The crisp, clear voice of a little girl rang out in the buffet restaurant, causing a brief pause in the dining atmosphere. People from Zhongzhou were particularly sensitive to matters involving children, and almost instinctively, they slowed down their chewing, turning their heads towards the source of the sound.
A pretty, competent woman was holding a child’s hand, standing there, slightly shocked. The child was only around four or five years old, and at that moment, she was trying her hardest to raise her arm and point towards Ji Si’s position. Her gaze seemed capable of piercing through any disguise, locking firmly onto him.
Through the bustling crowd, Ji Si smiled at her. He didn’t hide or avoid it, remaining where he was as if encouraging her to come closer.
Unfortunately, the child was just too small. Even though her “heavenly eye” wasn’t closed and could see through the veils of dimensions to reveal the truth, her coordination between her body and brain wasn’t good. Even though her eyes could see Ji Si, her hand was pointing in the wrong direction. What was worse, she didn’t realize anything was wrong.
The little girl, after repeated confirmation from Jiang Ziying, nodded firmly, “It’s him!”
Unfortunately, her finger landed on the very messy Jiang Qining, who was devouring his food… But the fried noodles smelled so good that Jiang Qining didn’t even lift his head.
Then, driven by her instinctive attachment to her mother, the little girl tugged at Jiang Ziying, insisting on heading towards the place she had pointed to. But how could Jiang Ziying let a child get involved in such a dangerous situation? She quickly picked up the child, sharply called out, “Team Leader Shen!”
As soon as the words were spoken, she hurriedly moved away from the scene. Shen Yunting and the team members, with serious expressions, quickly advanced.
The little girl was completely confused. She grabbed Jiang Ziying’s collar, desperately trying to say something, but her language skills weren’t developed enough, and she could only utter strange phrases like “Ah, over there” and “No, here.”
But sorry, Jiang Ziying had never raised a child and couldn’t understand the “baby talk.”
It was like the cross-server communication between the original artist and the modeler. The former made a heart gesture to imply, “You get me, right? The character design is like this,” and the latter gave a thumbs-up to imply, “I understand, the character design is like that”… As a result, the original artist was happy for a moment, but the modeler ended up in the metaphorical “crematorium.”
Then, upon seeing the horribly bad modeling, the original artist curled up in Jiang Ziying’s arms and burst into tears, “Wah—no!”
Ji Si:…
The corner of his mouth, which had been smiling, twitched slightly.
The High Priest was like a tree with roots, standing still in place without budging. He stared almost dumbfounded as Jiang Qining lifted his face from his bowl, wiped his mouth with a low-quality white robe, and straightened his crooked wig. Then, he argued with the “fateful individuals,” “I haven’t done anything wrong, why are you all looking at me like this?”
Normally, Jiang Qining would never resist and would obediently cooperate. However, when the girl said, “Uncle Police, it’s this person,” the peaceful facade was shattered. By the time Jiang Qining realized something was off, he noticed that everyone was looking at him with strange eyes.
Those eyes were clearly labeling him as a “criminal,” and if he didn’t prove his innocence now, when would he? Rumors and slander could destroy someone!
“It’s just a request for you to come with us, please.”
“Come where? Tell me exactly what I’ve done! Be clear about it, or else if I just go with you all without any explanation, people will think I’m guilty of something I didn’t do!”
But when it came to matters involving the supernatural, could they explain everything clearly?
No, they couldn’t.
And the veterans in Shen Yunting’s team, were they the kind of people who would argue and reason with Jiang Qining?
No, they weren’t.
They were a group of big, burly men who had absolutely no ability to express themselves verbally, but their action skills were off the charts. Seeing that communication was impossible and fearing that if they dragged it out any longer, the crowd might start taking photos and videos of them, they realized they had to act fast.
You see, every single one of them had made significant contributions as soldiers. Having their images spread online would be nothing but trouble. If any of the stragglers they had hunted down in the past found out their whereabouts, it could endanger their families.
No more thinking about it!
Shen Yunting apologized with a guilty look: “Sorry about that.” His gaze swept over the three people at the same table, signaling them not to interfere, or else they’d deal with everyone.
Si Nuocheng nodded: “Please, go ahead.”
Laki shrugged: “I don’t care.”
Qi Xinli, ever compassionate: “Don’t slap his face.”
Jiang Qining: …What the heck, you guys!
Plastic brotherhood, it’s just not working.
The next second, Shen Yunting seized Jiang Qining’s hands with a hold and Steel Soldier didn’t hesitate to lift his legs. Jiang Qining, who had always been a smooth operator for over twenty years, was now, for the first time, subjected to such humiliation in public. He struggled fiercely, his handsome face turning bright red. “Let me go! Let go!”
Pachi, the low-budget copyright wand rolled to the edge of the table.
Huala, the cheap wig fell at his feet.
Shen Yunting and Steel Soldier dragged him out, and as they went, parts of Jiang Qining’s dignity just fell off along the way. However, Jiang Qining had fought through many situations with his own strategies before, and despite his efforts, he wasn’t completely useless. He used his fierce resistance to turn the “dragging” into “crawling,” his legs being pulled by Steel Soldier while his hands clung to the carpet. Eventually, he had lost even the last bit of his composure.
At that moment, Ji Si stood at the entrance of the buffet restaurant, witnessing with his own eyes how Jiang Qining was dragged out of the restaurant in a dog-paddling manner.
He was only half a meter away from them. Jiang Qining’s fingers left marks on the carpet as his cries echoed pitifully: “Let go of me! Ah, no, don’t scratch my feet, ah! Hahaha! Hahaha! No, stop! Please stop!”
Jiang Qining, completely defeated by the tickling, had fallen completely.
Ji Si: …
If this was how “those with connections” handled things, then maybe it would be better not to meet at all.
With that thought, the High Priest swiftly and gracefully disappeared from the restaurant door.
At the same time, the little girl had finally stopped crying, and Jiang Ziying was utterly exhausted. She pounded her back, laughing, “Thank goodness for Tingting, helping Auntie and Uncle find the person.”
“No, no…” The little girl held back her sobs, revealing the truth. “We didn’t eat noodles.”
“What?”
“We didn’t eat noodles. He’s at the door, woo—”
Jiang Ziying: …
Someone’s at the door?
Wait, did they ask the wrong person?
…
The awkward incident wrapped up late at night. Si Nuocheng pulled the person out of the station, and when they saw Jiang Qining, he was lying limp in the backseat of the car like a wilted cabbage, looking utterly miserable.
After passing through three traffic lights, Jiang Qining finally asked, “City Brother, are we still brothers? Why didn’t you save me just now?”
Si Nuocheng replied: “I’m an only child.” Not your brother, thanks.
Jiang Qining: …
Knowing how sharp-tongued Si Nuocheng was, Jiang Qining didn’t dare retort and instead, in his frustration, opened the little fridge in the backseat, planning to make a mess of Si Nuocheng’s new car.
But to his surprise, the fridge was stocked with various flavors of coffee, and not a single snack in sight.
Si Nuocheng said, “There aren’t any snacks for kids in the car.”
Jiang Qining: …K-kids?
Sorry, but now every time he hears the words “little kid,” his PTSD kicks in! The aftereffects are very serious!
Before long, Jiang Qining quietly sulked like a chicken. As they approached the Qingding Grand Hotel, he finally picked up his adult brain: “City Brother, who exactly is Ji Si?”
“Why ask about this all of a sudden?”
“The people who grabbed me are from Qu Kang,” Jiang Qining recalled, “Their military ranks aren’t low, and the one who grabbed my foot has a bullet wound scar on his neck. Doesn’t look like a regular officer from a police station.”
“And then, at such a sensitive moment, they came to Hulu Port, saying they were looking for someone with black hair, white clothes, and holding a club.” Jiang Qining paused for a moment, a bit confused. “For that, they even brought a child, saying that she could ‘see.’”
“I figured, apart from Ji Si, no one could make the police act like this, going to such lengths with this strange method of searching.”
“So, did you confess?” Si Nuocheng drove into the parking lot.
“No.” Jiang Qining snorted. “I’m not like you guys, selling out my friends at the dinner table for peace! I’ll go down headfirst for my friends, take all the blame on myself, and make sure my friends can fly freely!”
Si Nuocheng cut straight to the point: “You’re just afraid of offending Ji Si if you talk too much.”
Jiang Qining: …
The wilted cabbage was completely defeated. Si Nuocheng led the group upstairs, and as they turned the corner, they saw Qi Xinli leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking like he’d been waiting for them for a while.
Qi Xinli smiled: “When you went to get him, the police came for the second time. Their rooms are on the 6th floor. They probably won’t leave for a while.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Si Nuocheng, unfazed, responded with an impenetrable tone. “Where the police are staying has nothing to do with me.”
If it were anyone else, seeing Jiang Qining being taken away by the police, they’d probably hesitate about whether or not to associate with them.
But Qi Xinli, staying up this late and waiting here just to tell him this, didn’t seem like something a person who had just met them would do.
Qi Xinli: …So sensitive.
His tone was very casual, his words half true, half false: “Sorry, after what happened in the restaurant, I thought there might be some misunderstanding between you and the police. I got a bit worried and maybe interfered too much.”
One side lowered their posture, and if the other side responded with sarcasm, it would show their weakness. But Si Nuocheng was no ordinary person, he was famously known as “Si Duì Duì!” Confrontation was practically in his DNA, just like his desire to win.
Qi Xinli admitted to being too nosy, but Si Nuocheng didn’t let it slide. Instead, he hit back hard.
Si Nuocheng: “Looks like you have a strong sense of self-awareness.”
Qi Xinli: …
Jiang Qining sighed dramatically, patting Qi Xinli’s stiff shoulder, muttering, “Another victim added.”
Qi Xinli: …
……
January 9th, a seemingly ordinary day.
The sun rose as usual, and the sunset followed its normal course. The Earth spun steadily, and the city functioned as it always did. The news broadcast continued, followed by entertainment programs, students awaited their final exams, and office workers anticipated their year-end bonuses. Nothing different from any other day.
Yet, after nightfall, the atmosphere grew noticeably heavier.
Large shopping malls closed early, and the square was completely empty. People obediently stayed home, checking their food and water supplies, frequently refreshing their phones and comparing them with the television, their faces full of unease.
It wasn’t just the ordinary citizens—police and high-ranking officials were the same. That night, they focused on the news from the eastern ridge, their nerves taut. Having experienced multiple strange, large-scale events, no one questioned the accuracy of the prophecy. But it was precisely because of its accuracy that everyone grew even more worried.
The satellite map of Zhongzhou still showed millions of lights, but there was an indescribable silence. The higher-ups gathered together, their eyes fixed on the only dark spot on the map—Língdōng, heightened with the tension of wartime readiness.
“Report: 20HZ can no longer detect the frequency feedback from the portal.”
“Report: The infrared devices are detecting distortions in the light reflecting from the portal’s direction.”
“Report: Space around the portal is showing cracks… It’s expanding. Should we open fire?”
“Report: ‘Heaven’s Rift’ has appeared, the military is entering combat status. Please issue orders!”
In the era of high-tech warfare, the collaboration between humans and machines was the perfect match. They worked in tandem, using the newly built military stronghold at Língdōng Airport as a base, layering a tight defense line that stretched all the way to the city center, now considered a “no-man’s land.”
With all the firepower and troops concentrated, veteran generals and new recruits teamed up. As long as the monsters dared to show their faces, they would…
In the pitch-black night sky, a tear appeared, resembling a narrow corridor connecting two worlds. Something was passing through it, coming to this side. The space was being squeezed, folds like broken glass spreading outward. The wound grew larger, the cracks deepened, and then—half a severed claw reached out!
The old man with gray hair raised his hand, and his deputy shouted, “Open fire—”
In the next second, countless anti-aircraft weapons shot into the air, while warplanes above fired their cannons, accurately hitting the severed claw. However, not a trace of the portal was left untouched.
They weren’t sure whether the portal would expand further under artillery fire, so to play it safe, they focused only on attacking the target.
With the roar of explosions, the land outside Língdōng Airport turned charred. Shreds of flesh mixed with green blood rained down, splattering onto the ground.
The resistance from the prey completely enraged the monster that had lost its claw!
Suddenly, a scythe-shaped object braced itself against the portal, forcing it wider. A massive dark green head squeezed through, facing the oncoming fire. The center of its head formed a vortex, like an inverted hourglass, its tip connected to a powerful vocal cord capable of inflicting devastating damage.
“Yī!” A sharp, piercing bird cry erupted from above, weaving into a barrier of sound waves, which shattered the cannon fire in an instant.
Countless explosions rang out a dozen meters from it, but the shrapnel and aftershocks didn’t cause much harm. The creature slowly crawled out of the portal, pushing it open by an inch. The world behind the rift glowed with magma red, and countless more monsters waited to emerge.
“Open fire!”
A dark green monster climbed out. Its body resembled that of a praying mantis, with bat wings and scythe-like teeth. Its head bore two long arms, one of which had been destroyed and was dripping thick green blood, while the other suddenly extended two hundred meters, smashing through an approaching fighter jet.
“Boom!” The explosion confirmed the viciousness of the creature.
To cover the fast-reacting teammate who jumped from the plane, countless machines spun in the air, shielding the small parachute behind them.
But then the extended arm suddenly swept through the entire airspace, destroying seven planes, forcing their pilots to eject, blocking the path of the air battle. It then turned its head toward the humans on the ground: “Yī!”
With a crash, glass shattered over a hundred-mile radius, leaving countless wounded. But every soldier, even with glass shards embedded in them, refused to leave their posts. They immediately adjusted their artillery, aiming directly at the creature.
The old man, his hair graying, stroked the medals on his chest and said to his subordinates: “Sound the horn.”
They could handle a creature that attacked with sound. Zhongzhou’s thousands of years of history involved sounding the war horns before battle. They hadn’t lost the wisdom of their ancestors.
“Whum—” Like a lion or tiger’s roar in the night.
At the command, soldiers blew the horns that stood a man high on every corner of the battlefield. The deep, continuous sound wove into a dense net, echoing through the sky above Língdōng, mercilessly confusing the creature’s sound waves.
The monster spread its wings and howled down. The old man stood amid the ruins, unwavering.
As long as he didn’t move, the army wouldn’t waver. That was the duty of a leader.
Suddenly, the horn’s sounds turned, and the artillery fired in a continuous line. The hideous form of the creature grew closer, its green blood splattering brighter. The shadow of death reflected in the eyes of every soldier, but each one held fast to their mission.
The vortex reappeared above them, the brewing sound waves approaching. But just then, a narrow missile shot into the vortex—
Boom!
The monster’s head exploded. Its body, carried by inertia, slammed to the ground, sliding across the shattered glass, and came to a stop three yards away from the old man, unable to advance any further.
During this entire time, the old man had not moved an inch.
The dark green blood pooled into a small lake. Once the horn sounds faded, the old man finally removed his hand from the medal and ordered, “Clean up the battlefield. Send the bodies to the lab.”
“Yes!”
The battle was over in five minutes—this was the time Zhongzhou needed to deal with a single monster. To outsiders, it might seem like a display of military might, but to the military, this time was dangerously short.
What if there were more than one monster breaking through the portal?
The old man wiped the green blood off his face, his white gloves now stained: “Check, see where else in the world there are abnormalities.”
“Yes!”
“This world might be about to change,” the old man muttered, “…I only wish Zhongzhou remains safe and that the people are spared from war.”
……
The moment the monster fell, Ji Si, who had been resting his eyes, opened them. He saw Si Nuocheng standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing up at the night sky in his usual posture. As soon as he sensed a disturbance, he suddenly turned around.
… Truly sharp.
Si Nuocheng asked, “Is it over?”
Ji Si smiled lightly. “Yeah, stronger than I expected.”
He propped himself up with his staff and stood, beginning to understand why his teammates loved this land so much yet never wanted to turn back.
This was their heaviest memory, every inch of it soaked with the blood of fallen heroes. Despite the bloodshed, the countless deaths, it gleamed brilliantly in their lives—sacred and untouchable.
They were unwilling to change the past, just as he would never return to his starting point.
This was their path, unwavering and forward.
“I didn’t choose the wrong place to descend,” Ji Si’s gaze was incredibly gentle. “The spirit of Zhongzhou, even if it lasts for thousands of years, will never fade.”
“It inspires awe in me.”
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
PS:
Si Nuocheng: Does this mean you want to become a heroic spirit too? [Suddenly 2D moment.jpg]
Ji Si: … Do you want to dance as well? [Suddenly Grandpa Ban takes over.jpg]
PS:
A side note: The High Priest and his team are a group of people who would never change the past. To them, what’s good is theirs, and what’s bad is also theirs.
Whether the experiences are good or bad, they accept it all without wanting to change it.
They aren’t people who focus on the past; their gaze is always on the future. As for why Ji Si chose Earth’s past, you’ll find out later in the story, hahahaha!
