Chapter 20 · Covert Tide Initially Splits
[Covert Tide Anomaly]
The night in the Southern District of the ruined city was cold like peeled iron sheets, reflecting a fine, rusty sheen. Wind passed through the broken tracks and dilapidated buildings, rolling up patches of dry dust and sand, like invisible hands, carving something onto the ruins.
Jason Carter walked alone in the Southern District periphery, his black trench coat clinging to his body, blending with the night, like a silent fissure. The broken flagstones underfoot vibrated slightly in the wind, emitting extremely fine creaking sounds. But his pace was extremely steady, his breath synchronized with the frequency of the surrounding night wind, and in his palm, the field perception quietly unfolded, probing the subtle kinetic energy disturbances around like a spiderweb.
The heart of the ruins—— Pulsing in the dark night, latent, nurturing some formless surge.
[Fuxi Prompt]
"Perception Layer: Kinetic energy micro-disturbance anomaly. Undercurrent direction drift amplitude +7%. Peripheral node loyalty fluctuating."
Jason narrowed his eyes, gliding soundlessly along the source of the perceived subtle fluctuation. At the edge of the abandoned old market, a damaged explosion-proof lamp flickered, sometimes dim, sometimes bright.
On the broken stall frame beneath the lamp, a terminal screen pulsed with blurry light spots. A thin, gaunt figure was huddled under the lamp, moving with unusual caution, But under Jason's expanded kinetic energy perception, every inch of the movement trajectory was extremely glaring—— That was not scavenger trading.
Nor was it ordinary communication contact. That was——information flow docking. The direction pointed to——outer domain dark frequency.
Fuxi's voice-like synchronized data emerged:
[Node Number: V-37]
[Status of Affiliation: Surface attachment, internal kinetic energy splitting tendency.]
[Analysis: Autonomous attempt to establish external contact, accounting for 72%. Possibility of being influenced by external stimuli, accounting for 28%.]
Jason stood in the ruin's shadow, his eyes like cold stars reflecting dead water. Wind blew past the hem of his trench coat, rustling faintly, yet he did not move.
He quietly tapped his wrist terminal twice. The vibration was almost inaudible, yet in another part of the ruins, it precisely awakened a synchronized node. A few seconds later, Zhao Mingxuan quietly glided out from behind a collapsed teaching building.
His figure was more restrained than before, his kinetic energy flow more stable—— This was the instinctual change that grew from being immersed in the surging tide of the Southern District.
Zhao Mingxuan approached in a low voice, pressing it down: "Found an anomaly?"
Jason nodded slightly, his gaze not leaving the node in the distance.
"V-37," Jason's voice was low, "showing initial signs of anomaly."
Zhao Mingxuan frowned, a hint of dangerous coldness flashing in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. ——Not anger. But the kind of bone-chilling professional intuition one should have on the battlefield.
"Direct extraction?" Zhao Mingxuan asked, his voice steady.
Jason's fingertips lightly tapped his palm, the Fuxi Prompt synced:
[Suggestion: Do not clear directly.] [Strategy: Amplify the anomaly, induce the self-exposure of latent anomalous nodes, overall allegiance screening reorganization.]
Jason withdrew his gaze, turned, and stepped into the deeper shadows of the ruins. His voice, like a faint light cutting through the night, left one sentence:
"...The tide washes itself."
Zhao Mingxuan nodded slightly, the light in his eyes subtly sharp. He understood. This was not a simple clearing mission. This was an active trial of the situation's undercurrent. Not dealing with fissures with a knife, But——letting the undercurrent tear itself open, then screening, washing, purifying it.
Zhao Mingxuan silently blended into the shadows of another block, Covertly monitoring the surrounding movements with extremely low kinetic energy.
And on the other side—— Lisa Peng leaned against the fourth floor of an abandoned parking structure, her terminal screen faintly pulsing.
She quickly captured the subtle changes in the peripheral kinetic energy flow, Her fingertips tapped rapidly, blocking V-37's possible secondary information frequency hopping links, While leaving behind an invisible monitoring node—— Not alerting the enemy, just burying a hook and waiting for an opportunity.
The wind grew colder. The clouds above the ruins were like taut barbed wire, occasionally flashing with the dark red reflection of the distant factory zone, Making the entire Southern District look like a black drumhead being slowly tightened.
Jason stopped at a high point in the ruins, quietly overlooking the subtly writhing undercurrent in the Southern District. His gaze was deep.
Fuxi silently synced in the depths of his consciousness:
[Situation Prompt]
"Node fluctuation entered abnormal range. Latent anomalous node preliminary count: 3/15." "Projection: If no intervention occurs within 72 hours, the first allegiance fault screening will be completed naturally."
Jason closed his eyes, his breath synchronized with the wind. This was exactly what he needed. Not a group of blind followers. Not a group of deserters who surrendered out of fear. But—— Souls who, in the storm, could still screen themselves, still condense themselves.
Only after this undercurrent screening, The seeds that truly belonged to the future empire's heart network/veins, Would settle down. And those who did not belong, Would ultimately be exposed among the gravel and ashes when the tide receded, naturally eliminated by the era.
Night silently converged. Jason stood still at the peak of the ruins, his trench coat flapping, like a flag not yet raised. Beneath his feet, the entire Southern District was quietly breathing, vibrating, splitting. The undercurrent, was coming.
Chapter Twenty · Section Two · Undercurrent Anomaly Continued
☲[Shì Kè (Biting Through) - Fire over Thunder] [Philosophy]: In turmoil, some sink due to greed, some return to allegiance due to belief. Fire refines gold, only the true survive.
The wind in the Southern District ruins gradually carried the faint scent of blood. Not direct slaughter, but the kind of metallic coldness unique to the eve of undercurrent turmoil, before the situation truly splits.
Jason Carter suppressed his presence, quietly moving through the dark alleyways of the Southern District. His pace was extremely slow, as if stepping on a layer of ice that could break at any moment, The tension and release of every inch of his muscle precisely controlled the flow and leakage of kinetic energy.
Fuxi System whispered in his mind:
[Situation Prompt]
"Peripheral undercurrent density fluctuation +11%." "Potential resource bait intervention signal detected: 3 groups." "Source presumption: TRACE periphery - Inducement type node."
Jason stopped, his gaze subtly sinking. ——They had started. Southern District peripheral area, TRACE forces had quietly laid out three sets of "soft baits"—— Not direct attack, not explicit threat, But——in the extremely barren ruins, Deliberately releasing a batch of high-grade supplies that seemed to have no owner: Remnants of weapon modules, energy batteries, terminal fragments... Ostensibly random, In reality, precisely controlled within the approachable radius of Jason's forces' peripheral nodes.
The baits were not meant to break allegiance. They were——meant to screen out those whose hearts would waver first.
Zhao Mingxuan reported in a low voice in his earpiece:
"Southwest alleyway, V-12, V-19 showing anomalous movement."
His voice was steady and calm, but he subconsciously tightened his finger on the grip of his pistol, revealing a hint of hidden tension in his heart.
Lisa Peng, at the distant monitoring terminal, quickly slid commands: "Eastern periphery V-22, V-30 also showing flow trajectory deviation."
The wind pierced through the broken ruin walls. A wisp of dust drifted in the night, Like an incomplete reflection.
Jason listened quietly, giving no instructions. He just lightly tapped the ground with his toe, Three times, short and precise. Zhao Mingxuan and Lisa Peng instantly understood. ——No intervention. ——No warning. ——Allow the anomaly to unfold naturally.
Fuxi System synced:
[Allegiance screening kinetic energy activated.] [Situation Projection: Expected to complete 30%-40% of Southern District peripheral node allegiance will stratification within 12 hours.]
Jason slowly stepped forward, At the edge of the dark alley, his gaze like the crack in an ice river, calmly watching every ripple of potential anomaly.
Not all followers would become the cornerstone of the future empire. Nor was every wavering worth saving. Belonging must undergo trial. Just as iron ore must endure the raging fire, Only then can true sharpness precipitate.
The Southern District periphery began to show the first wave of visible commotion. Some belonging nodes quietly approached the bait supplies; Some hesitated, cautiously hiding in the shadows of the ruins; And a very few, simply turned and left, Choosing the path of preferring empty hands over approaching.
Zhao Mingxuan observed from the west, His fingers on the grip of his pistol slightly tensed, then relaxed. His internal fluctuation was minimal, yet extremely real. Because he knew, This was not only a screening of peripheral nodes, But also a hidden interrogation of his own allegiance belief.
Lisa Peng quietly adjusted the monitoring perspective, Silently murmuring a sentence Jason had once said:
"True belonging is not in slogans. It is hidden in the heart that, even in the most solitary and barren times, Still refuses to yield."
The wind grew stronger.
Jason leaned beneath a collapsed overpass, His gaze passing through the gaps in steel bars and concrete, looking into the distance. In the depths of the night, Some faint light spots flickered, Were they the light of scavengers' bonfires? Or a precursor of undercurrent turmoil?
No one could know for sure. But Jason knew, That light would ultimately burn into a shape that truly belonged to him—— Either becoming the torch of the tide heart, Or, Completely extinguished in the dark night.
[Fuxi Prompt]
"Situation Projection Update: Localized allegiance kinetic energy stratifying. Potential dark line penetration risk increased to 17%."
Jason calmly withdrew his gaze. The tide was surging in the dark. The truly loyal would reveal themselves in this trial. And the wavering—— Would be silently swept away by the current, Swallowed beneath the ashes of the ruins.
Chapter Twenty · Section Three [Heart Realm Trial]
☷[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 night in the ruined city, like a crouching beast, slowly and silently breathed. Between the cracks in the broken walls, faint light spots flickered, like remnants of old dreams burning in the dust.
On the fifth floor of the abandoned parking structure in the Southern District, Jason Carter stood quietly at the edge of the broken railing. Behind him, Zhao Mingxuan, Lisa Peng, and more than ten core allegiance nodes.
[Fuxi Prompt]
"Mountain and Lake communicate, move without dispersing; the covert flow is ceaseless, accumulating in the dark to form momentum."——"I Ching · Xian Hexagram"
Jason lowered his gaze, quietly sensing the subtle yet real kinetic energy flowing in the air. The emotional fluctuations of the allegiance nodes were extremely subtle—— Uneasiness, vigilance, restlessness, confusion... Every wisp of emotion was like the initial ripples before a storm arrived.
Zhao Mingxuan scanned the group, capturing the wavering gazes and unsteady breathing of three individuals among them. Lisa Peng quickly slid on the terminal tablet, marking the node IDs of several nodes with abnormal kinetic energy deviation values.
Jason did not speak. He just slowly walked towards the center of the plaza, His soles making a fine scraping sound on the broken concrete ground, Like a dark line tearing open the night.
The people around him instinctively held their breath. Jason finally looked up, his gaze calm and sharp, as if able to penetrate the night and souls.
"You know," His voice was extremely light, yet every word struck the silence of the ruins, "Why, from beginning to end, we can only lay out in the dark?"
The crowd stirred slightly, some frowned, some gritted their teeth, but no one answered.
Jason smiled faintly, yet without a hint of warmth. He turned, pointing towards the distant, dimly visible city lights—— Those lights were part of TRACE's central monitoring city. Every beam of light there meant an invisible chain, Monitoring every inch of unstable kinetic energy beneath the ruins.
Jason's tone was slightly cold:
"On this continent, anyone who attempts to awaken themselves, to break free from their trajectory, will be targeted by the monitors. The school is both indulgence and a cage; The ruins are both freedom and a testing ground."
His voice cut through the night wind like a blade:
"Before the storm takes shape, The exposed tide, Will only be crushed."
Among the crowd, some clenched their fists, some lowered their heads, some their eyes wavered. Zhao Mingxuan's breathing slightly tightened, Lisa Peng subconsciously gripped her terminal.
Jason scanned the group again, continuing:
"So we move covertly. So we weave a net with the undercurrent, screen with the situation. Not because of weakness, But because of clarity."
Wind swept through the ruins, raising the sound of flapping broken cloth. And in the hearts of this group of lonely individuals yearning for belonging, A new understanding, quietly ignited.
Jason said softly:
"The tide does not need recognition from the light. The tide only needs to accumulate power in the dark night until it is unstoppable."
His fingers slowly traced an arc in the air, As if outlining the network of the future empire in the invisible.
Lisa Peng's heart moved, Silently reciting a sentence Jason had once told her:
"He who is covert, is strong. Conceal the instrument in the body, await the opportune time to move." ——From "I Ching · Da You Hexagram"
She suddenly understood. Jason was not an escapee. Jason was a creator——only what he was creating was not the city of today, but the sea of the future.
Zhao Mingxuan, too, in his silence, his heart beat slightly faster. This was the first time he truly felt, That he was on the edge of a chess game far deeper than his personal destiny.
Jason said in a low voice:
"This city will not stop for you. The tide, will not wait for the hesitant."
After he finished speaking, he slowly took a step back, giving everyone space. No pressure, no expulsion. The choice could only be completed by themselves.
Above the ruins, a brief silence spread. The sound of the faint wind, like the whisper of the tide.
Three minutes later—— The first node moved. It was a thin youth, with a deep struggle in his eyes, but ultimately, he walked firmly towards Jason. A second, a third... Figures successively trembled slightly, but ultimately gritted their teeth and stepped forward.
But there were also two individuals, After standing frozen in the darkness for a long time, Slowly lowered their heads, quietly turned, And disappeared into the broken night.
Lisa Peng quietly recorded all of this, Without joy, without regret, Only a kind of——calm temperature understood only by those whose hearts belong to the tide.
Jason closed his eyes, Sensing the convergence and splitting of the undercurrent around him.
[Fuxi Prompt]
"Situation Update: Heart Realm belonging trial completed. Allegiance nodes: 12 people. Latent anomalous nodes eliminated."
The ruins subtly vibrated. A silent trial, In the night woven of loneliness and silence, Quietly concluded.
Jason opened his eyes, In his gaze, a hint of extreme subtle sharpness appeared. The tide had initially formed. The true heart realm, Was beginning to subtly surge.
Chapter Twenty · Section Four · Eye of the Wind Condensing the Tide
☰[Qián for Heaven] [Philosophy]: Heaven acts with vigor, a gentleman strengthens himself unceasingly. True belonging does not rely on dependence, not on driving, but on the condensation of one's own will.
The night in the ruins, at this moment, seemed to slightly restrain its edge. The sound of wind between the broken walls was low and hoarse, like the earth breathing deeply.
Jason Carter stood at the high point of a broken overpass, quietly overlooking the subtle movements in the Southern District periphery. Behind him, Zhao Mingxuan, Lisa Peng, and twelve allegiance nodes were already soundlessly gathered.
Wind mixed with the scent of scorched earth and rust, Faintly bringing the echoing vibrations from the distant abandoned factory zone.
TRACE forces' soft bait operations were still ongoing—— But Jason knew, it was no longer important. Because, the true heart of the tide had already condensed in the ashes of these ruins.
[Fuxi Prompt]
"Wind moves and tide surges, tide gathers and momentum forms. The covert return to allegiance, the restless disperse with the flow."
Jason narrowed his eyes, quietly sensing every subtle yet real kinetic energy change in the air. Every person remaining by his side, though their presence was subtle, exhibited a unique——undercurrent-like convergence frequency.
Zhao Mingxuan said softly:
"Peripheral movement monitoring: Remaining nodes are converging towards the areas set up by TRACE. V-12, V-19 confirmed to have detached."
His voice was calm, with a hint of subtle sharpness. That was the calmness truly precipitated after undergoing the allegiance screening.
Lisa Peng quickly slid on the terminal, Syncing the node change trajectories of the Southern District's small dark net. Her eyes moved slightly, and a philosophical principle Jason had once taught her surfaced in her mind:
"The tide has no true master, only those whose hearts belong can stand at the peak of the undercurrent."
Not all drifters could become the heart of the tide. Only those who, in turmoil, in temptation, in loneliness, Still chose to stand in the center of the undercurrent, Were worthy of the future.
Jason walked down slowly, each step like stepping on the pulse of the ruin's heart. The wind grew sharper. The bait released by TRACE periphery triggered a small-scale scrambling disturbance on the other side of the ruins—— Supplies, false promises of order, fleeting illusions of safety... Some rushed towards it, some competed, some fell.
Zhao Mingxuan turned his head, his gaze cold.
"Should we intervene?" he asked in a low voice.
Jason simply slowly raised his hand, His five fingers slightly spread, as if brushing over an invisible tide.
"No." His voice was calm, Carrying a sense of unavoidable inevitability.
"Within the eye of the wind, The tide converges on its own. Outside the eye of the wind, Disperse with the wind."
Zhao Mingxuan's heart trembled slightly. This was the "Wind Tide Law" Jason had personally explained—— Only those who could withstand the pressure at the center of the storm, Were qualified to be tide leaders. Others, swept away by the waves, required no saving.
Jason stood firm, slowly closing his eyes. Below the ruins, the kinetic energy flow clearly surfaced in his mind. The Southern District, once a chaotic, drifting place, Was now being guided by an invisible undercurrent, Slowly tearing into two parts: One part, Like gravel, drifting with the waves. One part, Like dark reefs, firmly rooted.
Fuxi synced:
[Allegiance kinetic energy differentiation completed: 70%.] [First sequence tide heart nodes preliminarily stabilized.] [Next action suggestion: Converge the tide heart, weave invisible defensive momentum, enter preliminary dark tide accumulation phase.]
Jason opened his eyes, His gaze like cold stars reflecting the wasteland. He slowly nodded. It was time—— To truly converge his own tide heart.
Zhao Mingxuan and Lisa Peng followed tacitly, The twelve allegiance nodes silently formed a minimalist yet stable circular defensive array. No oaths. No slogans. Only the tide slowly echoing in the heart.
At the eye of the wind in the ruins, The initial, purest dark current network of the Southern District, Had just taken shape.
And on the more distant edge of the city, TRACE monitoring area's dark line nodes pulsed with faint red light, Like a hound's breathing. They had not yet detected, The true tide, Had quietly broken free from their chains.
Chapter Twenty · Section Five [Initial Forging of the Tide Heart]
— The sky over the Southern District of the ruined city, like an old sail gradually being furled, pressed down, making breathing carry a muffled tremor. Dawn had not yet broken, the entire city was still immersed in the low-frequency resonance of ruin scent and metal dust.
Jason Carter stood atop a broken wall, overlooking the subtle vibrations of the entire Southern District ruins. Behind him, Zhao Mingxuan, Lisa Peng, and twelve allegiance nodes stood silently. Wind swept past their coat hems, raising fine dust, yet unable to shake their stance.
[Fuxi Prompt]
"Water is most yielding, yet can penetrate stone; a covert tide accumulates for a long time, only then can it change the flow."
Jason quietly breathed in the scent of rust and dust mixed in the ruins, The world in his eyes was no longer just ruins and isolated islands, But countless threads of dark current networks, not yet formed, but already subtly pulsing.
Under his perception, in the Southern District periphery, Remaining nodes began to detach from their drifting trajectory, guided by dark lines into TRACE's peripheral layout; While the truly belonging twelve, Though their presence was subtle, were unconsciously forming a preliminary resonance with him.
Zhao Mingxuan stood to the side, his expression cold and clear. This was the first time he truly felt, That he was not alone, But, as a link in a nascent kinetic energy chain, existing in these ashes.
Lisa Peng lowered her head, adjusting terminal settings, Silently reciting an ancient saying Jason had once taught her in her heart:
"Treading on frost, hard ice arrives; subtle movement precedes the formation of momentum."
The tide would not come because of yearning. The tide was only born because of accumulation.
—
Jason slowly raised his hand. A gesture almost imperceptible, The twelve allegiance nodes spontaneously adjusted their positions, Forming a most primitive circular kinetic energy array. No one gave a command. No one hesitated.
This moment, they were not a group of passively following individuals, But——in the undercurrent trial, the first generation of tide hearts who screened themselves, whose hearts belonged to the tide.
[Fuxi Prompt]
"Tide heart convergence, kinetic energy network initial weaving completed. Suggestion: Initiate preliminary dark network accumulation phase. Note: Concealment is priority, rapid expansion is not advisable."
Jason's heart moved slightly. Yes. Absolute patience was needed. The entire city, the entire world, Still writhed and whispered beneath that vast monitoring net. Any gathering of power at an abnormal rate, Would attract the "observers" who had not yet surfaced.
[Fuxi System · World Background Prompt]
"Current American Continent region overall monitoring density: High risk. Low-scale self-organization is permitted under the academic autonomous system, but groups with abnormally rapid kinetic energy growth have immediate intervention authority. Monitoring clusters such as TRACE, OMNI, S.E.N.S.E. are in a semi-active state."
Jason's gaze was slightly cold. This world did not welcome truly independent wills. Any tide not growing within the established system, Would be considered a contaminant and must be eliminated.
Therefore, patience was needed. Concealment was needed. Accumulation was needed.
Jason said in a low voice:
"...The tide is not in a hurry to become a wave."
Zhao Mingxuan and Lisa Peng exchanged glances, Seeing the same calmness and fire in each other's eyes.
Jason withdrew his gaze, quietly instructed:
"Allegiance nodes, spontaneous training. Irregular internal testing of allegiance kinetic energy; Misplaced disguise, avoid overall gathering. Every person, Must be able to survive independently, And be able to return to the tide when necessary."
Lisa Peng quickly nodded, beginning to set up training schedules on her terminal. Zhao Mingxuan silently organized the basic tactical modules for the loyalists. Southern District allegiance kinetic energy was officially incorporated into the first generation tide heart management system. They were not a disorganized mob. But, the first drop of bloodline for the future undercurrent empire.
—
The first ray of morning light finally pierced through the ruined skyline's fault lines. Rust-colored light spilled onto the broken overpass, Casting long shadows on every standing figure.
Jason stood at the very front, His trench coat slightly raised, like a flag not yet identified. In his heart, there were no ripples. Yet calm as steel.
[Fuxi Prompt]
"Heart realm initially condensed. Tide heart first stage——completed. Next stage: Dark current weaving phase, quietly lurking, awaiting opportunity."
Jason murmured in his heart: "The world will not stop the storm for a faint light, But a faint light can, in the ruins, guide the tide to its heart."
The tide, initially formed. The future, in the undercurrents deep within these ruins, Would quietly awaken.
And the school's ruin world, still shrouded in mist, In the not-so-distant days, Would also, under the call of this silent tide, Slowly vibrate.