The morning after the explosion, the world was no longer quiet.
It started with whispers.
Then it erupted into a storm.
Viral Footage, Global Frenzy
On every major social media platform, the Shanghai Industrial Miracle had become the number one trending topic.
CNN, BBC, Phoenix TV, Weibo, YouTube, Reddit, even underground forums on the dark web were flooded with the same question:
"Who is this man? And how the hell did he survive that explosion like he could see the future?"
The viral footage—slowed, reversed, color-corrected—was now dissected by experts in kinematics, neuroscience, military combat, and even paranormal studies.
Frame by frame, Lin Chen's movements looked inhuman.
He reacted before the shockwave.
His eyes locked onto the source of the explosion milliseconds before it occurred.
He saved five lives in under three seconds without suffering so much as a bone fracture.
Someone edited together dramatic footage with orchestral music and posted it on YouTube under the title:
🦸♂️ "The Birth of the Black Knight: China's First Real Superhuman?"— 12M views in 9 hours.
Under Surveillance
In a high-rise suite secured by the system's stealth protocols, Lin Chen stood silently, watching the media whirlwind play out on multiple screens.
He wasn't alone.
His head of public relations, Zhou Rui, was pacing behind him, phone glued to her ear.
"Every agency is calling," she said. "Journalists, tabloids, even international news anchors. They want an exclusive. They want to know if you're part of a military experiment—if you're even human."
"I'm not giving interviews," Lin Chen replied coldly.
Zhou Rui dropped into a chair and buried her face in her hands. "This is insane. You went from being a mysterious investment genius to a mythical figure overnight."
"I didn't plan this," he said, eyes still on the screen.
"No, but now the world's watching. And they don't blink."
System Countermeasures Activated
That night, the system's interface lit up with a cold pulse:
[Host Profile Exceeded Global Concealment Threshold.][Initiating Emergency Protocol: Identity Concealment Layer v3.9][Crisis Rating: RED. Multiple intelligence agencies scanning for host data.]
Lines of code flooded the digital space as the system scrambled to erase or falsify any biometric markers from global databases.
Facial recognition algorithms were being poisoned with alternate images.
Financial transactions were rerouted through proxy accounts.
Lin Chen's blood type and medical records were rewritten in hospital databases.
[New Program Unlocked: "Shadow Veil"]Effect: Allows user to create a fully fabricated civilian identity in real time. Decoys deployable. Accuracy Rating: 92%.
Ghosts in the Machine
Despite the system's best efforts, Lin Chen knew something was different this time.
This wasn't just about media exposure.
Someone was searching for him.
A signature ping—buried deep in the network traffic—flashed red on his private terminal.
It was an old data key. Military-grade. Encrypted in Erebus protocols.
The message attached was simple:
"We see you now."— Erebus
For the first time in weeks, Lin Chen's pulse spiked.
Umbra was no longer just a rumor whispered by the system.
They were watching. And they had noticed his awakening.
Li Chu: The Emotional Fallout
Back at Lin Chen's estate, Li Chu stood in the rain, staring at the surveillance drone hovering just above the rooftop.
She had seen the footage.
She had seen him—faster than light, stronger than logic.
And now, every part of her training, every fragment of memory implanted by the system during her childhood experiment, was screaming the same truth:
"He's no longer just Lin Chen."
Later, as she watched him enter the room, she asked without preamble, "What are you becoming?"
He didn't answer right away.
Then, voice low, "Someone who won't be hunted again."
She walked closer. "The media wants to make you a god."
"They'll turn on me just as fast."
"And the people you saved?"
"They think I'm a miracle," he said. "But miracles don't last. Only control does."
Underground Reactions
In a dim-lit boardroom somewhere in Geneva, five shadowed men watched the footage with clinical precision.
One of them, pale-skinned with silver-rimmed glasses, tapped the screen.
"Time displacement. Neural precog. He's past Phase II."
Another added, "His system is evolving faster than our simulations predicted. We need to bring him in before the others activate."
"But we already missed the window. He's shielding his signal."
The room fell silent.
Then the man at the head of the table spoke.
"Then we send our own."
The Storm Is Just Beginning
Three days later, a new headline exploded across the globe:
"Shanghai Superman Declines Interviews — Is He Working for the Government?"
"Anonymous Source Claims Superhuman Has Been Active for Over a Year.""Elite Hacker Group 'Blink' Leaks Internal Corporate Footage of Lin Chen Surviving Car Bomb, Bullet Wound, and Underground Ambush.""Who is the Black Knight? Why Are People Disappearing Around Him?""Does Erebus Control Global Finance?""Was Lin Chen Part of a Secret Human Enhancement Program?"
And in a quiet alleyway on the outskirts of Tokyo, a man in a black coat lit a cigarette and spoke into a voice comm.
"Yes. He's the one. I saw him dodge fire before the lighter clicked."
"Send the first Host. Let's see if this 'Black Knight' bleeds."