—The Storm Breaks at X-Red Base
Shawn was packing a small travel bag when the sound of rotors ripped through the sky.
The walls trembled. Windows rattled. Neighbors screamed.
A military-grade helicopter dropped onto the narrow street outside his apartment, kicking up dust and trash like a sandstorm. Car alarms started screaming, red lights flashing wildly across the windows and walls.
Then—the doorbell rang.
Shawn opened the door.
It was the same man from the hotel. Wire-rimmed glasses. Sharp black suit. A smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Shawn Mercer," the man said smoothly. "Kent Mallory. I'm here to take you to your interview."
Shawn's hand tightened on the doorframe. So much for doing this the normal way.
"You again."
Kent kept smiling. "Elder Lee figured you might not go willingly. So he made… other arrangements."
Shawn's heart thumped harder. Elder Lee. One of CP-Hub's Seven Elders.
Kent tilted his head slightly.
"You coming? Or do we have to make it less friendly?"---
The helicopter didn't head for Capital University.
Instead, it turned toward the mountains, flying over valleys with no visible roads.
Shawn looked out the window. The landscape shifted—forests gave way to cliffs, then to a hidden basin wrapped in thick, artificial fog.
When the mist cleared, a facility came into view: X-Red Base, one of CP-Hub's command centers.
Inside, Shawn followed Kent through bare metal hallways guarded by soldiers.
No one spoke. Their rifles hung ready. The lights overhead buzzed faintly.
Past the last checkpoint, the surroundings changed.
The base stretched over low hills. Red-brick buildings and glass towers stood behind high walls lined with sensors.
Old ginkgo trees shaded small courtyards. Fountains trickled nearby.
At the center was a pavilion, built above a pond filled with lotus leaves.
Elder Lee was waiting.
He wore simple white robes.
At his throat hung a jade pendant—shaped like a stallion mid-leap.
The Heaven Core.
Shawn's heart dropped.
One of the Seven Cores he'd been searching for…
Why did Elder Lee have it?
Who was he?
"You've met Mr. King," the old man said.
It wasn't a question.
Elder Lee poured the tea himself. The stream rippled briefly before settling in the cup.
Kent loosened his tie, revealing another pendant beneath his collar—a carved wolf, its eyes flecked with green.
The Mountain Core.
Two of them. Right here.
A wisp of steam rose from Elder Lee's cup and faded into the air.
Shawn gripped his own Thunder Core pendant.
It pulsed—three short, two long.
A warning.
Elder Lee's voice snapped him back. "Capital University didn't choose you for your grades, Shawn Mercer."
A holographic screen flickered to life.
A surveillance image—
Shawn, atop Meta Origin Mountain, the Thunder Core blazing in his hand. Above him, storm clouds gathered—unnatural.
Kent adjusted his glasses. "Their satellites caught this."
Shawn's throat tightened. "So it was a trap."
"Worse," Elder Lee said. "It was an invitation. From people who know exactly what the Cores can do."
Shawn hesitated, then leaned in slightly. His voice dropped.
"Are you... with the Meta Origin Society?"
No answer at first. Then, with a glance at Elder Lee, Kent said, "You're speaking to its leader."
He gestured subtly. "Elder Lee holds the title of Grand Hierophant."
Shawn's eyes widened. "I've been searching for you—for all of you. Finally."
But Kent raised a hand. "Keep your voice down. That identity is not public. Not here. Not anywhere."
Shawn nodded quickly, adjusting his tone.
Then he turned back to Elder Lee, more serious now.
"Grand Hierophant... we have twenty-seven days left."
Elder Lee stared at the phone screen, his expression unreadable.
2031.07.01 | 27D:010:10:17
The air seemed to grow heavier.
The pond stilled, its surface smoothing to glass. Even the koi froze mid-swim, gills flaring in the quiet.
The shadows from the ginkgo trees crept unnaturally toward the pavilion—drawn to the old man, as if by command.
This wasn't negotiation.
It was a display.
Of power.
"We need Chairman Da's help," Shawn said quietly.
Kent's fingers brushed the pendant at his collar—his Wind Core. The ceiling light reflected off his glasses.
He let out a short breath, almost a scoff. "Chairman Da doesn't help. He makes deals."
Shawn turned to Elder Lee.
"Then let's make a deal."
He hesitated, then said the one thing that made Lee's gaze sharpen.
"We offer him the Central Core."
The silence that followed was immediate—and heavy.
Then, without embellishment, Shawn laid it out: Mr. King's warning, the AGI-ST time loop, and their last card—the Central Core.
"Chairman Da respects you," Shawn added. "If you could speak to him—"
Elder Lee raised a hand to stop him.
A soft crack broke the quiet. The porcelain teacup had split, a fine fracture running down its side. A few drops of dark tea slipped onto the silk runner and soaked in without a trace.
A strange tension settled in the air—subtle, but unmistakable.
"I once held Chairman Da's position," the old man said quietly. "Walked the same halls. Fought the same fights."
He leaned forward slightly, and the jade stallion pendant at his chest caught the light.
"If I go to him as the Grand Hierophant, he won't see a messenger. Just an old rival."
A koi surfaced, disturbing the pond's mirrored surface with a ripple before vanishing again.
Kent spoke next, measured. "That's why the Society needs to appoint someone new. Someone Chairman Da doesn't see as a threat."
Shawn's fingers tightened unconsciously.
Elder Lee studied him for a moment, then spoke.
"The Cores have chosen—Ranzi," he said.
He let the name settle.
"Yiran Cai." he added.
Shawn froze.
Yiran Cai—Ranzi. The I Ching master. The one who once told him—
"You've got the storm in your bones. Learn to use it."
Kent shifted in his seat. "He's unpredictable."
"He's also the only one Chairman Da might listen to," Elder Lee replied. "Not as a rival—but as a scholar. And he'll bring the Core. As a gesture."
Shawn hesitated. "Can we trust him?"
Elder Lee gave a faint smile. "He wants the Cores found. Same as us."
Kent exhaled slowly. "And if Chairman Da says no?"
Elder Lee's face turned grave.
"Then we'll know where CP-Hub stands."
He looked down at Shawn, then placed a weathered hand on his.
The teacup snapped in his hand, a sharp crack slicing through the silence—like air breaking before a storm.
Elder Lee's voice was calm, final.
"We're out of time. It's already here."