Countermeasures Research Office base.
Gao Liangwei was working when Li Meng suddenly entered his office, his expression grave as he reported, "A nuclear explosion occurred in Suroma."
Gao Liangwei immediately removed his hands from the keyboard and frowned.
Even after entering the Doomsday Rules era, several major nations still kept strict surveillance on nuclear weapons; in fact, monitoring was tighter than before the Fire Thief's arrival.
The reason was simple: the destructive power of a nuclear bomb is enormous, but used alone it isn't a decisive threat to nations with robust defenses and shelters.
However, if such a weapon is played together with the Doomsday Rules, it's a game changer.
Imagine a country already overwhelmed by a high-difficulty Doomsday Rule; if someone suddenly drops a nuclear bomb there, the disaster would be far greater than the sum of its parts.
So small states might slack on nuclear monitoring, but major powers would not.
Once a nuclear blast occurred within Suroma, Beixing and Xisiya immediately detected it, communicated, and assessed the situation, concluding it wasn't done by another country.
"The official intelligence says the nuclear device was detonated under Bruce's orders, located in eastern Suroma, near the Mangja Mountains."
"Is there anything special about that area?" Gao Liangwei asked.
"There is a rebel force of several thousand operating nearby," Li Meng replied.
As head of the Countermeasures Research Office's intelligence department, he had been monitoring Suroma's civil war and knew the situation of the rebels.
He had paid close attention since the conflict began and had once suggested to Gao Liangwei that Beixing might intervene to support the rebels as they suffered repeated defeats.
Gao Liangwei's response had been negative, because the decision wasn't his to make but that of the highest decision-making layer.
Beixing had always been cautious about intervening in another country's civil war.
Besides, such intervention would almost certainly spark a world war, and Beixing wasn't prepared for that yet.
Although the top decision-makers did not state it outright, Gao Liangwei judged that even if they planned to go to war, Beixing would wait until the space survival base was completed.
"So you're saying Bruce used a nuclear weapon to attack a mere few dozen rebels?" Gao Liangwei said. "That makes no sense."
"I agree. Most of those several thousand rebels are ordinary people; even if they were all Ascendants, there would be no need for a nuclear strike... There must be some other circumstance."
As the two spoke, Zhang Minglu burst into the room, breathless.
"Big trouble!" he blurted as he entered. "Guan Tong went to Suroma and rescued Adam's daughter!"
Li Meng checked, "You mean the girl whose body was occupied by that Bruce's son, Gaelid? She's in Guan Tong's custody now?"
"Is that intel reliable?" Gao Liangwei asked.
Zhang Minglu nodded vigorously. "He told me personally. He said he wanted to trade an important piece of intelligence in exchange for our Countermeasures Research Office's assistance in treating that girl...."
"How are things?"
Xiong Yi, Dean's office at the academy.
Guan Tong watched Xiong Yibi withdraw her hand from Pinglu's brow and asked with concern.
Before I brought Pinglu out of Suroma, I went straight to Li Meng's academy and found Bruce, asking you to examine Pinglu's body.
When Black Star's and White Star's brother Aaron had been deeply comatose before, Shi Jingyi used her Mind Power to probe and had relevant experience.
"Her Mind Power is chaotic, two streams are entangled within her," Shi Jingyi explained. "Probably because two consciousnesses fell asleep simultaneously. The Mind Power that used to be compatible lost control and started conflicting."
A single body containing two consciousnesses — originally Ai Ya's consciousness had fallen asleep, allowing Gaelid to wield both powers.
But after Gaelid was "tormented" by Guan Tong's Scarlet Fear, his consciousness, too, sank into a fear-induced state similar to Ai Ya's slumber.
With no dominant consciousness, the Mind Power associated with each person naturally began to uncontrollably repel one another.
"I've temporarily smoothed things a bit, but the effect won't last," Shi Jingyi told Guan Tong. "You need to find a way to wake Ai Ya as soon as possible."
"Can we use the method we used on Aaron? Induce fear scenes."
Shi Jingyi shook her head slightly. "Better not. Don't forget Ai Ya's consciousness is that of a child. Even if she's innately gifted, her tolerance for fear is far lower than an adult's."
She paused, watching Guan Tong seriously. "Xiao Tong, wake her as safely as possible. I don't think you and I alone can do it. I know you dislike dealing with officials, but this will likely require official assistance."
"...I understand. Then we'll cooperate normally. I'll contact them."
When Ai Ya's awakening was at stake, Guan Tong wouldn't act stubbornly.
He left the office, withdrew a tablet from his ring, and logged into Ascendant Home to private-message Zhang Minglu.
"Cooperate normally" meant not asking for help for free.
If the Countermeasures Research Office ensured Ai Ya's safe awakening, in exchange he would give them Moon Key's prophecy.
Although he had intended to inform the authorities anyway, using the intel to secure official cooperation was better.
Zhang Minglu quickly responded, indicating the Countermeasures Research Office was willing to cooperate.
Soon Silver Fox arrived at the academy with an action team to collect the girl.
"Is this Ai Ya? Such a cute child." Silver Fox glanced at the girl sleeping on the sofa and carefully picked her up.
Guan Tong handed her a note. "This is an intelligence tidbit I obtained. The source is reliable; consider it payment for this commission."
Silver Fox smiled and took the note. She did not open it, tucking it directly into her pocket.
"Before I left, Section Chief Ji asked me to ask you something... Is the previous nuclear blast in Suroma related to your bringing Ai Ya back?"
Shi Jingyi, standing nearby, was surprised; she hadn't yet heard about the nuclear explosion.
"It is," Guan Tong did not hide anything and briefly explained the sequence of events.
Silver Fox snorted in wonder, "As expected of you — always coming up with things others dare not even imagine... I understand. I'll bring your statement and the note, and of course her."
After Silver Fox took Ai Ya away, Shi Jingyi approached Guan Tong and raised an eyebrow. "A nuclear explosion?"
"I hadn't had time to tell you yet," Guan Tong scratched his face to change the subject. "Are you busy now? Want to go for a flight?"
"...?"
Ten minutes later.
At the peak of a mountain outside Pinglu City, Shi Jingyi stood at the highest point, a few excited pink streaks still on her pale cheeks.
She could hardly believe Guan Tong could truly spread his wings like an eagle and soar through the sky, and even take her along.
Although she herself could, through Mind Power and Mind Power Martial Arts, achieve movements akin to the lightness skills in martial novels — "dragonfly skimming" or "walking on snow without a trace" — that was entirely different from sustained, prolonged flight.
"Were you uncomfortable hanging in the air for so long just now?" Guan Tong asked from nearby.
"No. I'm surprised too — I didn't feel any discomfort at all after flying that long."
"It probably has to do with you entering the Awakened stage," Guan Tong speculated.
"An Awakened Ascendant can fully control their body. That might be the prerequisite for sustained flight and other behaviors that exceed human limits."
Shi Jingyi thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Lately I've been researching the Heavenly Martial Civilization's martial traditions; some techniques I couldn't perform before Awakening are now within reach."
"By the way, how is your absorption of chaotic matter using Authority going?"
"Not much absorbed yet. Purifying that stuff consumes a lot of Mind Power, but once absorbed it greatly enhances the body."
Shi Jingyi casually picked up a fist-sized piece of stubborn rock, pinched it between her fingers, and the stone crumbled into powder that scattered in the wind.
Guan Tong felt a jolt — although he could use his Shadow to achieve similar effects, he never could do it so nonchalantly.
Seeing his stunned expression, Shi Jingyi smiled slightly. "Don't worry. I fully control the absorbed energy. You don't have to fear that holding my hand will crush you or anything."
"Alright..."
Guan Tong thought to himself he wasn't worried about his hand, but about far more fragile parts of his body.
They chatted idly for a while, then he looked out from the mountaintop and exhaled.
"Did rescuing Ai Ya make you feel relieved?"
Shi Jingyi didn't know Adam well and wasn't sure how close Guan Tong had been to him, but she knew he had been unhappy since Adam's death.
And although Guan Tong didn't often bring up Ai Ya, Shi Jingyi knew the matter had weighed on him.
"Kind of. When I promise someone something, I want to finish it quickly. If it stays unresolved, it becomes a burden."
Even though Guan Tong never had the chance to promise Ye Dang that vow in person, it was a promise he made to himself and couldn't lie about.
Now that Ai Ya was free from Bruce's control — even though it was unclear how long until she returned to normal — it was a good start.
Shi Jingyi gently took his hand. The power that could crush a stone into powder vanished entirely in that touch; all Guan Tong felt was warmth and softness.
"Then stop thinking so much. The new rule will be released soon. Focus on the present."
"...Okay."