Port Morgan's major blackout did not last long. Half an hour later, the lights suddenly came back on, and order at the port was quickly restored.

However, the local gangsters at the port all sensed something was wrong. Guards directly under the Nanluo City military, along with plainclothes officers from the security department, appeared at the port together, indicating that the earlier blackout was anything but simple.

At one spot in the port, an armored vehicle was parked, shaped like a tiger. In the dim light, it looked as terrifying as a real beast.

From a distance, some people saw this vehicle, their expressions changed, and they quickly moved away, not daring to approach.

The local gangsters all knew very well that this kind of hover armored vehicle was only equipped for high-ranking officers directly under the Nanluo Provincial Military Department—definitely not someone they could afford to provoke.

But what exactly had happened to make both the military and the security department mobilize on such a scale? The local gangsters were puzzled; they hadn't heard even a whisper beforehand.

Boom!

Suddenly, out over the sea in the distance, a massive explosion erupted, like a giant firework blooming, as if a sun had appeared in the night sky, illuminating the entire Nanluo City as bright as day.

Port Morgan immediately descended into chaos. People looked on in terror, realizing something major had happened—a guardian-class airship had been destroyed. This was an event big enough to shake the entire Nanluo Province.

Immediately after, a roar came from that hover armored vehicle, alarms blared throughout the port, and more military armored vehicles came roaring in, sealing off the entire port.

After that, the whole of Nanluo City was placed under martial law, and the entire city entered a level-one wartime state.

……

Compared to the chaos in Nanluo City, Charles Lynn was sleeping soundly in his dormitory.

To be precise, since his transmigration, this was the sweetest sleep he’d had.

But Charles Lynn didn’t know that, on the surface of his body, strange patterns would occasionally appear, and his whole body glowed faintly.

By midnight, these patterns had spread all over Charles Lynn's body, converging toward his chest and forehead.

On his chest, a magnificent emblem formed. The design radiated mystery and antiquity, and its lines were somewhat similar to the emblem of the Star Ao Empire on the wall.

On Charles Lynn's forehead, petal-like patterns intertwined, forming a strange mark, like an eye, glowing faintly in the dark.

This process continued until dawn, when the patterns gradually faded and disappeared.

Chapter 04: A Shocking Change Like a Dream

“Ding ding ding...”

Charles Lynn sat up in bed with a start, squinting his naturally narrow eyes against the slightly blinding morning sunlight, and looked toward the source of the noise disturbing his sleep—the glowing screen on the wall.

After four years at Nanluo Academy, Charles Lynn felt that this holographic sensor screen was the most inhumane part of the dormitory setup.

Out of 365 days a year, this screen would light up on time in the morning at least 200 days, blaring a piercing alarm and broadcasting major wanted notices from all over Nanluo Province.

Countless students were left groggy for the whole day because of it, affecting their class performance...

Countless couples out for “morning exercise” were disturbed, affecting their harmony...

Of course, this also included students like Charles Lynn, who just wanted to sleep in after a hangover...

But although the students were angry, they could only endure it in silence. No one dared to smash the screen in a fit of rage, as that would land them in detention, cost them credits, and leave a stain on their record.

“It's the last day before graduation, and I still can't get one last chance to sleep in? Another major wanted notice? There’s a major wanted news every other day—this world is just too unsafe.”

Rubbing his groggy head, Charles Lynn grumbled in dissatisfaction. He had been having a strange, wonderful dream—in it, he seemed to have cracked the [Ninety-Nine Layer Core Code Lock], and then his whole body glowed, as if bathed in sunlight. That warm feeling was just too comfortable.

Looking up at the screen, it was reporting the breaking news of last night’s guardian-class airship explosion.

“According to investigations by the Nanluo City military and security department, this was a terrorist attack launched by the Iceblood Principality of the Western Continent. Armed enemy squads have infiltrated Nanluo City. If you spot any suspicious individuals, please call the military hotline immediately...”

Charles Lynn stared blankly for a moment, then shuddered as he realized what had happened last night.

That guardian-class airship explosion at Port Morgan?

Wasn’t that just after I left?

Crap, are Henry Lewis and the others okay?

He hurriedly opened his communicator, and a flood of messages popped up—all from classmates at last night’s gathering, checking in to say they were safe.

Counting the messages, Charles Lynn breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was safe, so he sent out a group message to let them know he was okay too.

“Luckily I came back early last night. If I’d really run into some terrorist commandos, I’d be done for.”

Charles Lynn shook his head, still feeling lingering fear. The Iceblood Principality of the Western Continent was ruled by the terrifying Ice Spirit and Blood Spirit clans, mortal enemies of the human empire.

If he had really run into those aliens from the Iceblood Principality last night, with his meager second-level core power, he’d probably already be a corpse.

“In this world, if your core power isn’t strong enough and you can’t use core armaments, you’re really in danger...”

Charles Lynn sighed helplessly. His current situation was just like that of a scholar in ancient times on Earth—completely powerless, and if danger struck, he’d be at the mercy of others.