Apocalypse Forecast

Current Circumstances Correction Value, or what you might call deviation degree. Put simply, it is much like the degree of enshrinement, yet the two are completely different.

Certainly, Gods will inevitably receive humanity's worship and sacrifice, thus being widely extolled and feared. However, this does not mean they do things to pursue people's adulation and fear. On the contrary, it is because they have done certain things that they are worshipped and feared by mortals.

If Raven were here, he might tell Huai Shi even more bluntly that these so-called God Spirits are merely a necessary link in maintaining the world's integrity. Each bears its own duty. Whether orchestrating clouds and rain or scattering disasters, these are merely insignificant parts of their work. Aside from a very few among them, or those with ulterior motives, few such beings care about mortal opinions of them.

For them, it is nothing more than fulfilling missions bestowed by the world's axis. Whether it is called inherent nature or Sky's Command, in the end, it is all the same, just like humans are naturally inclined to eat and drink.

And as a Fifth Stage Sublimator possessing some God Spirit traits, to allow the miracle one possesses to grow, one must naturally follow its essence and induce changes in the world.

Take the Kylin, for instance. Its nature dictates that Fu Canlight must fulfill the Kylin's Sky's Command: to subdue all beasts and maintain the Current Circumstances' tranquility. No, it should be said that if Fu Canlight does not possess this resolve, then he absolutely cannot become a Kylin.

Take the Dapeng Golden Winged Bird from the Dongxia Genealogy, for example: it is even incapable of ascending in the normal way. This miracle inevitably descends with the wails and prayers that arise when nations crumble and society is overthrown. Its Sublimator must accept the Sky's Command to reassemble the realm and sustain orthodoxy. Through fierce warfare, they must set the world aright and reclaim the old lands.

Precisely because of this, it does not exist in the fourteen paths of sublimation within the Dongxia Genealogy. With the increasing stability of the Current Circumstances today, its miracle has sunk deep into the depths of the Sea of Silver, elusive. One could say that, apart from similarities in appearance and legend, it is fundamentally different from Garuda.

Every Sublimator bearing a Fifth Stage Saint Mark must have their Sky's Command, and they will inevitably pursue it, whether for greater power or for ambitions that align perfectly with this Sky's Command.

Regardless of whether the Sky's Command accompanying the miracle is righteous or wicked, grand or minute, every Fifth Stage Sublimator will induce a certain change in the Current Circumstances, causing all things to deviate to some extent from their predetermined paths.

And that is the significance represented by the Current Circumstances Correction Value. It evaluates the miracles created by Sublimators.

If establishing order represents correction, then destruction and devastation will generate deviation—ultimately, both terms mean that the world has been changed. The entire world, like numbers, fluctuates with the intentions of Sublimators, sometimes ascending, sometimes descending. If left unchecked, would the Current Circumstances not have long since descended into utter chaos?

This is also where the role of an Inspector comes into play: to prevent the myriad phenomena from turning to ashes amid this turmoil.

At this point, Li Jian Amber sighed. "And as for what a Garuda, a mount and servant of gods, is destined for, it goes without saying, right?"

Huai Shi suddenly realized. "To be a loyal minion and… clear the way?"

Li Jian Amber nodded.

That was the little scheme that fellow, previously known as Nine Phoenix, was playing—a triple-fold gain.

By switching paths of ascension, he reset his attributes and changed his façade. This not only allowed him to break free from the limitations of the Nine Phoenix path of sublimation and successfully advance to Garuda, but he also leveraged Garuda's inherent traits to easily forge a path to Hell's Demon City. While fulfilling his plan, he also garnered an immense amount of Current Circumstances deviation through this legendary deed. This allowed him to shake off his innate deficiencies and become a standout among Fifth Stage Sublimators, a feat akin to a fish leaping through the Dragon Gate.

Opening a path to Hell's Demon City—for the original Nine Phoenix, it was utterly unrealistic. After all, expecting a ferocious bird that devours souls to clear paths was asking too much of it. But for Garuda, it was practically his main line of work. Otherwise, after serving as Vishnu's mount for so many years, if the god said, 'Let's go somewhere,' could Garuda possibly reply, 'Sorry, My Lord, I can't find the way. You'll need to bring a GPS'?

Now with the Triple-fold reflection of the Mirror World, breaking the Current Circumstances' blockade and penetrating Magic City was practically a foregone conclusion. And although not without effort, where in the world can one achieve anything without hard work?

"If he truly manages to open the path to Demon City, he could gain a deviation of at least 0.09%, right?" Li Jian Amber clicked his tongue. "That's enough for him to leap to the upper echelons of Fifth Stage Sublimators."

"Only that much?" Huai Shi was astonished, earning him a furious eye-roll from Li Jian Amber.

"That's already quite a lot. A one-time deviation of three percent is enough to destroy a medium-sized country. Reaching twenty percent puts the entire Current Circumstances at risk. Do you know how much the deviation reached during the First World War? Only forty-four percent! At the most dangerous time, the Astronomical Society even advanced the Doomsday Clock by five minutes."

By the time they mentioned this, the two were almost shrinking beneath the stairs. The light above was too intense. For those like them, bearing negative Stigmas, it is an inherent form of suppression; one wrong move could mean they evaporate from the face of the earth.

And just then, they heard the howling of a hurricane. Amidst Garuda's angry screech, a radiance as fierce as the sea burst forth. It finally crawled out from the abyss of its metamorphosis, slowly spreading its tattered wings, gradually breaking free from the shackles of the Current Circumstances.

Before it, a dark fissure slowly opened, revealing glimpses of flowing light, rainbow hues, and countless bubble-like scenes within.

What shocked Huai Shi was... "What's with its wings?"

Those wings, riddled with countless holes, were so ghastly it was unimaginable that anything could fly with them. Because of them, it could not even fully emerge from the abyss of its metamorphosis.

"It's probably an incomplete evolution, right?" someone said from behind Huai Shi. "It would be more accurate to say it was inherently deficient. Because there was a problem with the ritual, he had not cleansed all of his Yin attributes. Some remnants lingered, leading to a conflict with the Garuda essence."

In that instant, Huai Shi and Li Jian Amber became alarmed and silent, suddenly whirling around, their knives and axes aimed at the newcomer who had appeared there at some unknown time. Then they froze.

"Old Liu?" Huai Shi was astonished. "How did you get here?"

"You're joking. Why can't an Astronomical Society Registrar be here? If anything, I should be the one asking you that," Liu Dongli replied calmly, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Trying to get yourself killed isn't the way, is it?"

"A stroke of fate, a stroke of fate." Huai Shi gave a dry laugh. "I just wanted to perform some meritorious service and get my sentence reduced early... When did you get here?"

"I arrived when you two were talking about the deviation degree. Seeing how serious you were, I didn't interrupt. By the way, I have already sent the critically injured person from below away, so you don't have to worry." Liu Dongli also lay prone on the steps, observing Garuda's movements through a telescope and clicking his tongue. "Ah, how pitiful. How did it end up like this? I am so terribly sorry..."

Huai Shi tensed, his gaze growing suspicious. "Its wings... did you mess with them?"

"It's a bit embarrassing to say." Liu Dongli took a contented puff of his cigarette. "Although I had investigated earlier and found that The Purified People ran the restaurant known for its All-Bird Banquet and were secretly collecting bird eyes, I had no idea what they were up to."

"So?"

"So I thought, no matter what they're up to, let's stir up some trouble first." Liu Dongli recounted these events with glee. "I just took advantage of our meal together to sneak into their kitchen and add a bunch of bat and duck eyes to their supplies. Later, I also surreptitiously slipped a few eels in with the venomous snakes they had purchased... I didn't expect it to actually work."

"You son of a bitch! You even spied while treating me to a meal! Do you have no conscience?"

"Didn't you enjoy the meal too? Besides, I paid for it! That day, you alone ate over eight hundred worth!" Liu Dongli said indignantly, "Who invites someone to a meal without mentioning they are in a growth spurt!"

While grumbling about Huai Shi, he knelt on the steps and took something resembling a sniper rifle from his back. He expertly unfolded its bipod, set up the weapon, pressed his eye to the scope, and aimed at the reborn Garuda, enduring the blinding radiance that felt intense enough to crack a man's face.

"What are you doing?" Huai Shi asked, looking dazedly at the firearm. It did not seem like any strange Border Relic, and he was sure Liu Dongli had gone insane. "Do you plan to kill it with that thing?"

"Not necessarily kill it." Steam seemed to rise from Liu Dongli's eyes, his doubled pupils trembling. Grinning through the searing pain of the burn, he whispered softly, "Hopefully, I can cripple it."

In that moment, he pulled the trigger.

The gun body shook violently. With the primer ignited, a bullet flew from the barrel. It left the shriek of its passage behind it, and in an instant, entered the Abyss, piercing through layers of light as substantial as reality. It successfully hit Garuda's chest.

And that was it. Not a single feather was lost; Garuda did not even realize someone was shooting at it.

Li Jian Amber, having witnessed the entire spectacle—akin to Don Quixote challenging a windmill—could not help but laugh out loud.

"It's completely useless, bro." Huai Shi shook his head and sighed, taking a healing salve from his pocket. He wondered if it would have any effect on eye burns.

Only Liu Dongli ignored the blood flowing from his right eye. With a relaxed look, he exhaled smoke from his lungs and extinguished the cigarette butt on the ground. Finally, he glanced at the two country bumpkins. "Ever heard of laser guidance?"

Before his words fell, the sky dome trembled violently. Directly above Garuda's head, the void suddenly tore open a large hole, as if a wall had been smashed apart, revealing the scene beyond.

The sound of the wind surged, bursting forth. From that pitch-black passage, two blinding headlights suddenly lit up, and with the tortured roar of railway tracks, a high-pitched screeching erupted.

It was deafening.

——The subway was approaching the station!