Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

"Your family has been moved without your knowledge." Cheng Yanqiu's voice was eerily calm. "You will see them before this is all over."

Zhou Zhengde's body stiffened for a moment.

He slowly leaned back into the sofa, and after a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Director Cheng, I know I've done something wrong. Now you're using me as bait. I don't ask for anything else, I just ask that after this is all over, you leave my family a way out."

Cheng Yanqiu stood up and looked down at him.

"That depends on what you do."

She walked to the door, paused, and didn't turn around.

"Zhou Zhengde, the fact that I'm not investigating you now doesn't mean your troubles are over. You'd better pray that your value to this woman is greater than your guilt."

The door closed behind her.

Zhou Zhengde sat alone in his empty office, like a clay statue drained of its life force.

The sunlight outside the window was perfect, shining on him.

He felt a chill run through his body.

------

Meanwhile, in two other cities, two phone calls rang almost simultaneously.

"Fang Zhizhong is dead."

"Understood. The people sent over are already on their way. This woman cannot be allowed to live."

"But the anomaly response center has already intervened, so our people can't be mobilized."

"We have to move, even if it's not a good idea. Fang Zhizhong is dead; we can't let what he had fall into other people's hands. Go and get rid of that woman, use heavy weapons. Remember, don't leave any trace that could point to us."

"clear."

The tone of the other phone call was even more somber.

"Qian Shoucheng and Song Mingxi are both dead."

"He died quickly. It seems this Awakened One was stronger than we anticipated."

"So, are our people still moving?"

"Move. But not kill her. When she killed Song Mingxi, Song Mingxi mentioned the Five Mountains Society. This woman also has a grudge against the Five Mountains Society. We won't make a move yet; let the fools of the Five Mountains Society fight her. After she's finished killing the Five Mountains Society members and exhausted them, we'll close the net."

"Yes. How many teams should we send over?"

"Two teams, equipped with the latest neurotoxin suppressor munitions. Await my orders."

"clear."

After the call ended, two invisible forces began to converge in the directions of Shanyang and Changning.

Behind these forces lies an even larger and more hidden behemoth.

They are temporarily hiding in the shadows, like giant beasts in deep water, revealing only a few insignificant scales.

Li Su was completely unaware of all this.

She is carrying her child's body and is on her way back to her hometown.

She wants to bury her child and husband together.

Then, come back.

Come back and kill the rest of them.

------

On the outskirts of Sanyang City, at a temporary safe house for the Fire Seed Organization.

Lin Shen sat in front of his laptop, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

The screen was filled with various encrypted communication software and news web pages.

Xu Suyuan walked behind him with a cup of hot water, glancing at the screen.

"How is it? Can you confirm?"

Lin Shen shook his head, but his voice carried a rare excitement.

"It's confirmed. What happened last night was done by one person. Based on the surveillance footage I hacked and the videos that haven't been completely deleted from the internet, it's a woman, and her ability is most likely telekinesis—she can fly and manipulate objects from a distance."

"Telekinesis." Xu Suyuan repeated the three words, a hint of seriousness flashing in her eyes. "Very powerful."

"Extremely strong," Lin Shen added. "She killed at least twenty people in one night, including members of the Five Mountains Society. She killed her way from Shanyang to Changning, and then to the airport. Ordinary people are no match for her."

"Do you think she's an awakened one, or like us, someone with a seed?" Xu Suyuan asked.

Lin Shen remained silent for two seconds.

"Her situation is very similar to Song Chao's; both of them were forced into a desperate situation and then suddenly unleashed their power. But the stability of her abilities far surpasses that of Song Chao in his early days. When Song Chao first awakened, he couldn't achieve this level of precise control. This woman's use of her abilities seems to be ingrained in her very being."

Xu Suyuan placed the water glass on the table and pulled over a chair to sit down.

What do you think?

Lin Shen turned the laptop screen around, revealing a screenshot of a paused video.

In the scene, Li Su is suspended near the skylight of the terminal building, holding a metal box in her arms.

"She's seeking revenge. That box could very well be the belongings or ashes of her closest relative. Everyone she killed was part of the same network of interests."

"So you conclude that she has another target."

"Definitely. She won't stop." Lin Shen's gaze lingered on the photo. "Moreover, the official anomaly response center has already intervened. They now have two options: either surround and suppress her, or use her. Based on the information I've gathered so far, they're leaning towards the latter."

Xu Suyuan thought for a moment and asked, "What about the Five Mountains Alliance?"

"The Five Mountains Society's branches in Shanyang and Changning have already made their move. Their leader is Huo Kun, a veteran local tyrant. Chen Hui and Duan Changming were both his men. Now that those two are dead, he will definitely seek revenge. But he won't confront them head-on; he'll most likely set a trap."

After Lin Shen finished speaking, he closed his notebook and looked at Xu Suyuan.

"Should we make a move?"

Xu Suyuan remained silent for a long time.

She recalled her experience in Dawn City.

I thought of Han Xiao.

It reminded me of those who were chosen by the seeds in desperate situations.

She knows what it's like to fight the whole world alone.

I also know what it feels like when someone suddenly reaches out to you in the midst of despair.

"I'll help," she finally said, "but let's not rush into contact. We don't know her personality yet; showing up too soon might make her wary. Let's observe first and figure out her next goal. If she encounters a real attack, then we'll intervene."

Lin Shen nodded and opened the notebook again.

"I'll investigate her background. By following the leads of Shanyang Mental Hospital and Huike Biotechnology, we should be able to uncover her past."

Xu Suyuan patted him on the shoulder.

"Be careful. Her case has blown up; the authorities and the Five Mountains Alliance are watching. When you investigate, don't leave any traces."

Lin Shen smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm just taking a look."

Xu Suyuan stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gray sky outside.

"Our numbers are growing. But our adversaries are also increasing."

Lin Shen didn't reply, but just continued typing on the keyboard.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, falling on them.

In this small safe house, a group of people who had crawled out of despair gathered.

They looked at Li Su's story as if they were looking at their past selves.

------

Further away, Wen Yan was standing on the balcony of a rented house, with his eyes closed.

Deep within the seed of the soul, surges of power flowed forth.

That was the reward for Li Su's relentless killing spree.

He sensed the lives torn apart by telekinesis, and felt the cold yet intense fire within Li Su's soul.

Her seeds are burning hot.

Her abilities are growing rapidly.

Wen Yan opened his eyes, a faint smile curving his lips.

"Kill them."

His voice was very soft, like a breeze blowing across the balcony.

"Uproot this entire network. Drag out all those people behind it."

He felt the energy surging within his body; the life feedback derived from Li Su's killings was gradually repairing his former weakness.

He has now achieved far more than he expected.

And this fire, ignited by a single seed, continues to spread.

Wen Yan turned around and went back into the room, taking out a notebook from the drawer.

He turned to one of the pages, which was covered with names and relationships.

This is a power map he pieced together from information from various sources.

The Five Mountains Alliance, the Abnormal Affairs Response Center, Huike Biotechnology, the Shanyang City Government, and those behemoths lurking in the shadows.

He drew a circle next to the two characters "Li Su" with his pen.

Then a line was drawn below the circle, connecting to the new blank space.

The name of an upcoming organization was written there.

"The Five Sacred Mountains Gathering, Changning Branch".

Wen Yan smiled gently and closed the notebook.

"Those who are meant to come will all come."