Chapter 6: Hidden Beneath History

The dust-scented elevator rumbled downward, the red digits on the wall flickering slowly before settling on Floor -2. When the doors slid open again, the scene before her made her pupils contract in shock. Contrary to its simple and elegant exterior, the interior of the building was unexpectedly dark and oppressive, and the suffocating atmosphere on this level was several times heavier than above ground. Before her stretched a long corridor, with rows of iron doors lining both sides of the walls. The doors were as thick and heavy as those of a bank vault, and in front of each stood an armed military police officer. A chilling metallic aura hung in the air. If she had to find a single word to describe the sight, "prison" would be the most fitting. "This is the Third Observation Station, used to detain individuals involved in destructive transcendent incidents." Li Yulan finally revealed the true purpose of their visit: "Those imprisoned here are primarily cultivators who have exhibited behavior harmful to society, their accomplices, and... do you know about the Jie tribe?" The question came abruptly, but Qin Jiajia replied quickly, "One of the Xiongnu tribes that invaded the Central Plains during the Uprising of the Five Barbarians? It is said they were exceptionally brutal, massacring at least hundreds of thousands of Han people. They even referred to the Han as 'two-legged sheep,' taking them along as living slaves during military campaigns and slaughtering them for rations when needed... They were the most murderous and cruel of the Five Barbarians." "Exactly," Li Yulan said as she led her forward. "According to historical records, the population of the Jie was incredibly small, so small they could barely be called a tribe—merely a slave army under the Xiongnu nobility. Yet, despite their minuscule numbers, the Jie slaughtered far more Han people than any other barbarian race and remained invincible for a long time." "Many historians have questioned how the Jie possessed such destructive power. Before the discovery of the transcendent, most attributed it to the inaction of the Han government at the time, which allowed the foreign tribes to run rampant." "That is certainly one of the reasons. But behind it all, another force was at play." As they spoke, they reached the end of the corridor, where an open-plan room stood. Three sides were enclosed by specially reinforced metal, while the side facing the corridor featured a bulletproof glass window for observing the interior. Through the glass, she could faintly make out a room of about a dozen square meters. In the center sat a hospital bed, upon which a man lay. Over a dozen black, specially made restraints bound him tightly to the bed, wrapping him like a mummy and leaving only his face exposed. Qin Jiajia instinctively raised a hand to cover her mouth. From this angle, she could see that the skin on his face had peeled away in patches, revealing chunks of bright red muscle. The muscles were gnarled and twisted like tree roots, distorting his features and bones. It looked less like a human face and more like some carnivorous beast. "Transcendent Subject 5821. He was originally an ordinary construction worker, but a month ago, while working on Baiyun Mountain, he accidentally unearthed a transcendent legacy buried underground." "Our investigation confirmed that the legacy he encountered originated from a cultivation sect established by barbarians, containing the sect's unique techniques. These techniques were once practiced as witchcraft among the Jie people, allowing them to strengthen their physical bodies through killing. The Jie tribe was wiped out over a thousand years ago, but the transcendent power behind them has survived into the modern era." "Techniques from a cultivation sect... practiced as witchcraft among the barbarians?" Qin Jiajia realized something, struggling to keep her voice from trembling. "Does that mean..." "It seems you have already guessed." Li Yulan adjusted her glasses slightly, a habitual gesture when dealing with matters of great importance. "The historical strength and brutality of the Jie people largely stemmed from the behind-the-scenes support of cultivation sects. The Jie regarded cultivators as gods, offering them tributes in exchange for a share of transcendent power. This was also one of the primary ways cultivators influenced history." "The Jie are merely a tiny example. In fact, most prominent forces in history—from small tribes to entire dynasties—had the backing of cultivators. The methods of support varied, and providing techniques was just the simplest and most direct one... and it was not without a price." Li Yulan tilted her head slightly, her gaze returning to the mangled body behind the glass. "During his exposure to the legacy, Subject 5821, originally just a mortal, gained astonishing power. But he was also corrupted by the residual spiritual imprint within the legacy. This caused a drastic change in his temperament overnight; he slaughtered dozens of his coworkers before the armed response team arrived to subdue him." "When we first found Subject 5821, his appearance was no different from an ordinary person. But after being brought here, his body has been decaying and mutating every day. His original soul has been completely shattered. What remains is nothing but a puppet assimilated by the consciousness of an ancient cultivator—and his mortal flesh simply cannot bear the weight of that consciousness." "This is the transcendent. It can be a miracle, or it can be a nightmare. In the eyes of those great cultivators, most mortals are nothing more than fish on a chopping block." As she spoke, Li Yulan kept a close eye on her subordinate's reaction. As expected, Qin Jiajia's lips were trembling. Like every other rookie who had witnessed the truth, she was too stunned to even show much surprise, her pale face frozen in a daze. These were cultivators too? Wielding unimaginable power, secretly manipulating thousands of years of history, while the manipulated mortals remained completely oblivious to their existence? Such terrifying entities, rooted in history, had now emerged in modern cities, blending into the vast crowds, perhaps even standing right beside her. Her heart pounded violently, the sheer shock making her feel dizzy. She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, barely maintaining her composure to avoid losing control. "Remember how you feel right now. Fear is not a bad thing. It will keep you vigilant and cautious around cultivators at all times. In your future work, this will be the foundation of your survival." Li Yulan patted her shoulder. "We have seen enough here. Take a moment to collect yourself, then we will move on to the next room." Qin Jiajia took a deep breath in and let out a long exhale, regaining her calm within a few breaths. She nodded and turned to follow the director, but her foot froze in mid-air. It was as if an invisible needle had pricked her back, a chill invading her spine and sweeping through her entire body. Almost reflexively, she whipped her head around, her gaze meeting a pair of blood-red eyes. They were the eyes from behind the glass. In the very instant Qin Jiajia had turned, the puppet, which had been dormant for a full month, suddenly opened its eyes, its gaze piercing through the bulletproof glass and locking directly onto her. "He is awake!" Like a stone dropped into water, the corridor was instantly filled with the chaotic sound of footsteps. The military police officers stationed to the side racked their slides in a split second, while doctors in white coats sprang from their seats like a whirlwind. Qin Jiajia did not know what they were about to do, but she clearly saw the grave tension on everyone's faces. Before she could process any of it, a hand slapped hard against her shoulder. "Do not make eye contact with that thing!" Li Yulan shouted, a rare display of urgency. "He has been possessed by the spirits of those ancient cultivators! If he locks onto you, he might mark you as his prey!" The shout exploded in her ears like thunder, yet Qin Jiajia failed to react. For a split second, she felt as though the body behind the glass had turned into a magnet, firmly drawing her gaze. She could clearly see the expression on that twisted face. The moment their eyes met, the creature seemed to freeze for a brief instant. Then, the muscles on its face suddenly twitched, its eyes bulging and its mouth gaping wide as it let out an inhuman shriek. "The aura... Zhou Fan's aura! Zhou Fan is here!" The chaotic footsteps faltered for a moment. Not just Qin Jiajia, but everyone who heard the words paused in shock. The puppet began to thrash violently, spewing hysterical screams. "No... no! Do not kill me! Zhou Fan! Do not kill me!" He repeated the cries, struggling with all his might, his movements so violent it seemed he would overturn the bed. "Do not kill me! Zhou Fan, I would not dare do it again, please do not kill me! Do not kill me!!!" Qin Jiajia stood rooted to the spot. In that instant, the world around her seemed to fade into a dull monotony. The footsteps, the shouts, the sound of guns being loaded, and the beeping of instruments all receded, leaving only those desperate screams echoing in her ears. His gaze was clearly fixed on her, yet the name he screamed was Zhou Fan. Could it be that he sensed the aura of this Zhou Fan on her? The being before her, harboring fragments of an ancient cultivator's consciousness, was a soul truly from a thousand years ago. The only person she had ever met in her life who could be connected to such an entity was... "Move!" A doctor in a white coat lunged forward, shoving her aside, and turned to the small control panel outside the room, slamming his palm onto a button. The machines inside the room roared to life, the tubes connected to the puppet trembling as a sedative dose ten times the lethal limit was injected into his body. Through the glass, Qin Jiajia watched as the puppet's pupils gradually dilated and lost focus, the frantic screams fading into feeble murmurs until he finally fell completely silent. His eyes closed, and he sank back into slumber, as if nothing had ever happened. The magnetic pull vanished. She gasped for air like a drowning victim breaking the surface. Turning around, she found the military police, the doctors, and even Li Yulan all staring at her. The gazes from all directions felt as though they were piercing right through her. "Who is Zhou Fan?"