Satellite Town was not a native settlement but was born from the mysterious unknown. Therefore, it was not modern but carried a heavy Victorian aesthetic.
Rows of pointed arch buildings stood in serried ranks, with bluestone bricks paving the streets.
Stained glass windows, reliefs, white stone pillars, a coal plant, a church. From the 7th to the 14th of every month, it would rain.
This town never saw the sun; the sky was always a gloomy grayish-white. However, clashing with this ancient atmosphere, not far from the Satellite Town government office, there was an extremely peculiar object.
It was the wreckage of an artificial satellite.
It lay atop the ruins of a building, a behemoth exceeding fifteen meters.
The silver-white cylindrical structure appeared precise and elegant, with two sets of longitudinal solar panels on either side.
However, this object that once roamed above the atmosphere was now dilapidated.
The main body was riddled with holes, its insides long ago looted by grave robbers, leaving only a chaotic framework.
A corpse of technology.
Whenever Lan Shiyu looked at that satellite, he always felt a strange sense of dissociation.
This was his third year as Mayor. At this moment, he stood by the window of his second-floor office in the government building, silently gazing at the desolate streets and the satellite lying quietly not far away.
Ivy climbed all over the outer walls, swaying lazily in the stuffy wind.
Lan Shiyu felt somewhat irritable. The resurrection of that mysterious laboratory made him uneasy, not to mention he already had enough trouble lately.
Just then, a knock came from the door.
Lan Shiyu didn't turn around, simply stating dryly: "Enter."
The person outside pushed the door open. It was a member of the Enforcement Team—Zhou Zheng, the oldest and most senior member of the squad.
"Mr. Mayor, Captain Yan Jie discovered a person while investigating the research institute." Zhou Zheng's tone was serious.
"A person? Someone from the town or from another faction?" Lan Shiyu countered somewhat absent-mindedly.
The outcome would inevitably be one of these two, and regardless of which, he could handle it.
"Neither. Captain Yan Jie believes... he resurrected along with the laboratory."
Lan Shiyu's movements halted. He looked up in shock: "Resurrected along with the laboratory?"
"And he claims to be a First Generation Transcendent," Zhou Zheng continued.
Hearing this term, Lan Shiyu remained calm, not even one ten-thousandth of him believing it. First Generation Transcendents do not have human forms; this was common sense.
"As if I don't have enough trouble on my hands." Lan Shiyu sighed, placing his wine glass on the windowsill. "Let's go. Let's take a look."
"So... Transcendents are actually super strong?" Xiao Lin asked with a hint of shock.
"That's right. And the earlier the generation, the stronger they are. I am curious, though, why would you think Transcendents are weak?" Yan Jie countered.
Xiao Lin didn't know how to explain for a moment. As the former "strongest Transcendent" who possessed zero abilities, he felt he had some authority on this matter.
"Xiao Lin, can I have another cup of coffee?" Lin Niannian raised her hand high from the side.
She had already drunk about four cups of coffee, and each time with three spoons of sugar. Quite wasteful.
Xiao Lin picked up the coffee pot to refill it for her. The girl immediately showed a blissful expression: "Mr. Xiao Lin, although you aren't human, your coffee is delicious!"
Xiao Lin felt like he had just been insulted but didn't know how to retort.
He continued asking: "Then what about your Mayor, this Lan Shiyu you mentioned, is he also very powerful?"
"Let's put it this way: he is the most powerful person I have ever met." Yan Jie rubbed the handle of the coffee cup. "Even without him making a move, you can feel that aura of power emanating from him."
Xiao Lin's hand fiddling with the coffee pot froze. He looked up and asked: "Um, do I have that kind of aura?"
Yan Jie looked him up and down, smiling slightly: "Absolutely... not."
"Ah..." Xiao Lin felt helpless.
Just then, a commotion came from outside, followed by clear footsteps echoing down the empty corridor. Yan Jie and the other members of the Enforcement Squad stood up one after another.
"Our Mayor is here," Yan Jie said.
As the footsteps drew nearer, Xiao Lin also felt nervous. After all, in Yan Jie's description, the other party was a powerf
ul existence of extraordinary strength, a guy a shotgun definitely couldn't handle. He just hoped they wouldn't come into conflict.
Click. The door was pushed open, and Lan Shiyu walked in.
He was a middle-aged man of about fifty, tall and slender, dressed in a suit and wearing glasses, looking like a scholar.
And Xiao Lin felt the aura Yan Jie had spoken of—powerful, mysterious, lingering around Lan Shiyu like humid water vapor.
Lan Shiyu was also scrutinizing Xiao Lin, observing his appearance, physique, characteristics, and behavior.
He was well-traveled; distinguishing between humans and mimics was not difficult for him. He quickly realized that the "subject" before him was merely an ordinary human.
This made Lan Shiyu breathe a sigh of relief, while simultaneously feeling a bit of joy.
On his way in, he had seen how advanced this research institute was. Just the equipment in the labs could be exchanged for a colossal amount of wealth.
He certainly had no intention of looting, but if the other party was an ordinary person, it would be beneficial for their negotiations.
However, just to be safe, Lan Shiyu still activated his supernatural power, the Transcendent-specific ability of "Perception."
His pupils wriggled slightly, and then his vision suddenly changed. The world in his eyes turned grayish-white. Then he looked at Xiao Lin...
Hum!
It was as if his entire brain vibrated. Immediately after, Lan Shiyu's heart began to race, his ears roared, and he felt as if he were in a pitch-black, windless, endless abyss, constantly falling.
He could not comprehend what exactly was standing before his eyes.
It was bizarre, chaotic, imperceptible, incomprehensible. Merely gazing at it made one shiver all over. He was definitely not human, just... looked like one.
"Mayor, this is Mr. Xiao Lin. He seems to have resurrected along with the institute."
Yan Jie's voice brought Lan Shiyu back to his senses abruptly. He then forced a smile: "I have roughly understood the situation. Mr. Xiao Lin, welcome."
His opening remark made Xiao Lin breathe a sigh of relief. Xiao Lin also smiled politely: "Then thank you, Mr. Mayor. By the way, would you like some coffee?"
Lan Shiyu sniffed lightly and said: "Of course, of course. This is a rare treasure in our town."
Seeing Lan Shiyu sit down and Xiao Lin turn to pour coffee, Yan Jie felt very confused.
Lan Shiyu wasn't a harsh man, but neither was he irresponsible to a fault. He was the Mayor of Satellite Town...
Yan Jie vaguely sensed something was off.
"Mr. Lan, Xiao Lin might be from two hundred years ago! He time-traveled here. Super rare! I even want to cut a few slices to take back!" Lin Niannian said excitedly.
"Zhou Zheng told me. But this isn't surprising. The world is already crazy enough; a time traveler from a hundred or two hundred years ago is nothing." Lan Shiyu half-joked.
Xiao Lin handed him the coffee. He accepted the cup friendly and took a sip, then looked up to ask: "Mr. Xiao Lin, what are your plans for the future? Do you plan to leave or settle down?"
"I don't have any plans for now, so I plan to stay at the institute for the time being. I hope this won't affect you." Xiao Lin's tone was polite, while simultaneously observing Lan Shiyu's reaction.
But Lan Shiyu showed no reaction. He nodded and said: "Good. Our town is very close to here. Tomorrow I will send Niannian over with a map. If you have any issues in the future, you can come directly to me."
"Alright, thank you, Mr. Lan."
Lin Niannian on the side excitedly raised her arm: "Mr. Xiao Lin, then can you give me some of your coffee beans? I really, super need this!"
"Lin Niannian, don't be so ill-mannered."
Lan Shiyu glared at Lin Niannian, scolding her like a child.
But Lin Niannian was also disobedient like a child: "Just a little bit, just a little bit."
Xiao Lin pinched a coffee bean and handed it to Lin Niannian, saying: "Here, a little bit."
Lin Niannian showed an angry expression, while the several people beside her burst into laughter.
"It's not that I'm reluctant to give it to you. Even if I gave it to you, you wouldn't know how to brew it," Xiao Lin said with a smile. "If you want to drink it in the future, just come here. Anytime is fine."
"Yay, we have a coffee shop in our town!" Lin Niannian was thrilled.
Actually, Xiao Lin wasn't unwilling to give; he just hoped to establish contact with the town's residents. After all, as a time traveler, he couldn't survive independently forever.
After chatting for a while, the Mayor bid farewell to Xiao Lin and left with the Enforcement Team members.
As they walked outside, a dark, silent city ruin came into view.
Pale black mist drifted in the stagnant air. Only this huge, three-story advanced building, the research institute, stood erect amidst the ruins, appearing exceptionally abrupt. Equally abrupt was the town not far away. They had inexplicably squeezed into this space, like puzzle pieces of scenery that had been put in the wrong place.
"Mayor, is that Xiao Lin dangerous? Is he really a Transcendent?" Yan Jie asked Lan Shiyu.
He had actually noticed that Lan Shiyu's attitude toward Xiao Lin was very cautious.
He never inquired about the other party's affairs but was instead retreating and showing friendliness. The usual Lan Shiyu was definitely not like this.
"Rational judgment tells me he is not a Transcendent, but an ordinary person," Lan Shiyu replied.
"Then why, when you were scrutinizing him just now..."
"Because my sensibility and intuition tell me that I am facing an existence that cannot be understood, one that causes extreme unease."
The several people fell into silence.
Until Lin Niannian said: "But I feel he is very friendly, and very scared. If he is really powerful, isn't that good for us?"
Lan Shiyu neither agreed nor disagreed, merely sighing: "Tomorrow I will find Mr. Bai to ask, and seek his opinion."