What are these if not ghosts?

Qiao He felt a chill run down her spine. She had never been afraid of anything in her life, except for ghosts.

I never thought I'd see it after the apocalypse, even though I didn't see it before.

No, something's wrong.

If they are ghosts, why are their movements so synchronized, as if they are being controlled by something, or perhaps...

It's like a pre-programmed sequence.

All humans are like this; it looks very strange and terrifying.

The purpose was to use this bizarre imagery to drive Qiao He insane!

Qiao He looked away from the strange feet, but the image from earlier still lingered in her mind: everyone's toes pointing backward in perfect unison, which looked bizarre no matter how you looked at it.

Qiao He took a deep breath and released a second drone. The camera on the drone captured the scene inside the carriage, which was packed with office workers. Even those sitting in the chairs were office workers. There was no place to put your feet in the entire subway car.

Qiao He tried to push them away, but she couldn't move an inch.

Not to mention that the energy is currently undetectable, Qiao He can't even see where the attacker is hiding, or perhaps this isn't a human being who has mutated and been influenced by the azure substance, thus becoming a superhuman.

After all, after battling a giant pine tree, it's not just humans who can mutate into super powerful mutants; plants or animals can also do it. In more extreme cases, it could even be a rock or a flower.

These are all things that could happen.

You can't blame Qiao He for overthinking.

Just then, Qiao He heard the subway's female announcement: "The final stop of this journey is Lanxi Road. The next stop is Guangming Road. Open the left door."

Have we arrived at our destination?

Qiao He realized this was an opportunity; what if she could escape from the subway?

But what will they face once they get out?

Qiao He didn't know, but she had no choice but to take a gamble.

At that very moment, the subway arrived at the next station, which was Guangming Road.

Qiao He had never lived in this city before, so she naturally didn't know what Guangming Road subway station was. However, it seemed that all the office workers had changed direction and were facing the side with the door open, as if they were going to go out from there.

Shortly after, the subway stopped and then the doors opened.

Didi——

The door opened, and the office workers inside scrambled out, as if they were being chased by ghosts. Qiao He could faintly hear them muttering something under their breath—

"Hurry up, hurry up, or we'll be late."

"I need to clock in... Clock in, clock in! Work clock in, off-get off work clock in, weekend clock in. Clock in, clock in, clock in!"

"Hurry up, I'm about to lose my perfect attendance bonus, hurry up!"

"It's all my fault for sleeping five minutes too long. I've lost my perfect attendance record, sob sob."

"How strange, my company is gone, how am I supposed to go to work now?"

"I love going to work, and work loves me, hehehe..."

"As long as you don't die, go all out!"

"Work overtime until you drop dead, or you'll die!"

"..."

Gradually, those muttered words turned into a slogan.

In short, these are all phrases that express a love for going to work, which has a bit of a brainwashing feel to it.

Qiao He found it annoying. After graduating, she interned at a comic book company and deeply understood the miserable life of a corporate slave. They received a meager salary and worked like oxen and horses. Even if they drew a super popular comic for the company, the money they received as authors was only a small amount.

Alive, but practically dead.

Fortunately, Qiao He beat up her boss after her internship and then resigned in anger.

There's nothing else to it, except that her boss is lecherous and always tries to take advantage of Qiao He.

How could Qiao He allow that? Just as he reached out to grope her, she beat him so badly he ended up in the hospital. She had to pay compensation and lost her job.

Later, out of desperation, she had to draw comics like crazy, and luckily she was talented and willing to work hard.

They also created many hit comics, which were available through digital subscriptions, publications, and copyright sales.

Qiao He was able to support himself later on.

So she could understand the emotions of office workers, but the intense desire to go to work like this was terrifying to her.

What kind of class is it that can fascinate people so much that they rush to work like crazy?

Qiao He also wanted to follow the flow of people out, but at that moment, she saw the outside world.

It wasn't pitch black, nor was it a bright white light; rather, it resembled the cracked, grayish-white image on the screen of a broken old television.

It felt like it could suck you in at any moment.

After the office workers ran out of the map, they immediately disappeared into the shattered white and gray scene, leaving no trace.

Qiao He sensed something was wrong, but she didn't get out of the car.

Instead, they found a suitable spot to stand.

The subway announcement came on again: "The train is about to close. Passengers, please hold on tight to the handrails."

"The final stop of this train is Lanxi Road. The next stop is Guangming Road. Open the left door."

Qiao He's brow twitched violently: "???"

Good grief, is this a direct loop?

The repetitive operation, when repeated too many times, gives off a very eerie feeling, like an alarm clock that can't stop beeping—beep beep beep—beep beep beep—beep beep beep—

Qiao He felt extremely annoyed, but there was nowhere to turn off the incessantly ringing alarm clock.

The subway car, which was originally empty, suddenly became filled with a group of "humans" standing close together the moment the doors closed.

They had deathly pale skin, blood-red lips, and tongues that appeared purplish. Their eyes bulged slightly, and they were still holding cell phones and briefcases/handbags in their hands.

The appearance of a corporate slave, just like any other "human".

But only Qiao He noticed that this group of corporate slaves had changed.

They looked even more like dead people than before.

Qiao He glanced at the human's feet again; they were pointing forward, which was normal.

Qiao He found it strange. She blinked once and then discovered that their toes were pointing backward!

Qiao He's heart skipped a beat, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

She blinked again and saw that the toes of those corporate slaves were pointing forward, and they looked perfectly normal.

This time, Qiao He didn't dare to blink; she took a deep breath to stay calm.

Things are indeed very strange right now, but they're not entirely without pattern.

For example, the subway runs in an endless loop, with Lanxi Road as the final stop each time, and Guangming Road as the next stop.

Is Guangming Road truly filled with light?

That's not necessarily true, otherwise why would office workers have so much resentment?

Rather than attributing it to ghosts, it's more accurate to say it's the resentment of the overworked office workers riding this subway line.

Qiao He was thinking about how to break the deadlock; she couldn't stay trapped here forever.

A light fog settled over the Huai River, and the kittens were still unaware of the situation.

Qiao He still deployed drones, but this time she changed direction. Instead of observing the train carriages, she went to observe the situation outside the subway!