Li Wei left the temple district and walked back toward the subway station.
The streets were still crowded with tourists buying incense and souvenirs. Vendors called out to passing visitors while children ran between the stalls.
For a moment, Li Wei stopped at a small tea stand and bought a bottle of iced tea.
He leaned against a railing near the station entrance and looked at his phone.
Still early afternoon.
Plenty of time before evening.
He could simply go home and study…
But that felt like a waste of the day.
He opened the city map on his phone and scanned nearby places.
One location caught his attention.
Linhai City Museum.
It was only two subway stops away.
Li Wei had passed by it many times but had never gone inside.
Museums usually contained large amounts of historical information.
If the Archive System connected to knowledge networks, then places like museums or libraries were likely candidates for nodes.
Not guaranteed…
But possible.
He finished the drink, threw the bottle into a recycling bin, and entered the subway station.
Twenty minutes later, Li Wei stepped out into a wide open plaza.
The Linhai City Museum stood directly ahead.
The building was large and modern, designed with glass walls and stone pillars. A shallow reflecting pool stretched across the front entrance.
Groups of tourists were taking photos while several school groups waited near the ticket gate.
Li Wei bought a student ticket and walked inside.
Cool air greeted him immediately.
The museum lobby was quiet compared to the busy streets outside.
Large banners hung from the ceiling showing ancient artifacts and historical timelines of the region.
Li Wei picked up a visitor map.
The museum had several sections:
Ancient History Hall
Maritime Trade Exhibition
Cultural Relics Gallery
Modern City Development Wing
He looked over the list thoughtfully.
Then he spoke quietly in his mind.
"System."
[ONLINE]
"Any nodes nearby?"
A short pause passed.
[SCANNING…]
NO CORE NODE DETECTED
Li Wei nodded slightly.
That wasn't surprising.
Still, the museum looked interesting enough to walk through.
He started with the Ancient History Hall.
Inside, glass display cases contained pottery, bronze tools, and fragments of ancient inscriptions.
Soft lights illuminated each exhibit.
Several visitors moved slowly through the hall while a guide explained things to a group of students.
Li Wei paused at one display showing an old maritime navigation map from centuries ago.
The lines were drawn by hand, marking early trading routes along the coast.
"Traveling without satellites… must have required serious experience," Li Wei murmured.
His gaze moved carefully across the map.
Something about it felt fascinating.
Old knowledge preserved through centuries.
The world before modern technology.
After spending some time there, he continued into the Maritime Trade Exhibition.
This section displayed ship models and historical cargo items from ancient trade routes.
Spices.
Porcelain.
Old coins from different countries.
Li Wei stopped at a model of a large wooden trading ship.
The description panel explained how merchants traveled across dangerous seas long before modern navigation systems existed.
He smiled slightly.
"People back then were more daring than most people today."
A group of students nearby were trying to guess how the ships worked.
One boy pointed at the sail structure.
"Maybe it moves like a kite!"
His friend immediately shook his head.
"That's not how sails work."
Li Wei watched their argument for a moment before continuing.
After nearly an hour, he reached the final section.
Modern City Development Wing.
Large screens displayed how Linhai City had transformed from a small fishing town into a major coastal metropolis.
Photos showed the city skyline evolving across decades.
Li Wei stood quietly in front of a large digital display.
From fishing boats…
To skyscrapers.
The pace of human progress was incredible.
As he turned to leave—
The system suddenly spoke again.
[WEAK INFORMATION NODE DETECTED]
LOCATION: MUSEUM ARCHIVE STORAGE — RESTRICTED AREA
Li Wei stopped walking.
"Weak node?"
That was new.
"Explain."
[SECONDARY NODE: LIMITED DATA ARCHIVE]
ACCESS REQUIRES PROXIMITY
Li Wei glanced around.
A small hallway near the side of the exhibit had a sign.
Staff Only — Archive Storage
Of course.
Museums kept most of their collections in storage rather than public display.
Which meant huge amounts of historical records were likely stored there.
Unfortunately…
Visitors weren't allowed inside.
Li Wei thought about it for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"Not worth causing trouble."
There would be other nodes eventually.
He had no reason to rush.
Instead, he walked toward the museum exit.
Outside, the sky had begun turning orange with the approaching evening.
The plaza was quieter now.
Li Wei stretched slightly as he walked down the steps.
The day had been surprisingly relaxing.
Temple district in the morning.
Museum in the afternoon.
Not bad.
But far away—
Inside the underground monitoring facility—
A technician leaned forward suddenly.
"Director!"
"What is it?"
"A weak signal just appeared."
"Location?"
"Linhai City Museum."
The director's eyes narrowed.
"Another one…"
He looked at the city map again.
Three strong nodes.
Now a weak one.
All within a few days.
He spoke quietly.
"Prepare a tracking sweep around those locations."
"Yes, sir."
The technician hesitated.
"Do you think the same person triggered all of them?"
The director stared at the screen for a long moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Sooner or later…"
"…they'll show themselves."
Meanwhile, Li Wei walked calmly toward the subway station, unaware of the attention slowly gathering around the mysterious Archive activations.
Tomorrow would be another day.
And another sign-in.