In the neon of blue and purple, under the thick steel sky, at the forefront of this surge of data, lies the world post-tech revolution. It's also the dividing line between reality and illusion. Steel and flesh, past and future. In this place, the world outside and inside coexist. Everything in front of us feels like a wall of time within reach. The darkness is slowly creeping in. But hey, my friend, you gotta know, we can't just counter darkness with softness. Gotta use fire.
Countdown: 44:00:00.
Forbidden Zone No. 002.
Atop another peak, over a thousand meters away from the Qing Shan cliffs.
"I really miss it," Uncle Li Dong said in the night, "thinking back to the last time I climbed the Qing Shan cliffs over thirty years ago. Back then, my senior and I were both bursting with energy, trying to see who could carve their name higher."
It's a tradition among knights to climb the Qing Shan cliffs and carve their name at the spot where they first rest from exhaustion.
As a result, the senior carved his name at 212 meters, while Uncle Li Dong did so at 367 meters.
After returning, he bragged to his senior, only to be thoroughly beaten up by Chen Jiazhang, who had already unlocked the second layer of his genetic lock at the time.
Back then, he was neither the demigod of the present nor a figure revered by everyone as the contemporary Knight Leader, but just a green young fellow learning how to shave his beard.