Official personnel likewise focused their attention on that figure.
At the Hong Kong PPDC branch, the atmosphere was heavy.
"Search! Find out that man's identity immediately!"
The command was relayed through the communicators, tinged with urgency and curiosity.
The local operational team was highly efficient; they quickly retrieved the transaction records for the Taoist temple and followed the leads. Soon, an electronic dossier was projected onto the main screen of the Command Center.
The man in the photo had an exceptionally heroic and handsome face. His brow carried a natural, awe-inspiring aura of righteousness, making people subconsciously feel a sense of closeness. His handsomeness far surpassed that of the hottest celebrities today.
However, upon closer inspection, the man exuded an indescribable indifference and detachment, as if his body harbored the murderous aura of a thousand galloping steeds.
Below on the screen appeared the basic information he had used to purchase the temple.
Name: Yang Jian.
Everyone froze for a moment.
Was that name real? Would someone in modern times actually have that name?
But now was not the time to look into that; their eyes continued downward.
Date of Birth: January 1, 2025.
The Command Center instantly fell silent.
You could have heard a pin drop.
A few seconds later, an uproar broke out.
"What?!"
"His birth date was a few days ago?!"
A technical analyst wearing glasses shoved them up his nose, leaning into the screen to confirm repeatedly.
"The system records didn't make a mistake? That's impossible!"
"Are you joking? How did such ridiculous identity information get through the registration system?"
"Check! Check the system logs! Find out which part of the process failed!"
Voices of doubt rose one after another.
This identity information was too absurd; it was clearly a forgery. The problem was, how had it been entered into the official database and passed multiple levels of verification?
"Activate facial recognition immediately! Match it against the global database!"
The order was given again.
High-performance servers began to grind, comparing that flawless face on the screen against billions of data points. The progress bar ticked forward slowly.
Finally, a bright red window popped up on the screen.
"No record found."
"There's no record of this person in the global database?"
"How is that possible? A grown man, standing right there—how can there be no record?" the commander said, his brow furrowed.
Just then, the cybersecurity department sent an emergency alert.
"Report! Eagle Country IP address! An unknown hacker organization is attacking our database!"
"What do they want?"
Before the words could fully land, another alarm sounded.
"Report! The target's identity information has been stolen! It's being distributed externally through encrypted channels!"
"Stop them!"
"Too late! The opponent's technique is highly sophisticated; it's already been spread!"
Almost simultaneously, an electronic file began to circulate across major global anonymous forums, dark web communities, and livestream chatrooms. It was precisely Ian's bizarre identity information.
"Yang Jian?"
"Born January 1, 2025?"
"Hahaha! What the hell is this?"
"Is he a baby that was just born?"
The internet was instantly filled with mockery and confusion.
"The hackers must have made a mistake! This information is ridiculously fake!"
"Wait, info from the official system? Did they actually record this?"
"What is the Hong Kong official staff doing? How could this kind of info pass?"
The wave of questioning quickly turned toward the Hong Kong officials. However, leaked along with the information was that high-definition ID photo.
The heroic face, the deep eyes, combined with that mysterious white robe and golden armor, and his current posture in the live broadcast—remaining motionless in the face of the monster threat—created a strange impact.
Opinions among the global audience watching the livestream began to quietly split.
"Holy crap! Even if the info is nonsense, this guy is seriously handsome!"
"With these looks... it's a pity he's not in movies."
Especially in certain circles where looks were the primary metric of judgment, the trend shifted particularly fast.
On a celebrity-fandom forum in the Eagle Country:
"OMG! Sisters, look at this guy! He's so handsome!"
"Oh, shit! This guy is really hot. Does he have any movies?"
"Who has his social media account? I want to follow him!"
"Shit! I need to save his photo quickly to use tonight."
The young women in the country of the "Oppa" were even more excited.
"Ahhh! Oppa! Is he an immortal descended to earth?"
"That aura! Those looks! I love it, I love it!"
"Sisters! Go support Oppa! We can't let those people slander him!"
"Sisters, unite! Blast anyone who insults Oppa!"
Among the voices that were originally unanimously condemning him as a "human traitor" or "grandstander," more and more defensive voices began to mingle. They organized quickly, swarming into major international forums to control comments and fight back.
"He's so handsome, how could he be a bad person!"
"Maybe he has some special ability! He's here to save the world!"
"What right do you have to curse him just because he's sitting there?"
This defense, based entirely on his appearance, struck many rational observers as absurd. Actually, a similar incident had happened in the Eagle Country before. A male college student had driven drunk and killed a mother and her several-month-old baby. Afterward, a massive number of netizens petitioned the judge for a lighter sentence simply because he was handsome.
The current situation was hauntingly similar.
Ian's photo was spread frantically. The debate on the internet grew more intense, forming several distinct camps.
One side insisted he was grandstanding or even a Kaiju collaborator, wasting public resources and interfering with military operations. Another side was captivated by his looks and mysterious aura, believing he must have an unknown reason or was even a hidden hero.
"Can you do whatever you want just because you're handsome? The monsters are coming!"
"Exactly! Don't be fooled by appearances!"
"But... he's really handsome, and he looks so calm."
"Calm? I think he's just an idiot!"
Yet another group noticed the discrepancies in the identity information.
"The birth date is this month. There is absolutely something wrong!"
"Could this photo be Photoshopped? How can someone look like this?"
"Right! No record found! This photo might be AI-generated!"
Various speculations emerged; conspiracy theories intertwined with fan-girl logic, creating an endless brawl online. No one could produce concrete evidence to prove who he was. He was like a mystery that had appeared out of thin air.
Along the coastline, the giant Jaeger "Crimson Typhoon" marched with heavy steps, its red paint shimmering with a metallic luster under the searchlights. The machine was patrolling its designated position, its massive mechanical eyes scanning the pitch-black sea surface, guarding against enemies that could appear at any moment.
Inside the cockpit, the triplet pilots were focused entirely on the coming threat and didn't pay much attention to Ian on the distant temple.
At that moment, a brand that sponsored Crimson Typhoon seemed to sniff out a business opportunity. They requested the PPDC to activate the high-definition livestream camera installed on the Jaeger's lower back, which was originally used to record combat data and check the condition of the waist joints during battle.
Then, the camera angle was adjusted, focusing directly on Ian. The ultra-HD quality presented Ian's face clearly before billions of viewers worldwide. In the livestream, he looked even more real than in the leaked ID photo.
Ian sat cross-legged with eyes closed. The sea breeze blew through his robes, and his golden armor reflected the light. That face, under the play of light and shadow, appeared even more handsome and heroic, carrying an indescribable sense of divinity.
"Hiss—the real person is even more handsome than the photo!"
"That skin! That face! Perfection!"
"Mom, I'm in love!"
The outcries from those obsessed with looks grew even louder. This HD video clip was instantly screenshotted and recorded, beginning a frantic spread. Within a short time, new memes and GIFs rapidly occupied social media.
Meanwhile, Ian, at the center of the storm, remained seated with eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the noise of the outside world.
But deep in his perception, wisps of faint, pure mental energy were gathering from all directions, merging into his body.
Is this... Power of Faith?
Though it was extremely meager, like a tiny trickle. It was truly unexpected that the people of this world would spontaneously generate Power of Faith before he had even displayed his power to spread it.
However, he did not continue to investigate.
Because, beneath the surface of the sea, something was coming.