Threads Beneath the Surface

The next morning broke with overcast skies, casting a gray hue over the city. The bustling energy of early commuters clashed with the stillness in Su Chen's mind. Sleep had come late and shallow, interrupted by thoughts of the man in the alley and the words he'd left behind.

> "You're ahead of schedule."

Those words gnawed at the edges of Su Chen's curiosity.

What schedule? Whose?

He stood at the window of his new high-rise apartment, the Peninsula's polished glass reflecting the sharp lines of his face. The city stretched before him—alive, chaotic, unaware. But beneath that surface, something stirred. And he was part of it now.

> [Fame +1]

[Passive Skill Unlocked: Foresight (Fragmented)]

Description: You may occasionally sense approaching danger or opportunity moments before it occurs. Accuracy and consistency will improve with greater fame and influence.

He raised an eyebrow.

The system never failed to surprise him. This skill felt… organic, almost subtle. Not a flashy upgrade, not a weapon. But potentially more powerful.

He didn't test it. Not yet.

Instead, he pulled on a plain jacket, pocketed a few thousand yuan, and left the apartment. No guards. No assistants. Just a man trying to follow the threads of something unseen.

---

He took the subway—not because he needed to, but because he missed it. The clatter of steel, the distant conversations, the sea of unbothered strangers. It reminded him of what he used to be.

He got off in the old part of the city.

His childhood district.

Most of the shops had changed, but the bones remained. He walked down familiar roads, passing a corner noodle stall that still smelled like his high school days. A few elderly locals sat outside a chess table, eyes tracking him as he passed.

One of them whispered to another.

Su Chen pretended not to hear it.

He stepped into a small bookstore. Dust lingered in the air. The kind of place that barely made money but still stood like a relic.

"Can I help you?" the old shopkeeper asked, barely glancing up.

Su Chen smiled. "Just looking."

He wandered past rows of old texts, some barely holding together. Then his eyes caught something.

A plain black book. No title.

He pulled it free. It opened by itself, its spine cracking gently. The pages were blank—except for the last one.

One sentence had been scrawled in calligraphy so precise, it looked almost printed.

> The gods watch through mortal dreams, but only the awakened remember the gaze.

His chest tightened.

> [Foresight (Fragmented) Activated.]

Caution: You are being observed.

Su Chen's head turned slightly. The shopkeeper was no longer at the desk.

He was standing in the back corner of the shop, eyes watching Su Chen without blinking.

"You're early," the old man said softly.

Su Chen didn't respond. His mind raced.

"What is this place?" he asked instead.

"A thread," the shopkeeper replied. "One of many."

Then the man blinked, and something shifted in the air. Like a spell being broken.

The shopkeeper shook his head, confused. "Hmm? Sorry, did you say something?"

Su Chen closed the book. The page was blank now. He placed it back where it belonged.

"No. Just browsing."

---

Back outside, the air felt different. Like the city had exhaled.

> [Fame +2]

[Passive Skill Progress: Foresight (Fragmented) – 9% → 12%]

Su Chen walked slowly, quietly. The bookstore behind him faded into the background, as if it had never been unusual to begin with.

The threads were everywhere.

He wasn't imagining it.

There were watchers in the crowd. People who looked ordinary, but didn't move quite right. He didn't know if they were awakened, agents, cultists, or something else—but he was certain now.

The world was unraveling its disguise.

And he was meant to pull the strings.