Hijacking the Timeline

Translator: CinderTL

Twilight City, Western District.

Before dawn broke, the garrison stationed in Twilight City's western district swiftly mobilized, converging on the area where the Lord of the Mist had descended.

Upon detecting anomalous energy fluctuations in the sky, Twilight City reacted with remarkable speed.

This vigilance stemmed largely from the city's history.

The residents of Twilight City were predominantly descendants of scavengers.

The original settlers who founded the city had personally experienced the terror of the Great Tide's Descent.

While modern residents hadn't endured the despair of a Domain Field's arrival firsthand, books, historical accounts from older generations, and even exhibits in the city's memorial hall—including photographs from the original disaster, video recordings of elder interviews, and more—constantly reminded them that danger lurked, and true peace remained elusive.

The sense of crisis permeated the consciousness of every Twilight City resident.

They lived in constant fear that one day, a Domain Field would suddenly descend upon their city, bringing catastrophic destruction.

Driven by an acute sense of crisis, the construction of Twilight City prioritized survival over aesthetics.

Every aspect of the city's design was geared toward responding to potential threats.

This explains the prevalence of war fortresses and small ground shelters throughout the city.

The deployment of the City Defense Force followed the same principle.

Multiple military units were stationed in each of the city's four districts—east, south, west, and north—to handle emergencies.

Annual emergency drills were conducted, requiring each unit to reach any location within its jurisdiction and initiate emergency operations within ten minutes.

Beyond these measures, Twilight City possessed a unique characteristic unlike any other city: near-universal conscription.

All residents aged sixteen and older, regardless of gender, were required to undergo a year-long internship with the military department.

Describing Twilight City's defenses as an ironclad fortress would be no exaggeration.

Any domain creature attempting to infiltrate the city faced not only layers of checkpoints but also swift and decisive action against any suspicious movement within the city walls.

As for aerial defense...

"Twilight City's air defense system was specially designed by the Technology Research Institute.

The city was equipped with eighteen aerial energy detection radars.

Their signal coverage blanketed the entire airspace above Twilight City.

All domain creatures inherently stored spiritual energy within their bodies.

Any anomalous energy fluctuations detected above Twilight City would trigger an immediate alert. The central command would then dispatch troops stationed in the affected area to investigate and neutralize the threat.

Twilight City's defenses against Domain-Transcending Creatures were nearly impenetrable.

But there were exceptions.

Against domain creatures possessing absolute power, Twilight City's reputation as an "impregnable fortress" proved illusory.

At that moment, the Lord of the Mist, transformed into gray mist, huddled in a dark, unlit alley.

Within his perception range, countless crimson light spots darted through the area, conducting a rapid search.

Activating his perception vision, he noticed that each squad leader carried a disc-like object.

This device seemed capable of detecting energy fluctuations.

Using these miracle items, the military department squads were closing in on his hidden alley.

The Lord of the Mist held the military department's warriors in utter contempt.

During his time controlling the Tiger Soul Research Institute, his power had grown rapidly, making killing these soldiers a trivial matter.

However, the most critical aspect of his operation was maintaining secrecy.

He believed that rashly attacking here would jeopardize his subsequent plans.

With this in mind, he decisively suppressed his aura, quelling the surging, flame-like qi-blood energy within him.

As he had anticipated, once he suppressed his energy fluctuations, the approaching military squads lost their target. They slowed their pace and began checking their instruments.

Seeing this, the Lord of the Mist knew he couldn't linger here.

Although the energy signal had been blocked, his current location had clearly been exposed.

He turned his gaze toward the sewer entrance at the end of the alley.

Without hesitation, he floated above the sewer entrance and slipped inside.

By the time Twilight City's military personnel arrived to investigate, the Lord of the Mist had vanished without a trace.

The Lord of the Mist, now within the sewer, drifted through the tunnels, surrounded by a foul stench.

Even after the cataclysm, rats still infested the sewers of every city.

The pitch-black environment posed no obstacle to the Lord of the Mist's perception.

He decided to use the sewer to escape the heavily guarded Western District and then resurface.

Before coming, he had thoroughly studied information about Twilight City, familiarizing himself with the coordinates of every research institute. The Scarlet Research Institute's branch base was located at 1201 Eastern District.

However, his current mission didn't target the Scarlet Branch Base.

He knew the Twilight Wolf Battle Group would likely make contact with the Scarlet Research Institute during their mission. By simply waiting for them to appear, he could track their movements and seize a chance to strike from the shadows.

Contemplating his next move, the Lord of the Mist drifted eastward through the sewer tunnels.

Ten minutes later, he suddenly detected energy fluctuations ahead, piquing his curiosity. He even speculated that it might be a secret laboratory built by Twilight City's military department.

After reviewing extensive data on Twilight City, he concluded that such an operation was entirely plausible given the military department's strategic mindset.

With lingering doubts, he rounded the sewer junction, his consciousness subtly probing ahead.

The sight that unfolded before him left him utterly astonished.

Beyond the bend lay a hidden realm—a meticulously constructed research base.

The figures bustling within this compact facility were familiar. Their bodies seemed composed of pure black energy, obscuring their features.

This faction bore a striking resemblance to the Black Shadow Faction lurking behind the Technology Research Institute.

Yet the Lord of the Mist knew this was no mere branch of the Black Shadow Faction.

While the Technology Research Institute wielded immense influence in Future City, Twilight City clearly wasn't their territory.

During his body possession of Wang Yi, he had been part of the Technology Research Institute's core circle, belonging to its top echelon.

Even if the Technology Research Institute maintained a branch base in Twilight City, he would have been aware of it.

As for the origins of this mysterious force, he already had an answer in mind.

Possessing the same appearance as the black shadows but not affiliated with the Technology Research Institute, the only possible explanation was the Spirit Energy Clan.

After all, the Black Shadow Faction was merely a splinter group that had broken away from the Spirit Energy Clan.

He had always harbored deep suspicion toward the Spirit Energy Clan.

This clan was not particularly powerful within the domain world.

As their longtime neighbor, he had frequently led his clansmen to raid the Spirit Energy Clan's Domain Field for resources after his ascension to clan leader, exploiting them relentlessly.

But times had changed.

When his clan attempted to forge a new path, they encountered Roadblockers, leaving him as the sole survivor to reach the human world.

The ordeal was beyond description in its brutality.

In contrast, the Spirit Energy Clan had likely avoided the Roadblockers and retained a significant portion of their clansmen upon arriving in the human world.

Moreover, they had now acquired the supreme treasure, the Holy Spirit Consciousness Repository.

Leveraging the repository's vast knowledge reserves, he had no doubt that the Spirit Energy Clan had developed into an immensely formidable force.

They might have already completely seized control of Old Day City.

He even suspected that after centuries of development, the Spirit Energy Clan possessed other miracle items besides the Holy Spirit Consciousness Repository.

As for the current state of the Spirit Energy Clan's development, he remained uncertain.

Twilight City, being a satellite city of Old Day City, relied heavily on subsidies from the latter. He could understand why the Spirit Energy Clan would infiltrate this city.

What puzzled him was why they had established a secret base within Twilight City's sewer system.

Logically, Old Day City should have been the Spirit Energy Clan's primary target.

His consciousness extended toward the secret base, bypassing layers of detection to reach its interior.

(End of the Chapter)

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