On a derrick at a derelict construction site in the light rain.
Tendo leaned casually against a steel beam on the derrick's edge, leisurely gazing at the dimensional screen before him. Six years had sculpted his once youthful features into sharp angles. Coupled with his 1.9-meter height and perfect nine-head proportion, Tendo gave off the impression of a fashion model, even just sitting casually on the steel beam.
"The 'Money Man' ? This kid Chen Kong has changed quite a lot, hasn't he?"
"After all, he used to be a shy guy who would blush just looking a pretty girl in the eye."
Knowing that these words would absolutely not be broadcast, Tendo spoke with unrestrained abandon, almost not even bothering to act. After all, he had exchanged a privilege from the popularity store that, while not expensive, was incredibly useful.
[Edit Privilege: You can freely delete any footage you don't want to be aired.]
[Popularity Cost: 200,000]
"Gotta say, even though I've read the original many times already, I still can't connect the current Chen Kong with how he was six years ago. The difference is too great."
"It seems that in these missing six years, the production team secretly set up a lot of 'blank spaces' they could manipulate for Chen Kong. Otherwise, why would Chen Kong, who was originally supposed to be teleported near the Seven Great Floating Cities, appear in this Steam City, so far from the New Federation's core area?"
Despite his words, Tendo's tone remained relaxed. Even though Chen Kong had changed a lot, his own changes were even greater.
Want to snatch the top popularity spot from him? Chen Kong, oh, he's still far from it.
"Alright, it's about time. I should make my move."
Tendo stood up, his silver-white messy hair and black trench coat rustling loudly in the strong wind atop the tens-of-meters-high derrick. Looking down at the pitch-black abandoned construction site below, Tendo took a step forward. Then, he spread his arms, his back to the ground, allowing his body to plummet rapidly in freefall.
Just as his body was about to make intimate contact with the ground, an invisible vector force field suddenly appeared around Tendo. The next second, his body, like a feather, elegantly flipped in mid-air and landed gracefully.
Having done all this, Tendo pulled out his phone and looked at the lock screen photo. This photo was exactly the special selfie he and Caroline took on the rooftop when they were about to leave 'Deep Blue Metropolis'.
Looking at his comical self in the photo, and Caroline, who subconsciously brushed her hair over her shoulder in the sunlight, a complex trace of recollection flashed in Tendo's cerulean eyes. A moment later, he shook his head helplessly and put away his phone.
"The Key to Miracles, huh? If I hadn't read the original, who would have known that the key, fought over by countless people, would actually be a little green-haired kid?"
"Although making a move now will, to some extent, alter the plot's direction, compared to letting an innocent child suffer such inhumane torment, this minor plot deviation is truly insignificant."
"Besides, if Caroline knew, I bet she'd definitely want me to do this too."
"After all, that girl... she loves cute little animals the most."
Saying this, Tendo adjusted his sunglasses and walked directly towards an abandoned factory outside the construction site. Under the dim yellow streetlights, Tendo's shadow stretched long and narrow. Although his expression was as relaxed as if he were taking a stroll, for some reason, the shadow he cast on the ground exuded a terrifying depth.
Six years had passed, and Tendo had undergone many changes. But two things had remained constant. One was his absolute confidence and arrogance, as if he was the only one under heaven and on earth. The other was his unreasonable power. After all, at this moment, even his shadow could exude a suffocating pressure.
Is the Rust Iron District of Steam City a living hell?
It doesn't matter. As long as he's here, it won't be hell anymore.
Chen Kong adapts to the environment.
But Tendo... only makes the environment adapt to him.
In the rainy night, two members of the Gray Rat Gang leaned boredly against the rusty iron gate. Slightly corrosive acid rain dropped from their gas masks, creating ripples in the puddles on the ground nearby.
"Hey, did you just feel... like something passed right through us?" one of them suddenly tensed up and asked his companion uncertainly.
"Huh?"
His companion forcefully shook his soaked sleeve and said impatiently, "Who else would come to a place like this in this damned weather besides us? You must be hallucinating."
Hearing this, the suspicious guard rubbed his temples, a headache brewing.
"Is that so? Looks like I've been staying up too much, getting a bit delirious."
What he didn't notice was that shortly after he finished speaking, a silver-haired figure in a black trench coat casually walked past them. And upon hearing the guard's words, Tendo even subtly curved his lips and deliberately dispersed a small portion of his 'Myriad Manifestations Concealment'. He stepped forcefully into a nearby puddle.
Splash—
"What was that sound?!"
The guard suddenly spun around, his eyes wide beneath his gas mask, seemingly searching for something. But when he looked towards the source of the sound, he only saw rippling water in the puddle and nothing else of note. Seeing the guy getting all jumpy again, his companion immediately patted his shoulder.
"Looks like you really need some rest. Let's grab a drink after our shift."
"Yeah, I really do need some rest..."
What neither of them knew was that Tendo was now standing between them, with his hand resting on one of their shoulders. His cerulean eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, were filled with amusement.
This was the power of Tendo's [Vector Control: Myriad Manifestations Concealment]. It was so powerful that unless he encountered a Fourth-Order Cataclysm Starmancer, or some Third-Order Starmancers with particularly special Star Sources, Tendo could perfectly evade all external perception, completely erasing any trace of his presence.
"Let me think, where was that little guy kept?"
"Oh, I remember, in the underground warehouse on the left."
Tendo suddenly snapped his fingers, then put his hands in his pockets and casually walked towards the underground warehouse. Throughout this process, the two guards... remained completely oblivious.
Under dim lighting, dozens of fully armed guards patrolled back and forth. Their footsteps echoed eerily in the confined space. Tendo stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a rusty steel pillar, his silver hair still striking in the gloom. He scanned the heavily guarded warehouse, a hint of mockery playing on his lips.
"How ironic. They guard a fake like a precious treasure."
"Yet they discard the real key like trash."
With those words, Tendo walked past guard after guard, reaching a small, not-so-large prison cell at the end of the warehouse. Inside this cell, a little green-haired girl huddled fearfully, clutching her knees like an injured small animal.
Seeing this, a complex trace of recollection flashed in Tendo's eyes. A moment later, he raised his hand and aimed at the bars of the cell before him.
Crack—
Without using any tools, under the effect of Tendo's Vector Control, the iron bars of the cage bent as if by an invisible hand, automatically creating a gap wide enough for an adult to pass through.
Tendo walked into the cell, unhesitatingly deactivating his 'Myriad Manifestations Concealment'. His voice was gentle as he said, "Hey, little one, want some candy?"
"If you eat it, you won't be scared anymore."
Danika suddenly looked up. What met her eyes were a pair of beautiful, cerulean eyes, and an ordinary lollipop.
Many years later, when Danika grew up, she finally understood one thing. That the 'ordinary lollipop' Tendo gave her back then was nothing of the sort.
It was a 'light'.
A 'light'... named salvation.
He had allowed her to see 'hope' again in the hell of despair.
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