, weapons in hand, storming the hospital. Martian spies even had access to ground-to-ground missiles—there was nothing they couldn't get their hands on.
Their firepower was brutal. Every spy came with the resolve to die and stormed into the building. Gunshots and explosions instantly rocked the white hospital structure. Kill, kill, kill. In their minds, every Earthling deserved death. With that conviction, they blazed a path of slaughter from the lobby forward.
Liu A'dou and Ada locked eyes. Rage surged instantly. These Martians had already surrendered—yet they still refused to let it go. They even had the guts to attack a hospital. He didn't need to think twice to know they were after him.
"Ada-jie, I'll be back in a minute."
Ada clutched the wide-eyed Nono tightly. "Give them hell. They woke up our baby."
Liu A'dou nodded and teleported to the lobby. "Enough!"
His voice boomed like thunder, the soundwaves making the Martian spies' ears ring painfully.
Weapons clattered to the floor as the Martians turned, stunned by the person standing before them.
"You're here for me, aren't you?" Liu A'dou frowned at the group, all of them staring at him with determined eyes. "You're ready to die just to take me down?"
One of them pulled a handgun, aimed it at Liu A'dou. "You're the one who nuked our homeland."
Liu A'dou smirked. So it was revenge. "That's right. I did."
"You! Deserve! To die!" The Martian agents knew they wouldn't make it out alive tonight, but they were determined to kill Liu A'dou before they fell.
Bang. A bullet spun out of the barrel, rocketing straight for Liu A'dou's forehead.
Whistling air, flashing light, the sting of gunpowder—it was the familiar sensation of firearms. The tiny projectile instantly heated the air as it tore forward. Before it could even graze Liu A'dou's forehead, his skin already felt the burn. But that was all.
Liu A'dou raised his right hand, casually brushed his forehead… and caught the bullet.
Why didn't he die? The shell had clearly ejected. The Martian spies couldn't understand it. And they didn't care.
"Fire! Fire!"
The others raised their handguns and opened fire too.
The bullets shot toward Liu A'dou like piranhas drawn to blood.
"Trying to kill me? You're 10,000 years too early." Liu A'dou didn't even bother to catch the bullets this time. He simply raised his hand slowly. Mid-flight, the bullets slowed down—slower and slower—until they stopped in midair like they were frozen.
"How is this possible?" The man in front of them wasn't human. He was a monster, a demon, a beast.
"You dare wake up my little princess? You're finished. No—your masters are finished." Liu A'dou's eyes turned cold. He pressed his wrist downward, and all the suspended bullets shot back. They shattered the handguns in an instant. The explosions left the Martian spies' hands numb. They couldn't hold anything anymore.
Shocked. Terrified. These Martian spies had never expected Liu A'dou to have this kind of power. This went way beyond Martian tech—it was like myth. Finally, they understood their homeland had provoked something they never should've.
"Earth is dangerous. You should've gone back to Mars long ago!" Liu A'dou smiled. "But it's too late now. What you've done will bring total disaster upon your masters."
Liu A'dou looked up sharply. His microcosmos burst through the ceiling, into the sky, cutting through the asteroid belt and the vacuum of space—reaching the Moon. That's where the last-ditch Orbital Knight families were hiding, along with their puppet queen, the Second Princess.
They were the reason he was in such a foul mood.
He took out his phone and called Zhan Jun. "Bring me my smallest box."
Zhan Jun didn't dare delay. As soon as he got the call, he rushed over. Just in time to see soldiers loading a group of Martian spies into vehicles—they'd be interrogated.
"What happened?" Zhan Jun asked curiously.
"Martians tried to assassinate me," Liu A'dou said flatly.
"No way." Zhan Jun glanced at the group. They looked just like normal Earthlings. You couldn't tell at all. "You okay, Liu-ge? No wonder you sounded so pissed on the phone." He handed over the box.
"Of course I'm okay."
Zhan Jun remembered the time Liu A'dou split Yang Lucheng in half with his bare hands. He thought, 'People from other worlds are ridiculously strong.' Honestly, Zhan Jun even suspected Liu A'dou only took 40 days to beat the Martians because he was playing with them. Otherwise, he could've probably wiped out an entire Martian city in one strike. No amount of weapons would've helped them.
"What's in the box?" Zhan Jun asked, his curiosity shifting toward the crystal and yellow essence boxes he'd seen earlier.
"Clothes," Liu A'dou replied.
"Clothes? Really?" Zhan Jun was disappointed. He thought it was something cooler. Spare clothes weren't that exciting.
"Go wait for me on the rooftop," Liu A'dou said, inviting him to join the show.
"Rooftop?" Zhan Jun didn't get it, but Liu-ge had taught him the Zero Field and helped him become an elite. He trusted him. So without hesitation, he ran up.
Ada watched Liu A'dou changing clothes and asked curiously, "What are you planning to do?"
"Obviously, I'm going to perform a moonlight magic show." Liu A'dou smiled. "Ada-jie, think of it as my first gift to our daughter."
Ada perked up, holding Nono as she got out of bed. She softly said to the baby, "Nono, let's see what your daddy's prepared for you."
Zhan Jun would never forget that night. Liu A'dou stood under the moonlight in a crisp white suit, like an angel. A soft glow surrounded him, giving off a hazy, mysterious aura. He'd just changed clothes, yet it felt like his entire vibe had transformed. Proof he hadn't grown rusty during the half-year of inactivity.
Standing at the edge of the rooftop, Liu A'dou looked up at the shattered Moon and said slowly, "Tonight, I'll fix the Moon."