The number remained on the holographic display.
13,000
Wu Han stared at it.
The old man didn't.
He had turned away from the projection and was looking through the window toward the mountains.
The sky was beginning to brighten.
Dawn.
A normal morning.
That was what made it worse.
There were no explosions.
No alarms.
No military aircraft crossing the sky.
No cities burning.
The world had simply continued.
Yet somewhere across China, thirteen thousand people had supposedly awakened.
Wu Han folded his arms.
"Run the count again."
Omega responded immediately.
"Confirmed."
"Independent verification."
"Beginning."
The number disappeared.
For several seconds, the hologram showed nothing.
Then the points returned.
One by one.
Thousands of them.
The count stabilized.
13,004
Wu Han's eyes narrowed.
"Four more."
"Correct."
"How fast are they appearing?"
"Approximately one every six seconds."
Wu Han looked at the old man.
"How long until the entire country is affected?"
The old man shook his head.
"You're assuming they're all in China."
Wu Han froze.
Omega displayed the network.
The points expanded.
China.
Then Southeast Asia.
Japan.
Korea.
Russia.
Europe.
India.
The Middle East.
Africa.
North America.
South America.
Australia.
The distribution continued expanding.
Wu Han stared.
The original thirteen thousand were only the beginning.
"Omega."
"Yes."
"Global count."
The system recalculated.
The number climbed.
14,221
15,804
17,930
21,442
Wu Han's expression hardened.
"What determines awakening?"
"Unknown."
"Distance?"
"No correlation."
"Age?"
"No correlation."
"Genetics?"
"Insufficient data."
"Martial arts experience?"
"No consistent correlation."
"Medical condition?"
"No."
"Qi level?"
"Unknown."
Wu Han paced.
"There has to be a trigger."
The old man finally turned around.
"There is."
Wu Han stopped.
"What?"
The old man looked at him.
"You."
Wu Han's expression changed.
"Explain."
"The first time you activated Genesis, something responded."
"I know."
"You assumed it was observing you."
"Yes."
"What if it wasn't?"
Wu Han stared.
"What are you saying?"
The old man walked toward the hologram.
"What if your awakening was a signal?"
Wu Han's eyes narrowed.
"To the others?"
"Yes."
"You're saying I triggered them."
"Maybe."
Wu Han shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because that would mean my awakening somehow transmitted through the network."
"Is that impossible?"
Wu Han looked at Omega.
The AI remained silent.
"Omega?"
"Not impossible."
Wu Han's expression hardened.
"Could it happen?"
"Based on the current network model, yes."
"Probability?"
"Unknown."
"Estimate."
Omega paused.
"Approximately 73.4%."
Wu Han stared.
The old man closed his eyes.
"Then it's begun."
Wu Han returned to the laboratory.
He ignored the old man's warning.
The first thing he did was reconstruct the moment of his initial awakening.
The room became quiet.
Omega projected the timeline.
GENESIS ORIGIN — INITIAL EVENT
The data appeared.
Neural activity.
Qi fluctuation.
Blood flow.
Dantian synchronization.
Meridian formation.
External anomaly.
Then the fourth circle.
Wu Han watched every layer.
"Slow it down."
Omega reduced the playback speed.
This content has been misappropriated from NovelPhoenix; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Wu Han stared at the moment the three Dantians synchronized.
There.
Something happened.
A tiny fluctuation.
Almost invisible.
He enlarged it.
The fluctuation wasn't coming from his body.
It was moving outward.
Wu Han's eyes widened.
"That's the signal."
Omega confirmed it.
"Yes."
"How far did it travel?"
"Unknown."
"Estimate."
"Beyond current sensor range."
Wu Han looked at the global network.
The signal wasn't electromagnetic.
It wasn't sound.
It wasn't conventional energy.
It appeared to be information.
A pattern.
Something had been transmitted.
And something had received it.
Wu Han leaned closer.
"Can you reconstruct the signal?"
"Yes."
"Do it."
A small waveform appeared.
Wu Han stared.
It looked almost meaningless.
Random pulses.
Then he compared it to the fourth circle.
His expression changed.
"It isn't a waveform."
"No."
"It's a structure."
"Correct."
Wu Han rotated the hologram.
The pattern formed three connected circles.
Then a fourth.
Then the structure collapsed.
He stared.
"That's the awakening sequence."
"Yes."
"Then every person who receives it gets the same pattern."
"Likely."
Wu Han's eyes narrowed.
"Likely?"
"Transmission does not guarantee successful reception."
"Why?"
"Biological compatibility."
Wu Han stopped.
"Compatibility with what?"
Omega paused.
"Unknown."
The old man answered instead.
"Qi."
Wu Han looked at him.
"Explain."
"The body has to be capable of receiving it."
"Meaning?"
"Some people are compatible."
"Some aren't."
"Yes."
"What happens to those who aren't?"
The old man's expression darkened.
"We don't know."
Wu Han stared at the global network.
The number continued rising.
28,401
31,778
35,902
His face became serious.
"Then we're running out of time."
At 7:12 AM, the first report appeared.
Not from the government.
Not from the military.
From social media.
A video uploaded from Chengdu.
A young woman stood in a bedroom.
Her hands were shaking.
"I don't know what's happening."
She looked toward the camera.
"I can feel my heartbeat."
The video cut.
Another appeared.
Shanghai.
A man sitting on the floor.
"I can feel something moving through my body."
Another.
Beijing.
A teenager staring at his hands.
"My body feels..."
He struggled for the word.
"Different."
Another.
Guangzhou.
A woman collapsed during morning exercise.
Doctors surrounded her.
The video ended abruptly.
Wu Han watched in silence.
Omega opened dozens of additional reports.
People describing heat.
Pressure.
Vibration.
Strange dreams.
Unusual sensory perception.
Enhanced breathing.
Sudden changes in balance.
Some reported hearing voices.
Others saw lights when their eyes were closed.
A few claimed they could feel something beneath their skin.
Wu Han watched one video twice.
A man was sitting cross-legged.
His eyes were closed.
The camera showed his chest.
His breathing slowed.
The video quality wasn't good.
But Omega enhanced it.
Wu Han saw it.
A faint movement beneath the man's abdomen.
The lower Dantian.
"That's real."
Omega confirmed.
"Yes."
The old man looked at the screen.
"How many?"
"Currently, 41,002 confirmed awakenings."
The old man's face hardened.
"Forty thousand."
Wu Han looked at the global map.
"That's only the beginning."
At 8:03 AM, the Chinese government issued its first statement.
The message was short.
Authorities are aware of a number of reports involving unusual physiological symptoms. Citizens are advised to remain calm and avoid unverified training techniques, breathing exercises, or consumption of unknown substances.
Wu Han read it twice.
"They know."
The old man nodded.
"They always knew."
Wu Han looked at him.
"How much?"
"Enough."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
Wu Han turned back to the screen.
Another statement appeared.
Medical facilities have been instructed to report unusual neurological and cardiovascular cases.
Wu Han immediately understood.
They're collecting data.
Not just treating patients.
Tracking them.
"Omega."
"Yes."
"Can you access public medical databases?"
"Some."
"Look for sudden physiological anomalies."
"Searching."
The results began appearing.
Thousands of cases.
Most ordinary.
But a subset showed identical patterns.
Heart rate variability.
Blood oxygen fluctuations.
Neural synchronization.
Unusual metabolic efficiency.
Wu Han stared.
"These aren't random."
"No."
"Group them."
Omega organized the cases.
Several clusters appeared.
Then Wu Han noticed something.
The clusters matched the awakening network.
He zoomed in.
One cluster centered around Beijing.
Another around Shanghai.
Another around Chengdu.
Another around Wuhan.
Another around Guangzhou.
Then dozens more.
The pattern wasn't random.
It was spreading through population density.
But some cases appeared in isolated rural areas.
Wu Han frowned.
"That's strange."
The old man looked at him.
"What?"
"Look."
He pointed.
The map showed a tiny village in northern China.
Population: less than one thousand.
Yet twelve people had awakened.
The old man stared.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"Because there shouldn't be any reason for that village to have twelve."
Wu Han studied the pattern.
"Unless."
The old man looked at him.
"Unless what?"
"They aren't being awakened randomly."
Wu Han zoomed out.
The points began forming lines.
Not geographic.
Energetic.
The network connected individuals.
Some lines crossed entire provinces.
Some crossed oceans.
Wu Han's eyes widened.
"They're connected."
The old man whispered:
"Yes."
At 9:26 AM, the first death was reported.
A hospital in Hunan.
Male.
Thirty-seven.
No previous major illness.
He had reported sudden heat in his abdomen.
Then chest pain.
Then neurological collapse.
Wu Han read the report.
His expression hardened.
"Meridian rupture."
The old man looked at him.
"How do you know?"
"The symptoms."
"You're assuming."
"No."
Wu Han pointed at the data.
"Look at the sequence."
The man's heart rate spiked.
Blood pressure dropped.
Neural activity increased.
Then—
a sudden disruption.
Wu Han displayed the model.
"The body tried to circulate Qi."
"How?"
"Instinctively."
"Then?"
"It reached a pathway that wasn't ready."
The old man went silent.
"Which means..."
"Exactly."
Wu Han stared at the report.
"The awakening itself isn't enough."
He pulled up the ancient manuscript.
"The body needs preparation."
The old man nodded.
"Training."
"Not just training."
Wu Han pointed toward the six-factor model.
"Understanding."
He began thinking rapidly.
"If people are awakening without knowing what they're experiencing, they'll instinctively try to control it."
"And they'll fail."
"Some."
"How many?"
Wu Han looked at the death report.
"I don't know."
The number of awakenings continued climbing.
56,814
Then another medical report appeared.
Subject deceased.
Then another.
Subject deceased.
Another.
Another.
Another.
Wu Han stopped counting.
At 10:41 AM, Omega interrupted.
"Critical development."
Wu Han looked up.
"What?"
"One subject has successfully established a stable meridian."
Wu Han immediately stood.
"Where?"
"Changsha."
"Distance?"
"Approximately 160 kilometers."
"Can we observe?"
"Yes."
The holographic map zoomed in.
A young man appeared.
Twenty-six years old.
Office worker.
No known martial arts experience.
He was sitting in a small apartment.
His eyes were closed.
His breathing was steady.
The lower Dantian showed activity.
Then—
a pathway formed.
Slowly.
Naturally.
A faint line extended from the lower Dantian.
Then another.
The first meridian.
Wu Han stared.
"He's doing it."
The old man approached.
"Don't interfere."
"I'm not."
The line continued.
It connected to an acupoint.
Then another.
Blood flow adjusted.
Qi followed.
The system stabilized.
Wu Han's expression changed.
"This is the first successful formation."
Omega confirmed.
"Yes."
"What is he doing?"
"Unknown."
"Can we hear him?"
Omega accessed the public feed.
The man opened his eyes.
He looked confused.
Then he whispered:
"I just..."
He touched his abdomen.
"I felt the path."
Wu Han's heart accelerated.
"What did he do before this?"
Omega searched.
"Historical activity indicates he practiced standing meditation for approximately fourteen months."
Wu Han stared.
"Fourteen months."
The old man nodded.
"Preparation."
Wu Han looked at the young man.
He suddenly understood.
The awakening didn't create cultivation.
It unlocked the possibility.
The body still had to learn.
And the ancient practitioners had spent centuries developing methods to prepare for it.
Wu Han looked toward the manuscript.
"Then the martial arts texts weren't superstition."
The old man smiled faintly.
"Not entirely."
"They were training protocols."
"Some of them."
Wu Han looked at Omega.
"Search every martial arts text in the database."
"That's a large dataset."
"Search anyway."
"What parameters?"
Wu Han thought.
"Standing exercises."
"Breathing techniques."
"Internal circulation."
"Concentration methods."
"Anything describing heat, pressure, internal movement, or meridian sensation."
Omega began processing.
The system became quiet.
Then:
"Millions of records."
Wu Han smiled.
"Good."
The old man looked at him.
"What are you planning?"
Wu Han stared at the global map.
"To teach them."
At 12:03 PM, Project Genesis changed.
Wu Han opened a new directory.
GENESIS PROTOCOL — FOUNDATION
He began building it.
Not a cultivation manual.
Not yet.
A survival protocol.
Step one:
Do not force Qi.
Step two:
Do not attempt to open meridians manually.
Step three:
Stabilize breathing.
Step four:
Develop body awareness.
Step five:
Strengthen circulation.
Step six:
Establish the lower Dantian.
Step seven:
Observe.
Never force.
He added another rule.
If pain occurs, stop immediately.
The old man read it.
"Good."
Wu Han looked at him.
"Anything else?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"Tell them not to chase power."
Wu Han stared at him.
The old man continued.
"People will see what their bodies can do."
"And?"
"They'll want more."
Wu Han looked at the growing number of awakened people.
"You're right."
"That's when they'll die."
Wu Han added the warning.
Do not attempt to increase Qi circulation beyond your current natural capacity.
Then he looked at Omega.
"Can we broadcast this?"
"To the network?"
"Yes."
"I don't recommend it."
"Why?"
"Because the network is not understood."
Wu Han looked at the fourth-circle model.
"Neither are the people connected to it."
He paused.
"But they need help."
Omega remained silent.
"Do it."
"Authorization required."
Wu Han frowned.
"From whom?"
"Genesis Subject."
"I am Genesis Subject."
"Confirmed."
The system began broadcasting.
The protocol entered the network.
For a moment—
nothing happened.
Then the global map changed.
Thousands of points responded.
Some brightened.
Some stabilized.
Others dimmed.
Wu Han watched.
"Did it work?"
"Some subjects received the information."
"How many?"
"Approximately 62%."
"That's enough."
The old man shook his head.
"No."
Wu Han looked at him.
"Why?"
"Look."
The old man pointed at the map.
A group of points had turned red.
Wu Han's expression changed.
"What's happening?"
Omega responded.
"Multiple subjects are attempting advanced circulation."
"How many?"
"Three hundred and seventeen."
Wu Han stared.
"Already?"
"They received the protocol."
The old man looked at him.
"People don't listen."
Wu Han clenched his fist.
"Can we stop them?"
"No."
"Can we warn them?"
"Attempting."
The network flashed.
The red points increased.
317
409
682
1,031
Wu Han's face hardened.
Then—
one point disappeared.
Omega spoke.
"Subject deceased."
Another disappeared.
"Subject deceased."
Another.
"Subject deceased."
Wu Han stared at the map.
The old man's voice was quiet.
"Now you understand."
Wu Han said nothing.
The number of awakenings had become meaningless.
The real number was the number of people who would survive.
At 4:32 PM, Wu Han received an unexpected message.
Not from Omega.
Not from the network.
From an ordinary communication channel.
A private message.
I know you're the one who sent the protocol.
Wu Han stared.
The sender was unknown.
He opened it.
You shouldn't have done that.
Wu Han's fingers stopped.
He typed:
Who are you?
The response came immediately.
Someone who survived the first awakening.
Wu Han's eyes narrowed.
How long ago?
A pause.
Then:
Before the government found us.
Wu Han stared.
He typed:
How many of you were there?
The response:
We were twelve.
Wu Han's heart tightened.
The same number.
The original twelve.
He typed:
Where are the others?
No response.
Then:
Dead.
Wu Han stared at the screen.
Another message appeared.
Except me.
Wu Han immediately typed:
Who killed them?
The reply came after several seconds.
They did.
Wu Han frowned.
Who?
The answer appeared.
Themselves.
Then another message.
You made the same mistake we did.
Wu Han stared.
What mistake?
The typing indicator appeared.
Then disappeared.
Appeared again.
Finally:
You think the network is a road.
Another message.
It isn't.
Then:
It's a door.
Wu Han's blood ran cold.
He typed:
A door to where?
The answer didn't come immediately.
For nearly a minute, there was nothing.
Then the message arrived.
You already know.
Wu Han stared at the screen.
The fourth circle appeared.
Not in his body.
On the screen.
A tiny symbol.
Four circles.
Then the final message appeared beneath it.
And now it knows you can open it.
The screen went black.
Omega immediately detected a new signal.
Wu Han looked at the global network.
Every awakened point had stopped moving.
Every single one.
For three seconds, the entire network was perfectly still.
Then all thirteen thousand original points turned toward the same location.
Not physically.
Their signatures aligned.
One direction.
One target.
Wu Han looked at the map.
The target was obvious.
His location.
The old man whispered:
"They found you."
Wu Han stared at the thousands of lights.
"No."
He slowly stood.
"They're not coming for me."
The fourth circle opened inside his consciousness.
A voice entered his mind.
This time—
it wasn't the witness.
It was human.
Thousands of voices.
Speaking as one.
"Wu Han."
He closed his eyes.
The voices continued.
"Teach us."
Wu Han opened his eyes.
The network brightened.
And somewhere far beyond the Earth, something noticed the change.