It was Jiang Wang's second year of doctoral studies.
The first half was rather uneventful.
Throughout the world, starting with the Internet.
The frenzy over awakening supernatural powers, stirred up the previous year by a tiny handful of people through independent media, seemed to have vanished without a trace.
Except for one or two instances that occasionally surfaced online, all of which were quickly suppressed.
People seemed to have returned to their former peaceful lives.
Work, daily life, studying, travel, shopping.
Of course, wars were still being fought in some places.
But the Eagle Flag Nation and the Polar Bear Nation had stopped laying the groundwork for wars abroad. No one knew what they were busily preparing at home, but in any case, the whole world had quieted down.
It seemed that a true age of peace was coming, as nations entered a close yet ambiguous honeymoon period.
They held all manner of joint conferences, shared vast amounts of technology, and exchanged what they had for what they lacked.
Experts began proclaiming in droves that an age of prosperity was approaching. Good news came in an endless stream, stock markets soared, and housing prices fell.
All kinds of cutting-edge technologies emerged in an apparent explosion, and were mass-produced and made available to the public, so people could afford them and put them to use.
Reports announced enough resources to feed and supply the entire world's population for hundreds of years, bolstering the confidence of people around the globe.
All of this made it seem as though the world truly had become one harmonious whole.
But a voice in Jiang Wang's heart kept telling him that the truth was nowhere near that simple.
His desire to gain power grew stronger.
He dug up many videos that had been hidden or taken