Chapter 94
The staff at the health quarantine center were caught off guard by the sudden change and were feeling lost and desperate for someone to take charge. They were extremely reluctant to let anyone go.
Especially the man who had concealed the truth and intended to drag them into a pit of fire, his face full of earnest advice, his mouth chattering on and on until he was almost hoarse.
Xie Xubai met the eyes of these people and seemed to see the collapse in their panicked gazes. He suddenly laughed and said, "My friends are still here, and I will not go far no matter what. Besides, we can't just sit here and wait to die. What will we do if no one comes to rescue us and we run out of water and food? Sooner or later we will run out of resources."
"Someone must investigate the truth and find a way back to reality. Since I am the most capable, I am willing to take on this responsibility."
After a few words of reason and emotion, the people at the health quarantine center were quickly persuaded.
The crowd relaxed and proactively provided him with food, water, protective clothing, detectors, and other functional equipment.
Xie Xubai accepted the backpack containing food and water, but did not ask for the protective suit.
He has the mental power to ensure that he is not infected by the mutation, but others without protective clothing will die.
Glancing at the man who seemed relieved that his safety was assured, Xie Xubai reminded Player A: "Keep an eye on him."
Player A nodded.
Pei Yuheng looked at Xie Xubai, who was using props to enhance his defenses, and moved his lips, wanting to say something but then stopped.
Deep down, he wanted to stay with Xie Xubai and protect his child.
Xie Xubai noticed his struggle and discomfort, pushed up his glasses, and said in an extremely cold tone, "Things need to be arranged properly, without even half a centimeter of deviation. I'll check them when I get back."
Pei Yuheng choked up for a moment.
The son in front of him was becoming more and more self-righteous in ordering him to do things, but upon careful consideration, he not only did not feel angry, but also felt a faint sense of relief.
Xie Xubai pretended not to see his deep gaze, turned around and was about to leave when Pei Yuheng quickly pulled him back, roughly ruffling his hair and cheeks.
Pei Yuheng rebuked him lightly, "You have no respect for elders."
Xie Xubai caught a glimpse of the curve at the corner of his mouth and sensed a hint of doting in his voice, causing his struggling movements to pause.
Pei Yuheng had endured many hardships and was mature beyond his years, but this maturity was mostly reflected in his independence and self-reliance in life. He lived a simple life between school and home every year, immersing himself in books and laboratories that could save his life, putting aside all distractions. He was aloof and taciturn, not knowing how to express his emotions, and never thinking of showing them to outsiders.
Until Xie Xubai suddenly appeared and filled this void for him.
"I'll wait for you to come back." Pei Yuheng promised gently, unusually adopting a parental tone, and instructed him slowly and deliberately, "If you encounter danger and can't fight back, run away. Don't try to be a hero, understand?"
In the midst of their conversation, Xie Xubai's head was ruffled several more times. He tried to dodge but Pei Yuheng forcefully pulled him back again, leaving him no choice but to let it go.
"Go ahead." Pei Yuheng suppressed his reluctance, patted Xie Xubai's shoulder lightly, and turned to enter the health quarantine center with the others.
He had been lagging behind the crowd, his expression indifferent to everyone he faced, unlike his eagerness with Xie Xubai.
But while talking to Dr. Li, he unknowingly walked to the front of the line and talked about the extraction methods of pollutants and the physiological functions of the monster.
He even knows the detailed process of making his own protective gear and can offer reasonable suggestions to others.
Soon, everyone was impressed by his extensive knowledge. The makeshift team needed a decent pillar, and even though Pei Yuheng seemed a bit aloof, they couldn't help but gravitate towards him.
Player A, who was following closely behind, keenly sensed that something about Pei Yuheng was different.
Those clear, cold eyes swept over the people around him without leaving a trace, learning the observation skills Xie Xubai had taught him before, scrutinizing them constantly, vying for dominance, and vaguely revealing a sharp and imposing aura.
The air near the health quarantine center is relatively fresh, but not exactly clean.
While others felt nothing, Xie Xubai could see the dark matter floating in the air, as light as wisps of fluff, or like some kind of active microorganism, undergoing irregular Brownian motion.
They don't block anyone and can move freely through buildings. The only problem is that they make the light opaque, making the surroundings seem unusually dark even in broad daylight.
Leaving the contaminated area cordoned off by yellow warning lines, the dark substance diminished, replaced by a cool, white mist.
Monsters like to hide in this white mist, and the white mist in the dungeon will also shroud forbidden areas, restricting the player's movement.
Xie Xubai first tested the path with stones and other debris, and then tried to use his mental power to explore, without encountering any obstacles.
He stepped inside, his tall, slender figure disappearing into the depths of the hazy white mist.
Before long, the white mist surged without wind, like an ancient and heavy city gate suddenly closing, separating two spaces.
Xie Xubai suddenly stopped and looked back suspiciously.
The white fog was silent, the tall buildings stood quietly, and there was no one around, seemingly nothing unusual.
Xie Xubai concealed the doubt in his eyes and went to the Alliance Political Bureau in the alternate dimension first.
The layout and construction here are no different from the real world. The solemn and dignified hall has only a few figures, but it lacks the liveliness and naturalness of Dr. Li and others. They are like wind-up dolls, repeating mechanical work.
Xie Xubai walked into the hall, and several people looked at him in unison. His clear black and white eyes were unsettling.
He pretended not to see it and calmly explored the entire place.
The bureau chief and other key personnel I had met before were not there. The atmosphere was cold and lifeless, like an empty shell without a soul.
As I passed the front desk to leave, the receptionist was still answering the phone with a blank expression.
"Hello, welcome to the H City municipal hotline. I am a staff member of the Citizen Service Center, employee number 339. How can I help you?"
"Hello, welcome to the H City municipal hotline..."
"Hello, welcome to H City..."
"Hello……"
There was static on the other end of the phone, and I couldn't make out what the sounds were; in short, there was no normal human voice.
The dispatcher then repeated the same opening remarks, his eyes like inorganic glass beads, his tone and expression unchanged.
Xie Xubai did not approach rashly. After observing for twenty minutes without noticing any changes, he turned and left.
Shortly after he left, the operator paused, as if a syllable that had gone off-key had been forcibly pulled back onto the right track, and then she continued.
“…You…say…I am here, I am listening.”
"Your belongings were stolen? Don't worry, I'll transfer you to the law enforcement team to explain the situation."
She spoke more and more fluently.
A soul was filled into the body that was like an empty shell, and the dull, empty eyes gradually became lively.
After about twenty minutes, the hotline call for help finally came to an end.
The dispatcher stretched and yawned, shaking her aching shoulders. Glancing at the computer, she saw it was almost dinnertime and habitually turned to her colleague to ask what they were planning to eat, only to find that her neighbor was empty.
Not only was there no one sitting next to me, but the entire work area was almost deserted, and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
For a moment, the dispatcher was stunned.
An uneasy premonition grew stronger in her heart, gradually turning into a tidal wave of fear that sent shivers down her spine.
This is the political arena of the alliance. No matter the time of day, even on weekends and holidays, it's always bustling with people. Is it possible for it to be this quiet...?
Xie Xubai then visited the Fu family, the Jiang family, and many other prominent families.
Some jackal-like monsters roamed near the houses, sniffing the stench in the air and searching for food.
Upon seeing Xie Xubai, they opened their blood-red mouths in surprise, only to be whipped away by the golden light in the next second, tucking their tails between their legs and whimpering as they fled.
Xie Xubai withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.
He rarely saw people, and even when he did, they were mechanically repeating the same fixed human activities as the radio operators, and they did not show strong aggression unless they were provoked or blocked.
A white fog blanketed the city, making it both bustling and desolate, with a faint air of death about it.
Finally, Xie Xubai stopped at the edge of the city.
The azure seawater laps against the shore, splashing up white foam that resembles blooming flowers, shimmering in the sunlight.
H City is bordered by the sea on one side. Due to its large area, its main east-west road stretches for over 100 kilometers, separated by towering mountains. People living further back from the city center cannot smell the salty tang of the sea.
I remember after the Jiang family's matter was settled, Lü Xiangcai suggested taking him to the beach to have a party and watch the whale migration.
Xie Xubai was very tempted at the time, but ultimately did not agree. Instead, he chose to go to amusement parks, arcades, shopping malls, and local scenic spots with his cats, dogs, and classmate Jiang.
He didn't understand why he had refused.
Xie Xubai stood on the reef, gazing at the boundless sea.
The seawater laps against the waves, the tides rise and fall, seemingly washing away the tangled mess in my heart, leaving only a sense of tranquility.
This place is perfect for thinking, and his conjecture gradually became clear.
The entire alternate dimension is like a gradually constructed testing ground. Expanding outward from the source of pollution, dark matter dispels the white mist, occupies territory, spreads pollution, mutates living beings, and eventually invades the entire city.
As things normally would, more and more people would mistakenly enter this alternate dimension, and the unfortunate ones would become infected and turn into monsters, thus infecting even more people.
The number of monsters increased rapidly, and the expansion accelerated. By the time the Alliance's political situation reacted, the cataclysm had already arrived and was out of control.
More than twenty years later, in the era in which Xie Xubai lived, the land was divided into several territories, each with its own rules, becoming a breeding ground for the bizarre. Time and space were constantly disordered, and the world was also distorted beyond recognition.
More than 20 years ago today, alienation seemed to have just begun, at most halfway through.
I feel as if I've glimpsed a part of history, but only a small part; I can't yet see the full, magnificent picture of the iceberg hidden beneath the water.
The seaside is indeed a great place for contemplation and relaxation.
But finding no further clues, Xie Xubai only allowed himself to stay here for three minutes.
When the three minutes were up, he turned around decisively and walked forward without looking back, leaving the peace he had finally felt behind.
What Xie Xubai didn't know was that after him, the white mist surged again, the waves rose, and dark clouds gathered, its momentum countless times greater than before.
A jet-black tentacle emerged from the unfathomable depths of the sea, seemingly endless, leaving a long, winding trail of watermarks on the fine white sand of the beach.
The tentacles traveled upwards until they reached the spot where Xie Xubai had just stood, then stopped, their sharp points circling and tracing patterns on the rocks, "sniffing" out the lingering scents and spiritual energy fluctuations in the air.
It has a light, pleasant scent, reminiscent of the gentle, moist atmosphere of Jiangnan after a rain.
A dazzling yet gentle spiritual energy silently warms the icy chill.
He liked it very much, purely liked it, and wanted to possess it.
The already turbulent sea became even more turbulent, with dark undercurrents forming fierce whirlpools.
Thunder roared and the wind howled. A pair of blood-red eyes suddenly opened in the deep sea tens of thousands of kilometers below, staring intently at Xie Xubai's departing figure.
No one expected Xie Xubai to be gone for half a month, including Xie Xubai himself.
He keeps a close eye on the time, and if his phone screen turns off due to magnetic interference, he uses sunrise and sunset as the timekeeping benchmark.
He thought he had been away for at most two days.
So much so that when he saw the health quarantine center reduced to ruins, he was momentarily stunned and his mind went blank.
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