The classified file was opened at precisely 9:17 in the morning.
A holographic screen floated above the center of a circular conference table, nearly three hundred meters beneath the capital. Ordinary citizens did not know the underground facility existed, much less that it had operated in secret for centuries.
Eight people sat around the table. Several wore military uniforms, others were dressed in formal suits, and one man still wore a white laboratory coat as though he had been summoned before finishing his work.
No one spoke while Qian Wei’s photograph remained on the screen.
Her profile appeared beneath it.
[Name: Qian Wei.]
[Age: Twenty-four.]
[Occupation: Criminal Investigation Division.]
[Security Clearance: Level Two.]
[Current Status: Observation Recommended.]
A man with silver streaks running through his black hair tapped the table lightly. "We have waited three hundred years for this name to appear in an active report, so I would like to hear everything that happened without assumptions or omissions."
A woman in military uniform rose from her chair.
"Two days ago, Officer Qian Wei collapsed inside East District Police Headquarters while completing a report. The hospital found temporary abnormalities in her temperature, heart rate and neural activity, but those results disappeared before her second examination."
Medical readings appeared beside Qian Wei’s photograph.
The silver-haired man studied them. "Were the records deleted by someone inside the hospital?"
"We have not found evidence of human interference. The original readings vanished from the hospital database, but our monitoring system preserved a copy before that happened."
A scientist leaned closer to the display. "Her body temperature fell three degrees below its usual level, yet she remained conscious after awakening. Those readings should have indicated hypothermia."
"Her heartbeat also slowed without affecting her blood pressure or brain activity," the woman continued. "The doctor found nothing unusual during the second examination and allowed her to leave."
The man in the laboratory coat adjusted his glasses. "Those readings could not return to normal so quickly without treatment. Either the first scan malfunctioned, or something altered her condition before anyone examined her again."
Nobody believed the first possibility.
Qian Wei’s name had been connected to a classified temporal anomaly for almost three centuries. Any unexplained change involving her required immediate attention.
The silver-haired man looked at the military officer. "Do you believe this is connected to what happened inside Apartment 3-17?"
"We cannot prove it yet, but the timing and biological abnormalities are consistent with the records left by Project Dawn’s founders."
Several people around the table exchanged uneasy looks.
For generations, they had inherited the same warning and waited for an event many of them no longer believed would occur.
The silver-haired man rested both hands on the table. "Continue observing her without making contact. The team should protect her if she faces immediate danger, but no one is permitted to interfere with her choices or enter her property."
"What should we do if she discovers the surveillance?" the woman asked.
"If Officer Qian Wei is as capable as her records suggest, she may already suspect that someone is following her. Tell the observation team to remain beyond ordinary detection and avoid giving her a reason to disappear."
The woman nodded. "I will make sure everyone understands the restrictions before the next shift begins."
"Send every unexplained change directly to me. We have waited too long to lose her because someone dismissed an important detail."
The meeting ended shortly afterward.
At the same time, Qian Wei stood inside her rented warehouse with a new tablet in her hand.
Every footstep echoed through the empty building.
She had purchased the tablet that morning because she wanted a device unconnected to the browsing history and habits of the future Qian Wei. If someone had been watching her yesterday, using a clean device would not prevent all forms of tracking, but it would make her preparations slightly harder to follow.
As a police officer, she had been trained to respect instincts without allowing them to replace evidence. She had found no proof that anyone was following her, but the uneasy feeling remained.
Until she understood where it came from, caution would not hurt.
Qian Wei crossed the warehouse while adding items to her survival list.
Food.
Water.
Medicine.
Protective equipment.
Communication devices.
Tools.
Weapons.
Backup power.
The list continued growing until she stopped and frowned at the screen.
"Why do apocalypse novels make this part sound so simple?" she complained. "Their protagonists rent a warehouse, order half the city and finish preparing before dinner."
[Host is not a fictional protagonist.]
"I am painfully aware of that."
Buying supplies was only the beginning. Food could spoil, medicine had expiry dates, machines would break down, generators required fuel and maintenance, while stored water needed protection from contamination.
Even with the system inventory preserving some items, ten slots would not be enough for everything.
Simply filling the warehouse would create the illusion of preparation. If Qian Wei wanted the supplies to support more than one person, she needed a system that could continue functioning after electricity, transportation and ordinary services failed.
She looked around the building.
"If this warehouse becomes a survival base, it should continue operating even when I am not here. Supplies must be organized well enough for someone else to find and use them without depending on me."
The thought made her pause.
Why had she said she might not be there?
Qian Wei lowered the tablet and pressed a hand against her chest. Her heartbeat remained slower than that of an ordinary human, while her skin was still cool despite the warmth granted by Basic Control.
Would she survive the apocalypse?
Or would the mutation eventually turn her into one of the monsters humanity needed protection from?
Ding!
The system panel appeared.
[New mission available.]
[Mission: Build a Survival Plan.]
[Objective: Design a complete survival strategy before acquiring large quantities of supplies.]
[Reward: System Analysis Module.]
[Time Limit: Twenty-four hours.]
Qian Wei studied the mission. "Do you monitor my thoughts, or do you wait until I identify a problem before giving me a mission connected to it?"
[System detects Host needs and changes in survival probability.]
"That sounds like a careful way of saying you can read my mind."
[Private thoughts unrelated to system functions are not monitored.]
Qian Wei was not entirely reassured. "What will the Analysis Module do?"
[Feature remains locked.]
"I can see that. I am asking what it will do after I unlock it."
[System Analysis Module can assess materials, biological samples and environmental risks within its current level.]
That could become extremely useful.
If the module could evaluate food, medicine and unknown substances, it might help her avoid poisoned supplies or identify changes after the apocalypse began.
Qian Wei found a chair in the maintenance room and sat down with her tablet.
Instead of purchasing supplies blindly, she began organizing everything she knew.
The apocalypse would begin in three months.
Its cause remained unknown.
She did not know where the first outbreak would occur, how quickly it would spread or whether the creature inside Apartment 3-17 had been connected to it.
The system had told her that humanity would eventually become extinct, but it had not shown her how civilization collapsed.
Qian Wei opened the system panel. "What caused the apocalypse in the original future?"
No answer appeared.
"Was it a disease?"
The panel remained unchanged.
"Did the infected become creatures like the one that attacked me?"
Silence.
Her frustration increased. "You expect me to create a complete survival strategy while hiding the nature of the threat. How could I prepare for something you refuse to explain?"
The panel flickered.
[Host authority is insufficient to access requested information.]
Qian Wei stared at the response. "Whose authority do I need? I am supposed to be your host."
[System access is determined by Host level and completed missions.]
"Then explain how I can increase my authority."
[Complete missions, improve mutation stability and obtain additional system energy.]
That was at least a direction.
Qian Wei leaned back and considered the answer. The system possessed information about the apocalypse but could not reveal it yet. Whether those restrictions had been created to protect her or for another reason remained unknown.
For now, she had to build a plan that could adapt to several possibilities.
She divided the strategy into phases.
The first would cover the remaining three months. She needed money, supplies, a secure location and trustworthy people.
The second would begin when the apocalypse started. It would prioritize immediate safety, communication and confirming the nature of the disaster.
The third would focus on long-term survival. Food production, clean water, medical care and organized protection would matter more than personal stockpiles.
Qian Wei looked at the list and shook her head. "This is far beyond what one person can accomplish."
[Host is not required to act alone.]
"Then I need allies, but I cannot tell anyone the truth without evidence."
[Complete current mission to improve available evidence.]
Qian Wei focused on the plan again.
If the system could eventually prove its predictions, she might approach the authorities without sounding delusional. Until then, preparation and information gathering would remain her priorities.
Deep beneath the capital, the silver-haired man entered another secured room alone.
A cylindrical glass chamber stood at its center. Inside it floated a dark metallic cube no larger than a human fist. Blue symbols moved continuously across its surface.
The man stopped several meters from the chamber.
"Tell me whether the temporal stability changed after Qian Wei awakened."
An artificial voice responded through the room.
[Temporal stability remains at 91.4 percent.]
[A deviation has been detected.]
The silver-haired man’s expression tightened. "Can you identify where the deviation originated?"
Thousands of lines appeared around the cube, forming a tangled projection of code. One line gradually brightened.
A single name emerged.
Qian Wei.
The man watched it for a long time.
"Does this mean the warning left by the first director has finally come true?"
[Available information remains insufficient for confirmation.]
A faint smile touched his lips. "Even after three hundred years, you still avoid giving direct answers."
The cube continued rotating silently.
The man placed one hand against the glass surrounding it.
"Whether the warning was accurate or not, Qian Wei has awakened, and the timeline has already begun to change."
Far above him, Qian Wei continued building her survival plan, unaware that an organization created centuries before her arrival had spent generations waiting for her name to appear.