?Chapter 1  : A Dimensional Invasion

The date was May 24, 2019. The location was Xianghe City, Yizhou Province, Great Flame Republic in the Northern Light Continent.

The sky was somewhat downcast. An ice-cold drizzle poured down from the sky. It was the evening rush hour in the city. The streets were crowded as public and private vehicles were all out on the road. They squeezed into the narrow streets and moved at a snail’s pace.

Smokes were emitted from vehicles. They were black and polluted the city.

Everyone was already used to pollution.

Scooters weaved between the traffic. An accident had occurred at the traffic light in a distance. Two cars got too close in a corner. The owners of the vehicles stopped and went out to check if there were damages. They were bickering and taking pictures on the street.

The cars behind them could not move forward and were irritatedly honking at them.

The sound of car horns blared and began to cause a stir. The sound grew more intense like dogs barking in the night. It only took one to start a commotion for an incident to turn into a cacophony. The traffic in the streets was in utter chaos.

As the rain kept pouring down, Xia Ping’an was napping against the window of a tram on 11th Street.

He was exhausted.

For the past two days, the shop had more work than usual. Xia Ping’an had been working overtime for the past few nights. He was working more than 18 hours a day. He had been eating dinner in the shop for the past few days and even slept there. Today, he finally finished his tasks and could return home to rest for a while. Exchanging shifts meant another day off. Thus, he could enjoy the weekend.

Xia Ping’an was turning 21 this year. However, he had already been working in a car shop as a mechanic for five years.

Due to working long hours in the car shop, even though Xia Ping’an was young, his body reeked of a faint scent of engine oil once he did not shower for more than half a day. He blended right in with old mechanics. His face was also slightly pale since he didn’t get much sunlight all year long.

As compared to others who were his age, Xia Ping’an appeared unkempt. Right now, he was wearing a set of worn-out sportswear. While he was napping on the tram, a few strands of black hair were pressed onto his forehead, covering his thick eyebrows.

The sound of the car horns was muffled as it entered Xia Ping’an’s ears, as though it was a cry of the clarion from afar. Finally, the driver of the tram on 11th Street got impatient and blasted his horns too. Only then was Xia Ping’an startled by the sound which blared right beside him.

Xia Ping’an glanced at the commotion outside the window and noticed that the tram had only moved for five stations. They were still in the downtown area. It was still a long way home.

In a distance, a few traffic police had rushed over to handle the accident. The traffic at the crowded intersection was slowly regaining its flow. The massive amount of vehicles moved at a pathetic pace.

He hadn’t been able to rest well for a few nights consecutively. Xia Ping’an wanted to doze off again.

Just when he was about to shut his eyes, the smartphone in his pocket suddenly vibrated nonstop.

Almost at the same time, everyone’s phones in the tram vibrated and rang. All sorts of ringtones could be heard. The initially quiet tram turned into a marketplace all of a sudden. It was noisy.

Everyone in the tram took out their smartphones.

Xia Ping’an couldn’t go back to sleep. He took out his smartphone, and, as soon as he turned it on, a blinking red dialogue box was on the screen. The dimensional invasion security application, a default app on his phone, had been activated.

[A dimensional invasion has been detected. The location is northwest of Xianghe City. You are currently located in the affected area of the dimensional invasion. After reading this message, move to the nearest shelter. Follow the instructions of the shelter management crew and enter the shelter in an orderly manner. The security force and the summon squad of the National Order Council are on their way. They will soon arrive at the affected area to ensure your safety.]

[According to our calculations, the nearest shelter to you is Tieyun Plaza at Qingyun Midway. It is 270 meters away from your current location.]

[National Order Council of Great Flame Republic]

Beneath the messages was a map showing the GPS coordinates from their current location to Tieyun Plaza at Qingyun Midway.

The satellite network in space discovered a gravitational anomaly region and gave a timely warning. The app in the smartphone immediately sent out a notification. The computers immediately processed the big data and automatically pointed to the dimensional invasion region and the number of people who would be affected. It then automatically distributed each person to the closest and safest shelter and directed them there through GPS.

At that moment, everyone appreciated the benefits of technology.

The contents of this message caused Xia Ping’an to awaken instantly. It was as though a bucket of cold water was poured over him. Drowsiness had instantly left him.

Almost at the same time, the toothpaste advertisement playing on the tram’s monitor was cut off. The message began to be broadcasted on the screen.

Other people on the tram also received the message.

“Driver, quickly open the doors,” someone on the tram roared loudly.

“Dimensional invasion! Those demonic beasts and monsters are coming!”

“Quickly, let me out!”

The people began to panic. Some of them had pale looks on their faces while others were trembling. Some even started yelling hysterically.

The once lifeless tram was suddenly thrown into a frenzy in a span of a few seconds.

It was too unexpected. It was too sudden. The people on the tram weren’t prepared.

Aside from a few students, most of the passengers who were riding the tram at this hour were from the working class.

However, that was how a dimensional invasion was like. It would not allow for any preparation. It would come without warning.

The tram driver, who was just furiously blasting the horn, immediately pulled over. He opened the front and back doors of the tram. Passengers frantically rushed out, shoving their way out of the vehicle in an unruly manner.

The people on the street most probably also received the same warning. Within a few minutes, there were dozens of collisions on the road. The traffic on the road came to a crippling halt.

Those who were weaving through the traffic with scooters and bicycles left them behind and ran towards the nearest shopping mall or plaza. The nearest shelters were located in the basement of these buildings. Every building which had more than seven stories had a shelter.

People with cars were in a state of panic. They left their vehicles on the road and ran through the rain towards the shelters on both sides of the street. Their lives were more precious than those vehicles after all.

Some people drove their cars onto the curb and flowerbeds by the side of the road. The drivers also quickly got out and dashed towards the shelters.

The bus drivers also opened their doors and rushed out from their seats. They followed the crowd and ran towards the side of the street. At that moment, the top priority for everyone was survival.

The street was already completely thrown into chaos. The running crowd surged towards the best shelters like ants as directed by their smartphones. Some stores along the street began to lower their security doors and roll shutters.

Xia Ping’an did not rush to make his way out of the tram. He prioritized safety. He would rather be the last to get to the shelter safe than to be there first injured.

He pulled open a window and stuck his body outside. He slid his body out of the tram nimbly.

Woop... Woop... The sirens for the dimensional invasion alert, which were placed on top of the tall buildings, shrilled. The sound reverberated in everyone’s ears.

Rain poured down on Xia Ping’an’s face. He raised his head and noticed that unbeknown when, the gloomy clouds had turned dark red. On top of the bizarrely red clouds, a gigantic tornado was swirling. Lightning could be faintly seen flashing within the tornado, as though it was a vortex to another world. The scene was somewhat frightening.

The dark red clouds were a definite sign of a dimensional invasion.

“From the looks of it, the scale of this dimensional invasion was not small. It would most likely be a Level F invasion. It might even turn out to be a Level E invasion,” Xia Ping’an muttered to himself.

Xia Ping’an had come to this world 21 years ago. In the past, he had experienced three dimensional invasions and had hidden in the shelters before.

However, for the past three times, the most severe dimensional invasion that he had experienced was only a Level F. At that time, he was at a little town located on the outskirts of the city. After the residents received the warning, everyone hid in the shelter in their respective homes. Not long after, the creatures which invaded the dimension were eliminated by the security force of the National Order Council. Xia Ping’an was seven years old then.

After that, the other two dimensional invasions experienced by Xia Ping’an were both Level G or lower. They were shocking, but were not dangerous.

Five years ago, Xia Ping’an’s parents passed away in an accident. He was left with a younger sister. All these years, he and his sister depended on each other for survival. As the elder brother, he was also in charge of taking care of his sister.

Xia Ning was his younger sister. She would turn 19 this year and was a sophomore in Yizhou College of Arts. She stayed on campus. The campus had shelters, which allowed the students to seek refuge in the shortest amount of time.

Xia Ping’an was less worried when he thought of Xia Ning being able to rush into a shelter on campus. He followed the crowd on the street and dashed towards the nearest shelter.