Chapter 40: Studies in the Imperial Capital

A few people drove from the northern part of the city toward the observatory.

The observatory was one of the few buildings that had survived. Other than its somewhat aged exterior, due to a lack of timely maintenance, it looked much as it always had. With the launch of the reconstruction plan for River City, the staff who had been evacuated were gradually returning to their posts. In the coming period, the River City Observatory would provide technical support for disaster relief and reconstruction efforts throughout the eastern district.

When the observatory staff saw a military vehicle driving in, they didn’t think much of it at first. After all, the military had temporarily taken over disaster response and rebuilding in River City. The military would only fully retreat from daily affairs once reconstruction was complete and the city government was reestablished. For now, most vehicles bore military license plates.

But when they learned that these arrivals were the heroes who had just liberated the Great Wilderness Mountain Underground City, the staff couldn’t help but look at them with admiration. Especially after hearing Zhang Xingmin and his companions describe their earlier experiences at the observatory, and realizing that this place was likely the starting point of their perilous journey, the staff felt an even deeper fondness for them.

According to the observatory’s staff, there was indeed no Professor Wu among them, nor anyone resembling the person described by the Falcon Squad. However, an elderly professor recalled that he might have seen someone matching their description, though he wasn’t certain.

It turned out that on the night of the disaster, many at the observatory had witnessed it firsthand. After all, this was a place with people on duty around the clock—those who thrived at night were commonplace here.

Anyone who had seen that night with their own eyes would never forget it. That evening was like any other—most were at their posts, some had just arrived for their shift, others were preparing to leave, and a few hapless souls were settling in for another all-nighter.

Suddenly, they detected abnormal astronomical phenomena: solar activity spiked dramatically, and the major planets in the solar system showed signs of instability in their rotation and orbit. On its own, this might not have seemed significant. Humanity’s understanding of the universe is limited, and unexplained phenomena are not unusual. As long as Earth itself remained unaffected, daily life would carry on. It’s like a neighbor moving from a hundred meters away to another city—it hardly affects your meals or your sleep.

But the events that followed demanded attention. The ground began to shake violently, with the epicenter unknown. Later statistics showed that earthquakes of varying intensity struck across the globe that night. Great rifts split the land, and some coastal cities saw seawater flood in.

Of course, the staff at River City Observatory didn’t know all this at the time. What they did know was that strange creatures had appeared across multiple districts in River City—some large, some small, some terrestrial, some airborne, and the most terrifying were hybrid mutants of land and sea. These creatures spread from several strongholds, expanding throughout the city.

“What exactly did I miss that night?” Da Min, listening to the staff’s account, suddenly felt that just surviving was a blessing.

“That’s right! I was on night duty that evening too—I saw much the same! But what does this have to do with Professor Wu?” The staff member’s recollection matched her own memories.

“Exactly! We already heard most of this from Nana before. I don’t see how it relates to Professor Wu,” Lin Xiaofeng added, puzzled.

“You lot—so educated, yet so clueless! As the old gentleman just said, what happened that night was clearly a meticulously planned conspiracy. Maybe he’d heard about something like it before but didn’t pay it any mind,” Long Ge said, exasperated by these top students.

“That young man’s guess is not far off! I did see something like what happened that night, but not from hearsay—from a book. It’s been many years; I’d almost forgotten. The protagonist was also named Wu, and he looked much like the person you described. No wonder everything that’s happened this year has felt so familiar to me,” the old professor said, shaking his head.

“A book?!” All four members of the Falcon Squad were astonished. At first, they’d suspected they were trapped in someone else’s game, and now a book had emerged—were they living inside a world designed by someone else?

But the old professor quickly dismissed their wild theories. “It was an unpublished manuscript—over a decade ago, I came across part of it in the archives at Imperial University. It was said to have been left behind by a young lecturer who had gone missing. That’s all I know.”

“So now we’re supposed to go all the way to Imperial University? If even veteran professors there don’t know, what hope do we have?” Zhao Nana was doubtful. The truth seemed to be coming into focus—or perhaps, some people had always known the truth, maybe even foreseen these events, but chose to remain silent. The thought was unsettling.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then, a student who had been waiting nearby to consult the old professor spoke up, “Professor, I think I’ve seen the person you’re talking about!”

According to the student’s recollection, on the day after the incident, the observatory received orders for all personnel to evacuate immediately, taking all equipment and experimental data, and relocate temporarily to the Second Research Institute in neighboring East City, which had not been affected by the disaster. The withdrawal was conducted in an orderly fashion, with no panic. But because the event had happened so suddenly, they could only take what was immediately needed and easy to carry; much valuable equipment had to be left behind and sealed off.

This student had been assigned to conduct a final check. He recalled encountering a man in his forties or fifties—tall and thin, with a long face and narrow eyes, clean-shaven, glasses perched on his nose—wandering the halls. The student had even asked why he hadn’t left yet. The man replied that he was looking for something. Oh, and he wore a work badge—the name read Wu Zhixue, wasn’t it?

“Why didn’t you say so earlier! The student who disappeared all those years ago had that very name!” the professor exclaimed in agitation.

“I only just started at the observatory, so I thought he was a teacher from another department! He looked so much like a professor—how would I suspect he was up to no good?” The student, feeling wronged, explained he was just an intern and couldn’t have known what was really happening.

The Falcon Squad pressed for more, but no further information was forthcoming. It seemed the old professor still knew more, but he refused to say anything else, cautioning them not to investigate further—for their own good.

The Falcon Squad reviewed everything they had learned and confirmed a few points: First, this catastrophe was a carefully orchestrated event. Second, some people had prior knowledge—at least enough to suspect what was coming. Third, the boss of the Dark Organization might have come from a legitimate research institution, possibly a prestigious one, and his defection might have been due to internal conflict, though the details remained unclear. Fourth, besides themselves, there might be other official investigation teams working secretly, possibly even active before the disaster struck.

Given all this, the old professor’s warning made sense—the powers arrayed against them were likely far beyond their ability to confront. There was no need to risk everything; withdrawing now might be the only way to protect themselves.

“So what do we do? Should we keep digging?” Da Min asked anxiously, seeing everyone fall silent.

“I’ll follow your lead,” Zhao Nana replied, out of ideas herself.

“Why don’t we go ask my father? If our analysis is correct, there’s no way he knows nothing,” Lin Xiaofeng suggested.

“Didn’t the Special Operations Division mention a training opportunity in the capital? We could apply, and use the chance to investigate. If things get dicey, we can pull out right away,” Long Ge proposed.