Jill Young’s play trip begins now! First stop: high-altitude skydiving.
"We’re now at an altitude of four thousand meters. For skydiving, this is already pretty high." In a mid-sized plane, a parachuting instructor opened the cabin door, pointed at the ground below with his English, and shouted into the roaring wind, "You sure you want to go even higher?"
"Forget it," Jill Young waved her hand. "If I really wanted to skydive, I’d go for commercial airline altitude. Four thousand meters—eh, good enough for a thrill."
"Commercial airline altitude?" The parachuting instructor laughed. "Girl, you probably don’t know—airlines cruise above ten thousand meters. The cold alone would freeze you solid! Four thousand meters is already way up there. I’ve never seen a girl dare to skydive at this altitude. Alright, follow me for some warm-up exercises..."
Before she could finish, Jill Young had already leapt out in two quick steps, laughing wildly as she dove toward the earth below.
The parachuting instructor was stunned for a long moment before finally closing the hatch and heading to the cockpit. He turned to Charlie, who was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, and asked, "What’s her deal? She’s not some kind of secret agent, is she?"
Charlie gave him a cold, hard look. At last, unable to resist the instructor’s burning curiosity, he spoke: "She’s just on vacation."
"Vacation?" The parachuting instructor laughed. "You gotta be kidding me—no backup, skydiving over the African Savannah for fun? This place is anything but peaceful: wild animals, cannibals, militias... Honestly, if we didn’t have a ride-or-die bond, I wouldn’t dare fly here!"
"For her, this is a vacation." Charlie patted the instructor’s shoulder. "Tell your African buddies: if you see a white-haired woman, better watch out. If anyone messes with her and gets wiped out, don’t say I didn’t warn you. What makes her scary isn’t just her ‘background.’"
No matter how dubious the instructor in the plane remained, Jill Young shot toward the earth like a fish falling from the sky.
That’s right—the next stop on this play trip: the African Savannah!
It’s July, the hottest time near the equator. Jill Young, dressed in her Forged in Hatred suit, parachuted down onto this wild, primitive land. Even while airborne, her presence caught the attention of the local coyotes, who started tailing her. With a sly smile, Jill tossed away her parachute mid-air and plummeted a good dozen meters, landing with a thud.
Surrounded by these unfriendly coyotes, Jill didn’t bother with fancy moves. She just clenched her fist and let out a long, "Aaaah—!" Her fierce aura exploded outward like a shockwave, sending the coyotes running with their tails tucked, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Hahahaha!" On this vast, untamed land, Jill Young laughed with abandon. This wild, unfiltered ecosystem seemed to spark something primal inside her. She didn’t use any vehicles, didn’t care about direction or destination—she just charged solo into the endless wilderness, like a dragon crossing a river.
From that day on, she began the most thorough and relaxing journey of her life.
Under the blazing sun, she gave a pride of angry lions a haircut. A male lion, leading seven or eight lionesses, surrounded Jill Young for a heated battle. Fifteen minutes later, the male’s mane was trimmed into a Mediterranean style, and he slunk away in shame with his lionesses.
At night, she sparred with lurking leopards. The born killer played hide-and-seek with Jill for ten minutes, only to have its tail caught. Jill unleashed her Soul-Grabbing Grip, squishing the leopard until its face was all out of shape, and it fled, whining like a bullied bride.
In the wild wind, she raced zebras. Chasing a whole herd solo, her legs were like the wind, her form like a dragon, sprinting across the majestic grasslands. At last, she leapt onto the lead zebra’s back and rode it far into the distance, patting its rump.
On the rapids, she bargained with hungry crocodiles. By the river, Jill Young shaded her eyes and peered down, then dove into the water. Huge waves crashed, startling the cattle drinking nearby. Five minutes later, a massive crocodile was tossed onto the shore like a sack of potatoes. As the panicked croc tried to scramble back, a foot landed on its head from above.
"Nyeh-ha-ha-ha-ha, you’re tonight’s dinner!"
At night, a campfire lit up the endless wilderness. Jill Young lay on the ground gazing at the sky, with a snoring hamster by her side. Yep, it’s Cang Cang—Cang Cang came along! After her Steelbull City adventure, Jill discovered her storage space had expanded. Actually, after the Death God journey, it had grown once before—otherwise, she wouldn’t have fit that big gun inside.
Maybe it’s thanks to leveling up, but now Jill’s storage space could hold a bit more than two cubic meters. The motorcycle built from the Reverse Flow Tank was stashed inside, along with a bunch of other odds and ends—everything came along for the ride to Earth.
As for Cang Cang, the little guy had secretly hidden in her bag and tagged along. Jill was startled when she found him—after all, storage spaces are supposed to have one big rule: "No living things allowed." She worried the sneaky hamster might not survive, but after checking, she realized the trip just felt like a nap to him. No harm done.
So, Jill decided to keep her royal pet close and start her African adventure together.
Cang Cang was actually pretty useful. Every now and then, he’d scurry off and come back with some little trinket, showing it off like a treasure on his head. So far, Cang Cang had brought back nuts, bird eggs, shiny stones, and even a live, wriggling dung beetle.
Clearly, Cang Cang was no treasure-hunting mouse—but as a pillow or a night watchman, he was more than qualified.
With Cang Cang by her side, Jill Young crossed the entire savannah. She saw the vast land and towering sky, braved swirling storm clouds and wild lightning, and witnessed a magnificent starry night you’d never see in the city—a cosmic sea spinning endlessly overhead. On this wild, boundless soil, the light in Jill’s eyes grew brighter, and her aura became more controlled and free.
Her fierce aura had been honed, shedding its flashy edge and restless energy, becoming purer than ever.
On the tenth day, Jill Young walked out of the no-man’s land, ending her wild journey across the African Savannah. Two hours later, Charlie arrived by plane to pick her up. Seeing Jill, Charlie’s expression shifted: "Looks like you gained a lot from this trip."
"Yeah, I really did." Jill looked back at the endless plains and smiled. "This place made me feel relaxed and happy." She patted Charlie’s shoulder and strode toward the plane: "Alright, let’s head to the next stop!"
Jill Young’s play trip, third stop: the sea.
The ocean—the origin of all life on Earth, and something everyone instinctively longs for. Jill’s goal was deep-sea diving. She’d prepped all her gear in Hong Kong, ready to play in the dark, silent depths. She’d picked out the perfect spots: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii in the US—this time, she was ready to splurge!
But in the end, Jill never made the trip—something interrupted her plans. Not much in this world can mess with her ideas, but this was one of the few things that could.
A phone call from Mom.
"Hey, son, how’ve you been lately?"
Mom’s call—a major crisis! Jill instantly activated her micro-mimicry ability, forcibly adjusting her vocal cords. She tested a few tones, then answered in her best Jack Young voice: "Doing great, eating well, sleeping sound, feeling awesome."
But even with the adjustment, different is different. As her biological mother, Susan Morrow caught on instantly: "Why does your voice sound weird? Got a cold?"
"Uh, no, it’s just... there’s been a lot of smog lately. Breathed in too much dust, yeah, that’s it!" Jill coughed a couple times for good measure.
Mom didn’t press further, and launched into her heartfelt lecture: "The world’s getting crazier. There’ve been a bunch of murders in Jiping City lately—really brutal stuff, super creepy. Don’t run around for the time being, okay?"
"Uh, ah, oh..." Jill looked up at the blue ocean, tearfully nodding, "Okay, I won’t run around for now." Ahhh, my ocean adventure—so unfair! But even if it’s unfair, there’s something more important. She’d forgotten about it while having fun, but the moment Mom called, she remembered.
"Mom, can I ask you something? About that sister you mentioned last time... What’s the deal?" Jill was roaring internally: I swear I’m not obsessing, but I’m seriously dying to know!
Susan Morrow sighed. "Alright, you’re grown up now—I can tell you. But you’ll need to come home sometime; I have to tell you in person."
Go home? Is this a parent meeting? It’s not the usual kind, but why does it feel like a nervous bride facing the in-laws? After hiding it for so long, is it finally time to spill the biggest secret to Mom and Dad?
"Deal!" Jill was decisive, making up her mind after a moment’s thought. Once she decided, she didn’t hesitate, saying boldly, "I’ll come home in a couple days. But Mom, just a heads up—I’ve, uh, changed a bit. Don’t freak out, okay?"
"No matter how much you change, you’re still my kid—I’d recognize you even if you turned to ashes. But you, the thing I’m going to tell you is pretty out there, so don’t let it keep you up at night."
"Oh? Now I’m even more curious! Alright, see you at home."