Chapter 95: Drunkard
Chapter 95: Drunkard
“Qing Street Bridge was the sole passage connecting the city’s South District and East City, situated precisely between the two Special Contamination outbreak points: Wanzhong Plaza and North Luo Street. Blocking these two locations contained the spreading Source of Contamination within a defined area.”
“Ten minutes prior, the Guard Bureau and two units of the City Patrol Army had already arrived and established control at the designated positions.”
“But reports just came in: the wave of contaminated individuals surging towards them has grown increasingly large, nearing the breaking point…”
“Their orders are to avoid gunfire if possible, but should the blockade fail…”
“…”
Listening to Han Bing’s updates on the channel, Lu Xin arrived at Qing Street Bridge, seven kilometers away.
In the distance, he saw countless people gathering at the bridge approach.
Each moved slowly, swaying, arms hanging limp, shuffling step by step towards the front.
On the opposite end of the bridge, Armed Personnel had sealed the approach. Countless grim gun barrels pointed across the span.
Earlier, when Lu Xin was dealing with the Source of Contamination inside, ordinary soldiers hadn’t entered because, during such large-scale, sudden Contamination Incidents, entering would only leave them vulnerable. Thus, they were only deployed to blockade key intersections.
Amidst such Chaos, only Ability Users and the Investigation Team could enter the contaminated zones.
However, the City Patrol Army and Guard Bureau were proving invaluable now.
Given the terrain, sealing the bridge approach effectively confined the Source of Contamination.
Precisely because this bridge was so crucial, the defenders facing the oncoming crowd would resort to gunfire if control seemed lost.
…
…
“They’ve already begun mutating…”
Seeing those slow-moving people, Lu Xin’s heart sank.
By this stage, he no longer feared the frenzied, sprinting ones. Their extreme agitation indicated less severe Contamination, and halting them was straightforward—simply deprive them temporarily of movement. But when they slowed down, appearing calm, the problem became dire: each succumbed to a fatal “suicidal” Emotion.
Thus, whether breaking through the blockade or succumbing to this “suicide,” their path ended in death.
…
…
Lu Xin took a deep breath, looking ahead.
Although a huge crowd converged at the bridge approach, at least it wasn’t beyond his reach like the people scattered across rooftops earlier.
Moreover, though numerous, their slow movements offered a chance of rescue…
“Aren’t you tired?”
He glanced at Little Sister, asking quietly.
“Hmph…”
Little Sister tilted her face up, replying, “Tired or not, I still have to help you, don’t I…”
On the channel, Han Bing also answered softly: “We’re nothing compared to you; yours is the hardest work…”
Faced with both responses, Lu Xin could only murmur, “Hmm.”
Then he leapt from the building surface, snatching a rope mid-air as he descended.
It was time to figure out how to immobilize this entire group simultaneously…
Just as he accelerated his sprint towards the throng, however, something felt distinctly wrong.
His running pace slowed abruptly. The surrounding buildings and streets began fading rapidly, as if their colors were being washed out. Even the dense night and stark white lights vanished swiftly, replaced by a high-contrast black-and-white palette. He felt as if, mid-stride, he’d leaped from the Real World straight into a Dream Realm.
Lu Xin jerked to a halt, swiveling his head. To his shock, he found himself in what seemed like an animated world. Everywhere, stark black and white lines sketched simple yet vivid scenes—crisp, intricate.
He could even see the surrounding people.
The individuals he’d watched numbly, stiffly approaching the bridge moments ago appeared utterly different here.
Their faces wore rich, animated expressions, treating this place as the true reality.
Sweeping his gaze, he saw everyone running wildly, embracing, leaping with joy.
Some led one or several different companions of the opposite sex, happiness radiating from them like a two-hundred-pound man sprinting along a beach.
Others, holding hands with women defined by crisp black-and-white lines, ascended stairs formed of simple dark blocks. They climbed onto a platform sketched at the top, embraced their partners… then plunged downward together…
Below the platform lay a deep pool rendered in thick, opaque ink strokes—a dense, fathomless ink blot symbolizing a bottomless lake.
They plummeted into this ink lake, splattering ink blooms, then climbed out, seemingly satisfied, only to approach the stairs once more.
…
…
The jarring black-and-white assault on his eyes made Lu Xin feel slightly dizzy.
“What is this?”
Lu Xin turned to look around, only to find Little Sister no longer beside him.
He didn’t understand this situation nor how he’d entered such a bizarre world. His scalp tingled faintly.
“Lone Soldier, what happened?”
Han Bing’s voice came through the channel, tinged with urgency.
“I suddenly entered a very strange place…”
Lu Xin asked instinctively, “Can you see it?”
Han Bing responded hastily, “From my end, everything looks normal… What strange world?”
Just as Lu Xin prepared to describe the location, a peculiar voice sounded nearby: “Hey, you…”
Looking up, he saw a bald man wearing a white tank top and oversized shorts approaching with a Thermos Cup. The man wore an odd expression: “Kid, you show no signs of Contamination. How did you enter my domain?”
“Contamination?”
Uncertain whether this was an enemy or colleague, Lu Xin murmured, “I’ve encountered a bald uncle…”
“Bald uncle…”
Han Bing’s voice remained in the channel. After a brief pause, she exclaimed urgently, “Could it be Drunkard arriving?”
Prompted, Lu Xin looked toward the man and stated, “I’m Lone Soldier from Satellite City No. 2.”
“Ah, a colleague…”
The man immediately understood. “I just came from Satellite City No. 4. The situation here is contained. Anyone running this direction will enter my ability’s range. Once inside, they can neither escape nor die… Speaking of which, how did an Ability User like you suddenly get caught in my field?”
Lu Xin frowned slightly. “Shouldn’t you tell me that?”
“…If I knew, would I be asking you?”
The man clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Strange. My current implementation level should only draw ordinary people.”
As he spoke, he extended his hand toward Lu Xin.
When Lu Xin grasped it, their surroundings transformed instantly.
The bizarre comic-strip world dissolved rapidly as he returned to the Real World, standing among the crowd at the bridge’s end.
He could now see people around him exhibiting behaviors from the comic world: those surrounded by admirers there now wore blissful smiles; those who’d repeatedly jumped off buildings now stumbled and rose again.
“An ability like this actually exists…”
Lu Xin stared, then followed the hand to its owner and gasped.
The person shaking his hand wasn’t the bald uncle but a girl in a school uniform, appearing no older than seventeen or eighteen. She wore her hair in a ponytail and looked refreshingly pure. Withdrawing her hand, she unscrewed her Thermos Cup and took a sip. The pungent scent of liquor hit Lu Xin—her thermos held nothing but baijiu.
“Alright, kid. Go help elsewhere. I’ve got this covered.”
She spoke while nonchalantly digging her nose before turning to maintain her ability on the crowd.
Lu Xin stood dumbfounded.
Only when sharp pain shot through his leg did he look down—Little Sister was biting him.
“What are you doing?”
He lifted her to eye level, silently questioning.
“You were spacing out. Helping you snap back…”
Crossing her arms mid-air, Little Sister glared defensively.
“That bite came late though…”
After retorting, Lu Xin walked away while muttering into his earpiece, “What’s her deal?”
“Drunkard is a seventeen-year-old student,” Han Bing explained, anticipating his question. “But she suffers an unexplained Self identification disorder. Under her ability’s Illusion, she manifests as a sixty-year-old uncle.”
Lu Xin exhaled slowly, finding it surreal.
Whether it was Doll—too beautiful to be real—or this ponytailed “uncle”…
His colleagues seemed… rather unusual.