I chose the safe house, and the Human Alliance regretted it.

Four days.

This number weighed heavily on the chests of every researcher.

The turning point in the fate of all humanity may be just four days from now.

Dean Zhang didn't say anything more, turned around and left the research room, walking deeper into the passageway.

"Let's go check out the Traditional Martial Arts Research Group."

Old Zhou and the others quickly followed.

The door to room S-101 closed slowly behind us.

Wang Teng was the only one left in the room.

He stood there, staring at the broken crystal fragment on the test table.

A moment later, he pressed a red button on the wall.

"Bring the dog in."

A moment later, the door opened again.

Two researchers dragged in a dog that was barely alive.

When it saw Wang Teng, it struggled desperately and let out a muffled cry.

"Baka..."

Wang Teng glanced at it, his face expressionless.

"Secure it."

The two researchers secured the dog to the test bench and connected it to the energy monitoring equipment.

Wang Teng aimed the metal piece with the replicated rune lines at the dog's body and adjusted the angle.

"First layer activated."

A faint red light shone from the surface of the metal sheet.

The dog's body trembled violently, its limbs stiffened, and a low whimper came from its throat.

"Second layer activation".

The red light grew even brighter.

The energy fluctuations in the air intensified significantly, causing the dog's body to tremble violently, its fur to stand on end, and its eyes to become bloodshot.

"Third layer activated."

"Bang—"

On the experimental table, the dog's body exploded.

Torn to pieces, blood and flesh splattered, splashing onto the bulletproof glass and slowly sliding down.

Wang Teng's eyes lit up; there was no fear, no nausea, only excitement.

He stared at the fluctuating curve on the energy monitoring equipment and quickly jotted down a few lines in his notebook:

"Eliminate an incorrect pattern direction. Rotating the bottom line by 30 degrees has no effect; energy overload has caused the organism to disintegrate."

He raised his head, his eyes filled with fervor.

"Bring another dog in. This time, try turning the stripe down 31 degrees."

Meanwhile, Dean Zhang and his entourage continued deeper along the main passage.

The underground research space is vast.

Every so often there is a heavy alloy door that requires triple verification: fingerprint, iris, and voiceprint.

The main passageway is about six meters wide, with transparent observation rooms on both sides. Through the thick bulletproof glass, you can see the busy researchers inside.

The observation rooms vary in size, some being only a dozen square meters and others over a hundred square meters, designed according to the needs of different research projects.

The floor of the passageway is covered with anti-static rubber, so there is no sound when you step on it; only the hum of the instruments running echoes in the air.

After walking along the main passage for about ten minutes, the scene began to change.

The observation rooms on both sides gradually decreased, and were replaced by enclosed storage rooms.

Through the tempered glass, you can see a large number of human skeletons displayed inside.

Some skeletons also have artificial muscles and simulated skin attached, which are fixed with metal frames to maintain various postures.

This is the area for the Traditional Martial Arts Research Group.

Dean Zhang and his entourage stopped in front of room SSS-001.

A researcher stepped forward to enter a password, verify fingerprints, and undergo iris scanning.

The door opened slowly, making a dull hydraulic sound.

The interior space is about 200 square meters, with more than a dozen huge electronic screens on the walls, displaying diagrams of human meridians, acupoint distribution, and the flow of supernatural energy.

On the dissection table, there was a human model—not a plastic model, but one made from a real human specimen, complete with muscles, veins, and bones, marked with different colors.

Some specimens are being laser scanned, and the 3D modeled images are displayed in real time on the screen next to them.

Several elderly men with gray hair were busy at work. When they saw Dean Zhang enter, they all looked up.

One of the elderly men, with snow-white hair and wearing reading glasses, exclaimed in surprise, "Dean Zhang, what brings you here?"

He is Lao Sun, the head of the Traditional Martial Arts Research Group. He is 67 years old this year and has been studying the relationship between traditional martial arts and the human body's meridians since before the disaster.

After the catastrophe, his research suddenly shifted from "metaphysics" to "science".

Because superpowers can indeed operate according to the energy flow patterns of traditional martial arts.

Dean Zhang walked in slowly, while Lao Zhou and the others waited outside.

"Let me check on the progress," Dean Zhang asked softly. "How far have we progressed in researching the relationship between traditional martial arts techniques and supernatural abilities?"

Old Sun gave a helpless, bitter smile and pushed up his glasses.

"We still know what happened, but not why it happened."

He walked to an electronic screen and pointed to a comparison chart on it: "Superpowers can operate according to the traditional martial arts energy cultivation path, and can unleash more than twice the power. We have already confirmed this through numerous experiments."

He paused, then changed the subject: "But why does circulating energy along the meridian pathways amplify the power of supernatural abilities? We still don't understand."

"Is it that the meridians themselves possess superior energy conduction capabilities? Or has the traditional martial arts technique unintentionally aligned with some deeper principle?"

He shook his head: "I don't know."

Dean Zhang took a deep breath: "You need to speed things up. We don't have much time left."

Upon hearing this, Old Sun nodded emphatically.

But he hesitated for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"What is it?" Dean Zhang frowned. "Speak your mind."

Old Sun glanced around and lowered his voice: "Why not involve the Xie family, the Zhang family, or even the prophet Chen Junjie? I think if the prophet could deduce and foresee the future, all of this would become clear."

"No way!" Dean Zhang sternly rejected the idea.

Old Sun was taken aback, not expecting Dean Zhang to react so strongly.

Dean Zhang calmed himself down and said, "Chen Junjie could foresee things, but there were limitations."

His voice returned to calm, "As long as he is assured that the people here have no relation or connection with him, it is impossible for him to know everything here out of thin air."

"Why do this?" Old Sun asked, puzzled. "Why keep it from the Prophet?"

Dean Zhang turned around, looked at him, and his gaze was deep.

"Because humanity does not need an omniscient and omnipotent god."

Old Sun's pupils contracted slightly.

Dean Zhang said, emphasizing each word: "An absolutely invincible, uncontrollable, and indestructible individual is the highest level of eternal threat to all of humanity. Its danger level even exceeds that of a calamity."

"This..." Old Sun showed a hint of struggle.

"The prophet is indeed serving all mankind today, but what about tomorrow? Ten years from now? A hundred years from now?"

Dean Zhang continued, "Who can guarantee that he will always be just?"

"Instead of betting that he will always be kind, it's better to prepare for what to do before he becomes invincible."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room.

"The reason the prophet is alive now is because he only has a support-type ability."

"If it is discovered that he is out of control, or that his abilities have developed to a point where they threaten human civilization—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood.

Old Sun remained silent for a long time before finally lowering his head: "I understand. The legendary general is one of our own trump cards, not relying on the prophet."

Dean Zhang nodded, his tone softening somewhat:

"Old Sun, this isn't about Chen Junjie as a person. It's about being responsible for future generations."

No country or organization will allow the existence of a truly invincible individual. This is not a matter of right or wrong; it is the law of survival.

The research room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

........

In the capital city, in the secret underground chamber of the alliance headquarters.

The five people sat cross-legged in a circle.

Qian Mengxun sat in the north, while the other three occupied different areas, with one person sitting in the center.

Their eyes were closed, their breathing gradually synchronized, and the fluctuations of their supernatural abilities intertwined and resonated in the air.

The energies of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—flowed from the five people's bodies, like five different colored threads, weaving together in the darkness.

The sharpness of gold, the vitality of green, the suppleness of blue, the heat of red, and the richness of yellow—they nourish and promote each other, forming a perfect cycle.

Five-colored light shone from their bodies simultaneously, condensing into a huge five-colored halo above their heads.

Five Elements Ring.

The halo slowly rotated, radiating a chilling pressure.

The entire chamber trembled slightly, the energy density in the air rose sharply, and dust fell from the walls.

Qian Mengxun felt her superpowers growing rapidly.

It's not a slow increase, it's a surge, rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.

But the other four were clearly struggling to cope; their bodies began to tremble slightly, and veins bulged on their foreheads.

"Continue!" Qian Mengxun gritted her teeth. "Otherwise, we'll only become sacrifices!"

The word "sacrifice" was like a knife, piercing the hearts of the other four people.

They gritted their teeth and persevered, daring not to slacken in the slightest.

The five of them did not stop their cultivation until the next morning.

Qian Mengxun opened her eyes, a glint of icy blue light flashing within them.

Her aura was much stronger than yesterday.

This is her fourth day back in the capital.

For four days, she secretly practiced the Five Elements Technique with these four people.

In just four days, the strength of the five of them has undergone tremendous changes.

"Almost there..." she murmured to herself, standing up.

The other four slumped on the ground, panting heavily, their faces pale, but their eyes were full of excitement.

Their strength has also made a qualitative leap.

"That's all for today." Qian Mengxun resumed her usual submissive demeanor. "Old Liu will be back soon. We can't let him find out."

The four men froze, quickly withdrew their supernatural energy fluctuations, and dispersed.

Qian Mengxun stepped out of the secret room, changed into a plain-colored coat, and tied her long hair back.

"Give me two more days..." She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, "That's enough."