Sitting down on the sofa, Qiu Tu opened the cloth bundle.
The first thing that caught his eye was a document so thin it comprised only two pages.
Setting the document aside for the moment, he checked the other items in the bundle.
One Aurora Stone, three small gold bars, and twelve silver dollars. These were what Qiu Tu had handed over to Yan Chen yesterday, and now they had returned to their rightful owner.
Satisfied, Qiu Tu tucked the assets pooled together by his dozen-odd brothers into his breast pocket before picking up the document to read.
There wasn't much text, and it was exceedingly brief and rough, yet it was enough to offer Qiu Tu a glimpse into the extraordinary powers of this world.
However, the more he read, the deeper his brow furrowed. By the time he finally set the papers down, his face was dark enough to wring water from.
*If this information is true, then I've run straight into the worst-case scenario.*
With that thought, Qiu Tu reviewed the contents of the document in his mind.
According to what was written, in the thirty years following the Cataclysm, the entire world had been changed beyond recognition. An eerie and mysterious power had quietly awakened, reshaping the fabric of the world and the forms of life itself.
Among these changes, the most chilling was the bizarre mutation that natural life-forms had undergone:
Boston ivy had begun to inexplicably swell and twist, growing thick enough to rival water pipes in abandoned cities;
The most ordinary roadside weeds, normal by day, turned as sharp as blades under moonlight, giving off an icy, cutting glint;
Ants, once so tiny ordinary people could barely notice them, had grown as large as hounds of the night, roaming among the ruins and letting out low, nightmare-like roars...
Back then, humanity was locked in a struggle for survival, with no luxury to pay attention to these aberrant life-forms.
It was not until fifteen years ago, when the first sanctuary rose majestically and elites of all kinds gathered within, before eventually embarking on expeditions to explore the outside world, that they discovered to their shock that the world had descended into an even more bizarre state.
Not only had the mutated flora and fauna seen remarkable increases in strength, speed, intelligence, and aggression, but certain individuals had even acquired unfathomable abilities...
Humanity deduced that all of this stemmed from that unprecedented Cataclysm, and thus named this incredible phenomenon "Cataclysm Awakening."
Yet, what remained completely baffling was that while living creatures across the entire world experienced Cataclysm Awakening, humanity alone showed no change whatsoever.
Consequently, two theories gradually emerged among humanity regarding this phenomenon.
The first was that humans might also be awakening, but due to their long lifespans and lower reproductive rate, it would take several more generations before a new breed of humans wielding mysterious power naturally emerged.
The second was that human life was already at too high a tier for the Cataclysm to trigger a natural awakening. Therefore, humanity had to take the initiative to steal the mutated power from other creatures in order to truly achieve their own awakening.
These two theories sparked endless debate during the sanctuary's pioneer era.
It was not until thirteen years ago, when a potioneer inadvertently concocted a Cataclysm potion that successfully granted a test subject an eerie power, that the debate was temporarily laid to rest.
And with the birth of the Cataclysm potion, the value of Cataclysm materials harvested from mutated creatures skyrocketed, and professions like potioneers rapidly rose to prominence...
Had the document ended there, Qiu Tu's brow might not have knit so tightly.
What truly gave him a headache was the latter half.
According to the records, consuming a Cataclysm potion did not guarantee mysterious power. On the contrary, the failure rate was over eighty percent.
And once it failed, the person would undergo an irreversible, disastrous mutation, turning into a mindless monster possessed of terrifying destructive power.
Even if one were fortunate enough to belong to that lucky minority, the direction of Cataclysm Awakening was not fixed; it varied from person to person.
This meant that until the exact moment of awakening, no one could foresee which unknown path they would embark upon...
*Damn it all... Here I was thinking I could rely on extraordinary power to overturn my fate.*
*Turns out not only is the success rate abysmally low, but the extraordinary powers in this world lean toward the bizarre.*
*Who knows if power like that comes with terrible side effects?*
Thinking this over, Qiu Tu pulled a match from his pocket.
*Scritch!* With the scrape of the match, a faint flame caught the two thin sheets of paper.
Watching the document burn to ash bit by bit in the dancing flame, Qiu Tu sank into quiet contemplation.
*Solving the crisis through extraordinary power isn't an option for now.*
*Yan Chen very likely possesses some bizarre extraordinary power of his own; running away without a plan is suicide.*
*So, in the end, it seems I still have to make a trip to the Qin family.*
At this thought, Qiu Tu's eyes turned somber.
*Still... this is a good opportunity to interrogate that young potioneer.*
*Perhaps... the information she has might reveal something different.*
Before long, the papers burned away. Qiu Tu stamped out the last ember, glanced at the countdown in the upper left corner showing just over eight hours remaining on the chest, and rose to go find Qin Shuman.
Time was running short.
[8:27:39 (Chest)]
Following a maid, Qiu Tu ascended two flights of winding stairs and turned down two dim hallways before finally arriving outside Qin Shuman's boudoir.
Reaching the door, the maid stepped forward and knocked softly.
A second later, Qin Shuman's voice drifted from within, melodious as a nightingale's. "Please, come in."
Pushing the door open, the two stepped inside. They saw Qin Shuman clad in a pink slit cheongsam, seated by the window. She sipped her tea while gazing out with melancholy in her eyes, looking very much like a caged canary longing for freedom.
"Miss Shuman, Agent Qiu is here to see you," the maid said softly, bowing slightly to Qin Shuman's back.
Hearing the maid, Qin Shuman hastily set down her teacup and turned around in surprise, genuine delight shining in her eyes. "Qiu—Agent Qiu, you're here?"
Because an outsider was present, Qiu Tu didn't act overly familiar. He merely smiled and nodded. "Yes, Miss Shuman. I have an important matter to discuss with you."
With that, he gave Qin Shuman a meaningful look.
Qin Shuman understood instantly. She stood up gracefully and said with measured composure to the maid at the door, "You may leave us. Agent Qiu and I have a few things to discuss in private."
"Yes, Miss Shuman." The maid bowed slightly and turned to exit the bedroom, but as she walked out, she deliberately left the door ajar.
Qiu Tu glanced back, choosing not to call her out. He made a subtle gesture to Qin Shuman, then walked over to her side.
The moment he reached her side, he was greeted by the faint, delicate fragrance of her skin, as fresh and elegant as early spring cherry blossoms...
Chapter 17