060 : When the Tower’s Laws Begin to Break.

That evening, Lin Tian followed one of the energy signatures he had sensed earlier—someone who was hiding their Tower presence.

He trailed the figure into a quiet alleyway, shadows stretching across the brick walls as the sun dipped below the horizon. The moment they were alone, Lin Tian moved.

In a flash, he appeared in front of the man, blocking his escape.

"Going somewhere?" Lin Tian's voice was calm, but his golden eyes burned with intensity.

The man—a middle-aged figure with short hair and a nervous expression—froze.

"You… You're one of them," the man stammered, taking a step back.

Lin Tian narrowed his eyes. "One of what?"

The man swallowed hard. "You came from the Tower… didn't you?"

Lin Tian's breath slowed. So he knew.

Su Yun whispered, "Lin Tian, be careful."

Lin Tian took a step forward. "How do you know about the Tower?"

The man hesitated, then exhaled shakily. "Because… I was supposed to be dead."

Lin Tian's expression didn't change, but inside, his thoughts raced.

The man's next words sent a chill through him.

"Five years ago, I entered the Tower." His voice trembled. "And five years ago, I died."

Lin Tian's heart stopped for a beat.

Impossible.

The Tower's rules were absolute.

If you died in the Tower—you died for real.

But this man?

He was standing right in front of him.

And that meant something had changed.

Lin Tian's golden eyes locked onto the man, unreadable. "Explain."

The man exhaled, shaking his head. "I was on the 12th floor. A trial to cross a collapsing bridge. I failed. I fell." His hands trembled. "I remember hitting the ground… and then nothing. Just darkness."

Lin Tian remained silent, listening.

The man continued. "I was dead. I know I was dead. But then… I woke up. Not in the Tower. Not in the afterlife. Here. In this world."

Su Yun's voice was barely a whisper. "Lin Tian… this doesn't make sense."

Lin Tian clenched his jaw. "When did you wake up?"

The man looked at him, fear flickering in his eyes.

"Two days ago."

The same day Lin Tian returned to Earth.

His mind worked fast. This wasn't just about climbers being forced out of the Tower.

The dead were returning.

And if that was true—then what else was coming back?

The man suddenly grabbed Lin Tian's arm, desperation in his gaze.

"You have to listen to me," he whispered. "The Tower… it's broken. The rules don't work anymore. And if we don't stop it—"

Before he could finish, his body convulsed.

Lin Tian stepped back as the man screamed, clutching his chest. His eyes glowed with a violent, unnatural light, his veins turning black.

And then—he vanished.

Not like teleportation.

Not like anything Lin Tian had seen before.

It was as if the Tower had reached out and reclaimed him.

The alley was silent.

Lin Tian stared at the empty space where the man had stood, his mind racing.

Su Yun's voice was hushed. "Lin Tian… I think something is coming."

Lin Tian's golden eyes flickered.

"No."

"Something is already here."

The alley was silent, but Lin Tian's mind was anything but.

The man had just vanished, taken by something neither the Tower nor this world could explain. It wasn't a normal disappearance—it felt like the Tower itself had reclaimed him.

And that meant the Tower's influence was bleeding into Earth.

Su Yun's voice was quiet, thoughtful. "Lin Tian… if the Tower can take people back, does that mean it can send more here?"

Lin Tian exhaled. "That's what I need to find out."

He turned, stepping out of the alley, his golden eyes scanning the city around him. Everything looked normal. People walked the streets, cars passed by, conversations filled the air.

But beneath it all, Lin Tian could feel it.

A presence.

A shadow stretching over this world.

Something was coming.

And Lin Tian intended to be ready.

Later that night, Lin Tian sat in a quiet café, waiting. He had sent a message to Bai Ye earlier, telling him they needed to talk.

He didn't have to wait long.

Bai Ye strolled in casually, dressed in a dark jacket, his usual smirk in place. "You're making this sound urgent. Should I be worried?"

Lin Tian leaned back in his chair. "People are disappearing."

Bai Ye's smirk faded slightly. "That so?"

Lin Tian nodded. "And they're not just vanishing. Some of them are being taken back to the Tower. Against their will."

Bai Ye exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Damn. That's worse than I thought."

Lin Tian narrowed his eyes. "You expected something like this?"

Bai Ye shook his head. "Not exactly. But I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up here. The Tower never makes mistakes, right? And yet, here I am—sent back without warning." He leaned forward. "And if people are being pulled in… then that means something is trying to fix whatever went wrong."

Lin Tian's jaw tightened. "Or it means something is making it worse."

A pause.

Then, Bai Ye grinned. "You're not the type to sit back and watch, are you?"

Lin Tian smirked. "Never."

Bai Ye chuckled. "Good. Because I have a lead."

Lin Tian's golden eyes sharpened. "Go on."

Bai Ye lowered his voice. "There's another climber in this city. Someone who's been hiding, but I tracked their movements. If anyone knows what's going on, they do."

Lin Tian nodded. "Where?"

Bai Ye grinned. "A place you wouldn't expect."

An hour later, Lin Tian and Bai Ye arrived at a nightclub.

Lin Tian raised an eyebrow. "This is your lead?"

Bai Ye smirked. "Hey, don't judge. Some climbers like to blend in."

Lin Tian exhaled, stepping inside. The place was packed—music, flashing lights, people laughing and drinking. A scene completely different from the Tower.

But Lin Tian wasn't here for that.

His golden eyes scanned the crowd, searching. Then—he found them.

A woman sat at the bar, swirling a drink in her hand. Unlike the others, she wasn't relaxed. Her posture was tense, her eyes constantly moving. She was watching for something—or someone.

Lin Tian approached, taking a seat beside her. "You look like you've seen something you weren't supposed to."

The woman tensed, then turned to face him. Her eyes—**glowing faintly with Tower energy—**widened in recognition.

"You…" She whispered. "You're one of them."

Lin Tian smirked. "So are you."

A long pause. Then, the woman exhaled. "You shouldn't be here."

Lin Tian tilted his head. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you."

She set her glass down. "You don't understand. The Tower isn't just breaking. Something is trying to control it. And if it succeeds…"

She looked at him, her expression grim.

"Earth won't be safe anymore."

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