章 15: The City Begins to Collapse
The knocking outside Zhou Bai's door continued for at least half an hour before it finally stopped. The viewers from Great Xia were heartbroken to see the people from the Effective Pharmaceuticals Factory leave Zhou Bai's home. The opportunity for an SSS-level clearance had slipped away, and the impending horror was still a threat. The stark contrast between hope and despair left everyone angry, flooding the live stream with critical comments about Zhou Bai.
Meanwhile, Asada Ichiko's car arrived at the dark factory. Unaware of the danger, Asada Ichiko followed the people in white uniforms into the depths of the factory.
"Is this the exit?" he asked, looking at the various experimental equipment around him.
Then, the people in white uniforms tied him up. It was only then that Asada Ichiko and the viewers from Sakura Country realized something was wrong.
"What are you doing to me?" he shouted.
The people in white uniforms smiled. "We're going to conduct experiments, of course."
Asada Ichiko struggled, finally noticing the fur growing under their sleeves. These people had already mutated. The live stream from Sakura Country plummeted from joy to despair as Asada Ichiko was dragged into the laboratory, his arms filled with needles. The stream hadn't gone black, but it was more torturous than if it had.
Seeing what happened in Sakura Country, the viewers from Great Xia realized they had misjudged Zhou Bai.
—"I admit, I was too loud earlier!"
—"Zhou Bai is still our hero! We were too shallow."
—"I apologize to Zhou Bai!"
—"Zhou Bai, can I still kneel and beg for forgiveness?"
The invitation from the Effective Pharmaceuticals Factory was a trap, but the danger to the city was real. The crisis was not over, and Zhou Bai needed to find the safe zone quickly.
Zhou Bai sat on the sofa, reviewing all the information he had gathered. The first method of clearance required finding the key character in the scenario. Zhou Bai listed everyone he had encountered:
- Father
- Mother
- Wife
- Aunt Wang next door
- Aunt Li from across the hall
- The security guard downstairs
- The pet hospital doctor
- The courier in the green hat
Who was the key character? The experts were also discussing this question. With the pet hospital compromised, the father dead, the mother severely mutated and incoherent, and the wife's company being a distraction, these people were ruled out. Aunt Li had little interaction with Zhou Bai, and the courier's location was unknown, so these were also set aside. This left Aunt Wang and the security guard.
Zhou Bai crossed out the names on his list until only these two remained. The experts also narrowed it down to these two after intense discussion.
Zhou Bai focused on Aunt Wang. If someone seems the least likely but all clues point to them, they might be the one. He reviewed all the information related to Aunt Wang. She seemed like a villain from the start, with rules warning to be wary of her. She gave his mother pork, but the rules said there was no pork in the market. His mother mutated after going out with her. These events led Zhou Bai to distrust her.
But if Aunt Wang was the key character, "it" might have altered the rules to mislead the Chosen One away from her. Zhou Bai reconsidered the suspicious points. If the rule about no pork in the market was false, then the rule to be wary of Aunt Wang was also questionable.
The only thing Zhou Bai couldn't understand was why his mother started mutating after going out with Aunt Wang. There was still some risk in seeking her out. The experts, after discussion, couldn't ignore Aunt Wang's potential danger. They decided to use a hint opportunity to inform Zhou Bai of their findings.
Despite the limited help from the experts, Zhou Bai decided to check on the security guard first. As he stepped outside, he noticed the moon had turned red, casting an eerie glow over the city. The crisis had begun.
A cold wind blew, making Zhou Bai shiver and wrap his clothes tighter. In the darkness, he felt eyes watching him. In the Kimchi Country live stream, Nam Myung-gi had been holed up in his study for three days, surrounded by trash and a bucket for waste. The viewers could almost smell the stench through the screen.
In his scenario, the red moon had also risen. His wife's knocking had turned into pounding. The door collapsed, and his wife, now with fangs, charged at him with several other shadowy figures. They attacked Nam Myung-gi, and the Kimchi Country live stream filled with screams. Nam Myung-gi had failed, and horror descended upon Kimchi Country.
With Nam Myung-gi's failure, Zhou Bai was the last Chosen One left. The viewers in Great Xia, aware of what had happened in Kimchi Country, watched Zhou Bai's every move with bated breath. They saw shadows behind him, reminiscent of the monsters that attacked Nam Myung-gi.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
The sound of Zhou Bai's shoes on the ground was unnervingly loud. It was 8:05 PM. The security booth downstairs was still lit. The security guard, in uniform, sat with his back to Zhou Bai. As Zhou Bai approached, the feeling of unease grew stronger.
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