Chapter Fifteen · Abyss Resonance
Section One · Spark in the Undercurrent
Moonlight, like a silver blade, obliquely cut across the edge of the ruined city. In the shadow of the abandoned building, rust and decay intertwined, like a silent, flowing dark river.
Jason Carter stood quietly at the top of a broken parking structure, the hood of his hoodie pulled low, obscuring half his face. His gaze pierced through the wreckage of a fractured billboard, fixed on an old administrative building in the distance with shattered lights.
There——was a scattered stronghold on the periphery of the southern semi-core. Nominally, it belonged to the grey autonomous zones of the free market; In reality, ever since the Greywing Faction crumbled, this territory had been leaderless, with various dark forces surging, like a pot of venom not yet fully boiling.
''can be translated as "To approach is to observe''.
The Fuxi System whispered softly at the bottom of his consciousness, its voice calm and steady.
"Observe their form, understand their heart, control their change."
Jason's fingertips moved slightly, and a data stream appeared on his communication terminal—— Potential forces in this area, remaining nodes, active communication signals, internal faction fissures, flickered past one by one.
He slowly exhaled, his movement extremely subtle. This time, he did not plan to remain merely the behind-the-scenes scriptwriter. He would personally step into the arena, sowing the first truly significant spark of the abyss.
He descended the broken stairs soundlessly. Each step he took, the sound of his sole against crumbling concrete was deliberately controlled to the extreme limit. This was not mere agility, but a form of self-control—— Like water flowing over land, like a shadow following form, like a blade slicing skin in the night, leaving no trace.
As he neared the administrative building, he paused behind a ruined wall. The night wind carried the scent of decay and dust, stirring a stray lock of hair beneath his hoodie.
He put on an unmarked micro-earpiece——connected to a special communication frequency band in the southern peripheral black market. An anonymous short message had been delivered to several of the uncontrolled small groups here hours ago via the deep web.
The content was exceedingly simple:
"Freedom is not begged for. It is seized. The South is dead, the abyss shall be born. If you desire new life, tonight at midnight, the third floor of the old administrative building. To those who come, destiny awaits."
No signature. No symbol. Only bait. And tonight was the moment to observe the gathering of prey.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Jason waited silently behind the ruined wall, without movement, only the rhythm of his breathing synchronized with his heartbeat, like the leader of a pack of wolves waiting to pounce. System prompts faintly surfaced:
[Current Time: 23:58] [Southern Peripheral Nodes: Unstable state, fluctuation index: 7.2/10] [Abnormal Energy Reaction: Weak increase] [Suggestion: Maintain stealth, await target appearance]
He did not respond, only narrowed his eyes slightly. Moonlight cast a faint, cold sheen on his eyelashes, his whole being seemed to melt into the bones of this dead city.
Suddenly—— From the depths of the stairwell, intermittent footsteps sounded. Mixing different rhythms, different weights.
Some were cautiously probing. Some were rough and fearless.
A nearly imperceptible curve lifted at the corner of Jason's mouth.
"Indeed, in the land of fragments, the most eager wild dogs are easily bred."
He subtly retreated half a step, completely disappearing into the shadows.
Within approximately five minutes, four groups of people appeared successively.
One group was the remnants of a small gang wearing dirty flight jackets;
One group was exiled mercenaries with sinister faces and low-grade pulse pistols hanging from their waists;
One group was independent smugglers from the free black market;
The last group, only two people, with cold expressions, their movements faintly showing traces of military training.
Jason scanned quickly.
[Node Capture Completed] [Projection Branches: 23] [Successful Guidance Probability: 67%] [Failure Mutation Risk: 24%]
The system prompts were cold and clear. But he was not in a hurry to act. In this moment, he was not here to rule. Not here to directly recruit. And certainly not here to reveal his identity. But to—— Ignite the spark. Let this ruin burn on its own. Let them believe it was their choice, their desire, that brought about the so-called "opportunity for new life." And Jason, was the true hand hidden in the dark, guiding the tide of the abyss.
"Time to move."
He whispered to himself in his mind. His foot moved slightly, sliding out from the shadow of the broken wall, like a leaf silently broken in the night.
His movements were precise to the extreme, even his breathing synchronized with the wind, making him almost undetectable. His figure flickered, and he had soundlessly approached the outermost group of smugglers.
An extremely fine long-range projection needle slid from his cuff, launched by him without a sound. The needle tip touched the neck of a smuggler, invisibly releasing a miniature information virus—— Implanting a segment of false information: fragmented news about "a new empire of the ruins about to rise."
The smuggler frowned, subconsciously scratched his neck, but found nothing. Jason had already retreated like a shadow back to the ruined wall.
[Abyss Seed · Phase One Implantation Completed.]
The system prompts quietly surfaced.
He did not look back. Not excited. No lingering attachment. He simply walked quietly into the darkness in the distance. As if he had never appeared.
Moonlight scattered on the broken floorboards, silver light spots trembling with the wind. And those four groups, began their first round of tentative dialogue with each other. Between their words, the information Jason had implanted was quietly fermenting.
A grey, broken, rotten hope, between decay and desire, slowly sprouted. A future uncontrollable storm, within the ruins, silently gestated and took shape. And Jason, had long since vanished into the depths of the night.
Leaving behind a silent vow:
——The abyss shall be born. ——The empire, has never truly slept.
Section Two · Foggy Probing
Third floor of the abandoned administrative building.
Paint peeled, rust spread. Broken glass on the floor reflected the cold white moonlight, like a ground covered in shattered, silent eyes.
The four groups had naturally formed several loose small circles. Alert to each other, coveting each other.
The air was filled with a strange restlessness—— As if someone had scattered an invisible spark, waiting for it to spontaneously combust into disaster.
Jason quietly infiltrated behind a collapsed beam at the edge of the main hall. The location was excellent, offering a view of the entire scene, yet perfectly concealed.
In his earpiece, the Fuxi System whispered:
[Situation Fluctuation Index: Slightly rising.] [Emotional Baseline: Vigilance 34% + Greed 42% + Unease 24%.] [Suggestion: Timely stimulate desire and fear, create miniature ignition points.]
Jason's gaze sank slightly. Upon this broken hope, He would use the most low-key, most restrained method, to ignite the first miniature battle of faith.
A smuggler couldn't hold back first.
His rough voice exploded in the dilapidated floor:
"Who sent the message?!" "Come out! Don't hide and sneak around!"
He raised his hand, an old-fashioned blast pistol in his grasp sliced through the air, the muzzle casually sweeping around. Several remnants of the gang instinctively shrank back, cursing under their breath. The leader of the mercenary squad merely cast a cold glance, his shoulders slightly tensed, clearly ready to act at any moment.
The atmosphere was explosive. Jason observed from the shadows.
[Emotional Indicator: Rapidly fluctuating. Potential Conflict Probability: 52%.]
He silently touched a hidden channel on his earpiece. Instantly, a distorted low voice, muffled and husky, came from the hall's broadcasting equipment.
The content was extremely short:
"True freedom is not waiting for someone to give it." "It is torn apart by one's own blood, one's own hands."
The voice had no source, as if the building itself was whispering. As if the soul of this ruin was murmuring in their ears.
All four groups started simultaneously, their gazes searching everywhere, but they could not find the source.
In the darkness, Jason's lips curved slightly.
"A seed, with just a little moisture, is enough to break through the soil."
The first to speak was the mercenary leader.
His voice was crisp, calm:
"Doesn't matter who it is." "The opportunity has been given to us."
He scanned the others, his gaze sharp as a knife:
"Those present, are the most greedy and most cunning batch in the ruins. Think about it yourselves—— Without organization, can you seize territory in the South?"
The smuggler sneered:
"Listen to you? Who are you?!"
The mercenary leader did not get angry, instead, he chuckled softly:
"Not listening to me." "Listening to reality."
"TRACE is already targeting the North. The free market is also purging internally. This worthless rotten land in the South, is the last free enclave."
His voice, like a rusty knife slicing dry fabric:
"Tonight, there are only two kinds of people who can stand here—— Those who want to live, And those who want to turn things around."
The hall fell into a brief silence again. Everyone standing here had their own calculations in mind. But there was no denying it——the survival space in this ruin was indeed slowly and cruelly shrinking. Opportunities were becoming fewer and fewer.
Jason leaned gently behind the beam, his fingertips sliding across the communication panel.
[System Analysis: Likelihood of temporary coalition formation: 68%.] [Suggestion: Appropriately add fuel to the fire, ensure the coalition remains in a controllable state of fissure after formation.]
He lowered his head, contemplating briefly. Then, raised his hand, and entered an extremely concise command.
[South District Dark Frequency · Abyss Channel] Anonymous push:
"The ones who want to control the South are not in this building." "They, are just the ones who threw bait at you." "If you want to live, unite." "If you want to turn things around, act."
This message quietly permeated the simple terminals of all attendees. Simultaneously, the surrounding signal fluctuations were enhanced by Jason's micro-disruption technology, making all communication besides this message intermittent.
One stone stirred up a thousand ripples. The gang remnants began to grow restless, conversing in low voices. The smugglers began small-scale planning. The mercenary squad quickly formed defensive groups facing their surroundings, their eyes scanning vigilantly.
Jason observed silently.
[Node Activity: Rapidly increasing.] [Composite Emotional Index: Greed + Vigilance + Fear intensely mixed and escalating.]
The Fuxi System prompted at the right time:
[He who wishes to control others must first control their desires.] [He who wishes to move the masses must first disturb their hearts.]
A hint of extreme coldness flashed in Jason's eyes. Tonight was not about seizing power. It was about inducing.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Finally, amidst a chaotic and low murmur, The mercenary leader, the smuggler leader, and the gang representative, temporarily formed a loose coalition.
They jointly agreed:
First clear out other small groups, consolidate peripheral resources;
Then reallocate power in the Southern ruins based on strength.
On the surface, This was just an alliance of interests. But in Jason's eyes, This was the first fuse held in his palm. Whenever needed, He could ignite this fuse at any time, Allowing this group of so-called "freemen," In desire and betrayal, to burn themselves to ashes.
[Abyss Seed · Phase Two: Fission Hatching Completed.] [Southern Semi-Core Peripheral Node Activity Index increased to: 73%.]
Jason slightly withdrew his gaze, Like a cheetah pacing at the edge of the night, Silently, he withdrew from the ruined floor.
Night like a tide, And in the tide, a fatal vortex had been quietly sown.
Section Three · Dark Domain Signal
North of the Southern District ruins, five kilometers away.
An old Federal administrative building, its exterior still intact, had been reinforced and renovated, Becoming one of TRACE's peripheral intelligence outposts in the ruined city.
Inside the building, the lighting was cold white, metal pipes were exposed, the atmosphere was as cold and restrained as a surgical operating room.
TRACE Reconnaissance Team · Southern District Monitoring Group. In a small but orderly operation room, more than ten screens were lit simultaneously, Dense data streams, city microwave signal maps, energy interference models flickered and jumped. The air was filled with a mixed smell of coffee and fatigue.
Chief Analyst · Leah Watson,
A young woman wearing thin-rimmed glasses, with her hair pulled up high, her gaze calm and sharp, Was Browse the latest batch of anomalous communication data.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
"It appeared again... the abnormal pulse." "The frequency is extremely low, it doesn't belong to the regular Southern District black market communication flow, nor does it conform to any known faction coding format."
Beside her, Deputy Rick Harlow frowned:
"Is it those ruin thugs again? Can they create something like this?"
Leah sneered coldly:
"In the ruins, there aren't just thugs."
Her fingers tapped rapidly on the console. Several signal analysis diagrams popped up on the screen.
——A low-frequency oscillating wave similar to a heartbeat pattern,
——Extremely stealthy transmission method,
——But at the frequency critical point, there was a subtle trace of "information pulse implantation."
This was not ordinary broadcasting. This was precisely filtered dark domain signaling.
A summoning mechanism that was only effectively activated for individuals with specific psychological fluctuations and specific cognitive levels.
Leah's gaze sharpened slightly.
"This isn't something a low-level hacker could create." "It's more like... a deliberately designed hunter's operation."
The TRACE Central Main Brain System prompted simultaneously in the background:
[Anomalous Communication ID: S-Δ73] [Associated Risk Level: B (Medium Potential Threat)] [Suggestion: Flag as High Priority Monitoring Object in the Southern District.]
Leah tapped the desk, contemplating for a few seconds.
Then said in a low voice:
"Initiate 'Nightfall Screening Protocol'." "Filter all medium-to-high risk individuals in the Southern District, cross-analyze recent emotional fluctuations and anomalous contact behavior."
The deputy was startled:
"Nightfall Protocol? That's used for infiltrators above the semi-core level... the Southern District is just the periphery——"
Leah interrupted him:
"If you still think the Southern District is just 'the periphery', then you're wasting your life."
Her voice, as cold as a blade's edge, stirred a silent chill in the operation room. The deputy immediately fell silent and began operating.
Meanwhile, in TRACE's internal hidden servers,
The Southern District map slowly changed color.
——A greyish-white ruin area,
——Under the night sky,
——Was quietly being tinged with an extremely light shade of crimson.
This represented:
Area potential threat level elevated;
Increased number of active individuals;
Unknown forces secretly reshaping the situation.
And all of this, On the surface of the Southern District, still looked like a chaotic, rulerless dead zone.
Only a very few sensitive individuals, Could scent the awakening of the abyss, From these subtle, almost imperceptible anomalies.
Jason Carter's name, of course, had not yet appeared on any monitoring list. His actions were still almost perfectly concealed.
But for the first time, TRACE's cold machine eyes, Quietly shifted their angle slightly towards this darkness.
The Southern District, Was no longer considered a harmless ruin.
And Jason, For the first time, truly, Walked into the subconscious radar of the future enemies of this ruined empire.
[Fuxi Prompt]
"Heaven and earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs." "Only those who endure and leverage momentum can overcome tribulation and ascend dimensions."
Jason, of course, perceived that thread of "gaze" transmitted from afar.
But he did not stop. Nor did he change his established rhythm. The undercurrent of the abyss had just begun. What he needed to do was not to evade.
But, before the true hunt began, To thoroughly ignite this sea of desire in the ruins into—— A hellish storm that no one could extinguish.
Section Five · Seed of Breakthrough
One forty-five AM.
Southern District ruins, a hidden and dilapidated abandoned subway station. Puddles dappled the platform, the empty tracks like two iron snakes long devoid of life, sleeping in the darkness.
Here, was once the traffic artery of the Southern District's brief era of prosperity. And now, even wild dogs no longer set foot.
But tonight, it welcomed a quiet visitor. Jason Carter.
He walked slowly along the edge of the platform, his steps silent, his presence suppressed to the extreme.
In his earpiece, the Fuxi System prompted simultaneously:
[Peripheral nodes fission complete.]
[Semi-core peripheral screening undercurrent initiated.]
[Suggestion: Sow the seed of breakthrough, trigger autonomous situation collapse within 6-12 weeks.]
A hint of extremely shallow cold light appeared in Jason's eyes.
Six to twelve weeks in the future? It wouldn't take that long. He wanted this seed to grow at a speed far more rapid than anyone expected.
He stopped before the abandoned ticket booth. The base of the surveillance cameras from that era still remained here, but the power had long since completely dried up.
Jason squatted down, from the base of the broken ticket machine,
Took out a black signal core wrapped in a plastic bag. This was a backup communication node he had pre-positioned earlier. After several migrations through the ruins, it was still intact.
He activated the core. The signal pulsed slightly, connecting to the other end—— A potential peripheral target he had never directly contacted before tonight.
—
On the screen, a simple anonymous codename popped up:
[ECHO-7]
A former Greywing Faction tactical backbone,
Now a potential pawn scattered among self-organized small groups in the Southern peripheral.
Jason quietly observed the data oscillations on the screen. The other party's heartbeat, micro-expression parameters, connection response time... All were fed back in real-time into the Fuxi System.
The results showed:
[Loyalty Potential: Medium-High.]
[Malleability: High.]
[Betrayal Risk: Low.]
Jason already had a judgment in his mind.
Communication connected. A hoarse and suppressed male voice came from the other side:
"...Who?"
Jason did not answer the direct question. He simply and slowly spoke a sentence:
"The South, will not be the South."
"The ruins, will give birth to a new empire."
"ECHO-7, do you want to be the dust of the ruins, or... become a part of the future?"
Just a few short sentences, No threat, No promise, Only a kind of—— Irresistible implication.
Hidden beneath the voice, was a sense of condescension from a higher dimension.
The other side was silent for a full seven seconds. Their breathing quickened for an instant, then rapidly stabilized.
ECHO-7 said in a low voice:
"...Conditions?"
Jason's lips curved in a barely perceptible arc.
"Conditions?"
"The conditions already exist in the heart of each of you."
He lightly tapped the keyboard, sending an extremely concise document:
[Primary Resource Node Takeover List]
[Signal Disruption Plan]
[Peripheral Force Defection Prioritization List]
No specific commands. Only tools. Only guidance.
Letting the other party believe they were "acting autonomously." Making him a catalyst for the collapse of the situation, not a passive pawn.
What Jason wanted, Was never simple loyalty. But——cognitive submission.
The screen flickered:
[ECHO-7 has confirmed reception.] [Potential Node Binding Completion: 42%.]
The Fuxi System prompted:
[Seed of breakthrough implanted successfully.] [Estimated fission time window: within 3-5 weeks.]
Jason slowly stood up.
The night was deep, The ruins were cold.
But beneath this coldness, An expanding, scorching, irreversible "seed of change," Had been deeply buried in the flesh and blood of the Southern District.
As he walked out of the abandoned subway station,
Jason did not look back. He knew, One day in the future, When the entire Southern District plunged into chaotic frenzy, When those who thought they were free killed each other in fear and desire,
No one would remember, Who, on this abandoned platform, Silently sowed the first spark. And that was exactly what he wanted.
[Fuxi Philosophy]
"The most yielding, moves covertly in darkness; the most rigid, breaks the situation without visible form. A gentleman facing the masses, speaks not of authority, but guides only with the overwhelming trend."