Orolan Continent, Torch Town.
The core department of the entire town was the Patrol Team, responsible for maintaining order and eradicating the sinister entities lurking beneath reality.
The Patrol Team members comprised both awakened individuals and ordinary people, many of whom were refugees who had migrated from the surrounding areas, selected from the town's residents.
The members took pride in their role as part of the Patrol Team, adhered to the justice in their hearts, and possessed excellent character.
Their daily routines, besides patrolling inside and outside Torch Town, involved training with the town's leader, Lord Roland.
Ordinary people aspired to awaken one day, as only awakened individuals could truly confront the sinister entities.
Awakened individuals also wished to become stronger.
Not necessarily to catch up to Mayor Roland, but to aim for the four great powerhouses by Roland's side: the Silver Sword, Silver Shield, Silver Hand, and Silver Fist.
Dreams were important.
These four great powerhouses, the Silver Sword and his companions, were incredibly formidable; external aggressors were no match for any one of them.
It was rumored that the four Silver powerhouses were all dual awakeners!
These were dreams, with the word "dream" preceding them.
The awakened individuals understood that it was only a fantasy, with an extremely low possibility of realization. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called a dream.
However, within the Patrol Team, especially among the veteran members, a saying circulated.
Reaching the level of the four Silver powerhouses was not impossible!
As long as one was chosen!
Once chosen, awakening would no longer be out of reach.
Once chosen, strength would advance by leaps and bounds.
"Chosen? Chosen by what? Does Mayor Roland have some powerful backing? But Mayor Roland is already a top-tier expert in the world."
"It's not impossible. Our Torch Town's food and daily necessities are never lacking, clearly transported from outside. There must be strong support, possibly national-level forces or even multinational conglomerates."
"But even multinational conglomerates wouldn't possess methods for such rapid advancement."
"Indeed."
Two awakened individuals muttered to each other.
They had just completed their patrol for the day and were preparing to return to the Patrol Team's base to switch shifts. Upon their return, they suddenly noticed many new faces within the base, people they didn't recognize.
"Have new recruits arrived at our Patrol Team? But there are too many of them."
"That doesn't seem right. Many of them look like they're from the East... We don't have this many people from the East in Torch Town, do we?"
"Wait, look at their clothes!"
Many people within the base were wearing black combat uniforms, some with gray patterns on them.
Some wore cloaks or jackets over their black combat uniforms, while others didn't. The tight-fitting combat uniforms accentuated their muscular chests and well-defined arm and leg muscles.
These combat uniforms were not unfamiliar to the two awakened individuals; they had seen them before.
Especially this type of gray-patterned combat uniform; the four Silver powerhouses of their Patrol Team wore similar ones!
"So many!"
"And they're so strong. I feel like these people are like beasts released from their cages."
"Are they all awakened individuals?"
"Where did so many awakened individuals, and from the East at that, come to our base?"
Countless questions arose.
The two awakened individuals saw Captain Silver Hand, one of the four Silver powerhouses, not far away. They walked up to him and asked.
"Captain Silver Hand, who are these people...?"
Silver Hand was one of the four who had pledged allegiance to Roland's mentor in the past.
He said, "Remember to keep today's events confidential."
"As for their identities, you will know when the time is right."
The two awakened individuals: "..."
This piqued their curiosity but left them with no answers. How annoying!
But they couldn't defeat the formidable Silver Hand, that scoundrel!
"Captain Silver Hand, these people seem very strong?"
They couldn't help but ask again.
Unexpectedly, this time Silver Hand didn't keep them guessing. He nodded affirmatively, "Remove the 'seem.' They are indeed very strong."
"Really strong? How strong?"
"Uh, as strong as Captain Silver Hand and the others?"
Silver Hand glanced at the two of them with a peculiar expression. He said, "When did we, the four Silver 'extras,' give people the illusion of being very strong?"
"It's not an exaggeration to say that there are a lot of people here who are stronger than me, if not a whole street full."
"There are even several people stronger than Roland."
"!!!"
The two awakened individuals' eyes widened.
But Silver Hand didn't seem to be joking. They nodded in the direction Silver Hand gestured, and saw Lord Roland emerging from the building.
He was followed by a masked man in black, positioned one step behind.
Looking at the man in black, Silver Hand displayed a look of reverence. "That person is a true top-tier expert, with strength far beyond Roland's."
The surrounding patrol members might believe it or not.
But it didn't matter.
One day, when they reached the training base, they would understand what it meant to have experts as numerous as clouds.
...
A batch of elites who came from the training base made only a brief stop in Torch Town before dispersing in small teams and squadrons.
Heading towards their designated objectives.
Roland looked at Silver Hand. "After I leave, the town's affairs will be handled by the four of you."
Silver Hand replied, "That's not a problem. Our branch's defense force is quite strong, but shouldn't we all go together?"
Roland explained, "The mentor believes we need to maintain sufficient strength to garrison here. It is also an important transit base, and your mission is not easy."
"Understood."
Roland also left swiftly with one of the teams.
Without causing any ripple in Torch Town, only within the Patrol Team's base did the members learn that many awakened individuals had gathered there earlier.
And then they vanished.
The entire base became a little more deserted, but many people were filled with curiosity.
And it seemed Lord Roland had also left?
"A great catastrophe is appearing somewhere in the world, and Roland has gone to carry out a mission."
"As for you all, when your strength is sufficient one day, you will have the opportunity to participate in such missions."
Silver Hand said.
A curious teenager asked,
"Why didn't Captain Silver Hand go? Surely the Captain's strength isn't insufficient?"
Silver Hand: "..."
He suddenly realized the reason he couldn't participate in the mission might, perhaps, possibly, be... his strength was too ordinary.
That stung.
...
Investigation Bureau, Headquarters.
Director Huang was having a video call with Pei Hongjing.
His expression was grave. "Mr. Pei, you are saying that a powerful being from the realm of the sinister is planning to perform a blood sacrifice ritual using Blue Star as the stage?"
"That is correct. Many of our 'Xin Huo' experts have already departed. This time, our mentor hopes the Investigation Bureau and the Special Operations Team can assist in disrupting one of the ritual sites."
"It is located in Southeast Asia, within the territory of Wanta Nation."
Pei Hongjing said this on the video conference call.
Mr. Pei represented "Xin Huo," and everyone in the Investigation Bureau naturally took his words very seriously. Director Huang's slight hesitation was that Wanta Nation was a foreign country, and dealing with cultists this time would require a large number of personnel.
This could potentially cause international disputes.
"The ritual site in Wanta Nation is not far from the border of Huang Nation. Whether for Huang Nation or for the world, the cultists' ritual must be broken."
"Moreover, times have changed, Director Huang."
Pei Hongjing said.
Huang Hongtian nodded slightly. "You are right. With a great enemy before us, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."
As for Wanta Nation's own mysterious departments?
Pei Hongjing didn't mention them, and Huang Hongtian was well aware.
Wanta Nation had no mysterious departments; it was already in chaos. On the surface, it was divided by warlords and a few newly emerging awakened forces, but in reality, these forces couldn't withstand even small outbreaks of sinister creatures.
Relying on Wanta Nation's local forces was impossible.
In extraordinary times, one indeed had to act extraordinarily, and this time it was clearly extremely serious.
Huang Hongtian said, "I will immediately contact Captain Luosha of the Special Operations Team and summon the strong individuals from the Bureau."
Pei Hongjing replied, "Our 'Xin Huo' has also dispatched two teams to Wanta Nation. They will contact Director Huang and your team then."
...
The Investigation Bureau and the Special Operations Team acted very quickly.
They immediately arranged for an expeditionary force.
Led by Director Huang, Captain Luosha of the Special Operations Team, and another Special Operations Team Captain, 'Chi Yan,' the lineup was undeniably strong.
And this was merely based on a piece of intelligence from "Xin Huo."
Of course, it was also thanks to "Xin Huo's" assistance that the domestic situation was relatively stable, and the investigators and special operations members had greatly improved their strength, allowing so many experts to be deployed.
They quickly flew by special aircraft to Yunling Province and then traveled from Yunling Province to Wanta Nation.
At the same time,
In White Bear Nation, its indigenous mysterious department.
'Ice King' Sergei, one of the three great powerhouses of White Bear Nation, was leading an elite team towards a city within the country.
"Cultists' ritual?"
"A city within our White Bear Nation faces the threat of annihilation?"
"What a joke!!"
Ice King Sergei didn't believe it, but the mysterious person who sent the information knew many secrets within their department, forcing him to go.
He wanted to see what the mysterious person's intentions were.
Suddenly,
A beam of light dyed their car windows red. Ice King Sergei looked ahead.
A dazzling red light, like an inverted giant bowl, enveloped a city ahead.
That was their destination.
Ice King was stunned and grabbed the intercom, roaring, "Contact the department immediately and send reinforcements! Quickly!!"
...
Mist Capital,
This was the capital of Sunset Nation and the safest city within Sunset Nation.
It was guarded by many strong individuals.
Andrew, the 'Saint of Magic' and the strongest in Sunset Nation, was stationed here year-round, providing peace of mind to many important figures.
"With Lord Saint of Magic here, our Mist Capital can be considered the safest city in the world, right?"
"Someone reported that there are cultists within our Mist Capital, secretly setting up a ritual? Ridiculous, ridiculous."
At the headquarters of the Night Watchers, two skilled awakened individuals were chatting and laughing.
The entire Mist Capital was within their sight. Forget about cultist rituals; any minor disturbance wouldn't escape their notice.
Compared to that, the peculiar letter intrigued them more.
An order had already been issued to investigate.
Suddenly,
Red light illuminated the faces of the two. They looked out in alarm. All buildings, roads, vehicles, pedestrians... everything in Mist Capital was shrouded in a vast expanse of crimson.
This scene,
"Wait, isn't this what the letter said? The beginning of the ritual, enveloped in red light, and the rising of a blood moon!"
They looked up.
They discovered that a scarlet moon had, at some unknown time, already hung high in the sky.