Chapter 319: Toad People (1)

Chapter 319: The Toad Man (Part One)

Zhu Ning closed her eyes, wondering why this scene had made her shut off the God's Eye. It was just a bit disgusting.

She opened the God's Eye again to take a closer look, but the person was gone, and the entire tent seemed to have never existed; that place was empty.

How could this be? Zhu Ning searched once more, confirming it really wasn't there. Was she hallucinating?

Drug addicts lick toads for hallucinations, but it's hard to determine when they start, or if the people around you are still your original companions. For example, is the Bai Cheng outside really Bai Cheng?

Hallucinations aren't scary; being paranoid is what's truly terrifying. After all, illusions can't hurt you; only you can hurt yourself.

So, try not to move if you don't have to. Zhu Ning remained seated cross-legged. Soon, two hours later, Bai Cheng finished her watch, and it was Zhu Ning's turn next.

Lin Xiaofeng didn't participate in this night watch. Zhu Ning crawled out of the tent, wanting to see if there was anything unusual about Bai Cheng, but Bai Cheng was always odd, making it hard to tell.

Zhu Ning asked, "Did you hear any strange sounds just now?"

Bai Cheng replied, "Everything was normal."

Was the toad sound only heard by her? Zhu Ning didn't say more as Bai Cheng tightened the tent and went to sleep.

Zhu Ning chose to keep watch outside the tent. She found a mat and sat on the ground, feeling that everything here was eerie and problematic.

The dust storm outside the shelter hadn't stopped, and the nearby tents were packed like steamed buns in a steamer. There were snoring sounds, whispers, and even crying.

Those few pilgrims searching for Utopia were crying, one of the men unable to control his trembling. Someone from the neighboring tent, annoyed, kicked him and whispered a threat, "Why are you crying! Shut up! I want to sleep!"

Pilgrims were already the weakest, and this made them tremble even more, covering their mouths to stifle their sobs, tears streaming down their faces.

Zhu Ning was actually curious about these pilgrims. They didn't have strong mental values, at most slightly stronger than ordinary people, yet they managed to walk all the way from the wall to here, which was quite impressive.

Pei Shu had said that Utopia was a nation without oppression, where everyone was equal. Was it a perfect base organized by evolved beings?

Was equality the hallmark of a perfectly evolved nation? Was Utopia the place Liu Yu came from?

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed possible. Was Liu Yu's homeland there?

"Still crying!" The man couldn't stand it anymore, perhaps a bit irritable, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. "Get out."

The pilgrim wiped his tears, shakily standing up. His companions were too scared to help him, and he looked around, finding nowhere to go.

Suddenly, he paused. Not far away, a woman stood leaning against the wall, looking ordinary but with a physique and aura different from an average person. Her posture was relaxed, somehow giving a sense of security.

Zhu Ning mouthed, "Come over?"

He hesitated, sensing no malice from her, and stepped over. Seeing her short hair half-tied back, he softly asked, "Stay here for a while?"

He sized up the situation. This group had three tents, indicating a small number of people, not a powerful investigative organization, which put him at ease.

He cautiously sat down. After a while, his two companions, seeing Zhu Ning posed no danger, joined them.

"Thank you," the four of them hugged their backpacks and thanked her.

Zhu Ning glanced at them. Two boys and two girls, the oldest looking around twenty, the others around sixteen or seventeen. How did these kids survive this long?

Zhu Ning chatted casually, "Where are you from?"

"F-Fort F-03 gate on the North Wall," one of the boys said.

Meeting outside the wall, people usually mentioned which gate they came from. These kids had some sense; the North Wall was vast, and they weren't from the same point as Zhu Ning.

Zhu Ning extended her hand, saying, "I'm Bai Cheng."

"Ah?" The boy was startled. They had heard of Bai Cheng but never met her. This was the prodigy who killed three employers, no wonder she had such a unique aura and gave a sense of security.

He suddenly wasn't afraid anymore. Evil organizations were scary, but to him, a bounty hunter who killed employers was a hero resisting capitalist oppression. No wonder she was so kind, offering them a place to sit.

They were kindred spirits.

"I'm Guo Zilin," the boy introduced his companions, "This is Qin Yali, Wang Wei, and Jin Shan."

Zhu Ning nodded, "You guys are pretty tough."

"No, no, no," Guo Zilin looked at her with admiration, "You're the one who's tough."

Zhu Ning chatted with them a bit more, then asked, "Are you going to Utopia?"

Guo Zilin's fear and weakness vanished as he spoke of his faith, straightening his back, "Yes, we are."

Zhu Ning: "Does Utopia really exist?"

Wang Wei scoffed beside him. They must have encountered many people on the road who looked down on them, thinking it was youthful naivety.

Zhu Ning: "I was just asking out of curiosity."

Guo Zilin hesitated, probably sensing Zhu Ning's kindness, "It does exist, I'm not lying to you. Otherwise, do you think we're fools? We've... " He choked up, "Lost 189 people along the way."

Zhu Ning hadn't expected such a high death toll. A Northern Investigation team had only a dozen members, and she understood how these four had survived—pure luck.

Zhu Ning: "Why?"

She genuinely didn't understand. How could they know someone was out there, risking their lives, without concrete evidence?

Guo Zilin paused, changing the subject, "If you want to go, you can join us. We won't harm you."

Zhu Ning knew she had hit a nerve. The four became visibly wary, refusing to say more. Zhu Ning changed the topic, taking out a medical kit to treat their wounds and sharing a can of cola with them.

Guo Zilin had never encountered such kindness on his journey. Initially suspicious, he wondered what her ulterior motive was.

Until Zhu Ning took out a can of cola, Guo Zilin was taken aback. He opened it cautiously and took a sip before passing it to the others. The four of them took turns drinking from the single bottle.

The cola was sweet, the bubbles bursting on their tongues. They savored it, a reminder of life within the walls and the mark of industrial maturity, starkly different from the brutal savagery of the wasteland.

They huddled with their knees drawn up, a complex emotion welling up in their hearts, a sense of grievance. They had left behind a good life, where they could drink as much cola as they wanted. They had traveled so far, already a month outside the walls. Did Utopia really exist? Was all their effort worth it?

Guo Zilin was lost in deep thought, or perhaps his consciousness was already a bit hazy. He didn’t even react when Zhu Ning’s hand gradually approached. Her finger gently touched his forehead, and he stared blankly at her.

Zhu Ning released Psychic contamination on the four of them. She possessed this ability and originally intended to guide them gently, but it was more convenient to directly read their memories by touching their foreheads. After all, it only required a touch to receive the memories.

In that instant, the memories were chaotic. Zhu Ning’s mind was like a computer, and each time she read someone else’s memories, she experienced a period of confusion.

It was like rewinding, seeing Guo Zilin narrowly escape death, shouting the names of fallen comrades, carrying them away while explosions lit up the sky behind him.

Sixty people walked down the road, initially not paying attention to a can they encountered. But as it followed them, danger arrived...

The memories played in reverse, the number of people increasing until the night before they left the walls.

Zhu Ning saw the top of the northern wall. When they passed by, they noticed a few houses. Pei Shu explained that these were guard posts and shelters where people could rest.

Zhu Ning and her group didn’t rest; they just passed by. But this group had a strong sense of ceremony. They celebrated on top, as if holding some kind of ritual, shouting, “This is our first stop outside the walls.”

“We will be outsiders tomorrow!” Someone threw their identity chip card and pass over the wall, symbolizing their federal identity.

Just as after the college entrance exam, many people tear up their books and throw away their test papers, everyone was infected by the atmosphere, tossing things down like stones.

“We are free!”

“Utopia! Utopia!” They shouted, “Utopia! We are coming!”

Zhu Ning always felt there was a totem on the ground, burned into the earth, leaving black charcoal marks. But since she was viewing the memory from the person’s perspective without God's Eye, she couldn’t see the whole picture, like peering through a tube.

Suddenly, Zhu Ning saw someone in the crowd who looked like the principal in her memory, somewhat stern, like the head of some religious institution, dressed in all black with a necklace around her neck.

She smiled with great satisfaction, almost indulgently, looking at these children.

Beside her was a man dressed similarly, possibly a colleague.

Someone called out to her, “Teacher Qi, thank you for taking care of me. If it weren’t for you, I...”

He seemed like a little sheep finding its way, very grateful. Guo Zilin was too far away for Zhu Ning to see what this person said.

That day, Guo Zilin was drunk, his perspective chaotic and the sounds of others’ conversations faint.

Zhu Ning focused on Teacher Qi. She had read Guo Zilin’s memories in reverse and knew this person wasn’t with them during their adventures outside the walls. So, this person must have been a mentor who saw them off.

Indeed, the pilgrims had an organization. Zhu Ning tried to see the necklace around Teacher Qi’s neck clearly but could only make out a ring, unable to discern the specific pattern on it.

Zhu Ning wanted Guo Zilin to move closer. He stumbled and was pushed by someone. His companion shouted, “Drink! Drink! Drink!”

Zhu Ning found them particularly annoying, and her perspective moved further away.

Beep beep beep—

Zhu Ning suddenly withdrew her hand, the memory instantly cut off. She heard the call of a toad.

There it was again. Where was that toad? And it was closer now, the calls louder, as if thousands of toads were squatting beside them, their skin covered in bumps that oozed mucus, driving anyone who smelled it mad.

Zhu Ning felt that sensation on her tongue again, as if she were licking a toad. She had never done such a thing, yet the feeling was unusually clear.

Reading memories was quick, and with the added mental suggestion, Guo Zilin only felt Zhu Ning quickly touch his head and then withdraw her hand. "You have a wound here."

Guo Zilin touched his forehead. That man had kicked him, one kick landing on his head, indeed causing a wound, the skin on his forehead scraped raw.

Guo Zilin scratched the injured area, "Thanks."

Zhu Ning hadn’t fully read his memories. She suspected it wasn’t an accident; something in his mind seemed to be blocking her. The same went for the other companions. Even if she tried again, she couldn’t see much more.

Could something have been planted in their minds before they left?

The noise in Zhu Ning’s ears grew louder, the toads calling incessantly, as if one had jumped onto her, impossible to shake off. The toad clung to her face, its cold skin pressing against hers, roaring at her:

Beep beep beep—

The sound made her irritable, driving her nearly mad, definitely a form of mental contamination.

Zhu Ning asked, "Do you hear the calls?"

"What calls?"

Zhu Ning: "Toad calls."

Guo Zilin scratched his forehead, as if Zhu Ning’s touch had dirtied him, or perhaps the spot was unbearably itchy. He scratched until his head bled, exposing white bone.

Zhu Ning frowned at him. His companions, seemingly stunned, did nothing to stop him. Guo Zilin dug as if possessed, and she thought he would stop when he reached the bone, but he didn’t. He kept digging, finally inserting a finger.

His finger slipped into the gap between his scalp and skull, and Guo Zilin sighed in relief, stirring inside. It seemed the itch was gone, and he felt completely at ease.

So comfortable.

He suddenly realized how quiet everything was around him. Zhu Ning frowned at him, her gaze unfamiliar, as if she were looking at a monster. He asked, "Wh-what’s wrong?"

His mouth and neck were swollen, as if containing a water-filled balloon, more accurately, a toad’s eardrum, pulsating as he spoke. Small olive-green bumps appeared on his cheeks, resembling a toad’s skin.

Though he was asking what was wrong, Zhu Ning heard no human voice, only the call of a toad.

Beep beep beep—