Because of the release of the Temperature-Control Capsule Home, Xie Yunqing had no opportunity to approach Jiang Fanxing. Although he did not know when the man had entered the rift world or what his true motives were, Jiang Fanxing’s abilities and his contributions to the rescue team made him someone worth recruiting. However, the arrival of the Minister interrupted his search, forcing him to shelve the matter for the time being.
The Minister did not approach them rashly. Seeing that they were safe, he looked visibly relieved. Noting Xie Yunqing’s hesitant expression, the Minister reassured him, “It is not convenient here. We will talk later. Go to quarantine first and check for any unknown viruses to prevent potential harm to reality.”
“Yes, sir,” they replied. The Minister provided four isolation suits, and they watched as the team entered the quarantine room.
Meanwhile, Jiang Fanxing had returned to reality. With 110’s assistance, he bypassed the military patrols nearby and reached home. He had been in the rift world for two months, and his apartment was covered in a layer of dust.
With no time to clean, he checked his phone, which was flooded with a dizzying number of notifications. He had not been completely unreachable; he had posted on social media before leaving, telling everyone he was going into seclusion to focus on cultivation. Naturally, this was just code for the costume work he usually did.
To prevent people from panicking about his disappearance, he contacted his wig maker, Mao Niang, via WeChat. “Help me make a green wig with cactus features.”
Mao Niang replied instantly: “You spend two months in seclusion just to come up with this?” Before Jiang Fanxing could respond, she added: “Oh, wait, that is progress. At least you are not trying to be human anymore.”
Jiang Fanxing: “…”
Perhaps sensing her phrasing was ambiguous, she quickly retracted the message and sent: “Oh, that is an improvement. You have evolved from cosplaying people to cosplaying plants. That is great. A green hat, right? Wait two days, and I will have it done for you.”
Seeing the words “green hat,” Jiang Fanxing nearly lost his cool. He gritted his teeth and replied: “You had better make it look good, or you will regret it.”
“You know my skills,” Mao Niang countered instantly. “It will look fabulous! [Kiss]”
Jiang Fanxing had too much on his mind. “Go get busy. I have things to do, so I am signing off.” He cleared his 999+ unread messages and set the phone aside. After changing into clean clothes and discarding his heat-control suit, he prepared to clean his room, but a chime echoed in his head.
“Ding! Congratulations, host, mission completed. A substantial reward of exchange coins has been granted. Please check your account details.”
“Ding! To express gratitude for your contributions, the rift world has granted you a gift. It has been placed in your system storage. Please check it.”
Jiang Fanxing was surprised. “A gift?”
110 replied, “Yes, host. You may enter the system to view it.”
The allure of the exchange coins was momentarily overshadowed by the gift. Jiang Fanxing opened the system and saw a new System Storage icon. Upon clicking it, he discovered a 50-square-meter capsule home. He could even visualize the interior: it included two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen equipped with a water-recycling system. Even better, there was a three-square-meter planting area—enough to grow small vegetables.
It was a generous gift. “110, thank the rift world for me.”
“Understood, host.”
Thinking of the storage space, Jiang Fanxing asked, “Can I put other things in there?”
“Only items originating from the rift world,” 110 clarified.
Jiang Fanxing nodded, satisfied. He stored his thermal suit in the system space. Now, even if his identity in the real world were ever compromised, no one would find evidence of his travels to the rift world.
Wait—Jiang Fanxing asked 110, “Did the four people who entered the rift world with me receive gifts, too?”
“Yes, host. All of you contributed to the rift world and will receive a gift.”
“Is their gift a capsule home as well?”
“I apologize, host, but I cannot answer that question.”
Fair enough. Jiang Fanxing checked his account balance and was stunned. 36,709,372 exchange coins! He counted them over and over until he was certain he had nearly 40 million coins. He did not just meet the requirement for a Level 2 upgrade; he skipped straight to Level 4. Thrilled, he realized the rift worlds were not so bad after all. At this rate, one or two more missions and he would be able to afford the Dinosaur Claw he wanted. It would not be long before he could stop entering the rifts for good.
After Xie Yunqing’s team confirmed they were not carrying any unknown viruses, they brought their recovered gear and the capsule home to the Minister. Xie Yunqing reported their findings, admitting they had not found the journalist they were originally tracking. He did not withhold information about Jiang Fanxing. “We encountered a man surnamed Jiang in the rift world. He is from the real world.”
“What?” Lin Zihan, Zhou Peng, and Zhang Zhiyuan stared at him in shock, unable to grasp his conclusion.
The Minister did not doubt him. “How can you be certain he is from reality?”
Xie Yunqing replied, “I saw him give a badge to a child named Li Zhenyang.”
The Minister seemed confused. “What is a badge?” Being older, he was unfamiliar with youth culture. Lin Zihan and the others exchanged glances, surprised their stern captain knew anything about cosplay culture.
Xie Yunqing maintained a straight face. “A badge is like a brooch.”
The Minister nodded solemnly. “I see. Please, continue.”
“The character on the badge only exists in our reality; his name is Hanamichi Sakuragi, an anime character. I asked many people in the rift world, and none of them had heard of him. I concluded that he must be from our world.”
“Your reasoning is sound, but we cannot jump to conclusions,” the Minister mused. “If such a person truly exists in reality, he will likely enter the rifts again. We will just have to wait.”
After the brief discussion, their attention shifted to the gift from the rift world. When Xie Yunqing opened the capsule, it expanded, nearly filling the conference room. The Minister praised it with admiration, but Lin Zihan noticed a piece of paper fluttering out. It was covered in complex, indecipherable formulas.
“Minister, Captain, there is a paper here.” She handed it to Xie Yunqing, whose expression shifted the moment he read it. He passed it to the Minister. “This is a blueprint for the capsule homes.”
The Minister took it, his eyes turning serious. “This must be reported immediately.” Perhaps this was the true gift from the rift world.
Although the mysterious rifts had caused social unrest, life for ordinary people had to go on. Once it was confirmed that the rifts posed no immediate danger, the government lifted the lockdown, allowing people to return to work and leisure as long as they stayed away from the rifts. Apart from the rifts themselves, life seemed to be returning to normal.
Two days later, Mao Niang messaged Jiang Fanxing: “Your wig is ready. When will you come to get it?”
Jiang Fanxing replied, “I am on my way.”
Mao Niang lived two streets away, a thirty-minute walk. Jiang Fanxing adjusted his appearance and stepped outside. Across from his building, the commercial complex had been abandoned and cordoned off by the military. Pedestrians gazed at the rift piercing the building with a mix of fear and curiosity, but they only dared to glance at the vortex before rushing away.
Jiang Fanxing kept his head down and headed toward Mao Niang’s street, which remained free of rifts. People were out and about, living their lives. Suddenly, 110 warned: “Warning! Warning! An earthquake-induced sinkhole is about to occur 200 meters ahead. Please leave immediately!”
Jiang Fanxing hesitated; there was a bubble tea shop ahead, crowded with people. He did not want to get involved, but he could not stay silent. He shouted, “Do you not feel the ground shaking? Something is wrong, get out of here!”
He did not wait to see their reactions and scrambled to the side.
“Earthquake? I do not feel anything.”
“That guy is talking nonsense. He looks normal enough, did he just escape from a mental hospital?”
“Ignore him, he is just an influencer looking for attention.”
No one believed him. Within ten seconds, he watched as the road cracked, the fissure widening to swallow the people who had been laughing moments before.
“Help!”
“Do not just stand there, run!”
“My god, that guy was not lying!”
The asphalt road collapsed into a massive crater, swallowing the tea shop and everything around it. Only a few people managed to escape. Police were called, but the military soldiers guarding the rift down the street arrived first, helping to pull people from the rubble.
Jiang Fanxing prepared to leave, but 110 chimed in: “Please assist in the rescue. A reward of 10,000 exchange coins will be granted upon completion.” Even with his millions, he did not refuse.
Most victims were buried under steel and concrete, but a few remained alive, some seriously wounded, others only scraped. Lu Yulin, his left leg pinned by a boulder he could not budge, watched in despair as the earth above them loosened, burying them deeper in debris. He had always been timid and insecure; he had always assumed no one would remember him when he died. As his vision darkened and his tears blurred, a handsome face appeared before him.
The man’s voice was the gentlest he had ever heard: “Are you okay? Do not be afraid, I will get you out immediately.”
Lu Yulin stared at Jiang Fanxing, unable to look away. A seed of hope had been planted in his dark, cold heart. He whispered, his voice barely audible, “Thank you.”
Jiang Fanxing did not hear him; he was focused on helping the soldiers heave the rocks aside. After three hours of backbreaking labor, 110 confirmed the rescue was complete. Jiang Fanxing let out a weary breath. More survivors remained trapped, but he knew they were beyond his help. Pleading exhaustion, he retreated from the site.
He did not go to Mao Niang’s; he sent a voice message apologizing, then returned home. He was so tired he could barely move. He did not notice, however, that a pair of eyes was watching him intently.