Chapter 359: Searching and Revival

Chapter 359 -361: Searching and Revival

At Dominic Manor, the main French Branch of the Dawn Association, the twin brothers stood surrounded by a massive central screen.

The equipment itself was standard technology, originally consisting of just a dozen or so small monitors. However, the Secret Realm could project the images from these displays.

This created a sci-fi-like effect, making the brothers feel as though they were surrounded by virtual screens.

As rare technological geniuses who had long since awakened their Magic Power, the two brothers had achieved major breakthroughs in memory, reflexes, and even a strange, almost mystical intuition.

Combined with the natural telepathy of twins, they could achieve a synergy where the sum was greater than its parts even in combat, an area they weren’t skilled in—to say nothing of their expertise in technology.

It was a case of ‘master one, master all.’ As cutting-edge experts, they were already proficient in numerous technologies, but now, it was like they were using cheat codes.

A dazzling flurry of screen changes followed. Various images constantly appeared and disappeared in the Secret Realm’s sky, while data streamed across the main screen like a waterfall.

Each brother had a keyboard, and their typing was a continuous, dense clatter. An ordinary person couldn’t even distinguish which keys their fingers hit, seeing only a blur of motion over the keyboard.

Standing to the side, Qin Xiaoxia could see their every movement. He could see all the images projected within the Secret Realm and could even track the flow of every single data set.

But he couldn’t quite grasp what it all meant when put together.

It felt like someone used to a Windows operating system suddenly trying to make sense of DOS.

“Master Sage, a significant number of doomsday rumors have appeared online around the world, but the vast majority of internet users are ignoring them.”

“And since the theories behind most of these rumors don’t hold water, the people who do see them are mostly skeptical.”

Qin Xiaoxia had expected as much.

After all, now wasn’t the right time for a full public disclosure. Even if a few clever people figured it out, they would surely take advantage of others’ ignorance to quickly build their own advantages.

“So what about the ones who believe, or have figured it out for themselves?”

This question from Master Sage was a secondary objective, separate from the twin brothers’ main task for the day.

“Heh heh, there are actually quite a few. This world isn’t short on smart people.”

The older of the two brothers lightly tapped a few keys. SWISH.

A dense array of screens filled the sky above, each projection within the Secret Realm playing out a vibrant scene.

There was footage from traffic cameras, supermarket surveillance, bank security, residential complex CCTV, and even private home security systems.

This was the content the twin brothers had spent an immense amount of effort to screen and select.

Qin Xiaoxia’s brow twitched. The sheer number of screens was astounding; they completely filled the vast space of the Secret Realm. But considering they were drawn from a significant portion of the modern world, it was understandable.

Finding this many among several billion people wasn’t strange at all.

And why only a portion of the modern world?

The twin brothers may have awakened Magic Power and possessed off-the-charts technical skills, but they were still just two people, not gods. They couldn’t access places with no cameras or internet connection; at best, they could only view them through satellite imagery.

Everyone, including the members of the French Branch and Su Su, watched the screens in the air.

Some of the scenes were particularly representative.

One showed a couple frantically shopping at a supermarket. You could tell something was up from the way they only selected things like crackers and canned goods, picked out large jugs and bottles of water, and made trip after trip to various stores.

Others showed young people at pharmacies buying common medicines. Painkillers, blood-clotting agents, antibiotics, and immune system boosters were their top priorities, followed by remedies for common illnesses.

Interestingly, one screen showed a man deliberately buying boxes and boxes of condoms.

Some footage from home security systems showed people reinforcing their houses, raising their perimeter walls, or welding metal bars over their doors and windows.

Wealthier individuals were more direct. The screens showed no shortage of special shelter-like structures—some pre-built, others converted from sturdy existing buildings. Details from elevator cameras and the like revealed that these shelters existed both above and below ground.

Then there were even more interesting types: people who were passionate about sharing their findings online. Many of them presented their cases quite eloquently.

But judging by the constantly refreshing stats on their computers and footage from their own home security, some of them seemed more concerned with how many likes they were getting, which was a bit baffling.

However, there were also those who remained calm throughout the entire process, from discovery to action, as well as those who genuinely wanted to help others and relentlessly investigated the truth. These were the true bright spots.

While such preppers made up the vast majority of this chaotic montage, the number of ‘bright spots’ was by no means small.

“Hmm, a fair number of these have to be paranoids with a persecution complex, right?”

Brown commented casually, cringing as he watched some of the feeds. ℯ

The younger twin responded with a sharp snap of his fingers.

“Exactly. A portion of these people did the same sort of thing back before 2012. They’re definitely the type you’re talking about.”

Qin Xiaoxia gazed at the screens, lost in thought for a moment before sighing internally.

‘Finding these clever people is just a side benefit. The sheer volume of information is too massive. It’s impossible to get the specific results I’m really looking for right this second.’

“I’ll have to trouble you with the detailed filtering. Post any suitable candidates for recruitment into the Dawn Association on our internal software, according to our requirements. If the specific kind of person or event I’m looking for appears, notify me immediately!”

He turned to face the group from the French Branch—at least a hundred people were present.

“You all should help. Don’t let these two do all the hard work; they have to continuously monitor a massive amount of information and surveillance feeds.”

Just as Philier, Brown, and the others were about to agree, the twin brothers jeered in unison.

“This troop of apes who just learned to walk upright will only get in the way. The two of us are enough!”

It was a provocative statement, as was evident from the twitching brows of Brown and the others.

Qin Xiaoxia thought about it very seriously. ‘Does that mean I’m an ‘upright ape’ too?’

“Oh, Master Sage, what if a target is a person who’s already affiliated with a government agency or a private faction?”

In response to the Oliers Brothers’ question, Qin Xiaoxia just smiled.

“If they’re with a government agency, let it go. We can give them a friendly warning after we learn more. If they’re with a private faction, continue to track them and report to me. I’ll decide what to do from there. As long as you can find the slightest shred of information, the Witch’s divination can get a precise lock on them.”

The feedback from his tentative communication with the Mother of the World wasn’t just about the collision with the Otherworld. It also included information on special changes that already existed, or would soon exist, in their own world.

Some of these changes were bad, while others were beneficial.

It was just like with the Holy Spirit. The reason Su Su had suddenly foreseen Zhang Yi’s impending death was due to the influence of the Power of the World. If the Dawn Association hadn’t intervened, Zhang Yi would have truly died a meaningless death, and the Holy Spirit would never have appeared.

During that brief, hazy exchange, Qin Xiaoxia had realized something.

The World itself had a different perspective on what was important compared to humanity. The Dawn Association had indeed caught the World’s attention and was even somewhat favored. But the World’s focus was inevitably not as petty as that of the creatures living upon it, which also meant it could easily overlook certain things.

Qin Xiaoxia wanted to find those overlooked details within that difference in perspective.

Whether it was to increase the Dawn Association’s strength or eliminate hidden threats, every little advantage for the future counted.

The clues he provided were rather ambiguous, but that was because the World’s feedback had been just as vague. However, as individuals with a unique magical affinity, the twin brothers ought to have a special intuition that would aid them in their information retrieval and constant monitoring.

A magical affinity for networks and related technology that could influence the operation of electronic devices and extend their mental senses—they were likely one of a kind in any world.

While the effect wasn’t too exaggerated due to the limits of their Magic Power, it still enhanced their sensitivity when sensing things through layers of data.

“Alright, I’ll leave things here to you. I’m heading out. Brown, with me!”

With one last glance at the Secret Realm, which looked more like a sci-fi command center than a place of mystique, Qin Xiaoxia led Su Su and Brown into the Technique Array that had materialized before them.

…

「After leaving the manor’s Secret Realm, they returned to headquarters: the Qingzhen Secret Place.」

In the distance, the Red Demoness stood atop Jilian’s head and waved, greeting them from afar.

Ai You and Axi zipped over from the distance like two small points of light and threw themselves against Qin Xiaoxia’s chest, making Su Su, who stood to the side, just a little envious.

“Heh heh, getting impatient? The craving deep in your souls has been waiting for this moment for a very long time, hasn’t it?”

Hair made of pure light draped over most of Jilian’s bare back and hips. The tranquil flowerbeds and brilliant starlight made the behemoth look like a sleeping, otherworldly fairy.

“It is time to resurrect our Jilian!”

PS: Thursday’s second chapter.