As Xu Que reached out to pick up a blue orb, his eyes inadvertently swept across the item list, and in that fleeting moment, he nearly lost control of his excitement!
[You have obtained a D-grade item, Anchor Point Fragment.]
[Name: Anchor Point Fragment D-grade (current fragment half).]
[Quality: Excellent (Blue)]
[Note: Upon synthesizing this fragment into an Anchor Point Key, it can be used to locate lost dimensional artifacts.]
In his past life, such an item could not be properly documented due to the controversy surrounding it.
For ordinary ability users, the concept of an Anchor Point Space was nothing short of a gamble with life and death—a single misstep could spell the end.
As the name implied, an Anchor Point Key was a key to another spatial node, linking different dimensions.
Many had used such items in the past, and those fortunate enough could retrieve valuable treasures from this special space. However, those who were unlucky met a grim fate—often a deadly one. Yet, there was an exception: a cursed group of individuals who were bound to this strange fate.
But Xu Que's story was different. In his previous life, he had been drained by bloodsuckers to the brink of death, but it was thanks to the Anchor Point Key that he managed to survive.
Three years after the Abyssal Descent, Xu Que had joined Duan Jiude in a dimensional space expedition in the city of Xishi, aiming to help Liu Ruoyan secure the final spot on the Alchemist Rankings.
Although the mission was perilous, Xu Que had obtained an ancient parchment, one that would change his fate.
This parchment contained the correct usage of the Anchor Point Key.
From that moment on, every time Xu Que obtained an Anchor Point Key, he would retrieve numerous valuable items from the Anchor Point Space. This became one of the key reasons why Liu Ruoyan and the others kept Xu Que by their side.
At this very moment, the dimensional space trembled, and a blue portal appeared before Xu Que.
"Finally, I can leave!"
Stepping forward, Xu Que found himself transported to the location where he had previously been sent.
Turning around, he was surprised to find that the subway station was nowhere to be seen. In its place was nothing but an abandoned patch of land.
Xu Que didn't hurry to leave. Instead, he gently touched the air, and in an instant, the scenery before him transformed into a vast territory, the size of a football field.
Indeed, this was the Bend Point Effect...
Just as Xu Que began to examine the area, the sound of helicopters and armored vehicles approached from behind.
Moments later, dozens of fully-armed soldiers appeared in his line of sight.
Had they come due to the spatial fluctuation?
While Xu Que pondered how to deal with these officials, a loudspeaker from one of the helicopters blared.
"Attention, everyone! This area is extremely dangerous. Please evacuate immediately!"
Hearing this, Xu Que couldn't help but smile helplessly…
By now, he had figured out what was happening, but he didn't want to explain too much. After all, this dimensional space had now become his territory. It was better to leave quickly before anyone took notice.
As Xu Que started walking towards the soldiers, the territory behind him suddenly vanished, leaving everyone stunned.
"Wait!" A commanding officer hurriedly called out to him.
"Do you need something?" Xu Que replied coldly, turning to face him.
"Do you understand what has happened here?" the officer asked.
"You're asking where the subway station went, right?" Xu Que said with a casual glance at the fully-armed soldiers. "All I know is that it was swallowed by a dimensional rift. That's all I can tell you."
Seeing Xu Que's calm demeanor, the officer was curious but could tell that further questioning would yield no more answers. He nodded and allowed him to go.
Just as Xu Que turned to leave, a female communications officer approached him with a question.
"Was that strange phenomenon related to you?"
At her words, everyone suddenly recalled that when they arrived, they had seen a place that clearly did not belong to Blue Star. But after Xu Que had left, that scene had disappeared. Surely it had something to do with this young man before them?
Xu Que had already prepared his answer before leaving the dimensional space.
While he would eventually have to deal with the authorities, now was not the time. Not with his current bargaining power.
"The scene you're referring to, I saw it too. I was just curious and came to have a look, but I didn't expect to run into you soldiers."
His tone was flat, and there was not the slightest hint of a lie in his words.
"Let him go quickly," the commanding officer ordered with a wave. "We've got plenty of dimensional creatures around here."
The female communications officer understood that the order was directed at her.
"Sorry to have wasted your time. You can leave now," she saluted him.
Xu Que nodded and made his way toward his vehicle, not overly concerned about the incident.
As he walked away, the female communications officer leaned closer to the commanding officer.
"Sir, there's something about that man... he doesn't seem right."
"This world has changed beyond recognition. Who's normal anymore?" The officer shook his head and chuckled. "Let's just get on with our investigations and set up the defensive positions. We don't want any more dimensional creatures showing up."
"Yes, sir!" The communications officer saluted and quickly relayed the orders.
Watching the soldiers prepare their defenses, Xu Que briefly considered stepping forward to inform them that the dimensional rifts wouldn't appear here again. However, he decided against it.
Arriving at his car, Xu Que briefly checked the left front tire before starting the engine and driving off.
The once-bustling Magic City now felt eerily quiet. Not only had the number of cars dramatically reduced, but the speed at which they were able to travel had also increased significantly.
Just as Xu Que was beginning to enjoy the peace, he was startled by the sight of an empty car blocking the road ahead.
With a deep sigh, he realized the road was now completely clogged. He had no choice but to get out and walk.
As he stepped out of the car and turned on his phone, it had barely been on for two seconds before a barrage of notifications flooded in.
Scanning the messages, he noticed over forty from Liu Ruoyan, a dozen from Ji Boda, and two from Shen Mengchu!
After glancing through Liu Ruoyan's messages, he found nothing but insults—none of them worth his time.
Without any change in expression, Xu Que opened Ji Boda's messages.
As he scrolled down, one particular message from Ji Boda caused a sinister smile to curl at the corners of his lips.
He hadn't expected that this time, the two of them had entered the special training camp early!
The Special Training Camp had been established just 24 hours after the Abyssal Descent, as part of a nationwide initiative to assemble elite teams to face the coming calamity.
In Xu Que's previous life, the camp had been disbanded before it had even lasted a year due to lack of resources and proper training methods.
Additionally, the rise of small, independent companies exposed the flaws within the national system, leading to the eventual dissolution of such organizations.
Xu Que then opened Shen Mengchu's messages. Though brief, they were filled with concern, which caused him to furrow his brow.
Recalling the past, Xu Que found it hard to believe that despite their short interaction, Shen Mengchu had always shown him care, often sending him messages to check on him...
It wasn't until the fifth year after the Abyssal Descent that he received news of her death.
Shen Mengchu, Liu Ruoyan, and Xu Que had all been alumni of the same university. Back then, Xu Que had made a name for himself by chasing after Liu Ruoyan, earning the nickname "Lick King" behind his back.
After thinking it over, Xu Que decided to reply to Shen Mengchu.
As he prepared to close his phone, her reply came in almost immediately.
"There are too many monsters outside. If you're short on food, you can come to Tianyuan Mansion to find me. I just received a large supply of monster meat."
Xu Que didn't worry about food shortages, knowing that in about twenty days, the system would open various stores where he could buy supplies. At that time, the first wave of dimensional creatures would invade.
Looking at Shen Mengchu's message, Xu Que felt a strange stir in his heart. He glanced at the meat in his inventory—there was enough to fill half a backpack. With some hesitation, he gathered the courage to send a message.
"Shen Mengchu, do you like me?"
Just as Xu Que wondered if his words had been too direct, her reply came instantly.
"Yes."