Inside the house, Lu Ye activated the Eye of the World once more. Within a ten-meter radius, the magnetic field trembled. In less than a minute, a new coordinate locked in— farther than the last, with deeper feedback and a more complex structure.
Lin Lan frowned.
"It's not static."
He Xuan confirmed:
"There's a faint pulse. Like it's… trying to wake up."
Zhao Yang pulled down his hat.
"We can't wait for it to wake."
Hu Hao spoke quietly:
"I can make contact. But I can't guarantee stability."
Chen Mo stood, switching his gauntlets to heavy-strike mode.
"Then let's go."
The target zone lay in the northwest corner of the ruins— a torn-up industrial sector, shredded by magnetic distortion.
The air was thick with irregular sensory interference— like whispers brushing past the ear, but never forming words.
Zhao Yang deployed blood mist, but the feedback layer flickered, unable to form a full shield.
Lin Lan murmured:
"The magnetic field is actively resisting."
He Xuan added:
"It doesn't want us here."
Chen Mo led the way, his steps steady, gauntlets humming faintly.
Hu Hao closed his eyes, syncing his mental frequency. His face paled.
"It's trying… to take me over."
Lu Ye halted. The Eye of the World unfolded automatically. Magnetic imagery surfaced— an irregular consciousness structure, stitched together from fragments, with no logical connection between them.
The squad reached the coordinate. They found a magnetic core, half-buried in the ground.
Unlike the previous sphere, this was a twisted cube— its surface constantly shifting, as if simulating a language.
Hu Hao attempted contact. His neural circuit jolted violently, sending him stumbling backward.
Zhao Yang reacted instantly, blood mist enveloping Hu Hao's consciousness layer, stabilizing the feedback.
Hu Hao gasped:
"It's not one mind." "It's many—stitched together."
Lin Lan scanned the data.
"Magnetic structure is unstable. Like it was forcibly assembled."
He Xuan spoke low:
"Not a natural remnant. It's… self-aggregated."
Lu Ye stepped closer. The Eye of the World returned:
"Consciousness Composite · ID: Unknown" "Origin: Unknown · Not Maker · Not Military" "Status: Fluctuating · Cannot be removed · Cannot be awakened · Cannot be separated"
Zhao Yang frowned.
"We can't touch it."
Chen Mo's voice was quiet.
"But it's already moving."
The magnetic field surged violently. The entire zone entered temporary suppression.
He Xuan activated magnetic lockdown. Lin Lan synced her perception frequency. Zhao Yang expanded his blood mist coverage. Hu Hao forced his mental circuit into stability. Chen Mo stood at the front—gauntlets fully charged.
Lu Ye didn't move. He simply stared at the cube.
"It's watching us." "But it doesn't know who we are."
Lin Lan logged the data.
"Silent Field Point-02. Status: Unstable."
He Xuan added:
"No further contact recommended— unless we can separate it."
Zhao Yang looked into the distance.
"It's not an enemy." "But it's dangerous."
Chen Mo gave it one last glance.
"We're done here."
Back at the house, silence lingered.
Hu Hao sat in the corner, his mental energy still recovering.
Zhao Yang handed him a bottle of water.
"You held it together."
Hu Hao nodded.
"But I don't want to touch it again."
Lin Lan opened her notebook.
"Silent Field Point-02 isn't a remnant. It's a convergence."
He Xuan spoke softly.
"We might not be tracking the past." "We're tracking… the future."
Lu Ye stared at the coordinate map.
"There's a third one." "But we're not rushing."
Chen Mo leaned against the window.
"We're not cleaners." "We're witnesses."
Zhao Yang adjusted his hat.
"Then let's keep watching."