Free Web NovelChapter 354: Chapter 158: The Origin of the Hei Wu Investigation Group
Baichuan campus has many areas, and quite a few of them actually hold value for further exploration.
For instance, the area where the principal once resided contains many documents that Bai Wu hasn’t yet unearthed.
With the great battle looming, the areas that concern him the most are two. In his view, if he could make good use of these two areas, perhaps there would be a chance of victory in the battle.
One is the teaching building.
In the teaching building, even Cain would find it difficult to escape if one doesn’t answer the questions according to the rules.
These rules might not be able to restrain Well Level monsters, but they might be useful against merchants and blacksmiths, those with odd names like the Evil Fallen.
"When the real battle comes, although Baichuan City’s fighting strength is not bad, it’s also necessary to hide in the dark as much as possible. A head-on confrontation is the most foolish," he thought.
"The adversary’s offense will probably not just be the invasion of a few generals, there will also be a large number of Evil Fallen. Not to mention that never-before-seen Well Level, the forces of Jing Wu alone may be more troublesome than during the Mechanical City."
"I must be their main target, and before the real battle comes, I should consider how to participate... whether from behind the scenes or as the vanguard, it all needs to be well-planned. This teaching building can be fully utilized; at least, I don’t believe these Evil Fallen can answer the questions inside correctly."
The teaching building had already become an examination hall, and once entered, one would be forced to participate in a test, a powerful control hub.
Even answering a question incorrectly could result in a negative attribute, and apart from the powerful Well Level forces that can break the rules, it’s likely that most Evil Fallen would have difficulty getting out.
But there was also a problem that had to be resolved.
"My people can’t go in directly, or they won’t be able to come out, so how should I solve this issue?"
To lure the target into this area, naturally, there needs to be bait, and how to get the fish to bite without damaging the bait is an important concern.
Bai Wu had some answers in his heart. He then shifted his gaze to the second important area—the East Campus.
If the teaching building was an area to trap enemies, then the East Campus was a secret altar where one could resurrect their own side.
Those belligerent students who entered the East Campus fought continuously, never ceasing in life or in death.
And the fallen Evil Fallen would resurrect in a very short time.
"There is no doubt that the battle will result in deaths... but if I could make use of this rule, perhaps I could turn this kind of casualty into an advantage," he contemplated.
"No... I need to take it a step further, it would be best to have a method of transferring corpses to the East Campus, but by doing this, the East Campus will definitely attract attention."
There were still a number of arrangements to make, and Bai Wu stood atop the teaching building, overseeing the area until a hazy light filled the sky. Finally, he had some ideas, and at the same time, he opened the Return Roulette, ready to head to High Tower.
...
...
Outside the Hei Wu, Shengxiang Academy on Aulora Island.
After Tang Jing returned to the dormitory, he drew the curtains over his bed. None of his roommates had come back.
Boys of this age are generally keen on various activities, and Tang Jing was no exception, but he was somewhat of a loner.
After all, his views on the Hei Wu made everyone think he was a bit neurotic.
Nevertheless, Shengxiang Academy on Aulora Island is fundamentally a Sheng Country people’s school. Outside the school, amid people of different skin colors, the students within the school who share the same skin color tend to be relatively friendly to one another.
There haven’t been any extreme cases of bullying. Tang Jing was also quite accustomed to this solitude.
Ever since he returned from the hospital, he would go back to his dormitory as soon as his classes were over.
Not long ago, Doctor Kang had given Tang Jing a contact. He still remembered what Doctor Kang had said:
"Actually, I have a friend who works as a psychologist in Meinan, and he once had a patient with symptoms somewhat similar to yours, excessively fearful of Hei Wu, claiming to have seen some visions. I didn’t pay much attention before, but now I think you might be interested in this person."
"Of course, I still hold my previous view that Hei Wu is very normal, and I think you’re just being over-sensitive, worrying over nothing. Fortunately, you don’t have any other issues, and now that you are discharged, focus on your studies. If there are some things we inevitably cannot avoid, it’s better to live well in the present."
Doctor Kang was very caring to Tang Jing, and he took it to heart. Soon after, he contacted the patient Doctor Kang mentioned.
Zhou John, locally known as Zhou Zhi, a chubby man in his thirties, a ride-sharing driver in Meinan.
Meinan is a developed country, with a third of its population being black, and this proportion is still increasing, attracting many people to come here to purchase a variety of luxury goods.
Zhou Zhi made a living here, and though a driver, he managed quite well, at least he was free from worries about food and clothing.
However, he had been complained about by passengers for spreading nihilistic rhetoric and creating panic.
Knowing this, Tang Jing guessed what the nihilistic rhetoric and the panic were about.
Tang Jing straightforwardly talked about the things he saw, the things he dreamed of, which directly resonated with Zhou Zhi!
The two quickly hit it off, further convincing each other that what they saw was not an illusion, not a delusion.
Soon after, Zhou Zhi invited Tang Jing to join a mysterious chat group.
This group had a dozen or so people, living in various parts of the world, Fuyue Old Island, Fuyue New Island, Aulora Island, Meinan, Paka State...
Without exception, all the members were from Sheng Country.
"Since you have come here, we should be honest with each other, but I hope newcomers can share what you have seen. If it matches with us, we can trust you and tell you some truths that are even harder to believe."
This was a kind of initiation ritual, as if there was someone in the group who could tell whether a person spoke the truth or had a certain potential based on the description of their dreams; or determine whether that person just wanted to sneak in and was lying.
Tang Jing easily passed the group entry test and even received an A-level title for being sensitive to Hei Wu.
He felt it was quite ordinary, including the significance of this chat group, which he thought was just a common... group for people with shared goals to communicate.
However, the group owner had spent considerable effort collecting information on the descendants of Hei Wu patients.
Tang Jing hadn’t realized that he had already begun his journey to confront Hei Wu.
After leaving the hospital and returning to school, every day after class, he would go back to his dormitory, draw the curtains around his bed, and communicate with these people.
Today was no different, except that two of the group members, whose avatars had always been grayed out, suddenly became colored, indicating that these two early joiners had come online.
Previously, the dozen or so members had all shared their views that Hei Wu concealed the once prosperous Sheng Country, but that place had become distorted, with all sorts of twisted rules and powerful monsters.
Hei Wu was spreading, and those who entered it died within. Either they truly died, or they turned into monsters.
The origin of Hei Wu was unknown, but many people’s dreams had a common element: a tower, a well.
Describing it as a well might seem inappropriate, but in dreams, everyone naturally called it a well.
This was a shared place, aside from that, what everyone saw actually differed; some focused on Baichuan City, others on Food City, and some on Shudu.
Though they had exchanged information over these days, Tang Jing always felt something was missing.
For example—the meaning behind their gathering here.
Tang Jing asked:
"The Hei Wu is expanding, and I believe it to be a force we cannot contend with. If one day the monsters from inside the Hei Wu come out, what should we do? We can collate the information that everyone has seen, but what we should be thinking about now is how to make people aware of the expansion of the Hei Wu’s area... It’s as if some power is modifying their memories."
Zhou Zhi chimed in:
"Indeed, what Tang Jing mentioned is also what I’ve been wanting to say. I’ve even been complained about because of this issue, damn it."
"It seems everyone is quite familiar with this. It’s precisely why I called you all to discuss, have you ever thought about a question: Why is it that only us who can perceive the world inside the Hei Wu as well as its expansion?"
The speaker was someone who had joined the group a long time ago but had not participated for a while.
Tang Jing didn’t know the person’s real name; he was known as Zhao online, and everyone called him Zhao.
"Why is that?" Tang Jing asked.
"The answer is—perhaps the Hei Wu is waiting for us to enter."
"Are you joking? Zhao, no one who has entered the Hei Wu has come out alive," said an old group member.
"I know, but we are different from them. Of course, by saying this, you might think I’m urging you to enter the Hei Wu. In fact, that’s not the case. I will have my partner go inside the Hei Wu. Any theory needs to be confirmed. My partner will do this."
"Hello everyone, my name is Carlos, my name in Sheng Country is Yan Qi, you can call me Old Yan. I’ve discussed this with Zhao for a long time. We believe that just expressing our own thoughts will only make people think we are insane. We must venture deep into the Hei Wu to find some key thing, even to find some person within the Hei Wu..."
Yan Qi’s avatar was that of a bearded man, and both he and Zhao seemed quite mature, but obviously, they were the more crazed kind.
"I am different from you all. Ever since I sensed the Hei Wu, I’ve felt that it’s inviting me to come inside. Yes, we all think we should guard against the expansion of the Hei Wu, but have you ever thought, what if we can’t guard against it? At least before the Hei Wu spreads and catches this world unprepared, we can try to enter the Hei Wu, to adapt to it."
Yan Qi’s words left everyone uncertain how to respond. After about ten seconds, Tang Jing finally spoke:
"But no one has gone in before."
"That’s right, paths are always explored. Previous entrants were elite troops from various countries, but they are not like us; they didn’t receive any revelations. We can detect changes in the Hei Wu, even sense the timing of the changes, dream of what is inside the world; I think... this implies that perhaps we can go inside."
"Have you never thought that all this could be wrong, an illusion of yours?" Tang Jing asked.
Yan Qi, who was in some news agency office far away, laughed. He had recently written an article mocking his country’s hypocrisy on racial and human rights, listing many cases of discrimination experienced by citizens of Sheng Country in the workplace.
As a result, he was currently in a "not yet resigned" resigned status.
That is, as a writer for the news agency, he had no articles to write, and his career might come to an end in a few days.
Seven hundred years were enough for many to forget history, but the exclusion of the people of Sheng Country had become a tradition unchanged for seven hundred years.
Oddly, human civilization also progressed slowly over these seven hundred years, as if entering a state of technological stagnancy.
Or perhaps... a powerful setting was constantly causing people’s consciousness to return to a point in time before.
This is something both Yan Qi and Tang Jing had thought about: perhaps the modified memories of people were not just about the expansion of the Hei Wu.
Could it be that people’s memories had been altered in many aspects?
Either way, Yan Qi felt no motivation for his current life. He knew even with a heart full of cynicism, he could only live a life of mediocrity in such a world.
He wanted to do something big. So, he discussed with Zhao, and that led to today’s development.
"Of course, I’ve thought that this might be my misjudgment, a foundationless one, but someone has to go in and test the waters. If I die, Zhao will help me take care of my affairs, look after my family. If I come back alive, he’ll also help me... spread the truth about what happened. Although the chances of me coming back alive are slim, what if I do? If I come back alive, I believe we can all enter the area of the Hei Wu. Perhaps we have some kind of mission to fulfill. The test I gave you when inviting you to the group, about the various details you’ve seen in your dreams, was an evaluation of level."
[Zhao and I believe that the higher the assessment level, the better adapted one is after entering the Hei Wu region.]
Tang Jing felt there was a bit of truth to this, but in many other respects, it seemed overly subjective.
Out of the sixteen people, there were only two with an A level, the rest were B and D level. The specifics of the assessment levels were set by people who had never entered Hei Wu, so their reference value wasn’t significant.
This theory wasn’t reliable, but Tang Jing still greatly respected Yan Qi for it.
This person was prepared even for death, which, no matter what, was worthy of admiration.
The world seemed normal at the present, but only a handful of people knew that an apocalyptic disaster was slowly eroding it.
Someday, the monsters inside Hei Wu would break free, and that ship seen in dreams, large as an Ark, would surely penetrate the black fog.
Was the world doomed only to sit and wait for its demise?
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Tang Jing grew even more respectful of someone like Yan Qi who was truly concerned about the world and wanted to contribute his strength. To be a pioneer.
[I don’t have such courage, and I admire you, sir. If there’s anything else we can help with, please command us,] Tang Jing said.
Yan Qi said:
[There’s no need for that, Zhao will take care of it for me. I’ll be entering the Hei Wu region soon. Some of you are students, some are already working, but all are fairly young. I believe that we will all find our mission when disaster strikes, but before that happens, you need to take care of yourselves and you can contact Zhao at any time if you run into trouble.]
Tang Jing realized a critical issue, to approach the Hei Wu region... one had to get past the armed forces of various countries and could only do so via sea and air transport.
This was not something an ordinary person could achieve, so who exactly was this Zhao?
Tang Jing directly asked the question:
[Zhao seems very reliable?]
The one who answered this question was Zhao himself:
[My black fog sensitivity level is only C, lower than everyone here, but I do have a minor advantage that isn’t worth mentioning.] freewёbnoνel.com
[What is it?] someone in the group asked.
[I have money.]
Yan Qi added a comment—
[Zhao has an endless supply of money. He is currently observing all of you and at the right time, he will bring us together. I believe that once you see that place, you will be amazed.]
No matter how you look at it, having an endless supply of money is definitely a superpower.
It suddenly dawned on Tang Jing that if Yan Qi really did come back from the Hei Wu region, and truly encountered those terrifying monsters and even gained some power to fight them...
Then it meant that everyone here possessed such power; and the current lineup... wasn’t it just a super-rich individual assembling a team of people with superhuman abilities?
Only then did it hit him that this chat group was no simple matter.
Of course, all this hinged on the premise that someone really could come back from the Hei Wu region.
~~~~~~~~~~~~End of Chapter~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m writing, but I’m not sure if I can get it out tonight; it’s a bit of a tough birth... stuck on the later plot. There will be a plot line outside Hei Wu, but it won’t overshadow the main story. The protagonist of this book is Bai Wu, whether inside the mist or out. The next Chapter will return to the main track.
