But as the tram rumbled along the tracks with a steady, heavy roar,
and drew ever closer to the prosperous yet secretly sinister city of Tokyo, a ripple inexplicably stirred Su Wen's previously calm heart.
He keenly sensed that
the elusive yet tangible Spiritual Energy Fluctuation around them seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, its frequency rising abnormally.
It was an utterly bone-chilling sensation,
as though countless invisible hands were reaching out from the darkness, slowly dragging everyone around them toward the abyss.
Even every rise and fall of Spiritual Energy brought with it the tainted sensation of drawing ever closer to the abyss.
But just as Su Wen was preparing to trace the source of that abyssal Spiritual Energy,
the next second,
the scene before his eyes seemed to be instantly covered by an invisible curtain.
Even Caroline's invisible data, which should have been as steady as a rock, now fluctuated violently like a candle flame in a gale.
The once-smooth Data Stream became chaotic and erratic, flickering as though it might go out at any moment.
If not for the mythical relic, the Glimmer of Lamplight Lantern, which emitted a gentle yet steadfast radiance and provided a stable anchor for her Extraordinary Characteristics, Grant Me Light,
Hacker Miss might truly have been ruthlessly shut out by this immense, despair-inducing abyssal fluctuation.
Just like that,
the relatively calm atmosphere inside the tram was instantly shattered. Waves of terrified cries spread through the carriage like surging tides.
Outside the windows, the world that had been brightly lit was covered in an instant by an enormous black curtain, turning pitch-dark.
Only countless blood-red neon signs remained, flickering eerily in the darkness like bloodshot eyes.
The ordinary words on those signs now seemed to have been given life, twisting and