132: Chapter 132 Hidden Abyss, Surges Like a Tide

During the days before the midterm exams, the air in the academy seemed to have thickened. The library and study rooms were packed, students were in a hurry, and their conversations mostly revolved around the scope of the exams and key points. Ling Ye blended in, like the most ordinary student preparing for exams; he attended classes on time, reviewed diligently, and discussed problems with classmates (mostly listening and responding simply), everything was impeccable.

But only he knew that the dead of night was his true "working time."

He first strengthened his "Spiritual Sense" monitoring of the Old Factory District. The mental focus brought by the pressure of the assessment seemed to conversely temper his "Spiritual Sense," making it more efficient at parsing the "sense of disharmony" from a distance, and the "information fragments" he captured were more detailed. He confirmed that the "flickering faint blue light" mentioned by "Old Zhao" did indeed exist, but it was not continuous. Instead, it accompanied the periodic "ebb and flow" of that abnormal energy's "activity." At the peak of the "rise," deep underground in the center of the Old Factory District, extremely faint "information disturbances" with a cold blue-black luster would occasionally escape, like the eerie phosphorescence occasionally flickering from an unknown creature in the deep, dark sea. This "phosphorescence" seemed capable of weakly affecting the surrounding electromagnetic environment, which might be the reason for the "seen blue light" and the anomalies in certain electronic equipment.

At the same time, he also "heard" that the low-frequency "scraping sound" had become clearer and more rhythmic, as if something underground was constantly "scraping" against the barrier sealing it in, following a slow rhythm. Each "scrape" was accompanied by a weak ripple of "erosion" spreading outward.

The seal was loosening, and the speed was increasing. This judgment made alarms ring in Ling Ye's heart.

During an "accidental encounter" one evening, he revealed the information about "hearing about blue light" and "the scraping sound seems clearer" to "Old Zhao" in a worried tone. After listening, "Old Zhao's" expression became unusually ugly. He was silent for a long time before saying in a hoarse voice, "Kid, take my advice. Close your doors and windows at night recently. Don't pay attention to what you hear or see, and definitely don't go out! If something really feels wrong... run! Run to a place that is crowded and well-lit!"

The old man's fear was real, which made Ling Ye even more convinced of the severity of the situation.

On the other hand, Ling Ye began to use the academy library's Advanced access (relying on his good borrowing record and some course permission applications) to try to access academic materials labeled as "restricted," "internal reference," or "controversial." The keywords he searched for were bolder and deeper:

"Research on the Correlation between Atypical EEG Patterns and Extrasensory Perception (ESP) (Review)"

"Federal Psionic Registration Act (Draft) and Ethical Controversies"

"Descriptions of Energy Lifeforms in Extraterrestrial Contact History (Unverified)"

"Attempts and Application Limitations of High-Dimensional Information Theory in Explaining Anomalous Phenomena"

"Hypothesis on the Coupling of Deep Geological Anomalies and Unknown Energy Radiation on Azure Planet"

Most of these materials were old, marginal in their views, or even dismissed by mainstream academia as "pseudoscience" or "lacking empirical evidence," but Ling Ye treated them like treasures. Like a traveler searching for an oasis in the desert, he was painstakingly piecing together this world's cognitive fragments regarding "extraordinary" powers from these scattered, vague, and even contradictory accounts.

He discovered that the Federal government acknowledged the existence of "Psionic" individuals, but the definition was extremely strict, their numbers were scarce, and they were under tight surveillance and control. Related research was highly classified, and public information was sparse. This explained why Su Qing and Zhou Ming were so interested in his "abnormality" yet so cautious—they might be evaluating whether he belonged to "potential Psionic" or had undergone changes similar to Psionics due to the influence of some "abnormal energy."

He also found excerpts from internal reports from several decades ago, from a disbanded "Frontier Science Exploration Group," which vaguely mentioned that in certain areas with special geological structures on the Azure Planet, "persistent background radiation that cannot be explained by known physical models" had been detected, and speculated that it might originate from "unknown physical processes within the planet" or "weak coupling with some extraterrestrial information field." These areas included a range near Dawn City, which roughly coincided with the location of the Old Factory District!

This provided a more "scientific" (albeit marginal) explanatory framework for the "abnormality" of the Old Factory District—an unknown energy field under a special geological structure. This might be one of the theoretical models that Su Qing and the others were trying to apply.

Ling Ye silently memorized the key parts of these materials and compared and analyzed them in his mind with the characteristics of the "sense of disharmony" he perceived. He found that using "high-dimensional information leakage" or "special energy field coupling" to explain it could indeed cover some phenomena, but it could not fully explain the clear "erosiveness," "life extraction," and the feeling of possessing a certain "inert will." This made him even more convinced that the thing under the Old Factory District was by no means a simple natural phenomenon, but more likely a "living" "existence" from another dimension.

At the same time, he was also keeping an eye on the movements of Su Qing and Zhou Ming. Su Qing seemed busy with research and teaching and did not take the initiative to contact him again. Zhou Ming "encountered" Ling Ye during a physical training session and chatted a few words about assessments and outdoor activities, but did not mention going to the Old Factory District for "scientific practice" again, only implying that "when the exams are over, we can play with the newly arrived detection equipment together." Ling Ye agreed vaguely, his vigilance undiminished.

The midterm assessment arrived as scheduled. Relying on solid preparation and extraordinary concentration, Ling Ye performed steadily in all subjects. Although he did not deliberately pursue the top, achieving excellent results was not a problem. This made his image as an "excellent student" even more solid.

On the afternoon of the last day of the assessment, Ling Ye handed in his last exam paper, walked out of the exam room, and breathed a sigh of relief. Several consecutive days of high-intensity study and secret investigation made him feel a trace of fatigue. He planned to go back to his apartment to have a good rest, and then start planning his next move—the movement in the Old Factory District could no longer be ignored, and he needed to decide whether to continue watching or take more proactive measures.

However, just as he walked out of the teaching building and was about to take a hover bus, his personal terminal suddenly received an emergency push message from the "Dawn City Public Safety Warning System":

"Warning Area: Oak Street Community in the Seventh District and surrounding areas."

"Warning Type: Unexplained regional short-term power fluctuations and communication interference."

"Warning Level: Blue (Attention)."

"Details: Today from 15:20-15:25, a weak voltage fluctuation and temporary instability of civilian communication signals occurred in the Oak Street Community and an area about one kilometer to the east, lasting about five minutes. No equipment damage or communication interruption was caused. The power and communication departments are investigating the cause, and large-scale equipment failure and severe weather effects have been preliminarily ruled out. Please residents in the area take note; if there are any abnormalities, please report them through the terminal in time. The impact is expected to have ended. — Dawn City Public Safety Center"

Oak Street Community! Power fluctuations! Communication interference! The time was just half an hour ago!

Ling Ye's heart sank violently. He immediately looked up towards the east, towards the Old Factory District. Although he couldn't see anything, his High-Dimensional Information Perception had already involuntarily extended there with full force!

In his perception, the "sense of disharmony" coming from the direction of the Old Factory District was exceptionally "active" at this moment! That cold, erosive "pulsation" was several times stronger than usual, like a Vicious Beast that had been awakened, emitting a dull "roar" underground! And that low-frequency "scraping sound" seemed to have become more dense and sharp!

What made Ling Ye feel even more chilled was that he "sensed" that the range of the "activity" of that abnormal energy seemed to have expanded by an imperceptible bit compared to what he had perceived before! Although extremely weak, it had indeed broken through the previously relatively stable "boundary"!

Was it the "power fluctuation" and "communication interference" just now that triggered its activity? Or did its activity cause these phenomena?!

The public safety warning characterized it as "unknown cause," but Ling Ye knew that this was definitely the work of the "thing" under the Old Factory District! Moreover, the impact this time had gone beyond simple "strange sounds" and "strange smells," and began to directly interfere with the community's energy and communication Systems!

The situation had escalated!

Ling Ye did not hesitate, immediately turned around, and walked quickly towards the outside of the academy. He needed to return to the Oak Street apartment immediately, see the situation with his own eyes, and confirm the safety of "Old Zhao" and other Neighbors.

On the hover bus, he checked the terminal again. There were already many citizen comments under the warning information, mostly complaining about "the internet speed lagging for a moment" or "the lights flickering," and some people joked, "Is it aliens coming?" But Ling Ye noticed a comment that had just been posted not long ago, from the ID "Midnight Wind" (the very person who first posted on the community forum about hearing strange noises), which was quickly submerged in other jokes:

"It's not a normal fluctuation! I was at home, and when it fluctuated, a very bright blue light flashed in the direction of the Old Factory District several times, brighter than what I saw before! And there was a very loud, dull sound like something cracking! There is definitely a problem!"

Blue light! Dull sound!

Ling Ye clenched his terminal. He had a premonition that the relatively "quiet" period that had lasted for nearly a month was about to end completely.

The real storm might have just begun with this "Blue Warning."