Chapter 164 The Unknown Tomorrow

Chapter 164: The Unforeseen Tomorrow

Shortly after returning to his shop, Su Bai realized that this small general store, nestled in a quiet locale, seemed to have subtly changed without his notice.

In its earliest days, the Mist Shop housed only Su Bai and Xiao Wu. If Xiao Wu, for some inexplicable reason, fell into a deep slumber and reverted to a Threadwrapped Doll, Su Bai would be the sole occupant. Later, the little black cat, Happy, joined them. Though the feline occasionally bounded across the shelves, it was mostly a quiet and well-behaved presence.

Even after their arrival in Fog City, despite Su Bai hiring Meng Wei and Qiu Lei as shop assistants, he viewed them merely as transient visitors, destined for a brief stay.

However, upon returning to the shop with Qiu Lei this time, Yang Yu, the young man who had been minding the store, also remained, his face etched with worry. He clearly hadn't anticipated that merely relaying a message for a trusted senior would inadvertently thrust Qiu Lei into a perilous trap. Coupled with Lan Yin, the woman from Fog City who had already been waiting, and Feng Zhe, who had returned with Su Bai and was now receiving repeated thanks from Yang Yu and Qiu Lei, the small general store began to feel surprisingly cramped.

Regrettably, Su Bai wasn't the type to find joy in a bustling home; he much preferred the tranquility the shop had enjoyed before their move to Fog City.

"Everyone, if there's nothing further, please depart," Su Bai stated unequivocally, issuing a clear dismissal. "There aren't even spare chairs in the shop; having you all stand like this is hardly proper hospitality."

"Understood!" Feng Zhe glanced at the darkening sky outside and nodded. "I'll arrange for some tables, chairs, and sofas to be brought over tomorrow when I return."

"...Tomorrow?" Su Bai's face held a polite, welcoming smile, though it was almost imperceptibly stiff and strained. He did recall Feng Zhe mentioning, upon leaving the warehouse earlier, that he would await the "Braves" at the Mist Shop.

"Indeed, Boss Bai must know we are all outsiders," Feng Zhe said, seemingly oblivious to his unwelcome status—after all, who wouldn't welcome a "benefactor" who had just helped resolve a major crisis? "Outsiders face exclusion in many parts of Fog City. Even at Lan Yin's and my own residences, defenses against outsiders are stringent. Finding a suitable gathering place for outsiders isn't easy. Even if we could find a secluded, abandoned warehouse like Tu Niu did, it would be difficult for everyone to find their way there."

"But the Mist Shop is different. Though it appears to be an ordinary general store, everyone on Fifth Street knows this convenient roadside shop—more accessible than the central mall. One can simply ask for directions and find it. And..." Feng Zhe looked earnestly at Su Bai, "I believe Boss Bai, who would risk danger to save an outsider shop assistant, harbors no prejudice against outsiders. Therefore, I hope Boss Bai will agree to let this place become a temporary gathering point."

Thus, because Feng Zhe had helped the Mist Shop's staff and owner escape danger, the benevolent Boss Bai "gladly" agreed to let outsiders gather at the Mist Shop after the asset liquidation to discuss lighting the lanterns. Yang Yu, also present, would help notify all the players he knew, and Lan Yin, as a Fog City local, would assist in searching newspapers and news reports for players who had obtained the "Brave" qualification, using content only players could decipher.

Though Lan Yin was a Fog City native, she seemed to share the players' yearning for a world where the thick fog had dispersed. Feng Zhe's efforts only deepened her immersion in their profound affection.

As night descended upon Fog City, Feng Zhe departed with his beloved, and Yang Yu decided not to let Qiu Lei venture alone anymore. The shop, which had been uncomfortably lively, gradually returned to its quiet state. The portable television Su Bai retrieved from beneath the counter began broadcasting the daily news, reporting that patrollers had apprehended an organized, premeditated outsider gang that had been operating on Fourth and Fifth Streets from an abandoned warehouse.

Following that news segment, another report announced that the Mayor's Office had decided to replace all prison guards in the city's jail with patrollers, a decision likely linked to the capture of Tu Niu and his associates. Su Bai recalled Qiu Lei's former teammates mentioning in the warehouse that Tu Niu wielded significant influence within the prison. Moreover, when entering the game, the administrator had hinted that Fog City Prison was recruiting guards. Perhaps Tu Niu and his gang had leveraged this channel to establish a power base within the prison.

Yet, all of this vanished into thin air with two casually delivered news reports.

Su Bai couldn't help but wonder if Tu Niu and his gang had known that Feng Zhe, though outwardly courteous, was ruthless enough to have the patrollers raid the entire abandoned warehouse behind the scenes, they might have preferred to rally all their strength and besiege Feng Zhe to the very end.

Only after the portable television began airing uninteresting soap operas did Su Bai switch off the small device.

As the owner of the Mist Shop, Su Bai could discern the abilities of every special item within the store. He was certain that the projector in the breakroom, imbued with the power of shadows, could not only monitor its surroundings but also receive television and internet signals from various regions.

If the projector's owner desired, they could even access certain supernatural television programs existing in the Nightmare World—perhaps even witness a white-clad female ghost slowly emerging from the projector screen.

However, in Fog City, the projector could not receive any signals whatsoever. Both signals from the real world and the Nightmare World were completely blocked. Thus, Su Bai had no choice but to spend a considerable sum on a portable television from the central mall.

Nevertheless, Fog City's thick fog was capable of completely isolating the city from the power of the red moon, so signal blockage was hardly surprising or unexpected.

For Su Bai, what was truly unpredictable was tomorrow.

After the asset liquidation, this perpetually calm and ordinary city would give rise to Braves capable of lighting the long-burning lanterns to disperse the thick fog. Aside from Su Bai and Feng Zhe, who also understood that the lanterns should not be lit lightly, there might be other unknown Braves within the city.

If... if one or even two long-burning lanterns were lit tomorrow, would that signify that one-fifth or more of the thick fog above Fog City would dissipate? What would become of the areas in Fog City no longer shrouded in fog? Would the red moon descend upon Fog City once more?

Was the dispersal of the fog truly beneficial for Fog City?

Su Bai again thought of Mayor Bai, who favored immaculate white suits—also known as the Lord of Fog City. If the rumors he had heard in his previous life were true, the Fog City Lord's pastime was to grow weary of the city he had created and then hand it over to players for destruction.

In other words, regardless of the task assigned to players by the administrator, their ultimate objective was... to destroy Fog City.

Every Fog City would, through the actions of players, gradually move towards its demise.

Even as an observer, Su Bai possessed no clues regarding tomorrow's "unknown." The puzzle of tomorrow remained almost entirely blank. Lost in these thoughts, Su Bai locked the shop door, returned to the breakroom, lay down on the warm bed, and fell into a deep sleep alongside the Threadwrapped Doll resting on his pillow.

In his dreams, a familiar voice, belonging to the administrator, seemed to be speaking.