74: Chapter 73: 300 Floors of Stairs, Time Set a New Record

Dust-Covered Records and Undercurrents

The morning mist in the training hall had not yet dissipated when a scorching System notification popped up on Lin Mo's tactical tablet. On the challenge leaderboard of the Global Martial Arts System, the record for the "300-Story Stair Climb" project had been lying quietly for 27 years—12 minutes and 37 seconds, created by a veteran Tomb Guardian of the Council of Tomb Guardians in 1996. The youth's fingertips tapped lightly on the virtual timer, his eyes as bright as if tempered by fire: "The Special Incident Response Department just sent a message; Grey Shadow has bet one billion on the dark web, wagering that you cannot break this record."

Chen Wu's gaze fell on the architectural blueprint attached to the tablet. The "Lingyun Tower" he was about to challenge was an abandoned television tower. Its 300-story spiral staircase was coiled with rusty steel cables, and every floor had residual Qi Energy disturbance fields of varying intensities. Grandpa Wang's long-stemmed pipe knocked sparks onto the blueprint, the bowl pointing to the 187th floor: "Your grandfather's handprint is hidden here. When he came for maintenance in 1998, he injected Tomb-Guarding Beast Qi Energy into the concrete, which can buffer 50% of the impact." The old man suddenly pulled a copper pocket watch from his coat. As he opened it, a yellowed photo was revealed—a young grandfather standing on the top floor of the tower, the timer behind him showing 12 minutes and 41 seconds, 4 seconds slower than the record.

The armored vehicle of the Special Incident Response Department left two deep ruts at the entrance of the alley. The Chief of the Enforcement Division walked in, holding a pair of silver sensor boots. The tread on the soles matched the anti-slip strips of the Lingyun Tower stairs perfectly: "The Technical Department detected that 37 seams on the stairs have been tampered with. Grey Shadow used memory alloy to create camouflage; if you step on them, a bump 3 centimeters high will suddenly pop out." She suddenly pulled up a surveillance video showing three people in janitor uniforms smearing black paste on the stair railings, "This is a 'Qi Energy Absorbent,' which will accelerate your energy loss by 20%."

The Flower Girl's basket contained a bundle of peculiar vines. She wrapped the vines around Chen Wu's wrists, and the emerald leaves immediately adhered to his skin: "This is the 'Green Cloud Vine.' Each leaf can store Qi Energy and will release it automatically while climbing." The tablet at the bottom of the basket was playing the tactics of the Mutant Mutual Aid Association on a loop: "We organized five thousand people to place reflectors in the surveillance blind spots on every floor, so we can see the trap locations in advance." The little girl suddenly stood on tiptoe and stuffed a package into Chen Wu's pocket, "This is the 'Qi Energy Energy Bar' baked by Elder Zhou. Holding it in your mouth can stabilize your breathing rhythm."

Officer Zhang's body camera was aimed at the suspicious van at the entrance of the tower. The license plate was covered with mud, but the metal shavings stuck in the tire treads matched the memory alloy commonly used by Grey Shadow perfectly. "Someone wearing a baseball cap just went in," the old policeman's knuckles turned white. The body camera suddenly zoomed in, "He has an electromagnetic pulse device tucked into his waist that can cause your sensor equipment to malfunction at a critical moment." He suddenly took an inconspicuous canvas bag from behind him, "This contains the bomb squad's anti-explosion shears. Use this if you get stuck by a bump."

Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly emitted a scorching resonance. The number of live stream reservations on the Global Martial Arts System exceeded 4 billion. The view of A-Ming's younger sister's hospital room automatically appeared in the corner of the screen—the little girl was holding a piece of cardboard with "12 minutes and 36 seconds" written on it, poking a small hole in it with the "One-Inch Energy" she had just learned. The System prompt showed that her gene sequence recombination had entered the final stage; the Qi Energy shockwave generated by this challenge would be the final push to complete the healing. "Prepare to depart." Chen Wu wrapped the Green Cloud Vine tightly for the final turn, and the cyan-gold Qi Energy traveled along the vines, condensing into tiny dewdrops on the leaves.

The Speed Game on the Spiral Staircase

When the global live stream signal cut into the bottom floor of Lingyun Tower, 4 billion viewers held their breath simultaneously. The 300-story staircase was like a spiraling steel python, and the electronic screens at every corner were jumping with scarlet numbers—the countdown of the current record of 12 minutes and 37 seconds was passing mercilessly. Chen Wu stood in front of the starting line wearing the sensor boots; the iron sand in the weighted bags mixed with magnetite powder, casting cyan-gold ripples in the morning light. "The challenge begins!" The referee's starting pistol shook the dust off the ceiling, and a subtle tremor was hidden within the Qi Energy fluctuations.

Chen Wu's "Wind-Chasing Divine Steps" left afterimages on the stairs. The moment his boot soles touched each step, the leaves of the Green Cloud Vine would light up with fluorescence, triggering the memory alloy camouflage bumps in advance—in the thermal imaging map of the live stream, his footprints always fell in the safe area after the traps popped up. Lin Mo's tablet suddenly issued an alarm: "The concentration of Qi Energy Absorbent on the 17th floor exceeds the limit! Your energy value is dropping abnormally!" A flurry of golden "Data Anomaly" warnings immediately exploded in the comments, and the supervisors of the Mutant Mutual Aid Association spammed the screen simultaneously: "Actual Qi Energy remaining is 92%! Don't believe the fake data!"

At the corner of the 50th floor, the steel cables suddenly made a harsh snapping sound. Chen Wu's "Listening Energy" captured the frequency of the metal fatigue, and his body flipped sideways at an angle that defied the laws of physics, dodging the concrete block that smashed down from above—Grey Shadow had buried micro-explosives in the prefabricated slabs, and the Qi Energy turbulence generated by the explosion could just disrupt his breathing rhythm. "Sink your elbows and drop your shoulders!" Grandpa Wang's voice exploded through the broadcast channel, and the rhythm of his long-stemmed pipe knocking on the table suddenly accelerated, "Use your grandfather's 'Ladder Cloud Vertical' variation! Borrow the turbulence to increase speed!"

Chen Wu tapped his feet lightly on the wall, his body spinning like a top to avoid the flying debris. The magnetite powder in the weighted bags formed a golden vortex under centrifugal force, absorbing all the surrounding Qi Energy turbulence—the timer on the live stream screen showed that 4 minutes and 11 seconds had passed, 23 seconds faster than the record at the same point. The surveillance in the stairwell suddenly switched angles, capturing three janitors smearing new absorbent on the railings. Officer Zhang's body camera immediately locked onto the target: "SWAT has arrived at the 55th floor and is clearing them out!"

The electronic screen on the 100th floor suddenly went black. Grey Shadow's electromagnetic pulse device had started. Chen Wu's sensor boots instantly lost their signal, and all trap warnings failed. Just at this moment, the reflectors on every floor suddenly lit up simultaneously—five thousand mutants held up their mobile phone flashlights, forming a golden river of light in the surveillance blind spots, illuminating the locations of the untriggered traps clearly. "There is a bump on the third step on the left!" The Flower Girl's voice sounded tearful yet exceptionally clear. Her tablet was receiving the footage from all the reflectors in sync, "Kick the ventilation duct on the right! There is a Qi Energy buffer pad left by Grandfather inside!"

Chen Wu's toe kicked the ventilation grille precisely, and the hidden Qi Energy buffer pad suddenly exploded into a cloud of white mist. The cyan-gold energy flow surged into his body along his ankles, exactly offsetting the negative effects of the absorbent. The timer on the live stream screen jumped to 7 minutes and 03 seconds, and the mathematicians in the comments began calculating frantically: "At this speed, there is only a 5-minute and 34-second margin left to break the record!" In the hospital monitoring, A-Ming's younger sister suddenly sat up from the bed, her fingers poking a second small hole in the cardboard, and the curve on the monitor was like a joyful little stream.

Life-and-Death Sprint After the Grandfather's Handprint

At the corner of the 187th floor, Chen Wu's palm suddenly pressed into the indentation on the wall. The Tomb-Guarding Beast Qi Energy injected by his grandfather that year erupted instantly, and the cyan-gold energy flow spread along his arm, forming a transparent cocoon around him—in the energy map of the live stream, all the chaotic Qi Energy was bounced off by this cocoon, and even Grey Shadow's strongest absorbent lost its effect. "This is 'Tomb Guardian Resonance'!" Lin Mo's voice was tearful, and the Family tree on the tablet was flashing rapidly, "Your Qi Energy frequency is completely synchronized with your grandfather's!"

The spiral staircase on the 250th floor suddenly accelerated its rotation. Grey Shadow had added a hydraulic pump to the mechanical device, wanting to make the staircase rotation speed exceed the limit of human balance. Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly became scorching hot, creating a cross-floor resonance with the grandfather's handprint on the top floor, and his body suddenly sank into a Horse Stance, his feet stepping out a stable triangle on the rotating steps—this was exactly the "Thousand-Jin Drop" variation taught by Grandpa Wang, using body weight to counteract centrifugal force. "There are 3 minutes and 17 seconds left!" The referee's voice carried excitement for the first time, "Breaking the record is right before our eyes!"

The Qi Energy disturbance field on the 290th floor suddenly increased to its maximum value. Chen Wu's breathing rhythm became chaotic for a moment, and the leaves of the Green Cloud Vine began to wither in large patches—Grey Shadow had used a concentrated absorbent on this floor, which could directly devour the Qi Energy of living organisms. Just at this moment, the comments in the global live stream suddenly formed a huge "Qi" character. 4 billion viewers were practicing the "Tomb-Guarding Beast Breathing Technique" in front of their screens simultaneously, and the cyan-gold energy flow converged into a river along the network cables, surging into his body through Chen Wu's peace lock. "The energy value has rebounded!" Lin Mo's scream shattered the protective film of the tablet, "It's a global resonance!"

The last 10 floors became a race against time. Every step Chen Wu took left a cyan-gold footprint on the stairs, and his grandfather's Qi Energy intertwined with the resonance of the global audience into a torrent within him. When his foot stepped onto the 300th-floor platform, the timer digits froze at 12 minutes and 19 seconds—18 seconds faster than the record that had been sealed for 27 years! The live stream screen suddenly cut to the hospital, where A-Ming's younger sister was cheering while holding the cardboard. The two small holes on it were connected by her into a straight line, like a brand-new starting line.

The intercom in the stairwell suddenly broadcast the roar of the Grey Shadow leader: "Impossible! We added a gravity field in the last 5 floors!" Chen Wu's "Listening Energy" captured the source of the sound, and the cyan-gold Qi Energy suddenly spread along the steel cables, shattering the gravity generator hidden in the top-floor water tank into pieces. Officer Zhang's body camera captured a shocking scene: embedded in the wreckage of the generator was a piece of a peace lock identical to Chen Wu's, only it was covered with black toxic patterns.

"This is your father's heirloom." Grandpa Wang's voice suddenly became old. He pulled a yellowed group photo from his coat. The young Grey Shadow leader was standing on the top floor of Lingyun Tower with his grandfather, also holding a peace lock, "He was also a Tomb Guardian back then, but later he was corrupted by toxins and went astray." The comments in the live stream suddenly went quiet, and then were spammed with "Redemption"—mutants all over the world were calling for giving the lost soul a chance to turn over a new leaf.

The Legacy Password in the New Record

When Chen Wu walked down from Lingyun Tower, the sunset was stretching the shadows of the stairs very long. On Lin Mo's tablet, the points balance of the Global Martial Arts System had exceeded 10 million, and the System automatically popped up the ultimate permission interface for "Group Deduction"—now, Chen Wu could generate personalized treatment plans for 100 million mutants simultaneously. The youth suddenly pointed to the trending list; #4 Billion Hands Behind 12 Minutes and 19 Seconds# had been discussed 800 million times, and pinned at the top was a composite photo: Chen Wu's footprint and his grandfather's handprint perfectly overlapped on the 187th floor.

The celebration banquet of the Special Incident Response Department was held at the bottom floor of the tower. The Chief of the Enforcement Division held a wine glass made of Tomb-Guarding Beast scales, making a crisp sound when she clinked glasses with Chen Wu: "The Technical Department found the formula to cure the toxin in the fragments of the gravity generator; it was actually hidden in the patterns of your father's peace lock." On her tablet, Grey Shadow's dark web betting pool was issuing refunds, and countless anonymous accounts sent apology messages, "The Council of Tomb Guardians says this is the true Legacy your father left behind."

In the Flower Girl's basket, the Green Cloud Vine had bloomed with tiny white flowers. She pinned the largest flower onto Chen Wu's lapel: "Elder Zhou said these flowers can refine a medicine to cure gene rejection." The tablet in the basket showed the new plan of the Mutant Mutual Aid Association, "We want to replicate the 'Lingyun Challenge' globally, so that every city has its own record wall." The little girl suddenly blushed and pulled a design drawing from the flowers, "This is a traditional martial arts memorial hall crowdfunded by everyone; we want to invite you to write the inscription."

Grandpa Wang's long-stemmed pipe drew an arc in the moonlight. The old man pointed to the new timer on the top floor of the tower, where the 12-minute 19-second digits were flashing: "The old friend who set the record in 1996 sent a message yesterday, saying he could finally rest in peace." He suddenly stuffed the pocket watch into Chen Wu's hand, "Your grandfather was 4 seconds slower on purpose back then because he wanted to leave a chance for those who came later to surpass him. True Legacy is never about guarding a record to the death; it is about always believing that someone can run faster."

Chen Wu's gaze fell on the global Qi Energy map. The cyan-gold Golden Trail of the 300-story staircase was spreading to all parts of the world. From the Empire State Building in New York to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, countless tiny points of light were moving on the stairs—those were ordinary people imitating his challenge. The System prompt showed that more than 5 million mutants had completed initial healing through the Qi Energy transmission of this live stream, and the success rate of A-Ming's younger sister's gene sequence recombination had reached 98%.

When the last viewer left the live stream, Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly trembled lightly. The homepage of the Global Martial Arts System was changed to a new image: no record numbers, no challenge items, only a cyan-gold light belt extending from the bottom to the top, with dense names written on both sides of the light belt—every ordinary person who cheered for him in the live stream. And at the starting point of the light belt, A-Ming's younger sister had written in crooked handwriting: "The next record will be created by us."

Chen Wu knew that the 12-minute 19-second number would eventually be replaced by a new record. But at this moment on the stairs of Lingyun Tower, those footprints of varying depths had already formed something more precious than a record—it was the hope supported by countless hands, the Legacy password written by three generations of Tomb Guardians with their lives, and the fastest speed that every ordinary person could run in their ordinary lives.

Just like the new footprints covering the old marks on the bluestone slab in the training hall. There were Chen Wu's, Grandpa Wang's, the Flower Girl's, and the tottering footprints of A-Ming's younger sister. These seemingly chaotic marks connected into an ever-forward line under the moonlight, passing through the dust-covered records, leading to a future that is always worth looking forward to.