The Dark Court Takes Shape

The smell of char and dust clung stubbornly to his nostrils like the lingering ghost of the Kunlun Mountains' old base after its collapse. The completely renovated suburban warehouse of "Hongfa Logistics"—now the "Hidden Star Court"—was laid with sound-absorbing matte panels that made no noise beneath their feet. On the steel beams, rune circuits painted by Ming Shiyin with cinnabar mixed with trace Vibranium powder pulsed dimly in the darkness like the dark-red veins of a sleeping beast. Guiguzi's Xuan Weizi swept through the air, carrying the crisp freshness of a bamboo grove after rain, yet they could not drive away the warning of the ruins or the price carved into their bones.

Xiang Yi stood on the alloy platform at the center of the warehouse, his twelve-year-old body wrapped in a dark gray tracksuit, thin as paper. He swept his gaze across everything new, but the suffocating instant of the Kunlun base's collapse flashed through his mind—The Ancient One's all-seeing gaze, Ming Shiyin's bloodstained warning, the weight on Lanling King's back, A Ke's cold blade-light as she covered their retreat. This Hidden Star Court was not a triumphant song. It was merely a breathing hole forced upon them by powerful enemies. The price could not be shaken off. A faint but stubborn stabbing pain, like the tip of a red-hot needle, repeatedly pierced his overdrawn nerves. Every breath tugged at his throbbing temples, reminding him that the cost of their desperate escape was far from over. Even if the new base was brimming with energy, the exhaustion and wounds deep within his soul could not be erased at once. (Cost intensified: residual aftereffects of physical overexertion, manifested as pain.)

Below the platform, the four stood solemnly. The heaviness of surviving disaster lingered around them, carrying the unforgettable marks of their separate battles.

Lanling King stood straight as frozen night, his face concealed behind a mask. Only his eyes, loyal as cold stars, looked up at Xiang Yi. Yet beneath his shoulder blade, an old scar burned faintly under his clothes, left by the poisonous flames of a Yunnan Outpost ninja blade. It brought a subtle but stubborn sluggishness. It had been left behind while covering their retreat from the old base. It would not kill him, but like a parasite gnawing at the bone, it constantly reminded him of the price of guarding others and the endless slaughter ahead. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the hilt of the dagger at his waist, still stained with Kunlun dust. A Ke stood slightly behind him, a crimson dagger spinning silently around her fingers and tracing dangerous arcs of Arc Light. Her gaze was as cold as the most precise scanner, sweeping over every corner of the warehouse, especially the ventilation ducts and skylight edges. An assassin's instincts had made her even more tense than she had been in Kunlun, as though new enemies might leap from the shadows at any moment. Guiguzi wore plain robes, a whisk resting on his arm, his expression serene. Xuan Weizi as fine as dust surrounded him, weaving an invisible sensory net. But when his whisk moved lightly and the Xuan Weizi flowed beneath a ventilation pipe in the northwest corner, a sharp static crackle interfered with their feedback—it was the lingering contamination of industrial cables buried underground. Sweat beaded at Guiguzi's temple as he said in a low voice, "My lord, the foundation hides poison. Purifying the sensory net will take time." (Cost intensified: lingering effects on the heroes' conditions, with their sources made concrete.) Ming Shiyin stood on the other side, his wide sleeves hanging low, a mysterious divination disk floating before him. His complexion was ashen and nearly translucent, as though the backlash from prying into fate had drained all color from his blood. The fingers calculating beneath his sleeves trembled almost imperceptibly. Every turn of the divination disk seemed to burn away what little soul-fire he had left. The exhaustion in his eyes spoke more heavily of the price of peering into destiny than the loss of the Kunlun base itself.

Beyond the old skylight atop the warehouse, the deep-blue night was studded with cold stars. Miserly starlight passed through dusty glass and illuminated Xiang Yi's pale profile at the center of the platform. Beneath the rounded contours of a child's face lay a calm, profound, burdened gaze far beyond his years.

"Hidden Star Court." Xiang Yi's voice was not loud, yet it pierced the deathly silence with steadiness and resolve beyond his age. Those three words were an answer to their forced relocation, a silent challenge to the Ancient One's gaze, and the first chess piece cast into the abyss from this foothold. "From today onward, this is our root, and this name is our banner. We are the chess players hidden beneath the stars."

The instant his words fell—

Rumble!

Deep within his mind, the dormant system interface suddenly erupted with an unprecedented burst of dazzling blue light, like an exploding star!

[ Ding! Core base established! Volume One main quest completed! Rating: SS! ]

[ Reward: Energy Points ×1000! Random Hero Fragment ×1! ]

[ Warning! Detected ultra-high-energy Hero Fragment: Zhao Yun! ]

[ Forced awakening requirement: Uru Metal ×1 or high-purity Vibranium! ]

[ Forced summoning risk: probability of mental collapse >99.7%! Severe warning! Access denied! ]

A vast, pure warm current instantly washed through Xiang Yi's dry meridians. His pool of spiritual power roared as it widened and solidified, and an unprecedented sense of fullness rose from the depths of his soul. In the system space, the number settled at [Energy Points: 1350].

Even more shocking—

A diamond-shaped, translucent crystal fragment carrying an unstoppable force that seemed capable of piercing the heavens, along with an indomitable and valiant will, smashed fiercely into the core of the system space! Its entire body shimmered with dreamlike blue-violet nebula light, as if countless galaxies were roaring within it! At the merest touch of his consciousness, fearless battle intent crashed against Xiang Yi's soul like raging waves! Zhao Yun! The power of this fragment far surpassed what Lanling King and A Ke had possessed when they first arrived, like the core of a sealed star! Yet the "Zhao Yun Fragment" icon, wreathed in nebula light and containing world-destroying power, was tightly strangled and pierced by thorny chains formed from countless glaring red warning runes: "Uru/Vibranium Missing." The instant his consciousness swept over it, the chains' icy confinement violently collided with the fragment's scorching summons in Xiang Yi's mind, bringing tearing dizziness! Power was within reach, yet as distant as the ends of the earth! (System reward optimized: focus on the clash between the fragment's power and its ultimate restraint.)

The moment the fragment descended, the energy field in the warehouse shook violently!

The dagger at Lanling King's waist suddenly let out a low, clear hum, like a dragon's cry! The veins on the hand gripping his dagger bulged at once, and beneath his mask, his eyes erupted with an unprecedented gleam—the desire to fight side by side! A Ke's spinning dagger abruptly stopped! Her crimson pupils contracted sharply, and her body tensed like a leopard's. Without hesitation, she shifted sideways, using half her body to firmly shield Xiang Yi from the direction of that violent energy surge! This aura... was extremely dangerous, and extremely tempting! The divination disk before Ming Shiyin burst with blinding light of fate, while the hexagram patterns representing "General Star" and "Breaker of Armies" leaped madly! "Cough...!" A thread of bright red blood spilled from the corner of his ashen lips. Several seconds later, the light withdrew. Ming Shiyin swayed slightly, his voice as heavy as a mountain. "The dragon soul burns fiercely. No ordinary mortal body can bear it! It requires a star husk as its guide. Otherwise... the backlash will destroy both body and soul!" After the violent fluctuations around Guiguzi settled, shock and contemplation mingled in his eyes. At that moment, a simple metal detector at his waist suddenly flashed red frantically and emitted a piercing buzz! It pointed directly at Zhao Yun's fragment within Xiang Yi's system space, as well as the reserved alloy chamber beneath the warehouse, coated with a thin experimental layer of Vibranium! The buzzing and red light stopped abruptly after 0.3 seconds! Guiguzi's pupils shrank as understanding flashed through his eyes. "This frequency... actually corresponds to the principle of 'anchor point' resonance? Heaven's will?" (Hero reactions optimized: focus on instinctive protection and core warnings; foreshadowing of technological integration refined and deepened.)

Crackle—!

The glaring LCD screen brutally tore through the unsettled energy ripples and tension in the warehouse! The news anchor's formulaic voice was especially grating.

The image switched instantly!

A man with slick hair, an expensive custom suit, and eyes imitating flamboyant shrewdness—Justin Hammer! The massive Hammer Industries logo behind him resembled a greedy maw.

"Stark is shutting down its weapons division? Excellent!" Hammer's voice rose, filled with ambitious, unwilling fire. "Hammer Industries officially announces—our entry into the defense industry! We will forge a new era of protective power! Wait for the Hammer Industries Expo! The world will be shocked!"

A scarlet news ticker scrolled beneath the screen: [Hammer Industries stock surges 15% in after-hours trading!]...

"Tch—" A Ke's cold sneer scraped through the silence like a blade against glass, carrying absolute contempt. "That idiot can't even hide his killing intent. Stuff all the steel plates you want into his suit, and it still won't cover the rotten stench in his bones! Protection? He probably doesn't even know when he became a puppet on strings."

"This is no solo performance." Ming Shiyin's voice was hoarse as sandpaper. On the floating divination disk, black-red currents representing "war" and "conspiracy" writhed wildly! They vaguely formed the phantom of a grotesque heart cobbled together from cold gears and squirming blood vessels! At the heart's core, a savage fissure was pouring out black blood! Flashpoint! Ming Shiyin's voice was weak, yet decisive. "Its core is not a dead thing, but a malformed embryo! The crack has opened. The explosion is imminent!" (Hero analysis integrated and optimized: A Ke's cutting mockery, Ming Shiyin's divination made concrete through the Abomination Heart and approaching danger.)

Guiguzi swept his whisk lightly, and Xuan Weizi surged toward the screen. "His aura floats while his spirit is hollow! His confidence comes from support in the shadows—cold, decayed, like machinery in a grave!" He frowned tightly. "Deeper in the image, an even colder malice lies hidden... like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. We must be extremely vigilant! The puppet strings point toward Centipede and Hibernation!" (Hydra traits revealed, high-risk markers planted.)

Lanling King's gaze beneath his mask was sharp as a scalpel, locking onto several vague figures behind Hammer on the screen, dressed in something resembling military uniforms. "The guards are not human. They are puppets on strings! The seams on their equipment... Centipede stitching!"

Xiang Yi listened quietly, his gaze piercing through Hammer's ambitious face to see the Hydra shadows intertwined behind him, the mystery of the Ten Rings Syndicate, and the bleeding, pulsating Abomination Heart within the divination. Hammer? A pitiful yet useful puppet on strings, a whirlpool of chaos about to explode. At the vortex's center lay opportunity—money, influence, technology, energy sources.

Especially that fatal crack at its core! That crack was the blade that could stab into the heart of the shadows!

His finger lightly tapped the edge of the cold alloy platform.

"Tap."

The crisp sound was like the first piece placed upon a chessboard, cold and decisive.

"Master Guiguzi," Xiang Yi said calmly, his authority beyond question, "have the Profound Micro-Particle Network cover New York within seventy-two hours. Priorities: Hammer's core team's deepest secrets, the origins of its supply chain—special metals and energy sources—the weaknesses of key figures, including corruption, leverage, and family vulnerabilities, as well as suspicious foot traffic at the expo."

[System Prompt: Profound Micro-Particle Network coverage in progress: consumes 5 points/hour.]

[Infiltration depth: Level 2—Silent: can only listen to public channels, scan unencrypted databases, and access low-level employee terminals—emails and schedules.]

[Absolutely avoid: Hammer's core R&D network, marked "Iron Curtain"; any data stream carrying the scent of "Centipede" or "Hibernation" (high-risk markers)! If you encounter a high-frequency electromagnetic barrier, such as Stark Tower, efficiency drops by seventy percent and time required doubles. Leave immediately!]

Guiguzi bowed. "Understood. But when encountering the Iron Curtain and venomous signals, we must tread as though walking on thin ice."

"Lanling, A Ke." Xiang Yi turned his gaze toward the assassins, his instructions as precise as a scalpel. "Objective: fatal incriminating evidence on Hammer's core management, and every detail and weakness of its chief scientist or technical director. Top-priority objective: the complete structural diagram of the Abomination Heart, codename Hammer Core—especially the exact parameters and material report for its 'crack,' its cooling cycle and energy pressure-release valve."

His instructions continued, cold and meticulous. "Secondary objective: Puppet Strings—the sample of Hammer's communication protocol with the shadows."

"Rules: 'Shadows leave only shadows.' Method: use 'Doctor Kyle'—a codename for a special neural paralytic—to hack into the targets' personal terminals. Create an 'accident': simulate a drunken misoperation, sending the files by 'mistake' to a designated encrypted cloud drive provided by Guiguzi, then erase all traces of intrusion. Activation condition: activate when the target enters a preset 'relaxed' state, such as blood alcohol concentration ≥0.08%, or more than thirty minutes alone late at night." (Action directives upgraded: objectives codified, core weaknesses targeted, activation conditions quantified.)

"Yes!" Lanling King answered in a deep voice, the cold light in his eyes sharpening.

Excitement for the hunt ignited in A Ke's crimson eyes. Her figure nearly melted completely into the shadows, leaving only her cold voice behind. "Make him so 'drunk' that he sends out even his underwear? Easy."

"Master Ming," Xiang Yi finally looked toward Ming Shiyin, his tone solemn, "focus all your strength on divining the core nature of Hammer's Abomination Heart, along with the precise triggering conditions and exact time of its fatal 'crack' explosion. I need to know what monster the shadows intend to release, and... the best moment and location for us to drive in the blade." (Objective locked onto the crack's detonation point.)

Ming Shiyin nodded slightly. Starlight once again surged violently across the floating divination disk, while his complexion visibly became more transparent, as if he might dissipate at any moment. "To peer at the fangs of a murderous weapon, what price must be paid... this old man... understands."

Once the orders had been issued, the warehouse fell silent. Only the low hum of equipment and the soft rustle of flowing Xuan Weizi remained. Precise gears began to interlock, and an invisible net spread toward the heart of the storm.

Xiang Yi stood alone beneath the starlight on the platform. He slowly raised his right hand, spreading his fingers as though he were about to grasp the sky and the storm brewing within it in his palm. His left hand unconsciously settled in the empty space before him—there, on the system interface visible only to him, the Zhao Yun Fragment strangled tightly by thorny chains was radiating a contradictory light, scorching yet icy. What touched his fingertips was the hardness of the chains and the burden of the future. Hammer's clamor had long since sunk into the abyss.

"The game has begun." The boy's calm whisper echoed through the empty space, carrying the cold texture of one who controlled fate.

"No regrets once the piece is placed."

Below the platform, Lanling King silently tightened his grip around the dagger whose hum was gradually fading, the old scar on his shoulder blade faintly burning beneath his battle intent. A Ke's figure completely merged into the shadows, as though she had never existed. Guiguzi closed his eyes and focused, while the invisible tide formed by Xuan Weizi quietly surged toward New York across the ocean. Starlight spun madly across Ming Shiyin's divination disk before finally congealing at the location representing New York into a violently pulsating drop of "tainted blood," mixed with rust—machinery—oil grime—decay—and scarlet—destruction! At the core of that tainted blood was the warped Hammer logo. More terrifying still, beneath the tainted blood, bloody countdown numbers formed from cracks were frantically ticking down—[07:00:00]! Every flash of the numbers was like a heavy hammer striking Ming Shiyin's heart. He let out a muffled groan, and another thread of glaring red blood spilled from the corner of his lips. Six days... seven hours... great calamity! (Crisis made concrete: a bloody countdown!)

Starlight fell like frost across the warehouse ceiling, illuminating the boy's slender figure, standing straight as a spear.

The Dark Court had only just been established. Its footing was still unsteady, and powerful enemies watched from all sides.

Holding the chess piece in hand, they stepped into the abyss.

And what echoed from the abyss was the silent ticking of that tainted-blood countdown.