The three of them realized it was too late; the place was already empty.
"Gone again."
Lin Xiao frowned.
"Makes sense," Qi Tian said, not surprised. If this thing could be so easily dealt with by the three of them, those Qi cultivators back then wouldn't have needed to intervene once every thousand years.
...
"It seems we've been discovered..."
"What a shame, if only we had a little more time, everything would be different..."
"Let's leave this place first..."
Within the black mist, a figure carrying a heart that still pulsed weakly was fleeing rapidly.
The wound that had pierced through the heart had now completely healed.
"Lin Xiao, this is just the beginning."
...
"John, you don't seem to be in good spirits lately. I keep seeing you dozing off during work." In a national laboratory in the Beautiful Country, a group of people were busy with their tasks.
"You too."
John replied without looking up.
Large dark circles hung under John's eyes. After he said that, he yawned.
It wasn't just John; almost everyone in this laboratory looked tired, holding coffee cups. After finishing one, some would refill it to stay alert and maintain work efficiency.
Others would simply fall asleep at their desks while working.
John was no exception. He looked at the complex data on his computer. In the past, he would have been engrossed, but now, after a couple of glances, he couldn't help but doze off for a few seconds. Then, his willpower would pull him back, and he would resume his reading.
However, it was clear that at this rate, he wouldn't be able to retain much information.
This scene was playing out at every workstation.
"So, I've decided to take a break. I'll continue processing the data after I've rested."
The person who had spoken to John earlier shrugged. "Instead of forcing yourself here, it's better to get some rest and be more alert later."
"I wish I could, but time is running short." John knew very well that if he fell asleep, he wouldn't be able to thoroughly study this information in the shortest possible time. This was the theoretical foundation for all future research and development.
"Alright, I'm going to sleep now... It's really strange, I sleep every day, but I never feel rested."
"And my body has been quite weak lately, I don't know why."
After their brief exchange, John returned to his work. His eyes, however, grew unfocused after just a couple of glances, and he slumped onto the desk.
"Sigh, John."
A researcher next to him saw this, shook his head, and then yawned himself.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the research institute, a slight tremor suddenly occurred.
However, the vibration was so minor that very few people felt it.
Then...
Everyone in the entire research institute rolled their eyes back and collapsed, unconscious.
"You..."
With that, he too fell to the ground, drifting into slumber.
Soon, a giant hand emerged from the ground.
The hand was about a meter long and a little over a meter high.
Then, the hand reached out and gathered all the unconscious bodies. In the next second, the figure, along with all the bodies, disappeared back into the ground.