Chapter 124: The Prosperity of the Old Era

In the blink of an eye, the massive, glaring crater in the center of the Minsheng Mall’s floor had vanished!

Yet, neither Qi Chen nor Nuannan sensed any trace of anomalous energy, and the portable spiritual intensity monitors carried by the special task force remained silent. This implied that, from a sensory perspective, nothing related to an anomaly had occurred within the mall. However, the reality visible to the naked eye stood in sharp, jarring contradiction to these perceptions.

"The... the hole? Where is it?" the construction foreman, the only ordinary person present, stammered. He rubbed his eyes instinctively, but no matter what he did, he saw only a perfectly smooth floor where the deep pit should have been.

"Retreat immediately!" Nuannan ordered with unwavering decisiveness. Even without sensory warnings of an anomaly, pulling out of the Minsheng Mall was undeniably the safest course of action.

Just as he issued the command, the captain of the special task force suddenly looked up and shouted, "Sir, look!"

The captain gazed toward the top floor of the mall, and the others followed his lead. The upper levels, which should have been a scene of ruin, were now illuminated by a hazy light. Qi Chen and Nuannan, possessing keener vision, could clearly see that the source of the radiance was not anything else, but rows of glowing advertisement signs—the common shop signs found in any mall.

The light seemed contagious, spreading from the top floor down to the lower levels. The sixth floor, the fifth, the fourth...

Each floor rapidly lit up with dazzling displays. Shops previously ravaged by the Joy Candy Tree seemed to regain their vitality; first, glowing signs flickered to life above the storefronts, followed by the manifestation of merchandise, tables, and chairs within the areas the cleanup crew had just cleared.

"These... these are all things I’ve seen in my dreams!" the construction foreman blurted out in shock.

Nuannan’s face turned deathly pale. He roared again, urging them on, "Evacuate the Minsheng Mall, now!"

Witnessing this scene, Qi Chen vaguely guessed that what was unfolding was an anomaly in the process of awakening—a Rule-type anomaly.

"Go!" he shouted, echoing Nuannan. Qi Chen summoned Bawang and hoisted the slow-moving construction foreman onto his shoulder. The entire squad scrambled toward the nearest mall entrance. But they were on the fifth floor, and all exits were on the ground floor.

*Thud, thud, thud!*

The group sprinted down the stationary escalators at breakneck speed, leaping over four or five steps at a time.

The professionally trained task force members and the two experts could easily manage such feats. However, even at their fastest, they could not keep pace with the transformation of the Minsheng Mall. By the time they reached the ground floor, the entire structure had changed. It was no longer the ruin left by the Joy Candy Tree, but a magnificent, opulent, and brightly lit shopping complex.

The nearest entrance was already sealed shut. Staring at the transparent glass doors, the squad captain’s eyes flashed. He raised his standard-issue rifle in a textbook tactical stance and pulled the trigger in one fluid motion.

*Rat-tat-tat!*

Bullets poured out, hammering against the glass. But the expected outcome did not occur; not a single dent remained on the glass. Instead, the floor was littered with bullet heads that had been twisted and deformed by the intense impact.

"Cease fire!" Qi Chen suddenly bellowed, and the captain immediately complied.

All eyes turned to Qi Chen.

"What is it?" Nuannan asked, a deep sense of unease rising within him as he observed Qi Chen’s grim expression. He knew that Qi Chen, whose spiritual intensity was significantly higher than everyone else’s, must have sensed something.

"Something... is watching us."

In a heartbeat, fine beads of sweat appeared on Qi Chen’s forehead. An invisible pressure descended upon him—an oppressive weight he could not describe. It was far more intense than the pressure exerted by the C+-rated Joy Candy Tree.

Suddenly, a brilliant light erupted throughout the mall, engulfing everyone. Even Qi Chen and Nuannan, with their superior vision, were forced to squeeze their eyes shut against the glare. As their vision vanished, the sound of a bustling crowd filled their ears.

When the light finally faded and they opened their eyes, the group stood frozen, staring at their surroundings. The Minsheng Mall had become entirely unrecognizable. There was not a trace of ruins, only a level of prosperity they could never have imagined. A dense crowd surged from the entrance, nearly drowning them out, and the clothing of these people was completely inconsistent with the era of the Mist.

While the others were in shock, Qi Chen felt a sense of temporal displacement. The scene before him was the very mall he had been so familiar with in his previous life.

"Is this... the Old Era?" a task force member whispered as if in a dream.

Nuannan’s heart sank to the bottom of his chest. They had truly fallen into a Rule-type anomaly.

...

"What? Everyone who entered Minsheng Mall has lost contact?" At the headquarters of the Anomaly Processing Department, Fu Ying jumped up from her chair upon receiving the urgent call, ignoring the fact that a high-level meeting for City No. 3 was in progress. Her actions naturally drew the attention of all the senior officials present.

"Xiao Fu, what’s happening?" Li Taixing, sitting at the head of the table, frowned slightly at her lack of composure. The others in the room realized instantly that something critical must have occurred. Fu Ying had always been reliable and steadfast; only a dire crisis could cause her to lose her composure like this.

Facing the suspicious and uneasy gazes, Fu Ying bit her lip, remained silent for a moment, and after exchanging a look with Li Taixing, spoke in a heavy tone, relaying the intelligence she had received.

"A second anomalous event has erupted at Minsheng Mall. The preliminary assessment is—a Rule-type anomaly."

Everyone in the meeting was a high-ranking official of City No. 3 with real authority. They were either familiar with Rule-type anomalies or had experienced the terror they brought firsthand. Suddenly, a thick wave of unease spread through the conference room. Li Taixing’s expression turned somber, and he immediately suspended the current agenda.

"Notify the City Defense Army, the Administration Office, and the Security Bureau immediately! Coordinate fully with the Anomaly Processing Department to handle this Rule-type anomaly!"

Everyone understood the devastation a Rule-type anomaly could cause.

Meanwhile, a message was quietly sent out from the conference room. In a residence somewhere in City No. 3, a red-haired man looked at the message on his encrypted communicator, a ghostly smile appearing on his face. He turned to his partners and said, "The seeds we planted have borne fruit. Prepare for the harvest."