97: Chapter 97 Family Gathering: Nine Wives, Two Tables Not Enough to Fill Up

"Lin Yun! You'd better give me a reasonable explanation—why is Katerina's child included in your 'Hundred Sons Plan'?"

In the core area of a "national treasure" level villa complex on the outskirts of the capital, inside the three-story main residence guarded twenty-four hours a day by the "Nuwa" system, a "trial" sufficient to make any man lose his soul was currently taking place.

In the center of the living room, around a huge circular table, sat Lin Yun's partners—women enough to make any man in the world go mad with envy.

The mother of the first baby, the beauty of the Academy of Sciences, Shen Ruoxi, was wearing a simple white shirt with her hair tied casually behind her head. She held the first baby's genetic testing report; although she wore a smile, her gentle almond eyes flickered with a sharpness that only those closest to her could read.

The mothers of the second and third babies were the cold female special agent Su Man and the financial tycoon heiress Gu Qingyao. One leaned against the sofa with her arms crossed, expressionless like an iceberg; the other was gracefully sipping afternoon tea flown in from France, a signature business smile hanging on her lips.

The mother of the fourth baby, Princess Anna, was currently whispering with the mother of the fifth baby, quantum physics genius Ye Linger, by the window. Seeing Lin Yun walk in, both raised their heads, their eyes holding an identical complexity.

The mother of The Sixth Baby, Zhao Qingxue, heir to a traditional martial arts family, sat cross-legged on the carpet using her "inner qi" to warm the sleeping The Sixth Baby's stomach. Hearing the door, she merely lifted her eyelids.

The mother of the seventh baby, Chief Attorney Lu Wanxing, sat upright next to the main seat, flipping through a document. It was the "Lin Yun Family Internal Rights Distribution Agreement" she had personally drafted—now on its thirty-seventh revision.

The mother of the eighth baby, Captain Long Ying, was dressed in casual clothes but still looked valiant. Holding Babao in her arms, her cold face was written with four large words: "Waiting for an explanation."

And the last one—the mother of the ninth baby, the legendary female war goddess from the fighting nation, Katerina, sat quietly in the corner holding the recently born Jiu Bao, little Anna. Her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, her ice-blue eyes were as calm as water, and her entire being radiated a cold aura that warned strangers not to approach.

Nine women, each with a different style and a full-blown presence; the scene of them sitting together was comparable to a battle among immortals.

And the culprit who created this "human tragedy," Lin Yun, was currently bracing himself at the living room entrance, looking very much like a poor student called into the principal's office.

"Everyone, uh... can we sit down first, have some tea, and talk calmly..."

"No."

Nine voices spoke in unison.

Lin Yun's mouth twitched.

"Alright." He took a deep breath, strode to the center of the round table, looked around at everyone present, and then spoke with an air of one facing death: "First, regarding the 'Hundred Sons Plan,' I must make it clear—this isn't about my personal desires. This is a national strategy concerning the survival of all humanity. Every S-rank descendant is a core weapon for us to counter the 'Observers' civilization."

"I believe everyone here can understand this."

Shen Ruoxi was the first to speak, her voice gentle yet carrying an unquestionable power: "Lin Yun, we understand that. We follow you not because of some romantic sentiment, but because your mission is also our mission."

She paused, then changed the subject.

"But the problem is—you now have nine children and nine partners. Besides scientific research, military affairs, and global governance, how much of your daily time is left to give to the family?"

"The first baby is almost a year old. How many times have you personally changed his diaper?"

Lin Yun: "..."

He wanted to say he was busy saving the world, but looking into Shen Ruoxi's excessively calm eyes, he couldn't utter a single word.

"Ruoxi is right." Su Man's cold voice cut in from the side. "the second baby called you 'Daddy' for the first time last week. Did you know?"

"You didn't. Because that day you were in the South China Sea, using the 'Luan Bird' carrier to fight a bunch of undersea monsters."

Lin Yun's Adam's apple bobbed.

Gu Qingyao put down her teacup and delivered a finishing blow with her signature 'business smile': "The third baby took apart his smart blocks the day before yesterday and reassembled them into a miniature generator himself. I filmed a video and sent it to you, and you replied with one word: 'Good'."

"One word."

"You couldn't even be bothered to send an emoji."

Princess Anna also joined the 'battlefield' in her foreign-accented Mandarin: "Lin Yun, in my country, if a husband doesn't kiss his wife at least three times a day, he would be impeached by the entire royal family."

"Not only do you not kiss me, you've even forgotten when we last met."

Ye Linger was more reserved, only blushing and muttering softly: "When the fifth baby flipped over by himself for the first time, I looked for you, but you were discussing some curvature engine parameter optimization with 'Nuwa'..."

Zhao Qingxue was more direct, not even looking up: "The Sixth Baby kicked me, almost shattering my kidney. You were on the moon at the time, with a three-second signal delay."

Lu Wanxing pushed her glasses and placed the thirty-seventh revision of the 'Lin Yun Family Internal Rights Distribution Agreement' in front of him: "According to my statistics, over the past three months, the average 'alone time' you allocated to each partner was only 4.7 hours."

"4.7 hours in three months." Lu Wanxing looked up, her sharp gaze characteristic of a legal professional making Lin Yun feel as if he were being scanned by an X-ray. "Lin Yun, if I handed this data to any court, what do you think the result would be?"

"If there are even any courts left," Captain Long Ying added coldly from the side.

Nine women, nine knives, slicing Lin Yun to pieces from nine different angles.

Katerina was the only one who hadn't spoken. She just quietly held Jiu Bao, little Anna, watching this lively 'family trial' with her calm, ice-blue eyes.

But Lin Yun noticed that the corner of her mouth seemed to turn up slightly.

"Fine!" Lin Yun clapped his hands, deciding to stop taking the hits and go on the offensive.

"Every single point you've made, I admit. I, Lin Yun, am indeed not a qualified husband, nor a qualified father."

"But—" His gaze shifted, becoming incredibly serious, "My body has recovered now. No, it's become stronger than before. The 'Phoenix Blood' has given me a body that will never age and never tire."

"Which means, starting today, the time I can spend with you will increase manifold."

"Lu Wanxing—"

"Present."

"I'll sign your 'Rights Distribution Agreement'. But I have one additional condition."

Lu Wanxing raised an eyebrow: "What condition?"

"I want you to add a clause: the last Sunday of every month is 'Lin Family Day'. On that day, I go nowhere and do nothing but accompany you and the children."

"'Nuwa' can't control me, and 'Red Queen' shouldn't dream of deploying me. Whoever comes to talk to me about work, I'll throw them off the 'Luan Bird'."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the living room changed subtly.

Shen Ruoxi was the first to laugh—a relieved, warm smile.

On Su Man's iceberg-like face, a crack appeared in the ice.

Gu Qingyao picked up her teacup, took a sip, and the curve of her lips became a bit more sincere.

Even Captain Long Ying's face, which had been written with 'waiting for an explanation,' finally relaxed.

"Hmph, at least you have a bit of a conscience," Captain Long Ying muttered.

And just as the atmosphere in the living room gradually shifted from a 'public trial' to a 'warm family gathering,' Lin Yun noticed Katerina, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, looking down at Jiu Bao, little Anna, in her arms.

Little Anna's ice-blue eyes were directed toward an invisible point in the air, emitting a faint, golden light.

"Katerina?" Lin Yun walked over. "What's wrong with little Anna?"

Katerina looked up, and a rare flicker of unease passed through her cold eyes.

"She's reading information," Katerina's voice was extremely low, audible only to Lin Yun.

"What information?"

"I don't know. But since she was born, there's a period every day where she stares into space. I can feel she's receiving a... signal from a very, very distant place."

Lin Yun's heart sank abruptly.

He knelt down and carefully observed little Anna's eyes. Deep within those clear ice-blue pupils, there were indeed some tiny golden light points, like data streams, flashing rapidly.

"Nuwa," Lin Yun called out in his mind.

"Commander, I've already noticed," Nuwa's voice turned serious. "Jiu Bao's 'Absolute Hacker' talent is passively receiving a set of encrypted signals. The signal source... is from the wreckage of the 'Moon Gate' on the far side of the moon."

"And the content?"

"Decryption in progress... but preliminary analysis shows it's not a signal of an aggressive nature."

"It's more like... an invitation."

Lin Yun's brow furrowed tightly.

An invitation?

The "Moon Gate" had been heavily damaged, and the messengers of the "Observers" civilization had been eliminated. What right did they have to issue an invitation?

Unless...

Behind the "Moon Gate," there was another force he didn't know about.

A force that even the "Observers" civilization itself might not be able to control.

"Keep this a secret for now," Lin Yun stood up and said to Katerina. "Don't let the others know."

Katerina nodded slightly.

Lin Yun turned back to the lively living room. The children were brought out of their rooms by the nannies; the nine little ones—the oldest barely over a year old, the youngest less than a month—were lined up in a row on a giant baby floating bed held up by an anti-gravity field in the center of the room.

The first baby was seriously using blocks to teach San Bao how to build something. San Bao was trying to dismantle his milk bottle. the fourth baby was grabbing at the air, occasionally causing faint spatial ripples to appear around him. Ye Linger's child slept quietly, but seemed to be sensing something in his dreams. The Sixth Baby's small hand occasionally patted out, sending nearby toys flying. Qi Bao's eyes flashed with a strange light; whatever he looked at, its color would undergo a subtle change. As soon as Babao cried, the water in nearby cups would surge out on its own.

And Jiu Bao, little Anna, the recently born blonde girl with the 'Absolute Hacker' talent, was using her large ice-blue eyes to curiously scan every brother and sister, a sly smile hanging on her lips.

"Look at them." Shen Ruoxi had walked up to Lin Yun's side at some point, her gaze falling softly on the children. "Every one is different, every one is a unique miracle."

"So I don't oppose your 'Hundred Sons Plan'."

Lin Yun glanced at her sideways.

Shen Ruoxi met his gaze and said seriously: "But the premise is that you must let us participate. Not just in bearing children—I mean, the execution of the entire plan, the children's education, the development of their talents... we can't just be 'birthing machines,' we are also warriors."

"You're right." Lin Yun nodded, his gaze sweeping from Shen Ruoxi to every woman present. "From today on, every one of you is a core decision-making member of the 'Hundred Sons Plan'. Your opinions carry the same weight as mine."

"Also—" He changed the subject and looked at Lu Wanxing. "Wanxing, add another clause to the agreement."

"Go ahead."

"All talent assessments and educational plans for the children must be personally approved by the child's mother before being executed. This includes suggestions given by 'Nuwa' and 'Red Queen'—they must first pass the mother's review."

"No one, including myself, can bypass this step."

The corner of Lu Wanxing's mouth turned up slightly. She quickly added this clause to the agreement and then pushed the revised document in front of Lin Yun.

"Sign it."

"This is the thirty-eighth version."

Lin Yun picked up the pen with a bitter smile, about to sign.

Outside the door, a sudden rush of footsteps was heard.

Xiao Zhang's head poked through the crack in the door, his expression making Lin Yun's pen tip freeze in mid-air.

"Lin... Brother Lin! Over at Professor Fang's, the comprehensive assessment results for all nine children are out!"

"You... you'd better come see for yourself."

"Because... the first baby's IQ of 250, among the nine children..."

Xiao Zhang swallowed hard, looking as if he were afraid he'd be struck by lightning for saying it.

"Ranks second to last."