Chapter 1

On an autumn night, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and the stars shone brilliantly. People had finished their busy day, and the hustle and bustle of the earth gradually faded, as if everything had fallen asleep.

"Crack!"

Suddenly, an incredibly loud sound echoed, deafening and resounding through the heavens and earth, as if the world had split apart.

At that moment, everyone in the city was awakened, lights turned on one by one, and the sounds of people's chatter and the cries of startled babies filled the air.

"Quick, look up!"

"The sky has split open!" people exclaimed.

Xu Zifan stepped outside and walked to the roadside square, where a crowd had already gathered, discussing the strange sight in the sky.

Looking up, he saw a black crack running from the southeast to the northwest in the center of the night sky.

Inside the crack, tiny stars shimmered, appearing even brighter against the blackness.

Overall, it looked as if a tear had opened in the sky, allowing a direct view of the universe and its stars.

Around the crack, small sparks flashed, like meteors but without the long tails, more like sparks from friction, flickering and disappearing instantly.

People around began to use the internet to understand what was happening, and everyone could sense that this was no ordinary event.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, the sound of an object slicing through the air came from above, and everyone looked up to see a black object falling from the sky.

"Thud!"

The black object landed on the ground with a sound like thick liquid hitting the earth.

"Ah! Look, what is that?" someone shouted, pointing at the spot on the ground.

Xu Zifan quickly walked over, standing among the crowd, and saw a black substance about the size of a bowl, like a blob of black oil or an enlarged black water droplet.

"Ah!"

The crowd suddenly screamed and retreated, as if they had seen something terrifying.

Xu Zifan was also pushed back by the crowd. At that moment, the black oil-like substance on the ground began to emit white smoke, shrinking and merging into the ground, slowly disappearing.

"What is that?" everyone around asked, puzzled.

"Whoosh... Whoosh..."

Suddenly, more and more objects were heard slicing through the air, and people looked up with fear and wide mouths.

Still, those black oil-like substances, endless in number, large and small, some as big as a winnowing basket and others as small as a water droplet, fell like rain, covering the entire sky.

Subsequently, "thud" sounds echoed as these objects landed everywhere, emitting white smoke and then merging into the ground and buildings.

Some people who couldn't avoid them had these black oil-like substances land on their bodies. They behaved like liquids but had no stickiness, sliding off the bodies and landing on the ground, emitting white smoke and disappearing.

People outdoors were now in a panic, having never seen such a scene, unsure what these black oil-like substances were and whether they were harmful to humans.

At this moment, everyone started running back indoors, and the square and streets became chaotic. Soon, no one was left in the open areas, as everyone had taken cover.

"Boom!"

A moment later, a huge sound like a building collapsing echoed, and the ground shook. Faint cries and calls for help could be heard.

Xu Zifan had already returned to his room. Upon hearing the cries for help, he quickly ran out.

By now, the black oil-like substances falling from the sky had decreased, with only a few sporadically landing, emitting white smoke, and then disappearing.

Looking up, about two miles away, a residential building was engulfed in flames, and buildings had collapsed. Cries and calls for help came from that direction.

In the distance, there were also faint signs of fire, but it was too far to hear any other sounds.

Xu Zifan quickly ran towards the scene, determined to save people. Moreover, he was curious about the strange celestial phenomena and the unknown substances falling from the sky, suspecting that the events were related.

In less than five minutes, he reached the site.

Here, buildings had collapsed, and smoke and dust filled the air. Cries and calls for help and weeping were everywhere, but fortunately, the fire was small, and some people had already started extinguishing the flames with water.

Some people, covered in blood, were being carried out of the collapsed debris, and others were hugging bodies and crying, their voices filled with sorrow.

The most striking sight was a black stone stele, about ten feet tall and one meter wide, standing in the center of the collapsed building. The stele was smooth and black, standing silently in the ruins.

It was clear that the building's collapse was related to this stele.

"Where did this stele come from?" Xu Zifan wondered, sensing the abnormality of the situation.

However, now was not the time to think about these things. Xu Zifan rushed into the ruins to start rescuing people.

By now, the fire was mostly extinguished, and many people were helping to carry out the injured.

Inside the ruins of the residential building, smoke obscured the surroundings. After entering, Xu Zifan felt a sudden increase in temperature, his body becoming hot, and soon he was drenched in sweat.

He helped carry out the injured and searched for those still trapped.

After a while, he noticed something strange. Whenever he got close to the black stele, he felt an inexplicable heat and discomfort.

Looking around, many people were avoiding the stele, clearly aware of its abnormality. Xu Zifan's expression grew serious as he sensed the severity of the situation.

"Where did this stele come from? Why did the sky split open? What were those strange black oil-like substances last night?" Xu Zifan pondered, realizing that the events were far from ordinary.

The night passed in the midst of rescue efforts. At dawn, the military and police arrived to help with the rescue and secure the scene.

Xu Zifan returned to his residence. After a night of helping, he was exhausted. He quickly washed up and picked up his phone, intending to check on his parents.

He had graduated from university two years ago and worked in Suzhou, a thousand miles from home, living in the city's suburbs. In the vast sea of people, he was just an ordinary individual, neither envied nor deliberately belittled. However, in the few years he had been in society, he had experienced many ups and downs and the warmth and coldness of human nature.

The events of last night were too strange, and everyone knew that something extraordinary was happening.

"Ring... Ring..." As Xu Zifan took out his phone, it started ringing. It was his mother calling.

"Zifan, how are things there? The sky split open here, and some people say it's the end of the world," his mother's concerned voice came through the phone.

"Mom, it's the same here. I don't know what's going on. Please stay safe and stock up on daily necessities," Xu Zifan replied.

After a few more words of concern from his mother, Xu Zifan ended the call.

He decided to resign today and return home tomorrow. With the celestial anomalies, something extraordinary was bound to happen, and as a son, he needed to be by his parents' side.