In the early hours before dawn, in the distant wilderness outside Cliff City…0

The night was deep, with no moonlight and strong winds. Between hills that should have been deserted, a temporary barbed-wire fence and barricade had been erected, and a “No Entry” sign had been hung up. A newly built watchtower could be seen vaguely, and cold searchlights swept across the grass and trees.0

The area, guarded as if it were a military zone, contained no base. It was completely empty and overgrown with wild grass, and vehicles from all over had haphazardly parked in the open field.0

In the center floated a fissure, barely visible. Like a rift tearing through the void, the winding crack hovered in midair, seemingly facing any onlooker no matter the angle from which it was viewed.1

From within the rift, a faint light glimmered. Other rifts overlapped, the phenomena gradually intensifying. In a few hours, the passage would probably officially open. Because of this, tensions were gradually rising among the crowd in the not-so-spacious camp. If it weren’t for the Security Bureau personnel supervising, two groups would already...0