Chapter 19 · The First Gathering of the Tides of Hearts
Chapter Nineteen · Section One [Tidal Vortex]
☱[Dà Guò (Preponderance of the Great) - Lake over Wind] [Philosophy]: Wind stirs water, accumulating momentum to form a vortex. The true undercurrent does not take pride in breaking, but finds its way by concealed intensification.
The night in the Southern District ruins grew sharper, rolling up the scent of rust and dust. The sky pressed low, broken moonlight spilled onto broken walls and crumbling remains, reflecting dappled, somber traces.
Jason Carter stood still in the shadow of a half-collapsed building, his trench coat subtly moving, his figure blending soundlessly with the fragmented background. He made no movement, only extremely slow breaths, as if his entire being was submerged in the ruins' tide.
In his earpiece, Lisa Peng's voice came low: "Peripheral node convergence rate increased by 8%. Momentum is accumulating, the situation is tending towards a vortex state."
Zhao Mingxuan quickly added: "Near the B-zone tracks, there's an unusual gathering. Suspected independent group organizing, privately drawing in peripheral nodes."
Jason's eyes slightly lowered, the tip of his left index finger lightly tapping his pant seam, just three taps. Everything, without need for more words.
Zhao Mingxuan received the covert order, his figure vanishing into the ruins' dark alleyways, sliding like a ghost.
Jason quietly watched the distance. Among the ruins, the crowd unconsciously began to differentiate.
A portion of nodes still maintained their original trajectory, keeping a low profile contact. Another portion, however, under some unclear implication, gradually gravitated towards deviating forces, the atmosphere subtly fluctuating.
The tide was slowly rotating among the Southern District ruins, swirling up sediment and new life.
[HEX64 Prompt Sync]:
"Kinetic node density increased by 13%. Potential fission factors preliminarily revealed." "Suggestion: Maintain low intervention, promote self-detonation of turmoil, screen for qualified core allegiance."
Jason lowered his gaze, asking himself silently:
"Those who truly belong to the Heart of the Abyss are not those who passively conform to the trend, But those who, within the dark vortex, can screen themselves and still walk firmly towards the heart of the tide."
He was not in a hurry to act. Turmoil was necessary. It was the empire's way of screening its lineage.
On the eastern side of the ruins, near the old B-zone tracks.
Zhao Mingxuan lay prone beneath a broken wall, watching the gathered crowd not far away with cold eyes. The leader was a man named Ansen, tall and gaunt, wearing a patchwork of torn military uniform, a heavily worn pistol tucked into his waist.
His voice was lowered and urgent, carrying a heavy tone of incitement:
"Southern District? Listen to that mysterious guy? Don't be foolish. We control the trading points, we're the ones who call the shots here! Follow me——supplies, territory, women, you'll have it all!"
The expressions of the surrounding nodes were complex. Some showed hesitation in their eyes, while others' eyes lit up, eager to move.
Zhao Mingxuan lightly tapped his communicator, calmly recording every change in expression. Lisa Peng, on her end, quickly sent back a peripheral data fluctuation map.
Lines of kinetic energy, like a spiderweb, invisibly wove in the sky above the ruins, dense, intersecting, taut and slack.
Zhao Mingxuan slowly breathed out. He knew, the layout Jason had set up was not for recruiting every node. It was to let this turbulent place ferment its own lines of allegiance and rebellion, loyalty and desire. And they, only needed to—— Wait for the tide to choose itself.
Southern District central ruin plaza.
Jason knelt on one knee, installing a miniature inducer on a dilapidated signal base. A pale blue indicator light pulsed faintly at his fingertips, then subsided into silence.
[HEX64 Prompt]:
"Low-frequency belonging guidance wave successfully activated." "Expected to split peripheral kinetic energy naturally into three major trend groups within 6 hours."
Jason slowly rose, his cape flapping in the night wind. His eyes were cold as ice. This was not simple "screening." This was a comprehensive trial of will, loyalty, and wisdom.
Zhao Mingxuan, Lisa Peng, peripheral nodes—— Every single person was a part of the tide. Every single person had to struggle on their own, choose on their own. No protection.
Meanwhile, Lisa Peng was manipulating a portable terminal in the western part of the Southern District, controlling the flow of false resource streams. Her expression was focused, her fingertips tapping rapidly on the terminal tablet, lines of disguised resource routes quickly woven into completion. A small illusion was enough to ignite the greed of those with wavering intentions.
The wind whistled through broken steel bars, emitting a low mournful sound. Lisa Peng slightly narrowed her eyes, a faint cold arc curving at the corner of her lips.
[Fuxi Philosophy Prompt]synced:
"Wind on the water's surface, vortices generate themselves. Those who conceal attain their way, the restless destroy themselves."
Time flowed. Within the Southern District ruins, the currents of belonging and rebellion gradually surfaced. Some secretly formed alliances, plotting; Some silently waited for an opportunity to move; Some held firm to their original points, observing calmly.
Jason stood in the center of the night, his robe slightly moving with the wind. In his eyes, all of this was not chaos. But—— An undercurrent vortex destined to nurture a new order.
He whispered in his heart:
"Wind surges, tide moves. Those who truly belong to the Heart of the Abyss will ultimately come on their own."
In the distance, the first muffled conflict sounded. Metal clanging and low growls echoed in the ruins, like the first dark wave surging in the deep sea.
Jason listened quietly, unmoved. The true tide had just begun.
Chapter Nineteen · Section Two [Gradually Drifting Apart]
☲[Shì Kè (Biting Through) - Fire over Thunder] [Philosophy]: In turmoil, some sink due to greed, some return to allegiance due to belief. Fire refines metal, only the true survive.
Three AM, the wind in the Southern District ruins grew sharper, mixed with fine dust and sand, swirling close to the ground. Near the abandoned tracks, among a cluster of dilapidated buildings, faint yellow lights flickered. There, was the temporary gathering area for belonging nodes in the Southern District, and also the focal point where turmoil was brewing.
Jason stood still atop a piece of shattered wall, overlooking the entire area. Blurred figures in the distance moved rapidly, like undercurrents writhing in the ruins.
In his earpiece, Zhao Mingxuan reported in a low voice: "Ansen's small group has exceeded twenty people. Last night, seven peripheral nodes covertly moved, attempting to establish their own transaction flow."
Jason narrowed his eyes. This group was originally the most peripheral among the belonging tide, wavering, watching, chasing profit. Now, they had finally chosen a direction—— Separating from the main tide, turning towards shallow self-proclaimed order.
Jason's heart was calm. The world doesn't need every single碎石 (piece of gravel) to find its place.
Wind howled through the gaps between broken buildings, stirring the hem of Jason's trench coat. He slowly turned his head, his gaze directed towards another dark corner in the south. There, Zhao Mingxuan was hidden in the shadows of the ruins with two backbones, observing calmly. Their bodies were taut, like bent bows ready to shoot, but they did not act rashly.
Jason lightly tapped his earpiece, three short taps. Zhao Mingxuan understood, continue to let go. Let the turmoil self-combust, refining true metal in the fire.
Inside the dark alleyways of the ruins.
Ansen stood on a damaged metal plate, whispering incitement from a vantage point to the surrounding crowd.
"Do you think, following that mysterious guy, you'll find a way out?" "Just another fool who wants to be a king." "Follow me, we'll control resources ourselves, set our own rules!"
Among the crowd, some hesitated, some showed greed in their eyes, and some slightly lowered their heads, noncommittal. In the land of ruins, the easiest thing to burn is not faith. It's desire.
Zhao Mingxuan watched all of this, his gaze cold and sharp. He could feel the floating kinetic energy in the crowd: greed, anxiety, unease, delusion. These things were like rotten mire, calm on the surface, but already corrupt inside.
And those who could truly stand in the future empire must be existences that have been forged by fire, still able to hold their backs straight.
[HEX64 System Prompt]surfaced:
"Node splitting rate increased to 22%. Peripheral turmoil trend intensifying." "Screening process proceeding smoothly. No intervention needed. Observe the self-purification process."
Zhao Mingxuan withdrew his gaze, quietly retreating into the depths of the ruins. He knew that these duckweeds would ultimately be eliminated by the tide when it truly rose.
On the other side of the Southern District.
Lisa Peng was crouched behind a makeshift control console, her gaze calm and focused. Her terminal screen displayed the continuously pulsing trajectory of belonging nodes' kinetic energy. Every flow line, every jump, represented the will fluctuation of a node.
Her fingers slid rapidly on the terminal, subtly yet precisely adjusting the data flow. Some nodes, she encrypted and guided, providing subtle signal support; Some nodes, she allowed to drift, letting them naturally detach. Not a trace of hesitation. Not a bit of pity. In the ruined world, pity was just betrayal of the future.
Lisa Peng lowered her gaze, the faint blue light of the terminal reflected in her eyes, like a sharp blade cutting through the night. She remembered what Jason had said:
"In chaotic times, only those whose hearts truly belong are fit to survive."
[Fuxi System Philosophy Prompt]synced:
"Shì Kè in fire, forged true in intensity. The greedy burn themselves, the faithful reveal themselves."
Lisa typed the last command. Southern District periphery, kinetic energy vortex accelerated, undercurrents intersected, the situation immediately became more chaotic and real.
Deepest within the ruins.
Jason sat quietly on a broken concrete base, eyes closed, concentrating. He sensed the change in every inch of the Southern District's air—— Tension, restlessness, profit-seeking, fear... all emotions like surging undercurrents, rising and swirling in the ruins.
And he, was just the reef. In the dark tide, steady as a rock, waiting for the true wave to belong to him.
Wind blew through the gaps in the broken buildings, bringing distant yelling and conflict sounds. Some had already started vying; Some had already started betraying; Some had already, in the raging fire, revealed their true nature.
Jason did not move. He silently recited the Fuxi insight in his heart:
"Flames refine metal, but not false copper."
Not every piece of rust could be forged into a sword or blade. Only those who could still maintain their edge in the ruins' burning, Could become—— The true network of the Heart of the Abyss.
Chapter Nineteen · Section Three [Mist of Belonging]
☷[Kūn for Earth] [Philosophy]: The power of Earth is Kūn, a gentleman carries all things with thick virtue. True belonging is not induced by power, but guided by the Way. Within the mist, only then can the heart's lamp be seen.
The sky grew darker. The wind in the Southern District ruins, like a long-suppressed tide, silently wandered between the broken buildings.
Jason Carter stood at the top of a half-leaning signal tower, his hood low, his gaze calmly overlooking the crowd moving in the night. In the distance, in the faint light, belonging nodes moved slowly like a tide.
Some formed small circles, whispering secrets; Some wandered alone, hesitant; Others, hidden in the dark corners of the ruins, watched with cold eyes.
Everything, seemingly chaotic, was actually slowly settling under Jason's control.
[HEX64 System Prompt]:
"Peripheral node stability being detected. Current belonging inclination ratio: 48%." "Suggestion: Continue mist coverage, do not intervene in flow, promote natural convergence of hearts."
Jason remained silent, slightly tightening his fingertips. He knew, at this stage, any forceful intervention would destroy the momentum of the tide's natural return. Those who truly belonged to the Heart of the Abyss were not submissive subjects tamed by suppression, But those who, in chaos, could still follow the same undercurrent, actively approaching the heart of the tide.
Eastern side of the ruins.
Zhao Mingxuan leaned in the shadow of a broken wall, his gaze sharp, watching a small gathering. This group called themselves the "Grey Falcons," one of the earlier batches of nodes to converge in the Southern District belonging tide. But recently, their movements had begun to subtly deviate.
Several of their core members were quietly contacting the Ansen faction, attempting to play both sides.
Zhao Mingxuan narrowed his eyes, a series of response plans flashing through his mind. Act? Too early. Allow? Too dangerous.
He thought for three seconds, and finally chose a third way—— ——Guide them to expose themselves.
Zhao Mingxuan lowered his head, quickly entering a set of false instructions into his temporary terminal. A false message about "important resource transaction about to happen" was precisely implanted within the "Grey Falcons'" monitoring range. The诱引 (inducement), had begun.
[HEX64 System Sync Prompt]:
"Mist deepening strategy being executed." "Those whose hearts belong will actively converge, the falsely aligned will destroy themselves due to desire."
Zhao Mingxuan put away his terminal, his expression cold and sharp. Those truly worth keeping were never the first to approach, but——those who could best maintain their initial resolve amidst temptation and chaos.
Southern District central ruin.
Lisa Peng crouched behind a worn mechanical wreckage, her hands rapidly operating a portable terminal. Her fingertips skillfully wove a more complex dark net, capturing the kinetic energy flow of every tiny node.
On her screen, countless fine lines intersected and intertwined, like a vast spiderweb.
Some lines were stable and solidified, indicating growing allegiance; Some lines trembled and jumped, revealing greed and wavering.
Lisa slightly frowned, a sentence Jason had said surfacing in her mind:
"Earth's power carries heavily, accepting all flows. Only the enduring can stand at the heart of the tide."
She murmured softly:
"Let them choose for themselves."
The command was issued. Peripheral information flow was further intensified, the mist grew thicker. In this ruin intertwined with information and emotions, every node had to find its heading in the seemingly disordered storm. And the Heart of the Abyss was only waiting for the souls that could penetrate the mist.
Deep night in the ruins, the temperature dropped sharply, the ground emitting a damp, cold air. Belonging nodes began to show clearer differentiation:
Some began to gather, attempting to form small alliances, aiming to gain the upper hand in the chaos;
Some quietly retreated, attempting to preserve themselves alone, away from the storm;
Some still held firm to their initial convergence points, waiting silently, unmoved.
Zhao Mingxuan observed quietly in the dark alley. Lisa Peng calmly wove her net behind the screen. Jason, like a silent dark stone, stood steadily in the center of the tide.
Suddenly, a violent quarrel pierced the night. Near the remnants of the old Southern District market, two small groups erupted in conflict over false resource intelligence. The brief argument quickly escalated into shoving, cursing, and even drawing knives.
Zhao Mingxuan's eyes sharpened, ready to intervene at any moment. But in his earpiece, Jason's low command sounded at the right time:
"Do not move. Watch."
Zhao Mingxuan bit his lip, suppressing the urge to act. A few minutes later, the conflict quickly expanded, then suddenly self-dissolved. Those who were truly calm and truly loyal quickly withdrew, returning to their original circles of belonging; While the greedy and wavering, after being exposed, isolated themselves.
Wind rose, mist moved. The tide, was silently screening.
Ruin signal tower top.
Jason stood with his hands behind his back, letting the wind tear at his coat hem. In his eyes, the entire Southern District was like a murky river, undergoing a silent sedimentation. Those who were frivolous drifted away; Those with unstable foundations collapsed; Only a very few, following the undercurrent, steadily approached the Heart of the Abyss.
Jason slightly narrowed his eyes, whispering silently in his heart:
"Belonging is not choosing me. It is choosing to become themselves."
[HEX64 System Prompt]:
"Peripheral belonging stabilization progress: 59%." "First round mist screening, completed phased flow."
Night deepened further. The wind in the Southern District ruins finally began to slowly stabilize, carrying a hint of an undercurrent about to take shape. And the heart of the tide, under the night sky, was quietly converging.
Chapter Nineteen · Section Four [Walking Alone in the Wind]
☰[Qián for Heaven] [Philosophy]: Heaven acts with vigor. A gentleman strengthens himself unceasingly. True belonging does not rely on dependence, nor on driving, but on the condensation of one's own will.
Southern District, the night wind was biting, like an invisible whip under the vast sky, sweeping over broken walls and crumbling remains, lifting broken flags and plastic fragments high.
Jason Carter walked alone among the ruins. His black trench coat flapped in the wind, his steps calm but incredibly firm, like a dark spear slowly advancing in a storm.
In the distance, the Southern District ruin plaza was still fermenting. Belonging nodes were screening themselves in silence. Those whose hearts truly belonged began to naturally gather; While those who were wavering, greedy, and fearful were self-detaching in the tide.
Jason did not look back. He was walking towards the deepest part of the Southern District——that area of ruins not yet converged, the most chaotic, the most dangerous.
Zhao Mingxuan and Lisa Peng originally wanted to follow, But before Jason left, he only left one sentence:
"Some paths must be walked alone. No one else can walk them for you."
Zhao Mingxuan stood at the edge of the ruins, his fist slightly clenched, his gaze deep. Lisa Peng quietly watched Jason's retreating figure, a subtle trace of worry knitted between her brows.
Wind and sand blew into their faces, stretching their shadows long and blurred.
Deep in the ruins, the dilapidated subway entrance stood in the night, like a vast beast's maw opened wide.
Jason slowly stepped in. Beneath his feet,碎石 (gravel) crunched on the steel rails with a low, crisp sound. All around was dead silence, only tiny dust particles floating in the air, slowly falling like snow under the faint light of a flashlight.
[HEX64 System Prompt]:
"Peripheral node flow perception: Sparse, scattered, kinetic energy density extremely low." "Presumption: This area hides high-risk free entities, probability of belonging extremely low." "Recommendation: Enter observation mode, low intervention, await natural revelation."
Jason nodded quietly. This was not a place of belonging, But—— A field for testing those with true will.
In the subway wreckage, faint light spots flickered on and off. Several figures who looked like youths huddled in the corner, their bodies thin, their eyes fierce and hollow.
They were not belonging nodes, But the most primitive predators in the ruins. Ready to kill at any moment for food, weapons, territory, No belonging, only survival instinct.
Jason's appearance immediately attracted their attention. Several sharp gazes shot out from the shadows, like hungry wolves targeting lone prey.
One bald youth licked his lips, a razor blade flipping between his fingers, revealing a cruel smile.
Jason did not retreat. Nor did he immediately reveal his pressure. He walked slowly forward, his footsteps echoing in the empty subway tunnel, like a slowly beating war drum.
The bald youth growled, and with two companions, lunged forward.
Blade light was cold, tearing through the night.
Jason's body shifted slightly, precisely dodging the first attack, Simultaneously delivering a short, fierce elbow strike to the opponent's throat.
The bald youth choked, collapsing to the ground.
The second youth swung a club, his movements rapid and chaotic.
Jason was not in a hurry to counterattack. He simply retreated a step, his body rotating close to the ground, hooking the opponent's calf with the momentum, And pulled sharply——
The youth lost his balance, falling heavily to the ground.
The third person saw the situation was bad and immediately turned to flee.
Jason did not pursue. He simply stood still, his gaze cold and silent, watching the fleeing figure. Wind passed through the dilapidated subway platform, bringing a gust of fine sand.
This moment, the ruins and the night wind seemed to freeze in silence.
Jason slowly squatted down, looking at the two figures lying on the ground, gasping in pain. He did not finish them off. Nor did he reprimand. He just said softly:
"The weak are not weak because they fail. The weak are weak because when they fall, They choose hatred, not growth."
These words were not spoken spontaneously. He had said them personally to Zhao Mingxuan and Lisa Peng, Long ago, when the first micro-belonging area was gathered in the early days of the ruined city.
In the distance, Zhao Mingxuan was quietly observing through a tactical monitoring mirror. Hearing these words, his heart trembled slightly.
Lisa Peng, on the other end, paused briefly in operating her terminal. She remembered another sentence Jason had said that day, by a pile of scrap metal in the Southern District ruins, under the setting sun:
"Belonging is not being confined. It is, when falling every time, Still choosing to move forward towards the light in one's heart."
Lisa quietly closed her eyes for a moment, her fingers resuming typing on the keyboard. She knew, they had to learn——to walk every lonely path alone.
Ruin subway entrance.
Jason stood up slowly, lightly dusting off his clothes, His black trench coat flapping in the wind, like a tattered flag under the vast sky.
He did not leave more words. Turned, and walked away. Leaving a stillness and tremor, slowly spreading in the heart of the ruins.
[HEX64 System Prompt]:
"Kinetic vortex core advanced to 61%." "Drifter belonging first sequence screening completion rate: 68%."
The tide was converging. Beneath these ruins, the will that truly belonged to the Heart of the Abyss, Was quietly taking shape.
And Jason, walking alone in the wind, Silently, Was leading this surging undercurrent tide.
Chapter Nineteen · Section Five [Heart of the Tide Surging]
☱[Dà Guò (Preponderance of the Great) - Lake over Wind] [Philosophy]: Dà Guò signifies abundance. When abundance reaches its extreme, change occurs, and survival is sought within the change. Only at the peak of turmoil can those whose hearts truly belong be seen.
Before dawn in the Southern District ruins, wind rolled up dust and sand, the sky displaying a depressing deep iron-grey. The tide had reached its critical point. The entire Southern District was like a dam that could collapse at any moment. Weak belonging nodes began to converge, while hidden fissures rapidly widened.
Jason stood quietly atop a broken building platform, his gaze cold and sharp, overlooking the situation below.
[HEX64 System Prompt · Field Scan]synced:
"Total Southern District dynamic nodes: 178." "Stable belonging flow: 61%." "Latent fission kinetic energy: 23%." "TRACE peripheral interference factor: Subtle penetration, 2 inducement nodes active." "Localized momentum distribution map generating..."
A transparent and complex momentum map slowly unfolded on his retinal HUD interface.
Each thread of faint light represented a node; Each thread of dark undercurrent represented a flow that had not yet completely converged.
Jason slowly narrowed his eyes. He saw which areas were naturally converging, and which areas were faintly brewing rebellion and turmoil. The system did not give instructions on "what to do." It simply presented the true pulse of the ruin's heart at this moment, through calm data脉络 (network/veins). The decision, still belonged to him.
Western side of the ruin plaza.
Zhao Mingxuan, with five or six backbones, was guiding a batch of newly converged nodes through initial screening. His figure was tall and straight, his expression cold and sharp, every movement crisp and powerful. Facing those who tried to question or waver, he simply used simple actions—— A look, a brief tactical intersection—— Causing the other party to feel the momentum pressure invisibly, naturally curbing their unease.
In a pause between node conversations, Zhao Mingxuan recalled what Jason had once said to him:
"True guidance is not suppression. It is letting them, in your presence, perceive their own insignificance, Naturally choosing to submit."
Zhao Mingxuan's fingertips tightened slightly, His breathing steadier. He began to learn—— To guide the tide with his own presence.
Eastern side of the ruin plaza.
Lisa Peng, on the other hand, adopted a completely different approach. Relying on the data weaving from her terminal, she precisely screened out potential nodes, Using small-scale trust probes, resource sharing, and intelligence mutual aid, Subtly establishing a finer network of belonging. For her, belonging was not emotional mobilization. It was——a calm and precise information game.
As Lisa operated her terminal with her head down, a sentence Jason had once said also echoed in her mind:
"Information is the gentlest and most cruel weapon. Belonging is not built upon oaths, It is pried open inch by inch with trust and resources."
A barely perceptible arc curved at the corner of her lips. Jason wasn't teaching them how to copy his strength. He was teaching them——how to guide the tide in their own way, in different situations.
On the high platform.
Jason quietly watched the kinetic energy flow of the entire ruin plaza. [HEX64 Field Scan]interface slightly pulsed, Warning of a small-scale disturbance at a ruin boundary line in the south—— Five or six nodes were privately colluding, attempting to instigate a small-scale resource plunder.
Jason did not immediately issue a suppression order. He simply lightly drew a command line on the HUD:
[Induce momentum——release false wind-carried resource intelligence——lure out latent splitting nodes.]
An extremely covert information flow quietly spread along the beacon network deep within the ruins. Like a grain of ash scattered in the wind, Silent, yet enough to ignite the final delusion of that unstable batch.
Thirty minutes later.
A small-scale "unexpected resource爭奪 (contention)" erupted at the edge of the ruins. That batch of restless people thought the opportunity was ripe, Exposing their hidden true intentions.
Zhao Mingxuan and Lisa Peng commanded their respective teams, not directly suppressing, But surrounding without attacking, gradually cutting off the connection between this splitting flow and the main tide. Ultimately, these nodes, isolated and unaided, Either chose to leave, or collapsed on their own.
The kinetic energy vortex in the Southern District ruin plaza, Thus became purer, clearer.
On the high platform, the wind was fiercer. Jason slowly looked up, towards the eastern skyline where faint light was first appearing.
[HEX64 System Prompt]:
"Drifter belonging first stage screening, completion rate: 72%." "Southern District kinetic vortex core stability increased to 66%." "Suggestion: Approaching the next stage of tide heart convergence process."
A larger belonging tide surge was slowly accumulating below the horizon. And this time, Jason was not alone. Behind him, Zhao Mingxuan, Lisa Peng, And batch after batch of nodes who had been screened through rise and fall, still choosing allegiance, Were quietly building a true—— Undercurrent Empire.
[Fuxi Philosophy]
"Dà Guò signifies abundance; when abundance reaches its extreme, change occurs, only then can new life be gained. The world's tide surging, does not seek the allegiance of ten thousand people, Only needs, the true people, to gather at the true heart of the tide."
Jason slightly nodded, The first ray of morning light rising above the ruins reflected in his eyes.
The tide was surging. And the empire, Woke up in the wind.
Night gradually receded, and the fragmented Southern District emerged in the morning light, a blurry and silent silhouette.
Jason stood before the high platform's broken wall, a faint breeze brushing against his coat hem, carrying the scent of interwoven metal and dust. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze passing over the gradually converging crowd, landing on the dark land at the far end of the ruins that had not yet awakened.
[HEX64 System Prompt · Internal Silent Archiving]:
Drifter belonging first sequence: Archiving completed. Tide heart kinetic core: Stable preliminary formation. Next phase pre-warning: Undercurrent clash, turbulence threshold will rise rapidly.
The prompt flashed and was gone, like wind brushing over the water's surface. Jason made no movement, only his breathing rising and falling ever so slightly. His world had never truly been quiet——
Just turmoil brewing, the tide accumulating power. He lowered his head, his fingertips lightly tapping a corner of the broken wall, as if silently confirming something. The next step was no longer convergence. But——
In the true undercurrent clash, to build his own navigation markers. Morning light tore open the first rift.
Jason turned, shrouded in faint light, and slowly walked towards the deeper parts of the ruins. The tide, would no longer passively submit.