The city looked calm on the surface.
Morning sunlight reflected from tall buildings. Cars moved slowly along crowded streets. Students walked toward their schools while office workers hurried to their jobs.
To ordinary people, it was just another normal day.
But behind the scenes, something had changed.
Deep inside a highly secure government building, a secret organization had begun watching one person.
Lin Tian.
The Hidden Department
The Special Anomaly Division operated in silence.
Very few people knew it existed.
The department had been created many years ago after several strange incidents around the world—events that could not be explained by science or normal logic.
Unidentified creatures.
Strange energy readings.
Reports of people with unusual abilities.
Most of those cases were eventually dismissed or hidden from the public.
But the organization never stopped watching.
Now, the recent incident in the mountains had forced them to act again.
Inside a dark monitoring room, several analysts sat in front of large computer screens.
Each screen displayed different types of data.
Satellite images.
City surveillance cameras.
Energy detection graphs.
And at the center of the room…
A large image of Lin Tian.
The photo taken from the traffic camera was displayed clearly.
One analyst adjusted his glasses.
"Subject confirmed: Lin Tian. Age eighteen. Student at East City High School."
Another analyst added, "No criminal record. Average academic performance. Lives alone in a small apartment."
The room's supervisor, a serious-looking man named Director Han, crossed his arms.
"Continue monitoring."
Unusual Movement
One of the analysts began reviewing security footage from the previous night.
Several cameras near the mountain road had captured Lin Tian running toward the forest.
Even slowed down, his speed looked abnormal.
The analyst frowned.
"No ordinary human can move this fast."
Another analyst nodded.
"Not even trained athletes."
Director Han studied the video carefully.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"What about the time difference?"
The analyst pulled up a timeline.
"Subject entered the mountain area at 12:43 AM."
"And the hikers reported the monster attack at approximately 12:35 AM."
Another image appeared on the screen.
Satellite thermal scans from the forest area.
They showed a large heat signature appearing briefly before disappearing.
And then…
Nothing.
The creature was gone.
Director Han spoke quietly.
"So the boy arrives…"
"And the monster disappears."
The room fell silent.
A Possible Explanation
One young analyst hesitated before speaking.
"Director… there is another possibility."
Everyone looked at him.
"What is it?" Han asked.
The analyst swallowed nervously.
"What if the monster didn't disappear…"
"What if someone killed it?"
The room became even quieter.
Some people looked skeptical.
Others looked thoughtful.
Director Han did not dismiss the idea immediately.
Instead, he asked calmly,
"You think an eighteen-year-old student killed a creature capable of destroying a forest?"
The analyst quickly replied,
"I know it sounds impossible, sir."
"But if we compare the timelines…"
"And the subject's abnormal speed…"
He pointed at the screen again.
"It's not entirely impossible."
Director Han stared at the image of Lin Tian for a long moment.
Finally, he said,
"Whether it's possible or not… we will find out."
Surveillance Begins
By the afternoon, a surveillance team had already been assigned.
Two agents sat inside an unmarked car parked across the street from Lin Tian's apartment building.
Both wore ordinary clothes.
They looked like normal civilians.
But inside the car, advanced monitoring equipment filled the dashboard.
One of the agents, a woman named Agent Zhao, watched the entrance through binoculars.
"Target has not left the building since morning."
Her partner, Agent Chen, typed information into a tablet.
"School records show he should be in class right now."
Zhao raised an eyebrow.
"So he skipped school?"
Chen shrugged.
"Or he returned home early."
They continued waiting.
Lin Tian's Awareness
Inside the apartment building, Lin Tian stood near his window.
His expression was calm.
But his eyes were sharp.
He had sensed something unusual for nearly an hour.
A faint feeling of observation.
Someone nearby was watching.
Lin Tian slowly closed his eyes.
His senses expanded outward.
The energy in the environment became clearer.
Within seconds, he detected two unfamiliar presences outside the building.
Inside a car.
Watching the entrance.
Lin Tian sighed softly.
"So it begins."
He had expected something like this eventually.
After all, killing a dimensional monster would not go completely unnoticed.
Even if the creature's body had disappeared.
Humans were curious beings.
They investigated everything.
A Simple Test
Lin Tian decided to test something.
He left his apartment and walked downstairs.
Outside, the afternoon sun shone brightly.
People walked along the street normally.
Across the road, inside the parked car, Agent Zhao suddenly straightened.
"The target is leaving the building."
Agent Chen quickly looked up from his tablet.
"Already?"
Zhao nodded.
"Male. Black jacket. Confirmed visual."
Chen started the car engine quietly.
"Let's follow him."
The Tail
Lin Tian walked calmly down the street.
He did not look back.
But he could easily sense the car moving slowly behind him.
He smiled slightly.
Amateurs.
Following someone without hiding their presence properly.
Still, he decided not to reveal anything yet.
Instead, he turned into a crowded shopping district.
People filled the sidewalks.
Cars moved slowly through traffic.
Agent Chen carefully drove behind him.
"Stay close but not too obvious," Zhao said.
Chen nodded.
But then something strange happened.
Lin Tian suddenly turned a corner.
When the agents followed…
He was gone.
Zhao blinked.
"What?"
Chen stopped the car.
They looked around quickly.
The street was full of people.
But Lin Tian had completely disappeared.
Zhao jumped out of the car and scanned the area.
"Impossible."
"Where did he go?"
Watching from Above
High above the street, Lin Tian stood calmly on the roof of a nearby building.
From there, he could see the two confused agents searching for him.
He crossed his arms slightly.
"So the government already noticed."
This was not surprising.
What surprised him was how quickly they had reacted.
Earth's authorities were more efficient than he expected.
But Lin Tian was not worried.
At least for now, they only suspected him.
They did not understand the truth.
And they certainly did not understand his real power.
Director Han's Suspicion
Later that evening, Agent Zhao reported the incident.
Director Han listened quietly.
"You lost him?"
Zhao looked slightly embarrassed.
"Yes, sir."
"He disappeared in a crowded street."
Han did not become angry.
Instead, his expression became more serious.
"A trained surveillance team losing a student in seconds…"
He tapped his finger on the desk.
"Interesting."
He looked again at Lin Tian's photograph on the file.
"Very interesting."
A Growing Mystery
Meanwhile, Lin Tian returned to his apartment.
He sat down quietly and began meditating.
Outside, the city lights slowly illuminated the night.
But somewhere deep within the government's hidden departments…
Several powerful people were now focusing their attention on one individual.
Lin Tian.
They did not yet know who he truly was.
They did not know about his past life.
Or the cosmic battles he had fought.
But one thing was certain.
The more they investigated him…
The stranger the truth would become.
And the story of Lin Tian had only just begun. 🌌