Chen Yan didn’t say a word. Uncle Zhang was right; the small amount of savings his parents had left behind, combined with the bits and pieces of money he had been sinking into the place over the past three years, was indeed running out. He had just checked the balance a few days ago. The number before the decimal point was down to four digits, and it started with a one.
"I’ve talked it over with Aunt Liu and the others," Uncle Zhang continued, seeing that Chen Yan remained silent. "We won’t take our salaries this month. Let’s wait until the scenic area’s situation improves! If you don’t agree, us old folks will leave tomorrow, just to save you the burden of keeping us around!"
Hearing this, Chen Yan looked up, rainwater dripping down from his bangs. Through his blurred vision, he saw Uncle Zhang’s wrinkled face. The old man’s eyes held a complex expression—a mix of heartache and reluctance.
"Uncle Zhang." Chen Yan draped a towel over his shoulder, his tone steady. "None of you are allowed to leave. You will be paid exactly what you are owed, not a penny less. Even if I have to carry bricks at a construction site or deliver takeout in the provincial capital, I will not shortchange you."
Uncle Zhang opened his mouth to say something, but swallowed his words. In the end, he merely sighed, patted Chen Yan’s shoulder, and said no more.
The rain was still falling. Uncle Zhang had returned to the security room, leaving Chen Yan standing alone in the archway of the East City Gate, watching the rainwater pour down from the flying eaves and splash against the ground.
Before his eyes lay the dilapidated and desolate Ning’an Ancient City. The doors and windows of the shops lining both sides of the main street were tightly shut, the paint on the wooden door panels beginning to peel. Moss grew on the street surface, weeds sprouted from the crevices in the stones, and rainwater converged into small streams on the flagstone road, flowing downward with the terrain.
The stone lion at the entrance of the City God Temple was tilted to one side, a crack splitting its base. The crack had been there since last year, but there had never been money to fix it. A faded piece of red cloth hung on the Lingxing Gate of the Confucius Temple. It had been put up by his father during a Spring Festival event while he was still alive, and it had never been taken down.
Chen Yan sometimes felt that this ancient city was not slowly declining, but gradually dying...
DING—
Suddenly, a crisp sound exploded out of nowhere in his mind. Chen Yan froze for a moment, thinking he was hallucinating. He scanned his surroundings to confirm there was no one else around. He frowned slightly. Just as he shook his head and was about to leave, he suddenly felt a stream of information brutally surge into his brain—
[High compatibility anchor ’Ning’an Ancient City’ detected. Host ’Chen Yan’. Civilization Echoes System activating...]
[Mandatory binding procedure countdown initiated...]
[Binding complete!]
HISS!
It wasn’t until the words ’Binding complete’ rang out that the continuous sharp noise lingering deep in his mind, along with the agonizing pain that felt as if his skull were being forcibly pried open, swiftly receded from him like the tide. Gasping sharply, he could no longer hold himself up. He slumped to the ground, panting heavily, his body completely drenched. He was unable to tell whether he was covered in rainwater or his own sweat.
The rain outside was gradually weakening, and nothing in his surroundings had changed. Had it not been for the lingering traces of very real pain in his mind, he would have assumed he was hallucinating again. He thought, "Was that just now... a system?!"
Stumbling to his feet, he vigorously rubbed his temples. Suddenly, he saw a few lines of small text appear at the edge of his left eye’s peripheral vision—
[Anchor Stability: 5% (Extremely Low)]
[Energy Level: Depleted]
He squeezed his eyes shut. After silently counting to three in his head, he opened them again, only to find that the text was not only still there, but a few new lines had surfaced beneath it—
[Initial Task Issued: Explore and record ’Qinghe Street’.]
[Warning: Anchor energy is too low. Failure to explore or refusal to execute may cause anchor stability to drop to zero, triggering an irreversible physical structural collapse (originating from the current area).]
[Execution Countdown: 00:30]
Watching the countdown suddenly tick from 00:30 to 00:29, Chen Yan’s heart involuntarily skipped a beat. He wondered what the system meant by a collapse, and if it would really originate from his current area. He quickly looked up and scanned the empty street outside, then glanced back at the tightly shut East City Gate behind him. This was the very last thing his parents had left behind, and the fundamental reason why he had resolutely quit his job three years ago to return and inherit this ancient city.
He couldn’t imagine what would happen if this place were to collapse...
"Acc... I accept the task!"
It was impossible for him to not have some doubts in his heart, but he couldn’t afford the gamble. Although he had absolutely no idea where this so-called Qinghe Street was or how he was supposed to explore and record it, Chen Yan could no longer care about that. The countdown had dropped to less than five seconds, and he had to make a decision immediately.
[Command confirmed. Extracting energy—]
The moment his words of acceptance fell, the small text at the edge of his vision suddenly flickered. Immediately after, Chen Yan felt as if his entire body was being forcibly yanked up by something. The surrounding scenery flew backward rapidly, and then his vision suddenly went black!