"You've probably heard, young hero—Jinzhou is now sealed inside a barrier conjured by a Strange man in red robes."
A trace of worry crept into Jian Xin's expression as she slowly explained.
"Ji Yan of the Midnight Rangers rushed back to Jinzhou, tore a brief hole in the barrier, and pulled out a handful of civilians, but after that he never emerged again."
"Those rescued townsfolk were all tainted by the lament; they're raving and deranged."
"Among them, Mr. Mortefi—rescued by General Ji Yan—was the most severely affected."
At that, Jian Xin lowered her gaze, her mood turning heavy.
To keep the lament-afflicted from terrifying the villagers of Taoyuan Vale, they had no choice but to sedate them by force.
Just after Jian Xin's spar with Arlan, a villager found her with news: Mortefi had vanished.
Hearing this, Jian Xin searched Taoyuan Vale at once—hence the earlier scene of her knocking Mortefi out.
Fortunately, Arlan, Mortefi, and the villagers of Taoyuan Vale were all safe.
Thinking of that, Jian Xin felt a flicker of relief.
"Is there really no cure for the lament's contamination?"
Even in unconsciousness Mortefi's brows were tightly knit, and Arlan couldn't help asking.
Jian Xin only shook her head.
She didn't know.
Even Yang Yang, Tao Qi, and the lone researcher Bai Zhi were powerless.
If any cure existed, perhaps only the red-robed intruder who attacked Jinzhou knew it.
"Don't dwell on it, young hero Arlan. Rest early. I'll take Mr. Mortefi back—no more chatter."
With that, Jian Xin hoisted Mortefi onto her back and walked toward the far side of Taoyuan Vale.
Arlan stood watching her disappear, then suddenly closed his eyes.
[Exploration Module – Perception – activated.]
Every brick and tile of nearby Taoyuan Vale mapped itself in his mind like a 3-D model.
The core of wuthering waves' world is that everything is composed of frequencies.
And players' Perception is top-tier: it senses every object's frequency, solving puzzles and uncovering treasures.
The soil beneath his feet, the flowers—all sat at a stable frequency; insects and animals pulsed with livelier ones.
Powerful Resonators carried unique frequencies; the stronger the frequency, the deeper the resonance.
Jian Xin's frequency, for example, was limpid and calm, yet hid explosive power—gentle as a breeze at rest, thunderous when unleashed.
When Arlan sensed Mortefi's frequency, it felt like needles jabbing his brain.
What kind of frequency was it?
Frenzied, demented, chaotic—like the wails of countless creatures erupting together.
Arlan opened his eyes; golden light flickered within as he stared at Mortefi, gaze seeming to pierce right through.
Amid that savage frequency, a golden high-frequency Echo Core throbbed deep in Mortefi's brain with every breath.
The eerie sight made Arlan's heart pound out of control.
"Th-that's—an Echo Core?"
Echo Cores are ordinary upgrade mats in wuthering waves, usually found inside echo-type Ecos/Tacet Discord.
Yet here he was, discovering a high-frequency Echo Core inside Mortefi.
"Is this the butterfly effect of my crossing over? How did the plot collapse this badly?"
Arlan drew a deep breath, forcing down the unease rising inside.
"I have to find the Rover—once I do, everything will sort itself out."
Though he now wielded the Rover's full Spectro abilities, he trusted the Rover's prowess even more.
After all, the Rover is wuthering waves' sole protagonist—smart, strong, and occasionally even high-EQ. Totally reliable.
With that thought, he calmed himself.
Tomorrow's trip to Gorges of spirits—he and Yang Yang would surely locate the Rover… right?
No matter how broken the plot became, it couldn't erase the "protagonist," could it?
Impossible—absolutely impossible!
The next day.
Dawn broke cloudless; morning mist carried the scent of fresh soil, lifting the spirits.
"Morning, Yang Yang, Chi Xia."
"Morning, Arlan." ×2
At the rendezvous, Chi Xia clapped Arlan's shoulder, beaming.
"Didn't believe it till Yang Yang told me—you've become a Resonator just like that! Hey, why the long face? Sleep badly?"
"Thanks, I'm fine. Let's move."
He yawned, shook his head to banish the drowsiness.
The shock of transmigrating, the joy of Summoning the Rover's powers, the panic over Mortefi's change—all of it kept him tossing last night until the small hours.
"Right. We don't know your ability yet, so stick close and don't wander."
Yang Yang nodded and handed him a black gourd-shaped gadget.
"This Terminal's yours—pre-loaded with Grapple, Glider, and Echoes. Congrats on becoming a Resonator."
"Thanks, Yang Yang."
He accepted the gourd gratefully; only he saw the flood of notifications.
[Terminal acquired. Exploration modules "Grapple," "Glider," "Image" – activated.]
(In-game the Glider needs the Terminal, so I'm folding it into the exploration modules.)
Truly the kind-hearted poster girl Yang Yang—handing out a Terminal and unlocking a bunch of exploration functions at once.
He resolved silently: he would find the Rover and save Jinzhou from disaster.
"That Terminal has mine and Yang Yang's contacts. Call us anytime you need help."
Chi Xia clapped her hands, pointed toward Gorges of spirits, her crimson bob swaying.
"Let's go! Jinzhou Flying Feather Hero's bagging ten Echoes for you today!"
"Great—thanks, flying feather hero Chi Xia!"
Not far off, Tao Qi watched the three banter, a faint smile on her lips.
"Haven't seen Chi Xia this lively in ages."
"She's always optimistic; she'd just been gloomy over Jinzhou these past days."
Bai Zhi stepped beside Tao Qi, gaze fixed on Jinzhou, her eyes heavy.
"Tao Qi, why send Yang Yang and Chi Xia to Gorges of spirits?"
"This mission is risky, and Chi Xia's impulsive. I feared she'd sneak off to Jinzhou."
Tao Qi sighed.
"So I gave them a task to keep them busy, let Yang Yang watch her—prevents accidents."
As for Taoyuan Vale's safety, the other Patrol Officers and Little Daoist Priest Jian Xin were on guard.
Bai Zhi gave a slight nod. Behind her, a burly white-hatted man hoisted a crate of black drones and spoke gruffly.
"Let's move. Today we map Jinzhou's exact situation."
"Let's go."