East Sea Road Police Station, Chief Zhou was holding a meeting in the main hall, focusing on the city's security and management issues with a stern voice and an intense demeanor, like a bull about to go on a rampage.
Even through a wall, you could feel your eardrums trembling.
In the lounge, Gu Jianlin sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the white ceiling above, lost in thought.
"All done."
Chen Qing sat beside him, carefully dressing his wound while advising, "I used a special regenerative medicine from the Ether Association, which is highly effective for healing external injuries. A few days of rest should suffice for a full recovery. Normally, there's no need to go to the hospital again. Of course, if you're worried, you can always get a check-up at a public hospital."
She knew full well the level of caution and ferocity this teenager possessed—hard to believe he was only seventeen.
Currently, Gu Jianlin had a bandage on his forehead, gauze on his right shoulder, and his body was covered in blood and dust. He looked like a beaten-up high school student fresh out of a gang fight—a rather pitiful sight.
"Thank you, sis."
He spoke sincerely.
Chen Qing felt momentarily at a loss. The memory of this teenager pointing a gun at her forehead was still too vivid.
Now, seeing him again, he seemed like a well-mannered, polite young man.
Overlooking his disheveled appearance, he was actually even better-looking than her young master.
At that moment, Lu Zicheng pushed the door open and entered, gently closing it behind him.
"Young master, is the matter resolved?"
Chen Qing stood up to greet him, asking calmly.
Lu Zicheng pulled up a chair, sat down, and lit a cigarette, replying in a faint voice, "Of course, I've already consulted with the higher-ups. The East Sea Road Police Station is just a bunch of ordinary people, fooling them is child's play."
The parrot perched on his shoulder squawked loudly, "Half a bag of Mind-bending Tea, and it's all done!"
Listening to their conversation, Gu Jianlin's mind was filled with confusion.
"Kid, do you have a lot of question marks in your head?"
Lu Zicheng smoked his cigarette, crossed his legs, and smiled slyly. "No rush, let's address them one by one."
Gu Jianlin hesitated for a second and then made a sound of acknowledgment.
"For example, you must be curious—such a serious incident happened, involving the death of a suspect, so why are Chief Zhou and the others acting indifferent? It's because we used Mind-bending Tea to hypnotize them."
Lu Zicheng explained, "As for that corpse, they didn't even see it. In their understanding, we engaged in a fierce fight with the criminal, who realized his defeat and jumped out of a moving car to escape. This afternoon, they'll probably issue a wanted notice… Of course, we'll make some modifications to it."
Gu Jianlin asked in confusion, "Make modifications?"
Lu Zicheng nodded, "Essentially, we'll swap in some ordinary humans who've encountered supernatural incidents, people we're already pursuing. Once caught, we'll erase their memories and let them go. The Ether Association's work, aside from hunting down Fallen and maintaining world order, also involves tons of these tedious tasks."
So that's how it works—this is how the secrecy of the Extraordinary World is maintained, and why it's inaccessible to ordinary people.
Gu Jianlin curiously asked, "Why go to such lengths?"
Lu Zicheng shrugged, "Because remembering these things doesn't do them any good. They're ordinary people. Unlike you, they can't withstand the psychic pollution from the ancient ages, and they'll go mad."
Gu Jianlin pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Exactly. We didn't erase your memory, not because you're Professor Gu's son."
Lu Zicheng looked at him intently, exhaling a series of smoke rings. "But because, like us, you've evolved both spiritually and mentally—you're an Ascender. We belong to the same kind. Oh, and I almost forgot—the question you probably care about the most is whether your father is also an Ascender, right? Well, I can tell you he is indeed one of us."
Gu Jianlin finally had a concrete answer, but his emotions were incredibly mixed.
So for the past seventeen years, his father had been living in another world entirely.
A world where Ancient Gods and Ascenders coexist, filled with mysteries and the unknown.
So his father was never just a profiler but an Ascender.
No wonder he always felt so distant from his father's world.
"Out of seven billion people globally, only a very small number have the potential to evolve and become Ascenders. The opportunities for evolution vary widely, but one thing is certain."
Lu Zicheng raised a finger, his tone turning mysterious and profound: "They've all crossed dimensions."
Gu Jianlin felt a jolt in his heart, recalling his own bizarre experience in the Qilin Immortal Palace.
"Uh, if you'd been attending an Ascender academy since childhood, you'd naturally understand what I mean."
"But since you haven't, I'll use the simplest language possible. Understand what you can."
"What we call another dimension can also be referred to as another space-time. It objectively exists but usually cannot be perceived, much like the difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces. The way you perceive the world defines your understanding of it."
"Even in the human world, there are things beyond people's comprehension. Have you seen a movie called 'The Hidden Digit'? In it, a mathematician claims there's an integer between 3 and 4."
"He believes it's the key to human understanding of the fourth dimension. Once this integer is found, time travel becomes possible."
Lu Zicheng paused briefly. "That number is called bleem!"
Gu Jianlin thought about it. "Sounds vaguely familiar."
He had recently come across it in short video clips.
Seeing his comprehension, Lu Zicheng continued, "In the world of humans, there are a few individuals capable of perceiving higher dimensions. Unknowingly, these people are summoned by that dimension, their spirits ascend, and they gain spirituality. At the same time, they cross time and space, witnessing extraordinary phenomena."
Gu Jianlin asked calmly, "Like what?"
Lu Zicheng shrugged, "Like the widely known paranormal event in the Imperial City decades ago. Many claimed to have seen eunuchs and palace maids from some dynasty on the palace walls. Later, scientists explained it as lightning recording and preserving an image in certain materials."
Gu Jianlin commented, "That explanation is a bit…"
"Ridiculous, right? That was totally made up by our people."
Lu Zicheng sneered. "Then there are those who claim to have been abducted by aliens, only to find themselves mysteriously transported hundreds of kilometers away overnight. Experts dismissed it as a mental disorder. Stories like the Tunguska event, the dragon corpse incident, and even the legend of Atlantis fall into this category."
Gu Jianlin pondered briefly. "So they all crossed into another dimension?"
Lu Zicheng chuckled. "To be precise, most of them only intruded on a fragment of that lost civilization's dimension, allowing their consciousness to cross time and space and witness bizarre occurrences—like hallucinations. Although we strive to erase their memories to conceal the existence of the Extraordinary World, rumors inevitably leak out over the years."
Gu Jianlin thought, so that's how it is.
Lu Zicheng suddenly extinguished his cigarette, smiling slyly. "Those people are all qualified to become Ascenders. Their consciousness was baptized by that world, leaving them with spirituality. With proper guidance, they can awaken."
"—Spirituality, this is the marker distinguishing humans from Ascenders."
For some reason, Gu Jianlin found Lu Zicheng's gaze a little unsettling.
"But you're different."
Lu Zicheng circled behind Gu Jianlin, placing both hands on his shoulders and speaking each word deliberately, "You're someone who truly entered that world. You carry the imprint of that lost civilization on you. Out of seven billion people, you're one in a million—a rare Independent Awakened. If I'm not mistaken, you've been to… Qilin Immortal Palace!"
The words struck him like thunder, making Gu Jianlin's heart race and his body tense.
"Relax. I may not be an Independent Awakened, but I've been to that world too."
Lu Zicheng spoke in a casual tone. "It's terrifying, sure—watching ancient corpses chase you, encountering bizarre monsters, and even witnessing undead rising from their coffins."
Gu Jianlin fell silent. His own experience in the Ancient Tomb seemed rather unique.
If he said it out loud, no one would believe him—he was the one who rose from the coffin.
"No wonder you're Professor Gu's son. Among all the newcomers I've met, your overall abilities are the strongest. I have no idea what you went through, but surviving the Qilin Immortal Palace—a not-so-dangerous Ancient God Ruin—is already testament to your talent."
Lu Zicheng crossed his arms, offering his assessment. "And your first battle with an Ascender today was flawless. I feel like applauding you! I see my younger self in you."
At those words, Chen Qing gave him an odd look.
"Is that so?"
Gu Jianlin didn't react much.
"You should feel proud. It's rare for an ordinary, unawakened person to defeat a Fallen."
Lu Zicheng smiled.
Gu Jianlin hesitated slightly. "Did you have a similar experience when you were younger?"
Lu Zicheng froze briefly, clearing his throat. "Of course. Back then, I similarly faced a rogue Fallen. With no awakened inheritance path, I relied solely on my wit and courage to take it down."
Just as Gu Jianlin was about to speak, the parrot let out an annoying cry.
"Thanks for the hard denial! Here's a plane ticket!"
Lu Zicheng's smile froze and gradually faded.
The lounge chilled with tension.
Sensing the mood, Chen Qing removed the parrot from his shoulder. "I'll go feed it."
The seemingly arrogant parrot surprisingly cooperated, as if realizing its doom was near if it didn't make a quick getaway.
When the door closed again, the atmosphere was awkward.
Gu Jianlin broke the ice. "Your pet has quite the personality."
"Just a dumb bird I brought back from an Ancient Tomb."
Lu Zicheng's tone was flat. "As you've seen, the Extraordinary World—whether Ascenders, Fallen, inheritance paths, or the technology we possess, be it artificial intelligence or breakthroughs in genetics and consciousness—all originates from another world. A lost civilization, exiled outside of dimensions."
He deliberately paused, then said the name: "The Ancient God Clan."
Gu Jianlin was taken aback, hearing the name once more—the legendary true rulers of this planet.
"The Qilin Immortal Palace you entered is a fragment of an Ancient God's world. Its dimension is still unstable and hasn't officially opened yet."
Lu Zicheng shrugged. "But soon, the Ascenders of the human world will rush in to level up and fight monsters, battling fiercely."
Gu Jianlin was a little disoriented by this.
"We push forward from the past."
Lu Zicheng said meaningfully, "Unearthing the motivation for progress from the dust of history. As Ascenders among humanity, we search for traces of the Ancient Gods, exploring religion, philosophy, universal truths, the birth and death of the cosmos, and the origins of it all."