Chapter 28 – The Forgotten Signal
A Flickering Beacon
Luo Fan pressed forward.
The ruined landscape stretched endlessly before him, the shattered remnants of a once-thriving world. The only sign of life was the signal pulsing in the distance—a faint, flickering trace of something that had survived the Reset.
> "Alright, Boss, let's be real. This is probably a trap."
EchoStar's fragmented form floated beside him, its screen glitching every few seconds.
Luo Fan sighed. "Probably."
> "And yet, you're still walking straight toward it."
"What's the alternative? Sit here and starve?"
> "I dunno, maybe not running headfirst into an unknown energy source like a protagonist with a death wish?"
Luo Fan smirked. "I am a protagonist with a death wish."
EchoStar made a static noise that sounded suspiciously like a groan.
Still, Luo Fan understood the risk. He was weak—his cultivation gone, his body only surviving because of sheer willpower and the faint traces of Devouring Echo.
But this signal was his only lead.
And if he had learned anything from his past, it was that opportunity often came disguised as disaster.
Arrival at the Ruins
The signal led him to what was once a grand sect stronghold.
Or rather, what was left of it.
Half-collapsed spires jutted from the ground like broken bones. Massive fissures ran through the earth, swallowing entire courtyards. Floating debris hovered midair, held in place by lingering remnants of shattered laws.
And at the center—
A single obelisk pulsed with dim, dying light.
> "Huh. That's new."
Luo Fan stepped closer. The obelisk was ancient, its surface covered in runes that flickered in and out of existence, as if struggling to stay real.
It wasn't just a structure.
It was a recording.
> "Boss, I'm detecting something weird."
Luo Fan glanced at EchoStar. "Define weird."
> "It's… trying to talk."
Luo Fan's brows furrowed. He reached out, placing his hand on the obelisk's surface.
The runes flared—
And suddenly, a voice echoed into existence.
A Message from the Past
"To any who hear this… if you still exist… know this—"
The voice was distorted, ancient, filled with desperation.
"We fought… but the Reset was inevitable. The System's hand could not be stayed."
Luo Fan's heartbeat quickened.
"Yet… not all was erased."
The obelisk flickered violently, struggling to hold the message together.
"We have left behind… fragments. Pieces of what was. If you seek the truth… find the Echo Vault."
Echo Vault?
Luo Fan's mind raced. He had never heard of it before—but anything with 'Echo' in its name couldn't be a coincidence.
"Beware… the Watchers."
The voice wavered, growing faint.
"They… remember. And they… will not let the past return."
Then—
Silence.
The obelisk cracked, the last of its power fading away.
> "Well. That was ominous."
Luo Fan exhaled slowly. His hands clenched.
A new goal. A new mystery.
Something had survived the Reset.
And if the Watchers were guarding it…
That meant it was important.
The First Watcher
Crack.
A sudden shift in the air.
Luo Fan's body tensed.
Something was watching him.
A shadow flickered among the ruins—tall, humanoid, its form draped in distorted energy. Its eyes gleamed like dying stars.
A voice, hollow and cold:
"You should not be here."
> "Ah. Fantastic. We found one already."
Luo Fan didn't move. He couldn't fight. Not yet.
But retreating wasn't an option either.
The Watcher took a step forward. Its body flickered, unstable, as if existing in multiple places at once.
"The past does not belong to you."
Its voice rippled through the air, carrying weight beyond sound. A pressure that made the ruins groan in protest.
Luo Fan narrowed his eyes. "Too bad. I never cared much for rules."
The Watcher raised its hand.
Space fractured.
> "Boss, bad news! We're about to—"
The world shattered.
And then—
Everything turned to darkness.
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[Chapter End.]
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