Chapter 19: A Gaze That Transcends Time and Space

In the shroud of night, Yuan Zhu walked home alone. Without needing to consciously think, his body, guided by the instincts accumulated from years of living in Runing, navigated the way.

As if running on autopilot, he let his mind wander while his body made two turns, ducking into a secluded alleyway toward the residential district in the east of the city.

Runing was not a society governed by the rule of law with comprehensive surveillance. Although the occasional shop front might hang a mechanical rodent with glowing red eyes, these were only for theft prevention and offered no help in maintaining public order. Consequently, nighttime safety was abysmal; it was a peak time for theft, robbery, murder, and the illicit extraction of "erotic energy." Although it wasn't late yet, the streets were sparse, cold, and desolate.

Vehicles passed by occasionally, yet there was no sign of the bustling, neon-lit prosperity of a metropolis. A few streetlamps were installed along the sidewalk, spaced over a hundred meters apart. One usually had to walk a distance through the dark before being illuminated by a limited orange light, only to be plunged back into a long stretch of blackness. These lamps served less as illumination and more as markers to keep people from losing their way.

Walking alone on the unfamiliar street, watching his shadow stretch longer under the faint light, Yuan Zhu felt as if he were a tourist in a foreign land. The thought that he could never return to Earth brought a sudden, poignant sense of isolation—a stranger in a strange land.

"Goo..."

A strange animal cry pierced the night, putting him on guard. In his memories, Runing was a basin city surrounded by mountains, perpetually shrouded in the mist of the Foggy Mountains. The problem of rampant wildlife at night was particularly severe. Whenever darkness fell, beasts from the nearby forests would enter the city in packs to scavenge through trash or take up residence in warm areas like sewers, coexisting with the city.

Because of this, besides human-led crimes like robbery, murder, and illegal magic-supplementing, incidents of beasts attacking or eating people, or fatal encounters with venomous creatures, were extremely common. People had almost grown accustomed to it. After all, the Foggy Mountains were vast; there was no end to the brown bears and grey wolves. Moreover, even more dangerous entities lurked within the mist.

Rather than trying to prevent the inevitable, people had learned to adapt. Staying indoors at night, or at least traveling in groups with defensive weapons, had become common sense.

*Ding-dong... Ding-dong...*

Just as he picked up his pace, a crisp, highly penetrating sound of a bell cut through the darkness and rang directly in his ears. The sound was distinct, seemingly possessing a power to warn and awaken, capable of dispelling the dangers of the night. Merely hearing it made his spirit jolt, his focus instantly drawn toward it.

Yuan Zhu paused, held by an invisible attraction. He stopped and turned his head toward the source of the sound, his eyes widening.

Huh?

The night in Runing was shrouded in thick clouds; the sky was dim, with not a single star visible. Yet, in the direction he was looking—the entrance of an abruptly appearing alleyway—a beam of bright moonlight shone down from the heavens, illuminating the alley hidden in the darkness.

Where was that moonlight coming from? Wait—why was there a pale blue moon hanging in the sky?!

Realizing something was wrong, Yuan Zhu shifted his gaze. He discovered that apart from the clear, star-studded sky above the alley, every other angle remained pitch black, devoid of starlight, night sky, or moonlight.

Looking back at the alley, the scene of the moonlit night appeared at an angle, as if someone had cut a corner out of another time and place and pasted it over Runing, visible only from this specific perspective.

[Beep! Spacetime distortion detected. Unknown pollutant energy is surging. Please evacuate immediately...]

As expected! Another anomalous event.

Yuan Zhu calmed down. He had grown somewhat numb to these sudden occurrences; he wasn't even panicked or afraid, maintaining a strange sense of composure. He just didn't know if these events were common on the planet Duling, or if he was particularly attractive to them because of the "Great Desolation Immortal Scripture" he carried. (A magnet for trouble.)

*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

The piercing bell rang as if right beside his ear, freezing his feet in place. Immediately, he heard ragged breathing and panicked footsteps approaching from the depths of the alley.

Yuan Zhu frowned slightly. Since he couldn't hide, he decided not to bother. His entire focus was drawn to the alley. By the moonlight, he clearly saw an inscription carved above the entrance: "Little Sweet Water Well Alley."

Runing's nights were dim and gloomy, characterized by an industrial, oppressive architectural style—vast numbers of three-to-four-story concrete buildings that puffed out black smoke, mixing with the mist above the city. Street corners usually had signs for navigation, never stone carvings.

But the alley opposite him was moonlit and bright, with an architectural style entirely different from Runing. It was a fusion of concrete and timber, a new type of pavilion that combined traditional mortise-and-tenon joints with industrial structures. It featured the exquisite beauty of Eastern design reinforced by concrete and steel to save costs and scale up.

This was clearly another world! Another city! No wonder the "Immortal Scripture" warned of spacetime distortion. So, was this someone crossing through time, or a "normal" local phenomenon?

Just as he stood on guard, debating whether to use his "cheat" to deal with the situation, a man dressed in clothing consistent with Runing's local style came charging toward the alley entrance, clutching a parcel, his face full of panic and exhaustion.

Upon seeing the dark, dilapidated industrial corner of the city, the man's face lit up with ecstasy. He accelerated desperately, clutching the parcel to his chest, gasping for air as he shouted: "Help! Save me, quickly!"

*Ding-dong... Ding-dong...*

The copper bell sounded again. The man’s expression shifted from ecstasy to sheer terror in an instant. An intense pressure radiated from the end of the alley, crossing the boundary of space to envelop Yuan Zhu as well.

The little spirit reminded him at the right moment: [Beep! Unknown pollutant energy climbing rapidly! Suggest activating the Aberrant Spirit Root and initiating the Tiger Demon Form.]

The man fleeing was still over a dozen meters from exiting the alley. Seeing Yuan Zhu standing there indifferently, his eyes darted, and a plan formed. He barked at Yuan Zhu, "What the hell are you staring at? Stop him, or you can forget about your share!"

*Clatter, clatter...*

The sound of iron chains clashing echoed. A warrior clad in black metallic lamellar armor appeared at the end of the alley. His head was covered by a classical helmet, his eyes hidden behind night-vision goggles, and his nose and mouth concealed by a respirator.

In his left hand, he carried a blood-red lantern, with a copper bell hanging from the handle. With every step, the vibration caused the bell to chime, the sound radiating outward in rings. His right hand was wrapped in layers of iron chains, the end of which featured a mechanical hook. Furthermore, the warrior’s waist was adorned with a saber, a hand crossbow, and various tokens.

The man clutching the parcel continued his desperate sprint, trying to cross the moonlit zone into the dark, dead silence of Runing. The lamellar-armored warrior followed at an unhurried pace. Under the moonlight, his face remained hidden in shadow, only the red light of the lantern reflecting off his goggles as he locked eyes with Yuan Zhu from afar.

Their gazes met. Tension, pressure, and piercing scrutiny—a heavy weight crashed into Yuan Zhu’s heart. In his pure human form, he found it difficult to endure.

This was a formidable foe. Unlike the mutated monsters that possessed power but lacked reason, this classical Eastern warrior brought an unprecedented sense of pressure.