The night had long fallen, with neon lights flickering along the roadsides, and the city continued to pulse with boundless energy. Towering skyscrapers stood in rows, piercing the sky.
But if one were to gaze down from space, everything below would seem insignificant, reduced to mere dots on the earth's surface.
This was an extraordinary night, one destined to be anything but peaceful. Dozens of primary control rooms on the ground had locked onto the pitch-black sky.
In the desolate cosmos, nine dragon corpses gleamed with a metallic, cold sheen, their bodies covered in black scales the size of palm fans, shimmering with a sinister luster.
Dragons, mythical beings that should never have existed in this world, now hovered above the sky.
Captured from the depths of dark space, the image was awe-inspiring, evoking both fear and fascination. Their massive horns spread like ancient tree branches, both powerful and mysterious. Their bodies were mountain-like, strong and imposing, their scales like blades, glistening with cold light. They appeared grand and magnificent.
These nine colossal lifeless bodies were a huge shock to human cognition, overturning certain preconceived notions.
…
"Yefan, how has your life been these past three years?" Many people had shown concern and asked with genuine interest.
"It's been okay. My life has been pretty ordinary. Nothing special happened in the past three years…" Yefan responded.
At that moment, Liu Yunzhi and his table came over to offer drinks, delivering numerous congratulatory words. Everyone clinked glasses, making the atmosphere lively.
The people who had initially planned to reprimand Yefan didn't approach him for a separate toast. It wasn't until later when Lin Jia and Wang Ziwen came over, each taking a moment to drink with Yefan.
As the evening wore on, many guests had begun to feel drunk, and everyone moved on to karaoke. The singing seemed to transport them back to their youthful student days.
"How many people admired your beauty when you were young, but do you know who would endure the relentless changes of time? How many people came and went by your side, but do you know that in life, I'll always be by your side…"
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but a couple that had once dated in their school years, only to break up when they graduated, stood in silence.
As the music echoed, the female classmate suddenly lost control, her eyes brimming with tears as she sobbed uncontrollably. The others tried to comfort her.
For various reasons, none of the couples from their class had stayed together after graduation. Though they had tried to carefully nurture their relationships during their school years, none had lasted.
Graduation seemed to signify breakups—perhaps it was a curse. Every year, the same tragic story played out among graduating students.
Sadly, this tragedy would likely continue for years to come, fueled by youthful impulsiveness, employment pressures, societal conditions... and perhaps other factors.
Almost everyone sang songs from three years ago, some with great emotion, pulling everyone's thoughts back to those vivid moments from their student days.
Then, the "karaoke champion" appeared, a drunken classmate who monopolized the microphone for an extended period. However, their singing was far from pleasant, resembling a cacophony that assaulted the ears but somehow added to the humorous atmosphere, causing everyone to laugh in unison.
It wasn't until much later that everyone left Haishang Mingyue City. There were still events scheduled for the next day, including a visit to their alma mater.
Most of the classmates who had traveled from afar booked rooms in the same hotel, while the few who had cars volunteered to drive others there.
"Lin Jia, let me drive you back to the hotel." Liu Yunzhi parked his Toyota beside Lin Jia.
Some other classmates intended to take a taxi, and since there were limited seats in the cars nearby, they hesitated to ask to join Liu Yunzhi's group.
At this moment, a Mercedes-Benz pulled over, and Yefan got out, approaching a female classmate who appeared weary. "Let me drive you back," he said.
Yefan felt sympathy for this classmate. She had been a cheerful, innocent girl in university, often cheering for her peers on the football field, sometimes shyly offering them bottles of water.
Now, life's hardships had left her looking depressed, pale, and drained, speaking very little throughout the evening.
When she saw Yefan stop the car by the roadside and offer her a ride, she felt both grateful and overwhelmed. For the entire night, no one had paid her much attention, and she wasn't accustomed to such attention from her classmates.
On the other side, Liu Yunzhi, who saw Yefan approaching in his car, was initially stunned. His expression quickly darkened.
Around them, many people wore expressions ranging from confusion and disbelief to surprise and complexity.
Everyone unintentionally glanced at Liu Yunzhi, and the situation before them contradicted what he had earlier claimed.
At this moment, Liu Yunzhi felt his face burn, as if slapped hard.
The few classmates who had earlier lectured Yefan felt awkward, unsure of what to say.
A few others exchanged knowing glances, especially those who had shared drinks with Yefan. It seemed that this situation had dealt a blow to Liu Yunzhi and his group's image.
At that moment, two more people walked over, opened the car door, and sat inside—familiar classmates who were inseparable from Yefan.
The Mercedes-Benz gradually drove away, and many remained in a daze, while Liu Yunzhi stood stiffly, feeling the weight of the strange looks from everyone. It felt like a thorn in his back.
Meanwhile, far above in space, aboard the International Space Station, several astronauts appeared tense and alert, their nerves stretched to the limit. They were on high alert.
In the dark, cold expanse of space, the nine massive dragon corpses seemed timeless, with iron chains as thick as a bowl stretching across to connect them to a massive bronze coffin, evoking a sense of endless desolation and ancient history.
Ground control had already decided that if any major incident occurred, they would immediately destroy the nine dragon corpses and the mysterious bronze coffin.
But no one hoped that such an event would come to pass.
The Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin, from the depths of dark and desolate space, held immeasurable value and significance, far beyond human comprehension!
Suddenly, the main control room aboard the International Space Station detected a mysterious signal—a peculiar wave of energy emanating from the bronze coffin carried by the nine dragon corpses. It appeared to be coming from the ancient and obscure symbols engraved on it.
"It's impossible to decode..." The signal was transmitted back to Earth, where the most advanced supercomputers tried to decrypt it, but they couldn't make any sense of it.
The ancient symbols on the bronze coffin were covered in a layer of verdigris, making them nearly impossible to decipher completely.
"Preliminary analysis suggests that these symbols may be related to Chinese ancient mythology," the international control rooms collectively concluded. "The animal-shaped engravings on the bronze coffin resemble creatures from the Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas), and the figures depicted might be deities…"
Though some of the engravings were identified, the extremely faint and mysterious signal remained unsolvable, with no breakthrough in sight.