Not Looking Good

By the time Lu Chen returned to the seaside villa soaking wet, it was already evening.

Rubbing his hands together, he stepped into the living room. Everyone was gathered on the couch watching TV, and they were all stunned when they saw his drenched state.

"What happened to you?" Hu Tao blinked in surprise. "Why do you look like a drowned rat?"

Lu Chen chuckled. "Took a dip in the ocean..."

"In the ocean?" Miko looked at him, puzzled, seeing how he was shivering from the cold. "Weren't you headed to Starlight Company? Why'd you end up swimming?"

Barbara, who had just rushed home, asked worriedly, "Lu Chen, are you alright? What was that strong wind earlier? And what about Lord Barbatos?"

"Venti?" Lu Chen glanced around. No sign of him.

How was flying through the sky slower than swimming? Where did he even run off to?

Ei had been preparing ingredients for dinner. Hearing the commotion, she rushed out.

"What happened to you?" she asked, placing a warm hand on his forehead.

"You're freezing." Ei frowned, her voice tinged with reproach. "The wind was so strong outside, and you're soaked. Aren't you worried about catching a cold?"

She went to her room, brought back a blanket to drape over him, and handed him a towel. Lu Chen shook his head, signaling that he was fine.

"I've got a half-god physique—just a little cold water, no big deal..."

Wrapped in the blanket, he was about to keep talking, but a thunderous sneeze cut him off.

When he looked up, Ei was staring at him with a mix of helplessness and concern. Lu Chen gave a sheepish smile and began explaining what had just happened.

The berserk Anemo Hypostasis, the battle in the sky, and the Abyssal aura...

And then his grand feat—swimming all the way from Bangzui Island back to Ling Shan Bay. That had to be more impressive than any triathlon. Lu Chen couldn't help sounding a little proud as he spoke.

But halfway through, his Anemo energy had run dry, causing seawater to leak into his bubble shield. That's how he ended up in such a sorry state...

"The Abyss Order?" Diluc, who had been listening quietly, grew serious. "That's not good news."

"Yeah." Lu Chen nodded. He'd thought this peaceful life could last, but the sudden appearance of the Abyss Order shattered that illusion.

Anything involving the Abyss was never trivial. It was likely something major was brewing on Teyvat—and could affect this side of the Teyvat Gate as well.

"Old man, what do you think?" Lu Chen turned to Zhongli.

Zhongli had just moved aside to give the soaked Lu Chen some space. Now sitting at the edge of the couch, remote in hand, he switched the channel to the local news.

The earlier climate anomaly had already made headlines. From the helicopter's aerial footage, the small Bangzui Island was clearly visible—wrecked buildings and beaches scattered in chaos.

Firefighters were helping residents evacuate, and of course, the familiar "Abnormal Phenomenon Special Task Force" was on the scene.

Zhongli watched the news thoughtfully.

"Venti said the Abyss Order had trapped the Anemo Hypostasis for a long time?"

"That's right!"

The voice came from Venti. Lu Chen turned and saw the living room windows swing open, a cool breeze fluttering the curtains.

Venti's form materialized. He took a seat opposite the sofa, his expression unusually serious.

"I smell a conspiracy."

"What kind of smell?" Ei asked as she walked over, carrying a steaming bowl of ginger soup. She handed it to Lu Chen.

The rising steam was a welcome comfort to his chilled body, and knowing it was made by Ei warmed his heart even more.

"Ei, you're the best!"

"Then drink it while it's still hot."

Lu Chen took the bowl with a smile, lowered his head, and gave it a sniff.

His smile froze.

Something was off—it smelled sour, almost fermented... maybe even spoiled?

Still, he kept a straight face. Ei had made it for him, and no matter how bad it tasted, he was going to drink it.

"Ei's so thoughtful~" Miko teased with a smirk.

"It's nothing..." Ei shook her head. "The book said ginger soup wards off cold and prevents illness. This is my first attempt."

Miko eyed Lu Chen curiously as he sipped. "Well? Has Ei's cooking improved?"

Lu Chen gave a thumbs-up and flashed Ei a big grin.

"It's delicious!"

Ei beamed with joy. What could be more satisfying than having your cooking praised?

But inside, Lu Chen was panicking... Still, he finished every drop of that ginger soup.

When he looked up again, he found Miko grinning at him, clearly enjoying the show.

Unable to wipe the smile from her face...

While Ei continued asking Venti questions, Lu Chen quickly made some desperate facial gestures, signaling her to cut it out.

Miko giggled even harder...

Ei was still too pure. She had no clue how good Lu Chen was at acting. But Miko had caught it—that subtle grimace when he swallowed, as if choking down a mouthful of nails.

It was absolutely hilarious.

"The smell of conspiracy?" Ei looked to Venti.

"Exactly..." Venti turned to Zhongli. "What do you think?"

Zhongli paused in thought. "The Abyssal aura infected the Anemo Hypostasis, which just happened to appear in this world, and we happened to defeat it. That's too much of a coincidence."

Lu Chen silently agreed. It really did seem too convenient that the 'Reality Teyvat System' would randomly teleport a wild boss—and of all things, it was a Hypostasis captured by the Abyss Order.

Too many coincidences usually aren't coincidences at all. It was likely intentional.

Zhongli continued, "I believe the Abyss Order has discovered the existence of the Teyvat Gate."

Everyone looked at him.

It was surprising—but it made perfect sense.

"As a force constantly monitoring the Teyvat continent, the sudden disappearance of the three Archons probably didn't escape their notice."

"Not to mention, after Lu Chen's system activated, a number of high-level elemental creatures also vanished—only to reappear on this side of the Teyvat Gate."

Lu Chen nodded. True, the three Archons had gone into seclusion, and most people didn't know about it, but the Abyss Order's intelligence network couldn't be underestimated. They must have figured out the truth.

And with the so-called "secret realms" causing the two worlds to overlap, it was entirely possible the Abyss had observed this side.

Venti said, "Isn't it possible that the Abyss Order noticed the strange disappearance of high-level elemental beings, realized they'd gone to another world, and started experimenting? That would explain why they captured the Anemo Hypostasis without doing anything else."

Ei frowned. "If that's the case, it means they're reaching into the Teyvat Gate. They might be trying to come here."

The room grew tense. Lu Chen thought for a moment.

"We're still missing a complete chain of evidence. So far, it's just a single case. To confirm this theory, we'll need to search other secret realms."

If the other secret realm bosses were also tainted by Abyssal energy, then this troubling theory might be true.

"Right. But for now, we'd better keep a low profile," Venti said, pointing to the news on TV.

"When I got back earlier, I saw the authorities sweeping Ling Shan Bay and surrounding districts. Too many anomalies have been popping up in this area..."

Lu Chen's expression darkened. The TV was showing blurry surveillance footage from Bangzui Island.

With the power grid down, the village's electronics had all failed. But, conveniently, the plaza's emergency broadcast system had its own generator.

The footage—grainy black and white with snow-like interference—was from a camera mounted on a loudspeaker pole. In the corner of the plaza, a human figure suddenly leaped into the air, shot skyward, and vanished off-screen.

Due to the wide-angle lens, the figure's face was unrecognizable, but it was enough to prove that some extraordinary individual had intervened. In other words, he'd been spotted.

Lu Chen felt a bit relieved—he had worn the ceremonial mask before setting out, disguising his appearance.

During the fight, Venti had remained in his wind form, so he wasn't caught on camera either.

Still, this was hardly good news. Their movements would be heavily restricted moving forward.

Lu Chen let out a silent sigh.

Whether it was Teyvat or this world... things weren't looking good.

...