[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies":3,"chapter-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-360":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Kraft Anomalous Studies",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283838,4467,"Chapter 360: The Hunt","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-360",360,"\u003Cp>His thoughts turned, trying to trace why the sword-drawing emblem appeared here, but the insight flashed like a spark from flint—bright for an instant, then extinguished, swallowed by boundless darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost as he took his second step, he cast it aside, just like every unremarkable sight along the path, drowned out by a clear sense of mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His awareness flowed like a river through a channel, unimpeded and sharply directed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if a few droplets splashed out, they were mere side branches, having little effect on the overall current.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So his steps continued forward, crushing the thick, mossy carpet dampened by mist, producing a sound like rubbing leather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though there were no corridors here, nor a valley, he still heard faint echoes reverberating from multiple directions, as if someone walked behind him beyond a wall of fog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he listened closely, the sound grew no clearer—it seemed merely a reflection in his mind, not real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【He’s coming…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whispers rose from his footsteps, distant as a spy slipping into a ballroom, leaning close to the host’s ear, whispering secrets from shadowed corners where no dance partner could hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the listener was lost in a dazzling, half-illusory dream, unable to discern what it referred to—or whether it concerned him at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the strict discipline of his church school, he had never drunk alcohol, let alone become drunk, yet he felt this was what drunkenness must be like: thoughts boiling up chaotically while his body moved mechanically, the two severed, disconnected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sensation was unfamiliar, yet not unpleasant. He gradually understood those who drank excessively—perhaps only when soul and flesh parted could one draw nearer to the Father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Continuing upward, the soil had nearly vanished, leaving only smooth, prayer-tower-like rock jutting straight into the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Avoid eye contact if possible…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice returned, delivering its newly acquired content into his ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced around in confusion—there were no traces of life here, not even birds willing to perch or nest. Who could he possibly avoid making eye contact with?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The confusion didn’t linger long; it was swept away by the surging tide of thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To realize it was a hint was simple—but impossible to understand who had provided it, or from what perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was the chaotic effect of some vast system within his mind. It had plucked a single key sentence from some book, some chapter, some page of the library, and placed it before him—without source or context, understanding was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own awareness gradually lost initiative, passively accepting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When had it begun?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked himself—seemed it was after grasping some matter, something extraordinarily complex, far-reaching, forming a cognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this cognition did not belong to him, not like learning a new word or mastering a new skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the latter were like picking up a shell on the beach, resting quietly in a pocket, the former was a living tridacna, actively opening its thick, ornate shell to clamp down on the diver’s curious hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had not gained the cognition—the cognition had seized him. It was alive…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time—perhaps not the first—doubt stirred within his awareness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his head; the summit loomed in the distance. A faint dizziness struck his mind, forcing him to stagger backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dizziness felt as if the sky were within reach—no matter the angle, the gray mist moved, swirling around the mountain peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the center of all motion, it curled and converged like an inverted vortex, stirred by some unseen force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cool drizzle scattered across his face; the rain intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed upward. The bare summit ahead showed nothing visible, yet his intuition urged his legs forward, certain something waited there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Lu Xiusi, now…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice came again—but this time, the latter half no longer floated vaguely; it echoed simultaneously in his mind and ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could comprehend what was happening, something slid swiftly across the ground, and his right foot lost control, yanked violently to one side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hemp rope snapped taut, its noose tightened around his ankle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struggled against the force, but the slick ground offered no purchase; he sank helplessly to one knee, lowering his center of gravity to avoid falling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rapid footsteps approached from behind—more than one attacker, and they were well-prepared. Escaping the noose was now impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Various responses flashed through his mind, each immediately discarded; his awareness even had spare capacity to marvel at this unprecedented efficiency—as if the weight on his body had suddenly become an aid, his thoughts light and swift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Right ahead】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, no further distance remained—the destination lay just ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With only three fingers still free, he yanked the bootlace, pulling his foot free; the hidden rope-puller, caught off-guard, cried out in pain from behind the ruined wall—a young, unfamiliar voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rolled on the spot, causing the attacker rushing from behind to miss him entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dominic!” A harsh shout rang out, thick with exhaustion and bitter resentment—the voice was familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speaker ignored the pain from his failed lunge, leapt up, and hurled a knotted rope bundle toward him—it unfurled midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a net—not a fishing net. The mesh was too large, the cords too thick; it would catch nothing in local streams. But its size was perfect for covering a person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight of a familiar face stunned Dominic for a moment—he wanted to demand what this was about—but Field turned his head away, refusing all communication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The net settled over him. In that moment of stunned hesitation, the space within tightened. He looked back: an unfamiliar middle-aged man was pulling the ropes from behind, wooden blunt hooks strung along the mesh snagging his clothes, increasing the difficulty of escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of the corner of his eye, he saw more figures running toward him. If all three converged, his strength alone could never break free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought that he was only one step from his goal choked him. He had no time, no capacity to understand why he clung so desperately—only the relentless drive to reach it whipped his awareness into utter desperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a revelation arrived perfectly timed. He remembered those whispers—and the name they had mentioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lu Xiusi!” His lips moved faster than his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The approaching figure instinctively looked up, revealing the youthful, inexperienced face of a boy. Their gazes met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For an instant, the boy seemed to recall some forbidden truth; his neck bent slightly, as if he had accidentally touched a red-hot coal, trying to withdraw his gaze—but the motion froze before it began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An intangible, formless thing found its entry point; a phantom radiance ignited deep within his pupils. Like the Most Holy calling a lost lamb by name, in an instant the anointed understood the caller’s thoughts—and submitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Two against two】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy drew his short knife and moved again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1141,"2026-06-20T02:15:56.940Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","42ca48499de07835d3739e5ecc236a199a7d3153296b8f9efbb7ed258d72e737","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-361","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-359",406,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-cover.jpg"]