No matter how hard the Covenant tried to suppress the news, word eventually got out: a moon had crashed into Wisdom Bank.
Even if you didn't believe that one of the masters—those who had been ordered to be killed—was responsible, it was scientifically absurd to claim that an entire moon could collide with a planet at Mach 30 without the involvement of a system user.
If it wasn't the Anti-Covenant who caused this, then someone on Wisdom Bank did. The Covenant's mistakes were nearly exposed, even though Karabaw's death remained censored. Still, not much leaked beyond the fact that Wisdom Bank—a scholarly campus once hailed as the best in much of the occupied universe—had been destroyed after Anti-Covenant interference.
Li, meanwhile, was dealing with far greater issues. Aside from briefly accessing a tablet to read the news, he was trapped in a literal black void. He couldn't even see his hands when he stretched them out, and there appeared to be no gravity here.
It was a harsh transition for Li, who had been on planets with various gravities since entering this universe. After being rescued from Wisdom Bank, he had fainted, then awoken in darkness—his wounds gone, but so was the armor suit he'd been wearing.
Now he was dressed in a light gown, nearly weightless. If not for seeing the fabric, he might have thought he was naked.
A mysterious giant-like being had spoken to him in the void, though it refused to explain why he was there.
Then Li remembered the blue flame that had ignited on his hands when he thrust the spear. He tried to "reignite" it, though he knew it only activated under more complex circumstances.
He didn't know how long he'd been there. There was nothing much to do, and relieving himself was awkward. But he knew he hadn't been there too long—he never felt hungry or thirsty.
Eventually, the mysterious giant reappeared. As before, only the lower half of its face was visible, giving the impression that its head was floating, detached from a body.
"Li Xuan, A-Tier Investigator of the Lixiao Investigative Co.?"
Li floated aimlessly before responding,
"Yeah, I think so."
"Young Li, feel. Your powers have been returned to you."
"Wait—what?"
Suddenly, Li was hit by a surge of indescribable adrenaline. His five senses became hyperaware.
For a moment, he could see the master's face—more feminine than masculine—before the darkness returned. He felt stronger too, like he could take on the white-haired man alone.
"From here, you will explore what you have lost. I have studied your system extensively, though there are still small pockets of ability only you can uncover. For now, you have time to train."
Li was stunned—his old system! It had finally been restored!