Lingering Storm

Awakened individuals, while rare enough that ordinary people might never encounter one in their lifetime, are not entirely unknown to the major families whose histories span centuries.

In this world, the vast majority of these prominent families are, in essence, powers established by Awakened individuals.

The reason certain large families have endured for so long is precisely because they have Awakened members still alive, or new Awakened individuals born into their lineage.

Generally speaking, as long as a major family has an Awakened member, the continuation of the family is not a difficult matter.

The various benefits and concessions forced upon them by others are enough to ensure the family's long-term prosperity!

Conversely, if a major family, which holds significant interests, loses its Awakened protector, it becomes very difficult for them to maintain their position.

They either have to relinquish their core interests.

Or they must find an external Awakened individual to pledge allegiance to, and proactively pay protection fees.

In short, all major families and powers inevitably deal with Awakened individuals.

The Ye Qi Three Sisters' former family, the Sixteen Nights Family, was able to wield considerable influence in the bustling Sakura District precisely because they operated in this manner.

It was thanks to an Awakened member within the Sixteen Nights Family that they could consistently protect their interests!

Furthermore, due to the presence of that Awakened individual, when other Awakened individuals engaged in various social interactions.

The members of the Sixteen Nights Family could naturally leverage these connections to interact with even more Awakened individuals!

It's like a special kind of circle.

Ordinary people can't access it.

They don't even realize it exists.

But those involved are fully aware of the situation and navigate it with ease.

Meanwhile, as the Ye Qi Three Sisters slept, the outskirts of Tokyo City were becoming quite lively.

The area where Xi Shenlian had previously experimented with his powers was now bustling with activity.

Hundreds of personnel were present in the devastated landscape, using various equipment for exploration.

Even helicopters patrolled the sky, their searchlights sweeping back and forth.

"...Still no clue which Awakened individual did this?"

The voice of the person in charge echoed.

"Not yet," his assistant replied respectfully.

"An Awakened individual capable of such destruction must be at least in the Mature Stage. Tracking those types is often impossible. One slip-up, and they vanish. If they actively conceal their movements, it's even harder for us to detect them..."

Approximately forty hours ago.

Local residents reported a minor earthquake in the vicinity late at night.

Initially, the government didn't pay much attention.

The earthquake had only cracked a few houses, not even collapsing them!

It was a matter for the insurance companies.

However, personnel investigating the epicenter soon discovered a problem.

They found that the source of the tremors was a point on the surface hundreds of kilometers away from the residential area.

Cracked houses from hundreds of kilometers away?

It couldn't possibly be someone conducting a large-scale surface nuclear explosion test, could it?

This realization sent shockwaves through the relevant personnel, who swiftly reported the matter to the government.

Subsequently, within the primeval forest, the government discovered a surface trench over twenty kilometers long, with a depth and width reaching tens, even hundreds, of meters, and a landscape scarred as if by a massive nuclear war.

Unsurprised by his assistant's response, the person in charge wore a troubled expression.

"...Those monsters... they always cause such huge disturbances."

"Making us work overtime in the middle of the night to deal with all sorts of messes..."

His words were filled with the weariness of being forced to work overtime.

Then.

He cast his gaze to a spot in the distance where dozens of personnel were repeatedly taking measurements.

It was a large pit, about two kilometers in diameter and averaging two hundred meters in depth.

"Haven't they finished measuring yet?"

"They've gone back and forth at least seven or eight times, haven't they?"

"What's there to measure repeatedly in a big pit?"

"Is there oil inside?"

To this question.

The assistant, also puzzled, sent a message to inquire.

Then.

After a brief silence.

The assistant replied:

"Originally, they only planned to measure once, but based on the geological structure, they quickly discovered that the large pit wasn't originally a flat surface, but an entire mountain peak... So they plan to take multiple measurements to deduce the results."

"According to the known deduced results, the original height of the mountain peak was approximately four hundred to six hundred meters. The person who acted likely attacked horizontally, directly shattering the mountain. The remaining power was directed into the air, dissipating into nothingness. If the attacker had directly struck the ground, according to the researchers' feedback, it's highly probable that many houses hundreds of kilometers away would have collapsed, killing many people..."

Hearing this, the leader was immediately shocked:

"Power of this magnitude... an Awakened from the Self Stage??"

"There are only about twenty-odd individuals of that caliber in all of Eastern Ying, and each one is under the strictest surveillance. Why would they sneak out here in the middle of the night to destroy a forest?"

While it was called surveillance.

It was actually more akin to appeasement and restriction, preventing them from running wild.

Because the government did not want individuals more dangerous than large-yield nuclear warheads, capable of wiping out surface civilization on their own without being stopped by equally powerful individuals or superweapons, to mysteriously disappear or hide in the shadows.

Therefore.

Once the surveillance personnel detected unusual movement patterns from a target, even the Prime Minister had to immediately call to inquire about the actual situation.

"It's still unclear, but the deduced results from various on-site traces are being compiled, and we should be able to see them shortly."

"However... I think this matter has already exceeded our scope of handling."

"It would be best for us to hand over the authority to deal with this matter as soon as possible."

To the assistant's words.

The leader did not deny them but nodded in strong agreement:

"That's the only way."

"Although I don't know what that fellow was doing in the primeval forest in the middle of the night, it's likely there's a reason..."

"Once the deduced results are out, contact the higher-ups immediately..."

As he spoke the last words.

The person in charge also appeared somewhat worried.

He deeply felt that he was directly facing some unimaginable, massive upheaval!

In his mind, he couldn't help but conjure up all sorts of conspiracies and schemes...

Meanwhile, the one who caused all this trouble, Xi Shenlian, was lying in the presidential suite of a five-star hotel, calmly playing a shooting game.

In the game.

At this moment, relying on his reaction speed, which far surpassed that of ordinary people, he was effortlessly slaughtering all the players, making it even easier than playing against bots!

If you were to ask him if he felt any gaming thrill.

He could only say no.

Because the difficulty was simply too low.

Thus, he couldn't gain any sense of accomplishment.

But the thought that the other players were suffering brought him a little bit of comfort～～

Thanks to: Shao Yan Wu Yan for 100 Qidian Coins! Book friend 20210403170133667 for 100 Qidian Coins! Pinecone Oak Tower for 100 Qidian Coins! Taishang Sect for 100 Qidian Coins!