Regarding the previous "modern version of Peach Blossom Spring," there seems to be no more news about it now.

At first glance, it appears the farce has ended. As new points of interest appear, the crowd of onlookers naturally disperses, flocking to the new fields to gossip.

This matter, which is no longer fresh, naturally becomes neglected.

However, in reality, it is only the uninformed crowd that shifts their attention. Quite a number of people are still diligently searching... And the search range is no longer just the former East Sea area, whether domestically or internationally, a mysterious trend has stirred in hidden circles.

After all, ordinary people's ignorance doesn't mean those in upper circles are clueless. Precisely because they are aware of certain things, they show such eager desire—

They glimpsed an outline of an extraordinary world.

Immortality, immense power, wealth, and authority surpassing the worldly—all these seem to beckon to them...

Those who already stand atop the pinnacle of power in the real world cannot resist such temptation, naturally becoming obsessed with searching.

Though there are doubts, for instance, why it was never discovered before, why there were no such signs before, until recently, from Penglai Immortal Island in the East Sea to the Wild Hunt event in Europe, is this some kind of coincidence or an unknown scheme?

But none of that matters; what matters is that there is true hope. Regardless of any ulterior motives from the other side, at least they likely are the real deal!

—That is enough.

Some university students who were fortunate enough to set foot on Immortal Island but missed the immortal opportunity have all become special consultants with high salaries. Even the crew of the fishing boat that only caught a glimpse from afar, haven't been excluded, invited over by certain forces with the idea of trying their luck.

As for those foreign elites who encountered Wild Hunt attacks, they've also gone mad in seeking potential possibilities. Simultaneously, those few who were abducted by the demon spirits but returned safely have naturally become the center of a storm...

But compared to the former, among them, two gentlemen are not ordinary individuals. Instead, they firmly hold the initiative. Through various means of forming alliances and dividing forces, they effectively resist pressure from various domains and establish relatively solid alliance relationships, initiating various clandestine operations.

The storm has silently brewed in the real world, but it only spreads within upper society.

......

"The wind is rising..."

In the quiet night, high-rise winds howl across the cityscape; from a rooftop, with a view of surrounding skyscrapers, overlooking the vast city, Gu Mo murmurs to himself.

Through divination and astrology, he easily interprets the upheaval in the world during his absence, and using his mobility, he's toured the country and Europe, searched for relevant personnel, inquired about intelligence.

Therefore, he naturally has a very thorough understanding and grasp of the current situation, knowing those people are actually making no progress—

Of course, there's no chance for progress. Any potential flaw that might be disclosed, like discovering the possible identity of the witch and pursuing the records he recently uploaded, has been halted from the outset. Even at that moment, Hiri's perception was blurred by him using Illusion Technique.

Even in the original situation, they were absolutely incapable of tracking down fictional work directions, relating them to characters from anime, games, or novels.

Much less in the current situation—

Once Gu Mo uploads records, even world lines will change, and related details will alter...

Gazing at the city lights beneath the night sky and the distant Eiffel Tower, his pitch-black long hair flies fluttering in the night breeze. Gu Mo seriously contemplates where to start next; he has no interest in ruling the world, nor does he want to destroy it.

—As for the Spiritual Qi Revival, Extraordinary Awakening, driving the overall transformation of the world...

—It seems unnecessary as well. He doesn't feel any hollow loneliness, nor does he desire to create peers for himself.

But if shaping a nonexistent extraordinary world, perhaps this pressure can make the world more stable, preventing those old rogues from waving flags of freedom all day, taking detergent to try and dominate Earth, creating so much unnecessary friction, conflict, it still seems doable.

In the process, utilizing manpower, resources, scientific advantages from the real world, turning them into assistive forces he can exploit...

While gaining benefits himself, he can legitimately spread some benefits in the real world, making it much easier to extend such to family and friends later. At least, there won't be any need to fret about concocting reasons to make them believe and convincing them not to expose it, considering contingency plans if worst-case scenarios arise...

All such headache-inducing situations.

Gu Mo doesn't wish to commit massacres in the real world, but he knows that sometimes, objective reality may not yield to his desires.

Because even if family and friends are sufficiently cautious, even if corresponding subconscious hints are implanted within them fundamentally preventing exposure due to boasting, gossip, or accidentally letting slip, it can't guarantee trouble won't arise from others detecting clues...

After all, sometimes things are just this absurd.

Since he can't lock them up or simply keep them by his side all the time, nor can he watch over them constantly, then there are only two generally safe options: one is doing nothing.

The other is... shaping the world into his desired form.

"Let's just do it... Begin officially selecting the first batch of seed candidates, see if they can seize this chance to change destiny."

There seems to be a faint light flickering in his eyes. Wearing a cyan Daoist Robe, the young man takes one last look at the city, having no mind to continue wandering. He directly turns and leaves, without anyone noticing his arrival, just as those he inquired for information can't recall the occurrence.

This night, perhaps, is the world's...

Last, ordinary night.

The eve of a new era was about to arrive, although nobody knew, and everyone only felt like one of seven billion, thinking that this night was nothing special.

...

...

It was also nighttime.

On the other side of another continent.

Zhou Yang helplessly supported his somewhat drunk best friend, walking along the already cooling street, which was bustling with people and busy small food stalls, resembling a typical nighttime snack street, looking quite attractive.

"Why... I was so good to her..."

His best friend muttered, staggering as he walked, repeating the same sentence over and over.

"Good, my foot. You just said goodnight to her every night; it's been like this for over half a year with no other sign of your feelings... Now she has a boyfriend, and you're acting devastated, as if you don't think there's anything wrong with that logic?" Zhou Yang said irritably.

Although he had never dated anyone, he had no experience to offer—unlike those who've been single since birth, who, despite their inexperience, could spout theories like a single guy without any self-awareness.

But at least he knew, his friend's method was unquestionably flawed. If it worked, it would be a miracle.

It's too late to return to school now; the dorm is likely locked, and the dorm aunt isn't in a good mood...

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhou Yang sighed heavily. Faced with such a bothersome best friend, he had to accompany him through this ordeal, just as his friend had supported him before.

Looking around, he found a nearby guesthouse, rented a room, and tossed his severely drunk friend inside, finally allowing himself to relax. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Speaking of which, he was a bit hungry. He patted his stomach.

Just now he had been drinking with this guy, mostly just alcohol. As he listened to this guy pour out his heart sorrowfully and guzzle beer, Zhou Yang, despite having spent the whole day at the library without eating much, felt awkward eating under such circumstances.

With a broken-hearted friend, it seemed insensitive to focus solely on food.

Shaking his head, Zhou Yang left the guesthouse and walked out of the alley, immediately realizing the snack street outside had turned empty. In just a short moment, all the vendors and people had vanished, leaving only the lone street lamps casting light on the roadside.

What's happening?!

A bit stunned, he glanced around in confusion, instinctively sensing that something was off but not overthinking it, promptly deciding to head back the way he came—if this street had closed, he'd simply go to the previous one.

With this thought, he walked on, staring at his phone, as this part of the old town was relatively unfamiliar to him.

"Why is there no signal...?"

Zhou Yang frowned, realizing something was wrong. He looked up at the pitch-black end of the street ahead, suddenly feeling anxious, his steps subconsciously slowing.

After a moment of hesitation, he looked around the deserted street, suddenly noticing the entire street was in complete darkness, with only segments lit by streetlamps. As for the buildings on either side, they were entirely dark, without any light.

The silence was eerie, as if the entire city had suddenly fallen silent.

Power outage...? Doesn't seem like it.

He swallowed hard, feeling a tingling sensation on his scalp.

"Forget it, forget it. Since everything's closed, I'll eat tomorrow, anyway having a midnight snack isn't healthy..."

Although instinctively comforting himself, denying the automatic thoughts surfacing, Zhou Yang still turned back, wanting only to return to the guesthouse to stay with his friend, needing courage... This situation was unnervingly strange.

But—

Clack.

Like footsteps faintly sounded from the street ahead.

As Zhou Yang turned around, he heard this sound and instinctively let out a sigh of relief. Immediately another footstep was heard, with clear pauses in between, as if the person's steps were extremely awkward.

And at the same time, a streetlamp at the end of that street, already dim and murky, suddenly went out with the sound of footsteps.

Zhou Yang's expression froze; he stared fiercely at the end of that street, focusing on the yellow light of the second-last streetlamp while sharpening his ears, clearly hearing the footsteps ringing one by one. Then he watched as that streetlamp flickered as if there was bad electrical contact.

The next moment, the light vanished.

That area plunged into darkness.

His heart felt like it jumped to his throat; Zhou Yang opened his mouth, unable to make a sound, instinctively backed a few steps, then turned and sprinted forward without hesitation, his heart pounding, his mind blank, unable to think.