The next morning.
Barry woke himself up with a loud snoring. When he sat up on the big bed, he caught a glimpse of Yi Chen meditating on the sofa in a very strange state.
Metal needle structures grew all over his body, as if the needles were a part of Yi Chen.
Just by looking at it, Barry felt a subtle stinging pain, and he absolutely did not want to touch the prickles on it.
At this moment, the needles were slowly retracted, and Yi Chen opened his clear and transparent eyes.
"Barry, are you awake? Let's go downstairs and have a meal and then leave directly."
"Okay." Barry stood up and put on his armor, still a little concerned about the needle pricks just now, "William, what's the matter with those metal needles growing in your body? I remember when I fought with you, I didn't feel anything like this in your body at all."
"Something I just got in the Old World not long ago."
"Besides the relics, are there any additional physical gains?"
As soon as he said this, Barry instantly felt that the gap between him and Yi Chen had widened again.
"By the way, nothing happened last night, right?"
When Barry asked this question, Yi Chen glanced at the hammer emblem between the big shields and said, "Nothing."
…
When taking the elevator to the restaurant on the second floor.
Yi Chen discovered that the gentlemen eating here all had gloomy expressions and no motivation at all, which was completely different from the energetic young people inside Zion.
Barry said:
"Those who were not able to stay in Zion but were assigned to cities under the organization basically have no future. Of course, the exceptions are clinic apprentices and some special staff.
These gentlemen are often past their optimal breakthrough age and have limited potential. They are not involved in the organization's newly discovered relic events unless they can make contributions that impress the organization in their assigned locations.
Of course, no matter what, it is still much stronger than ordinary people.
Hey~ I have to work harder. If I still can’t make a breakthrough in two years, the organization will give up on training me. Even if I can stay in Zion with the help of my family, there is basically no hope of a breakthrough. "
Yi Chen gently patted Barry on the shoulder, "This incident is a great opportunity. As long as we can return safely, the organization should arrange a relic event for you."
"Yeah, I have to work harder."
Barry stuffed three croissants into his mouth at once, looking ready to go.
After finishing three people's breakfast, Barry looked around and said, "Speaking of which, there seem to be some gentlemen here who have reached their limit, are experienced and familiar with the city. Should we recruit them to join us?"
Yi Chen, who was eating noodles with meat sauce, shook his head quickly. Next to his plate were the city map and sewer route map of Wenholm City.
“When faced with the unknown, people like us who are not familiar with the city are more likely to find problems. Moreover, these people have no fighting spirit, and they will only be a drag if we call them on.
If death is unavoidable, it will only be the two of us who will die, so as not to drag others down with us."
Barry's heart skipped a beat when he heard these words. He felt like he was working with a madman.
When the leisurely breakfast time was over and the two were about to leave, they saw a panicked hotel staff member quickly walk to the center of the restaurant and loudly convey important information:
“Gentlemen, please take note! We have just received a message from the team stationed at the Dome River that more than 900 civilians committed suicide by jumping into the lake last night. Their bodies are currently floating on the lake. A large number of residents in other blocks have also died.
Gentlemen who have reached their limit are requested to assemble at the Dome River immediately to assist in the recovery and loading of bodies.”
These words caused an uproar in the cafeteria.
You have to know that all the previous deaths were "secretly" done, and this kind of collective death was the first time I had seen it. An uneasy atmosphere filled the entire cafeteria.
Yi Chen frowned, thinking in his heart:
"With the death transmission pattern being discovered by the hospital and a dead person being captured alive by me, are the guys hiding in the dark preparing to make a big move?"
At this moment, a young gentleman in the cafeteria said with a frightened look:
"I... Many of us have not reached our limit and cannot help much. Staying in the hotel can only temporarily use public resources. It would be better for us to evacuate the city in advance to reduce the burden."
However, the person in charge responded with a serious face: "Zion has issued a notice. In order to prevent the leakage and infection of the death factor, no one is allowed to leave Laiwenholm before the exact source of infection and its nature are found, or before receiving unified evacuation instructions.
Anyone who leaves without permission will be considered a defector."
As soon as these words were spoken, panic spread in the restaurant.
"Gentlemen who have reached their limit, please take your equipment and props and gather in the lobby within five minutes to head to the Dome River together."
Yi Chen stood up immediately and snapped his fingers in front of the stunned Barry, "Let's go!"
…
The Dome, an inner city river that runs from west to east through Vinholm.
Due to heavy rain last night, the water level rose almost to the shore.
Bodies, swollen and swollen, were crowded on the lake surface, face down. The gentlemen were using their own abilities to put the bodies in isolation bags and then carefully salvage them ashore.
Yi Chen, who arrived at the scene, did not participate in the salvage work. Instead, he stood on an arch bridge and carefully observed the bodies on the lake, looking quite puzzled.
The gentlemen nearby could not help but regard Yi Chen's behavior as "slacking off" and occasionally cast contemptuous glances at him.
Until a hand gently rested on Yi Chen's shoulder, the gentlemen around who were looking at him strangely immediately turned their heads away with shocked expressions.
Dark skin, bald head, and sun-shaped back decoration.
Dean Diss actually took the initiative to walk onto the arch bridge and put a hand on Yi Chen's shoulder. "William Behrens, you seem to have some doubts about this mass suicide?"
Even though he sensed the dean's arrival, Yi Chen remained focused on the lake and did not look back.
"The other party obviously wants to speed up the death invasion because we discovered the death symbol and captured the dead alive. They want to use last night's heavy rain to directly affect a large number of civilians and directly carry out this kind of collective suicide.
But last night heavy rain clearly covered the entire city, so why did the residents near the river choose to commit suicide by jumping into the river instead of doing it at home
If I remember correctly, most of the gentlemen who committed suicide were found in rivers or under bridges.
If it was just suicide, it could be done anywhere, but choosing a river means that the other party wanted to gain something from the suicide in the Dome River.
By the way, Dean Dis, did you get any conclusions from the samples of the deceased yesterday?"
“At present, we only know that the black liquid in the patient’s body can connect the corpses of various creatures together, disguising them as the deceased’s appearance before death, and completely inheriting their memories.
Once these liquids are separated from their attachments, they will quickly evaporate into colorless and invisible gases.
More conclusions are still under investigation by Mr. Hrvoye.”
"Carrying memories, connections and a colorless and invisible gas..."
Yi Chen vaguely sensed something.
"If I'm not mistaken, after death, these suicides will pass on a 'thing' that carries their memories, and then construct the dead by invading the corpses of other animals, disguising themselves as they were when they were alive.
So many people died in the Dome that the 'stuff' that passed from their bodies could have sunk to the riverbed.
I suggest that the sewer area around the Dome be searched.”
"Yes, just as I thought... My Sun Church is on the way. Do you want to go?"
"Okay, Barry and I will join in."
(End of this chapter)