False Alarm

Song Zhuyu sprang to his feet, almost toppling the chair over. He rushed forward and tilted his head to examine the wide screens before him, his mouth falling open in shock. The incessant wail of the alarm pierced the air, casting a flickering crimson glow over his entire body and reflecting the horror in his silver eyes. 

H–How could this be possible?

The sheer magnitude of dark energy measured by computers… it was unlike anything he had ever seen before! 

It covered the entirety of Yacheng and even the neighboring cities, as though a sinister red veil had been pulled over the sky. Song Zhuyu felt like his head was about to explode. For the love of God, where did such intense pollution come from?! And where were the technicians on duty?!

Shifting the lollipop from his left cheek to the right, Song Zhuyu took a deep breath, resolution gleaming in his silver eyes. His ten fingers flew across the keyboard as the map on the screens began to zoom out. Initially limited only to Yacheng, the map quickly expanded to encompass the whole country.

Less than ten seconds later, Song Zhuyu finally pinpointed the source of the pollution, which was a small distant island thousand of miles away.

Fuck, fuck, fuck— this wasn't just an emergency, but a global catastrophe!

If the level of pollution in Yacheng was already terrible enough to trigger the alarm in the Special Department, the source… it was a literal dead zone! It was like comparing a faint drizzle to the devastating phenomena of the sky crashing down and stars plummeting from the sky!

This… this was no longer a crisis Yacheng could manage alone. He had to take decisive action before half of the country fell apart!

"Has a demon just crossed over to our realm?!" With a curse, Song Zhuyu promptly activated the alarm that would not only alert the higher-ups in Yacheng, but also the Special Department branches in the whole country.

He had really jinxed himself this time. Tonight would not end peacefully for sure! 

***

Half an hour later.

Song Zhuyu found himself standing in the Chief of the Special Department's office, facing Yacheng's top five higher-ups who held authority over the entire city. 

Two among them, including the Chief, were fellow exorcists, while the other three were ordinary people born with no power whatsoever. They didn't possess the ability to see dark energy with their own eyes, and thus could only rely on technology to measure such phenomena. 

Not for the first time, Song Zhuyu felt like his head was about to explode. "...Pardon?"

He couldn't believe what he had just heard. They were just going to ignore such a catastrophic event without taking action?!

Professor Fu, renowned for his contributions to almost 90% of the technology in the National Civil Security Bureau, scrolled through his tablet with his brows furrowed. 

"Song Zhuyu, isn't it?" He confirmed, though he didn't wait for a reply before continuing, "You stated that at 1.18 AM this morning, the alarm in the Special Department's monitor room alerted you of a pollution outburst. The level was approximately five thousand times higher than normal, and had spread across the entire country. Is that correct?"

Taking a deep breath, Song Zhuyu resisted the urge to pinch his brows and gave the same answer for the third time, "... Yes, that's correct. With all due respect, Sir, the source of the pollution is clearly visible. We have to do something before it harms innocent citizens!" In the end, Song Zhuyu's tone raised to betray the urgency he was feeling within. 

He couldn't hold himself back anymore. What was he doing standing here, while people were going through a fatal destruction out there?! 

Fuck, was it because these people were too cowardly to act, prioritizing their own survival?! If that was the case, Song Zhuyu would—

"Are you absolutely certain?" another voice interjected, this time it was Father Ning, the most senior exorcist in Yacheng. Despite being in his fifties, Father Ning still looked alert and sharp, with only a few gray hairs adorning his temple. His heavy gaze bore into Song Zhuyu, as though wishing to cut open his head and peek at what's inside. 

Song Zhuyu parted his lips to speak, only to pause as he finally sensed that something was amiss. "...Of course, I'm certain. Father Ning, I swore to God, I saw it with my own eyes!" he insisted urgently.

"Don't use God's name as you please, young man," Chief Song of the Special Department snapped at him, glaring. Unlike the other four, who appeared somewhat presentable at being summoned at such a wicked hour, Chief Song was still clad in pajamas with a nightcap secured on top of his head, revealing his lazy and careless character. 

In response, Song Zhuyu could only shrug helplessly. 

The only woman among the five, Madam Yang, who ruled over the secretarial department, finally opened her mouth to speak, "The alarm sounded for so long, and you claimed that no technician responded for a whole ten minutes?" When Song Zhuyu affirmed this, she added, her gaze skeptical, "We've spoken to the technicians on duty tonight. They insist they never left the monitor room."

Song Zhuyu's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "Wha—" 

"Not only that," Professor Fu added, showing the screen of his tablet to Song Zhuyu, which displayed the same surveillance data as the computers in the monitor room. "The indicators are all normal. No alarms have sounded tonight, Song Zhuyu."

Those two assertions were akin to heavy boulders crushing Song Zhuyu's chest, stealing his breath and leaving him paralyzed with dread. His palms grew clammy, and cold sweat trickled down his back as an insurmountable sense of disbelief settled in. 

"Impossible…" he whispered, his voice shaky.

Song Zhuyu's gaze remained fixated on the tablet screen where the program was running smoothly and normally, indicating that the whole city – and the country – were indeed safe. 

But how could that be? The empty monitor room, the piercing alarm, the flickering crimson dots engulfing his entire body, and the dead zone on that distant island— they were real. Everything was still real and vivid in his mind, so how could they be a mere figment of his imagination?! 

Father Ning released a sigh and softened his tone, just like an elder talking to a child, "I checked your record just now. You just crossed over today, didn't you?"

Everyone's faces instantly changed when they heard that, showing understanding and relief. Crossing over was extremely dangerous and risky, as it required the body to be in the state of half-dead and half-alive. Only then could a living soul enter the realm of Hell. As a result, people often experienced some sequelae after returning, such as dizziness, extreme exhaustion, high fever, or even hallucinations. 

Everything Song Zhuyu had mentioned today must be the after effects of crossing over. The higher-ups breathed a collective sigh of relief, feeling reassured to have come to this conclusion. 

"Alright," Madam Yang took the lead to stand up, offering a comforting smile toward the still shaken Song Zhuyu. "Today was just a false alarm. Don't take it to heart, Xiao Song."

The last of the five, General Huo, who oversaw the army, merely grunted in agreement before leaving the office first. 

Following him, they all exited the room one after another, leaving Song Zhuyu alone with Chief Song.

Sighing heavily, Chief Song tore off his night cap, "Young man, you—"

"Impossible," Song Zhuyu cut him off, his tone firmer this time. Albeit his complexion still looked poor, the eyes that looked at the older man were clear and sober. "I know what I saw, Chief. It's impossible for them to be a mere hallucination. You, of all people, should know that I am not prone to hallucination! I have my spirit artifact with me— it protects me from the sequelae!"

To emphasize his point, Song Zhuyu dug into his pocket and retrieved a small item that resembled a marble. It was deep crimson in color, with a streak of black running in the middle. Upon closer inspection, the black color seemed to come alive as it swirled around the marble, exuding a magical yet sinister aura.

Seeing that Chief Song was still unconvinced, Song Zhuyu's frustration reached its peak and he finally used the last card in his sleeve, 

"Dad, what are you even hesitating for? Do you not trust your son's words?!"