Woo-woo! Woo-woo! Woo-woo!
The piercing wail of sirens ripped through the lazy afternoon atmosphere. Two blue-and-white police cars screeched to a halt outside the "Velocity Storm" internet cafe, tires screaming against the pavement. Doors flew open. Officers in deep blue uniforms, faces grim, pushed through the gawking crowd and poured into the cafe.
Inside, the chaos had subsided somewhat, but tension hung thick in the air. Zhang Qiang, the yellow-haired bully, was curled on the floor like a boiled shrimp. Sweat beaded on his deathly pale forehead. He clutched his agonizing left knee and spasming ribs, choked whimpers escaping his throat. His cronies cowered in a corner, trembling. The flustered manager stammered to the first arriving beat cop, gesturing wildly at Chu Xuan.
"It... it was one move! That student! He poked his knee, then... then slammed his ribs! And he... he just collapsed!" The manager's eyes still held the shock of what he'd witnessed.
Chu Xuan stood calmly near the counter, leaning against the cold drinks fridge, an island of stillness in the turmoil. His eyes were slightly closed, seemingly resting, or perhaps sensing something. In the top-right corner of his vision, the crude system interface persisted stubbornly: [Primordial Energy: 0.010%], the characters faint and dim. The two precise strikes and the system scan had drained his meager reserves, even taxing his own vitality, leaving a faint dizziness and weakness.
[Passive Scan: Environmental Energy Field Stable... No High-Threat Signatures...]
[Passive Scan: Target "Zhang Qiang" Vital Signs: Precursor to Pain-Induced Shock, No Major Organ Damage...]
[Warning: Detecting Anomalous Life Energy Fluctuations... Source: Target "Zhang Qiang"... Nature: Weak Stimulus... Correlation Analysis: 86.7% Match to Lingering Nine Hells Imprint...]
Hmm? Chu Xuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. The system's feedback chilled him. The remnant aura of the Nine Hells curse, though suppressed by Earth's Law Enforcement Field, seemed to have left behind a "seed" within Zhang Qiang? It was weakly stimulating his vitality, accelerating his recovery? The effect was minuscule, far from "supernatural," merely making his nerves more sensitive and healing slightly faster... but it was abnormal!
The power of the Nine Hells was indeed insidious and pervasive. And this was just a wisp of residue. If a true low-tier Nine Hells entity ever breached... Chu Xuan's gaze turned arctic.
"That's him!" The manager pointed sharply at Chu Xuan as the officers entered.
The lead officer, Captain Wang, a square-jawed man in his forties with sharp eyes, scanned the pitiful Zhang Qiang – a known troublemaker – before his gaze locked onto Chu Xuan. The boy's unnatural calm, his aura belying his age, and Zhang Qiang's bizarre injuries (clearly not from a normal brawl to a veteran cop) instantly raised his guard.
"You did this?" Captain Wang demanded, his voice low and professionally intimidating.
Chu Xuan opened his eyes, meeting the scrutiny with unnerving serenity. He nodded. "Self-defense. He attacked first, attempted robbery. There are cameras." He gestured towards the security feed.
Captain Wang signaled for his men to check the footage while firing off standard questions. "ID. Name? School? Why fight?"
"Chu Xuan." He handed over his ID. "XX University, freshman." He paused, his next words delivered softly yet crystal clear to Captain Wang. "Captain, I understand procedure. But this incident, and the call I just made from the public phone booth... will soon exceed your precinct's jurisdiction. I suggest you report immediately to your superiors. Tell them... 'Great Wall' is waiting."
The moment "Great Wall" left his lips, Captain Wang's trained stoicism cracked. His pupils contracted sharply. His grip on the ID tightened. As a mid-level officer, he didn't touch core secrets, but he'd glimpsed that codename once in a high-level security briefing – marked as TOP SECRET. Something no ordinary student could possibly know!
Suddenly, the Captain's shoulder radio crackled, overriding all channels. An urgent, authoritative voice boomed out:
"Zero-One! Zero-One! City Command Center! Emergency Directive! Immediately! Repeat, immediately! Secure the scene! Control all personnel! Especially the student named Chu Xuan! Ensure his safety! Repeat, ensure his safety! Maximum alert! Support and Special Disposal Units are en route! Out!"
The command, so abrupt and high-level, shattered protocol. Everyone in the cafe heard. A wave of shocked murmurs swept through the room, eyes wide with disbelief as they stared at Chu Xuan.
Captain Wang's mind reeled. Any last shred of doubt vanished. He took a deep breath, his gaze shifting from suspicion to the grave intensity reserved for major crises, mixed with a flicker of awe. "Understood!" he barked into the radio before turning to his team. "Lock down! Evacuate civilians! Protect the target!" He emphasized "Protect."
The next minutes were a blur. The cafe was cleared. Zhang Qiang and his thugs were hauled away by ambulance, but Chu Xuan was ordered to stay. Captain Wang stood guard beside him, tense as a coiled spring. The atmosphere thickened with dread.
Within ten minutes, more screeching tires. This time, it wasn't police cars. Three unmarked, obsidian-black armored SUVs blocked the narrow street like silent behemoths. Men clad in black tactical gear, armed to the teeth, eyes like hawks, poured out. They moved with lethal efficiency, securing the perimeter and interior instantly, radiating an aura of cold professionalism.
Leading them was a lean, middle-aged man in a well-tailored grey suit, no tie. His face was ordinary, but his eyes were deep, ancient wells seeming to pierce through souls. He wore no insignia, yet his presence – that of someone who commanded vast, terrible secrets – made even Captain Wang snap to attention.
The suited man's gaze instantly fixed on Chu Xuan. He strode forward, dispensing with pleasantries. "Student Chu Xuan? I'm Zhao Qiming, Division Seven. The 'information' you provided... has the highest attention. Please come with us."
Division Seven! Captain Wang's heart clenched again. The legendary unit handling the most sensitive, abnormal events!
Chu Xuan remained impassive, as if expecting this. "Agreed. But I need my belongings." He pointed to his plain black backpack on a nearby computer desk.
Zhao Qiming nodded. A black-clad agent swiftly and professionally checked the bag (containing only textbooks, an old wallet, a cheap phone) and handed it to Chu Xuan.
"This way." Zhao Qiming gestured. Two agents flanked Chu Xuan – protection, and escort.
As Chu Xuan moved towards the SUV fortress, flanked by Zhao Qiming and the agents, he paused. He glanced back into the cafe. Unseen by Captain Wang or Zhao, his gaze swept the spot where Zhang Qiang had fallen.
Through the system's unique scan, faint, almost invisible grey-black energy filaments – the final traces of the Nine Hells curse being annihilated by the Law Enforcement Field – writhed in the air like dying serpents, struggling against an invisible force before vanishing completely.
[Target Residual Imprint Purged...]
[Environment Monitoring: Law Enforcement Field Activity +0.00001%...]
[Warning: Field exhibits periodic fluctuations and localized weak points...]
Confirmed. Chu Xuan understood. Earth's seal wasn't flawless. It had rhythms and vulnerabilities. These weak points were likely the future breeding grounds for temporary dungeons and spatial rifts! Zhang Qiang's residue was probably from brushing against a nascent, unstable spatial ripple. They must be found and neutralized, fast!
He turned away, expressionless, and ducked into the vehicle. The door thudded shut, sealing out the world.
Inside, the space was spacious but starkly utilitarian, dominated by screens flashing complex data and maps. The air hummed with purification systems. Zhao Qiming sat opposite Chu Xuan, two agents beside them. The SUV accelerated smoothly but purposefully, navigating towards the capital's core.
"Student Chu Xuan," Zhao Qiming broke the silence, his voice sharp in the enclosed space. "Your composure is... remarkable for your age. Tell me, where did you learn the codename 'Great Wall'? And what do 'Multiverse Invasion'... 'Annihilation'... truly signify?" His gaze was a scalpel, searching for any crack.
Instead of answering directly, Chu Xuan countered, "Director Zhao, before I answer, let me confirm. The 'small gift' regarding Mayor Wang... should have reached the right hands by now? Efficiently?"
Zhao Qiming's eyes narrowed. This youth knew his rank, his position, and maintained control even here. He subtly pressed a device in his ear, receiving information. Seconds later, his voice held a barely perceptible tremor. "Three minutes ago, Wang Zhenhai was taken from his office for questioning. Critical evidence from his computer and safe has been secured. Your information... was the final blow, the first light piercing the darkness."
Impressive speed. Chu Xuan felt a sliver of relief. It proved the state machinery's decisiveness when faced with true existential threats. This was the foundation he needed.
"Good." Chu Xuan nodded, leaning back. His gaze drifted to the city lights flashing past the window. His voice lowered, heavy with the weight of painful, distant memory. "'Great Wall'... I learned that name in the 'future'. As for the 'Multiverse Invasion'... Director Zhao, gentlemen..."
He paused. The air in the SUV seemed to freeze. The agents' hands drifted towards weapons. Zhao Qiming held his breath.
"...It's not science fiction. It's not a game." Chu Xuan's voice held a soul-chilling gravity. "It is the brutal, blood-soaked reality that will descend upon our planet, upon all human civilization... in precisely 297 days, 7 hours, and 42 minutes."
"In 297 days, the world will 'gamify'. A colossal blood-red countdown will stain the sky. Every man, woman, and child will have a status panel forced above their heads. Tens of thousands of light pillars will rain down globally – entrances to otherworldly 'dungeons'. Humanity must conquer these dungeons within seven days, or they stabilize into permanent spatial rifts." His words hammered into the listeners' hearts. "Beyond those rifts lies the lowest layer of the cosmic pyramid – the 'Mortal Dust Realm' of the 'Nine Heavens Domains'. And there, dwell races that see humanity... as cattle."
"Cattle?" Zhao Qiming's voice was dry.
"Wolfkin, Lizardmen, Frost Prisoners, Nine Hells Fiends, Asura Berserkers... and countless more." Chu Xuan stated it coldly, factually. "To them, baseline humanity, weak and untrained, is livestock. A source of life essence and soul energy. They will pour through the rifts – hunting, devouring, enslaving. Cities will fall. Nations will crumble. Human civilization... will end in a harvest of blood. This is 'Annihilation'."
"Preposterous!" The young agent beside Chu Xuan couldn't contain himself. Trained for darkness, but this vision was beyond imagining. "Proof! Where's your proof for this madness?"
"Proof?" Chu Xuan's lips curled in a cold smile, his eyes still on Zhao Qiming. "It surrounds you. You simply lack the perception to see it, blinded by forces you don't comprehend."
He suddenly raised a hand, pointing northeast through the window, towards the glittering city center. "Director Zhao. Approximately three kilometers northeast of our current position, in the climate-controlled vault three floors below the National Museum... lies an artifact designated 'X-097'. Unearthed from Sanxingdui. Dismissed as an 'unusual bronze ritual object'. It resembles a twisted scepter, capped with a black, multifaceted crystal, neither metal nor jade. Correct?"
Zhao Qiming's pupils dilated violently! The museum vault's security was absolute! X-097's details were core secrets! How could this youth know?!
"It's not a ritual object," Chu Xuan continued relentlessly. "It's a fragment of a 'Star Sea Celestial Domain' 'Spatial Beacon', crafted by a long-dead civilization. Semi-activated. A miniature, unstable spatial transmitter. That is why spatial stability in central Capital is slightly anomalous. The spatial ripples my passive scans detected? They originate there! It's a tiny vortex, slowly drawing energy from the Mortal Dust Realm. Unchecked, within ten months, it will spawn the first truly dangerous 'Temporary Dungeon' entrance!"
Zhao Qiming's knuckles were white on his knees. Each word was a detonation. X-097 existed! Capital's monitoring stations had recorded inexplicable micro-anomalies! Could it be...?
"And you, Director Zhao," Chu Xuan's gaze pierced him. "On the inside of your right wrist, near the pulse point... a mark? The size of a fingernail? Irregular, radiating faint red? Like a birthmark, painless... but under specific light, reveals almost invisible silver circuit-like patterns?"
Zhao Qiming froze. He fought the instinct to cover his wrist. That mark was his deepest secret! Present since birth! Unexplained by family or science! How...?!
"That's no birthmark." Chu Xuan pronounced the verdict. "It's a 'Spirit Energy Brand', left by a high-tier detection spell from the 'Profound Truth Celestial Domain' that grazed your mother during pregnancy. Harmless, even slightly enhancing your sensitivity to energy – part of why you rose in Division Seven. But in the coming 'Datafication' era... it becomes a beacon. Energy-sensitive high-tier predators will 'scent' it from afar. You will be marked... prime prey."
Dead silence. Only the engine's hum and the AC's hiss. Sweat beaded on the agents' brows, their eyes wide with horror. Zhao Qiming stared, chest heaving, his mind a maelstrom of shock and dawning, terrifying acceptance. Who was this youth?!
"As for proof..." Chu Xuan broke the silence, his gaze sharp as a blade. "It will come. Within 48 hours. Deep in the Qinling Mountains. Coordinates: 33°42'N, 107°58'E. A geological survey team will have an 'accident'. A mudslide will reveal an ancient mine entrance. Inside... they will be attacked. Survivors will bring back... unnatural samples. That is the first true 'Temporary Dungeon': the 'Ghoul Mine'. And tonight... at midnight. Zhou Wu, Captain of the Capital Military Region's 'Night Tiger' Special Forces unit, will 'awaken' the ability to manipulate weak electrical currents during routine extreme training. One of Earth's earliest, scattered manifestations of 'Ability Manifestation'."
Time. Location. Person. Event. Details sharp as prophecy!
Zhao Qiming slammed a button on his armrest. A screen lit up, showing a heavily encrypted interface. His fingers flew across a virtual keyboard, issuing top-priority directives – to the Capital Military Region and the Qinling geology department.
As the orders transmitted, Zhao Qiming slumped back, exhaling a long, silent breath, drained. He looked at Chu Xuan, his expression a complex tapestry of awe, disbelief, and ultimate, grim acceptance of an undeniable truth.
"Comrade Chu Xuan," Zhao Qiming's address shifted, his tone profoundly solemn. "Your intelligence... is beyond price. Forgive our initial caution. Now... please come to a more secure location. The leadership... requires your full briefing. On this 'Annihilation' crisis. On how... we survive."
Chu Xuan nodded and closed his eyes. The SUV surged forward in silence, cutting through the city's twilight glow, heading towards its most guarded heart. Outside, the setting sun painted the skyscrapers blood-red, outlining a civilization's final moments of fragile peace. And in the corner of Chu Xuan's vision, the crimson [Hongmeng Lock Detected] flickered coldly, a mocking eye from the cosmic void.