157: A nationwide awakening? Superpowered individuals everywhere?

Inside an unknown space.

A luxurious palace floated in the Void Realm.

The floor was covered with a carpet woven from the fur of unknown gigantic beasts, and the surrounding pillars were not inlaid with gems, but with organs that were still faintly throbbing.

In the center of the main hall, a massive floor-length mirror suddenly rippled.

A foot stepped out from the mirror's surface.

Jing straightened his slightly messy collar, the candlelight of the hall reflecting in his mask.

He walked to the foot of the high platform at the end of the hall and knelt on one knee.

"My Lord."

Jing's voice was calm.

"The mission is complete."

Above the high platform, layer upon layer of light gauze hung down.

Behind the gauze, a huge soft couch was vaguely visible.

A figure lay lazily on its side upon it, fiddling with something in their hand, making a "click, click" sound.

After a long while.

A voice, indistinguishable by gender or age, came from behind the curtain.

"Is that drunkard's sword still so sharp?"

Jing lowered his head: "Very sharp. If I hadn't used the 'Mirror Realm' to warp away, I probably would have lost an arm."

"Heh."

That person chuckled, unconcerned with the life or death of their subordinate.

"What about Tianshu?"

"He's crippled." Jing's tone was flat. "Severely wounded by that person named Lin Yuan, and then forced a Fusion with abyssal matter, resulting in a mental breakdown."

"When I evacuated, I severed his Soul link with headquarters."

"Mm."

That person responded, their tone still lazy.

"If he's dead, then he's dead."

"Just a 'defective product' of B-rank. As long as the source material remains, the factory can churn out a new batch anytime."

If Tianshu were still alive, hearing this sentence would probably make him so angry he'd die again on the spot.

Even a B-rank Expert was merely a "consumable" on the assembly line in this person's eyes.

"Even if the entire force is wiped out, it doesn't matter."

The figure behind the curtain turned over, a hint of pleasure entering their voice.

"What's important is that the seeds have been sown."

"Jiangcheng is only the beginning."

"When the Mortals taste the sweetness of power, when the lie of order is exposed..."

"Let's see what that person surnamed Zhou, and that decaying Dragon Shield Bureau, will use to stem this overwhelming flood."

Jing bowed slightly: "As you wish."

"The true Apocalypse has arrived."

... In the real world, Jiangcheng.

Inside a speeding ambulance.

"Ow... easy, easy! Nurse, this is flesh, not a rubber mannequin!"

Lin Yuan grimaced as he lay on the stretcher bed, a young nurse frantically treating his wounds.

What were called wounds were actually more like "fissures."

The aftereffects of over-drafting the Primordial Thunder God Body had turned his skin into a piece of cracked porcelain barely glued back together, and the slightest movement caused agonizing pain.

Of course, what hurt more was his heart.

[Current power level: 3%]

Looking at that number, Lin Yuan felt like he was suffocating.

All the power he had painstakingly saved up was gone in an instant!

"Shut up."

A weak voice came from the other bed nearby.

Su Wanqing leaned against the headboard, her left shoulder wrapped in thick bandages, her face pale.

"If you keep whining, I'll freeze your mouth shut."

Lin Yuan turned his head, grinned at the ice-cold beauty.

"Captain Su, that's unfair of you."

"We're comrades who faced death together, and if I hadn't appeared like a god descending just now, you'd probably be Tianshu the old monster's midnight snack."

"I don't expect you to repay this life-saving grace by marrying me, but at least have a better attitude, right?"

Su Wanqing looked at his punchable face, and the "thank you" she had intended to say got stuck in her throat.

Just then.

"Screech—"

The ambulance braked to a stop.

The rear door was yanked open.

Zhou Weiguo appeared in the doorway.

His eyes were deeply sunken; clearly, he hadn't slept all night.

"Yo, Director Zhou."

Lin Yuan tried to raise his hand to greet him, but the movement pulled at his wounds, making him gasp in pain.

"Did you come to comfort the wounded, or to give me my death benefits?"

Zhou Weiguo did not banter with Lin Yuan as he usually did.

He stepped into the vehicle, his gaze lingering on Lin Yuan's wounds for a moment, then looked at the busy young nurse.

"You two, step out first."

"I need to speak with them privately."

The nurse was startled but dared not ask questions. She quickly tidied her tray, hurried out of the ambulance, and closed the door behind her.

Zhou Weiguo looked at the two of them and sighed.

The smile on Lin Yuan's face also faded somewhat.

He sensed something was wrong.

This old fox usually wouldn't bat an eye even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. What was wrong today?

"What is it?"

Lin Yuan tentatively asked: "Didn't I cripple that old monster Tianshu? And wasn't that masked Jing stopped by your drunkard friend?"

"I see the sun is up outside, and the barrier is broken. Didn't we win?"

Zhou Weiguo pulled a cigarette from his pocket, started to light it, glanced at the oxygen tank nearby, and shoved it back in frustration.

"Win?"

Zhou Weiguo gave a wry smile, his voice hoarse.

"Tactically, we did win."

"The Apocalypse Society's stronghold has been dismantled, one core member is dead and one escaped, and the crisis in Jiangcheng is resolved."

"But..."

He raised his head and looked out through the ambulance's rear window.

On the streets, although the energy dome had vanished, there were fully armed soldiers everywhere, as well as chemical defense units in protective suits cleaning up the red spores.

Further away, beyond the police tape, countless citizens holding phones and cameras were trying to break through the blockade.

One could even see some young people waving their arms at the air, attempting some sort of "Awakening."

"Strategically, we lost completely."

Zhou Weiguo pointed outside.

"Lin Yuan, do you know how many people saw that live broadcast last night?"

Lin Yuan was stunned: "Wasn't the internet cut off?"

"It was cut off," Zhou Weiguo rubbed his temples, "but the technology the Apocalypse Society used was too advanced. It was a signal hijacking carried out directly through Spiritual Qi resonance."

"Although it only lasted a few minutes, it was enough."

"And it wasn't just Jiangcheng."

"Last night, the same scene appeared in twelve major metropolises around the globe."

"Although the authorities are trying their best to block information, delete posts, control comments, and even use special methods... the seed planted in people's hearts cannot be removed once it takes root."

Su Wanqing's expression changed: "Are you saying..."

"That's right."

Zhou Weiguo's voice was low.

"The boundary between the surface world and the inner world is essentially broken."

"Starting today, we can no longer hide supernatural power in the shadows."

"Of the people who inhaled the spores, most have been contained, but there is still a portion... who are mutating, or undergoing an Awakening."

"The entire world is asking the same question: Are there really gods in this world?"

The ambulance compartment fell silent.

Lin Yuan listened, dumbfounded.

So, he fought desperately all night, only for these bastards to pull a "suicide bomber" move?

"Then..." Lin Yuan swallowed, "What do we do now? Can the Dragon Shield Bureau still hold the fort?"

Zhou Weiguo was silent for a moment.

Then, he looked at Lin Yuan, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"The old rules can no longer be maintained."

"If we can't maintain them, then we establish new ones."

He reached out and patted Lin Yuan's leg (avoiding the wound).

"Kid, you rendered great service this time."

"That drunkard told me that if you hadn't forcibly summoned the lightning and severely wounded Tianshu, at least half of Jiangcheng would have died last night."

"The Dragon Shield Bureau acknowledges this merit."

Zhou Weiguo stood up and pushed open the door.

The morning sunlight streamed in, but it couldn't illuminate the gloom in his eyes.

"The world has changed, Lin Yuan."

"The coming days will probably be a hundred times more chaotic than last night."

"Rest well and recover."

"In a couple of days, there's a 'big job' that only you can handle."

After speaking, Zhou Weiguo jumped out of the ambulance and walked away without looking back.

Leaving Lin Yuan utterly bewildered.

"Hey! Hey! Old Zhou, clarify what you mean!"

"What big job? I'm not taking it! I want vacation! I want worker's compensation evaluation!!"

"And my money!!!"

The ambulance restarted and drove toward the Dragon Shield Bureau's secret sanatorium.

Lin Yuan lay slumped on the bed, watching the scenery flash past the window.

The streets that were once familiar now looked somewhat strange.

On a roadside billboard, the original celebrity poster had been torn away, revealing the mottled wall beneath.

A flock of pigeons flew across the sky, and the feathers of one of them actually shimmered with a metallic luster.

Lin Yuan touched the area over his heart.

There, the Primordial Thunder God Body was slowly operating, absorbing Spiritual Qi from the air, which was noticeably several times denser than before.

"Things have changed..."

Lin Yuan muttered to himself.

"However, troubled times produce heroes, and even more... big spenders."

"This high-stakes game, I'll take it on."