Chapter 129: Aftershocks of the Ripple: State Intervention

Zhao Jianguo's fingers were still locked on the Analyzer's maximum power setting, his finger joints stiff, the web of his thumb slightly numb. The hovering bomb's display just flipped to 00:03:16, its blue light still drifting among the ruins, like a thunderbolt that hadn't yet struck the ground.

He was about to press the button when a low hum suddenly rose from above—not an aircraft, not a flock of birds, but like the sound of a metal box being pulled forward by a magnet. Instinctively looking up, he saw three black silhouettes leap in through the broken wall from the west, moving in perfect unison as if a single person had practiced it a thousand times.

They wore gray‑black combat suits, metal brackets on their shoulders, knees never bent as they walked, yet their footfalls were as light as stepping on cotton. The leader removed his goggles, revealing a sharply angular face, about forty years old, eyes cold enough to freeze a flame.

"Everyone, stay where you are." The voice was low, but each word hammered the ground, "We are Special Forces Seventh Group, codename 'Scavenger'."

Zhao Jianguo didn't release his grip nor step back; instead he pulled the twins in his arms to his side, and with his other hand dragged Chen Jianguo half a step toward the wall base. He stared at the metal plate on the opponent's left arm, its tiny inscription too reflective to read, but the disciplined aura reminded him of the chief engineer at the Steel Rolling Factory—similar yet not quite the same.

"Where are you from?" he asked, voice low, tinged with the street‑wise swagger of a Hutong kid, "Dressed like this late at night, thinking you're a mutant or something?"

The man didn't smile nor flare up; he simply raised his right hand, palm supporting a silver‑gray disc whose edge glimmered with faint green light. "This isn't a drill, Zhao Jianguo. The device in your hand is a prototype of the 'Civilization Witness', model X‑07, activation date April 12, 1955."

Zhao Jianguo's eyelids twitched.

He'd never heard that name, yet his heart thumped a hollow beat, as if someone had turned over his file. He recalled that on the day the system first booted, he had glimpsed a few blurry characters on the interface, assuming they were garbled; now the date matched.

"What did you say?" he feigned ignorance, "What 'witness'? This is just a factory‑issued radio mod, can even play 'Red Light Record'."

The other side said nothing, but lifted a hand behind him. Two Team Members instantly spread out; one crouched beside the bomb scanning, the other marched straight to the unconscious Chen Jianguo, holding a flat instrument that beeped incessantly.

"Hold it!" Zhao Jianguo stepped sideways, blocking in front of Chen Jianguo, "No one touches him!"

The man froze, turned to look at the Team Leader. The leader took two steps forward, his gaze landing on the red scar on Zhao Jianguo's wrist, his brows knitting subtly.

"It's a correction‑force amplifier," he said, "If it isn't isolated, the whole sector will be swept into a data backflow. We have to take him away."

"That won't do." Zhao Jianguo shook his head, "If the connection breaks, I'll die with him. Try it now—see if the value on his wrist drops."

The Team Leader fell silent for two seconds, then stepped forward himself, sweeping the disc over both wrists. The Screen lit up, spitting out several lines of data, finally settling on 'Life‑value sync rate: 98.6%'.

He stared at it for five seconds, then suddenly looked up: "Are you Engineer Zhao's son?"

"Which Engineer Zhao?" Zhao Jianguo was stunned.

"Deputy head of the Lin Zhen‑guo Project Team, Zhao Mingyuan." The man's voice lowered, "On the night before the system went live, he vanished while protecting the core code. We all thought… he was dead."

Zhao Jianguo's mind buzzed. He truly hadn't heard that name, yet the respect in the man's eyes didn't feel feigned. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the twins in his arms twisted and shouted in unison:

"Dad! There's a plane! That thing in the sky— it's glowing!"

Everyone snapped their heads upward.

A slit opened in the cloud layer, and a silvery‑white craft glided by soundlessly, its hull unmarked, a faint blue trail trailing like someone had drawn a line with a crayon across the sky. It flew neither high nor fast, just a steady, predetermined path.

The Terminal on Zhao Jianguo's wrist jolted violently, the Screen flashing a red box:

【Detected high‑dimensional frequency signal】

【Source locked: March 15, 1978】

【Coordinates: Jingxi Examination Area】

【Spacetime fluctuation level: Orange‑alert】

The whole scene fell silent for a few seconds.

Even the wind stopped.

The Special Forces Captain's complexion changed; he whispered something into his communicator, received a string of codes in reply. After listening, he turned to Zhao Jianguo: "That signal… you picked it up too?"

"And if not?" Zhao Jianguo sneered, "I thought you were here to save the day, but you can't even tell friend from foe?"

"We're not enemies." The Team Leader's tone remained steady, "But we can't let you keep the system under sole control. It's already exceeded the safety threshold for personal use."

"What do you intend to do?" Zhao Jianguo, cradling the children, straightened up, "Grab me? Or dismantle it on the spot?"

"We can cooperate." The other extended a hand, "First neutralize the immediate threat, then discuss Permission allocation. Your low‑frequency pulse interference just now shows you understand the technical logic. I don't need an opponent; I need someone I can converse with."

Zhao Jianguo stared at that hand, unmoving.

He knew that once he shook it, regaining control would be far harder. Yet Chen Jianguo lay on the ground, gasping for breath, the bomb's countdown still ticking, and that thing in the sky was still an unknown.

He glanced down at the Terminal, the power setting still at maximum, his fingers easing just a fraction.

"I'm willing to negotiate." He said, "But there are two conditions."

"Speak."

"First, the children must be taken inside the house, not left out in the wind; second, Chen Jianguo may not be taken alone—I need to watch him with my own eyes."

The Team Leader thought for a moment, then nodded: "Fine. Su Qing is already waiting at the doorway."

Zhao Jianguo turned back and indeed saw Su Qing standing under the eave of the Main Hall, wrapped in an old cotton coat, reaching toward him. He walked over, carefully handed the twins over; the little ones were restless, one constantly pointing at the sky shouting 'Plane! Plane!', and Su Qing gently covered their mouths.

When he turned back, the Special Forces members had already erected a temporary Barrier, wiring around the bomb. The Team Leader stood where he was, the disc in his hand emitting a faint glow.

"Do you know what happened on March 15, 1978?" he asked.

"No." Zhao Jianguo answered honestly, "But I guess it's related to the 'Engineer Zhao' you mentioned."

The Team Leader didn't deny it, only gave him a complex look.

At that moment, the blue light in the fissure quivered, as if sensing something. Chen Jianguo's body convulsed, mumbling a few words: "…March fifteenth… she said wait for me…"

Zhao Jianguo hurriedly crouched, pressing his shoulder to him: "Wake up! Hear me! Stop chanting again!"

Chen Jianguo's eyelids twitched, he didn't open his eyes, but his finger slowly rose, pointing toward the direction the craft had just passed.

The Terminal vibrated again.

A new prompt popped up:

【Signal amplification】

【Historical anchor point resonating】

【Warning: target time point has dual observation records】

Zhao Jianguo stared at that line, his heartbeat slowed by half a beat.

Dual observation? Who's watching? Another him? Or…

He jerked his head upward, gazing at the night sky.

The cloud layer re‑closed, the slit vanished as if it had never cracked.

Yet he knew that the craft truly existed.

Moreover, the direction it came from was exactly the Western Capital Examination Area.

"You call this an experiment?" He turned his head to look at the Special Forces Captain, his voice turning cold, "I think you're the ones conducting human trials."

The Team Leader didn't answer, but instead lowered his head to check the disk data, his brows furrowing tighter.

In the distance, the sound of vehicles rolling over gravel came from outside the courtyard wall, growing nearer—at least three vehicles.

Zhao Jianguo narrowed his eyes.

He knew the real trouble had only just begun.

He gripped the Analyzer tightly, its metal casing already soaked with sweat.

The wind blew over the ruins, lifting several scorched sheets of paper.

One of them spun, fell into a crack, and was instantly swallowed by blue light.