Seeking the Mysterious Warrior

Although this physical destruction test was not publicly broadcast, given the current global attention and the fact that it was conducted outdoors, the experimental results quickly leaked through various channels.

Without a doubt, in the coming period, it would once again become the hottest topic on the internet.

However, compared to the researchers beneath the Great Wall, Lin Tuo was far calmer.

"Sure enough... with the civilization level of the Evolution Sandbox, the Isolation Shield it generates is something Earth's current civilization simply cannot shake."

Lin Tuo leaned back in his chair, his eyes slightly weary as he stared at the noisy livestream, silently pondering.

He wasn't surprised by this outcome.

Of course, judging by the splash caused by the explosion, it was clear that external forces weren't entirely incapable of penetrating the sandbox; the Isolation Shield didn't block everything.

If they continued to increase the intensity of the attack, perhaps the splash inside the sandbox could grow larger, but it seemed the research team would likely be more cautious after this incident.

"Phew, I was worried for nothing. Time to sleep."

With that thought, Lin Tuo fully relaxed, yawned, habitually silenced his phone, then got up and walked to the adjacent bedroom, drew the curtains, and drifted into a deep sleep.

He really needed to catch up on some rest.

However, just as Lin Tuo fell asleep, the screen of his phone on the table suddenly lit up—a message from the chat group.

The group's topic was naturally the explosion.

Since the experiment had just occurred and people hadn't yet learned the results, most were just making wild guesses.

But amid the discussion, a lurking group member suddenly uploaded a link and shouted in the group:

"Stop talking about that, check out this video! I just stumbled upon it."

"What's this now?" someone asked.

"Just watch it, it's absolutely thrilling!"

"Thrilling? Uh... not sure that's a good idea, will the group get banned..."

"?"

Yang City, inside a certain residential complex.

Zhou Mo, dressed in pajamas, quietly exited the "Direct Blast" livestream, a worried expression on her face:

"I wonder if it actually blew open or not."

Shaking her head to dismiss the thought, Zhou Mo moved her mouse and opened the country's largest video upload website on her computer.

Then, without much hope, she prepared to log into her account.

Over a week ago, while returning to Yang City with her best friend, she had accidentally witnessed someone falling from the sky and subsequently captured an unbelievable piece of footage.

In the Taihe Mountains, on a deserted and steep mountain path, a mysterious man had carried a massive boulder on his back, walking from the foot of the mountain to the summit in one go.

The total duration was about an hour.

This feat, clearly far beyond normal human limits, had left her utterly stunned. Afterwards, she had simply edited the 58-minute-and-21-second video.

Added a description, then uploaded it to the video site.

She had originally thought it would go viral quickly, but reality poured cold water on her.

After more than a week of being uploaded, the view count hadn't even reached two hundred, and the few comments were utterly unremarkable.

Not surprising—she wasn't a well-known content creator or an internet influencer, just an ordinary account. Posting something and having it sink without a trace was normal.

In the first few days, she would frequently refresh the site's backend, but later, she only glanced at it out of habit each day.

However, today, when Zhou Mo logged into her account, she was stunned to find that her message notification bar was glowing red with 99+.

She clicked it open, and the screen was filled with private messages, ranging from over ten minutes ago to just seconds ago.

All of them were asking about the video's authenticity and the specific location.

"This... could it be..." Zhou Mo froze, completely unable to process it.

It took a full several seconds before she suddenly straightened up, clicked open the backend at lightning speed, and was shocked to see that the view count for the "Taihe Mountain Mysterious Man" video had already surpassed three million!

She refreshed it, and it had increased by several tens of thousands!

As for the comments and bullet comments, they were also growing rapidly!

Was she still asleep?

Was this a dream?

Zhou Mo stared blankly at the computer, then pinched her thigh. Her face twitched, but her eyes suddenly lit up!

"It's really blown up! It's blown up!" The young girl in pajamas let out an utterly undignified cheer, then, while playing the video, she pulled out her phone, tapped on her best friend's profile picture, and sent a harassing message:

"Shan Shan! Are you up yet? Go check out my video! I told you it would blow up!"

Meanwhile, in the non-work group chat of Lin Tuo's former company.

Curiosity piqued, the group members clicked the link one after another, only to find the content was far from what they'd imagined.

The video title was simple:

"Candid Shot of a Mysterious Powerhouse in the Taihe Mountain Range! If You Don't Say 'Holy Shit,' I Lose!"

Clicking it open, the screen was flooded with bullet comments:

"Preemptive holy shit"

"You're definitely losing"

"What kind of video is this"

"Oh, this..."

In the video, the backdrop was a stretch of mountain peaks. The filmer seemed to be by the roadside, clearly using a phone, with an obvious zoom-in process.

As it played, the voices of two girls chatting could be heard:

"Fine, fine, I believe you... Anyway, I can't make sense of this world anymore. Yesterday..."

"Ah! Found it! Look!"

"No way! There really are supermen?!"

To ensure the video's authenticity, Zhou Mo had barely cut a single shot, recording their conversation from the moment as well, which only added a layer of realism and on-site presence.

Then, as the image zoomed in, amidst the vast mountains, a desolate and steep path was revealed.

The stone steps looked long abandoned, yet they stretched like a Heavenly Ladder, leading to the summit.

A blurry figure, carrying a boulder far larger than their own body, climbed step by step along the stone stairs.

Because of the distance, even with the zoom, details were unclear—especially since the mysterious person seemed to have covered their face with something.

Still, the ease and rhythm in their movements were clearly conveyed through the video.

The same action, performed by different people, gives a different impression.

Struggling with all one's might versus handling it with effortless grace are two entirely distinct feelings.

In the footage, the mysterious figure appeared utterly tireless, bearing the green stone with steady, unhurried steps, their movements fluid and seamless, with almost no breaks. It looked incredibly smooth and aesthetically pleasing.

In fact, if you watched closely, every motion faintly exuded a touch of otherworldly "immortal aura"!

Yes!

Immortal aura!

As if this were truly a transcendent master from imagination alone.

No—if someone's strength could truly reach such a level, then it wasn't imagination, but a real "master."

Seeing this, the dense barrage of bullet comments suddenly unified:

"Holy shit"

"Holy shit"

"Holy shit"

Some followed the trend; others were genuinely shocked.

"Friendly reminder: check the progress bar for a surprise!"

And when people realized the entire video was a full hour long, and that fast-forwarding showed the mysterious figure never once stopped, astonishment turned into awe.

That steep mountain path would be exhausting for an ordinary person to climb, let alone while carrying such a massive green stone?

Was this really human?

Fake, right?

Amidst the chorus of "holy shit," there were also plenty of doubts. Opening the comments section, many were questioning the video's authenticity.

"Definitely fake! No human could achieve what's shown in this footage! It completely defies the limits of what the human body can withstand. Still, I have to admit, the technical skill behind the forgery is high—you can barely spot the flaws with the naked eye..."

Someone spoke with certainty.

"I think the video might not be doctored with tech, but the shooting angle is misleading. The whole filming style looks rough and raw, matching the 'candid shot' description in the title, but that doesn't mean it wasn't carefully staged.

Just like in movies, where shaky camera work is sometimes used to boost realism, I personally believe the effect in the video is likely due to the angle.

That mountain can't be that steep—it's just a visual trick. As for that giant rock, it might be a prop with hardly any weight."

Another person put on a professional air.

"Disagree with the top comment! Why is it impossible? I suspect this is a mysterious martial artist, and the video shows them tempering their body! Training their stamina!

The strength of ancient martial arts masters is beyond modern imagination! Historical records say Zhang Sanfeng lived over two hundred years—so by your logic, that's all fake too?"

Someone leaned toward belief, though this thread inevitably erupted into arguments.

As for the others, they were split between the two attitudes as well.

More believed the video was fake, but quite a few remained skeptical and reserved.

"I'm keeping my opinion open—not because I truly believe ancient martial arts are that strong, since we've seen countless martial arts masters debunked over the years... What catches my attention is this: did you notice the video was uploaded exactly the day after the Takk Black Box appeared?

The girl's words in the video also confirm this.

It shows this video appeared after the Takk Black Box... If this were before, I'd never believe humans could achieve this level, but now... I'm not sure.

Especially since the results of this morning's blasting experiment on the 'Great Wall' are said to be out—under an explosion powerful enough to destroy a small building complex, the Great Wall remained completely unscathed...

I think the world might really be about to change drastically. We have to break some old ways of thinking and accept the new world that may be coming.

I wonder if the uploader can see this comment.

If it's convenient, could you tell me the exact filming location?

Well, I'm not far from the Taihe Mountain Range. If I have time, I'd like to go over and take a look, to see this mysterious martial arts master with my own eyes."

Not long after this long comment was posted, it was pinned to the top of the comment section, and Zhou Mo even replied underneath:

"I understand everyone's doubts. I can't prove anything, I can only say this video is absolutely real. For now, a unified reply on the filming location..."

This comment quickly surpassed a hundred likes and was closing in on a thousand.

The video's popularity skyrocketed, but compared to the globally-watched results of the "blasting experiment," the influence of this video's public opinion was ultimately limited.

Under normal circumstances, it might have grabbed more attention, but as various media outlets scrambled to report the latest news on the Takk Black Box, the buzz Zhou Mo's video generated was invisibly diminished.

After all, hot topics can't coexist in too many numbers at once.

In contrast.

Because Zhou Mo had revealed the location, although the video didn't spark widespread discussion nationwide, it spread like wildfire in Yang City and the areas around the Taihe Mountain Range.

Especially in Yang City.

Being the closest to the filming location, the people there cared the most about it.

This led to the video's popularity on the website stabilizing, but its spread through countless local chat groups in Yang City was surprisingly rapid.

When Lin Tuo finally woke from his slumber.

Having caught up on sleep, rubbing his messy hair, pushing open the study door, picking up his phone, and opening the chat app, he was completely dumbfounded.

Staring at the "Searching for the Mysterious Warrior of Taihe Mountain" trending wildly in the group chats, he was stunned for a moment:

"I just slept... so... what the hell happened??"