Chapter 102: The Lost Deserted Village (Part 6)

Chapter 102: The Abandoned Village (Part Six)

Suddenly, someone pressed a key on the electronic keyboard, the first note, followed by a pair of hands placed on the keys, and a melody began to play.

Zhu Ning had once passed by a house where an old electronic keyboard was kept. Now, someone had started playing it.

The stationed troops, including the cleaners, fell silent, holding their breath simultaneously.

In the entire abandoned village, only the sound of the electronic keyboard could be heard. It was impossible to tell what piece was being played, as this was clearly a beginner practicing, very clumsily, without any discernible melody.

It was too strange. These villagers hadn't existed before, but now they suddenly appeared, while the sunset in the sky remained motionless, staining the background of the village with blood-red hues.

Dim light filtered through the windows of the villagers' houses. Despite it not being dark yet, the village was brightly lit by the combination of the sunset and the lights, which made everything feel a bit eerie.

In the sunset, every household had turned on their lights, and the villagers collectively stared at you. Even if they weren't ghosts or pollutants, the sight of so many living people staring at you in unison was instinctively unsettling.

A person's gaze has weight, and the feeling of being watched is very unpleasant.

Zhu Ning observed these villagers; they were all standing close to the windows, their noses almost touching the glass. With each breath, a patch of white mist formed on the window.

They could exhale warm air, their blood was warm, and their breath had temperature.

None of the villagers moved, but there was a sense that over time, they would slowly seep out of the windows.

They seemed like shadows flowing out of the walls.

Something began to appear in the air.

It was a very familiar gray-black line to Zhu Ning, a kind of background color for contaminated areas. Now, these gray-black lines were twitching slightly.

But because it was evening, the twitching lines were not very noticeable, looking like a swarm of insects in the wild.

The contaminated area was fully formed.

Ding—

"You have activated a side quest: The Abandoned Village. Mission objective: Successfully purify the contaminated area and uncover the secret of the village's abandonment. Current purification progress: 0%. Please keep trying."

The system's voice was very mechanical, sounding particularly cold at this moment.

Since learning she was an experimental subject, this was the first time Zhu Ning received a mission from the system. Was this recognizing a contaminated area?

Data began to appear inside Zhu Ning's helmet. Their clocks had all stopped working, but the basic pollution concentration detection was still functional. The pollution concentration displayed inside her helmet was 220%, which, if calculated, would be classified as an A-level contaminated area.

Not only did Zhu Ning see it, but the data panels inside everyone's helmets also showed the pollution concentration. Perhaps because they were outside the wall, the internal systems of their helmets had not recognized the area, and thus did not announce the size of the contaminated area.

Jin Tao blinked, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his forehead. "Contaminated area?"

He sounded incredulous, repeating himself, "We've entered a contaminated area?"

Although the cleaners usually entered after the Demon Hunters had finished their work, they had frequently been in contaminated areas and knew that one could only leave after finding the source of contamination.

Jiang Ping's smile was hard to hide: "So we're lost, huh."

At that moment, Zhu Ning couldn't tell whether Jiang Ping or the surrounding villagers watching them were more terrifying.

Jiang Ping's voice contrasted sharply with Jin Tao's fear. Jin Tao was already on the edge of losing control and couldn't tolerate any more stress. "I'll blow your brains out!"

Facing the gun, Jiang Ping wasn't angry at all: "Are you really crazy? What benefit would I get from bringing you here if I can't get out myself?"

Jin Tao had no evidence to prove Jiang Ping's motives. Jiang Ping said calmly, "If you all die here, how will I write the investigation report? How will I explain your deaths?"

Jiang Ping tapped his head with his hand, but because he was wearing a helmet, his hand only tapped against his strange blue helmet. "Think about it."

Either Jiang Ping had low emotional intelligence or he had been outside the wall for too long and his mind was a bit off. His words, though normal, sounded like a challenge, no wonder Jin Tao was hostile towards him. This tone of speaking was like that of a sociopath.

Zhu Ning said to Jin Tao, "Ignore him, don't shoot."

Before finding the source of contamination, one should not act rashly within a contaminated area, as it would only make the source hide deeper.

Jin Tao gritted his teeth, put down his gun at Zhu Ning's words, and after he did, the other cleaners also ceased hostilities. Jiang Ping shrugged, "Your brains aren't broken, then."

"Jiang Ping!" Someone from the stationed troops shouted at him, likely the team leader, "Shut up!"

It seemed the stationed troops were not entirely united, with only Jiang Ping being somewhat abnormal. Zhu Ning asked, "What do you do when you enter a contaminated area according to your procedures?"

The stationed troops needed to patrol, and their guidelines must have included procedures for dealing with contaminated areas.

Jiang Ping smiled, "Leave it to fate. They won't come to save us."

Zhu Ning fell silent.

Every word Fan Minghua had said was true. He told them to relax, that those with the ability would survive, and those without would die.

The environment outside the wall was complex. If patrollers accidentally entered a contaminated area, no action would be taken to rescue them.

However, Zhu Ning seemed to understand Jiang Ping's attitude. He might have been a normal person when he started working, but such a work environment made it difficult for anyone to remain normal. Even his superiors wouldn't come to his rescue.

No matter what happened, you had to solve it yourself because all rescue plans were unprofitable.

Jiang Ping had a self-destructive tendency, so he liked to deliberately provoke others, enjoyed causing trouble, and thrived in chaos.

He himself was like an uncontrollable madman, and the other two stationed troops seemed unable to manage him. Such a person in a team was like a ticking time bomb.

The leader of the stationed troops was Cui Kai. He scolded Jiang Ping and then said to Jin Tao, "Leave it to us. We'll find the source of contamination and lead you out, as promised."

Cui Kai's attitude reassured Zhu Ning slightly, indicating that currently, only Jiang Ping among the stationed troops was abnormal.

If the stationed troops often conducted reconnaissance in the wild, they had a high probability of encountering contaminated areas and must have some skills.

Jiang Ping sneered, "No need, they don't trust us."

Zhu Ning deliberately ignored him and didn't respond to his comment, "Let's split up; it will be more efficient."

Cui Kai had no objections; more people helping was always better.

Zhu Ning said to Jin Tao, "You rest here. We'll find the source of the pollution. I can lead you out afterward, is that okay?"

Jin Tao frowned, "Can you really find the source of the pollution?"

Zhu Ning wasn't sure if she could, but at this moment, she needed to give them a goal, "I've found it twice before."

Once it was the merman in the sewer, and another time it was inside the Mechanical Oceanarium. There were videos in the Clean Center's internal network, all of which were evidence.

Zhu Ning had a strong foundation and had been recruited by demon hunters. She was well-suited for finding the source of the pollution.

Jiang Ping watched Zhu Ning with interest, finding her intriguing.

Jin Tao felt awkward about letting a girl take such a risk, especially since the abandoned village looked terrifying, with dozens of eyes watching from around.

Jin Tao said, "I'll go with you."

"No need," Zhu Ning quickly refused, "You have more important things to do."

Jin Tao was taken aback; Zhu Ning spoke with great certainty, "You need to stay and look after the group. Everyone's mental state is low right now. Try to maintain your own mental health, drink mental healing agents, and guide them so they don't go crazy."

If the group went mad, it would simply provide food for the pollutants.

Jin Tao wanted to argue, but Zhu Ning calmly said, "The tradition of the Clean Center is to cherish talent and not waste any individual."

This was a legacy Zhu Ning had received from her colleagues—Dr. Fu, Fang Ying, and even the coaches she met during training. They all believed that cultivating any talent was difficult, even for cleaners who were looked down upon by demon hunters. Losing one meant losing one forever.

They must respect talent and life.

"Protect them," Zhu Ning said.

Jin Tao understood what Zhu Ning meant and nodded, "Be careful yourselves."

Cui Kai led Jiang Ping and the others to find the source of the music. Before leaving, Cui Kai opened a communication channel with Zhu Ning, so the two teams could contact each other if necessary—assuming there was a signal.

After Cui Kai left, Zhu Ning hesitated for a long time. Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan didn't move either as long as she didn't.

She looked up at the sunset. She didn't need to review the video recorded by her helmet; she could compare it directly in her mind. The sunset hadn't moved, just like before.

They had been experiencing dusk all along.

Zhu Ning was learning to coexist with the system. She had to learn to control it, or she would eventually become its puppet. Their relationship was very delicate. Zhu Ning couldn't easily separate it from her mind, yet she still needed to use its abilities while being cautious not to be consumed by it.

It was like making a deal with the devil. It was something of a higher dimension than herself. She knew this deal would ultimately require a price, but for now, she had to use it.

The more she used it, the greater the price she would pay later, unless one day she completely conquered it.

This was the first time the system had given her a hint since that day.

It felt different from before. Previously, Zhu Ning had only seen the system as a tool for issuing tasks. Now she knew the system was symbiotic with her, and it would want its host to live longer.

Zhu Ning carefully considered how the system worked. The system was a sophisticated mechanical device grafted onto a pollutant, which might be S-level. Each time on a mission, the system would extract some polluted items or so-called talents based on the characteristics of the polluted area for Zhu Ning to use.

This process was similar to absorbing the other party's abilities.

Sometimes, the details of the tasks issued by the system contained hints. Now that she knew it was an experiment, this made sense—the pollutant in her mind had the ability to "foresee."

It could predict certain events, thereby increasing Zhu Ning's chances of survival.

Absorption and foresight—though she didn't know where the pollutant in her mind came from, these two abilities were essential for the system to function.

Now, the system's hint to her was to find the secret of the village's abandonment. Was the key to getting out of here this?

This was a polluted area, and wherever there was a polluted area, there was a solution.

Zhu Ning began to think. She needed to do normal things in abnormal places, following the logic of the polluted area.

What should you do if you get lost in the village?

Knock on doors and ask for directions.

The nearest house had an old woman standing by a window, wearing a white sweater that had turned yellow with age, looking very worn.

But her attire was simple: a white sweater on top and a black wool skirt below, with her silver hair neatly tied back.

Similarly, she stood close to the window, her nose almost touching it. Her breath formed a mist on the glass when she exhaled.

The villagers' breath forming mist always made it seem like they were still alive.

Knock—

Zhu Ning tapped on the window, "Hello."

The old woman didn't speak or move, but her eyes shifted. Zhu Ning's hand on the window was like fish food in an aquarium, and the old woman's eyes were like goldfish.

The goldfish saw the food and instinctively followed its direction.

The old woman only moved her eyes, a small action that sent a shiver down Zhu Ning's spine.

"Hello, we're lost," Zhu Ning said, forcing herself to speak. In the polluted area, she needed to choose an identity. This time, she chose to be a lost outsider.

Creak—

The old door suddenly opened. The wooden door was already aged, and behind it was a damaged screen door. When the door opened, a faint orange light shone through the crack.

Is this an invitation for them to come in?

Zhu Ning's hand rested on the door frame. She wasn't alone this time, but Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan didn't make her feel any safer.

She still felt terrified because the old woman hadn't moved; she remained standing by the window, her eyes following Zhu Ning's movements.

It was as if Zhu Ning were prey, and the old woman's eyeballs could break human limits, crawling out of their sockets, leaving wet trails behind, growing and expanding on Zhu Ning's body until they consumed her entirely.

Zhu Ning had once heard the phrase "to kill with a look," and it seemed the old woman's eyes could truly do that.

Zhu Ning took a deep breath, "I'm coming in?"

After entering the contaminated area, one must choose their identity and act according to their own logic.

The old woman smiled, her face wrinkled, revealing yellowed teeth when she laughed.

Zhu Ning pushed the door open and cautiously stepped inside, followed by Li Nianchuan and Xu Meng.

Her movements were very careful, and her figure quickly disappeared from view. After all three entered, the old, creaky wooden door closed with a groan.

Jin Tao had been watching from outside, deeply concerned about Zhu Ning's safety, so he hadn't blinked.

Logically, the room was lit, and the door was only half a meter from the window, allowing a clear view inside. After Zhu Ning and the others went in, Jin Tao should have been able to see them.

But after waiting for a long time, Jin Tao saw no sign of Zhu Ning inside the house. Hadn't she gone in?

Where did they go? How could they vanish completely?

Jin Tao's gaze followed Zhu Ning's movements. The old woman still stood by the window, and after Zhu Ning entered, her eyeballs rotated again, reaching the limits of human eyes.

Snap—

The eyeballs spun entirely, the black pupils turning to the back, the distorted eyes tearing the blood vessels connecting the eye sockets and the eyeballs.

Jin Tao's body stiffened, seeing only two bloody orbs, with large amounts of blood streaming down the old woman's eye sockets.

A chilling smile still hung on her lips, and after Zhu Ning entered her house, she seemed to have completely vanished.