Old Zhao and Tian Zhuang, who had been at the scene, thought to themselves.

’They did more than just destroy the anomaly; the entire riverbed was baked dry.’

As if he’d heard their internal monologue, Special Envoy Tao then switched the projection to photos and videos of the cleanup work at the site.

There, the riverbed was a grayish-white. Its edges were riddled with dry cracks, and a close-up of the center showed that the ground had become almost crystalline.

Special Envoy Tao gave a brief summary of the incident, combining deductions from headquarters with the results of his own investigation since arriving in Yue City.

"Back in the Capital, we held a preliminary briefing on this incident. After the last two days of on-site investigation, some information has become clearer, while certain key aspects have only grown more obscure."

"However, that doesn’t prevent us from forming a general thesis on these types of incidents."

At this, Special Envoy Tao turned his gaze to a man on a video call on a laptop. The man gave him a slight nod.

After receiving the go-ahead, Special Envoy Tao continued.

"All of you are part of the national security system, and at high-ranking positions. I trust you’ve all heard some rumblings from the higher-ups."

Those present either remained silent or nodded slightly, clearly assenting to his words.

"Then I’ll be brief."

"According to the data our intelligence agencies have collected, a new type of ’sudden anomalous incident’ has begun occurring worldwide, just like what you saw in the videos."

"I believe these videos represent only a fraction of such incidents. There are undoubtedly others that have gone unrecorded or unnoticed."

"Clearly, the fact that these incidents are occurring in the real world is no cause for celebration."

At this point, Special Envoy Tao paused. He scanned everyone in the room, as if gauging their reactions, ready to face any challenges that might come.

"The Tenth Man theory!"

"We have conducted extensive investigations and held numerous internal reviews. Faced with a lack of sufficient data and supporting information, we have adopted a theoretical framework once used by Israel."

"We’ve modified it slightly to suit our circumstances: when the conclusions of the ’first nine’ fail to align with the current reality, the ’tenth man’ is required to dissent. No matter how absurd, they must propose a hypothesis that fits the facts."

"Regrettably, I am that tenth man. And with no strong evidence to refute it, my hypothesis is looking more and more like the truth."

"I don’t know if everyone here likes to watch sci-fi or fantasy movies, but does this scenario seem somewhat familiar?"

Special Envoy Tao paused for the umpteenth time today. He took a deep breath.

"What we are experiencing is quite possibly the beginning of a massive global transformation. This could be the final Chapter of humanity’s reign, or it could be the dawn of a new evolutionary age brought on by a changing world."

Everyone present had entertained similar wild ideas at one point or another, but always as a joke.

They never imagined they would hear such an "outrageous" conclusion from a special investigator representing the highest echelons of the central government.

A brief silence in the room was followed by a ripple of quiet discussion. But no one voiced a direct challenge, because they realized they had no hard evidence to refute his outrageous claim.

Simply saying "that’s impossible" or "you’re spouting nonsense" would be utterly unconvincing.

"This is an extremely dire conclusion for our country, and indeed for all of humankind. At the very least, we have yet to see any tangible benefit for our side."

Special Envoy Tao didn’t let the murmuring continue.

"But the Winding Loach River incident is a major turning point!"

"To everyone in this room, to the leaders on video, and to my team members—everyone, I repeat: the Winding Loach River incident is an extremely important turning point!"

"The intelligence from this video is completely different from everything we’ve gathered so far. There is one key difference..."

"The fire!"

Everyone present was an elite, not a single incompetent person among them. In that instant, it felt as if they had all grasped a key point.

"That fire was clearly not caused by an attack from our own forces, nor was it likely a suicidal act by the creature in the river. And it certainly wasn’t the ’spontaneous combustion of marsh gas’ reported on the news."

"I believe that fire was man-made! Of course, my use of the word ’man’ might just be wishful thinking, but I desperately hope it’s true."

"This fire proves that these anomalous events don’t just bring disaster—they also have a counter!"

"Whether they are a newly evolved human, a Superpower User, or even a non-human entity that’s friendly toward mankind—no matter what divine being they are—they are undoubtedly helping us. At least, that’s how it appears for now."

"Yue City! As the only place where an incident of *this* kind has occurred, I expect all of you from Zhejiang Province to cooperate with my investigation to the best of your abilities!"

"Find the ’Source of the Fire,’ and do it in a way that doesn’t draw public attention or provoke them!"

...

The meeting left a deep impression on all who attended.

Everyone’s feelings were still a complicated mess even after they left the meeting.

It felt as if the higher-ups had suddenly sent someone to tell them, "Without anyone noticing, Aliens have invaded Earth."

No matter who they were, anxiety was one emotion that inevitably took hold after the meeting.

「Less than twenty-four hours later.」

The Zhejiang Province Tendering and Bidding Office initiated project construction for "New-Type Civil Defense Engineering" and "Military Reserve Engineering" through a closed-invitation bidding process.

Many other large cities across the country soon launched similar projects, either through public bidding or by assigning them to designated contractors.

For the most part, however, only large-scale engineering firms were aware of these developments. The general public, at most, might catch a peripheral news report about "civil defense modernization projects."

...

Tao Xingzhi stood on the balcony of the Yue City guesthouse, smoking a cigarette and gazing out at the fine, misty rain of early spring.

He had just received news: he’d been promoted.

He had been promoted from a department director to a vice-minister. Just six months ago, he had only been a deputy director.

This wasn’t a good thing.

At least, not in the current situation.

The faster he was promoted, the more important his theory—and the work of his team—was becoming.

In other words, instead of being refuted by new information and evidence, his hypothesis was developing in a direction that no one, himself included, wanted to see.

It wasn’t that this future held no bright side—after all, change is the crucible of evolution and opportunity. But shattering the stable status quo would be far more painful than mere growing pains.

And in the midst of it all, he—the man in charge—felt completely lost, his mind a tangled mess.

But he had to feign composure, working with his team to formulate a series of seemingly rational and far-sighted recommendations to submit to their superiors for evaluation.

Apparently, their superiors who reviewed the proposals were unable to refute them. Or perhaps, they were unwilling to bear the responsibility for doing so. As a result, his team’s recommendations were being implemented to a shocking degree.

This only added to their pressure, which was precisely why they were placing such immense importance on the Winding Loach River incident.

Stubbing out his twelfth cigarette of the day, Tao Xingzhi went back inside and put on his overcoat.

’I could really use some good news.’

PS: Thank you to my reader, Prince Xiaohan o Meow, for the 2,000 coin donation!