After the internet was disconnected, I connected to the magic world.

Officer Li stood at the end of the corridor, his phone between his fingers, his face paler than the corridor's fluorescent lights.

The phone rang three times before being answered, and a lazy voice came from the other end:

"Old Li? What's up so early in the morning?"

"Old Zhou, something strange has happened on my end, and I need to report it to your Special Investigations Department."

Officer Li lowered his voice and glanced back in the direction of the interrogation room.

"We caught a man who had a standard-issue peach wood badge on him. He was incredibly strong; he could crush a thick stainless steel cup with just two fingers."

"Squeeze the water glass?" The voice on the other end instantly perked up.

"Did you take drugs? Or have you been training?"

"Neither," Officer Li said with a wry smile.

He said he dreamed of entering a different world called Kyushu, where he learned martial arts and developed internal strength. The wooden plaque was the key.

He's not the only one; many people across the country have this brand, and it even allows cross-regional chat.

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a sneer:

"Old Li, are you telling me a fantasy story? Has that kid been reading too many novels and is just making things up?"

"At first I also thought it was nonsense," Officer Li said solemnly.

"But that strength was real. I saw it with my own eyes, two fingers, a 304 stainless steel cup, like kneading clay."

Moreover, we have monitored and compared data, and found that dozens of people in more than a dozen cities across the country are wearing the same wooden badges.

Their behavior patterns are exactly the same—talking to thin air, pointing with their fingers—and they don't know each other. Surely they couldn't have agreed to pretend to be crazy together?

The laughter from the other side stopped abruptly.

A few seconds later, Zhou Yang's voice became completely serious:

"Keep an eye on him, don't touch him, and don't tell anyone. I'll take men there immediately, we should be there in two hours at most."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

After hanging up the phone, Officer Li breathed a sigh of relief.

This matter is beyond the jurisdiction of the police station; it will save you trouble if you hand it over to them.

He glanced back at the interrogation room, still feeling uneasy.

Another world? Internal energy?

If that's true, it's absolutely outrageous.

Two hours later, a black SUV quietly drove into the backyard of the police station.

Three people came down. The man in the lead was in his thirties, with a buzz cut, sharp eyes, and wearing an ordinary jacket, but he exuded a capable air. He was Zhou Yang from the Municipal Special Affairs Bureau.

Two young men followed behind, one carrying a silver metal case and looking like a technician, and the other being physically strong and clearly a field worker.

"Where is he?" Zhou Yang asked, getting straight to the point as soon as they met.

"He's in the interrogation room, cooperating well, and hasn't caused any trouble." Officer Li led them inside.

"Everything is here: the water cup and the wooden plaque."

Zhou Yang picked up the peach wood plaque and examined it twice, turning it over and over.

It feels warm to the touch, with clear wood grain. The front is engraved with cloud patterns, while the back is bare, without any trace of electronic components, not even a crack.

"Ordinary peach wood?" He frowned and handed it to the technician behind him. "Xiao Wu, scan it."

"Okay, Team Leader Zhou."

Xiao Wu opened the metal box, took out a portable spectrum analyzer, and attached the probe to the token.

The lines that appeared on the instrument screen were as flat as straight lines.

"Team Leader Zhou, there are no electromagnetic signals or abnormal energy reactions."

Xiao Wu was also a bit confused. "It's just a piece of ordinary wood. The density and material are normal. There are no interlayers or chips."

Zhou Yang frowned even more deeply.

Without a chip, how would the so-called chat function and panel function be implemented?

Telepathy?

so funny.

"Let's go see this person."

The interrogation room door was pushed open, and Wang Hu looked up to see several strangers enter. Their aura was much stronger than that of the two policemen from before, and his heart skipped a beat, making him even more flustered.

Zhou Yang pulled up a chair and sat down, getting straight to the point without beating around the bush:

"Wang Hu, right? My surname is Zhou, and I specialize in these kinds of special events."

Please repeat what you said about the Nine Provinces world and the wooden plaque. Don't lie; we can verify it.

Wang Hu could tell from his eyes that this was a high-ranking official, so he dared not hide anything and recounted in detail how he received the token.

They even went over how to enter the Nine Provinces, how to join a sect and practice martial arts, and how spirit stones could be exchanged for pills.

Zhou Yang listened expressionlessly, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

Only after Wang Hu finished speaking did he ask, "You said you've cultivated internal energy?"

"Yes...yes." Wang Hu nodded.

"Let me demonstrate." Zhou Yang winked at the field clerk next to him. "Bring the force gauge."

The field staff quickly brought over a portable punching power tester and placed it in the corner.

"Punch with all your might."

Wang Hu dared not hold back. He walked to the testing device, took a deep breath, and sent a faint wisp of internal energy from his dantian to his right arm.

He used to train in boxing at the gym, and his heaviest punch was only about 180 kilograms.

Today he wants to see how far he can go with the help of internal energy.

"drink!"

With a low shout, he slammed his right fist out.

boom!

With a muffled thud, the numbers on the testing instrument screen jumped wildly, finally settling at 327 kilograms.

The people in the room were stunned.

Xiao Wu pushed up his glasses, looking incredulous: "Three hundred and twenty-seven kilograms?"

This is the level of a professional heavyweight boxer! With that physique, it's impossible for him to have not received professional training!

Zhou Yang's expression changed as well.

He was a trained martial artist and knew very well what this number meant.

An average person's full-force punch weighs around 100 kilograms, someone who trains regularly can reach 150 kilograms, and a professional boxer's is around 200 kilograms.

Over 300 kilograms is far beyond the limits of normal human beings.

And this is only what Wang Hu called "just getting started, the early stage of acquired skills".

If you train to a high level, wouldn't you be able to demolish walls with your bare hands?

"Try your grip strength again."

Wang Hu did as instructed, gripped the grip strength meter, and with a little force, the number jumped directly to 120 kilograms and was still slowly rising.

Zhou Yang's expression turned completely serious.

Real, solid data doesn't lie.

What Wang Hu said is most likely true.

"Please show me that panel you mentioned."

Wang Hu picked up the peach wood plaque on the table, a thought forming in his mind.

"The police officer was brought up; it's a semi-transparent blue screen with functions like personal information, cultivation techniques, inventory, friends, and world channel."

The group of people looked at each other in bewilderment.

They saw nothing.

Xiao Wu held the spectrum analyzer up and down in front of Wang Hu's face, but the screen remained flat.

There was no light, no signal, nothing at all.

But Wang Hu could accurately report what was being discussed on the world channel:

"Now some people are asking where to find spirit stones..."

If this is true, it is completely beyond the scope of current scientific understanding.

"Captain Zhou, this matter..." Xiao Wu swallowed hard, "is a bit strange."

Zhou Yang didn't say anything, stood up, walked outside, took out his phone, and dialed the number of the Special Investigation Division of the Provincial Department.

Ten minutes later, the message was reported up the chain of command and reached the headquarters of the Special Affairs Bureau in Beijing.

In the director's office, Chen Feng looked at the report that had just been sent to him, pinching his brow with his fingers, and remained silent for a long time.

The report included a video showing Wang Hu punching something weighing over 300 kilograms, as well as a photo of a crushed stainless steel water cup.

And a preliminary list of 37 suspected cases nationwide.

Thirty-seven individuals, distributed across eleven provinces, unconnected to each other, all exhibited the same peach wood sign and displayed unusual behavior.

The official explanation: They entered the world of Kyushu in their dreams, cultivated martial arts, and gained extraordinary power.

"Ridiculous," Chen Feng muttered, but didn't throw the report away.

He worked in special operations for twenty years and witnessed many unbelievable things.

The more outrageous something seems, the more likely it is to hide the truth.

"Notify everyone that there will be a meeting in the small conference room in half an hour."

Chen Feng pressed the internal phone button and said, "Compile all the abnormal token incidents from various places, as well as Wang Hu's interrogation records and test videos. Send a copy to everyone."

"Also, tell the Beicheng City Police Bureau to keep the person with them for now, keep a close eye on them, don't let them escape, and don't make things difficult for them."

"Let Zhou Yang continue digging deeper, find out every detail about the Nine Provinces world—maps, factions, cultivation techniques, characters—as much as he can."

"Furthermore, issue a notice instructing the special investigation offices in all provinces and cities to immediately launch a comprehensive investigation."

Review all public surveillance footage, compare the owners of the same peach wood plaque, mark each one you find, and don't alert them yet; first, count the number of people and their distribution area.

A series of orders were issued in an orderly manner.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Feng stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the bustling traffic of Beijing continues unabated, its prosperity undiminished.

But he had a vague premonition.

The peaceful days are probably coming to an end.

If that Nine Provinces world is real, if extraordinary powers can truly become widespread.

The entire social order will undergo a dramatic and upheaval.

Now, they have no idea who their opponent is, what their objective is, or whether there is any danger.