162: Chapter 162 Contact with the Dragon Group, National Invitation

5:17 AM.

Lin Ye sat up from the game pod 0.3 seconds faster than three days ago.

It was not intentional acceleration.

It was his body's instinctive alertness.

The silver-gray business car had not returned to parking spot 47 after the shift change 47 minutes ago. The new arrival was a black SUV, license plate Jing A·7K371, parked in spot 31—17 meters further than spot 47, but with a better view, capable of monitoring both exits of the apartment building simultaneously.

Cigarette butts had been replaced by a thermos.

The white steam rising from the cup at 5 AM in the cold wind rose at a frequency of 0.7 seconds per puff.

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

Like the energy core fragments cooling among the 47 command-type mecha wrecks in the ruins of the Blood Altar.

Like the pulse remaining from the blood emperor essence blood he had just fused within his body.

Still synchronized.

— — —

Lin Ye sat on the edge of the game pod.

He did not move.

The red fire alarm indicator in the curtain gap had gone out—at 5 AM, the top-floor residents' routine meant the light should be off.

But it had not lit up today.

It was not broken.

Someone had turned it off.

— — —

[System Prompt: Real-world anomaly detected]

[Anomaly Type: Local power network interruption]

[Scope: This apartment building, floors 1-7]

[Duration: 17 seconds]

[Cause: Man-made cutoff]

[Intent: Cut power to monitoring equipment to create a record-free environment for "in-person contact"]

— — —

Lin Ye looked at the prompt.

17 seconds.

Enough for someone to walk from outside the apartment building to his door.

Enough for three people to divide tasks—two guarding the hallway, one knocking.

Enough for his phone, computer, and spare machine to all lose the ability to upload surveillance footage in real-time.

17 seconds.

14 seconds had already passed.

— — —

The 15th second.

A knock on the door.

Not pounding.

It was "three knocks."

Very light.

Very rhythmic.

1.7-second intervals.

Synchronized with his heartbeat.

— — —

Lin Ye did not get up.

He looked at the door.

The door was a standard security door, about 2mm thick steel plate, with a Grade B lock core, taking about 5 minutes to bypass technically.

But the person standing behind that door would not use technical bypassing.

— — —

The 16th second.

The knocking sounded again.

Still three knocks.

Still 1.7-second intervals.

Still very light.

— — —

The 17th second.

Power restored.

The voice-activated light in the hallway came back on, light filtering through the bottom of the door, casting a thin, still bright line on the floor.

The knocking did not happen again.

But someone outside spoke.

The voice was very light, yet as clear as if they were in the room:

"Lin Ye."

"We know you're in."

"Is it convenient to open the door and talk for a moment?"

— — —

Lin Ye stood up.

He walked to the door.

He did not look through the peephole—that behavior was meaningless in their eyes.

He simply opened the door.

— — —

Three people stood outside.

Two men and one woman.

The leader was a man about forty, about 1.85 meters tall, wearing dark gray casual clothes, without any identification. His stance was very stable, weight centered between his feet, shoulder-width apart—a standard military/police combat ready stance.

But his eyes.

Those eyes, under the hallway's voice-activated light at 5 AM, showed a very faint, almost imperceptible cyan-gray color.

That was not the color a normal human pupil should have.

[Identity Scanning...]

[Name: Unknown]

[Codename: Azure Dragon]

[Affiliation: Huaxia · Dragon Group]

[Awakening Rank: C-Rank (Physical Body Enhancement type)]

[Combat Power Assessment: Single punch impact approximately 900kg, neural reaction speed 2.1 times human limit]

[Note: This person may be one of the Dragon Group's leaders in the Yanjing region]

— — —

The man on the left was about thirty, 1.75 meters tall, thin build, wearing rimless glasses. His stance was more relaxed than Azure Dragon's, but his right hand was always in his pocket, judging by the outline of the fabric, holding some kind of small device.

[Identity Scanning...]

[Name: Unknown]

[Codename: None (Technical Support Personnel)]

[Affiliation: Huaxia · Dragon Group]

[Awakening Rank: None]

[Specialty: Electronic Reconnaissance / Data Analysis]

— — —

The woman on the right was about twenty-five, 1.68 meters tall, short hair, wearing a black tracksuit. Her pupils were normal black, but Lin Ye noticed her fingertips—in the fingernail gaps of her right index and middle fingers, there were extremely fine, ice-blue crystal residues.

That was a characteristic of regenerating tissue after low-temperature frostbite.

[Identity Scanning...]

[Name: Unknown]

[Codename: Frost]

[Affiliation: Huaxia · Dragon Group]

[Awakening Rank: D-Rank (Low-Temperature Control type)]

[Combat Power Assessment: Can instantly lower the temperature within a 1-meter radius to -20°C, duration approximately 7 seconds]

[Note: This person is suspected to be the Awakened individual related to the recent "Refrigerator Freezing Incident"]

— — —

Lin Ye stood at the doorway.

He did not step aside.

He did not close the door either.

He just looked at these three people.

3 seconds.

— — —

Azure Dragon spoke first.

His voice was the same as when he knocked—very light, but clear.

"Lin Ye."

"Player ID 'Night Emperor' of 'covering the heavens era'."

"Leader of the Heavenly Court faction."

"Game Rank 61, Dragon Transformation First Layer."

"Three days ago, between 4:17 and 4:23 AM, you demonstrated a 'supernatural ability' in the real world."

"You punched through the east wall of your bedroom, with an impact force of approximately 1,700 kg."

He paused.

"We are here today to talk to you."

— — —

Lin Ye did not speak.

He just looked at Azure Dragon.

3 seconds.

He stepped aside.

"Come in."

— — —

The three people walked into this 17-square-meter rental.

Azure Dragon stood by the desk, his gaze sweeping over the three unopened boxes of compressed biscuits on the table, the spare phone, and the wall punched through by a single blow.

The technical support man took the small device from his pocket—it was a modified spectrum analyzer, and when the screen lit up, 17 lines of data that Lin Ye could not understand flashed across it.

The short-haired woman stood by the door, not moving.

— — —

Lin Ye stood by the game pod.

He looked at Azure Dragon.

"How did you find me?"

— — —

Azure Dragon did not avoid the question.

"The game pod," he said.

"Every custom pod for 'covering the heavens era' has a unique device identification code at the factory."

"The operator's backend records the IP address of every login."

"Three days ago, 7 minutes after you logged off, your IP address was marked as 'abnormal'."

"Not because you did anything."

"But because in the same time period, 371 IP addresses were marked globally simultaneously."

He paused.

"You are all Awakened."

— — —

Lin Ye was silent.

3 seconds.

"So you located the IP addresses of all Awakened individuals."

"Yes."

"And then went to their doors one by one."

"No."

Azure Dragon looked at him.

"Not 'all'."

"It's 'selective'."

"Out of 371 IPs, we filtered out 17."

"You are one of them."

— — —

"What is the screening criteria?"

Azure Dragon did not answer immediately.

He took a silver-white metal card from his pocket and placed it on the desk.

[Dragon Group Communicator · Trial Version]

[Type: Real-world communication device]

[Quality: Unknown (Official Standard)]

[Functions:]

[1. Encrypted Communication: Real-time voice/text communication with Dragon Group headquarters and other communicator holders]

[2. Emergency Location: Automatically sends coordinates when the holder's vital signs are abnormal]

[3. Supernatural Fluctuation Monitoring: Issues a warning when supernatural abilities appear within a 100-meter radius]

[4. Information Sharing: Can access the Dragon Group's internal intelligence database (partial permissions)]

[5. Chaos Resistance: Built-in micro-energy field, can resist supernatural impacts below C-Rank]

[Current Status: Inactive]

[Note: This device is a contact credential for establishing a "non-affiliated cooperative relationship" between the Dragon Group and the Awakened]

— — —

Lin Ye looked at the metal card.

He did not reach out to take it.

He looked at Azure Dragon.

"What is the screening criteria?" he repeated.

— — —

Azure Dragon met his gaze.

3 seconds.

"Your faction in the game."

"Heavenly Court."

"Fifth seat of the Myriad Races Council."

"72-hour bloody battle in Chaos Valley."

"Destroying the Blood Altar."

"Defeating the Blood Prince projection."

"Seizing the blood emperor essence blood."

He paused.

"What you did in the game is more than 347 out of the 371 Awakened combined."

— — —

Lin Ye did not speak.

Azure Dragon continued.

"We need you."

"Not 'need you to join the Dragon Group'."

"But 'need you to maintain your current state'."

"Continue to grow stronger."

"Continue to develop in the game."

"Continue—to prepare for the day that is coming."

— — —

"Which day?" Lin Ye asked.

Azure Dragon did not answer.

He pushed the metal card toward Lin Ye.

"Take this first."

"Then we'll talk."

— — —

Lin Ye looked at the card.

3 seconds.

He picked it up.

The metal felt cold, about 30% lighter than ordinary alloys, with extremely fine, almost invisible lines on the surface—etching marks of micro-energy circuits.

[Dragon Group Communicator · Activated]

[Binder: Lin Ye]

[Current Permission Level: Grade B (Information Sharing / Emergency Communication / Local Access)]

[Unlocked Intelligence:]

[1. Registered List of Awakened in Huaxia Region (Partial)]

[2. Briefing on Overseas Supernatural Faction Dynamics]

[3. Dragon Group Internal Combat Power Assessment Standards]

[4. Monitoring List of High-Threat Players in 'covering the heavens era']

[5. Heat Map of Recent "Anomaly Events"]

— — —

Lin Ye put the communicator into his pocket.

He looked at Azure Dragon.

"Go ahead."

— — —

Azure Dragon sat down on the chair by the desk.

That position was exactly with his back to the wall that had been punched through.

He glanced at the hole in the wall.

"3 days ago," he said.

"This punch of yours made us adjust our assessment of you from C-Rank to B-Rank."

"What is the standard for B-Rank?"

"Individual combat capability comparable to a light armored vehicle."

"If you add in the combat experience and tactical judgment from the game—it approaches a main battle tank."

— — —

Lin Ye was silent.

Azure Dragon continued.

"Of the 371 Awakened globally, only 7 are currently assessed as B-Rank."

"You are among these 7."

"The other 6—"

He paused.

"4 have already agreed to join the Dragon Group."

"The other 2 are abroad and are currently being contacted."

— — —

"So you came to find me because I need to 'join'," Lin Ye said.

It was not a question.

Azure Dragon shook his head.

"No."

"We came to find you because you 'don't need to' join."

— — —

Lin Ye looked at him.

"The Dragon Group's structure is not suitable for you," Azure Dragon said.

"People like you cannot be placed into any System."

"It's not an ability issue."

It—is—what you did, which is more than what the System can give you.

He stood up.

He walked to the window.

He pulled back the curtains.

At 5 a.m., Yanjing was still asleep.

The black SUV at the entrance of the alley was still parked in parking space No. 31, and the white steam from the thermos was still rising at a frequency of 0.7 seconds per puff.

Three days ago, seven minutes after you logged off,

Azure Dragon said.

Our System flagged your IP.

At the same time, 370 others were also flagged.

But your IP address, three seconds after being flagged, was—also flagged—by another System.

Lin Ye's pupils constricted slightly.

Another System?

Azure Dragon did not turn back.

Overseas.

Non-governmental.

We are still investigating exactly who it is.

But one thing is certain—

He turned around.

He looked at Lin Ye.

You have already been targeted.

Not because of us.

But because of what you did in the game.

Lin Ye was silent.

Three seconds.

He spoke.

Blood Prince.

Azure Dragon did not deny it.

Vampire Council.

Primordial Royal Court.

They also have influence in the real world.

Although not as strong as in the game, it is—enough to track an Awakened's IP address.

Lin Ye's hand pressed onto the hilt of his sword.

The refined iron longsword he brought back from the Trial Ancient Star was not in the real world.

But the hilt—the hilt that never left his side in the game—was his subconscious instinct to find support in reality.

He lowered his hand.

What do you need?

Azure Dragon walked back to the desk.

He pushed the silver-white metal card—the one Lin Ye had already accepted—forward again.

We need you to stay alive.

We need you to continue getting stronger.

We need you in the game—to push back against those forces that want to harm us in the real world, one by one.

He paused.

This is not an order.

It is cooperation.

Lin Ye looked at him.

What is the cost?

Azure Dragon shook his head.

There is no cost.

You do not need to report anything to us.

You do not need to accept any assigned missions.

You do not need to follow our orders at any time.

You only need to—

He pointed at the communicator.

Use it.

When you discover any information that might threaten the safety of ordinary people, tell us.

When you need any intelligence support, ask us.

When you—encounter those overseas forces in the game and need cooperation in the real world—

Speak up.

Lin Ye was silent for a long time.

Long enough that the white steam from the thermos in the black SUV outside the window changed from 0.7 seconds per puff to 0.5 seconds per puff—that was the driver changing to fresh hot water.

Long enough that the gray Chaos patterns on the edge of the hole in the wall pulsed another 47 times.

Long enough for a message sent by Su Qingyue to light up on his phone screen.

[Su Qingyue: 'Someone is knocking at the door.']

['Two men and one woman.']

['They say it's a community census.']

['I didn't open it.']

Lin Ye finished reading the message.

He lifted his head.

He looked at Azure Dragon.

Vast Cold Spirit Body,

he said.

You went to find her too.

Azure Dragon did not deny it.

She is also on this list.

B-Rank.

Low-temperature control ability assessment—stronger than all the D-Ranks we have seen before.

He paused.

She didn't open the door.

So our people are still at the door.

Lin Ye did not speak.

He walked to the desk.

He picked up the communicator.

He looked at it.

Three seconds.

He spoke.

I need two permissions.

Azure Dragon looked at him.

First,

Lin Ye said.

Her safety.

Your people, withdraw from her door.

When she needs to, she will contact you.

Azure Dragon nodded.

Understood.

Second,

Lin Ye said.

Blood Prince.

His coordinates in the real world.

Azure Dragon was silent.

Three seconds.

...We are investigating.

His IP address is harder to track than yours.

It uses at least seven layers of proxies.

But—

He paused.

There is a clue.

It points to one place.

Where?

Azure Dragon looked at him.

Purple Mountain.

Lin Ye's pupils constricted slightly.

Purple Mountain.

In the game, it is the location of the ruthless ones inheritance.

In the real world—

It is a mountain range within Yi County, Baoding City, Hebei Province.

About 130 kilometers from Yanjing.

What is he doing there?

Lin Ye asked.

Azure Dragon shook his head.

I don't know.

But our monitoring System shows that there have been abnormal energy fluctuations in that area recently.

Not low temperature.

Not high temperature.

It is a—type of energy we have never recorded.

He paused.

And the patterns remaining on your wall.

They are very similar.

Lin Ye did not speak.

He looked at that wall.

The circle of gray Chaos patterns was still pulsing at a frequency of 1.7 seconds per pulse.

Synchronized with his heartbeat.

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

Synchronized with the unknown energy fluctuation deep in Purple Mountain 370 kilometers away—possibly synchronized.

He withdrew his gaze.

He looked at Azure Dragon.

Cooperation,

Lin Ye said.

Not joining.

Information sharing.

Mutual aid in crises.

At other times—

He paused.

Non-interference.

Azure Dragon looked at him.

Three seconds.

He reached out his hand.

Deal.

Lin Ye shook that hand.

The grip was light.

But Azure Dragon's pupils constricted slightly at that moment.

[System Prompt: You have established a 'non-subordinate cooperative relationship' with the China Dragon Group.]

[Cooperation Rank: Class B]

[Unlocked Permissions:]

[1. China Region Awakened Intelligence Database (Partial)]

[2. Overseas Extraordinary Forces Activity Briefing]

[3. Dragon Group Internal Combat Strength Assessment Standards]

[4. 'covering the heavens era' High-Threat Player Monitoring List]

[5. Emergency Communication Channel (Real-time)]

[6. Local Tactical Support Request Right (Requires Approval)]

[7. Real World Extraordinary Event Warning (Within 100km Radius)]

[Bound Device: Dragon Group Communicator x 1]

[Device Status: Activated]

[Remaining Battery: 97%]

[Communication Encryption Level: Military Grade]

[Location Synchronization Frequency: Once every 24 hours (Can be manually disabled)]

Lin Ye let go of his hand.

He looked at Azure Dragon.

One more thing.

Azure Dragon stopped walking.

Her.

Su Qingyue.

What kind of communicator did you give her?

Azure Dragon took out a second metal card from his pocket.

It was exactly the same as the one given to Lin Ye.

We didn't deliver it,

he said.

She didn't open the door.

Lin Ye took the card.

The silver-white metal surface still carried the warmth of Azure Dragon's palm.

He put it into another pocket.

I will give it to her.

Azure Dragon watched this action.

Three seconds.

He nodded.

He did not say anything.

When the three people left, it was 5:47 a.m.

The voice-activated lights in the hallway went out seven seconds after they left.

The sound of the black SUV's engine starting outside the window disappeared at the alley entrance at 5:48 a.m.

The last pulse of the circle of gray Chaos patterns was at 5:49 a.m.—synchronized with Lin Ye's heartbeat.

Lin Ye stood in front of that wall.

He took out the communicator for Su Qingyue.

He looked at it for three seconds.

Then he turned on his phone.

He sent a message to Su Qingyue.

['They're gone.']

['No one is at the door anymore.']

['This, for you.']

[Image: Dragon Group Communicator]

Three seconds later.

Su Qingyue's reply.

['What is this?']

Lin Ye typed.

['An official proof of cooperation.']

['Not joining.']

['It's mutual help.']

['When you need to, use it to contact them.']

Su Qingyue did not reply again.

But Lin Ye knew she would accept it.

He walked back to the game capsule.

He lay down.

Before the capsule lid closed, he took one last look at that wall.

The circle of gray Chaos patterns was still pulsing.

1.7 seconds per pulse.

With his heartbeat.

With the unknown energy fluctuation deep in Purple Mountain 370 kilometers away.

With the drop of blood emperor essence blood inside the Blood Prince that he had fused with, which was currently on a 24-hour synchronization countdown.

Perfectly synchronized.

[Neural connection establishing...]

[Synchronization Rate: 97%]

[Welcome back to 'covering the heavens era']

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

[Current Time: Era Calendar Year 1972 · Day 331 · 05:51 (Game Time)]

[You have been offline: 1 hour 28 minutes]

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

Su Qingyue stood in front of him.

She was holding the silver-white metal card—the Dragon Group Communicator—in her hand.

Her ice-blue eyes looked at him.

Three seconds.

She spoke.

Purple Mountain,

she said.

He is indeed there.

Lin Ye looked at her.

You have contacted them.

Su Qingyue nodded.

They told me.

The abnormal energy fluctuations in that area have been intensifying since three days ago.

And the time when the Blood Prince's projection was defeated—matches perfectly.

Lin Ye was silent.

Three seconds.

He walked to the window.

He looked to the north.

The direction of Purple Mountain.

370 kilometers.

24 hours,

he said.

22 hours and 17 minutes remaining.

22 hours later, the Blood Prince will receive my coordinates.

He will think I am in the open.

He will lower his guard.

He will—

He paused.

Speed up his progress.

Su Qingyue walked to his side.

She stood side by side with him.

...22 hours,

she said.

What is enough for us to do?

Lin Ye did not answer.

He looked out the window.

Looking at the 37 newly rolled-off Chaos · Mass-Produced Type I mechas.

Looking at the chaos unit no. 1 currently undergoing final debugging in the Mecha Workshop.

Looking in the direction of the North Gate.

Looking 370 kilometers away.

Purple Mountain.

Enough,

he said.

[System Prompt: You have confirmed the main quest 'Purple Mountain · ruthless ones inheritance']

[Remaining preparation time: 22 hours 17 minutes]

[Current preparation progress: 41%]

[Suggestion: Immediately assemble the expedition team and confirm the final list.]

Lin Ye closed the prompt.

He turned around.

He walked toward the door of the tactical conference room.

[Chapter 162 · End]