Forty-Second Chapter: Information Control and Visitors

Chapter Six: Information Control and Visitors

(PS: I'd like to discuss something with everyone.

As you all know, I'm still in the new-book period. This period comes with special recommendation mechanisms, like the new-book rankings, which are very helpful for increasing a book's exposure.

Because I submitted this book to my editor very late, I didn't send it in until the evening of August 31, and then it went live on September 1. I'd nearly forgotten the submission and ranking process for new books, so this book went live on September 1 but didn't get its first recommendation until September 11. I've been updating by nine to ten thousand words a day, and in the half a month since it launched, I've already updated nearly 140,000 words. The new-book period seems to end at 200,000 words, which means this book is about to leave it. So, starting today and continuing until it goes on sale, I'll update two chapters a day. I want to extend the new-book period a little. At most, I'll update one chapter of over 4,000 words among the two daily chapters. I hope you'll understand. Thank you.

After the book goes on sale, I'll return to a regular three updates a day. First, I'll do a burst of updates for the Silver League patron. Thanks again to the Silver League patron, Chuan Majia, for the support. Each Silver League pledge will get a 30,000-word burst. I'd also like to thank the other patrons: each one gets an extra chapter, up to three extra chapters a day for patrons, making six chapters total.

That's the update schedule for now. If you have any requests or a better plan, you can leave a message in the comments or the chapter discussion. I'll read them carefully. Thanks again for your support.)

Lu Yuanming went online to look up information from the past six months.

GOOGLE search TWKAN

Based on his conversations with the police and the expert team, what had happened in Building C was definitely not an isolated case. It was likely one of many such incidents across the country, perhaps even around the world.

A supernatural incident that killed hundreds of people couldn't possibly be kept secret in today's online environment. Even the most powerful government organization couldn't manage it—not unless it was a global government like the Human Unified Government. As long as the internet remained open, people would always find some clues.

Sure enough, after searching various online platforms with keywords like major incident, death toll, disaster, and cordon, Lu Yuanming found a series of news reports dating back to February 2024.

Judging from the dates, locations, and some of the videos and photos, the first disaster had occurred in Little Sun Country. A cordon had been set up in Kyoto, and photos and videos showed the country's Self-Defense Forces entering the area in groups. However, many of the videos and photos had been banned, so there was no information about how the country had resolved the incident or how many people had died.

After the first case in Little Sun Country, similar incidents appeared in the USA, Maple Leaf Country in North America, some South American countries, then Europe and Asia. Only a handful of photos had surfaced. They didn't even show any cordons, though there were plenty of comments. But the information in those comments couldn't be trusted.

Lu Yuanming carefully combed through the online records. In less than half a year, there had been at least a hundred incidents around the world that might have involved the rampant spread of ghostly curses. It was unclear how many people had died or how long the incidents had lasted. But given how quickly the coverage had been suppressed and how comments from some users had been deleted, the death toll was probably high. Otherwise, the information wouldn't have been controlled so strictly.

At the same time, Lu Yuanming came across photos and videos posted just yesterday by users in CD. They hadn't been deleted yet and had been posted on both Weibo and Bihu. They showed a section of Chunxi Road in CD, where a cordon had been set up and the crowds were being evacuated. There were police, armed police, and possibly even actual PLA troops.

There weren't many videos or photos. Lu Yuanming studied the footage closely, but saw nothing resembling ghosts. Or perhaps those things simply couldn't be captured on video or in photographs.

He began searching for incidents in other countries, but when he finished and returned to check the results, the posts and Bihu threads had already been deleted. There wasn't a trace of information left. Lu Yuanming stared in disbelief.

"...Seriously, they deleted them that fast?"

Lu Yuanming instinctively wanted to curse, but then he realized that, in the current situation, the information really did have to be sealed off.

It wasn't just the indescribable, terrifying entities themselves. Simply knowing about them—or sharing information about them—could cause people to mutate. The mutations were only a little less severe than looking directly at the entities, but they were still deadly to ordinary people.

Take the Dark Matter World and ghostly curses, for example. According to what Tang Zhean had told him, extensive scientific research in the USA had shown that the more people knew about the existence of the Dark Matter World and ghostly curses, the more they attracted those things. The more they knew, the more likely they were to be attacked. But on the timeline of Year 2028, there was no such thing as a ghostly curse domain manifesting. The curses were terrifying and couldn't be killed, but at least they could be forced back or blasted to pieces. Humanity's advanced weapons worked against them, which greatly limited the damage they could cause.

But on the current timeline, in Year 2024, the ghostly curses had undergone a major change. They possessed some kind of Unknown Item. Though it was incredibly tiny—smaller than the smallest speck of dust—it could expand to cover a vast area: hundreds of square meters, or even a thousand. Within that area, curses and ghosts grew enormously stronger, while human technology and weapons were restricted. That was why domain disasters were now happening all over the world.

"...So, information really does have to be controlled. The more people know, the more likely they are to be targeted by ghostly curses. Unless we can break these domains or find out what causes them, humanity's current scientific capabilities just aren't enough to fight back."

Lu Yuanming shut down the computer and checked the time. It was already 11:53 p.m., almost midnight.

He'd returned from Building C a little after nine. He'd thought the government would send someone to his home in less than an hour—maybe the police, maybe the experts. He'd even imagined soldiers rolling up in tanks... It would've been even better if they'd come in a Gundam, though obviously Gundams didn't exist.

In short, he'd assumed government officials were already on their way. But who could've guessed that he'd wait until almost midnight without seeing a single one of them?

It was pretty awkward.

"Could they not have found my real identity? All I did was wear an Ultraman Mask. I didn't change my clothes, and my height was pretty noticeable. They should be able to find me easily by checking the cameras all over the residential complex."

Lu Yuanming sank into self-doubt. He picked up the Ultraman Mask and examined it over and over. For a moment, he even wondered if it was some kind of strange creation belonging to Xu, like Superman's glasses—something that made it impossible for anyone to recognize the person underneath as long as he wore it.

If that were true, the situation would be terrible. He'd planned to make contact with the government. Since he couldn't return to the Dark Matter World in Year 2028, it was the fastest way to get information. With the government's help, he could also go to those domains and quickly seize the Unknown Items.

No matter what, this was his fastest way to regain his ability to travel through time.

If he couldn't get in touch with the government, how could he get accurate information? He couldn't just walk into a police station and report that he was an unregistered Ultraman—or an unregistered Stand User, could he?

The thought filled him with frustration. He left his room, and found that his parents were already asleep. Only his younger sister was in the kitchen, making a late-night snack.

When Lu Yuanming came into the living room, Lu Yuanmin called from the kitchen, "It's so late and you're still awake? Want me to make you a bowl of noodles?"

"...Sure. Minmin makes the best noodles," Lu Yuanming said with a smile.

"...Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Lu Yuanmin immediately appeared at the kitchen doorway and glared at him. "This is why I hate you guys in your teenage years. Can't you just talk normally? You and your stupid friends are all the same. Don't think I don't know what you talk about. You're always calling me Qiongmei. And use my full name!"

Only then did Lu Yuanming come to his senses. He could swear on his life that he hadn't meant anything by it. It had just slipped out. Now that she'd yelled at him, he couldn't argue back. He could only fall silent while Lu Yuanmin stared coldly at him for several seconds before turning back to the kitchen to cook. As she did, she asked, "Now that you're awake, what are you planning to do?"

Lu Yuanming couldn't exactly tell her he was going to be a savior, or that for the time being he'd be an unregistered Ultraman—or Stand User. So he said nothing.

Lu Yuanmin continued, "After you were hit by the car, the insurance paid out, and the other driver paid compensation too. Altogether, it was probably around a million. A lot of it was spent during the year you were in a vegetative state, but there's still seven or eight hundred thousand left. Mom and Dad have been saving it for you. It's all yours, so don't worry—I won't take a cent. I'm confident I can get into a good university this time, and Mom and Dad will pay for my education. Once I graduate, I can at least find a decent job..."

Lu Yuanming listened to his sister ramble on about family matters, his feelings complicated. He said, "Minmin... Lu Yuanmin, things outside don't seem quite right. Why don't you consider going to a university in CQ? CQ University is a top school too."

"I can get into a better university," Lu Yuanmin replied at once. "With my grades, I even have a chance at Peking University. So why wouldn't I go to one of the best schools? I'm not like you, muddling through every day, going to some third-rate university, and then being unable to find a job after graduation. You got hit by a car on your way to a job interview and ended up in a vegetative state. If you hadn't been lucky, you might never have woken up. I'm not doing that. I'm going to the best university, then pursuing the highest level of education there, and after I graduate, I'll work for one of the best companies! You've known that's my plan for years!"

Lu Yuanming fell silent. A few minutes later, Lu Yuanmin brought out two bowls of noodles, one for herself and one for him. Without saying a word, she started eating. Lu Yuanming sighed and began eating too.

As they ate, Lu Yuanming suddenly said, "Is it because... you're embarrassed by me? Your best friend's older brother graduated from Oxford University, and started a high-tech internet company as soon as he came back to China. For her birthday, he even gave her a car. And I'm just a student from some third-rate university who couldn't even find a job after entering the workforce. Does that embarrass you?"

Lu Yuanmin's expression immediately darkened. She slapped the table hard, then got up and went to the kitchen to fetch the salt. Lu Yuanming watched her dump a huge handful of it into her bowl of noodle soup. Only then did she say angrily, "She's not my best friend! And her family was already rich. Her brother went to Oxford with their money, and their family paid for the company he started after coming back. They spent who knows how much to get her into a good high school, too. I can tell the difference. That's not what really made me angry. It was you, going out of your way to flatter them! Our family isn't rich, but Mom and Dad work hard. They raised us, gave us an education, kept us fed and warm, and never shortchanged us. Even if you weren't good at school or didn't get good grades, you were still an honest, decent person. You never committed crimes or cheated your way through life. So why did you have to suck up to them?"

Lu Yuanming smiled bitterly. "Because you're my sister. I didn't want to make things difficult for you in front of your friends by acting tough or pretending I didn't care about money or something..."

"Your flattery was what humiliated me!" Lu Yuanmin cried, her eyes already brimming with tears. "Let me say it again: she's just a classmate, not my best friend. But you're my brother! That's why I have to get into a top university. I'll work hard and get the best education. I'll graduate and get the best job, because I want her and her friends to know that even if our family doesn't have money, I can still live well—and so can my brother and my parents! You don't understand any of that!"

Lu Yuanming could only stay silent and smile bitterly. For a moment, he didn't know how to tell her that, compared to all that, humanity was now facing a much bigger problem.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Lu Yuanming immediately went to open the door, but Lu Yuanmin moved faster, hurrying over as she said, "Who is it this late? Mom and Dad are already asleep!"

Then Lu Yuanming heard the door open. About ten seconds later, Lu Yuanmin came back looking dazed. She stared at Lu Yuanming in disbelief and said, "Hey, someone's here for you... I couldn't get a good look, but the person outside is... Elder Wang?"

"Who?" Lu Yuanming immediately got up and headed for the entryway, asking as he went.

"You know, the one who's always on TV? That can't be right, can it?" Lu Yuanmin asked, following cautiously behind him.

An old man stood smiling outside the door. Behind him stood a woman with a bandage over her left eye, a middle-aged policeman smoking a cigarette, and two young men in plain clothes who stood ramrod straight, like swords.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced." The old man nodded at Lu Yuanming, then asked, "So, what should I call you, young man? Platinum Star? Or The World?"

Lu Yuanming was mortified. His sister and everyone else looked at him, making his face turn red. He blurted out, "...Armored Suit: Iron."

"Or you can just call me by my name."