"Huh? A hammer?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson seems to have been ordered to find a hammer?"
"I don't get it. Is there anything special? It's just a hammer."
"Wait… what's going on?!"
"I'm sorry! Why has the activity suddenly spiked again?"
"Activity? Wasn't it supposed to remain stable after the initial capture?"
"Normally, yes. Before each capture, the activity is tested. Once the test ends, the readings only change during the next scheduled capture."
"But this, his activity level rising like this, is far too exaggerated!"
Inside the live broadcast interface, countless markers and detailed parameters scrolled across the display. Among them, the most critical metric: activity. Originally, Tanner's activity had been recorded at more than ten million. Yet the instant this mysterious hammer appeared, his readings surged again without explanation.
None of the viewers had ever seen such a phenomenon. For centuries, across countless capture attempts, activity levels had always remained fixed until the next session. Only the passage of time or the start of a new capture cycle could raise or lower those values.
But Tanner's case was unprecedented. His activity wasn't holding steady; it was fluctuating violently during the very process of retrieving past-life memories. The surge was strong enough to make the entire audience leap from their seats. What they were witnessing was not merely strange, it was something else.
The Administration.
Inside the Ministry of Information, panic spread like wildfire. Sweat dripped from the supervisor's brow.
"Have you found the reason?!"
"Why is his activity skyrocketing again?!"
The whole department was in motion, dozens of analysts cross-checking data, re-running diagnostics. The Tiandao Network itself was still shrouded in mystery, no one truly knowing where it originated. But even with limited permissions, their systems could exert partial control.
The tension in the office was unbearable, veins bulging on the supervisor's forehead. A runaway surge during a capture process wasn't just unusual; it could have far-reaching consequences.
"Could it be… that he's discovered some special method to forcibly increase his activity?"
He shook his head almost immediately, "No. Normally, activity levels are determined by the resonance with one's past-life memories. They rise or fall naturally, not by artificial tricks."
So why now? Why mid-capture?
"Unless..." The supervisor hesitated, his face paling, "Unless the earlier readings were never his true limit. He's only eight years old. Maybe ten million wasn't his maximum… just the most he could withstand at that time."
The thought rattled the entire team. In past-life records, the Immortal Warrior had already exceeded ten million activity points. Could it have been twenty million? Or even thirty? If so, the early test merely reflected the resilience of a child's body. And now, as time passed, Tanner's capture process was drawing closer to his true inherent value.
"Eight… eight years old," The supervisor whispered, almost trembling.
Moments later, he strode into the chief's office, bowed, and spoke quickly. "Director, we haven't identified the precise cause… but I do have a hypothesis."
"Speak."
"He's capturing at an age we've rarely studied. Maybe for children this young, the activity grows as the process continues. If so, the current spike isn't an anomaly; it's a restoration to his natural level."
The chief listened silently, weighing every word, before nodding and waving him out.
On the holographic projection, an expert from the research panel adjusted his glasses, "If this is true, then this Hundred-Life Reincarnation must mean that Tanner's previous incarnation was even more terrifying than we imagined."
Gasps filled the broadcast chamber. Twenty million. The Immortal Warrior's activity, once thought fixed at ten million, had doubled before their eyes. It shattered every record, overturning the understanding of tens of billions across the Terra Federation. For the first time, activity was no longer constant during a capture, it was dynamic, evolving.
"But I want to know more," One expert muttered. "What exactly is that hammer?"
On the desert screen feed, the object lay at the center of a massive crater. Its polished surface gleamed faintly, as if daring mortals to approach.
"It looks like it fell from the sky. No ordinary weapon could cause such devastation."
"And yet, it was S.H.I.E.L.D. who found it first," Another said grimly. "That means it's no ordinary relic. It must be tied to something… greater."
The research team was baffled. The director spared the hammer only a glance. For him, Tanner's surge mattered far more.
Meanwhile, across Terra, speculation spread. Could the true age to begin capturing past lives really be eight? Or was there something even younger? Countless families rushed their children into tests, only to see the same results: failure, or dangerously unstable readings. Something vital was still missing.
Supreme Court.
In the grand chamber, seven elders gathered at the round table. Hyeon rose suddenly, his face pale. His eyes trembled with fear as he stared at the image of the crater.
"Southwest… this is the southwest region!" He said, clutching his hair in disbelief.
The other elders exchanged wary glances. Few of them knew the reason behind his terror.
At last, Hyeon steadied himself, his hoarse voice cracking as he spoke, "I've seen this before."
He pointed at the screen with a trembling hand.
The others gasped. "What?! You've seen it?!"
"Not in this life…" His tone was grave. "But during an expedition with my students, I came across a funnel-shaped rainbow and a crater exactly like this one. The same depth, the same concentric rings. The only difference… was that pit vanished days later."
Shaking, he pulled out his old mobile phone, nearly dropping it. "I took a photograph back then. Look!"
When the image appeared, silence gripped the chamber. The match was undeniable.
"The depression at the bottom… It's identical. As if it were made to hold that hammer."
"Then this isn't just a coincidence," Another elder whispered. "The unknown era's southwest is directly connected to the Federation."
The room buzzed with unease.
"Supernatural... I propose mobilizing every advanced instrument we possess. That region must be investigated immediately!"