"System Alert: Global communication frequencies detected. Initiate 'Worldwide Live Broadcast Protocol'?"
[Yes.]
Lin Chen stood atop a towering spire, the neon skyline of the East Asian financial district stretching behind him like a cascade of stars. He glanced at the transparent display on his wrist terminal, where a world map flickered to life—each pulsing red dot marking an area of abnormal energy fluctuation.
Across the globe, the Awakened were rising.
Hiding was no longer an option.
"Begin," he said. His voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of inevitability.
In the next moment, satellites locked onto his signal, slicing through the atmosphere. From Tokyo to San Francisco, Moscow to Cape Town, over three billion devices were hijacked by the unscheduled broadcast.
—The screen lit up. Lin Chen's figure filled every display.
For a heartbeat, the world held its breath.
No studio. No reporters. No preamble. Just a man standing alone against the night—his gaze steady, his words measured, as if dictating fate itself.
"I am Lin Chen."
The words echoed across continents.
"Many of you have seen me. Heard the rumors—miraculous rescues, unexplained ascensions. But today, I hide no longer."
He raised his hand. A vortex of violet-gold energy coalesced above his palm, forming a radiant orb before reshaping into a blade of pure light. With a flick of his wrist, it lashed outward—slicing through the upper floors of a derelict skyscraper half a kilometer away. The top of the structure sheared off in eerie silence, crashing down in slow motion.
[System Alert: Global emotional resonance spiking. Viewership: 392 million (real-time update)]
"This is not special effects. Not illusion."
"This is power."
His eyes swept the invisible camera, piercing through every screen and searing into the minds of each viewer.
"These abilities are not divine gifts. Not sorcery. They are the product of a clandestine operation—'Project System.'"
"The world you once knew is gone."
"For years, I investigated. Fought. Hid. Because the world wasn't ready. But as more Awakened are hunted, imprisoned, and exploited… silence became complicity."
He drew in a breath. The night air carried the sharp scent of coming revolution.
"So I declare this—"
"From today, I will hide no longer."
"I am Awakened. Designation: 'Salvator-01,' first System-bearer. I stand here to announce our existence—and to warn those who seek to control or erase us."
A pause. Then softly:
"Your era ends now."
[System Alert: Global power resonance critical. Host influence tier upgraded to S-rank.]
In bunkers and hidden bases, operatives froze mid-motion. In dimly lit apartments, latent Awakened clutched their suddenly glowing wrists. On the streets, ordinary citizens stared at their devices—some terrified, some exhilarated, most simply stunned.
Lin Chen knew: This was only the beginning.
"I do not speak for all. But I will be the first to step into the light."
"These powers are not a curse. Not shackles to be buried."
"If you are Awakened—do not be afraid. We are gathering."
A beat. Then, quieter:
"If you are ordinary—do not panic. We do not seek war. But we will not be shackled again."
The world erupted.
CNN, BBC, state networks—scrambled to interrupt regular programming. Social media exploded under #RealitySuperhuman and #LinChenAwakened. Emergency meetings were called from Washington to Beijing.
[System Alert: Host actions have triggered a world-class event. New Main Quest unlocked: Restructure of Order.]
Main Quest: Restructure of OrderObjective: Rebalance global power dynamics between Awakened and non-Awakened.Side Quests: Forge alliances. Identify rogue systems. Establish safe zones.Reward (Phase I): "Diplomatic Influence" skill tree unlocked.
Lin Chen ignored the system prompts. Tonight, secrecy had died.
"To those who tried to erase me, to bury the truth—let me show you the ending."
"You once stole tomorrow from me."
"Now? I will deny you any future."
He raised his right hand. Golden filaments burst skyward—
[Salvator System: Domain Activation—City Shield Lv.1]
—and the heavens rippled. A lattice of light engulfed the metropolis, its geometric patterns rewriting the night into a gilded fortress.
"This is our first sunrise."
"And your final warning."
—Broadcast terminated.
Simultaneously, in the war rooms of powerful nations, alarms screamed. The Erebus Command Center's main screen turned crimson:
"Subject Salvator-01 has declared war against systemic control. Initiate Phase II Countermeasure Protocols."
Yet high above the trembling world, Lin Chen remained still.
He knew where Li Chu was. He knew the next battle wouldn't be fought in shadows—but in the collapse of the old order.
And he felt no fear.
"The era has changed."
"I hide no longer."
As Lin Chen's name burned across the globe, another screen flickered into life in an undisclosed location, miles away from the chaos that was unfolding in the world's capital cities.
Inside a sterile, high-tech control room, Li Chu sat motionless in front of a bank of monitors. The dim light from the screens painted her face in pale blue. Her hands were trembling as they hovered over the keyboard, but she made no move to touch it.
Her heart raced as she watched the live broadcast—a broadcast that shook the foundations of everything she had known. The image of Lin Chen, standing on that tower, his power pulsing like a beacon across the world, gripped her in a way she could neither understand nor control.
Her mind buzzed with fragments—disjointed, half-formed memories. She had seen that energy before, felt its power once... but when?
"Lin Chen..."
The name passed her lips softly, as if testing it, but the memory came and went like a fleeting shadow. It made no sense—she had no reason to remember him. Yet, there he was, on every screen, calling out to the world, declaring himself Awakened.
A sharp pain shot through her temples.
The image of the face in her mind flickered—a younger version of herself, watching through a one-way glass, eyes wide with horror. She saw Lin Chen then, lying unconscious, his body connected to machines, and a set of unfamiliar wires attached to his temples. The memories were fragmented, the timeline skewed.
Her fingers twitched, but she still didn't move.
"No..." She whispered to herself, her voice unsteady.
Something wasn't right. There was something about that moment she couldn't piece together. But it was clear: Lin Chen had been there. He had been connected to the system in ways she couldn't comprehend.
Her breath caught as another wave of dizziness passed over her, and for a moment, she saw herself in that lab—strapped to a chair, a mask over her face, watching through glass as Lin Chen was… was modified.
But why? Why couldn't she remember?
"Li Chu…" The voice in her head was soft but insistent. "Remember."
The last thing she could clearly recall was the feeling of disconnection, the sensation of losing herself, and the cold emptiness of their experiments. Then, a terrible blankness.
The word X-Project rang in her mind.
She had to remember. She needed to remember what happened. And Lin Chen—he was a key part of that memory.
As the broadcast continued across the globe, Li Chu slowly leaned back in her chair, her eyes unfocused but her mind racing.
"What did they do to us?"
The sound of a distant alarm broke her reverie, signaling the latest shift in the data—another unsettling clue in the puzzle. Li Chu's fingers hovered over the terminal, but she made no move. Her thoughts were consumed by the flood of fragmented memories.
The link was there, somewhere. And she needed to find it.