The city was falling!
To the people of Dongfu City, it all happened without a sound.
If one were to look down from a higher dimension, they would see the city plunging into an abyss in a surreal display. As it fell, the landmass it rested on fractured into several pieces before vanishing into a new world.
Dongfu City. The outskirts. Qingye Collection Outdoor Recreation and Camping Base.
"MEOW!"
A sharp meow suddenly shattered the silence. A tabby cat, inexplicably startled, coiled its small body tight as a bow, its fur puffing out like a dandelion in full bloom. It paid no mind to the second fish tossed by the angler, instead darting off into the distance.
The anomaly struck in an instant. The sunlight vanished, as if snuffed out by a giant, invisible hand, only to erupt forth again a moment later.
The once mirror-smooth creek was suddenly roiled by ripples. Violent tremors sent water splashing onto both banks, while in the distant woods, startled birds took flight in a cacophony of flapping wings.
"Was that an earthquake?"
"Shit, my vision went black for a second there. Thought my blood sugar was crashing."
Similar cries of alarm rose from the fishing spots all around.
The ground itself seemed to shift, and the four legs of the fishing chairs emitted a strained, trembling groan.
Su Chen put down his fishing rod. He paid no mind to the small grass carp flopping and struggling at his feet, his gaze fixed entirely on the phone he had just pulled out.
No earthquake warning had sounded—despite past experience having repeatedly proven the feature’s reliability.
There were other unusual things, too...
’The internet’s down.’
His phone had lost all signal. The nearby cell tower must be down.
Su Chen immediately activated his phone’s satellite communication feature. He stood and scanned for a signal, but even in this wide-open area with an unobstructed view, both the Beidou and Tiantong satellite systems failed to find a connection.
No satellite link!
’Something’s wrong.’
A dark premonition surfaced in Su Chen’s mind.
Recalling the abrupt flicker of light and shadow from before, he tilted his head back and squinted at the sky, the warm light bathing his handsome face in an amber glow.
Normally, no one would stare directly at the sun in broad daylight, but now, it became his window for seeking the truth.
’The sun seems different.’
The searing light deepened the shadows in his eyes. He couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination or if it was real, but Su Chen’s suspicion grew.
There was only one way to know for sure.
He strode quickly toward the RV parked by the creek.
It was a four-wheel-drive Gray Knight off-road RV, complete with living quarters, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The roof was fitted with a rainwater collection system and covered in 2000W of solar panels.
A small "Unit-13" decal was on the driver’s side door, which was also the vehicle’s name.
After entering through the rear door, Su Chen immediately looked at the solar charge controller. Its LCD screen monitored parameters like battery level and charging efficiency in real time.
Right now, an unbelievable sight met his eyes: the charging efficiency of the rooftop solar panels had reached an unprecedented high.
’This is insane.’
Su Chen was stunned. He had been on the road in his RV for a year and a half and had even experienced the peak charging efficiency that came with the intense solar radiation of the Western Border.
But that was nothing compared to this.
What was even stranger was that Dongfu City was a southern city. Just yesterday, it had been a day of damp, humid weather, where the local moisture and radiation levels should have made for less-than-ideal charging efficiency.
’This isn’t the same sun.’
Su Chen made a bold, rational deduction: the star overhead must have a broader radiation spectrum, causing a massive increase in the energy density captured by his solar panels.
What in the world was happening?
Was this even Earth anymore?
An ominous, apocalyptic premonition washed over him.
He had only been inside for a moment, but when Su Chen stepped out of the RV, the wind had already begun to blow, stirring up a restless noise.
You had to admire the dedication of these anglers. For them, fishing was more important than anything else. They remained firmly planted in their chairs, patiently facing the now-rushing creek.
As the water level rose, they merely scooted their chairs back.
Without a second thought, he went back to pack up his chair and gear. Meanwhile, the little grass carp on the muddy ground showed incredible perseverance. Its body was already crisscrossed with scratches from the cat’s claws, but it still followed the scent of moisture, flopping and leaping its way past the fishing chair until, covered in blood and mud, it finally made it back to the water.
Life will always find its own way home.
Su Chen spared it a glance, noting the rising water level as his hands moved without pause, deftly reeling in his line.
Unexpectedly, he found a glass orb hanging from his hook, emitting a faint, watery light.
The older man fishing nearby saw it and chuckled, teasing, "A luminous pearl! Looks like you’ve hit the jackpot, kid."
This wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary. After all, anglers are known to catch everything *but* fish. As long as it wasn’t a suitcase, it was all fair game.
Su Chen didn’t think much of it at first, assuming it was a glass toy. Only on closer inspection did he notice how unusual it was.
The "glass orb" was a blue, teardrop-shaped object, smaller than a ping-pong ball. It was wrapped in a pure, exquisite aquatic light. As he examined it, he saw that dreamlike, flowing patterns were etched inside, vaguely resembling some profound and mysterious ancient script.
For no apparent reason, a powerful sense of craving surged through Su Chen.
As he used his hand to unhook it, the moment he made contact, the teardrop-shaped, aquamarine essence silently and instantly melted into his left hand.
"This..."
Su Chen instinctively tried to shake it off, but the strange phenomenon persisted.
In that instant.
His left hand filled with an aquamarine glow. A mysterious, water-patterned brand materialized on his palm, engraving itself deep into his skin like a sigil and bringing with it a strange, searing pain.
Though startled, Su Chen quickly composed himself. His clear eyes reflected the aquatic light as a splash of water suddenly bloomed from his left palm.
On a sudden impulse, he willed the water to move. It obeyed as if it were an extension of his own arm, even forming a stream that rose into the air.
"Holy shit, you really did hit the jackpot!"
The older man’s eyes went wide, scarcely able to believe the sight before him.
This was no simple stage trick; it was closer to real Magic, something that broke the very laws of reality.
"Hey, everyone, come look at this kid!"
The man was beside himself with excitement, trying to get the attention of everyone nearby.
Su Chen closed his hand, and the levitating stream of water retracted into his palm. He ignored the commotion, not even taking a moment to investigate his sudden, mysterious control over water. He just finished packing his equipment and left.
His mind was reeling, and he felt lost, but he knew there was one thing he could do that would not be a mistake.
And the sooner, the better.
’First, I need to stock up on supplies.’
With that thought, Su Chen steered the off-road RV onto an uphill road.
The Qingye Collection Outdoor Recreation and Camping Base was vast. Abundant waterways crisscrossed the area, dividing it into sections. There was even a resort and a golf course on the periphery.
Apparently, camping hadn’t been part of Qingye Collection’s original plan. The park had shut down for renovations specifically to cash in on this year’s massive camping craze.
And from the looks of it, they had succeeded.
At least, none of the small tents by the forest streams or the treetop cabins seemed to be empty. Children chased each other and played, while adults tended to barbecue grills, flipping food.
But three years ago, there hadn’t been a single well-placed tent or building here, not a trace of commercialism. You could enjoy the pure, untouched natural beauty without needing a ticket.
Su Chen rolled down the driver’s-side window, listening to the sounds from outside.
There were, naturally, plenty of complaints about the internet being down and the loss of cell service. In addition, some people were panicking about the wild grasses, which were suddenly growing at a frantic pace.
Meanwhile.
Su Chen had been manually scanning the frequencies on the RV’s radio. His persistence paid off when he tuned to the emergency frequency FM 98.5 and finally heard a message.
"...Citizens, due to a sudden power grid failure, the city is experiencing a temporary blackout. The power department is working at full capacity on repairs, and service is expected to be restored within six hours. Please remain calm and avoid panic."
A city-wide blackout!
That was to be expected.
But the next second...
The female announcer’s voice suddenly rose, her tone becoming somewhat unhinged as she continued the broadcast:
"For unknown reasons, unregistered primeval forests have appeared on all sides of the city. We have now activated a Level-One Emergency Response. The Security Department has been dispatched to the scene, and we will provide real-time updates as the situation develops. We urge all citizens to stay away from the unidentified forest areas."
’This very campsite is on the outskirts of the city,’ Su Chen thought.
He couldn’t help but gaze out the window. From his higher vantage point on the slope, his view was different. Beyond the picturesque jacaranda trees, a sea of fog was silently spreading, and beneath it, an unknown landscape seemed to have quietly encroached upon their world.
The broadcast had been confirmed.
The world had gone completely mad.
After driving for a moment, Su Chen arrived at the base’s supermarket. Because he had been living on the road for so long, he always kept a stash of cash in the RV’s center console for emergencies.
He grabbed all the cash—ignoring the various foreign currencies—stuffed it into his pocket, and smoothly exited the vehicle, heading straight for the store.

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