The massive light screen in the sky froze abruptly on the cold suspense left by Hika Kuroko, then rapidly dimmed like a screen losing power, eventually dissolving into nothingness and merging into the deepening evening sky.
That genderless, emotionless synthesized electronic voice rang out across the sky once more, breaking the brief silence:
"Dear audience, this episode concludes here. To be continued; the next episode will be even more exciting. We will see you again tomorrow."
As the voice faded, the sky completely returned to its former appearance, as if the bizarre light screen that had shrouded the entire globe all day had never existed.
People who had been deeply captivated by the intense plot and cruel world within the light screen—even forgetting the passage of time—were suddenly pulled back to reality. A powerful sense of disorientation hit them, as if they had just woken from a long and surreal dream. By the time they regained their senses, they realized the evening sun was already sinking low, casting long, dim shadows of buildings.
"Ah! It's already this late?"
"Oh no! I haven't written today's report yet!"
"I missed the conference call with the client!"
"Quick! I have to pick up the kids from school, I'm going to be late!"
For a moment, similar exclamations and sounds of frustration echoed across the globe. The price of being immersed in the'show' was the total suspension of real-life tasks.
No matter how magnificent or bloody and cruel the world in the light screen was, the gears of real life continued to turn coldly and precisely.
Unfinished work wouldn't disappear, overtime still had to be worked, and those due for a scolding would still get it. This intense, inescapable gap with reality actually brought a strange sense of comfort to most people—see, my life is still on track; everything in that light screen was surely just an overly realistic 'movie' or a 'global prank,' right?
An illusion of 'not being real' began to spread, becoming a psychological protective layer chosen subconsciously by many.
However, not everyone thought so.
Online, major forums and social media platforms remained in a frenzy. The heated discussions did not stop with the disappearance of the light screen; instead, they intensified. In particular, the debut of the character Hika Kuroko brought an explosive amount of information.
"Kuroko-elder sister is so cool! Beautiful, badass, and dangerous! I'm in love!"
"What's the principle behind that immobilization ability? Rule-based? Concept-type? It's too broken! There's no counter at all!"
"The more I think about it, the scarier it gets! Someone with such an insane ability is just a 'worker'? Then how strong must the real 'Cleaners' and the 'Big Shots' above them be? Capable of destroying cities and nations?"
Aside from marveling at the characters and abilities, more rational types began to analyze the world rules revealed in Kuroko's words.
One netizen pointed out sharply: "The 'red line' that Transcendent existence cannot be known by mortals is fundamentally illogical! According to the Law of the Dark Forest, the strong have absolute dominion over the weak; hiding oneself is completely redundant. No matter how powerful mortal technological weapons are, can they lock onto a Transcendent who can teleport and tank missiles with their bare body? This setting is too forced, created just for the sake of plot conflict, which actually proves its falsehood."
This view received many echoes: "Agreed! It doesn't fit the basic human nature of survival and reproduction. Once an individual obtains power far exceeding ordinary people, they will instinctively fight for more resources (wealth, power, partners); it's written in our genes. How could all Transcendents be so obedient, willingly hiding in the shadows? Does everyone think they're saints? This red line simply doesn't hold up; it lacks a convincing, powerful enough reason."
Of course, there were also voices of rebuttal and speculation: "Maybe there's just too little information right now? The light screen is clearly unfolding the world-building slowly. Perhaps there's an extremely terrifying 'reason' we don't know yet that forces Transcendents to hide. For example... exposure would attract something even more horrifying? Or maybe Transcendent power itself has some massive flaw?"
Just then, an analytical long-post attracted widespread attention. The poster had clearly put in deeper thought:
(Rational Discussion: Assuming the light screen World is Real, the Possible Basis for the Existence of the 'red line rule')
"Everyone, let's set aside the 'real vs. fake' debate for a moment and deduce purely from logic. If the Transcendent world truly exists and generally follows the 'Principle of Concealment,' then there must be a powerful, common 'reason' that threatens the collective interests or even the survival of all Transcendents. This reason must be powerful enough to override the instinctive desire of individual Transcendents to pursue power and resources.
Kuroko's words actually revealed a key piece of information: 'Both the corpses and living bodies of Transcendents are very valuable.'
Please note the word 'valuable.' What does this mean? It means there is a cruel 'market demand' centered around Transcendents themselves! This very likely points to a terrifying truth—there is an ecological chain within the Transcendent world based on 'hunting,' or there exists some system or faction that needs to 'consume' Transcendents to sustain itself.
Imagine if exposing Transcendent existence would lead the mortal world to total panic and unification. Although a single mortal is weak, their massive numbers, strong organizational capacity, and technological potential, once fully mobilized, could become a force that cannot be ignored—one that might even break the internal balance of the existing Transcendent world. For instance, mortal factions might hunt and study Transcendents on a large scale to replicate or manufacture power, making an already cutthroat Transcendent world even more chaotic and dangerous.
Or perhaps, exposure itself triggers some even more ancient 'mechanism' or 'curse'?
Therefore, the 'Rule of Concealment' might not be out of morality or kindness, but a cold survival law based on absolute egoism, jointly established and maintained by the Transcendent class to preserve their internal, relatively'stable' hunting grounds and order, and to prevent the 'flock' from becoming uncontrollable 'variables.' This law is enforced with the most terrifying punishments.
This isn't the humility of saints; it's a conventional agreement of'sustainable overfishing' by predators to enjoy their prey safely and long-term. Once someone breaks the agreement and brings trouble that could disturb or even harm all 'hunters,' they will be prioritized for elimination by all other 'hunters.'"
The perspective of this analytical post was extremely cold, yet logically consistent, making many people feel a chill down their spines. In particular, the concepts mentioned—'hunting,''sustainable overfishing,' and 'internal ecological chain'—caused a pang of heart-palpitations in some keen-witted economists, sociologists, and big businessmen. If this were true, what kind of dark and cruel 'Inner World' lay hidden beneath the surface of reality?
And behind that 'Blood Coin,' how much blood and despair were flowing?