161: Chapter 161 Global Anomalies, the Era of Extraordinary Change Begins

The time Lin Ye sat up from the gaming pod was 4:17 AM.

He had chosen this specific time deliberately—the most stable phase of deep sleep in human circadian rhythms, the low point of data throughput in the city's surveillance network, and the most likely shift change interval for that silver-gray business van that had begun appearing at the alley entrance three days ago, circling every 47 minutes.

He didn't turn on the lights.

The seventeen-square-meter rental room was saturated into a uniform dark gray by the November night in Yanjing. Through the gap in the curtains, the red light of the fire indicator on the top floor of the opposite residential building cast a long, thin, motionless streak like a congealed bloodstain on the edge of the desk.

Lin Ye sat on the edge of the gaming pod.

His right hand—the one whose webbing had been scratched by brick fragments when he punched through the wall three days ago—was now held up before his eyes.

The wound had completely healed.

It wasn't "scabbed."

It was "healed."

The three-centimeter-long, two-millimeter-deep scratch from three days ago was now just a thin, almost imperceptible pale pink mark.

Epidermal cell regeneration speed: 7 times that of a normal human.

This was the manifestation ratio of the "Self-Healing Ability" on the System panel—5%.

Lin Ye lowered his hand.

He stood up.

He walked over to the wall he had punched through.

He hadn't repaired it for three days.

It wasn't because he didn't have time.

It was because it was unnecessary.

The edges of the hole still maintained that 20-centimeter diameter, 17-centimeter depth, and radial fracture pattern. Plaster debris still lay scattered on the floor, remaining in the original positions where they had been splashed by the shockwave when he pulled his arm out three days ago.

The only change was—around the edges of the hole, a ring of extremely faint, almost invisible gray patterns had appeared.

Those patterns weren't part of the original wallpaper design.

It was the lingering Chaos aura he had "brought back" from the game world with that punch.

In the real world, it pulsed slowly at a frequency of once every 47 minutes.

Synchronized with his heartbeat.

———

Lin Ye pressed his hand against that ring of gray patterns.

It felt icy cold to the touch.

It wasn't the temperature of the wall.

It was the slow erosion of real matter by the chaos origin source.

[System Prompt: Lingering chaos origin source detected in the real world]

[Residual Level: Trace]

[Estimated Dissipation Time: 27 days]

[Available Uses:]

[1. As an "Anchor," temporarily increases Chaos perception precision within a 10-meter range]

[2. As a "Beacon," can be sensed by other chaos origin source holders within a 100-meter range]

[3. As "Materials," can be used for the first attempt at a Chaos creation in the real world]

———

Lin Ye withdrew his hand.

He walked to the window.

The red fire indicator light through the curtain gap was still motionless.

The silver-gray business van at the alley entrance—three days ago, when it first appeared, it was parked in space 47; two days ago, it moved to space 23; and at this moment, early this morning—it was gone.

Shift change interval.

4:17 AM to 4:23 AM.

6 minutes.

———

Lin Ye didn't waste these 6 minutes.

He took out a spare phone from his desk drawer that had never been connected to the internet.

He turned it on.

The moment the screen lit up, 17 unread news notifications popped up simultaneously.

The first 7 were from the international channel.

[Reuters · Tokyo] On November 4th, an "abnormal ultra-low temperature phenomenon" occurred in an apartment in Minato Ward, Tokyo. The indoor temperature dropped from 21°C to -31°C within 7 seconds, causing household appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners, and water heaters to freeze and crack. The resident—a 23-year-old male university student—has been taken away by the police for investigation. Reportedly, the student is a player of the popular holographic game "covering the heavens era," with the game ID "Ice Room."

[Kyodo News · Osaka] On November 5th, surveillance in a convenience store in Chuo Ward, Osaka, recorded an "abnormal acceleration event." A male customer "disappeared" from the surveillance footage within 0.3 seconds after checking out. After police retrieved 37 nearby surveillance feeds, it was confirmed that the man moved 217 meters within 0.47 seconds, with an average speed exceeding 460 km/h. The man's identity has been locked; he is a "covering the heavens era" player, game ID "Gale."

[Yonhap · Seoul] On November 6th, an "abnormal metal structure fracture event" occurred in an underground parking lot in Gangnam District, Seoul. A "fist-shaped indentation" appeared on the surface of a 30-centimeter diameter reinforced concrete pillar, with a depth of 7 centimeters. Trace amounts of "unknown metal element residue" were detected at the edge of the indentation. It is suspected to be related to a man caught on parking lot surveillance "swinging a fist at empty air." The man is a "covering the heavens era" player, game ID "Iron Fist."

[AP · New York] On November 7th, a "non-contact glass curtain wall self-explosion event" occurred at a luxury store on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. Surveillance shows that after a female customer stopped to watch for 7 seconds at a distance of 3 meters from the glass curtain wall, the entire tempered glass wall, 4 meters high and 7 meters wide, shattered simultaneously. The female is a "covering the heavens era" player, game ID "Spirit Sound."

...

———

The remaining 10 were domestic.

[Xinhua News · Beijing] Recently, "extraordinary phenomena" have appeared in various parts of our country. Relevant departments have activated emergency plans, and related investigations are underway. Experts remind citizens: do not believe or spread rumors; if you encounter abnormal situations, please contact the local public security organs immediately.

[The Paper · Shanghai] Residents of a neighborhood in Pudong New Area reported hearing an "explosion sound" on the early morning of November 5th. Investigation revealed a "penetrating damage of about 30 centimeters in diameter" on the interior wall of a resident's home. The resident—a 27-year-old male—claimed he "didn't know what happened." The male is a "covering the heavens era" player.

[Cover News · Chengdu] Surveillance in an internet cafe in Qingyang District recorded an "abnormal simultaneous black screen" event. 17 gaming pods running "covering the heavens era" entered standby mode at the same instant. 17 players went offline simultaneously. The internet cafe owner stated that these players "all had high-level accounts that were online long-term."

[The Beijing News · Yanjing] An "abnormal low temperature phenomenon" occurred in an apartment building in Chaoyang District early on the morning of November 7th. The indoor temperature dropped from 23°C to -17°C within 11 seconds, freezing and cracking refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners. The resident—a 23-year-old female—refused to be interviewed. According to neighbors, the female "rarely goes out, and there is often an ice-blue light in her home."

...

———

Lin Ye finished reading the last one.

He turned off the phone.

And put it back in the drawer.

———

At the alley entrance outside the window, that silver-gray business van had returned.

It parked in space 47.

The engine shut off.

The driver's side window rolled down a third of the way.

The person inside was smoking.

The red glow of the cigarette butt flickered in the 4:23 AM darkness at a frequency of once every 1.7 seconds.

With the melting ice water in the 17-meter gap on the third defensive line of Chaos Valley.

With the cooling energy core fragments in the wreckage of 47 command-type mechas at the Blood Altar ruins.

With the pulsation of the Chaos Brand on his chest.

Completely synchronized.

———

[System Prompt: Real-world monitors detected]

[Monitor Type: Suspected official organization]

[Monitoring Method: Multi-person rotation / Vehicle surveillance / Drone aerial tracking (nighttime)]

[Monitor Strength Assessment: Ordinary humans (no extraordinary characteristics)]

[Current Monitoring Density: Light]

[Suggested Counterstrategy: Maintain normal daily routine, avoid exposing extraordinary abilities]

———

Lin Ye closed the panel.

He lay back into the gaming pod.

Before the pod cover closed, he took one last look out the window.

That silver-gray business van was still parked in space 47.

The red glow of the cigarette butt was still flickering at a frequency of 1.7 seconds per time.

He memorized that frequency.

———

[Establishing neural connection...]

[Synchronization Rate: 97%]

[Welcome back to "covering the heavens era"]

[Current Coordinates: Big Dipper Star Field · Yan State · Chaos Valley · Main Hall Level 3]

[Current Time: Era Calendar Year 1972 · Day 331 · 04:23 (Game Time)]

[You have been offline for: 7 days]

———

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

The night in Chaos Valley was much brighter than in the real world.

The pale blue glimmering shield of the Spirit Gathering Array enveloped the entire territory. The dome of the Mecha Workshop was still slowly rotating. On the training ground of the pilot training camp, 37 newly produced [Chaos · Mass Production Type I] mechas were lining up.

On the left shoulder armor of every mecha, a simplified Sun Symbol was engraved.

That was the mass-production logo designed by Chen Hao.

Below it was the serial number.

From 001 to 037.

The pilot of 001 was Chen Hao himself.

chaos unit no. 1 was still under repair.

———

Lin Ye stood by the window.

He looked at those 37 new mechas.

7 days.

He had been offline for 7 days.

How many things had happened in the Heavenly Court during these 7 days?

He didn't know.

But he knew that he had to know.

———

The door was pushed open.

Su Qingyue walked in.

She wore that newly made moon-white dharma robe—no longer the spare Excellent-grade one from when the ice soul sword broke, but a Legendary-grade one with a faint ice-blue luster flowing through it, custom-made for her by Chen Hao using the latest material technology from the Eternal Star Domain.

[Vast Cold Dharma Robe · Custom Type]

[Type: Armor]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Defense: +7,300]

[Effect 1: Ice-type Spell damage +40%]

[Effect 2: When receiving Fire-type damage, automatically generates a Frost Shield for 3 seconds (absorbs 5,000 damage)]

[Effect 3: Recovers 2% of Max HP every 60 seconds]

[Effect 4: In moonlight environments, all attributes +15%]

[Effect 5: Increases wearer's affinity with "Vast Cold Spirit Body" by 12%]

[Customizer: Chen Hao / Heavenly Court Mecha Workshop]

[Note: This robe is woven from "Moonlight Silk" provided by the Seventh Fleet of the Eternal Starfield and "Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade Marrow" from the Big Dipper Star Field. It took 7 days to complete, with 3 prototypes scrapped.]

———

Su Qingyue walked to Lin Ye's side.

She didn't speak.

She simply took her left hand—the one with an empty palm, as the hilt remains of the ice soul sword were still deep within her Storage Ring—

And gently pressed it against the back of his right hand, which was gripping a sword hilt.

For 3 seconds.

Then she let go.

"7 days," she said.

"While you were away."

"Many things happened."

———

Lin Ye looked at her.

"Speak."

———

Su Qingyue didn't speak immediately.

She turned and walked to the star map in the tactical briefing room.

Her fingers slid through the Void Realm.

The distribution map of the myriad races' forces, covering the entire Big Dipper Star Field and the First Seven Gates of the Ancient Path, unfolded once more on the ceiling.

But this time, there were some additional markings that weren't there before.

[Global Mutation · Synchronized Information]

[Information Source: Real World · Heavenly Secret Pavilion Intelligence Node]

[Update Time: Era Calendar 1972, Day 331, 04:17]

[Confirmed Extraordinary Awakening Events:]

[1. East Asia: 137 cases (China 47 / Japan 31 / South Korea 23 / Other 36)]

[2. North America: 89 cases]

[3. Europe: 71 cases]

[4. Southeast Asia/South Asia: 43 cases]

[5. Other Regions: 31 cases]

[Total: 371 cases]

[Confirmed Identities of Extraordinary Awakened Individuals:]

[1. covering the heavens era players: 347 people (93.5%)]

[2. Other holographic game players: 17 people (4.6%)]

[3. Non-players: 7 people (1.9%) — Suspected to have passively obtained abilities through contact with the Awakened]

[Confirmed Awakening Ability Types:]

[1. Physical Enhancement Type: 47%]

[2. Elemental Control Type: 31%]

[3. Spiritual Perception Type: 13%]

[4. Speed/Reaction Type: 7%]

[5. Other/Unclassified: 2%]

[Official Agency Reactions:]

[1. China: Established the "Dragon Group" (code name), and began secretly monitoring high-Rank covering the heavens era players]

[2. United States: Launched the "Superhuman Registration Project," making reporting mandatory for the Awakened]

[3. Japan: Established the "Special Abilities Section," responsible for the control of the Awakened and the cleanup of "abnormal phenomena"]

[4. European Union: Passed the "Brussels Agreement," with member states sharing intelligence on the Awakened]

[5. Russia: Formed the "Bear Guard," incorporating the Awakened through a militarized management model]

---

Lin Ye looked at the line "China: Established the 'Dragon Group'."

Parking space number 47.

A silver-gray business van.

Circling once every 47 minutes.

A cigarette butt flickering at a frequency of 1.7 seconds per time.

---

"They found me," Lin Ye said.

It wasn't a question.

Su Qingyue looked at him.

"...They found me too," she said.

"Three days ago."

"Someone knocked on my door."

"Two people in plain clothes."

"Claiming to be a 'community population census'."

---

Lin Ye didn't speak.

Su Qingyue continued.

"My mother opened the door."

"They asked me three questions."

"'Have you felt any physical abnormalities lately?'"

"'What is your Rank in the game?'"

"'Have you seen any other players?'"

"My mother said no."

"They left."

"But that black car at the entrance—it's still there today."

---

Lin Ye was silent.

Three seconds.

"Did they discover anything?" he asked.

Su Qingyue shook her head.

"After I logged off, I didn't use any abilities."

"The refrigerator incident—my mother said it was a 'quality issue'."

"The community people didn't press further."

---

Lin Ye nodded.

He walked to the star map.

He looked at the yellow surveillance zone marked as "China · Dragon Group."

Yanjing.

Chaoyang District.

His rental apartment.

---

"They won't stop," Lin Ye said.

"371 Awakening events."

"93.5% are covering the heavens era players."

"As long as we continue to log into the game, as long as we continue to increase our Rank, as long as we continue—"

He paused.

"Continue to grow stronger."

"We will definitely be targeted."

---

Su Qingyue looked at him.

"What do you want to do?"

---

Lin Ye didn't answer immediately.

He took the blood emperor essence blood from his Storage Ring.

The dark red droplet hovered in his palm, with the fine golden patterns inside still slowly writhing.

1.7 seconds per time.

Synchronized with his heartbeat.

---

"Fuse it," Lin Ye said.

Su Qingyue's pupils contracted slightly.

"The risk?"

"Unknown."

"Success rate?"

"Unknown."

"The price?"

---

Lin Ye put the blood emperor essence blood back into the ring.

"The price is—the Blood Prince will know where I am."

"At any time."

"In any place."

"As long as this drop of blood remains in my body."

---

Su Qingyue didn't speak.

She just looked at him.

---

"But this is also an opportunity," Lin Ye said.

"He thinks I'm in the open."

"He thinks he can track me."

"He doesn't know—this drop of blood is also an anchor point for the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body to reverse track him."

---

[System Prompt: You have unlocked a hidden attribute of the "blood emperor essence blood"]

[Reverse Tracking: When the Blood Prince's original body enters within 100 kilometers of you, you will automatically sense his precise coordinates]

[The Price: Your current coordinates will be synchronized to the Blood Prince once every 24 hours (accuracy ±500 meters)]

[Confirm Fusion?]

---

Lin Ye didn't choose immediately.

He looked at the line "synchronized to the Blood Prince once every 24 hours."

500-meter accuracy.

Enough to locate the district he was in.

Not enough to locate the room he was in.

---

"24 hours," Lin Ye said.

"He can only know roughly where I am."

"But I can sense when he approaches."

---

Su Qingyue was silent.

Three seconds.

"...It's worth it," she said.

---

Lin Ye looked at the line [Confirm Fusion].

He pressed confirm.

[Fusion beginning...]

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body is absorbing the blood emperor essence blood...]

[Absorption progress: 3%... 17%... 31%...]

[Warning: Original body Soul connection from the Blood Prince detected]

[Connection strength: 17%]

[Location synchronization activated]

[Current synchronization countdown: 23 hours and 47 minutes]

[Absorption progress: 47%... 62%... 78%...]

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body has obtained a temporary attribute: Blood Race Resistance +30%]

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body has obtained a permanent attribute: Damage to Blood Race players/units +15%]

[Absorption progress: 91%... 97%... 100%]

[Fusion complete]

---

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

The blood emperor essence blood in his palm had disappeared.

In its place was an extremely fine dark red line extending from his tiger's mouth to his wrist.

That line pulsated once every 1.7 seconds.

It was completely synchronized with the Chaos Brand on his chest.

Synchronized with the melting ice water in the 17-meter gap on the third line of defense in Chaos Valley.

Synchronized with the cooling energy core fragments within the 47 command-type mecha wrecks in the ruins of the Blood Altar.

Completely synchronized.

---

[System Prompt: Your current Reality combat power assessment]

[Based on 5% manifestation progress]

[Physical Body strength: 4.7 times the human limit]

[Neural reaction speed: 3.2 times the human limit]

[Maximum single-punch impact force: 1,700 kg]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: Comparable to a Main Battle Tank (Light)]

[Note: This assessment is only for the "destructive power" dimension and does not include comprehensive factors such as agility, perception, and self-healing]

---

Lin Ye looked at the line "Comparable to a Main Battle Tank."

Three seconds.

He closed the panel.

---

Outside the window.

The night of Chaos Valley still shrouded the entire sphere of influence.

The ceiling of the Mecha Workshop was still slowly rotating.

On the playground of the Pilot Training Camp, 37 newly rolled-out Chaos Mass-Production Type I Mechas were lining up.

On the left shoulder armor of every mecha, a simplified Sun Symbol was engraved.

The pilot of the first unit—Chen Hao—was currently standing at the foot of that mecha, his right hand pressed against the hydraulic guard plate of its knee joint.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the repairs on chaos unit no. 1 to be complete.

Waiting for Lin Ye to come down from the third floor of the main hall.

Waiting for that sentence—one he hadn't heard in a long time—

"Move out."

---

Lin Ye turned around.

He looked at Su Qingyue.

"Seven days," he said.

"We lost seven days."

"The Blood Prince didn't."

"The remaining 69% of the Servant Lord's will."

"The ruthless ones inheritance."

"The Purple Mountain core area."

"He must be fighting to seize them."

---

Su Qingyue looked at him.

"So."

"Are we moving out now?"

---

Lin Ye shook his head.

"No rush."

He walked to the window.

He looked in the direction of the north gate of Chaos Valley.

That was where the Mecha Workshop was.

That was where Chen Hao was waiting.

That was—370 kilometers away—the direction of Purple Mountain.

---

"24 hours," Lin Ye said.

"Wait until the first synchronization of the blood emperor essence blood is complete."

"Wait until the Blood Prince receives my coordinates."

"Wait until he thinks—I am in the open."

---

He paused.

"Then."

"We disappear."

---

Su Qingyue didn't speak.

She just looked at Lin Ye.

Looking at those eyes—which were currently reflecting the pale blue night of Chaos Valley and were so calm they were almost indifferent.

Seven seconds.

She spoke.

"...Alright."

---

[System Prompt: You have created the Main Quest "Purple Mountain: ruthless ones inheritance"]

[Quest status: Preparing]

[Remaining preparation time: 23 hours and 47 minutes]

[Suggested preparation items:]

[1. Confirm the status of expedition team members]

[2. Confirm equipment/resource reserves]

[3. Confirm latest intelligence on the Purple Mountain core area]

[4. Confirm the Blood Prince's current progress]

[5. Confirm the movements of the "Servant Lord's" remaining will]

[Current completion rate: 17%]

---

Lin Ye closed the prompt.

He looked out the window.

Looking at the 37 newly rolled-out mechas.

Looking at Chen Hao standing at the foot of a mecha.

Looking at chaos unit no. 1 in the Mecha Workshop, being surrounded and repaired by three maintenance robots.

Looking toward the north gate.

Looking 370 kilometers away.

Purple Mountain.

---

24 hours.

Countdown begins.

---

[Chapter 161: End]