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Ji Heping, an ordinary young man from the 21st century.
His parents gave him this name for three reasons:
First, they hoped for national peace, free of disasters and wars. Second, they wished for a harmonious and prosperous society. Third, they desired a life of happiness and safety for their son.
The first two meanings were somewhat achieved, but the third had nothing to do with Ji Heping.
His father was a chronic gambler and drunkard who often resorted to domestic violence.
As a child, Ji Heping witnessed all of this, storing it in his heartābut not a single ripple of emotion stirred within him.
At the age of three, his mother left the family under the pretext of going out to work.
A year later, his parents divorced, and custody of Ji Heping was awarded to his father. He was only four years old at the time.
The image of his mother remained vivid in his mind, but he never saw her again after that day.
Even twenty years later, the scene of their parting was still crystal clear in his memory.
After the divorce, his father moved away for work, leaving Ji Heping to live as a "left-behind child" in the countryside with his grandparents.
Both his grandparents were stubborn individuals who argued daily.
But no matter how much they fought, Ji Heping's heart remained unmoved, as if he were born without emotionsāan innately "cold-blooded" person.
When he turned twelve, his grandfather passed away. His father, who only returned home once a year, had to take leave to handle the funeral arrangements.
Afterward, his grandmother developed dementia and passed away three years later.
His father continued to visit once a year, but his stays grew shorter and shorter.
From the age of twelve, Ji Heping lived aloneāeating by himself, watching TV by himself, sleeping by himself.
Yet, he felt that life was supposed to be like this.
It seemed as though loneliness was his destiny.
*
*
*
Time flew by, and twenty years passed in the blink of an eye.
"This shitty life."
Dressed in a suit, Ji Heping stood on the subway platform, his eyes scanning the crowd around him. Everyone was glued to their phones, heads bowed down.
"Woo..."
The subway arrived, stopping at the station. Before the passengers inside could disembark, more than a dozen people rushed forward, jostling to board, afraid of being left behind.
Ji Heping stood motionless, waiting until the chaos subsided before slowly stepping toward the door.
"Ouch~"
Just as he stepped onto the train, a pained cry came from behind him.
Turning back, he saw an elderly woman lying on the platform, her face contorted in pain, her white hair stark against the cold floor.
"What happened to the old lady?"
"It might be a heart attack or something similar."
The commuters crammed near the doors gawked at the fallen woman, murmuring among themselves. Others on the platform also cast glances her way, discussing the situation.
Ji Heping watched the scene with cold indifference. Even as the subway pulled away from the station, no one offered assistance to the elderly woman.
"This shitty society."
Every day, Ji Heping repeated the same routine.
At 7:10 a.m., he woke up, washed his face, and brushed his teeth.
At 7:40 a.m., he left his apartment, walked ten minutes to the subway station, and waited five minutes for the train.
Thirty minutes later, he reached his destination, walked another five minutes to the office building, and spent fifteen minutes eating breakfast downstairs.
After finishing breakfast, he entered the lobby of the office tower, where six elevators each had long queues. He waited ten more minutes before finally boarding.
He usually arrived at the company between 9:00 and 9:01 a.m.
"Beepāclock-in successful."
At this moment, a resentful glance would inevitably fall upon himāthe gaze of the administrative staff.
From 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., after organizing his daily tasks, Ji Heping boarded his boss's car and headed to headquarters for the monthly manager's meeting.
Sitting in the car, Ji Heping gazed out the window at the bright, cloudless sky.
"Hmm?"
A black dot appeared in the sky, catching Ji Heping's attention.
"What is it?"
His boss glanced over while driving, asking curiously. Ji Heping stared at the black dot in the sky and shook his head slightly.
"Nothing."
Resting his chin on his hand, Ji Heping leaned against the window frame, his brow furrowing as he continued to observe.
"Why does it feel like... the black dot is getting bigger?"
Indeed, the black dot wasn't just growing largerāit was hurtling rapidly toward the city where Ji Heping was located.
"Could it be a meteorite?"
Ji Heping muttered softly, his heart sinking with an ominous premonition.
Since childhood, Ji Heping had possessed a peculiar intuition about danger. This sense had once saved him from an earthquake during university summer break.
Originally, he had planned to visit a famous tourist destination, but two days before departure, he suddenly felt uneasy and decided to explore nearby attractions instead. On the fourth day, news broke that the place he had intended to visit had suffered a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, resulting in 32 deaths, 665 injuries, 10 missing persons, and 120,000 affected individuals (including tourists).
While Ji Heping reflected on this memory, the black dot above him plummeted downward, growing larger until it filled his entire field of vision.
"This shitty world."
This was Ji Heping's final thought.
"BOOM!!!"
With a deafening explosion, a dark object crashed through the car roof, striking Ji Heping directly on the temple.
Ten minutes later, news spread across the internet worldwide:
On April 1, 2018, at approximately 10:23 a.m., a meteorite struck a vehicle traveling along Tianfu Avenue in Huaisa City.
One person died, and four others were injured (due to a subsequent car accident).
But what captured global attention wasn't the casualtiesāit was the individual killed by the meteorite.
Ji Heping became the firstāand so far, onlyāperson in history to be fatally struck by a meteorite, earning him an infamous place in the annals of history.
*
*
*
Hunter World, Year 1978.
Republic of Batokia, Dentora Region, Mount Kukuru.
Perched on this mountain at an altitude of 3,722 meters was the Zoldyck Family's mansion, halfway up the slope.
Deep in the forest surrounding Mount Kukuru, a small figure moved stealthily through the jungle, gripping a branch stripped of its leaves.
Pitch-black eyes, short bangs framing his face, dressed in a sleek black toddler-sized suitāthis was Ji Heping, now reincarnated into this world as Illumi Zoldyck.
Currently, he was three years old and already a member of the infamous assassin family, the Zoldycks.
"Rustle..."
Illumi pushed aside the bushes in front of him, crouching low as he emerged into a clearing where Killua was playing in the sand.
"Illumi-sama!"
"You shouldn't wander into the forest alone!"
The curly-haired nanny supervising Killua hurried over, kneeling beside Illumi to inspect him for injuries.
"Illumi, where did you go just now?"
Killua, kneeling in the sand, looked up blankly at his twin brother emerging from the bushes.
At this age, both brothers shared nearly identical appearances, with short hair and matching bangs. The main difference lay in their personalities.
Killua appeared expressionless, his eyes devoid of emotion, making it difficult to read his thoughts. His most distinctive feature was his perpetually vacant gaze.
In terms of behavior and speech, however, he was still quite childish.
Illumi, on the other hand, displayed minimal changes in expression but exuded a sense of calm maturity. His actions were meticulous and deliberate, giving the impression of an adult trapped in a child's body.
"Not much, just took a walk," Illumi replied casually, effortlessly hopping over the playground fence to join Killua. He squatted down and picked up a toy lying nearby.