69: Chapter 69 System Notification: The "Deduction" function can be unlocked (requires 1 million points).

The blue smoke from the sacrificial ritual had not yet dispersed when Chen Wu's tactical tablet suddenly emitted a bronze hum. A golden light split across the interface of the Global Martial Arts System, and the floating text seared the eyes like a red-hot iron: "Detected complete Tomb-Guarding Token energy, meets the conditions to unlock the 'Deduction' function — consume 1 million points to activate future scenario simulation permissions."

Lin Mo's fingertips hovered over the confirmation button, the youth's fingernails turning white from the force: "These points are exactly the amount tipped by the 'Bronze Token'! It's like the System calculated it perfectly!" He suddenly pulled up the back-end code, and within the cyan-gold data stream was hidden a row of ancient seal script. "This is an encrypted command from the Council of Tomb Guardians, it means 'The Key to Breaking the Deadlock'."

Grandpa Wang's tobacco pipe tapped sparks onto the tablet. The old man stared at the word "Deduction" and suddenly coughed: "When the Qin Tomb was excavated in 1974, your grandfather used a similar method." His pipe pointed to a hidden compartment under the offering table, which held a yellowed copy of the tomb guardians manuscript. "The records say it can simulate the routes of tomb robbers, but unfortunately, the energy back then was insufficient, and only thirty percent was deduced."

The encrypted channel of the Special Incident Response Department exploded at the same time. The message from the Chief of the Enforcement Division carried a rare excitement: "The Minister has confirmed it! This is the Council of Tomb Guardians' bottom-drawer technology!" In the attached holographic projection, his grandfather's notes read: "Deduction is not divination; it is using the trajectory of Qi Energy to calculate the Karma of all things." The annotation at the very bottom made Chen Wu's pupils shrink — "Requires resonance with Tomb-Guarding Beast heart fragments; use with caution."

Chen Wu's fingertips brushed over the peace lock, and cyan-gold Qi Energy flowed along the chain into the tablet. The System interface suddenly popped up a 3D model: the internal structure of the Grey Shadow Organization's gene factory rotated slowly in virtual space, with each pipe labeled with toxin concentrations. When his Qi Energy touched the "Unlock" button, the model suddenly burst with red light, and seven question marks appeared, marking the factory's defensive blind spots.

"This function can see through Grey Shadow's trump cards!" Lin Mo suddenly pulled up the recording of last week's street conflict. The System automatically deduced seventeen response plans, among which the route Chen Wu actually took was labeled as the "Optimal Solution" with a 92% success rate. The youth's voice trembled, "If we had this function earlier, A-Ming's younger sister wouldn't have had to risk kicking over the reagent rack!"

Hurried footsteps suddenly came from the mouth of the alley. Officer Zhang rushed into the courtyard holding his law enforcement recorder, the screen showing a newly intercepted Grey Shadow secret message: "On the night of the full moon, initiate the 'Purification Plan'." His uniform was soaked by rain. "The Technical Department can't crack the specific content, but according to Qi Energy monitoring, the energy fluctuations in the west of the city are abnormally strengthening."

Chen Wu's gaze fell on the points balance on the tablet. 1 million points felt like a red-hot iron, and the resonance of the Bronze Token grew more urgent. As his thumb hovered over the confirmation button, Grandpa Wang suddenly pressed down on his wrist: "Deduction is a double-edged sword. In 1987, your grandfather miscalculated one step and almost let the Tomb-Guarding Beast's energy go out of control." A page of the tomb guardians manuscript was blown open by the wind, with "Those who know the future easily lose the present" written on it in blood.

When Chen Wu's Qi Energy finally poured into the unlock button, the Global Martial Arts System suddenly fell into a dead silence. The live broadcast screen went black instantly, and three seconds later, a three-dimensional battlefield popped up — the meeting room of the Grey Shadow headquarters unfolded in virtual space, with twelve chairs around a round table, seven of which were occupied by phantom figures, the high-level members who had never appeared before.

"This is... Grey Shadow's core decision-making level!" The sound of a teacup shattering came from the Chief of the Enforcement Division's communicator. In the holographic projection, the Minister was frantically taking screenshots of the virtual image, "Faces that Interpol hasn't seen in ten years! Deduction actually exposed them directly!"

The Deduction screen suddenly focused on the phantom in the main seat. That person was turning a bronze ring, synchronized with the Shadow Beast toxin Chen Wu had seen in the factory. "The first step of the Purification Plan," the phantom's voice carried electronic static, "use the modified reagent to make the modified ones lose control during the full moon." On the virtual screen, Grey Shadow members were injecting captives with the reagent, the liquid in the test tubes glowing with an eerie silver light.

Lin Mo's tablet suddenly issued an alarm. The System detected that the energy field in the west of the city was fluctuating in sync with the Deduction screen, with toxin concentrations rising by 17% per hour. The youth pulled up real-time monitoring; seven black-clothed men wearing bronze rings were walking into the gene factory, matching the virtual images perfectly. "Deduction accuracy 100%!" His voice carried a sob, "They will strike tomorrow at midnight!"

Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly exploded in the virtual space. The cyan-gold energy flow forcibly tore open the pipe diagram of the gene factory, with each valve labeled with a cracking method. When he focused on the core device of the Purification Tower, the System suddenly popped up a red warning: "Deducing this node will consume an additional 500,000 points and may trigger Grey Shadow's counter-detection."

"Add the points!" Grandpa Wang suddenly threw his tobacco pipe to the ground and pulled a bronze whistle from his chest, "This is an emergency energy source given by the Council; it can serve as a substitute for the Tomb-Guarding Beast fragment." The moment the whistle blew, the statue in the training hall suddenly opened its eyes, and a pillar of cyan-gold light shot into the sky, resonating with the tablet's virtual space.

The Deduction screen shook violently. The Purification Tower's defense System unfolded layer by layer in virtual space: infrared sensors, genetic identification, Shadow Beast guards... The System automatically generated an infiltration route, requiring three people to cooperate and crack three nodes respectively, with an error margin not exceeding 47 seconds. As the virtual figure of Chen Wu passed through the laser grid, the phantom in the Grey Shadow main seat suddenly looked up, as if staring through the dimensional wall at them in reality.

"Someone is spying on the Deduction!" The Chief of the Enforcement Division's tablet suddenly went black, and the Special Incident Response Department's Qi Energy shield fluctuated violently. Her voice carried electronic noise, "Grey Shadow has activated the 'Shadow Realm' and is reverse-tracking our location!" The rain outside suddenly turned dark green, carrying a pungent, fishy smell — the Shadow Beast toxin was penetrating the defenses.

Chen Wu's Qi Energy flowed upstream along the network cables. The cyan-gold energy flow formed a peace lock in the virtual space, firmly locking down Grey Shadow's tracking signal. The System Deduction screen suddenly switched, showing the three best infiltrators: Officer Zhang's tactical skills were suitable for demolition, A-Ming's modified Physique could resist low-concentration toxins, and the Flower Girl's small frame could crawl through the ventilation ducts.

"This is impossible!" Officer Zhang watched his virtual image blow open a door, his law enforcement recorder's database being retrieved by the System, all tactical movements disassembled into data. He suddenly remembered the Horse Stance he practiced last week, which in the Deduction turned out to be the best posture for dodging stray bullets, "The System even calculated my duty habits?"

The most shocking turn appeared when the virtual countdown ended. The phantom in the Grey Shadow main seat took off his hood, revealing a face extremely similar to Chen Wu's, only his pupils glowed with the green light of a Shadow Beast. "I've waited a long time for this day," the phantom's mouth curled into an eerie arc, "The Tomb Guardian's Deduction will ultimately calculate its own end."

The tablet suddenly burst with blue light, and the first Deduction was interrupted amidst screams. Chen Wu's wrist was scorched by Qi Energy, and the peace lock's golden light dimmed by thirty percent. Lin Mo slumped to the ground. The final screenshot of the virtual screen showed a peace lock identical to Chen Wu's sitting on the table in the Grey Shadow main seat, only its cracks were filled with black vines.

When the rain stopped, the Special Incident Response Department's armored vehicles blocked the entire alley. Seven technicians in hazmat suits bustled around the tablet, and a cyan-gold Qi Energy shield wrapped the training hall like a giant cocoon. The Minister's holographic projection flickered in the rain: "According to the Deduction, Grey Shadow's 'Purification Plan' is to make the modified ones go on a collective rampage and frame traditional martial arts."

Grandpa Wang's tobacco pipe tapped out Morse code on the ground. The old man suddenly snapped the red string of the peace lock and threw half a fragment into the incense burner: "Deduction cannot calculate the human heart." A page of the tomb guardians manuscript was circled in cinnabar, "In 1953, your grandfather miscalculated the number of tomb robbers, but he didn't calculate that one of them wanted to turn back."

Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly resonated with the Bronze Token. The System's unclosed back-end popped up a string of data streams, which were the Qi Energy frequencies within Grey Shadow. When he input Scarface's Qi Energy sample, the Deduction screen regenerated — in the virtual space, Scarface was roaring at Grey Shadow members, followed by over a dozen reformed thugs, forming a human wall to block the reagent transport truck.

"This is... a variable that wasn't calculated!" Lin Mo suddenly pulled up Scarface's training records; his Horse Stance posture changed every day, and his Qi Energy trajectory was disorganized, which happened to avoid the System's prediction model. The youth's voice trembled, "The growth of an ordinary person is something even Deduction cannot accurately calculate!"

The Flower Girl's basket suddenly fell to the ground. She watched her virtual self crawl into the ventilation duct; the white magnolias in her basket suddenly bloomed in the virtual space, and the fragrance actually caused the Shadow Beast guards to pause for 0.3 seconds. "This is the 'Beguiling with Fragrance' I just learned last week!" The girl's cheeks were flushed red, "Grandpa Wang said plants also have Qi Energy; I didn't expect it could actually be useful."

Officer Zhang's law enforcement recorder captured an even more startling image. The System deduced he would need three minutes to crack the genetic lock, but in actual operation, he only used one minute and seventeen seconds — because he remembered the "Inch Strength" Chen Wu taught, using the end of his baton to precisely hit the Qi Energy node of the lock cylinder. "Deduction only calculated conventional tactics, not the clever strength of traditional martial arts!" The old policeman's eyes turned red.

In the Special Incident Response Department's laboratory, A-Ming's genetic sequence was being compared with the Deduction model. Elder Zhou suddenly discovered that the Qi Energy trajectory within the youth's body was subtly changing every day, caused by the breathing techniques Chen Wu adjusted daily. "These accumulated micro-adjustments," the old professor's voice trembled, "made his resistance to toxins 23% higher than the Deduction result!"

When Chen Wu started the Deduction again, the virtual screen suddenly gained countless points of light. Each point of light was an ordinary person: an office worker practicing Horse Stance, a student learning breathing techniques, and even an old lady using "Nine Palace Steps" while grocery shopping. Their Qi Energy trajectories were chaotic yet tenacious, like countless small streams converging into a torrent, crushing Grey Shadow's defensive model.

"This is the true essence of a Tomb Guardian." Grandpa Wang closed the tomb guardians manuscript, "It's not about using Deduction to calculate everything under heaven, but about letting every ordinary person become a variable." The resonance of the Bronze Token became soft, intertwining with the golden light of the peace lock into a warm net.

When the full moon rose to the middle of the sky, Chen Wu stood in the ventilation duct of the gene factory. The tablet's Deduction screen perfectly overlapped with reality: there was an infrared sensor at the third fork to the left, requiring a 3.7-second breath-hold to pass; the password lock of the Purification Tower was being cracked by Officer Zhang using Inch Strength; the Flower Girl's white magnolias bloomed at the vent, their fragrance diffusing along the pipes, and the roar of the Shadow Beasts grew further and further away.

When the door to the Grey Shadow main seat was pushed open, Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly resonated with the opponent's. That face so similar to his own showed surprise: "You actually dare not to bring Deduction equipment?" The opponent's hand held a shattered peace lock, with black vines spreading along his arm, "My Deduction shows you would initiate the final battle here."

"Your Deduction missed one thing." Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly erupted with cyan-gold light. Earth-shaking shouts came from outside the factory — Scarface led thousands of ordinary people who had practiced Horse Stance, forming a human wall to block Grey Shadow's reinforcements. Officer Zhang's law enforcement recorder pointed at the sky; in the global live broadcast, the flashes of countless cell phones formed a giant peace lock.

The phantom in the Grey Shadow main seat suddenly distorted. His Deduction screen collapsed in virtual space, and every node sprouted the face of an ordinary person: the moment A-Ming's sister kicked over the reagent rack, the detoxification orchids cultivated by the Flower Girl, and even the old man Officer Zhang helped up while on duty. "Impossible!" the phantom screamed as it turned into black mist, "How dare you variables..."

As the last sliver of moonlight swept over the ruins of the factory, Chen Wu's tablet popped up the final Deduction report. The success rate climbed from the initial 61% with the participation of every ordinary person, finally stopping at 100%. The System prompt showed: "Deduction complete, points consumed: 1 million, remaining: 0." The small characters below made everyone fall silent — "Maximum Variable: The Will of the People."

The Special Incident Response Department's armored vehicles returned in the dawn. The Chief of the Enforcement Division's tablet played the latest data from the Global Martial Arts System: in the twelve hours after the "Deduction" function opened, over five million users used it to simulate scenarios of helping others. The Minister's voice carried a smile: "The Council of Tomb Guardians said this was their true purpose for unlocking the function."

In front of the bronze statue in the training hall, Grandpa Wang was burning the tomb guardians manuscript. The ashes scattered with the wind, merging with the morning sun into a golden mist. The old man's tobacco pipe pointed at the new prompt on the tablet: "The System says points can be earned slowly, but some things are more important than deducing the future."

Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly trembled slightly. In the final images of the global live broadcast, countless people stood at their respective posts, holding their ground with the Horse Stance they had learned, using breathing techniques to calm their minds. They might not understand what Deduction was, but with the most simple kindness, they turned every "possible tragedy" into an "unoccurred blessing."

When the tablet automatically shut down, Chen Wu suddenly understood the profound meaning of his grandfather's notes. Deducing the future is not for the sake of control, but to understand that every choice in the present is writing the future. Just like on the bluestone floor of the training hall at this moment, new Qi Energy trajectories were forming, chaotic yet vivid, precisely the path of hope stepped out by countless ordinary people that no one can deduce.

When the System's final prompt popped up, the morning sun just happened to cross the wall: "Congratulations on unlocking the hidden achievement 'Human World Deduction', reward: countless ordinary people willing to believe in the future." This was perhaps the most worthwhile consumption of 1 million points, because the best future is never calculated; it is lived out together through countless 'presents'.