Chapter 59: Helplessly Watching

Unless Lü Yang’s Ashes Urn appeared, no one would discover he had given a fake name. However, if his Ashes Urn really did appear by then, what difference would it make if the name was real or fake anyway?

“I guess the Apocalypse has arrived, and we’re all going to die one by one,” said Zhao Kun, the younger of the two gaming brothers—the one who had earlier pretended to choke himself to death in the Small Supermarket to scare everyone. He voiced his opinion quite calmly, as if he wasn’t scared at all.

This wasn’t the first time Lü Yang had heard the term “Apocalypse.” Last time, during the Mysterious Domain incident at Qingyuan Residential Area, Sister Mei, Xia Yan, and several Porters had all speculated the same thing.

But that wasn’t surprising. The danger of the Mysterious Domain, everything defying normal logic… the Real world and all normal humans suddenly disappearing, strange events occurring one after another… When ordinary people faced such things, all they felt was immense fear and confusion, with no explanation in sight. In the end, they could only attribute it to the “Apocalypse.”

“Wang Ming, you seem to have some thoughts… Would you like to share them with everyone?” The female teacher Yi Qiuhong asked Lü Yang. Her tone and expression easily revealed her identity as a teacher—and a very approachable one at that.

Everyone sitting in a circle turned their attention to Lü Yang. Clearly, the tall, burly young man who had been lost in thought the whole time had already caught their notice.

“From what I gather, this isn’t the Apocalypse, but rather some kind of Parallel World or alternate dimension. We ended up here for some reason…” Since he was asked directly, Lü Yang had no choice but to share his thoughts. Of course, he couldn’t reveal anything about the Mysterious Domain, so as before, he brought up the theory of Parallel Worlds.

“Parallel World?” Clearly, some among the group didn’t quite understand the concept.

“I know! It’s because of solar storms or magnetic field shifts or something—we got thrown into a Space Rift and ended up in a world different from the Real world!” Zhao Kun quickly volunteered an explanation. However, his explanation only added to the confusion of those who were already puzzled.

“Zhao Kun, let Wang Ming finish speaking first,” Yi Qiuhong gently advised. Zhao Kun didn’t seem upset by the interruption; instead, he playfully made a funny face at her. The terrifying atmosphere in the Restaurant was somewhat lightened by this common teacher-student interaction.

“If we want to leave this place, we must first figure out what exactly we’ve forgotten. Otherwise, once the Ashes Urn with our names appears and we still can’t recall what we’ve forgotten, we’ll be doomed,” Lü Yang continued from where he left off.

“Yes, what Xiao Wang said makes sense. Maybe it’s because of this forgetfulness that we’re trapped here and can’t leave,” Xiong Yifei, the chubby salesman in his thirties, chimed in agreement.

“I suggest that from now on, we try not to leave the Restaurant and avoid splitting up. Based on past experience, it seems that once people run around and separate, Ashes Urns are especially likely to appear.”

Lü Yang went on. Although he didn’t fully believe this conclusion himself, if everyone gathered together, it would be easier to observe the process from the appearance of an Ashes Urn to someone’s death. Certain details in that process might reveal hidden clues.

“That makes sense,” everyone nodded in agreement. Whether the Ashes Urns would stop appearing because they stayed together was secondary; in such a terrifying and Strange Point environment, sticking together to boost each other’s courage was beneficial in itself.

“Also, all those who died earlier took their own lives through self-harm. I suggest that those of us remaining split into pairs. Each person should keep an eye on their partner, and if the other shows any unusual behavior, immediately alert everyone to restrain them or otherwise restrict their movements to prevent self-harm,” Lü Yang offered another suggestion. This was the only method he could think of to deal with the reappearance of Ashes Urns, given that he hadn’t yet solved the main mystery of the Mysterious Domain.

Earlier, those who died seemed to recall what they had forgotten during their final moments of lucidity before passing. Lü Yang’s plan was: if another Ashes Urn appeared, they could restrain the person whose name was on it, prevent them from self-harming, and perhaps learn from them what had been forgotten. Knowing that might provide clues on how to leave this place.

“Additionally, if someone’s name appears again on an Ashes Urn, please try to stay conscious and make an effort to clearly articulate what you’ve forgotten but just remembered. It could help others, and maybe even help yourself,” Lü Yang added.

“Hmm, that’s a good idea. Let’s split into groups now,” Yi Qiuhong agreed with Lü Yang’s suggestion. Seeing that no one objected, she began organizing the pairing.

Dividing into pairs was straightforward: the couple naturally formed one group, the gaming brothers another, Yi Qiuhong and the college student Sun Yujiao paired up, and Lü Yang ended up with the chubby salesman Xiong Yifei.

“Xiao Fan! Where did you go?”

A cry from the middle-aged man who had served as their temporary driver suddenly interrupted them. Everyone gathered around the table was startled and turned to look. They realized that the teenage girl who had been weeping over her mother’s body was no longer there.

“Have any of you seen my daughter Xiao Fan? I just looked away for a moment… and she vanished… Did anyone see her?” The middle-aged man approached the group with a mixture of grief and anxiety, asking for help.

Everyone shook their heads blankly. While they had been discussing matters, no one had paid attention to that area.

The middle-aged man turned away sadly, calling out his daughter’s name, “Xiao Fan,” as he rushed out of the Restaurant.

“The Gas Station isn’t very big. Let’s all go out together to help look for Xiao Fan. As long as we all stay together and don’t separate, it should be fine,” Yi Qiuhong said, looking sympathetically at the man’s retreating figure.

“Didn’t we agree to stay in the Restaurant and not go out? If she ran off, no one can save her!” Shen Qi, the woman from the couple, objected to Yi Qiuhong’s suggestion.

“How can we just… stand by and do nothing?” Yi Qiuhong looked troubled and glanced at the others, seeking their opinions.

“What good would finding her do? Wouldn’t it be just like with her mother—watching her die helplessly?” Wang Yuxing, the man from the couple, supported his girlfriend’s view.

“Maybe she just ran out because she was upset and grieving. Let’s go look for her. We’ll stick together and not separate once we’re outside,” Lü Yang spoke up, proposing the idea to everyone.

“If you want to go, go ahead. We’re staying right here and not going anywhere,” the woman from the couple glanced at the group and replied to Lü Yang. It seemed she had no intention of joining the search.

“Those willing to help, come with us to search. Those who aren’t, no pressure,” Yi Qiuhong called out to the group again. It was clear she was a warm-hearted and kind person.