Terra calendar 1591.2.10.

10:00A Weather/Fog.

New Manhattan Junction Port.

The weather was dull, and the entire New Manhattan was shrouded in a thick layer of fog.

The outline of the port is looming, like a ghostly existence appearing from another dimension.

New Manhattan Junction Port, a huge hub across time, space and dimensions, is located on the southern edge of the city, close to the "Junction Gap".

Mist lingers in the air, bringing with it a moist vapor and a hint of uneasiness.

The energy of the rift seems to distort the reality here, and the outlines of the buildings are sometimes blurred, sometimes as clear as a blade.

The architectural style of the port complements the speedy architectural style of New Manhattan, and is full of all kinds of bizarre designs.

The tall tower leaping from the ground stretched towards the sky like twisted steel vines. The edges of the building glowed with a strange light. The color of the neon lights blended with the energy escaping from the cracks. The wall seemed to be breathing and flickered, with tiny glitches appearing from time to time.

Arcs make the magnetic field in the air unstable.

These towering buildings are made of glass, steel and unknown materials. Each surface reflects the strange light from the intersection cracks, giving people the illusion of being in the future and the supernatural.

The area near the junction port is divided into two parts: one side is the legal trade area, and the other side is the black market trading area full of danger and mystery.

In the legal trade zone, neatly arranged cargo ships are moored at the huge steel wharf, containers are piled up, and robotic arms are busy moving goods into the ships.

The mist makes these huge machines look like giant beasts running silently, with a certain mechanical coldness and efficiency.

Ships from different worlds, spaceships from different dimensions, and merchant ships floating in space quietly docked beside these docks.

Their designs are different and full of features from other worlds. Some ships do not look like they belong to the physical world at all. Their surfaces are covered with runes and energy halos, and you can even see the faint distortion of time flowing on their surfaces.

The scene in the black market trading area is completely different. The buildings here are dense and chaotic, and the alleys are winding, like a huge maze.

The walls are filled with graffiti with otherworldly characters, and the flashing signboards glow dimly in the mist.

Crowds of people in the black market are constantly shuttling, and there are a variety of traded goods, from smuggled high-tech weapons to rare supernatural drugs, all of which illustrate the chaos and danger here.

The air of the black market trading area is filled with the smell of exotic spices and alcohol.

In this place hidden in the fog of New Manhattan Junction Harbor, there is an extremely secret and luxurious tavern - "Twilight Moon Shadow".

It is said that this tavern is run by an elf with a long life. Very few outsiders know about it. Only a few people are qualified to enter this place after being recommended through many layers.

The architectural style of the tavern combines the elegance and mystery of the elves, and the exterior walls are woven of ancient vines and silver stones.

Everyone said that at night, the walls of the tavern would glow with a faint blue-purple light, like a forest at twilight, exuding a kind of tranquility intertwined with nature and magic.

Inside the tavern, the surrounding wooden walls are hung with tapestries handwoven by ancient elves, decorated with their unique patterns and runes.

The soft light, coming from the translucent crystal lamp, illuminates the tavern like a dream.

Compared with the modern Terran architectural style, this place does not look like something from a century at all, whether it is the people or things inside.

However, this is a new world, and the themes of the new world are eccentricity and fragmented painting styles.

Therefore, there is no shortage of urban ghost stories in the New World.

Take this tavern, for example, which has a strange urban legend - no matter there are many people in the tavern or few people, you must wait in line for fifteen minutes.

In a corner of the pub.

Xia Xiu sat quietly at a round table carved from moonlight wood. Under the dim light, his silver cane and hat were placed casually aside.

The blond young man held his chin with his left hand and gently fiddled with a black chess piece with his right hand, looking attentive.

His short golden hair was shrouded in the ambiguous afterglow of the light, and the shimmering light added a touch of softness to his calm face, but his golden eyes were still deep and calm, revealing an unfathomable majesty.

On the table, a game of chess is in progress.

White chess and black chess compete fiercely, and every move on the chessboard indicates a complex game in reality.

Opposite Xia Xiu, four people sat quietly with different expressions.

The most eye-catching one is a strong man with a pair of thick horns on his head, his skin has a bronze-like sheen, and his body is as strong as steel and takes up almost half of the seat.

He crossed his arms and stared at the chess game quietly, frowning slightly as if he was thinking about something.

Next is a man with a precision robotic arm in his right hand. The gears on his robotic arm make a faint buzzing sound. He looks around calmly and uses his left hand to gently adjust the mechanical parts of his right arm from time to time.

The next person was a woman with a pretty face. Long rabbit ears hung on both sides of her slightly curly hair, adding a touch of softness to her, but the sharp look in her eyes was impossible to ignore.

She stood tall and straight, placed her hands lightly on her knees, and her eyes wandered between Xia Xiu and the chessboard from time to time, as if waiting for his response.

And finally, there was a stern woman with a solemn face and horse ears appearing and disappearing in her black hair.

She was sitting in the corner, wearing a black hood, with a thick gun case on her right.

There is no doubt that three of the four people present are special agents of the Administration: Qing Niu, Mole, and Moon Rabbit.

And in the corner is Sophia Williams.

"You want to ask me, why don't we let the Administration control the situation?"

"Don't let the operators interfere with the chaos in New Manhattan, liberate the infected there, and end this turmoil?"

Xia Xiu's golden eyes lifted from the chessboard, lightly scanning the green ox and the moon rabbit, then slowly returned his gaze to the chessboard, and gently moved the black chess pieces with his fingertips.

This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! His fingers are dexterous and elegant, as if they are silently controlling the fate of the entire chess game.

"Katarina, Lowell," he said softly, his tone steady but with irresistible authority, "Although you two are also infected with strange hoof disease, your origins are different.

One comes from an imperial military family, and the other is a natural hunter. The operators you command are all talented elites, and all of them have started with arts. However-"

The fourth sword-holder in the Kingdom of Heaven paused for a moment, his eyes as deep as a bottomless abyss, and his voice became a little lower:

"Most of the infected people you come into contact with are the strong ones in the group, but the real infected people are not like that. They cannot be liberated by strength alone. What they need is... more."

Before he finished speaking, Xia Xiu gently pushed the white knight on the chessboard.

The moment the piece fell, the entire chess game seemed to have undergone a huge reversal, and Black's position collapsed instantly.

Black, representing the Liberation Hoofbeat and the Cultural Committee, was in trouble, and White took the initiative.

As these words fell, Xia Xiu's fingertips gently pushed a white knight on the chessboard.

The moment the chess piece fell, the entire chess game changed.

The black chess formation that originally had the advantage began to collapse. The move of the white chess knight instantly reversed the situation. The black chess piece, which represented the "sound of the hooves of liberation" and the "Cultural Committee", was in trouble and was forced into a corner by the white chess piece, making it difficult to counterattack.

"What do I want to do? Or, what does the Authority want to do?"

Xia Xiu chuckled, his voice still gentle, but with a hint of helplessness: "

You should understand something very regrettable."

"A group of people who feel cold will flock to the sun and feel the power of the sun for the earth."

He slowly raised his head, and there was a certain light shining in his golden pupils. The light was like a hidden flame, warm and hot, but hidden under the calm surface.

"But for the sun, this is insignificant. Its light and heat are a gift to all things on the earth."

"The gifts here are never equal, so it creates more troubles and disputes. The sun can only bring fire. And the real light should be the transmission of fire of will - everything I grasp turns into brilliance

, everything I gave up turned into coal, I must be a flame..."

The three special operators, Green Ox, Moon Rabbit and Mole, looked at each other, then lowered their heads and remained silent.

In the distance, Sophia had a completely different reaction.

She stood quietly in the corner, her hood lowered, and her eyes fixed on her gun case.

Following Xia Xiu's words, her fingers unconsciously grasped the gun case beside her, and her eyes gradually flickered with an unstoppable fiery light.

The hood covered her face, but the fire in her eyes burned stronger and stronger, and in these silent words she found the answer to her inner desire.

Xia Xiu was still looking at the chessboard, with the chess pieces turning slightly on his fingertips. Wang Anran, who represented the "Spider Mother", stood in the center of the chessboard, while the others represented "Liberation Hooves", "Social and Cultural Committee", "Red Branches"

"The chess piece has been surrounded by the black chess piece in his hand, and is isolated and helpless.

His eyes seemed to penetrate everything.

This chess game is just the inevitable result of careful consideration.

Xia Xiu stood up slowly, elegantly and calmly, and the aura on his body was like the calm before the storm.

He looked at Sophia with determination in his voice:

"Go ahead, all the chess pieces are in place."

"Now is the time to get rid of those who hold on to old skin and refuse to renew, as well as the oppressors."

“The Administration will help you rebuild their homes, provide jobs and benefits to every infected person, so that they no longer have to worry about their livelihood;

You will no longer be enslaved, no longer abandoned due to illness; you will build your own bridges to the future, and everything - from the most basic survival to higher pursuits, will pave the way for you."

When the fourth sword holder of the Kingdom finished speaking, Sophia had already stood up silently, carrying her iconic gun case.

She stood there quietly, her gaze deep and firm, and finally took a deep look at Xia Xiu.

There seemed to be an indescribable gratitude and determination in his eyes.

Without any extra words, she turned around resolutely and disappeared at the door of the tavern, her figure blending into the thick fog.
To be continued...