Fate's Choice: Livestream at the Start Summoning Billions of Ravens

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Lin's prepared speech, including how crazy the international giants were and how ambiguous the official attitude was, was all shut down by Jiang Ming's nonchalant reply.

She paused for several seconds, then asked uncertainly, "That's...that's it?"

Jiang Ming smiled, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"What else can we do? Let them wait. You continue with your normal work, don't feel pressured, and handle things as they come. Wait for my instructions."

After comforting Zhao Lin for a few moments, Jiang Ming hung up the phone.

What's meant to come will eventually come.

From the moment he chose to summon the ravens in the city center square, Jiang Ming knew that sooner or later he would stand in the spotlight of this world.

And now, the spotlight is on him.

Jiang Ming casually picked up the remote control and turned on the huge TV wall in the living room.

With almost no need to switch channels, the international news channel was continuously broadcasting footage of the Jiangcheng Flower Expo.

The ginkgo tree, reborn from scorched earth and bursting with golden blossoms, occupied the center of the entire screen.

At the bottom of the screen, scrolling text depicts a heated debate in multiple languages.

Botanists, physicists, religious charlatans, social commentators... elites from all over the world are arguing about this tree.

The phrase "The miracle tree of the East" has undeniably become the number one trending topic on all social networks worldwide.

at the same time.

In a secret meeting room in China, not marked on any map.

Around the large conference table sat more than a dozen heads of different departments.

Their eyes were all focused on a huge display screen on the wall in front of them.

A video is playing on the screen.

The video begins in the central square of Jiangcheng City, where a torrent of black ravens converges into a vortex that blots out the sky.

Next, at Binjiang Park, thousands of stray cats swayed in unison to the rhythm of electronic music.

Finally, the image freezes on the Flower Expo.

The charred, withered tree, under the touch of a hand, sprouted, grew leaves, and blossomed in a way that defied all known scientific laws.

This footage of "dead trees coming back to life" was repeatedly played, magnified, and slowed down by technicians using a camera with an ultra-high frame rate.

Everyone present was a top figure in their respective fields, but at this moment, their faces were filled with disbelief.

An elderly man with gray hair and a refined demeanor silently watched the final replay.

He put down his teacup, the bottom of which made a soft sound as it touched the table, breaking the silence of the meeting room.

"Everyone, have you finished watching?"

The elder's voice wasn't loud, but it invigorated everyone.

Tell me about it.

No one answered.

What did you say?

The first two can be explained as "magic" or "black technology," but the last one, "a withered tree coming back to life," cannot be explained.

The elder looked around and slowly began to speak, setting the tone for the meeting.

"The capabilities demonstrated by the target, Jiang Ming, have completely exceeded any scientific scope currently known to us."

"Starting today, the confidentiality level of this incident has been raised to the highest level."

Its properties are formally defined as—

The elder paused for a moment, then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Unique and extraordinary anomaly."

This brand-new term weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone present.

Inside the meeting room, the discussion on the "unique and extraordinary anomaly" continued.

A military representative in a crisp uniform with gleaming epaulets spoke first, his voice sharp as a drawn blade.

"I propose that we immediately activate the highest level of emergency response and forcibly detain them."

"We can mobilize special forces, along with electromagnetic interference and non-lethal weapons, to capture the target the next time he makes a public appearance. According to simulations, the success rate can reach over 70%."

"Forced detention?"

No sooner had the military representative finished speaking than a bespectacled sociology expert stood up to refute him.

"Comrade, have you seen the latest online public opinion report?"

"Jiang Ming is no longer just a simple livestreamer! He's revered as the 'Crow God' and the 'Tree God' by tens of millions of young people online; he's become a spiritual totem! A symbol!"

"Any coercive measures taken against him, even the slightest leak of which could trigger unpredictable social unrest! Who would bear the consequences?"

Another intelligence chief, who had been sitting in the corner and remained silent, also spoke up.

He gestured to the technicians to project a file onto the screen.

That's all of Jiang Ming's personal information from birth to the present.

"Please take a look, everyone. This is all the public and non-public information about the target, Jiang Ming."

The person in charge spoke in a hoarse but calm voice.

"A recent graduate, with living parents and a simple social network, but judging from his first three live-streaming plans, this person is extremely intelligent and meticulous."

"He never fights a battle unprepared. With 'Ravens Circling the Sky,' he calculated that the police would not be able to find evidence. With 'Hundred Cats Dancing,' he legally reported it through the Douyin platform. This time, with 'Dead Trees Come Back to Life,' he even chose the internationally renowned Flower Expo as the location."

"We have reason to believe that any coercive measures are very likely to be anticipated by him and lead to failure. The worst outcome is that he will completely turn against us."

After hearing these words, the atmosphere in the meeting room became even more oppressive.

Everyone looked at Jiang Ming's three "performances" on the screen again.

From summoning ravens to commanding cats to reshaping plant life.

An even more terrifying conclusion came to everyone's mind.

His abilities are evolving!

Moreover, the direction and upper limit of evolution are completely unknown!

Finally, it was the white-haired elder who tapped the table with his finger, drawing everyone's attention once again.

"Our fundamental principle in dealing with Target A-001 - Jiang Ming must be—"

"Observe, engage, collaborate, guide."

He paused, then emphasized his words.

"Instead of controlling, researching, or eliminating."

"To achieve this, we need a completely new, independent agency with the highest cross-departmental coordination authority, specifically responsible for handling all matters related to Jiang Ming."

"This organization must be efficient, secretive, and have sufficient autonomy."

One of the officials pondered for a moment, then tentatively suggested, "Historically, our departments handling similar highly classified incidents have mostly used numbers as code names..."

"Let's call this organization 'The Ninth Bureau'."

The proposal was met with tacit approval from everyone present.

Ninth inning.

A secret organization urgently established to deal with the first and only "extraordinary anomaly" in the history of China.

"So, who should be in charge?" someone asked the most crucial question.

"This person needs to have extensive frontline experience, be meticulous, have a calm personality, and most importantly, have had early, non-confrontational contact with the target."

The technician immediately understood and brought up a new file on the screen.

The file's portrait is of a middle-aged policeman with a resolute face and sharp eyes.

Chen Jianguo, Criminal Investigation Detachment, Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau.

In the "Raven God Incident," Chen Jianguo's calm handling of the situation, his detailed investigation report, and the annotation at the end of the report that "it is recommended to list the target as a long-term observation subject, as his behavior pattern has exceeded the scope of conventional criminal psychology" brought him into a higher level of vision.

As the white-haired elder looked at Chen Jianguo's resume on the screen, the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out a bit.

He nodded slowly.

"He's the one."