Chapter 1: “The Black Card and the Secret Tower”

September 15, 2025, Sunny.

As usual, Wang Zhiru sat in front of his laptop at home, typing away at code that no one else could understand.

After a while, Wang Zhi stretched and said, “Mission accomplished!”

Wang Zhi had been working on cracking the electronic key for cars and trams for a month, and now, he had finally completed it.

With this software, he could bypass a vehicle’s electronic key and start the car.

Wang Zhi stood up and drew open the living room curtains. Having been shut up in his room for so long, the sunlight outside stung his eyes, making it hard for him to open them.

“This software is definitely going to sell for a lot of money on the dark web. Now, I can finally take a proper vacation,” Wang Zhi muttered as he gazed out at the view.

Ding dong—ding dong.

It was the doorbell.

Wang Zhi turned his head in surprise and looked at the front door.

It seemed like the doorbell had never been rung since he moved in. The sudden sound of it startled him.

“Who is it?” Wang Zhi asked cautiously.

“Hello, your delivery is here,” came the voice of the delivery man from outside.

“Delivery? You must be mistaken. I haven’t bought anything,” Wang Zhi frowned. He never made online purchases, and he didn’t leave any traces of his private information online. How did this package end up at his door?

“Hold on, no mistake, the address is correct,” came the reply.

“Alright, just leave it at the door,” Wang Zhi said, still skeptical of the deliveryman’s identity. For safety, he asked the delivery man to leave the package at the door.

After the deliveryman left, Wang Zhi watched through the peephole until the man was gone before cautiously opening the door.

The package was a small box, and when Wang Zhi shook it, he could tell there was something inside.

Opening the box, he found a black card. He picked it up and examined it for a while. The material seemed metallic, though its exact composition was unclear. There was a pattern resembling a spinning top on the card, intricately designed. On the back of the card, there was a string of numbers: “ID: 6911.”

“ID 6911?” Wang Zhi muttered, reading the ID on the back of the card.

As he pondered, he noticed there was also an envelope at the bottom of the delivery box.

He opened the envelope and found a piece of parchment.

The parchment read, “The end is near, please take the card and go.”

The coordinates on the parchment were marked in latitude and longitude.

Wang Zhi chuckled bitterly as he read the message. Whoever was behind this prank clearly had too much time on their hands. Deciding it wasn’t worth his time, he tossed the card and parchment aside.

At this moment, he was still more focused on whether his software would become a bestseller on the dark web.

Wang Zhi sat back down at his computer and opened the dark web marketplace, eager to check on his product.

Suddenly, a memory from a year ago resurfaced. He had bought a membership for a program called the “Liangta” project on the dark web. The advertisement promised it would provide a light when darkness descended.

It had cost only 0.1 Bitcoin.

It was a good deal, so he impulsively made the purchase.

However, upon further reflection, he was disturbed. The transaction had been completed, but no personal information was provided at the time. So how had this black card ended up here?

When Wang Zhi searched for “Liangta” again, he could no longer find any trace of it.

For a moment, he stood there, lost in thought. The sudden arrival of this black card made him uneasy, and his instincts told him he needed to go.

He took the coordinates from the parchment, wrote them down, and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Wang Zhi shook his head. He was only 25, but after weeks of neglecting sleep to work on software, he looked closer to 30.

After spending about half an hour tidying himself up, Wang Zhi packed his bags, preparing to head out.

His laptop, phone, clothes, wallet, and, most importantly, the black card were packed.

As for food, it had long been depleted after days of staying at home. Wang Zhi planned to buy more once he got closer to his destination.

It was already 9 a.m. Wang Zhi took a taxi to the airport and booked a ticket to his destination.

At 1 p.m., the plane landed, and Wang Zhi disembarked, looking at the unfamiliar city and people, feeling both like an explorer and a wanderer.

He first went to a large supermarket and stocked up on food—instant meals, crackers, chocolate, beef jerky, and bottled water.

Since he had bought so much, he also purchased two roller suitcases to carry the food.

By the time he exited the supermarket, Wang Zhi was carrying a suitcase in each hand and a large bag on his back. Passersby gave him curious looks, but he didn’t care.

After checking the map, he pinpointed his destination: a government construction park. He hailed a taxi, and the driver helped load his luggage into the trunk.

Once in the car, the driver spoke up. “Hey, kid, where are you heading with all this luggage? It’s pretty heavy.”

“Hmm… I’m going camping,” Wang Zhi replied casually.

He didn’t want to share his real purpose with anyone—after all, even he wasn’t sure what was going on. If he told others, they’d just think he was crazy.

By 3 p.m., they arrived at the park. Wang Zhi looked across the street at the park, where elderly people were gathered, playing various instruments. It seemed like an ordinary park—was it really just a prank after all?

Just as he was starting to doubt, he noticed a man dragging a suitcase. The man appeared to be in his thirties, wearing a black hat, glancing around as if searching for something. He stood out starkly from the rest of the people.

Wang Zhi seemed to realize something and approached him.

“Excuse me, are you looking for this?” Wang Zhi asked, holding up the black card.

The man in the black hat looked Wang Zhi over before answering, “I didn’t expect anyone else to believe in this.”

“Well, I had nothing better to do, so I thought I’d treat it as a vacation,” Wang Zhi said with a smile. “I’m Wang Zhi. How should I address you?”

“Call me Lao He,” the man replied briefly.

Despite his casual attire, Wang Zhi could tell that Lao He had a muscular build, exuding a quiet, sharp energy. Wang Zhi could tell Lao He was a soldier.

“Have you discovered anything, Lao He?” Wang Zhi asked.

“Nothing yet. Let’s go deeper into the park,” Lao He replied, leading the way.

The park was situated on a small hill with uneven terrain. Wang Zhi, unaccustomed to physical exertion, was already sweating and out of breath with the heavy luggage.

“Let’s take a break,” Wang Zhi suggested.

Lao He glanced at him and saw that he wasn’t in great condition. He sat down on the grass, and Wang Zhi followed suit.

“Hey, Lao He, how did you get your hands on this black card?” Wang Zhi asked.

Lao He turned his head to look at Wang Zhi, then slowly said, “I got it the same way you did.”

Wang Zhi could tell Lao He didn’t want to say much more, so he simply lowered his head, munching on some crackers and drinking water.

After a brief rest, the two of them got back up to continue their search.

By 5 p.m., they were still scouring the vast park for the ‘Liangta.’

Strange. There were no tower-like buildings in the park, and even the rundown temples Wang Zhi had checked didn’t seem to contain it. If Lao He weren’t there, Wang Zhi would have dismissed the whole thing as just a prank.

“Where haven’t we looked yet?” Lao He asked, looking around.

Wang Zhi checked the map. He had searched everywhere. Could it be underground?

Wait… underground?

Wang Zhi’s eyes lit up. “Lao He, there’s one more place we haven’t checked.”

“Where?”

“The air raid shelter!”

“The air raid shelter? I think there is one nearby. Let’s go!” Lao He said, leading the way, with Wang Zhi close behind.