Reborn as a lotus, she initially refuses to hand it over to the state.

Not long after the conflict at Heilongshan ended, a video of only a dozen seconds in length went viral online late at night.

The video was extremely blurry, as if it was taken by a resident from outside the mountains, more than ten kilometers away.

In the darkness, three armed helicopters hovered low, with distant mountains shrouded in thick fog. Then, the footage showed missile exhaust tearing through the night sky.

Dozens of streaks of fire, trailing white lines, hurtled toward a certain spot in the mountains.

However, the next second, the camera shook wildly, and several huge black shadows suddenly rushed out of the thick fog.

Like vines, or some kind of giant tentacle, a helicopter explodes in mid-air.

Immediately following, the second and third planes exploded into fireballs within seconds.

At the end of the video, all that remains is the photographer's terrified scream.

"Holy crap! What is that thing?!"

The video ended abruptly there. In just twenty minutes, the entire internet was abuzz with discussion and comments online.

[#Military Operations in the Lingnan Mountains#]

[#The Truth Behind the Helicopter Crash#]

What exactly is in the mountains?

The trending topic skyrocketed, and the comment section completely spiraled out of control.

"Special effects, right?"

"Could your special effects be used on a military helicopter?"

"My friend lives in Linjiang, and he said the mountain is indeed closed off tonight; it's full of military vehicles!"

"Holy crap, could the spiritual energy really have revived?"

"No, isn't the point that thing can destroy a plane in a second?"

"I knew the animals had been acting strangely lately!"

Some people have also dug up recent strange phenomena across the country, such as videos of giant white tigers, attacks by strange beasts in deep mountains, and rivers suddenly swelling in certain areas.

Some people have even started compiling so-called "timelines of supernatural events." The various speculations are becoming increasingly outlandish.

Aliens, a secret realm opened, ancient gods resurrected, gods from parallel worlds invaded, and the internet was thrown into complete chaos.

However, just as the hype reached its peak, less than half an hour later, all the videos disappeared.

The trending topic was forcibly removed, and keyword searches became invalid.

It was as if it had never existed. This caused an even bigger uproar among netizens, because the faster it was deleted, the more real it seemed.

And just then, on a certain video platform, a male blogger with millions of followers, whose ID is 【老王不吃瓜】 (Old Wang Doesn't Eat Melons), who specializes in telling urban legends and strange tales, started a live broadcast late at night.

In the villa's living room, a man in his thirties with blond hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses and shorts, sat on the sofa. While drinking cola, he said to the camera, "Brothers, something's weird going on tonight."

The live stream was instantly flooded with hundreds of thousands of viewers, and the chat was buzzing with comments.

[Tell me! Do you know anything inside information?]

[Quickly tell me! What exactly happened?]

Is the video real?

The blond-haired man pushed up his glasses, looking mysterious: "Let me tell you first, I can't guarantee it's true, it's just a reasonable analysis."

"First, it's true that the authorities closed the mountain late at night; second, the helicopter was real; third, the videos were deleted incredibly quickly."

He paused, then deliberately lowered his voice: "Have you ever considered the possibility that there really is something in the mountains?"

The barrage of comments exploded instantly.

[Holy crap! Spiritual energy is reviving? You've been reading too many novels, haven't you? Could there really be monsters?]

Old Wang chuckled: "I'll make a bold guess: some kind of special life form may have been discovered in Lingnan, and it's quite powerful."

"So powerful that conventional weapons might be ineffective."

At this point, he suddenly leaned closer to the camera in a mysterious manner.

"I have a friend who works in Linjiang."

"He said it was like a war was going on in the mountains tonight, and what's even stranger is that all the wild animals in the area are running away."

The number of viewers in the live stream instantly exceeded 300,000, and the popularity soared to the top of the charts. But just as Lao Wang was about to continue revealing more information...

The live stream suddenly froze, and the next second, the entire live stream went black.

"Damn it, Old Wang got invited for tea, hahaha, he just got to the point and it's gone! Brothers, things are getting weirder and weirder. The deletion was so rushed, could there really be some taboo involved?"

Netizens are discussing the matter extensively. In the past month, thousands of paranormal events have occurred around the world, giving people's worldviews an unprecedented shock. People have no choice but to believe it, and the more the government tries to cover it up, the more it confirms the truth.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, at the headquarters of the Ninth Bureau.

A staff member said with a complicated expression, "Director, the relevant video has been dealt with, but it spread too quickly. At least tens of millions of people have seen it so far."

The faces of several senior executives in the conference room were very grim.

One of the officials frowned and said, "Continue to block public opinion, and deal with all related accounts to minimize the impact as much as possible."

Another person spoke in a deep voice: "It's pointless. In the past month, there have been more than three thousand supernatural events nationwide. People have been speculating for a long time. The problem now is not whether we can cover it up, but how long we can keep it a secret."

The atmosphere fell silent again. Just then, Zhou Zhenshan, sitting in the main seat, spoke up: "Do you think we can still keep it a secret now?"

One sentence silenced everyone; no one answered, because the answer was already quite obvious.

This is not just a matter of one or two secretly filmed videos; rather, the times are spiraling out of control. After the resurgence of spiritual energy, animals are mutating, strange phenomena are occurring frequently, and extraordinary awakenings are taking place. Ordinary people may not yet be aware of the full picture, but they have already begun to notice the abnormalities.

Today's events at Heilong Mountain have only slightly broken through the barrier. Zhou Zhenshan tapped the table: "You can continue to suppress the news, but don't hold onto the idea that you can keep it a secret forever."

He looked at the crowd, his gaze calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Gentlemen, times have changed."

As soon as he said that, many people in the conference room had a slight change in expression.

Zhou Zhenshan got up and walked to the projection screen.

On the screen, the blurry, enormous lotus shadow remained.

Thick fog obscured the sky, obscuring the outline of a giant lotus leaf. It resembled some ancient taboo entrenched in the mountains.

Zhou Zhenshan stared at the screen and said, "The Black Dragon Mountain incident is not the end, but just the beginning. If even missiles can't solve the problem, it means that the gap in strength between us and catastrophic life forms has begun to widen."

"In the future, similar incidents will only increase."

"Today it's a lotus, tomorrow it might be a dragon, a white tiger, or a creature from the mountains and seas."

The expressions on everyone's faces in the conference room gradually turned grave, because they knew this was not an exaggeration; the speed of the spiritual energy's recovery far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Powerful alien beasts are being born, but the growth rate of human superhumans is far behind.

Just then, a military official whispered, "Director, what do you mean?"

Zhou Zhenshan turned around, his eyes suddenly sharp: "First, the national spiritual energy revival plan should be launched ahead of schedule, the recruitment of extraordinary individuals should be expanded, all those with hidden talents should be included in the training list, resources should be allocated to them, and no expense should be spared."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Second, establish a restricted area classification system. Black Dragon Mountain will be designated as the first S-level life-restricted area in the country."

"Code name: Azure Lotus Forbidden Land. No force is allowed to enter without authorization. Violators will be arrested on the spot, regardless of their identity."

Everyone's expressions changed drastically. An S-level forbidden zone—this meant...

The state has already tacitly acknowledged that the area is off-limits. Zhou Zhenshan stared at the blurry lotus image on the screen and continued, "Third, and finally, is to cease proactive attacks."

......

Time flies. Several days have passed since the Heilongshan conflict.

The atmosphere in the entire city of Linjiang has clearly changed.

The area surrounding Heilongshan Mountain has been completely sealed off, with dozens of kilometers designated as a military restricted zone. The official explanation is that it is a "special geological disaster zone."

But any local knows that things are not that simple, especially the three fireballs that exploded in the sky that night, which are still discussed by countless people in private.

Meanwhile, in Linjiang City, at the Ninth Bureau branch.

In the medical observation area, sunlight streamed in through the windows, and the atmosphere was unusually less oppressive than before.

Lin Qingxue sat in a chair, having changed back into her own clothes. Compared to her disheveled state a few days ago, her complexion was noticeably better now.

However, when she occasionally thinks about everything that happened in Black Dragon Mountain, a complex emotion still flashes in her eyes.

Professor Zhao died tragically, and Zhou Hao abandoned her and fled alone. She doesn't know how she managed to escape from the mountains, and even now, she feels like she's dreaming.

Just then, the ward door was pushed open, and Su Wan walked in, dressed in a black combat uniform, with short, neat hair, and holding a medical report in her hand.

"The test results are in."

Lin Qingxue instinctively tensed up: "Is there something wrong with me?"

Su Wan glanced at her, her tone remaining calm: "So far, there's no problem. Her physical indicators are normal, and her mental state is stable."

She paused for a moment, then said, "You can leave now."

Lin Qingxue was visibly taken aback: "Leave?"

She had been kept under observation by the Ninth Bureau for the past few days and was prepared to cooperate with the investigation for a long time. So the sudden news that she could leave made her feel a little unreal.

Su Wan placed a business card on the table, her voice calm: "However, there's something I need to remind you. You've been in contact with the core area of ​​Black Dragon Mountain and were also very close to that life form."

"Although no abnormalities have been found yet, it doesn't mean that changes won't occur in the future."

Lin Qingxue was startled: "A change?"

Su Wan's gaze fell on her: "For example, physical enhancement, abnormal perception, changes in dreams, or awakening of special abilities."

"This is not the first time a similar case has occurred recently."

She paused for a moment, then said seriously, "If you notice anything wrong, contact me immediately. Don't try to tough it out on your own."

Lin Qingxue looked down at the business card, which only had one name and number: Su Wan, Special Operations Team of the Ninth Bureau.

Lin Qingxue was silent for a moment before saying, "I understand."

A dozen minutes later, outside the Ninth Army base, a military off-road vehicle was parked at the entrance, and a soldier opened the door.

"Lin Qingxue, I'll take you home."

Lin Qingxue nodded and was about to get into the car when she suddenly looked back, her gaze passing through the city and towards the distant mountains shrouded in mist.

No one knew what she was thinking. A moment later, the vehicle drove away.

Su Wan stood at the door, watching the car drive away without saying a word. Just then, a voice rang out behind her: "Let her go so easily?"

Gu Yan walked over with his hands in his pockets, a hint of doubt on his face: "This isn't like you."

Su Wan stood there, watching the direction the SUV had left, and said, "Because there's no need to keep it locked up any longer."

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow: "She's the only one who's been in close contact with Qinglian and is still alive. Maybe she's hiding some secret."

Su Wan glanced at him: "I checked. There is no mental pollution, abnormal parasites, or residual psionic energy in her body, at least not for now."

Gu Yan was still a little skeptical: "Aren't you afraid that she has some kind of special connection with that person from Black Dragon Lake?"

When asked that question, Su Wan fell silent for a moment. She thought about it for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. Maybe she was overthinking it. She shook her head and turned back.

"This woman is as cold as ice as ever." Seeing that Su Wan didn't want to say anything more, Gu Yan shook his head and chuckled.