Chapter 186 (Chapter 185) Reality
What would an adventure in another world be like?
Yu Ran had many fantasies, from the "Dragon Overlord Leveling Up" scenario to the "Invincible with Cheat Code" scenario.
I never imagined it would be a survival game.
Comics become reality, but the underworld within the comics is far more cruel than the comics themselves.
Her first reaction upon stepping into the other world from the point where worlds overlapped was excitement.
Please, this is the other world mentioned in the most popular comic of the year!
The fantasy world, with its magic, cultivation, and various legendary races, is all real, and you can see it with your own eyes right here.
Yu Ran's excitement lasted only a short while before he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head, followed by a blackout and falling into a coma.
When she opened her eyes again, Yu Ran found herself lying in a corner of a large iron cage.
Beside it were rusty iron cage bars. The environment was dim, and through the bars, one could see even more, densely packed, large iron cages, stretching out into the distance, seemingly out of sight.
The cages were full of people. A small portion were still unconscious, while the majority were curled up tightly, hugging their knees.
Numbness and deathly silence filled the air.
Yu Ran trembled involuntarily.
She touched herself and found that the keys, phone, and some small items she had taken with her when she left home had all been stripped away. Only the thin innermost layer of clothing remained.
Yu Ran's head still throbbed with pain. She reached out and touched it, her fingertips brushing against a patch of dry, matted hair, mixed with clotted blood. The slightest touch sent a piercing pain through her.
Footsteps approached from outside the iron cage.
"Numbers 37 to 64, send them to Zone C, take them all away." The cold voice fell, followed by the ear-piercing scraping sound of the iron cage door being pulled open.
Several guards in standard armor marched in, their steps steady, each holding a heavy iron chain. The chains were secured with ring-shaped shackles. They roughly pulled up the prisoners from the cages, fastened their wrists into the shackles, then shoved the restrained prisoners backward before pulling up the next one.
Just as they locked one of them down, someone next to them suddenly jumped up!
She appeared to be a beastman, with two round, furry ears on her head. She suddenly swung her fist at the guard's face, using the blow to distract him, and then quickly squeezed out of the iron cage and ran wildly outside.
But only for a moment.
The next moment, she was forcefully pushed down by the guards outside the cage.
The sharp blade sliced through the air, and blood splattered.
A head rolled down next to Yu Ran.
Its fluffy, round ears were stained with blood and drooped down. Its golden pupils had not completely dimmed; lingering fear and resentment could still be seen.
No living creatures resisted anymore.
The dead beastman's eyes were fixed on Yu Ran. Yu Ran felt as if she couldn't even perceive her own body for a moment, until someone grabbed her long hair and roughly lifted her up. Chains fastened to her wrists. She was shoved forward, a suffocating fear engulfing her.
For the first time, Yu Ran clearly realized that this was the Otherworld.
In the Otherworld, however, the lives of ordinary beings are not considered lives.
She followed the crowd forward.
The place was vast, and Yu Ran and the others were led to an open area. Then the ground lit up, revealing intricate array patterns. The teleportation array lit up, and when their vision returned, they opened their eyes to find themselves in a desolate wasteland.
The wind howled past, carrying with it a pungent, rotten smell.
The guards picked each person up again, roughly loosened the chains, and then retreated.
No one explained. Everyone huddled together, cowering in fear.
The scene looked familiar. Yu Ran bit her tongue, forcing herself to calm down, and looked around.
They were now in a wilderness. There were no jungles, only wild grass taller than a person's knees. Further away, a forest shrouded in gray-white mist was faintly visible.
A sharp whistle suddenly rang out.
I don't know where the feeling came from, but as soon as the whistle blew, Yu Ran suddenly pushed aside the people around her, broke out of the crowd, and ran wildly towards the distant woods.
Several faster figures were beside her, and even more so, came the piercing screams and the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground from behind.
A strong smell of blood spread.
Yu Ran dared not turn around, her stomach churning violently. She dared not stop either.
From high above came a burst of laughter, mixed with casual whispers.
"This human is quite good, quick reflexes. Is he human?"
"It's said that some of the prey caught came from the surface world. How interesting, hahahahahahaha."
Yu Ran couldn't help but turn around and look.
In the distance, the "prisoners" who came with her were no longer human. They were all dismembered limbs, and blood soaked the ground.
High above, the nobles, dressed in their finest attire as depicted in comics, sat atop various floating magical artifacts or alchemical objects, their faces devoid of pity, only filled with excitement and anticipation.
Behind them were even refreshments and fruits, and some of them held weapons. Brilliant magic and sword light fell from the sky, splattering blood.
Yu Ran ran desperately, fear engulfing her as she moved forward.
Once you're in the woods, with cover, even if there's a huge difference in fighting ability, there's still a chance of survival.
She heard laughter from high above getting closer and closer, and the next moment, the laughter vanished abruptly, replaced by an equally terrified scream.
The foggy sky seemed to brighten.
Yu Ran felt an unusual warmth, as if she were being gently enveloped, and the wound on the back of her head no longer hurt. She stopped in surprise, panting as she looked back.
She saw the sun setting.
To be precise, it wasn't the sun. It was raging flames that swept across the entire wilderness with devastating force.
The firelight enveloped Yu Ran, warm and cozy.
The nobles, once so dignified, fell to the ground in a disheveled state, their magnificent garments now stained with dust and blood. Their former arrogance and excitement vanished, replaced by terror and stunned silence. Their screams seemed to be choked by an invisible force; their lips trembled, yet no sound could escape their lips.
Amidst the flickering flames, a figure slowly emerged from the raging fire.
It was a woman.
Black hair, black eyes, a composed gait, a coat casually draped over her arm, the top button of her suit jacket undone, revealing a slender yet sharply defined neck. Her expression was cold, even conveying a hint of anger.
It looks exactly like the one in the comic.
Or perhaps, the sense of oppression is even greater.
"Director Yan," Yu Ran murmured to herself.
The world in comics is real.
Director Yan is also true.
Yu Ran had never felt so grateful for the existence of a person.
Suddenly, she understood why so many people were obsessed with Director Yan.
This is a miracle of the bloody and brutal underworld, where the sun never sets.
Yan Ju approached Yu Ran.
Director Yan patted Yu Ran's head.
Yu Ran's eyes lit up. "Director Yan."
Yanju seemed to sigh.
A team of uniformed officers walked up behind her, bowing respectfully: "Director Yan, all members involved in the incident at the hunting grounds have been placed under control."
Yan Ju nodded, his expression unreadable, and merely glanced at the nobles on the ground: "You like hunting?"
The nobles on the ground turned pale, and one of them shook his head frantically.
Yan Ju seemed to scoff, then looked back at Yu Ran: "Although I would love for you to retaliate in the same way, violence is not the way to solve problems."
"The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics will handle all suspected members in accordance with relevant regulations. At the same time, the Legal Department will also seek relevant compensation for your losses."
Yan Ju's voice was calm, yet patient. "Is this alright?"
Yu Ran nodded, looking at the prisoners who had died in the distance, feeling a dryness in her throat, "...Then, what about them?" she asked softly.
Director Yan: "For those who are still alive, the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs will seek relevant compensation for them." As she spoke, her eyes became heavy.
The world that is only briefly mentioned in the comic is the reality that Yanju experiences every day.
Yu Ran suddenly remembered what she had seen on the forum: readers could only glimpse a corner of Yan Ju's past from a few words, the countless hardships and the long road he had walked alone.
The author so vehemently dislikes the character Yanju, yet cannot help but shower her with boundless affection.
But if Director Yan is real, then her painful past is everything she experienced.
But she still shines so brightly.
Yu Ran suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe.
She didn't ask any more questions.
---
The moment I saw the comic's bullet comments,
Yan Shi: ...
None of the reports the Information Department has submitted to her recently mentioned that such a large hole has been breached in the world barrier.
It simply means that the barrier of the world shattered, and spirits overflowed from the inner world.
The worlds have already overlapped, and residents of the outer world can freely enter the inner world. Such a big thing, doesn't the Information Department have any information at all?!
Moreover, it involves the World Barrier. The last time the World Barrier had such a large hole, it was Mistname who sacrificed himself to repair it. This time, there is no second Mistname.
No, the current Mistnamer, Ishmere, seems to be in the Elven Forest. Can he heal?
Yan Shi fell into silent contemplation.
The breach in the world barrier isn't the most pressing issue; the most urgent task right now is to quickly bring back those who entered the inner world out of curiosity.
Otherwise, a series of bizarre missing persons cases would occur in the surface world, which is chilling to even think about.
After finding the missing persons, altering memories and blocking information are not difficult problems. The key question is, how many people are actually incarcerated?
The number of people must be confirmed as soon as possible, and the relevant areas must be sealed off immediately. Yan Shi pondered.
The city in the comic seems to be Qule City.
A small town in the south.
Even using the fastest mode of transportation, it still takes a considerable amount of time to travel from the capital to Qule City.
Yan Shi dared not rashly tear through space.
After all, the world barrier is no longer just unstable; it's completely shattered. She has a feeling that if she tears it any further, she could pulverize it completely.
She sighed and walked out of the lounge where she had been hiding, her face crestfallen. But as soon as she stepped outside, she stopped abruptly.
A lady dressed in formal attire stood at the end of the corridor, seemingly having been waiting for some time.
She was getting on in years, with wrinkles on her face. But her expression was calm, and a pair of half-rimmed glasses perched on her nose gave her a kind and gentle air.
Despite his amiable appearance, Yan Shi now only wanted to disappear from this corridor.
This is the chairman of the World Government House. He was sitting opposite Hikotoshi during the previous meeting.
Unlike her, a college graduate who inexplicably took office overnight and had no experience whatsoever, this chairperson had personally weathered the storms of politics, possessed ruthless methods, had brought down countless political enemies, and had served as chairperson of the ruling party for over a decade.
Chairman Ning smiled and nodded at Yan Shi: "Director Yan, shall we have a talk?"
Yan Shi and Chairman Ning returned to the lounge where Yan Shi had just come out.
Chairman Ning looked at Yan Shi sitting on the opposite sofa: "The last time I saw your Director of the Bureau of Special Management was many years ago. I remember his surname was Shan."
How to deal with the world's top leader? This isn't in the work manual.
Yan Shi tried his best to keep his expression straight and nodded. "I am the sixty-seventh, and she is the sixty-fourth."
"Time flies," Chairman Ning said, his gaze slightly narrowing. "I remember back then, we were discussing the relocation of your headquarters. Now it seems you have indeed moved to a suitable location."
"How is the area around the Summer Palace? Are you adapting to the surface world? Shan Ju mentioned to me that the concentration of spirits in the surface world is far lower than in the inner world."
Yan Shi nodded: "Everyone's time is very tight, there are still meetings later. Chairman Ning, what would you like to know?"
"Director Yan is quite direct." Chairman Ning stopped smiling, his face revealing a sharp and imposing air. He spoke slowly, "Then I'll get to the point."
"I want to know, with the world barrier shattered in many places and the inner and outer worlds overlapping, shouldn't the Bureau of Alien Affairs give me an explanation?"
Author's Note: During my disappearance, I mainly researched the regime in the surface world (?), figuring out how to write it realistically without crossing any red lines, because crossing those lines would result in censorship. I had previously avoided related plot points.
Because this issue is somewhat complex, I've thought about it for a long time and been hesitant. Thank you all for your continued patience and support.
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