Morning sunlight seeped through the blinds, casting gold across the face of Chen Mu.
He didn't move.
His eyes were open—unfocused, distant—as if staring at something only he could see. His lips were moving faintly.
"...if output increases by 2%, I can earn… maybe... fifty SNC this week…"
His mother, Madam Chen, had been calling him for breakfast for ten minutes.
"Chen Mu," she said again, voice clipped. "You're talking to yourself again. Are you sleepwalking now?"
He blinked once.Twice.
Reality took a full second to snap back.
"Ah—no, sorry, I was just thinking... about a project."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Again?"
This had happened the day before. And the day before that. Ever since the city-wide blackout, something had changed in him.
No more gaming. No more scrolling. No news, no calls.
Just silence.Muttering.Staring.And once—he'd held his hand out like he was touching something invisible in midair.
Elsewhere, Wen Jiayi was kneeling beside a patient's bed in the shelter clinic when one of her old friends walked in—Nurse Zhang.
"You okay, Jiayi?" she asked softly.
Jiayi looked up, startled. Her hand was hovering above the patient's chest, motionless.
"Y-Yeah… I was just… calculating something."
"Calculating?"
Zhang stepped closer."You were mumbling about... soul threads?"
Jiayi's face paled.She forced a smile.
"Ah, no… it's something I read in an old book—Chinese medicine metaphor, you know?"
Zhang didn't look convinced.She gave her friend a tight nod, but her eyes lingered with concern.
As she walked away, Wen Jiayi's hand clenched tightly in her lap.
"This can't keep happening…"
Luo Ruan didn't have any friends or family.No one to notice her changes.
But the local gang leader "Scar-Tongue Bao" did.
"You been twitchin' and mutterin' like a ghost-possessed kid," he growled. "Better not be gettin' high on synths. That'll cost you, runt."
Ruan only stared at him with calm, emotionless eyes.
She didn't flinch.
Didn't blink.
She was staring past him—at a system menu only she could see.
In her mind, she was reviewing the current market prices for rare alloy schematics uploaded from a derelict military printer.
"I earned 9 SNC yesterday."
"If I can map out another blueprint tonight…"
Scar-Tongue Bao took a step back.
"...You're seriously creepin' me out, kid."
Across the city, similar things were happening.
Children stopped mid-sentence, gazing at blank walls.
Employees paused in the middle of presentations.
Teachers fell silent mid-lecture.
People murmured under their breath or stared into thin air like they were reading something unseen.
The world was splitting in two:
Those linked to SoulNet.
And those who watched them change.
Back in the hidden simulation lab, Su Yuan watched the analytics panel silently.
[Anomaly Detection Report]
Detected External Suspicion Cases: 27 (↑12 from yesterday)
User Behavior Divergence: Moderate
Likelihood of External Discovery: 6.4% (↑)
Risk Level: Caution Advised
He frowned.
They were becoming too visible.
"They're not trained to mask it," he whispered."They're too immersed."
That wasn't their fault. The system was new to them. Addictive. All-consuming.
Even now, some were practicing the Primary Shockwave Technique in alleyways or empty rooftops, unaware of the stares they attracted.
"I need to act. Before the world starts asking the wrong questions."
Su Yuan's fingers hovered over the interface.
One solution glowed faintly:
[Deduction Path: User Interface Veil – Shadow Mode]
It would allow users to interact with SoulNet more subtly—through visual tricks, mental shorthand, and muscle memory.
He marked it for immediate deduction.
But even as he took measures to protect SoulNet…
Su Yuan's gaze drifted toward the global map interface.
There were millions of dormant soul signatures still untouched.
Faint gray lights flickered across the landscape—like stars hidden behind clouds.
A single button gleamed with quiet promise.
[Expand Invitation Network – Next Wave Ready]
His soul was stronger now. His control more stable.
It was time.
"I can't stay hidden forever," he whispered. "But I can grow faster than their questions."
With a tap, he triggered the first stage of the expansion protocol.