Chapter 2

On May 24, 2019, in Xianghe City, Yizhou Province, the Republic of Dahan, Beiguangzhou...

The sky was somewhat overcast, and cold raindrops were flying through the air. It was rush hour in the city, and the roads had become somewhat congested. Trams and private cars mixed together, struggling to move forward on the narrow city roads.

The exhaust fumes from the cars, like the smoke rings exhaled by addicts, were emitted from the exhaust pipes, polluting the city's air. Everyone had become accustomed to such pollution.

Electric scooters weaved through the traffic, and a traffic accident had occurred at a distant red light intersection. Two cars had scraped each other while turning, and the drivers had stopped to argue and take photos on the road.

The cars behind them couldn't move and were honking wildly.

The honking started from nothing, gradually becoming more intense, like the barking of dogs at night. As soon as one sound appeared, it quickly spread, causing chaos on the streets.

As the raindrops slid down the car windows, Xia Anping was dozing off on the 11th tram, leaning against the window.

He was really tired!

The repair shop had a lot of work these past two days, and Xia Anping had been working night shifts for several days, working over 18 hours a day. He had been eating and sleeping at the factory for several days. Today, he finally finished the work at his station and could go home to rest. With a day off for shift adjustment, he could have a good weekend.

Xia Anping was 21 years old but had been working as a mechanic for five years.

Due to his long-term work in vehicle repair, the young Xia Anping would carry a faint smell of motor oil if he didn't bathe for half a day. His face, which rarely saw the sun, was slightly pale.

Compared to other young people of his age, Xia Anping appeared somewhat unkempt. At that moment, he was wearing a semi-new, semi-old tracksuit. As he leaned against the window and fell asleep, a few strands of black hair stuck to his forehead, pressing against his thick, dark eyebrows.

The honking of the cars outside sounded vague to Xia Anping, like distant horns. It wasn't until the driver of the 11th tram, somewhat impatient, honked twice that the honking right next to his ear woke Xia Anping from his nap.

Xia Anping looked outside and saw that the tram had only passed five stops and was still in the city center, far from home.

The traffic accident ahead had been handled by the traffic police, and the congested intersection was gradually becoming smoother, with the massive flow of vehicles moving slowly on the road.

After several nights without proper rest, Xia Anping wanted to close his eyes and rest for a moment...

Just as he closed his eyes again, his phone in his pocket started to vibrate continuously.

Almost simultaneously, all the phones in the tram car began to vibrate and ring, making various sounds. The originally quiet car suddenly became as noisy as a market.

Everyone in the car took out their phones.

Xia Anping couldn't sleep anymore. He took out his phone and saw a flashing red light on the screen. The built-in space intrusion prevention security app had been activated.

— We have detected a signal of space intrusion. The area of this space intrusion is in the northwest of Xianghe City. You are currently in the affected area. Upon seeing this message, please immediately go to the nearest shelter and follow the instructions of the shelter management to enter in an orderly manner. The security forces and summoner teams of the Order Committee have been dispatched and will soon arrive at the space intrusion area to protect your safety.

— According to our calculations, the most suitable shelter for you is the Tieyun Building on Qingyun Central Road, which is 270 meters away from you.

— National Order Committee of the Republic of Dahan.

Below this message was a navigation map to the Tieyun Building on Qingyun Central Road!

The networked satellites in space detected the abnormal gravity area and issued a timely warning. The built-in app on the phone sent the message immediately. The computer and big data automatically calculated the location of the space intrusion and the number of affected people, and automatically assigned the nearest and best shelter to each person, providing navigation directions...

At this moment, one could feel the benefits of technology.

The content of the message instantly woke Xia Anping up, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, leaving him without a trace of sleepiness.

Almost simultaneously, the toothpaste advertisement on the tram TV was automatically cut off, and the TV began to broadcast the message...

Other people on the tram received the message as well.

"Driver, quickly open the door..." someone on the tram shouted.

"Space intrusion, space intrusion, those monsters are coming..."

"Let me out..."

The people on the tram were panicked. Some turned pale, some trembled, and some began to scream hysterically.

The originally lifeless car went from calm to madness in just a few seconds.

It was too unexpected and too sudden. The people on the tram were completely unprepared...

On this tram, besides a few students, the majority of the passengers were office workers.

But space intrusion is like that; it doesn't give you any preparation, it just comes.

The tram driver, who had been angrily honking the horn, stopped the tram and opened the front and rear doors. The people on the tram were in a panic, pushing and shoving, and ran off the tram amidst the noise.

The people on the street outside probably received the same message and warning. In just a few seconds, dozens of traffic accidents occurred, and the traffic on the road instantly collapsed.

Those who had been riding electric scooters and bicycles on the street abandoned their vehicles and ran to the nearest malls and buildings, which were the nearest shelters. All buildings with seven or more floors had shelters on the ground floor.

The doors of private cars opened, and the people inside, in a panic, abandoned their cars and ran to the shelters on both sides of the street in the rain.

Some private cars drove onto the curbs and flower beds, and the drivers quickly got out and ran to the shelters.

The tram driver opened the side door next to the driver's seat, jumped out of the car, and ran to the side of the street with the crowd. At this moment, everyone's priority was to save their lives.

The streets were in complete chaos, with people running like ants to the best shelters indicated by their phones. Some shops began to lower their safety doors and roller shutters.

Xia Anping didn't join the crowd at the front and rear doors of the tram but opened a window, leaned out, and slid out of the car nimbly.

"Woo... Woo... Woo... Woo..." The space intrusion alarms on nearby high-rise buildings were already wailing, shaking everyone's eardrums.

The cold rain hit Xia Anping's face. He looked up and saw that the sky, which had been overcast with dark clouds, had turned a strange dark red at some point. A huge vortex was rotating in the dark red clouds, with faint lightning inside, seemingly leading to another world, which was quite frightening.

The dark red clouds were a sign of space intrusion.

From the looks of it, this space intrusion would not be small. It might be an F-level space intrusion, or even an E-level space intrusion, Xia Anping thought to himself.

He had been in this world for 21 years and had experienced three space intrusions before, hiding in shelters a few times.

The highest level of space intrusion he had experienced before was an F-level intrusion in a small town outside the city. The residents of the town received the alarm and hid in their own shelters. The space intrusion creatures were quickly eliminated by the security forces of the Order Committee. Xia Anping was only seven years old at that time.

The two subsequent space intrusions he experienced were at the G level, which were relatively minor.

Five years ago, Xia Anping's parents died in an accident, and he had a younger sister at home. Over the years, Xia Anping and his sister had relied on each other. As the older brother, Xia Anping had taken on the responsibility of taking care of his sister.

Xia Anping's sister, Xia Ning, was 19 years old and a sophomore at Yizhou Art College. She lived on campus, and the school had shelters that allowed students to quickly enter and take shelter.

Thinking that Xia Ning could quickly enter the school shelter, Xia Anping felt a bit relieved and ran toward the nearest shelter with the crowd on the street.

...

Wishing my fellow reader "Xue Lie Tian Xia" a happy marriage and all the best!

[Page Break for Ad]

[End of Ad]