Within the area covered by the blue light, terrified screams quickly erupted—shrieks of sheer panic, mixed with people desperately shouting, “Run! Run!” as if being chased by an unstoppable force.
That part of the city contained many high-rise buildings, making it difficult for Yu Xi to get a full view of what was happening.
Xing Min furrowed his brows. “I can sense a disturbance in space-ti.”
Yu Xi couldn’t perceive what he could, but she knew that anything he spoke of was almost never inaccurate. Could it be that this station, like Xing Min’s world, was facing a disaster similar to wormholes and dinsional storms?
“Ahhh—it’s getting bigger—help!” A desperate cry echoed from behind one of the buildings. Monts later, Yu Xi finally saw what people were trying to escape from.
It was a black hole.
Not the spherical kind found in deep space, but a flat, circular hole in the ground.
The hole was about the size of a car, surrounded by a flickering circular light ring, with a pitch-black, bottomless center.
Wherever the black hole moved, everything on the ground—people, plants, decorations, streetlights, signs, cars—anything smaller than its diater was sucked in and vanished.
The black hole moved continuously. Once it had “consud” everything in a particular area, it would drift toward new targets—places with more objects or higher concentrations of people.
Yet, strangely, after it moved away, the areas it had previously “devoured” would reappear intact, as if nothing had ever been taken.
It only seed to consu objects above the ground.
At so point, after swallowing a certain number of people or objects, the black hole would abruptly expand, increasing its diater by a full circle.
Once its diater grew, it could engulf even more people and objects at once. Small buildings that had previously been spared were now caught in its grasp.
Yu Xi stared in shock at the black hole within the blue-light zone, doubting her own eyes. The way it looked and behaved—it was nearly identical to a ga that had once been wildly popular in her original world!
The only difference was that, unlike the stylized, toy-like cityscape of the ga, this real-life roaming black hole was far more grueso.
So people clung desperately to buildings or railings, trying not to be sucked in. But if the black hole couldn’t take their entire body, it would take whatever part it could.
One man clung tightly to a railing, screaming in agony as his lower half was consud by the black hole’s imnse force. Blood spurted from his mouth, and his twitching upper body slumped powerlessly to the ground outside the hole’s reach.
His blood splattered across another person nearby. Realizing there was no escape, the second person, in utter despair, simply let go—allowing themselves to be swallowed whole.
Buildings fared even worse. Since the black hole moved along the ground, it started consuming the base walls of structures. At first, when the black hole was small, it could only take small chunks of walls or pavent, which didn’t imdiately endanger entire buildings.
But when it expanded to the size of a minivan, it swallowed entire sections of building foundations. A structure that lost a tenth of its support began to tremble violently.
Glass windows shattered as the building tilted off balance. Water pipes burst, gas lines ruptured, electrical circuits shorted out, and explosions erupted—fire spreading rapidly. The destruction was far worse than any earthquake.
In an instant, the once-thriving city within the blue-light zone turned into a living hell.
The sounds of fire trucks and ambulances rang out from both inside and outside the affected area. So people, trapped within high-rise buildings inside the blue-light zone, stood at their windows, trembling as they watched the roaming black hole wreak havoc several streets away.
No matter where the blue light had co from, the fact remained—they were inside it. Did that an they, too, would soon be devoured by the black hole?
Despite the elevated structures resembling high bridges, each spanning multiple city blocks in length, their width was still vast—stretching across seven to eight streets. Many people remained oblivious to the unfolding disaster, unaware of the black hole’s silent advance.
Most were distracted by the giant floating countdown that had appeared earlier, reaching out to test the blue light with their hands. They had no idea that death was creeping closer.
By the ti they noticed the growing screams and the sound of buildings collapsing, it was already too late.
The black hole, having consud enough, expanded once again in an instant—directly engulfing those who had once been outside its range, robbing them of any chance to escape.
When so people realized that sothing was terribly wrong, they hurriedly took their families, rushed downstairs, and drove their cars in an attempt to escape in the opposite direction of the black hole. However, they were stopped by an invisible barrier at the edge of the blue-light zone.
Before long, the edges of the blue-light zone in the elevated area beca packed with people and vehicles desperately trying to escape. Those trapped inside could not get out, while those outside, who had gathered out of curiosity, could not get in. The two groups were left staring at each other.
Inside, people cried and begged those outside to save them. As the black hole drew closer, the horror unfolding before their eyes made the outsiders recoil in terror, screaming and stepping back. The black hole, however, rely swirled at the edge of the blue light before changing direction and continuing its rampage elsewhere within the zone.
Ten minutes later, another enormous floating number appeared in the sky above the blue-light zone. Once again, it started at “5,” spinning and counting down.
When the countdown reached zero, the blue light covering the area vanished in an instant, along with the black hole. All that remained was a ruined, devastated city and people screaming and crying.
So had lost their legs or arms. So had lost their loved ones. So lay lifeless. Others were barely clinging to life. Many had simply vanished into the black hole.
Yu Xi’s heart was still pounding wildly. Despite all the disasters she had experienced, the sheer speed, chaos, and horror of this catastrophe made her uneasy.
From her “Life Assistant Device,” Ya Tong had been calling her multiple tis before she finally reacted and spoke, “Connect the call!”
“Are you okay? Were you inside the blue-light zone just now?” Ya Tong asked imdiately once the call connected.
“No, I was on the opposite side of the blue-light zone. What about the others? Is everyone safe?”
“Lin Wu and Zhenzhen are together. They’re fine. I haven’t been able to reach Xi Yuan yet.”
“Xing Min is fine. He’s with . I’ll try calling Xi Yuan.”
Yu Xi imdiately used her “Life Assistant Device” to call Xi Yuan, but after several attempts, there was no response.
She reconnected to Ya Tong, “He’s not answering. I don’t know if he was inside the blue-light zone, but with his skills, he should be fine. Did you see the black hole inside the blue-light zone earlier? Xing Min said he sensed a space-ti disturbance, possibly wormholes or dinsional rifts…”
“I got it. I’ll go et up with Zhenzhen and Lin Wu first. We’re in North 230, and to get to your location, we need to transfer to the semi-suspended transit rail. But all the transit stations are closed right now. The earliest we can co over is tomorrow.”
“Understood. Be careful tonight. If this station is at disaster level, that blue light is bound to appear more than once.”
The “North 230” that Ya Tong ntioned referred to the na of their elevated city sector, aning it was located in the northern area at an altitude of 230 ters.
Yu Xi’s location was in “West 320.”
After ending the call, Yu Xi and Xing Min moved against the crowd, heading back to their shopping quarters. The black hole catastrophe in the opposite sector had startled many people who had planned to stay overnight in the Beehive Supermarket’s shopping compartnts.
No matter how advanced technology beca, people would always fear the unknown.
Many of them had poor eyesight and couldn’t see the black hole clearly. At first, they had simply been drawn out by the sight of the blue light and had no idea what was happening. But when they noticed the tilted and collapsing buildings and the explosions lighting up the sky, hushed murmurs of fear spread through the crowd.
As Yu Xi and Xing Min walked through the restless onlookers, they overheard them speculating about the incident—debating what kind of organization could be behind this and what their intentions might be.
So were using their “Life Assistant Devices” to record the scene, while others were making phone calls. It seed like no one in the city would be sleeping tonight.
Yu Xi and Xing Min returned to the shopping compartnt, turned off the lights, and prepared to rest as quickly as possible. However, the two of them couldn’t sleep at the sa ti.
“You sleep first. I’ll take the first watch,” Xing Min said.
Yu Xi didn’t argue with him and simply went straight to the bathroom, quickly took a shower, changed into running-friendly athletic wear, and lay down on the chaise lounge.
**
Her sleep was restless. The noise outside never ceased, and the sounds of ambulances and fire trucks frequently ca from the opposite sector. Half-asleep, she suddenly heard the voices outside growing louder, filled with unmistakable terror.
She felt soone gently pressing her shoulder, and in an instant, she snapped awake.
“Sothing happened?” she asked, her voice still husky from sleep.
In the darkness, Xing Min nodded and gestured toward the window. Outside the hexagonal glass, it was still the dark hours before dawn, but now the world was shrouded in a dim, eerie blue light.
Yu Xi sat up imdiately. “How long did I sleep?”
“About two hours.”
“Can you sense spatial disturbances this ti?” As they spoke, they rushed out of the shopping compartnt and headed for the ergency stairs.
If their sector was the sa as the one before, then within the next ten minutes, they couldn’t stay indoors. They also needed to determine the location of the black hole as soon as possible.
“Yes. The sa as before.”
“Can you pinpoint the direction?”
Xing Min nodded. “Roughly, but only in terms of direction, not the exact location.”
“That’s enough.”
By the ti they ran out of the Beehive Supermarket, the outside world had plunged into chaos.
In the past two hours, survivors from the black hole incident had already uploaded countless videos online. Through the “Life Assistant Device,” these clips played in crystal-clear 3D before their eyes.
Now, everyone knew what happened once an area was covered by the blue light. The mont they realized their location was also enveloped in it, panic skyrocketed.
People living on lower floors rushed out of their hos in blind terror. Despite knowing that the blue light acted as a barrier, they still tried to escape by car, hoping to reach the edge of the blue zone and take their chances.
Those living in tall, sturdy buildings chose to hide inside, praying the black hole wouldn’t reach their part of the city.
The black hole’s range was limited. If they were lucky, they might survive by staying put, but the odds were slim. Once the black hole got too close, there would be no ti to run.
After confirming the general direction from Xing Min, Yu Xi pulled out one of the new drones she had purchased.
The drones at this station were more advanced than the ones she had bought previously. They had a longer battery life—over four hours per charge—better materials for stability, and automatic obstacle avoidance for buildings. Compact and maneuverable, with a full 360-degree viewing range, they could be controlled with a single hand.
She had bought twenty of them.
She hadn’t expected them to be useful so soon.
After linking the drone to her “Life Assistant Device,” a 3D live feed imdiately popped up in front of her left eye, displaying the drone’s cara feed.
She quickly sent the drone into the air, directing it toward the direction Xing Min had sensed.
Since the blue-light zone wasn’t massive, it only took about a minute to locate the black hole on the ground below—it was currently consuming the trees and plants in a park.
It was smaller than the one she had seen earlier, aning it hadn’t devoured much yet.
The drone hovered at about the fifteenth-floor height. She tested it by flying it directly above the black hole. The drone remained steady, unaffected by turbulence or gravitational pull, which confird that it was safe at that height.
Yu Xi closely monitored the black hole’s movent and kept track of its distance from her and Xing Min. The plan was simple—keep moving within the blue-light zone to evade it for the next ten minutes.
They circled around the supermarket’s crowded exterior, intending to escape through another route when suddenly, a transport vehicle from the massive underground parking lot accelerated toward them.
Just as they were about to dodge, the vehicle braked sharply in front of them.
From the narrow driver’s compartnt, a square-shaped tallic head with gray iron plating and two protruding electronic eyes peered out at them.
“Get in!”
The voice was unmistakably familiar.
Yu Xi: ???
She stared blankly at the chanical figure, noticing an almost imperceptible hint of embarrassnt in its rigid, robotic expression.
“…Xi Yuan?”
The robot: “…Yeah.”
Yu Xi glanced at her drone’s feed. The black hole had already grown larger, now moving directly toward them—perhaps drawn by the large crowd fleeing from the Beehive Supermarket.
Without hesitation, she grabbed Xing Min and rushed toward the vehicle. The driver’s compartnt was small—only enough to fit one more person. She shoved Xing Min inside and ntally told him to use telepathy if anything happened, as she needed to focus on the drone’s operation and would have more freedom outside.
【Be careful!】
Yu Xi knelt on one knee atop the vehicle, gripping the roof’s safety rail with one hand while controlling the drone with the other.
Got it. Tell Xi Yuan to take a left after passing the supermarket.
Xing Min imdiately relayed the instruction. The robotic Xi Yuan shot him a glance but quickly restarted the vehicle.
With the drone providing a full aerial view, Xi Yuan was able to drive at high speeds, weaving through the streets as Yu Xi guided him.
The blue-light zone wasn’t large, but the area contained many parks and comrcial districts, which ant the streets were lined with decorative plants and small structures.
At first, the black hole was small, making it easier to avoid. But as it consud more objects, it grew bigger, accelerating its swallowing speed. The bigger it beca, the stronger its pull, and the faster it expanded—an endless cycle of destruction.
Soon, it had surpassed the size of a cargo truck. Wherever it passed, small roadside shops collapsed like they had been hit by a magnitude-ten earthquake.
Concrete, steel beams, shattered windows, along with the people inside—everything was sucked into the black hole.
So people ran frantically, thinking they had successfully outrun it after turning a corner—only to find that the black hole had already consud the buildings ahead, stretching across the street like an inescapable net.
So hid inside seemingly sturdy high-rise buildings, but the black hole had grown so large that it swallowed entire sections of walls, causing entire structures to tilt and collapse.
The people inside were buried under the rubble—none survived.
Panic spread like wildfire. People ran aimlessly within the blue-light zone, driving in all directions, causing massive traffic jams that completely blocked the roads.
Using the drone’s bird’s-eye view, Yu Xi directed Xi Yuan through the chaos, not only avoiding the black hole but also the gridlocked streets.
As Xing Min relayed her instructions, he was also monitoring the live news updates on his “Life Assistant Device.”
“…There’s more than one blue-light zone this ti. One of them has covered the presidential office—he’s trapped inside. The entire city is in chaos. Police vehicles and ard helicopters have been deployed… It looks like they’re planning to use force to break through the blue light barrier and rescue him.”
As if in response to Xing Min’s ssage, a thunderous explosion erupted in the eastern section of the mid-air district they were in, accompanied by towering flas.
That was the city center, where the presidential office was located. It seed that, since it concerned an important figure, helicopters had already taken action. However, it was unclear whether the explosion was enough to break through the blue light.
Yu Xi had no ti to dwell on it. She glanced in that direction briefly before refocusing on the 3D screen before her.
At this point, the black hole had grown terrifyingly massive, capable of easily swallowing entire standalone villas. Nearly 80% of the blue-light zone had already been devastated by its path. Under Yu Xi’s direction, Ya Tong maneuvered through the ruins, narrowly avoiding disaster.
In the final minute, the vehicle could no longer proceed. The collapsed buildings had turned the roads into an impassable maze of debris. With no other choice, they jumped off and continued on foot.
Yu Xi’s running speed wasn’t much slower than the vehicle, but since she was focused on the drone’s feed, she couldn’t pay full attention to her surroundings.
Xing Min and Ya Tong reached for her simultaneously—one grabbing her left wrist, the other supporting her right arm—leading her forward as they ran.
“The path ahead is blocked—building collapse! Turn right! …Wait, the building on the right just exploded! Head toward the right front alley! …It changed direction, turn around, run back!”
With them guiding her, Yu Xi was able to dedicate all her attention to the drone’s navigation.
Finally, just as the black hole expanded once again, reaching the size where it could completely consu a skyscraper in one gulp, a flashing number “5” appeared in the sky above their blue-light zone.
Yu Xi reached the edge of the blue-light boundary at that mont. Finding an area with fewer people, she quickly pulled out a rocket launcher from her spatial inventory while Ya Tong and Xing Min shielded her. She aid at the mid-air boundary of the blue light and fired.
With a deafening boom, fire erupted against the invisible barrier.
The countdown reached zero.
The blue light and the black hole vanished simultaneously.
The timing was too coincidental—neither Yu Xi nor Ya Tong had the chance to confirm whether the explosion had actually penetrated the blue barrier.
“No,” Xing Min said with a frown. “Heat-based weapons have no effect on the blue light.”
Just then, the 3D screen on Yu Xi’s “Life Assistant Device” switched to display a new ssage:
Congratulations on surviving the black hole’s devouring!
“What is it?” Ya Tong noticed her expression.
“Check your ‘Life Assistant Device’!”
Both Ya Tong and Xing Min opened their 3D screens and saw the sa ssage.
Almost simultaneously, everyone who had survived within the blue-light zone received the exact sa notification.
—
Before dawn, the blue-light phenonon appeared once again. This ti, it wasn’t limited to the mid-air sectors but also erged on the ground level, imdiately disproving earlier assumptions that the ground was a safe zone.
There was no such thing as a safe zone—nowhere was safe.
Half the city had been startled awake. After learning that the blue light would reappear, few people could sleep.
So families packed their most valuable belongings and sat anxiously in their cars, waiting for the next manifestation of the blue light.
Others began noticing patterns. They took their families and friends and moved toward the areas that had already been devoured by the black hole. Though those places were in ruins, they noticed that, so far, every ti the blue light appeared, it always covered intact areas.
Previously devastated areas seed to be exempt—at least for now.
Those who gambled on this theory were correct—at least for the final blue-light occurrence of the night. They successfully avoided another catastrophe.
Yu Xi’s team also realized this. After the blue light disappeared, they chose to remain in the zone rather than leave. Later, when they contacted Ya Tong’s group, they learned that their area had luckily remained unaffected.
However, after Yu Xi reminded them, they relocated to the nearest area that had already been hit by the black hole.
anwhile, Yu Xi uploaded a ssage online, revealing that drones could fly above a certain altitude without being affected by the black hole, allowing people to monitor its position in advance.
Although the military helicopters had failed to breach the blue barrier surrounding the presidential office, the president’s security detail proved resourceful. At a critical mont, they managed to escort him onto a helicopter.
While the helicopter couldn’t leave the blue-light zone, it could hover in the air—successfully ensuring the president’s survival.
At dawn, the devastation of the city was starkly illuminated under the sunlight. The once-flourishing mid-air districts had suffered the heaviest damage.
Online forums exploded with discussions. So people uploaded footage from the disaster zones, while others shared analyses. Many pointed out that, apart from certain high-altitude areas being relatively safe, underground facilities—such as the infrastructure below the mid-air districts—were also unhard.
This included electrical circuits, water pipes, fuel lines, and sewage systems. Though the streets above had turned into rubble, the underground areas remained intact.
The black hole’s devouring force only targeted objects above ground.
Because of the catastrophic destruction caused by the sudden appearance of the blue light and black hole, the event was classified as an ergency. Expert teams were assembled to investigate the phenonon.
Authorities needed to determine whether this was an act of human interference or sothing beyond human comprehension.
One of the biggest mysteries was why the survivors within the blue-light zones had all received the sa mysterious ssage. What did it an?
Another pressing question was why people inside the blue zones could move freely, yet those outside couldn’t enter, and even heavy artillery couldn’t break through.
A blue-light alert system was established—a piercing siren that would blare throughout the city the mont another blue-light zone appeared.
With two transit stations and several rail lines destroyed, the city’s transportation system was paralyzed. Because of this, Ya Tong, Lin Wu, and Yu Zhenzhen’s group couldn’t et up with Yu Xi during the day. However, since both sides had strong combat skills, defenses, and large storage spaces, splitting up temporarily wasn’t a major issue.
The dayti passed uneventfully—until nightfall.
Shortly after darkness settled, a new section of the city was once again covered in the eerie blue glow.
This ti, civilians were better prepared. As soon as the countdown began, people launched drones into the sky, trying to locate the black hole’s position.
However, at that mont, from behind a high-rise building, a massive, gaping mouth suddenly appeared—swallowing several drones in one gulp.
The crowd was stunned. Everyone instinctively looked up.
A gigantic serpent had appeared out of nowhere.
Its body was short and coiled around the skyscraper like a thick rope. However, in proportion to its body, its head was abnormally large.
After devouring the drones in mid-air, it slithered down the side of the building, moving toward the terrified masses below.
“Oh my god—what is that?!”
“Help! Sobody help!”
Once again, the night was filled with panicked screams.
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