Wings of Calamity

Earth, a laboratory workshop in a machinery factory.

After Su Ming severed the connection, the researchers in the factory immediately sprang into action, beginning to pack away various precision equipment. The beeping sounds of electronic instruments echoed throughout the empty workshop.

"Re-inspect the parts, and rework any defective ones," Ling Wen instructed.

"Received!" the group replied.

Ling Wen turned around, put her hands in her pockets, and walked out, letting out a barely perceptible sigh.

"Sister, you seem a bit anxious today." Miao Xin quietly approached her side.

"Is it that obvious?" Ling Wen paused slightly. "In this respect, I'm still not as good as Jin Rongjia. He already reminded me that Su Ming isn't in good shape today."

"Tell me, is it because the tasks of the Youth University Study are too heavy, or did you draw the wrong card again?" Miao Xin said playfully.

"I wish it were just these everyday occurrences." Ling Wen gave a bitter smile, her voice slightly low. "An enemy who's been lurking around us for five years, possessing mysterious and unpredictable power. If it weren't for you and Su Ming, we don't know how long it would have taken us to discover them. And—"

Her gaze lingered ahead, but she didn't look any further. Inside and outside the factory gates, there were only hard, solid outlines. The night outside was as dark as ink, enveloping this steel jungle.

"What's wrong? Is your sister still keeping it a secret?"

Ling Wen shook her head and continued walking outside the factory before stopping.

The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow, drawing oval patches of light on the asphalt road. The silhouettes of overhead cables crisscrossed in the night sky, like black strings trembling slightly in the wind. In the distance, the moisture drifting from the cooling towers formed a hazy halo under the moonlight, like a thin veil draped over the landscape.

"Then I'll guess." Miao Xin followed. She kicked off her shoes and used her white, skeletal foot to kick a pebble on the roadside.

In the darkness, the faint sound of pebbles hitting the granite curb could be heard.

"Was I killed by the Jackal using the ' Calamity Mark '?" Miao Xin's voice faded into the early morning wind.

Ling Wen didn't show much surprise. As more and more clues were uncovered, many things could be deduced.

They can do it, Su Ming can do it, Miao Xin can too!

****

Ling Wen took her phone out of her pocket, unfolded it, and the cold light from the screen reflected on her face. She tapped a few times with her fingers and brought up an encrypted file.

"Your time of death was August 4th of last year. The weather record for that day was cloudy during the day and thunderstorms at night. Investigators found obvious lightning strike residue at the scene and no traces of any third party. If it weren't for the mysterious disappearance of your bones, your death would definitely have been ruled an accident caused by a lightning strike and the case would have been closed quickly."

"Yes, I got off work early that day, and there wasn't any wind yet," Miao Xin recalled. "But suddenly... a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky..."

"We reviewed the weather radar records and satellite cloud images from that time." Ling Wen swiped the screen to bring up several professional charts. "At that point in time, there was still at least an hour before the thunderclouds formed. After careful calculation by the expert team, the probability of that grove of trees being struck by lightning at that time was only one in 120,000."

Miao Xin's soul flame trembled slightly, and her voice seemed to come from a great distance, "I always thought it was a true natural disaster. I always comforted myself, telling myself I should accept my fate, that I'm just another unlucky one in this world..." Her voice rose, "I never imagined it could be anything else!"

In the darkness of night, the Nether Sea silently emerged, and pitch-black energy quietly surged and spread around the two of them.

"Extraordinary abilities, killing without a trace." Ling Wen picked up her phone. "We've identified thirty-two suspected incidents so far—but the actual number is definitely higher. It's confirmed that the Jackal Organization is systematically eliminating specific human targets."

"But why?" Miao Xin questioned, her Nether Sea rising and falling with her emotions. "I can understand Si Ran and Gao Boyang; their research projects must represent something. But what about me? A warehouse manager with a vocational school diploma, a part-time food delivery worker—why?"

Su Ming's attention was immediately drawn back to the rippling of the Nether Sea.

"Logically, it's simple: either you've done something," he said to Miao Xin, "Or you're about to do something they don't want to see!"

Miao Xin's past life was nothing special; it was an ordinary life, filled with ordinary misfortunes and ordinary hardships.

"So, what will I be doing in the future?" She looked up at the night sky. In the vision of the dead, the Stars appeared as a negative image, like a film negative. The beautiful stars that ordinary humans see are like tiny black dots to her.

Three thick, suspended cables crisscross the sky, dividing it into fragments.

What am I about to do?

Miao Xin suddenly felt less resentful. Or rather, instead of wallowing in resentment, she decided to return that feeling to the enemy!

At that very moment, she experienced an unprecedented resonance with the Nether Sea within her body!

An endless burst of black energy erupted instantly, and the researchers in the factory were astonished to find that the data on some precision instruments suddenly changed drastically. The pointers swung wildly, and the numbers on the displays flickered incessantly.

Miao Xin extended her gleaming white bone claws, her voice becoming unusually calm, "Sister Wen, is there a problem if I cut off the factory's power?"

"... What are you going to do?" Ling Wen asked in surprise.

"If Kou can do it, so can I!" Miao Xin raised her head, staring at the cables above, her soul fire undisturbed.

She finally caught a glimpse of what had been a elusive trace!

****

Ling Wen immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie, "Attention all units! All critical equipment must be taken offline immediately. All personnel must take lightning protection measures. Switch all equipment to battery power!"

However, upon receiving the notification, several teams rushed over with their equipment and set it up on the spot, completely ignoring the so-called lightning protection warnings.

Their faces showed only excitement and anticipation.

Ling Wen stood rooted to the spot, her hands back in her pockets. "Miao Xin, do whatever you want!"

The Nether Sea unfolded completely, and a certain concept was distorted in that instant. The surrounding nature froze for a moment, and then suddenly disintegrated.

Miao Xin's perception was focused on an empty space, everything magnified rapidly until countless pulsating energy strings finally appeared. They leaped and surged like tides, seemingly without any rules.

Found you!

Miao Xin's soul fire trembled. The Little Spiky Head she controlled didn't make any move in reality, but certain nodes in the void were severed at that moment.

"Alright." Miao Xin clapped her hands. "That's a wrap!"

Ling Wen looked around. The night wind was still blowing, and she could faintly hear the sound of trucks driving by on the highway. "What did you do?"

Before she could finish speaking, a burst of blinding blue sparks suddenly erupted from the main power cables surrounding the factory! Several loud bangs followed, and many pieces of equipment around the factory exploded, causing numerous switches to trip.

The power surge spread, causing a complete power outage across the entire industrial area, and darkness instantly enveloped the entire region.

A few seconds later, the emergency generator in the factory roared to life and power was restored to the lights everywhere.

Amidst the flickering light, Miao Xin shrugged somewhat helplessly. "Sorry, Sister Wen, I was too inexperienced and didn't control it well."

"... No, you did a great job!" Ling Wen suddenly shouted, startling Miao Xin. She pressed her hands tightly against Miao Xin's shoulders, her voice trembling with excitement, "It's something humans can do... it's really... wonderful!"

[Congratulations!] Su Ming was also very happy.

[This is the first time in a long time that I've passed an exam!] Miao Xin's soul fire leaped with joy. [Do I have a chance to take revenge on these enemies?]

"Don't be impatient," Su Ming said. "Just focus on controlling your power. They'll come knocking on your door!"

****

A temporary duty station one kilometer away.

Sangzi's hands, gripping the binoculars tightly, trembled slightly as she watched this scene with excitement in her eyes.

"Beautiful! Quantum fluctuations! An unprecedented macroscopic performance!" She excitedly turned to Jin Rongjia beside her, "Give me this location, the No. 1 laboratory for long-distance communication, I want to build it here!"

"With such a commotion today, this place has become the easiest spot to be exposed," Jin Rongjia said in a low voice. "If the enemy finds you, you people won't even know how you died!"

If it were an enemy like Chai Zhan, no matter how powerful, the security department would have no choice but to ensure the safety of the research. But when faced with a supernatural force like "Calamity," they have absolutely no way to defend against it.

Moreover, the fact that the enemy revealed "calamity" does not mean that "calamity" is all there is.

This is an unprecedentedly difficult battle!

"We need to bring them!" A sickly blush crept onto Sangzi's face. "To see these so-called extraordinary beings up close is something we desperately want!"

Jin Rongjia fell silent; he knew he couldn't stop it.

Or rather, this could be a solution. If the Jackal Organization's goal is to prevent the emergence of some kind of interdimensional technology, then they will inevitably have to come here.

This is an open strategy. Compared to fighting against thin air in a fantasy, this might be the only chance to catch a glimpse of them!

"You guys organize your main forces into Labs Two and Three, hide them well, and leave the idiots to me." Sangzi put down her binoculars, her tone returning to its usual calm. "If we succeed, we'll advance over the corpses of the enemy. If we fail, we'll be the ones to step over ours."

"... Don't think we won't," Jin Rongjia said through gritted teeth, "I won't attend your funeral!"

"Rare."

****

On the Youth Civilization.

The headache made Su Ming not want to play games or read books, and he could only lie there doing nothing. By the afternoon, he really didn't want to stay in the carriage any longer.

"Shall we go for a walk?" Su Ming invited Zijin. The scholar was leaning back in her chair, letting the zombies on the screen tear her crops to pieces, then idly clicking on the next game.

"No," Zijin refused without looking up, "I don't want to go out."

"You don't seem to have eaten much at noon," Su Ming said. "Shall I get you something to eat?"

"I have no appetite." Zijin's tone was somewhat dejected. "I can't eat, and I feel uncomfortable all over—the aftereffects of the law's backlash are so annoying!"

"Just hang in there until tomorrow," Su Ming comforted her.

He suddenly thought of something, "Interested in caviar?"

Zijin's eyes lit up slightly. They hadn't tasted the freshness of the sea since landing.

"You can give it a try!"

This caviar was part of our last supply before heading to the Northern Lands, purchased from the dwarven Red Luo Port.

When Su Ming saw this item on the goods list, and that it only cost one gold coin per jar, he bought ten jars without hesitation.

But after landing, he was so busy that he completely forgot about it. It wasn't until Younier came to ask for permission to use some finely processed dried fish and butter to help the wounded recover that he learned from the list that there was actually this in the warehouse.

Su Ming strode towards the food warehouse and unlocked the complex security barrier set up to prevent a certain well-known, non-animalistic creature from entering. Soon, he found the row of caviar cans on the shelf—a whole dozen large one-kilogram cans, piled high.

Dwarves' food packaging has always been rudimentary; these cans, apart from their tin shells, didn't even have the most basic labels. Su Ming picked up a can and saw the words "Superior Sturgeon Caviar Canned Goods" stamped on the opening, confirming its authenticity.

Back in the workshop, Su Ming used a can opener to rotate the can around its opening. With a soft "pop," the lid was lifted, revealing the golden caviar inside. The large fish roe shimmered enticingly in the light, and with a gentle shake, it trembled like flowing gold.

Su Ming found some biscuits and was about to scoop a spoonful of caviar to eat with them when he suddenly had a premonition and quickly flipped the plate over onto the jar.

A crisp "clink" rang out, and sure enough, a small horse hoof was stopped on the plate!

"Qiluo!" Su Ming looked up and, as expected, met the long horns of the sacred beast.

The unicorn pressed down hard on the porcelain plate, refusing to budge an inch.

"We'll split it in half when we meet!"

"You'll definitely pour it all into your mouth!"

With the two sides at an impasse, Su Ming decided to concede. "Actually, there's more. I'll go get you another can."

"Two cans!" Unicorn demanded, raising the price drastically. "I haven't had seafood in ages since I came ashore!"

Considering the unicorn's recent good performance, Su Ming decided to be generous. He took two more cans out of the warehouse, tossed them to Qiluo, and couldn't help but remind her, "Eat this sparingly."

"Yes, yes!" Qiluo replied.

She tossed one of the cans into the air, then tilted her head back to catch it, mumbling, "I'll show you... my special skill!"

She gripped the can with her hooves, twisted it forcefully, and her sharp teeth instantly sliced the can open completely.

Splash! The golden fish eggs cascaded down like a waterfall, all flowing into the unicorn's mouth.

Su Ming stared in disbelief. Qiluo had already picked up the second jar and, in the same manner, tilted her head back and spun it around. The whole process took only five seconds, and both jars of caviar were completely emptied!

Su Ming quickly protected the last remaining jar on the table, and the two stared at each other for a long time. Seeing his resolute attitude and the kind eyes of the scholar behind her, Qiluo could only snort and walk away sullenly.

Su Ming then let go of her hand, and together with Zijin, they picked up the biscuits, shoved a spoonful of trembling caviar on top, and put them in their mouths, enjoying them immensely.