The air shimmered as another rupture tore open the sky.
Qin Yu instinctively shielded the girl, expecting another demon to drop from above. But what emerged wasn't a demon — it was something else entirely. A **man** in obsidian robes, hovering midair, flanked by two smaller figures cloaked in shadow.
The man's face was covered with a silver mask etched in runes that glowed faintly.
"Black Hole Authority…" the figure murmured. His voice echoed unnaturally. "What an inconvenient host."
**\[Warning: Unknown Entity Detected — Danger Level: S]**
Qin Yu's heart skipped. S-class?
The girl whimpered behind him. Her legs still trembled, and blood dripped down from her pant leg.
**I can't fight that. Not yet.**
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes, stepping between her and the newcomer. "Who are you?"
The masked figure didn't answer immediately. Instead, he raised a hand — a translucent cube of light appeared, displaying Qin Yu's panel. Every stat. Every skill. The man was *reading his data* like a book.
"This system shouldn't have chosen you. But since it did…" His other hand moved. The air grew *heavier*. "I'll end you before it matures."
---
**\[Emergency System Protocol Activated]**
**Temporary Skill: *Void Blink* (1 Use Only)**
**Effect: Instantly teleport up to 50 meters away. Cooldown: Unavailable (One-Time Use).**
---
"Go!" Qin Yu grabbed the girl and triggered the skill.
The world twisted. Space bent like fabric. In a blink, they reappeared on the rooftop of a distant building — fifty meters away.
The girl collapsed, gasping for air. "W-What was that?!"
"System gave me an escape." Qin Yu crouched, scanning the skies. "But only once."
The masked man didn't follow.
Instead, he slowly descended to the ground, speaking into the rune again. "The host is immature. Marked him for observation. Prepare the extraction squad. Priority: Blue Star Sector 7."
Qin Yu watched, every muscle tight.
Who the hell was that? And how did he read his system like it was a database?
---
**Ding!**
**System Notice: You've been marked by an Interdimensional Observer.**
**Survivability decreased.**
**System Adaptation will accelerate. New feature unlocked: \[Gravitational Core Tree].**
A new tab blinked open.
[Gravitational Core Tree]
A branching skill tree glowing faintly, rooted in a swirling black sphere. Three nodes lit up:
* **Micro Singularity** (active)
* **Gravitational Pulse** (active)
* **Dark Mass Core** (locked)
"System's evolving faster… because I'm being hunted," Qin Yu muttered.
He looked at the girl beside him. "You have a name?"
She blinked, surprised. "Zhao Yue."
"Zhao Yue. You need to find shelter. There's an evacuation zone marked on the south ridge. Avoid open areas. Demons move faster when they see fear."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to find out who just tried to kill me," Qin Yu said, eyes cold.
"And I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again."
End of Chapter 3