251: The day of breaking free from the cocoon and the uninvited guest

Time flew by amidst the humming of the fully operational "Homeland" base, the ceaseless flashing of data streams in the laboratories, and the countdown in everyone's hearts, mixed with anticipation, anxiety, and faint unease. Excellence's "Excellence 2.0 Body Project"—codenamed "Apollo: Finale," the ultimate hand-crafted project that consumed almost all his intellect and resources since his return—finally crossed the long preparatory period of theoretical deduction, simulation testing, and material preparation, entering the most crucial and dangerous final phase: physical construction and consciousness transfer.

The location was not any conventional laboratory within the "Homeland" base, but deep within the hull of the Ark. There, a "Stasis Chamber" had been prepared specifically for extreme energy experiments and top-secret projects. This laboratory was situated between the ship's core area and multiple protective decks. Its walls were cast from ultra-high-density lattice alloy infused with materials analyzed from beacon gamma, and it was internally and externally equipped with over twenty layers of energy shielding and information isolation fields based on different principles. Its protection level surpassed even the bridge and the main engine room. It was like an absolutely silent, steel womb existing inside the ship, chosen as the "delivery room" for Excellence's "breaking the cocoon."

The construction process itself was a silent staging of a miracle, combining the highest technological crystallization of the current Homeland and even parts of The Weave.

Inside the laboratory, it was not the chaotic scene of pipes and mechanical arms one might imagine. On the contrary, the central area was almost void, with only pure energy flowing. A complex, multi-dimensional structure maintained jointly by a precise force field and information encoding—so intricate that the human eye could not track its entirety—the "Genesis Hatchery," hovered in the center. It had no fixed shape, resembling more a mass of self-evolving, liquid halo constantly shifting into magnificent geometric patterns. Inside flowed silver-white, pale gold, and star-blue energy streams. These were not surging chaotically but followed an extremely profound dynamic protocol, performing the ultimate "weaving" of matter, energy, and information in a trinity.

Raw materials were injected into the Hatchery from all directions, utilizing methods that surpassed conventional physical transportation:

The purest Order energy, a direct gift coordinated by Excellence from several key nodes of the newborn The Weave, was like the very essence of the universe's origin;

Trace amounts of "Psychic Essence" basic units, purified using the "Star Marrow" knowledge left by White Elder and synthesized with great difficulty over several months by Evelyn's team, provided the "Conceptual Adhesive" necessary for the integration of consciousness and matter, surpassing conventional chemical bonds;

Special biocompatible nanomachines with self-assembly and self-adaptive characteristics, manufactured via reverse engineering based on the beacon gamma database and The Weave's materials science, would serve as the "Active Bricks" forming the body's micro-structure;

Finally, and most importantly, the "soul"—the most core "Existence Code" and personality memory nucleus, carefully stripped and purified from Excellence's vast consciousness deeply integrated with the system. This was not a severance but rather like the roots of a great tree sprouting a new shoot, carrying the complete "Self" information, ready to inhabit a new shell.

All of this began the atomic-scale "weaving," driven by the "Genesis Protocol" within the Hatchery, a protocol personally written by Excellence and repeatedly verified and optimized by Evelyn and "White Evelyn" (Evelyn's self-iterated codename after acquiring some of White Elder's knowledge).

There was no deafening roar, no sparks flying from welding. The laboratory was filled with an almost sacred stillness, only the faint hum of energy streams converging, like The Whisper of distant stars, and the stable, powerful energy pulsation from the Hatchery's core, similar to a beating heart.

In the stillness, light gently flowed, converged, and sculpted. A vague humanoid silhouette, as if steeped in liquid starlight, gradually emerged from the void and solidified.

First, the most resilient and dense bionic skeletal framework appeared, its micro-structure referencing certain naturally occurring ultra-stable crystals in the universe and some inherent characteristics of the Ancient Pan Tribe; next, the intricate neural network and energy vascular system, which served both energy conduction and material transport, were modeled after The Weave's node connections, but also incorporated the subtlety of biological self-organization; internal organs were generated modularly, each containing independent micro-circulation and energy regulation units, maintaining functional independence while collaborating perfectly; muscles, fascia, skin... Layer upon layer was covered, not simple accumulation, but mutual adaptation and optimization during growth, ultimately forming smooth, powerful lines.

The most astonishing part was the detail. The subtle texture of the hair tips, the natural sheen of the nails, the faint redness beneath the skin caused by healthy blood flow, and even the slight shadow cast by the eyelashes... all gradually perfected under the precise "sculpting" of energy. The entire body displayed a healthy, ivory-white color tinged with a faint blush of life. The skin surface seemed to have an extremely faint starlight flowing over it, a natural manifestation of highly ordered energy contained within.

Su Mu and Evelyn guarded the Observation Room outside the laboratory. This Observation Room was also specially reinforced, boasting a customized composite observation window capable of withstanding flagship main cannon bombardment. The tense faces of the two women were reflected behind the window.

Su Mu had practically pressed her face against the cold observation window, her hands gripping the ledge tightly, knuckles white from the effort. She stared unblinkingly at the figure gradually forming in the light inside, her breathing barely audible, as if afraid of disturbing something. Tiny beads of sweat continuously seeped from her temples and slid down her cheeks, unnoticed by her.

Evelyn stood before the comprehensive control console on the side. Her new body stood rigidly straight, but her slightly trembling fingers and the gaze fixed intensely on the data screens, almost burning through them, betrayed the turmoil in her heart. On the console, dozens of split screens displayed every minute parameter inside and outside the Hatchery: energy input stability, material structure integration, information flow synchronization rate, localized temperature gradient, micro-stress distribution... Data refreshed like a waterfall, each item followed by the alert threshold Evelyn had personally set.

Wang Jianguo had also canceled all urgent and non-urgent matters and personally came to the Observation Room. He did not speak, standing a little distance behind Su Mu and Evelyn with his hands clasped behind his back, like a silent mountain. However, his tightly pursed lips and the extremely focused gaze behind his glasses showed that his concern was no less than that of the two women in front. This elder had weathered many storms, but at this moment, he seemed transported back to the night many years ago when he waited outside the delivery room for his child's birth, filled with the same anxiety and expectation.

Even White Elder, who usually kept to himself, was startled by the aura of this rare "Spirit-Flesh Recreation" ceremony in the universe. He did not enter the Observation Room, but instead stood far away on an extended platform outside the Ark's outer hull, bringing his two disciples, Qing Luan and Black Armor. Through the porthole and layers of bulkheads, his "gaze" seemed to penetrate all obstacles, looking directly into the laboratory. His aged face was calm, but deep within his eyes, which saw through worldly affairs, was undisguised admiration and a faint trace of expectation. Qing Luan and Black Armor stood in attendance behind him, their expressions equally focused and solemn.

"Energy supply stable, fluctuation rate below 0.3 per thousand. Material structure integration... 99.71%, continuous fine-tuning. Information flow synchronization rate... 100%, core encoding fusion normal." Evelyn's voice echoed in the silent Observation Room, carrying her characteristic clarity, though a barely perceptible tremor could be detected upon close listening. "All critical parameters are in the green zone, and some indicators... are better than the highest simulated expectations."

Her words were like a shot of adrenaline, causing Su Mu's tense shoulders to relax by a millimeter, but her gaze remained firmly locked.

The light inside the laboratory reached a peak the moment the body was fully formed, the suspended physique seemingly transforming into a light source itself. Immediately afterward, all overflowing light rapidly converged inward, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, sinking into the nascent shell. As the light faded, the true, substantial figure within was revealed.

It was a young man appearing to be eighteen or nineteen. His black short hair was neat and sharp, and his face vaguely resembled Excellence's original contours, but the lines were clearer and more handsome, having shed the last trace of boyish innocence. His features held a composure that transcended his age, and a restrained sharpness that only came from enduring life, death, and dimensional tempering. His eyes were closed, his face peaceful as if asleep. His naked body was tall and slender, his muscles defined but not exaggerated, full of the harmony of strength and beauty. His skin was not pale but glowed with a healthy, warm luster, like the finest Mutton-Fat Jade. Beneath the surface, extremely subtle, pale silver-blue energy vascular networks were faintly visible, like the trails of stars, subtly flickering according to some internal rhythm.

At this moment, he floated quietly on the force field slightly above the floor in the center of the laboratory, radiating a pure and immense aura of life, mixed with an ineffable sense of profoundness, as if connected to the fundamental Order of the universe.

"The final step: consciousness transfer and permanent fusion." Excellence's voice sounded, for the first time, not through the base's loudspeakers, but directly from the depths of the system where he originally resided, via the laboratory's dedicated communication channel. The voice was still calm, but Su Mu and Evelyn, who knew him well, clearly caught a trace of unrestrained human anticipation and excitement within it.

"Squad Leader, Sister Evelyn, Uncle Wang... and Senior White Elder," he paused, seemingly savoring what might be his last farewell in this form, "I... am about to begin."

"Be careful!" Su Mu instinctively cried out softly into the communicator, her voice carrying a choke she didn't even notice herself.

"Don't worry." Excellence's reply was brief and powerful, carrying his usual, reassuring certainty.

The next second, the readings on the laboratory's internal monitoring instruments changed drastically! The massive information stream, which had been flowing steadily and connecting Excellence's core consciousness to the external systems, began surging towards the suspended nascent body with unprecedented speed and intensity! Simultaneously, the main energy readings of the Homeland base, the internal network latency of the space station, and even the response speed of several secondary nodes connected to The Weave, all showed extremely brief, faint but definite dips in fluctuation—that was Excellence's most core conscious existence being withdrawn and gathered from these vast systems, rushing like a hundred rivers to the sea, resolutely plunging toward the warm "Other Shore" prepared for him.

This was the most dangerous and least fault-tolerant link in the entire plan. The consciousness transfer had to be absolutely complete, without any loss of information or temporal disorder; otherwise, minor consequences would be memory loss and personality disorder, while severe consequences would be the collapse of the consciousness structure and complete dissipation into nothingness. Furthermore, the nascent body had to perfectly accept this massive and unique conscious torrent, without any physiological or energy-level rejection, requiring the two to achieve the deepest level of synchronization and fusion instantaneously.

Inside the Observation Room, the air seemed to have been sucked out, leaving only the faint hum of the instruments and the sound of three people desperately suppressing their breathing. Su Mu's nails dug deep into her palm, leaving crescent-shaped white marks; data streams flashed frantically in Evelyn's pupils as she monitored hundreds of real-time indicators; Wang Jianguo's hands, clasped behind his back, unconsciously clenched into fists.

Time was stretched infinitely. Every passing second felt like rough sandpaper grating against their nerves.

Suddenly—

Beep! Beep! Beep!

On the monitoring screen, the curves representing basic life signs violently leaped up from near-flat straight lines, like sleeping dragons being awakened! Heartbeat, respiration, brain waves, energy core activity... all indicators instantly soared into the healthy active range and began to show strong and stable rhythmic fluctuations!

Almost simultaneously, the readings representing consciousness activity and information integration also began to climb frantically at an exponential rate, instantly breaking through the safety threshold, rushing toward a staggering peak before slowly settling back onto a platform that was still extremely high but relatively stable.

Success?!

The suspended figure's thick, raven-feathered eyelashes trembled, ever so slightly.

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

Then came the second tremor, more noticeable.

Then, under the gaze of three pairs of eyes in the Observation Room (and three pairs of all-seeing eyes on the distant platform) whose expectation was almost burning, those eyelids, like the dawn pushing away the night, slowly and steadily lifted.

A pair of eyes was clearly revealed.

How should these eyes be described?

Clear, like the first spring fed by melting snow; bright, surpassing the Homeland's most brilliant Navigation Beacon. The depth of the pupils was not simply black or brown, but a profound, dark blue that seemed to reflect the boundless sea of stars. Within it, countless extremely subtle, gold and silver data streams and warm, dawn-like sparks of emotion quietly rotated, flowed, and came into being and passed away. Just the simple act of opening his eyes instantly filled the entire laboratory with an ineffable, complex, yet harmonious aura. It was the surging of immense vitality, the sedimentation of vast Order, but most core and moving of all, it was the pure freshness and warmth belonging to a "person."

Those nascent eyes, initially carrying a hint of newborn confusion and etherealness, slowly rotated, seeming to adjust to "sight," a long-unfamiliar mode of Perception. His gaze swept over the soft light source on the laboratory ceiling, scanned the cold, hard alloy walls, and then, with an expression of novelty and focus, slowly lowered, settling upon his own hands.

Slowly, and somewhat sluggishly, he raised his right hand and held it before his eyes. His five fingers were long and slender, the knuckles distinct, and the pale silver-blue vascular network beneath the skin subtly flowed as he moved. He gazed at this hand, as if examining a peerless work of art, or confirming an incredible miracle.

Then, he tried, very slowly, to clench his five fingers into a fist. His knuckles made a slight, undeniably real 'click' when he exerted force. This sound seemed to startle him for a moment. Immediately after, he unclenched his fist and then clenched it again, repeating this several times. The confusion in his eyes gradually gave way to an increasingly intense sense of wonder and curiosity.

He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over his naked chest, abdomen, and legs, every inch of his newly formed skin. In his eyes was curiosity, confirmation, and a pure, almost childlike exhilaration. He tried moving his toes; his ten toes subtly curled and stretched within the force field.

Next, he performed the most crucial action—carefully controlling his still unfamiliar leg muscles, he slowly extended his feet downwards, and then, firmly, stepped onto the cold, smooth alloy floor of the laboratory.

A clear, cool sensation came from the soles of his feet. Gravity, through his soles, truly acted upon every bone and muscle. His body swayed slightly, but his core muscles instinctively adjusted, quickly stabilizing his posture.

He stood.

Steadily.

He maintained this standing posture for a few seconds, as if savoring the long-lost sensation of 'feet on solid ground.' Then, he raised his head, his gaze accurately piercing through the specialized observation window, as if the thick composite material didn't exist, and directly found Su Mu and Evelyn Li's faces, pale from extreme tension and anticipation, outside the window.

Their eyes met.

Excellence's face was initially expressionless. But gradually, like ice melting and spring returning to the earth, the corners of his mouth began to curve upwards, little by little. The arc was subtle at first, with a hint of uncertainty, then rapidly expanded, becoming clear, finally transforming into an incredibly brilliant, incredibly real smile, with a familiar silliness, yet more dazzling than any time in memory, as if it could dispel all gloom!

That smile still bore the shadow of the youth in Su Mu and Evelyn Li's memories—clean, warm, full of sunshine. Yet, it also seemed completely different. It was brighter, as if carrying the weight and glory of the galaxy; more powerful, containing the resilience of traversing life and death and reshaping oneself; it still culminated in the warmth of human life, yet also seemed to connect to the vastness and mystery of the deep universe.

He opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something, his lips moving a few times. But this brand-new vocal apparatus clearly needed some breaking in; his vocal cords vibrated for the first time, emitting only a somewhat dry, hoarse single syllable: "Uh..."

This clumsy syllable, far from ruining the atmosphere, only intensified the sense of 'reality.' Excellence himself seemed startled for a moment, then his smile widened even further, and a mischievous, joyful light flashed in his eyes. He no longer rushed to speak, but raised his right hand, which he had just been examining carefully, and vigorously, with a wide sweep, waved at Su Mu, whose eyes were misty with tears, and Evelyn Li, whose eyes were red-rimmed, behind the observation window, and at Wang Jianguo, who was equally excited behind them!

The waving motion carried the unique vitality of a young man, along with an immense sense of cherishment and joy at being reborn.

“Success!!!!” Su Mu was the first to break the frozen air. Like a spring compressed to its limit suddenly released, she almost leaped up, tears instantly gushing down her cheeks—it was ecstasy, relief, the huge impact of a dream come true after a long wait. She rushed towards the tightly closed inner door of the laboratory, eager to embrace the real, smiling, moving Excellence.

“Wait! Su Mu!” Evelyn Li reacted faster. Although her own voice was clearly choked and trembling, rationality and duty made her reach out immediately and firmly grasp Su Mu's arm. “Disinfection procedure! And the final safety scan! We must ensure everything is foolproof!”

Su Mu was held back, her body still trembling with excitement. She turned her head, tears streaming down her face, both crying and laughing: “I know! I know! Hurry! Start the program!”

Evelyn Li nodded vigorously, her fingers dancing swiftly across the control panel, initiating the preset final purification process. Transparent disinfectant mist filled the laboratory, while multiple scanning beams once again enveloped Excellence's new body, performing a final comprehensive health and stability assessment.

Wang Jianguo stood in place, not outwardly emotional like Su Mu, but he vigorously, repeatedly slapped the edge of the control panel beside him, making dull “thump-thump” sounds, while laughing loudly, his laughter resonant and filled with long-suppressed relief and satisfaction. As he laughed, this weathered old man couldn't help but raise a hand and quickly wipe the corners of his eyes with his knuckles.

On the distant platform, White Elder stroked his snow-white long beard, a genuine and relieved smile on his face. He nodded slightly and said to his disciple beside him, “Good. The spiritual essence is complete, the physical form is naturally perfected, spirit and body are harmonized, seamlessly integrated. This child's foundation is now cast. Observing his inner divine light and surging vital energy, his future achievements are immeasurable.”

Qing Luan and Black Armor exchanged glances, both seeing shock and admiration in each other's eyes. They came from ancient traditions and knew how defying such a 'spiritual and physical recreation' across forms of existence was, with a success rate close to zero. The scene before them was nothing short of a miracle.

The disinfectant mist in the laboratory slowly dispersed, and the scanning beams extinguished one by one. All final Detection indicators showed a perfect green.

The red warning light on the inner door turned to a soft green, and the airtight lock emitted a slight depressurization sound, slowly sliding open to one side.

Su Mu practically squeezed in as soon as the door opened a crack. She rushed to Excellence, who had just emerged from the final disinfection light curtain, looked up at his familiar yet somewhat strange face with a warm smile, and thousands of words clogged her throat, finally turning into a choked sob: “...Bastard!”

Then, she extended her fist and lightly, yet firmly, punched Excellence's chest—the touch was warm, firm, skin full of vital elasticity, not a cold screen or metal. This real sensation made her tremble slightly, and then more tears welled up.

Excellence looked down at Su Mu, watching her cry and laugh, the starlight in his eyes gently swirling. He raised his hand, seemingly wanting to pat her head, then hesitated, finally settling it gently, with a hint of unfamiliarity, on Su Mu's shoulder, feeling the texture of the uniform fabric beneath his hand and her body trembling slightly with emotion.

“Squad Leader,” he began, his voice much smoother this time, though still with the new throat's characteristic clarity and slight hoarseness, but that unique, gently powerful tone was indeed the Excellence Su Mu remembered, “I'm back. Truly... back.”

Su Mu nodded vigorously, unable to speak, just sniffing hard.

Evelyn Li also walked in, her steps more steady than Su Mu's, but her slightly red eyes and tightly pursed lips betrayed her emotions. She stood two steps away, scrutinizing Excellence carefully, almost with a scientific gaze, from his hair to his toes, as if to confirm the authenticity of every detail.

“How do you feel? Any discomfort, abnormal Perceptions, or uncoordinated control?” Evelyn Li asked, her voice trying to maintain its usual professionalism.

Excellence turned to look at her, his smile even brighter: “I feel... great. Better than ever. A little unfamiliar, but very real. It's like... I slept for a very long time, had a very long dream, and now I'm finally completely awake.” He tried moving his fingers, then lightly jumped, his movements quickly going from slightly stiff to fluid. “Control is fine, my five senses are clear, energy circulation is stable. Sister Evelyn, thank you.”

Evelyn Li finally showed a truly relaxed, tearful smile, and gently shook her head.

Wang Jianguo stood at the doorway, not rushing in, just watching the three young people inside, his face beaming with a satisfied and proud smile, as if watching his most precious treasure returned from being lost.

However, just at this moment, when reunion after hardship, joy, and hope bloomed in everyone's hearts like the most brilliant fireworks, reaching their peak—

As if the universe itself envied this completeness, or perhaps darkness ultimately refused to let go of any glimmer of light.

Without any warning.

The vast space outside the “Homeland” base, that recently calm starry sky, was violently torn apart as if by an invisible giant hand!

A spatial rift, massive enough to swallow small planets, its edges constantly twisting and writhing, spewing foul dark purple arcs of electricity, exploded into existence like a hideous scar on the universe! The interior of the rift was not void, but seethed with viscous, seemingly living darkness. A terrifying pressure, cold, chaotic, imbued with an absolute will to devour and destroy, surged out like a supernova-level shockwave at speeds exceeding physical limits, instantly sweeping across the entire “Homeland” star system like a tsunami!

“Wooo—!!!”

An ear-splitting, ultimate system-wide alarm blared across every corner of “Homeland” with unprecedented frequency and volume! All defense systems, whether the Order shields based on The Weave's new protocol, or traditional energy barriers and kinetic weapon arrays, automatically activated within a tenth of a second, boosting to their theoretical maximum power! The lights of the spaceport largely extinguished, replaced by dazzling red warning illumination, and all non-combat personnel received the highest level of evacuation Orders.

But the descending pressure was of such a high level that it seemed to transcend conventional physical rules. “Homeland's” proud defenses, before it, were like paper boats in a storm, swaying violently, energy readings plummeting wildly, and structures groaning under the unbearable strain.

Even more chilling was the spiritual contamination. All life forms that perceived this pressure, no matter where they were in “Homeland,” no matter how firm their will, instantly felt a cold chill sweep through their souls, a primal fear and despair, as if facing an ultimate predator, uncontrollably rising from the depths of their hearts.

Immediately after, to the horrified gazes of all (whether through external monitors or direct viewport observation), the gigantic spatial rift violently writhed and expanded like the birth canal of a monstrous creature. A massive black dreadnought, too enormous to be measured by conventional scales, slowly 'squeezed' out from the darkness of the rift.

It bore no resemblance to the creation of any civilization. Its form was hideous, twisted, utterly devoid of aesthetic appeal, as if forcibly pieced together and fused from countless shattered stellar remnants, solidified dark matter, and some squirming, neither-living-nor-dead organic tissue. The hull was covered with constantly opening and closing orifices and tumor-like protrusions, and countless dark red energy organs, like living eyes, flickered within them, each flicker emitting greed, hunger, and a pure desire for destruction. The dreadnought's sheer volume was several times larger than the Ark, and its mere presence caused visible distortion and pressure on the surrounding spatial structure.

As soon as this terrifying dreadnought appeared, its tens of thousands of dark red 'eyes' simultaneously swiveled, fixing their gaze on the “Homeland” space station. More precisely, those countless malicious 'gazes' penetrated layers of bulkheads and defenses, like the most precise probes, focusing on the Ark's interior, on the newly resurrected body, whose aura could not yet be fully contained, as conspicuously bright as a warm bonfire suddenly lit in the darkness—

On Excellence!

A grand, chaotic thought, mixed with billions of insane roars and pure devouring desires, like billions of ice picks, brutally pierced into the depths of every conscious mind within “Homeland,” exploding:

“Found... you... 'Coordinate'... fresh... pure... Order Origin... devour... merge... evolve...”

Enemy attack! And it was a premeditated, lurking, precise decapitation strike, launched at the very moment Excellence's consciousness and new body had just completed their fusion, when he was in his most unstable and most 'tempting' state (for certain entities)! The target was crystal clear—it was Excellence!

Excellence, who had just emerged from his chrysalis, with the lingering touch of Su Mu's uniform still on his fingertips, and a smile still on his lips, hadn't even had time to change clothes, hadn't had time to say another complete word to his companions, when the naked threat of death and devouring desire, enough to freeze stars, instantly engulfed him like the coldest abyss!

White Elder's usually calm and peaceful face changed drastically for the first time! He suddenly looked at the black dreadnought, and unprecedented sharp light burst forth from his clear eyes, like an unsheathed ancient sword, his voice carrying rare solemnity and a hint of sternness:

“World Devourer! And a... 'Lord' class! They were indeed drawn by the aura of this newborn 'Coordinate'! The timing is so malicious!”

As if to confirm his words, the colossal main cannon maw at the front of the black dreadnought, called a Void Devourer Lord, which seemed forged from countless suffering, wailing faces, began to furiously gather a dark red light that would freeze the soul. That light was not pure energy; within it surged countless twisted runes and shattered fragments of rules, emanating an absolute hatred and devouring instinct for all ordered existence. The cannon maw slowly adjusted its angle, ignoring other parts of “Homeland,” firmly locking onto the space station, and more precisely, locking onto the Ark's location, locking onto the laboratory where Excellence was!

The butterfly, having just broken free from its old cocoon and spread its new wings, had not yet truly felt the wind of freedom, had not yet flown towards the longed-for sky, when an overwhelming storm of destruction, carrying the deepest malice and the most chilling killing intent, descended with a roar!

The true trial of life and death, at this most glorious yet most fragile moment, arrived abruptly in the cruelest way!