Chapter 103

Chapter 103

Bang!

With a tremendous success, the bullet pierced through the bizarre creature's head, splattering its greenish-yellow brain matter onto the face of the man who had just screamed. The shriek was muffled as he stood there with his mouth agape, momentarily speechless.

However, chaos erupted in the crowd. It wasn't solely due to the creature, but also the gunshot. Those who could see the creature were staring in shock at the monster lying on the ground, covered in an abundance of fish scales and equipped with four legs. Meanwhile, the rest of the confused spectators screamed at the sound of the gun.

Security personnel from both sides of the square and backstage immediately rushed forward, pinning God on Earth to the floor, using their bodies to shield him securely.

Among the players, chaos erupted as well.

Player Channel:

Scottish Cheese: Aaaahhh! It failed!

Straight Draw Alien: You couldn't even do this? You're such a fool, Strongest Man!

Fries from the Dock: Wait, aren't you guys paying attention to that bizarre creature that suddenly appeared? Damn, it gave me a scare and my inspiration struck!

Lily gazed on, puzzled. "What oddity? I haven't received any inspirational cues here."

Wheelchair Battle God responded, "Me neither. What's going on?"

"Monster!" someone in the crowd cried out in shock, pointing at the bizarre corpse on the floor. "There's a monster here!"

But those around him looked at him blankly. "What monster?"

"He must be high or something."

"Stay away from him, kid."

"Why can't you all see it? There's clearly a monster here!"

The pale-skinned man ranted, but those who couldn't see remained oblivious. They even assisted in pinning down the strongest man, who was attempting to escape into the crowd. "Don't let him get away! He must be trying to assassinate Jin!"

"No, he's a hero who slays monsters!"

The few voices made no difference. They watched in confusion as people grabbed the strongest man and stepped on the monster's corpse, leaving them all momentarily stunned.

What on earth is happening in this world?

Could it be that they're hallucinating?

The scene turned chaotic. Players, visible inhabitants, invisible ones, and security personnel attempting to maintain order and separate those seemingly 'under the influence' – the initially orderly crowd descended into pandemonium.

Fortunately, the players swiftly grasped the situation.

Player Channel:

Yeye: It's the cookies and candies! Those who consume them can see the abnormalities!

" Cookies and candies, you mean those sold from the stalls?" Black Cat murmured, looking at the vendors by the square, their carts laden with all sorts of sweets and biscuits.

Suddenly, Black Cat had an epiphany and grabbed a stunned vendor, asking, "Who have you sold these cookies to?"

"To... whom?"

"In what group? Which group buys the most?"

"Of course, I'm a native of Arkham," the owner said matter-of-factly. "Today is the Day of the spirits' return. You can't do without this, whether for consumption or to honor the deceased."

Black Cat felt a sinking sensation in his heart.

He lifted his gaze to the edge of the square where a mist was beginning to form.

Surveying the chaotic scene, God Among Men pushed aside the security guards blocking his path. "You should help maintain order as well."

"How can we do that? Our duty is to protect your safety!" the bodyguard protested anxiously. "Look at these people, they must be on drugs. Who knows what they might do next? We need to get out of here quickly!"

"No, I won't leave," God Among Men replied. "I am your employer, and I am ordering you to keep things under control."

"…Alright, if that's what you say."

Following God Among Men's request, the bodyguards joined the security personnel in separating the seemingly 'drugged' crowd from the rest.

Player Channel:

Black Cat: Hey, big guy, did you see the message Night Night and the others just sent?

Divine Presence: I see it. The course of action now should be to separate the two groups as much as possible. I'll try to get those who can see the abnormalities into vehicles, blindfold them, and let the others carry on with their activities as usual without alarming them. We'll say that these people were under the influence before they arrived. What do you think?

Black Cat: ...As expected from a master, your response is swift. We'll assist you.

All players in the chat now knew their roles. Some volunteered temporarily to gently persuade those who could see the abnormalities to get into the cars, while others acted as baits, attempting to draw the attention of the creatures emerging from the mist away from the citizens who could see them.

Yee Yee: Be cautious! These abnormalities... It seems they might have been humans once. Don't let them get close to the citizens who can see them!

Abnormalities... turned from humans?

This explosive revelation jolted the players' minds. Divine Presence flooded the player channel with messages.

Divine Presence: Those near the cars, quickly dispose of the candies and cookies!

Players instantly panicked. Seeing many still holding food, ready to eat, Ah Long shouted, "Don't eat, it's poisoned!"

The food holders froze, staring wide-eyed at Ah Long.

"The food contains hallucinogens, deliberately distributed. Do not consume any of it," Divine Presence grabbed the microphone and announced loudly.

Beneath his reassuring influence, everyone present set aside their cookies and candies.

God Amongst Men continued, "Don't worry if you've already eaten them. There's an ambulance parked beside the square with medical staff on board. We'll ensure everyone's safety. If you encounter any illusions, please remain calm and don't run around. Maintain order."

Black Cat and other players instantly understood God Amongst Men's plan – he intended to completely disregard the anomalies. Whether or not the anomalies would attack humans would depend on whether Black Cat and his team could lure them away in time.

The Druid players nodded in approval towards God Amongst Men before turning to actively approach the anomalies. According to the rules they had previously discovered, the anomalies would first target those who were close and could see them.

Sure enough, many of the anomalies redirected their focus, drawn away by the players to quieter areas.

However, things weren't that straightforward.

Matcha Latte did her utmost to reassure an elderly man who could see the anomalies, "Old man, are your eyes playing tricks on you? There aren't any monsters here, are there?"

"But, but I clearly saw..."

"Alright, let's go see a doctor. Look, there's an ambulance over there. Let's go check it out. Maybe it's a mass hallucination."

"Hallucination..." the old man mumbled to himself, "Another hallucination... Is everything we've experienced really just a hallucination?"

Matcha Milk Green's expression froze. "An old man?"

"I think... I heard my grandson calling me."

The elder looked into the mist, perplexed. "Can you hear it? Is it calling for me?"

Amidst the fog, more bizarre creatures appeared, causing the players to panic. Some residents who could be seen were screaming, while others unseen stood rooted to the spot, leaving the players unsure whether to attack or not.

Suddenly, Matcha Milk Green spotted a peculiar white entity emerging from the mist. It seemed to be around five or six years old, entirely white and slug-like, with a ring of fleshy spines on its head. It ignored the surrounding players and moved purposefully towards the elder.

"Hey, Grandpa! It's Grandpa!" The elder's eyes widened. Ignoring Matcha Milk Green's attempt to stop him, he walked toward the white slug.

A bearded old man, also with snowy hair, quickly intervened, grabbing his friend. "What are you doing? Calm down, it's just an illusion!"

"No! He's my grandson, this isn't an illusion!" Tears streaming down his face, the elder unleashed a burst of strength that the white-bearded man couldn't restrain. The elder lunged forward, arms outstretched towards the slug, which in turn leaped onto the elder. Its head spines transformed into a mouth, poised to strike at the old man's neck.

Bang!

A Druid's bullet followed swiftly. The white slug burst into a gooey mess, splattering the elder with a mixture of red and white fluids. The elder cried out, "No! No!"

He frantically picked up cookies from the ground and stuffed them into his mouth, his eyes fixated on the lifeless slug. "Wake up, wake up!"

"You murderer!" He lifted his head, glaring at the Druid holding the gun, crumbs flying from his mouth. "You killed my grandson!"

"The whole thing was an illusion! Your grandson has been dead!" the Druid roared back.

"Even if it was an illusion, I wanted to see him just once!" The old man countered with an even louder voice, turning to the others. "Don't you want to see your loved ones?"

The scene fell silent for a moment. The black cat's heart sank, sensing trouble.

Sure enough, in the next instant, people began picking up cookies from the ground or grabbing sweets from nearby carts and stuffing them into their mouths.

Chaos, screams, and cries of surprise engulfed the square once more. More and more people heard the calls of their family members, or recognized their loved ones through their shapes, voices, clothing, or accessories. Some grew even more fearful, while others stepped fearlessly towards the monsters.

Corinne watched the pandemonium with confusion. She couldn't understand how things had suddenly spiraled out of control. She hadn't eaten the cookie but held her husband's hand tightly instead. Her son, daughter, and husband clung to her as well.

None of them had consumed the cookie that day, unable to witness what was happening. Sometimes, the unknown was the greatest terror. Corinne saw Mrs. Isabella standing beside her, staring in delight at the empty air, calling out her late husband's name. But in the next moment, a crimson line appeared across her delicate neck, and her slender neck tilted to the right, spurting blood profusely.

Blood splattered onto Corinne's face and body. She helplessly watched Mrs. Isabella being 'killed' by the 'air' without any warning. Her world crumbled to pieces.

"Mama... Mommy..." Her little girl called out to her helplessly, and Cornelia looked down, horrified to see a distorted reflection in her daughter's eyes. "I think I saw... What is that?"

Confused, people stood in the square, watching as those around them inexplicably met their end. Amidst extreme emotions and the proximity to death, some began to exhibit their latent abilities – even those who hadn't consumed the cookies – and could now perceive the eerie abnormalities.