The city of Chengdu was calm again, but Lin Wei knew better.
Calm was an illusion—an artificial pause before the next move.
The card had revealed only slivers of its secrets, yet one truth rang clear: this was no longer about wealth. It was a game—a dangerous, high-stakes contest between chosen individuals.
He wasn't the only player.
And he certainly wasn't the most powerful.
The next morning, a new icon pulsed on the Infinite Card app—a glowing golden chessboard overlaying a globe.
He tapped it.
Accessing: The Board of 108.Status: Confirmed Tier 3 Entrant.Player Rank: 19/108Title: Initiate of the FlowCurrent Karma Alignment: Balanced-PositiveInvitation to First Conclave: Pending…
Suddenly, the screen shimmered and opened into an interactive 3D map. One hundred and eight dots pulsed softly, scattered across the Earth—some clustered in cities like Tokyo, New York, and Berlin; others isolated in jungles or deserts.
Each dot represented a card holder.
Each one, a potential ally—or a rival.
But what shook Lin Wei most was the top three.
Codename: Pale Monk – Tier 6 – Status: Neutral-Positive – Region: Tibet
Codename: Oracle-7 – Tier 6 – Status: Unknown – Region: London
Codename: Crownless King – Tier 5 – Status: Hostile – Region: Unknown
And below them, barely visible at #19: Lin Wei – Tier 3 – Initiate.
"Warning: Rank fluctuation detected.Wraith has fallen to Rank 42.Crownless King has initiated Conclave Tier Advance.All ranks below Tier 4 may be impacted."
He had only just scratched the surface, and already the titans were moving.
That afternoon, a delivery arrived at Lin Wei's hotel: a black case with no logo, no shipping label, just a single note:
"Your entry fee has been waived.You are summoned.Prepare accordingly."
Inside was a suit. Jet black. Carbon-weave lining. Embedded micro-filaments for signal resistance. A discreet pin shaped like a chess bishop was clipped to the collar.
A second note was pinned inside:
"Only the brave walk among gods."
The following night, the Infinite Card buzzed again.
A single message appeared:
Conclave Initiation - Gate of the Silent Lotus.Coordinates encrypted.Estimated travel cost: ¥21,000,000Deploy now?
He took a deep breath.
"Deploy."
Lin Wei woke inside a train. Or something like one.
It hummed along a trackless tunnel—glass walls revealing nothing but shifting fractals outside. Not physical space. Some sort of sub-dimension, perhaps maintained by the system itself.
A soft voice whispered in his mind:
"Conclave mode activated. Outside time suspended. No memory transfer until return.All hostile actions will result in karma degradation."
He wasn't alone.
Across the room, seated quietly in armchairs, were others.
Three men and one woman, all wearing versions of the same suit. All had the pin. All of them eyed him carefully—without speaking.
The youngest of them, maybe twenty-five, had silver-dyed hair and fingers adorned with rings. He smirked.
"So, the infamous newcomer," he said. "The guy who took down Wraith."
Lin Wei said nothing.
The silver-haired one held out a hand.
"Zhao Feng. Rank 17. Former hacker, now entrepreneur of… abstract digital services."
Lin Wei shook his hand. "Lin Wei. Still figuring out what I am."
A deep chuckle came from the woman, her voice sharp as glass.
"You're a rabbit who stepped into a lion's arena. But maybe that's what we need right now."
She extended a gloved hand.
"Zhen Yu. Rank 12. Analyst for the United Systems Convergence—don't ask who we are. If you know, you're a target."
Lin Wei nodded. He sensed that here, introductions were currency. Every name offered was a wager of trust—and every silence was a threat.
The train stopped.
A single gate opened in the distance, shaped like a lotus in bloom, carved from polished obsidian.
"Welcome, Initiates," said the voice again. "Enter the Silent Conclave."
They stepped through.
The chamber inside was impossible.
A dome the size of a stadium. Floating platforms. Holographic projections of Earth and other unknown stars. Dozens of figures seated on high thrones—or watching from translucent screens. Not all were human.
Some wore armor. Some wore robes. One was entirely encased in chrome plating, with no face at all.
"These are the Outer Observers," Zhao Feng whispered. "Some are former cardholders. Some… are part of the system itself."
A platform floated to them, bearing five empty chairs. Each seat had a symbol.
Wei's was the Bishop, like his pin.
He sat.
And the chamber darkened.
A booming voice filled the air:
"We call the 108.To witness the shaping of the world.To test new variables.And to purge corruption where it spreads."
Suddenly, projections of cities appeared.
Shanghai. Cairo. São Paulo.
Each flickered with data: financial corruption, civil unrest, karma deficits, technological imbalances.
"Three regions have fallen below Karma Threshold.Conclave must act.Missions will be distributed based on rank, alignment, and risk compatibility."
Zhao Feng leaned over. "This is how the world's fate is decided. Not in parliaments. Here."
"Lin Wei – Rank 19 – Alignment: Balanced.Mission Assigned: Shanghai Purification ProtocolObjective: Dismantle negative karma clusters at nodes: Lujiazui, Hongkou, Pudong.Estimated Reward: Tier 4 Ascension.Time Allotted: 72 hours."
He felt the weight settle on his shoulders.
Back to Shanghai.
But this time, not as a fugitive.
As a cleanser.
Back in his room, Lin Wei stared at the map.
Each node marked a person, place, or event linked to corruption or ethical imbalance.
His goal wasn't to destroy them blindly—but to recalibrate the flow of karma. Through action, influence, or… elimination.
"System Tip: You are being watched.Crownless King has flagged your mission.Sabotage potential: High."
He smiled grimly.
"Let him watch."
Because now, Lin Wei wasn't just part of the game.
He was starting to learn how to play it.