The city of Shanghai never truly sleeps.
Even when the night has swallowed the entire sky, light remains alive among the skyscrapers that tower like giant skeletons of metal and glass. The streets are still packed with vehicles moving incessantly; neon lights glow like man-made river currents, and the people themselves... they keep walking, as if time is never enough for them.
In this city, silence is a weakness.
And those unable to follow the current will sink without a sound.
🏫 Morning — Shanghai University
Inside the sprawling campus, life goes on as usual.
Students pass by, carrying their books, laptops, and respective dreams. Some laugh with friends, some are busy discussing the future, and others just want to finish their classes quickly and leave.
In the middle of it all, there is one figure who almost never attracts anyone's attention.
Lin Xuan.
He sits in the corner of the campus canteen, at the spot furthest from the crowd. The simple wooden table in front of him holds only a single piece of cheap bread wrapped in plastic and a bottle of mineral water.
No laptop.
No friends.
No conversation.
Just himself.
His hands slowly open the bread wrapper. His movements are not rushed, nor are they slow—as if every action has its own rhythm, unaffected by the outside world.
At the next table, a group of students sit in neat clothes and expensive watches. They laugh loudly, talking about things that sound lighthearted yet are laced with a hidden sense of superiority.
"Look at that," one of them whispered, glancing toward Lin Xuan. "He's eating that bread again."
The others turned and smiled thinly.
"Does he do that every day? I'm curious, doesn't he get bored living like that?"
"Haha, maybe that's just what he's suited for. Not everyone is meant to be successful."
Small laughter broke out among them.
Not too loud.
Not too harsh.
Yet enough to make a weak person feel small.
However, Lin Xuan did not react.
He took a bite of the bread slowly.
Chewed.
Swallowed.
Then took a sip of water.
The only change on his face was a slight movement in his eyes—not anger, not sadness, but like someone who had long understood that the world is never fair, so there was no point in overreacting to it.
"Hey, Lin Xuan."
One of the students suddenly stood up and walked toward him.
The man wore an expensive jacket and clean shoes, a stark contrast to the simple Lin Xuan. He leaned against the table casually.
"I'm just curious," he said with a smile. "Do you actually have a purpose in life?"
The atmosphere around them slowed down slightly.
A few people turned their heads, waiting for a reaction.
Lin Xuan stopped eating for a moment.
He looked at the man.
His gaze was calm.
There was no clear emotion in it.
"I do," he answered briefly.
The answer caught the man slightly off guard.
"Oh? And what is it?"
Lin Xuan took another bite of his bread before answering.
"To live."
A brief silence followed.
Then, a small laugh emerged, more of a social reflex than a reaction to a joke.
"What a boring answer," the student said, clicking his tongue. "Whatever."
He left, returning to his group.
And Lin Xuan was alone again.
📚 Afternoon — Campus Library
As the sun began to tilt toward the west, the campus grew quieter.
Lin Xuan was in the library.
The room was filled with high bookshelves, the scent of old paper, and a cold white light. The atmosphere inside was far different from the outside world—quieter, more orderly, as if this world still believed in knowledge as something important.
Lin Xuan sat at a back table.
Open before him were advanced engineering, physics, and mathematics books.
He read with focus.
But what was strange was his speed.
His eyes moved fast.
Too fast.
It was as if he wasn't reading word by word, but instantly grasping the meaning behind them.
Occasionally, he stopped.
Staring at a single page.
Remaining silent for a long time.
As if something was bothering his mind.
"Why do I feel... this is too easy?"
The sentence escaped his mouth softly.
He didn't realize he had said it out loud.
A few students at other tables glanced over, then returned to their work.
Lin Xuan stared at his own hands.
His palms looked ordinary.
No special marks.
Nothing different.
Yet the feeling remained.
Like something inside him... did not fit into this world.
He closed the book slowly.
Leaned back in his chair.
Stared at the library ceiling.
"Who... am I, exactly?"
The question surfaced without reason.
And there was no answer.
🌆 Night — The Walk Home
A night breeze blew gently in the narrow alley leading to Lin Xuan's small apartment.
The streetlights glowed dimly, some flickering occasionally as if exhausted. The street wasn't crowded; only a few people passed by without paying attention to anyone around them.
Lin Xuan walked alone.
His pace was steady.
But the further he walked, the more he realized something strange.
The world felt... too quiet.
No sound of vehicles from the main road.
No sound of dogs.
No sound of the wind that usually moved between the buildings.
It was as if all sound was retreating from him.
He stopped.
Turned around.
There was no one behind him.
"..."
He frowned.
"Strange..."
His hand slowly touched his chest.
His heartbeat was normal.
But behind it all...
There was something else.
A small vibration.
Like something that had been asleep for a long time inside his body... was starting to stir.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
But it wasn't just his heart.
It was deeper.
Older.
More alien.
🌌 The Freezing of the World
Suddenly—
The wind stopped completely.
A falling leaf froze in mid-air.
Dust hung suspended without falling.
A streetlight flickered once... then went still.
The world felt as if it were being pressed down by something invisible.
Lin Xuan was instantly alert.
This wasn't normal.
This made no sense.
He tried to take a step.
But his body felt heavy.
Like there was an invisible pressure squeezing the entire space around him.
And then...
A voice appeared.
Not from the outside.
Not from the environment.
But directly inside his head.
"Finally..."
Lin Xuan's eyes snapped wide open.
His entire body tensed.
"Who's there?!"
There was no answer.
But the pressure in his chest increased.
The vibration grew stronger.
Like something massive... was opening its eyes inside of him.
🌊 Deep in the Ocean Depths
Beneath an ocean that held no light...
Inside an ancient palace unrecorded in human history...
A giant throne began to tremble.
Upon it, a figure that had slept for thousands of years slowly opened its eyes.
And at that moment—
The entire ocean...
Shook.
For the first time in millennia...
He smiled.
🔥 END BAB 1