My bizarre resurgence: My price is the ability to trade everything.

At six o'clock in the morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

I crouched in a corner on the side of the old museum, looking at the buildings not far away.

This building is over eighty years old, with mottled exterior walls and broken windows, making it look like an abandoned haunted house.

But I know that this contains power capable of destroying Jiangcheng.

Chen Xuan's voice came through the earpiece: "Attention all parties, Operation Balance is now beginning. Ten seconds countdown."

"ten......"

"Nine......"

I took a deep breath and gripped the jammer tightly in my hand.

"Eight...seven...six..."

My heart is racing.

"Five...four...three..."

"Two...one..."

"action!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a huge explosion suddenly came from the direction of the museum's main entrance.

The towering flames illuminated the entire building, and the alarm blared sharply.

"First wave of attacks!" Chen Xuan's voice crackled in the earpiece. "Target has successfully drawn fire. Repeat, target has successfully drawn fire!"

"Second route, prepare!" Zhao Tiezhu's voice came from another channel. "Old Lin, are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Then come with me!"

I followed Zhao Tiezhu's team and quickly moved towards the side of the museum along the pre-planned route.

The explosions at the main gate continued, completely drawing the crow's attention. No one noticed us in the shadows to the side.

"This is it." Zhao Tiezhu stopped in front of a rusty iron door. "This is the entrance to the underground."

He pulled out a master key and opened the lock in no time.

"Go in."

I followed him through the iron gate, followed by three members of Zhao Tiezhu's team.

Behind the iron gate was a narrow passage that stretched downwards and disappeared into the darkness.

Zhao Tiezhu turned on his flashlight and walked in front. I followed behind him, clutching the one-yuan copper coin in my hand.

"The first floor is the commercial area," he whispered. "There's a lot of foot traffic there, but it's morning, so there shouldn't be many people. Let's go quickly and not disturb anyone."

"clear."

The passage was long, and it took us about five minutes to finally reach the entrance to the first floor.

The entrance is a glass door with a sign that reads "Employee Passage".

Zhao Tiezhu gestured for me to wait a moment. He then pressed himself against the wall, cautiously observing the movements outside the door.

"Safe," he whispered. "Only two guards, on the left."

"I'll distract them," one of the team members said.

"No need," Zhao Tiezhu shook his head. "Old Lin can get through silently."

"What?"

Zhao Tiezhu looked at me: "You possess the aura of the Balance of Costs. As long as you conceal your aura, ordinary people won't be able to sense you at all."

"This is one of the Balancer's special abilities."

I nodded and did as he said.

Mobilize the energy within your body, allowing it to cover your entire body and form a thin "cloak of rules".

The feeling was peculiar, as if the whole person was wrapped in an invisible membrane.

"Give it a try," Zhao Tiezhu said.

I walked to the glass door, reached out my hand, and pushed it open.

The door creaked slightly.

The two guards turned their heads and looked in my direction.

But they saw nothing.

In their field of vision, there was only air in that direction.

I walked past them silently and entered the commercial area.

The first-floor commercial area was larger than I had imagined.

On both sides were all kinds of shops, selling clothes, food, jewelry... Although most of them were closed, the goods on the shelves were still there.

I moved quickly down the corridor, avoiding all surveillance cameras and possible patrol routes.

Through the earpiece, Su Mingyue's voice came through: "Old Lin, you're a bit off-center. Walk thirty meters to the left, then turn right."

"clear."

I adjusted the direction as she instructed.

"There's a Night Raven member fifty meters ahead," Su Mingyue continued. "He's patrolling, but his back is to you. Take the opportunity to pass."

I slowed my pace, held my breath, and walked past the Night Raven member.

He was completely unaware.

And so, I went deeper and deeper, floor by floor, until I finally reached the staircase leading to the second floor.

"First level cleared," I reported in a low voice.

"Well done," Su Mingyue said. "The second-floor entrance has a combination lock, which I've cracked. The combination is 7749."

"7749..." I muttered to myself.

7×7×7×7......

Seven-pointed star.

It's seven again.

I entered the password, and the door at the top of the stairs slowly opened, revealing the space below.

Just then, Zhao Tiezhu's voice suddenly came through the earpiece: "Old Lin, we're thirty seconds behind you. Let's go down together!"

Footsteps came from behind.

Zhao Tiezhu and his team arrived, panting heavily.

"We ran into some trouble on the way," he said. "There were a few Awakened Night Ravens, and they were quite strong. It took us a while to deal with them."

"Are you alright?"

"It's nothing," Zhao Tiezhu waved his hand, "I'm just a little tired."

Let's go up to the second floor together.

The second floor is the storage area, filled with tall shelves and mountains of boxes.

The light here is dim, with only a few emergency lights emitting a faint glow in the corners.

The air was filled with a musty and dusty smell.

"The second level is more troublesome than the first," Zhao Tiezhu whispered. "According to intelligence, Night Raven has deployed five Awakened Beings of C rank or higher here."

"Five?" I frowned. "More than I expected."

"This might be temporary reinforcements," Zhao Tiezhu said. "You go from the left, we'll clear from the right. Meet at the third-floor entrance in ten minutes."

"clear."

We split up.

I moved quickly along the tall shelves on the left, my footsteps being absorbed by the thick dust and making no sound.

Suddenly, a voice came from the shadows ahead.

"Who is it?"

I immediately stopped and stood behind a shelf.

A figure emerged from the shadows.

It was a middle-aged man dressed in a black Night Raven uniform, holding a short knife that emitted a ghostly blue light.

C-level Awakener.

I can sense the powerful aura of rules emanating from him.

"Come out," he said coldly. "I know you're there."

I didn't move.

My breathing almost stopped, and even my heartbeat slowed down.

"Not coming out?" he sneered. "Then don't blame me for being impolite!"

He raised his dagger, and a dark blue light shot towards me.

I dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding it.

"It really is here!" He grinned maliciously as he charged forward.

I turned and ran.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!"

He was in hot pursuit, much faster than I had imagined.

Just as he was about to catch up with me—

boom!

A huge figure rushed out from the side and punched the awakened one in the face.

Zhao Tiezhu.

"Old Lin, let's go!" he roared. "I'll handle this guy!"

"But--"

"Hurry! There's no time!"

I gritted my teeth, turned around, and kept running.

Behind him came the sounds of fierce fighting and Zhao Tiezhu's angry roar.

But I didn't turn back.

I know that if I stay, I will only be a burden to him.

After navigating through a chaotic array of shelves, I finally reached the end of the second shelf.

A huge iron gate appeared before us.

That's the entrance to the third floor.

"Old Lin!" Su Mingyue's voice came through the earpiece, "The door lock is a special biometric lock; the jammer probably can't open it."

"What do you mean?"

"It means you have to open this door from the inside."

"But--"

"I'm trying to figure something out," Su Mingyue said. "Give me two minutes."

Two minutes.

Can I hold out for two minutes?

Just then, the fighting behind them suddenly stopped.

Then Zhao Tiezhu's voice came through on another channel.

"Old Lin...I'm sorry..."

The voice was so weak it startled me.

"Tiezhu!" I roared, "What's wrong with you?"

no answer.

There was only a piercing noise.

"Tiezhu! Zhao Tiezhu!"

"The communications are being jammed," Su Mingyue's voice came through, tinged with anxiety. "They might have used some kind of jamming equipment."

"Those Tie Zhu and the others—"

"I'm not sure," Su Mingyue said, "but the most important thing right now is to complete the mission."

"If you fail, the sacrifices of Zhao Tiezhu and the others will have been meaningless."

I was stunned.

sacrifice?

"Old Lin, listen to me," Su Mingyue's voice turned serious. "Zhao Tiezhu and his men are soldiers; sacrificing their lives for their country is their mission. You don't need to be responsible for their choices."

"All you have to do now is complete the task."

"Open that door, enter the third level, and destroy the formation."

"This is your only mission."

I took a deep breath to suppress my unease.

Su Mingyue is right.

Now is not the time to act on emotions.

Zhao Tiezhu chose to cover the rear because he believed I could complete the mission.

I cannot betray his trust.

"I understand," I said. "Tell me how to open the door."

"I've cracked the lock," Su Mingyue said. "Just place your palm on the sensor area on the door, and it will open."

"but......"

"But what?"

"There's someone behind the door." Su Mingyue's voice turned heavy. "The Seventh Apostle is waiting for you there."

I stood in front of the iron gate, looking at the heavy metal door.

Behind the door was the Seventh Apostle.

That is the core of Guixu.

This is the final checkpoint in this operation.

"Old Lin," Su Mingyue's voice came through, "If you want to back out now, it's not too late. I can notify Chen Xuan to send someone to pick you up."

"No need," I said.

Are you sure?

"Sure."

I reached out and pressed the sensor area on the door.

The door slowly opened.

A blinding light shone from behind the door, forcing me to squint.

Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I was finally able to see the scene behind the door.

It was a huge circular hall.

The floor of the hall was covered with intricate array patterns, radiating a ghostly blue light.

In the center of the hall was a huge altar, on which floated a crystal that emitted a dazzling light.

That crystal...

Those are fragments of the origin.

I could feel the terrifying power it contained, as if the rules of the entire world were condensed into that tiny crystal.

Beside the altar, a white figure stood quietly with its back to me.

The Seventh Apostle.

"You've come," he said, his voice calm as still water. "Lin Zhengyang's son."

He turned around, his silver eyes staring straight at me.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."