The Door

"Genealogy, the distribution of fragments across the regions, and that unbroken lineage he spoke of—and it seems Yue Teng still has a son."

The elevator reached the ground floor, the doors opened, and the lobby lights flooded in.

Chen Guan stepped out of the elevator and paused at the entrance.

"Su Yuehe."

"Yeah."

"If what he said is true—if that black mist really does come looking on its own."

He turned his head slightly, his profile illuminated in the light.

"What are you going to do?"

Su Yuehe stood behind him, holding a folder.

She glanced down at the authorization document stamped with a red seal in her hand and said softly, "I want to see for myself what that black mist really is."

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the library study area, Chen Guan closed the book he was reading.

Su Yuehe approached, carrying several thick volumes of literature. She slid a black USB drive across the table to Chen Guan.

"This is the full record of the second interrogation—audio, transcripts, and my summary notes."

Her voice was low, meant only for him.

"How is he doing?"

Chen Guan's eyes rested on the small USB drive.

As an outsider, he hadn't gone along this time to avoid drawing too much attention, instead letting Su Yuehe compile the key points for him.

"His body is failing fast, but he's still stubborn."

Su Yuehe's tone was calm. "Still, we managed to pry a few things out of him."

She didn't elaborate, just gave a slight nod, then turned and walked toward another bookshelf, her movements so natural they drew no notice.

Chen Guan pocketed the USB drive, slung the black coffin over his back, and left the library directly.

Back in his dorm, alone in the room,

Chen Guan booted up his computer and inserted the black USB drive.

A folder popped up on the screen, its contents neatly organized into three subdirectories: Audio, Transcripts, and Summary Analysis.

Chen Guan opened the Summary Analysis first.

The document outlined the key points of the second interrogation in the simplest language.

"Subject's mental state is extremely unstable; response to the psychic suppressor exceeds expectations. The black mist's backlash is accelerating the erosion of his vitality."

"He places all his hope in the awakening of the vessel—the changes occurring in Chen Guan. This obsession can be exploited."

Chen Guan's fingers slid across the touchpad, and he clicked open the Audio folder.

He put on his headphones.

Yue Teng's voice—even weaker than three days ago, yet laced with a morbid excitement—immediately filled his ears.

In the background, the hiss of electric currents, the hum of a failing suppressor, and the sound of someone struggling to suppress their own gasping breaths all blended together.

"Tell us the locations of the other altars."

It was Su Yuehe's voice, cold and emotionless.

"Heh... you wish..."

Yue Teng's voice was hoarse and rasping, every word seeming mixed with blood rising from his throat.

"You think we can't find them just because you won't talk?"

Su Yuehe paused. "The Yue family has passed down its legacy for centuries. The bloodline of the 'Attendants' is spread everywhere. Where is your son—Yue Ming?"

In the audio, the clatter of chains was sharp and piercing.

Then came Yue Teng's labored breathing, like the slow drag of a worn-out cart.

"Dare you touch him!"

"Why wouldn't I dare?"

Su Yuehe's tone remained steady. "He's your blood, also an Attendant. I imagine he knows quite a few secrets too."

"Or let me put it another way—do you want him to end up on the same path as you?"

Silence.

A long silence.

Chen Guan even felt that Su Yuehe in the recording sounded more like the villain.

After a long moment, Yue Teng spoke again, his voice drained of all strength, tinged with resignation.

"I'll talk. But you have to promise—don't touch him."

"That depends on how valuable your information is."

Su Yuehe said.

"Besides this one beneath the Northern Wastes, the family records clearly note three other locations."

Yue Teng's words came in broken fragments. "One lies deep in the Endless Sand Sea in the west—the oldest one. The ancestors' notes call it the Gate."

"The Gate?"

Su Yuehe pressed.

"I don't know... The notes only say it connects to something. Over centuries, our people went three times—none ever came back alive."

"And the other two?"

"One is under the ice sea beyond the Northern Wastes. We only have approximate coordinates. It's impossible to get close."

"The last one is on a nameless island in the eastern waters, guarded by another branch of the Black Wind civilization. We've kept our distance from each other."

Chen Guan took off his headphones. The room fell into dead silence.

He leaned back in his chair, digesting these staggering revelations.

The Endless Sand Sea, the Northern Ice Sea, the Eastern Nameless Island.

He had never heard of these places before, but the name "the Gate" from Yue Teng stirred something in him.

Damn, he thought—time to explore uncharted territory again.

He turned his attention back to the screen, opened the Summary Analysis document, and scrolled straight to the end.

At the bottom of the document, Su Yuehe had attached a hand-drawn map, marking Yue Teng's three locations roughly with red dots.

Below the map was her analysis.

"Based on Yue Teng's description, the danger levels of the three sites vary greatly."

"The Northern Ice Sea and the Eastern Nameless Island appear to be mere storage points for power."

"Only the Endless Sand Sea in the west provoked the strongest emotional reaction from him. I believe it holds the most core secrets of the Attendant clan."

His fingers tapped on the touchpad, opening another file next to the map.

It was a character relationship chart.

Yue Teng was at the center. On a line branching from him was a name: Yue Zhiheng.

Below it was Su Yuehe's note:

"Yue Zhiheng, twenty-one years old, Yue Teng's only son—disappeared three years ago."

...

The cafeteria at Huaging Academy was as noisy as ever.

The aroma of food mixed with the murmur of students, filling the spacious hall.

Long Ao was busy demolishing the mountain of food on his plate, eating with the same speed he threw punches.

An Changqing sat across from him, moving slowly and deliberately, even arranging his utensils in perfect order.

Su Yuehe ate in small bites, her gaze occasionally drifting toward the window.

Chen Guan sat silently, the world around him seemingly irrelevant.

An Changqing put down his chopsticks. The crisp sound broke the calm at the table. He took out a thin manila envelope and placed it in the center of the table.

The envelope was stamped with the emblem of the Supernatural Ability Association.

"Just received this," An Changqing said, his voice clear enough to cut through the surrounding chatter.

Ever since the reforms, even this usually bustling cafeteria had grown quieter.

Long Ao looked up, still chewing.

"What is it?"

"The student council just received a B-level commission forwarded by the Association."

An Changqing's expression grew serious. "They specifically requested Huaging's assistance."

Long Ao's eyes lit up.

"A B-level commission?"

"The Association sending it directly to the student council—that's not common."

An Changqing didn't reply. Instead, he untied the envelope's cord, pulled out the document inside, and pushed it to the middle of the table.

"Take a look for yourselves."