Deep within the underground cathedral in Liruo’an City.
His Holiness was on a remote video call with Han Qiu. After listening to the latter’s words, the shock on his face was impossible to hide.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course,” Han Qiu said.
His Holiness’s voice turned cold with reproach. “Are you treating Bruce like an idiot? He’ll definitely guess that your ‘friend’ is me!”
His Holiness could hardly believe it. Han Qiu had actually suggested to Bruce that the Ascendants selected to enter the array should be placed under his mind control, ensuring they would follow orders one hundred percent and not cause trouble at the last moment.
What he found even more unbelievable was that, based on Han Qiu’s tone, it seemed Bruce had actually agreed.
“So what if he guesses?” Han Qiu said with a smile on the screen.
“The Fire Thief Worship Cult and Suroma are mortal enemies—what do you think will happen?!”
The two sides had been attacking each other back and forth—one day a strike, the next a bombing. After several rounds, they had indeed become irreconcilable mortal enemies.
“Your Holiness, have you forgotten what I said before? There are no eternal friends, nor eternal enemies. Even if Bruce can guess that my friend is you, he’ll pretend he can’t, because it serves his interests.”
“…Han Qiu, you’ve got quite the nerve. Aren’t you afraid of misjudging Bruce’s intentions? What if he just kills you on the spot? Or tortures you for information about me?”
“Heh, from what I know, Bruce might settle scores later, but he won’t touch me until this is done. Besides…” Han Qiu winked. “Besides, if he tries to kill me, don’t you think I’d just escape?”
His Holiness’s heart stirred. He suspected that Han Qiu’s ability was tied to “escape,” or at least included that power. How else could he have escaped from the Countermeasures Research Office in Beixing in the first place?
And judging by Han Qiu’s calm demeanor, this ability was definitely formidable and likely could be activated at any moment.
“…So, what’s the specific plan? And what’s in it for us, helping Suroma?”
“Simple. Suroma will arrange a ‘physical exam’ for the Ascendants on the list. Your Holiness, you can act then and use your power to control them.”
“Hmph. How do I know this isn’t a trap targeting me? And if Bruce figures out my identity, aren’t you afraid I’ll control these high-end combatants and make them join the Fire Thief Cult, turning them against Suroma?”
“You can choose the location for the exam—that’s the first layer of protection. As for the latter…” Han Qiu squinted.
“Honestly, I’m also curious. Bruce doesn’t seem to value his nation’s Ascendants that highly. Otherwise, when I suggested using Suroman Ascendants to fill the gap from Beixing’s refusal, he wouldn’t have reacted so mildly.”
“Doesn’t value Ascendants? Does he value ordinary people instead? Or does he think developing some war machines will make them invincible?”
“War machines are one reason, but definitely not the most important one,” Han Qiu mused. “Bruce must have a secret—something that gives him the confidence to treat hundreds of high-end Ascendants as nothing… I’m planning to dig that secret out.”
Hearing this, His Holiness looked at Han Qiu with increased wariness.
Everyone had secrets, and as His Holiness himself, he was no exception.
This Han Qiu was full of tricks, insidious and penetrating. He usually put on a humble front, often lowering himself in interactions. But no one truly knew what was going on in his head.
His Holiness had always been cautious, worried about being secretly schemed against in their cooperation, and thus stayed on guard.
“As for the benefits to you, Your Holiness, isn’t it obvious?” Han Qiu said. “The most direct one is: the fewer Ascendants from other nations die, the better it is for you, right?”
“…I’ll consider it.”
June 28, early morning.
The latest observation data on the “Bright Moon”: its highest point was now less than thirty meters from the sea surface.
No—the sea surface nearest to it had long since vanished. The water at the center was deeply sunken, while the edges were squeezed into towering peaks. A few days ago, the “plain” formed by a dome of water had now become a “mountain of water” standing tall in the ocean.
A bluish-white fluorescence covered it, flickering eerily from a distance, faintly visible through the swirling mist.
When some Beixing observers witnessed it a few days ago, they couldn’t help but fantasize—even the “immortal mountains beyond the sea” mentioned in ancient mythological texts were nothing compared to this.
And then, during the darkest hour before dawn, the mist over the sea suddenly dissipated.
It wasn’t the wind that had scattered it—there had been no wind in this sea area for a long time. It was the gravitational field of the “Bright Moon.” Like a massive invisible hand, it pressed the atmosphere over hundreds of kilometers firmly onto the sea surface.
Everyone knew: the “Bright Moon” was about to emerge.
By this time, all observation ships had been evacuated in advance. There was no place left on the entire sea for any vessel to sail safely.
The gravitational vortex at the center of the field now spanned over a thousand kilometers in diameter, tearing the Lanyang Ocean current in two. Extreme convective weather like hailstorms and thunderstorms appeared and vanished without warning across the sea surface.
Ocean currents over two thousand kilometers long were no longer stable, surging in unpredictable directions.
Navigating in such conditions felt like the sea was pushing from all sides, the direction changing every minute. It was like a leaf thrown into a spinning washing machine—no amount of struggle made any difference.
At this point, the observers could only board space shuttles and conduct limited observations via satellites.
“What a spectacle…”
Onboard a large Suroman transport aircraft, Andrew stared at the real-time satellite feed on the screen, watching the “mountain of water” on the Lanyang Ocean, and couldn’t help but marvel.
Dean Joiessen of the First Research Institute was beside him. “This mountain is like a womb, and the ‘Bright Moon’ is a child about to break out of its shell.”
The metaphor made Andrew slightly uncomfortable, but he didn’t say anything.
Joiessen smiled. “Get ready. This time, it’s for real. Once it’s fully exposed, that’s when we destroy its core.”
“I know. I’m ready!”
Andrew had been waiting all these days.
At first, he thought the operation would happen mid-Rules, but it had been delayed until the end. He could understand—if you only had one chance, you’d strike when you had the highest certainty.
This large transport aircraft was the “turret” carrying the “Carrier Array” to fire the high-energy laser. He, as the item’s owner, and the Ascendants entering the array were all on board.
But…
He recalled the faces of the Ascendants when they boarded. Almost all were Suromans and people from a few other nations. There were only a handful of Beixing faces.
Even though he had heard from Joiessen earlier that Beixing refused to contribute personnel as required by the Human Consortium, he always thought they would eventually cave.
But to his surprise, on this day of action, Beixing’s government still hadn’t sent anyone. The dozen or so Beixing faces that boarded were either Suroman citizens or volunteers.
This meant that the thousand-plus high-end Ascendants that should have come from Beixing were all replaced by Suroman personnel.
“Beixing backs out like this, and the Human Consortium just accepts it?” Andrew couldn’t help asking. “No consequences?”
“Of course there are consequences,” Joiessen said. “Haven’t you seen the backlash Beixing is facing since the news broke? That’s just the first step. After the operation, once the Rules challenge is completed, Suroma will have the greatest prestige in the world.”
“Prestige…”
“Don’t underestimate prestige. Those smaller nations like Lury were on the fence before, but after this, they’ll definitely side with us. And Xisiya—that female Administrator, after taking office, she’s been cozying up to Beixing. But after this Rule ends, will she dare to stay close? Even if she wants to, the Xisiya people won’t agree. No matter what she thinks, she’ll have to stand with us. And even…”
Joiessen smiled. “Even many Beixing people will be disappointed. They’ll feel their government has broken the cooperation and agreements forged by the Human Consortium. With such loss of morale and loyalty, some will inevitably leave Beixing and join Suroma. Still think prestige is useless?”
After hearing this, Andrew found it reasonable, but as a Suroman, he still felt they were losing out.
“But we’ve contributed an extra thousand high-end combatants. How long will it take to recover that loss…”
“Kid, don’t lump Suroma together with other nations,” Joiessen interrupted. “Other countries rely on Ascendants. Suroma is different. Our smart machinery is in no way inferior to Ascendants in many fields. Even if we sacrifice an extra thousand high-end combatants, it won’t be enough to break our bones.”
“That’s true.” Andrew nodded. Just then, Joiessen received a call and stepped aside.
An observer approached Andrew. “I didn’t expect you to be the holder of the array item.”
Andrew turned around and felt a pang of embarrassment seeing the observer—it was the same person he’d chatted with twice on the observation ship.
Back then, Andrew had claimed to be an observer. Now there was no hiding it, and he couldn’t help but look awkward.
“It’s fine, no need to explain,” the observer said without any resentment. “You’re so important in this Rule, keeping your identity secret is only natural.”
“Thanks.” Andrew sighed in relief. “By the way, I don’t know your name yet.”
After a few interactions, he had a decent impression of this observer and wanted to make a friend.
Humans were social animals. In this era, having a friend was undoubtedly rare.
Andrew figured that after this Rule ended, he would become a senator, greatly enhancing his safety. And observers with special detection abilities usually received official protection due to the nature of their abilities.
That meant they both might survive a bit longer. Unlike many Ascendants, who were like drifting duckweed—you’d meet one under one Rule, and they’d be dead by the next. Such friendships only brought pain, so it was better not to have them at all.
“My name is Gill,” the observer said.
“I’m Andrew. Gill, after this operation, how about I treat you to steak?”
“Steak? Isn’t it really expensive now?”
Andrew chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s on me. After this, I’ll be in the parliament, so a little food won’t matter.”
“I see. Then I’ll thank you in advance.” Gill smiled and looked at the mountain of water on the screen.
Seeing this, Andrew asked, “Can you observe from the screen too?”
“No,” Gill shook his head. “It’s too far. I can’t hear its frequency.”
“Frequency? Is that your detection ability?”
“Yes. Every existence, as long as it’s tangible, has its own frequency.”
“Then… what does the ‘Bright Moon’s’ frequency sound like?”
“Stillness and chaos, gentleness and fury.”
“Those seem like opposites?”
“That’s precisely its uniqueness. Opposites that have formed a balance.” Saying this, Gill lowered his voice thoughtfully. “Perhaps that frequency will reappear and try to break this balance.”
“Gill, what did you say? Which frequency?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Gill smiled, turned, and walked away. Andrew was puzzled but didn’t dwell on it.
He refocused on the screen, watching the mountain of water with both tension and anticipation, urging silently in his heart: “Come on, come out already… I’m ready…”
“I’m ready.”
Aboard a Beixing space shuttle, Adam said to Guan Tong.
“This time, I’m confident that with everyone’s help, I can at least maintain the gravitational field for two minutes.”
Guan Tong, wearing a waterproof mask, nodded.
Last time, Adam’s gravitational field had only lasted less than thirty seconds. If he could stretch it to two minutes this time, their chances would be much greater, even if the “Bright Moon” had gained more mass in the meantime.
This was the last chance, and he was determined to seize it.
Besides the two of them, the shuttle carried several special Ascendants to assist Adam, as well as Zhang Minglu and Uenoshi.
Those special Ascendants were selected by Zhang Minglu from the database. Some had the ability to stream brainwaves, lending their brain power to Adam for increased computational capacity. Others carried items for brain metabolism, which could be used to clear waste products from Adam’s brain when he got fatigued, keeping him highly focused.
As for Uenoshi, she had insisted on coming. She thought that if something went wrong, she could use her bloodline advantage to enter the sea and assist Guan Tong.
Guan Tong was actually quite opposed to this.
Even if Uenoshi had the deep-sea serpent bloodline, allowing her to breathe and move quickly underwater, that didn’t mean she was immune to the “Bright Moon’s” gravitational capture.
She might resist the gravitational vortex’s pull better than others, but once she fell into the depths of the vortex, she would be just as helpless.
But faced with his opposition, she only said, “As a troupe member, it’s necessary to ensure the Troupe Leader’s safety,” effectively shutting him up.
Helpless, Guan Tong could only agree to let her on the shuttle, but he didn’t agree to her jumping into the sea with him.
As long as everything went smoothly, her help wouldn’t be needed. Even if the destruction operation failed, Guan Tong could still use Body Swap to retreat.
“Dr. Zhang, when do we start?” Adam asked Zhang Minglu, who was standing in front of the observation screen.
“Wait another hour. That’s when the ‘Bright Moon’ will show its head. The observation data will be more accurate then, allowing us to pinpoint its core location precisely.”