The masked figure slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the bookshelf where we were hiding. His eyes were striking, a golden hue that mirrored my own appearance almost perfectly.
"Come out," he said in Japanese. "I know you're there." He pointed to his eyes. "We can see the same things."
I exchanged a glance with Kong Yang and slowly stood up. The others remained on high alert, ready to respond to any sudden movements.
"I've heard much about you," the man said. "I am Sato Kenichi, a member of that special operations team."
"That team?" I paused, taken aback. "Isn't it... completely wiped out?" He smiled mysteriously. "That's the official story. In reality, we've found some things—just like you discovered the truths in Changling Village."
Through my enhanced vision, I noticed the fragments of his mask shimmering with an unusual light as he spoke. The frequency seemed to resonate with something.
"Those fragments," I said, "were brought back from Antarctica?"
"Smart," he nodded approvingly. "It seems you've uncovered the secret of the cycles. At certain points in time, the energy field in Antarctica experiences fluctuations."
"The nodes have advanced," Kong Yang interjected. "Why is that?"
Sato did not answer directly but instead pulled out an old notebook from his bag. "This is a record left by that team. You might find it interesting."
I took the notebook, and as soon as I touched it, a strong reaction surged through my body from the viral program within me. Through my special vision, I saw that the pages were filled with dense runes, resonating with the code in my blood.
"This is a decoding log," Sato explained. "It documents all the clues they discovered along the way. But the most important part is on the last page."
I flipped to the end and saw a rough map—topographical details of a certain area in Antarctica marked with twelve points. The arrangement of these points was identical to the global activation points!
"A small energy network," Sato elaborated, "like a miniature version of what you discovered globally. And at the center of this network..." He pointed to a mark in the center of the map. There was a large Taiji symbol drawn there, accompanied by a small inscription: (Gate).
"It calls to us," Sato said, "through the viral program, through the code in our blood. Now do you understand why the nodes have advanced?"
I pondered for a moment: because global activation has disrupted the original energy field.
"Exactly." His expression grew serious, and he added that the situation was more urgent than we had thought. "Look at this."
He pulled out a recent satellite image. The photo showed that ice in that area of Antarctica was melting at an alarming rate, revealing mysterious architectural outlines beneath.
"It’s awakening," Sato said. "Something that has been asleep for tens of thousands of years is finally about to see the light of day."
At that moment, I noticed a detail in one part of the photo: on one building's wall, there was a clear line of runes. Through my special vision, I recognized it as a warning:
The second sequence has been activated.
Beneath this line, there was a symbol I had never seen before. It struck me with an inexplicable familiarity, as if it were inscribed deep within the essence of my being.
"Do you also want Antarctica?" I asked.
Sato smiled. "No, we are here to warn you. Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed. And some truths may destroy all of human civilization."
With that, he turned and walked toward the door. But before leaving, he looked back and said one last thing:
"Remember, not all that enters is an ascent."
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