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

I took a step back, the jammer in my hand buzzing.

"You don't understand," I said. "The cost isn't a burden, it's a balancing factor."

"Oh?" The Seventh Apostle raised an eyebrow. "Then let me see how long your 'balance' can last."

He moved.

It wasn't just movement; it was a sudden surge in one's overall presence.

I felt an invisible force pressing down on me, as if the entire space was squeezing me. Numbers.

An endless number of numbers.

"Seven." The Seventh Apostle's voice rang in my ears, "I bestowed upon this world its first rule."

I looked down and realized that my feet had stopped moving at some point.

Looking down, I saw a huge "7" appear on the ground beneath my feet, the number emitting a ghostly blue light that firmly held my feet in place.

"The number 7 is forbidden." I gritted my teeth. "Your ability to govern rules?"

"It's not just a taboo," the Seventh Apostle approached slowly, "it's a law. It's one of the fundamental logics of this world."

"In the realm of numbers, no one can beat me."

He reached out and pointed to my forehead.

"Within seven steps, you will be unable to move."

I felt a sharp pain coming from the soles of my feet.

Looking down, I saw the number "7" slowly climbing up my body, from my ankles to my calves, and from my calves to my knees.

With every inch I climb, I lose a little more control over my body.

"Lin Xiaofan." The Seventh Apostle's voice was eerily calm. "You now have two choices."

"First, accept my rules and become the master of the digital realm."

"Second, to be swallowed by the rules and become the seventh sacrifice."

I did not answer.

Because I am feeling it.

Feel the rule and logic behind the number "7".

It is not a mere confinement, but a deeper kind of "constraint." It defines the special nature of the number "7" and grants it power that transcends other numbers.

"I see," I murmured.

"What?" The Seventh Apostle frowned.

"Your rules are essentially a 'hierarchy of numbers.'" I looked up, meeting his silver eyes directly. "You consider 7 special, superior to everything else."

"But have you ever considered what if everyone thought the other number was more special?"

The Seventh Apostle's expression changed.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm not talking nonsense." A slight smile played on my lips. "Your rule is 'granting 7 special powers.'"

"And my rule is—"

I closed my eyes, and the scales of cost spun rapidly in my mind.

"—The average distribution of costs."

boom.

A surge of power erupted from within me.

It's not confrontation, it's "dispersion".

I felt the "7" rule within me being broken down. Not destroyed, but dismantled into countless small fragments, which were then evenly distributed to the surrounding environment.

The ground beneath my feet.

The ceiling above my head.

The four stone pillars surrounding it.

Even the altar itself.

Each place that received the "7" fragment briefly flashed with a ghostly blue light.

"You—" The Seventh Apostle's eyes widened.

"This is the new capability of the cost balance." I opened my eyes. "Multi-objective cost allocation."

"I can distribute a rule, or a cost, across multiple objectives."

"Each goal only requires one-seventh, or even less, of the pressure."

"That way, I won't be crushed by your rules."

The seventh apostle took a step back.

This was the first time he had stepped back.

"You did it." He stared at me, his tone complex. "You really did it."

"The core of the cost-benefit balance is not just 'transfer,' but 'balance.'"

"You can distribute the cost across multiple objectives, making each objective bear a portion."

"This is the true power of the Balancer."

I took a step forward.

Strangely, this time I was able to move.

Because the rule of the number "7" is no longer focused on me. It has been distributed among ten targets—the ground, the ceiling, the four pillars, the altar, the Seventh Apostle himself, and myself.

Each person only needs to bear one-tenth of the pressure.

"Now, our power over the rules is equal," I said.

The Seventh Apostle remained silent for a moment.

Then he smiled.

It was a genuine smile from the heart.

"Interesting," he said. "Really interesting."

"Lin Xiaofan, you have much more potential than I imagined."

"Your father could never have done that at your age."

"I'm starting to look forward to it."

"What are you expecting?" I asked cautiously.

"I look forward to your true awakening." The Seventh Apostle took a few steps back. "The day you fully grasp the scales of justice."

"Perhaps one day, we will have a truly spectacular showdown."

He raised his hand, and the primal fragments on the altar began to vibrate.

"Today's testing is over," he said. "I got the data I wanted."

"Lin Xiaofan, cherish your time."

"Next time we meet, I won't hold back."

The light shone brightly.

The Seventh Apostle's figure began to fade, as if being pulled by some force.

He looked at me one last time before disappearing.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something."

"Your father's death is not solely the responsibility of Guixu."

"Some people within the General Administration were also involved in that ambush."

Want to know who it is?

"File S-107."

His voice echoed in the air.

"The answer is in that file."

The Seventh Apostle disappeared.

The primordial fragments on the altar also disappeared.

The entire underground space was plunged into darkness.

I stood there, my heart pounding.

S-107?

The truth behind the parents' deaths?

Was someone within the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television involved?

Countless questions flooded my mind.

But before I could even sort out my thoughts, a strong feeling of weakness washed over me.

"Lin Xiaofan!" Chen Xuan's voice came through the communicator, "Are you alright?"

"I..." I opened my mouth and found my voice was terribly hoarse.

Looking down, I realized my hands were trembling.

Not just hands.

My whole body was trembling.

The "multi-objective allocation" I just did consumed a lot of my energy.

The scales of cost buzzed in my mind, as if reminding me of something.

I subconsciously glanced at my status.

Instantly, my heart sank.

Remaining lifespan: 26 years and 3 months.

It's three months less than before.

"Lin Xiaofan, where are you?" Chen Xuan's voice rang out again.

"The library... the basement..." I answered with difficulty.

"I'm coming right away. Stay where you are and don't move."

Communication was lost.

I slid down the wall and onto the floor, panting heavily.

My mind is a mess.

The words of the Seventh Apostle kept echoing in my ears.

The truth behind the parents' deaths. File S-107. Someone within the General Administration was involved.

These messages were like knives, piercing my heart.

"Why..." I murmured to myself.

Why is the truth still shrouded in mystery even after so many years since my father died?

Why are there so many secrets hidden behind what I thought was "safety"?

Why would someone from such a seemingly righteous organization as the General Administration participate in that siege?

I looked up at the darkness above me.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

"etc."

"Why did the Seventh Apostle tell me all this?"

"If he's an enemy, why would he tell me such important information?"

"Could it be...?"

My pupils suddenly contracted.

"He wants me to look up this file?"

"He wants to make...me hate the General Headquarters?"

Footsteps came from afar.

I looked up and saw Chen Xuan's figure appear at the end of the passage.

"Lin Xiaofan!" He walked over quickly and squatted down in front of me. "Are you alright?"

"It's...it's alright." I forced a smile.

Chen Xuan looked me up and down, his expression grave.

"You have more gray hair now," he said softly.

I reached out and touched my temple, and sure enough, I felt a strand of unfamiliar white hair.

"The battle just now took a lot of energy," I said.

"It's not just about combat," Chen Xuan shook his head. "Multi-target allocation is a high-level ability of the cost-balancing mechanism."

"Your energy expenditure just now exceeded the normal range."

"Your body is still developing; enduring this level of strain will affect your foundation."

I was silent.

Chen Xuan sighed and stood up.

"Let's go back first," he said. "We can discuss any problems there."

"Wait," I called out to him.

"What's wrong?"

I hesitated for a moment, but still asked.

"Uncle Chen, do you know about file S-107?"

Chen Xuan's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

Where did you hear that name from?

"Just now... the Seventh Apostle told me," I looked him straight in the eye. "He said that the deaths of my parents were not solely the responsibility of Guixu."

"Some people within the General Administration were also involved in the assassination attempt."

"The answer is in that file."

Chen Xuan remained silent for a long time.

It went on for so long that I thought he wouldn't answer anymore.

"That file is top secret," he finally said. "I don't have permission to access it either."

"But I can tell you one thing."

"Shortly after your parents' incident, a major purge was carried out within the General Administration."

"Many high-ranking officials have been dismissed or transferred."

"The justification for that purge was 'collaboration with the enemy.'"

"As for whether the cleaning was thorough... I don't know."

His tone was calm, but I could sense the complexity within it.

"Uncle Chen, you suspect..."

"I don't doubt anything," Chen Xuan interrupted me. "I only know one thing."

"Some truths, once known, become a burden."

Are you sure you're ready?

I did not answer.

Because I don't know the answer.

I remained silent throughout the journey back.

Chen Xuan didn't say anything, he just drove silently.

Outside the car window, the night view of Jiangcheng rushed past.

Neon lights flashed, skyscrapers stood tall, and everything seemed so normal.

But I know that countless secrets are hidden beneath this city.

The secret of Guixu.

The General Administration's secret.

Also, the truth about my parents' deaths.

"Multi-target allocation," I murmured.

"What?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Nothing," I shook my head, "I was just thinking about the fight."

"You did it," Chen Xuan said. "You've mastered an ability that many balancers can't learn in their entire lives."

"But the price is that your lifespan is shortened."

"I know."

"You know you still want to continue?"

I remained silent for a while.

"This is my choice."

"I don't want to passively wait for fate to decide."

"I want to take the initiative to make changes."

Chen Xuan glanced at me in the rearview mirror but didn't say anything.

But there was something in his eyes that I couldn't understand.

Relief? Worry? Or... fear?

It was already 2 a.m. when I got back to my place.

I lay in bed, but I just couldn't fall asleep.

My mind keeps replaying everything that happened today.

The Seventh Apostle's "Number 7 Taboo".

The "multi-objective allocation" of the cost balance.

And then there's that mysterious S-107 file.

"Cost economics..." I murmured.

The three rules I learned today came to mind.

Supply and demand affect prices.

World events affect exchange rates.

Cognitive biases create arbitrage opportunities.

What if we apply these principles to combat?

"Perhaps..." I rolled over, "the scales of consequences have more possibilities."

"It's not just about relocation, it's not just about dispersal."

"And... allocation?"

"shared?"

"still......"

As I pondered these thoughts, I finally drifted off to sleep.

In my dream, I saw a giant scale.

One side of the scale is my lifespan.

The other end is...

Another version of myself.