Li Wei walked calmly along the quiet street after leaving the Ronghe Cultural Records Center.
His expression remained relaxed, but his mind was active.
The conversation with the woman inside the archive replayed briefly in his thoughts.
She had known his name.
And she had appeared in two places connected to node activations.
That was not coincidence.
Still, she had not confronted him directly.
Which meant she was uncertain.
For now.
Li Wei turned the corner toward the neighborhood park.
Inside his mind, the system interface remained open.
[SYSTEM UPGRADE COMPLETE]
NEW FUNCTION: ARCHIVE ANALYSIS — BASIC LEVEL
"Show details," Li Wei thought.
A new panel appeared.
ARCHIVE ANALYSIS
Ability:
• Scan written documents
• Identify key information patterns
• Highlight important data
Limitations:
• Requires physical proximity to documents
• Works best with structured archives
Li Wei nodded slightly.
This ability would allow him to process information far more efficiently.
Especially when dealing with historical records or research material.
In other words…
The system was becoming more than just a sign-in tool.
It was turning into a knowledge processing system.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Ronghe Cultural Records Center—
Su Yan stood near the shelves reviewing the situation carefully.
The signal spike had occurred exactly when Li Wei was inside the archive.
Her monitoring device confirmed the timing.
Still…
Timing alone was not proof.
She needed something stronger.
Su Yan stepped outside the building and spoke into her earpiece.
"Subject likely activated the node."
A technician replied from Linhai.
"Confirmation level?"
"Seventy percent."
There was a pause.
Then the director's voice came through.
"That's enough to begin controlled observation."
Su Yan nodded slightly.
"Understood."
Her eyes moved down the quiet street.
Li Wei was already gone.
But Ronghe City wasn't large.
She would find him again.
Back at the Li family workshop—
Li Jian was tightening bolts on a repaired machine motor when Li Wei returned.
"You're back early," Li Jian said.
"Just walking around."
Li Jian nodded and handed him a wrench.
"Help hold this."
Li Wei stepped forward and held the metal frame steady.
They worked quietly for several minutes.
Finally, Li Jian spoke again.
"You look like you're thinking too much."
Li Wei glanced at him.
"You can tell?"
"Machines teach you things," Li Jian replied.
"Like what?"
"If something is wrong inside, the outside always shows small signs."
Li Wei smiled slightly.
"That sounds philosophical."
Li Jian shrugged.
"It's mechanical."
After finishing the repair, Li Wei washed his hands and stepped back into the house.
Li Yue was sitting at the table again with practice exams scattered around her.
"How did the practice test go?" he asked.
She looked up dramatically.
"I survived."
"That sounds promising."
"It means I didn't completely fail."
She pointed at another problem.
"Explain this."
Li Wei sat down and quickly walked her through the solution.
Li Yue stared at him again.
"You're solving everything instantly lately."
"Practice."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Suspicious."
Li Wei ignored the comment.
Elsewhere in Ronghe City—
Su Yan sat in a quiet café reviewing Li Wei's background again.
Everything about his life looked ordinary.
University student.
Good grades.
Normal family.
No unusual financial activity.
No known connections to research institutions.
Yet somehow…
He appeared at every node activation.
She leaned back in her chair.
"If it really is you…"
Then something important was missing from the puzzle.
Because activating nodes across two cities with perfect timing was not something an ordinary student could do.
Unless…
There was something else involved.
Something she couldn't see yet.
Back at the Li family house—
Evening arrived slowly.
Dinner was simple again.
Afterward, Li Wei stepped outside for some fresh air.
The neighborhood street was quiet under the streetlights.
He opened the Archive Map again.
This time, the map displayed something new.
Several markers far beyond Ronghe City were now visible.
Cities.
Universities.
Major archives.
The network was far larger than he had originally thought.
Li Wei studied the map quietly.
"So this is only the beginning."
If the system continued expanding…
Then eventually he might need to travel much farther.
For knowledge.
For research.
For whatever the Archive System was truly designed to do.
Not far away—
Su Yan stepped out of the café and looked toward the quiet neighborhood streets.
She checked the address displayed on her tablet.
Li Jian Mechanical Repair
Li Wei's home.
She didn't approach.
Not yet.
Instead, she simply observed the house from across the street for a few minutes.
A normal home.
Warm lights.
A family inside.
Nothing suspicious.
But her instincts remained sharp.
"Li Wei…"
If he really was connected to the mysterious Archive network…
Then this story was only starting.
And she intended to uncover the truth.
Inside the house—
Li Wei closed the system map and went to sleep.
Tomorrow he would return to Linhai.
University life would continue as usual.
But both he and Su Yan now knew something important.
The other person existed.
And sooner or later…
Their quiet investigation would collide again.