Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 398: Chapter 15: The World Has Become Strange

(Since Silver Alliance’s random bonus Chapters are not available, the completion progress is 45/100.)

Outside the mist, 7 p.m. Aulora Shengxiang Academy.

The moment the dismissal bell rang, Tang Jing bolted out. His speed was akin to that of a starving ghost reincarnated.

Tang Jing’s recent behavior had been very strange. Over the past month, his roommates noticed that the person who usually loved to stay in the dormitory was now unexpectedly staying out all night!

This was an extremely odd phenomenon.

Of course, strange events happen every year, but this year there are particularly many.

In the past month, bizarre incidents had occurred all over the world. Someone had solved a mathematical problem that had puzzled mathematicians for many years, and someone else had successfully proven—magic does exist.

Others showed that the physical limits humanity could not achieve were all false, and some discovered... evolution didn’t need to take hundreds of thousands or millions of years.

Deformities were being explained by scientists as evolution.

In some interview shows, experts started to speculate about the possibility of accelerated evolution in various species.

They also said that they were close to a major breakthrough in studying these suddenly evolved creatures.

However, in fact, scientists were completely baffled.

They couldn’t understand the concept of distortion, not the people outside the mist, nor those within.

This kind of thing could only be experienced, not understood.

But trying to find a reasonable explanation for distorted things had become a kind of... emotional crutch for people when facing the unknown.

It was as though by finding a reasonable explanation, they could eliminate this unknown chaos.

But without any reasonable explanation, various distorted phenomena repeatedly violated people’s cognition.

In the same city, but different areas, one side experienced abnormally cold weather while the other had eerily hot climate. In the colder area, people endured conditions only found in the polar regions—snow accumulations, frozen lakes, and massive ice sculptures.

There was a bridge connecting these two areas; one end of the bridge was deep winter, the other end, high summer.

Temperatures over sixty degrees Celsius sent countless people running to the other side, but within seconds, these people would frantically run back.

Those who ran slowly became ice sculptures.

This place was quickly sealed off, and rescue teams in heavy thermal insulation suits began to evacuate the people inside.

The entire area with differing temperatures was known as the Ice and Fire Forbidden Land.

These phenomena were beyond the scientists’ explanation.

Apart from environmental anomalies, there were also biological ones; twins from the same parents—one developed a second head, while the other grew wings.

How could the scientists explain that?

They would never have thought that the child with wings just wished to run a bit faster, and the one with a second head only wanted to do better in exams.

The difference didn’t come from genetics but from desire.

The star who had lost his future in showbiz due to sudden mechanization wasn’t as tragic as Zero from the Black Mist.

He maintained his human rights and began to participate in various interview shows, talking about his mutation.

Capitalism, in order to extract his maximum surplus value, shifted his image from a fresh-faced trainee to that of a scientist.

A fresh-faced youngster who couldn’t sing, dance, or rap wasn’t a good scientist.

Obsessed with mechanical research and conducting experiments on himself, the ethical and scientific discussions involved brought the once-dying celebrity back to life, skyrocketing his popularity.

All the shows he appeared on exploded in viewership.

But gradually, as there were two or three other cases of mechanical mutations in the world, mechanical mutants began to vie for attention—

The involution began.

The fresh meat didn’t dare drink gasoline, didn’t dare catch live wires with his bare hands, didn’t dare perform swallowing screws, and gradually, people found him boring. He used to have a good face, now even that was gone.

He finally realized... that his so-called persona was just a deceit meant for those little fans who couldn’t tell right from wrong.

In the eyes of the general public, he was just a toy. In the eyes of capital, he was just a product.

Now, with the emergence of new toys and products with more features, he had become worthless.

All of this... took only nineteen days.

Besides these, there were many other twisted phenomena.

The dead lived, the living grew younger, and some even saw their younger selves. Others encountered another person exactly like them.

And when they appeared in each other’s sight, both people disappeared without a trace, never to be heard from again.

Strange things were happening everywhere.

Thus, the strangeness of Tang Jing didn’t seem so strange anymore.

As soon as the class-ending bell rang, Tang Jing left the school immediately and went to a villa community not far from the school.

The luxurious, standalone villa had become "the place to live" that Bai Wu had asked Tang Jing to find for Xu Ling.

The one with such supernatural abilities was naturally Zhao.

Zhao was a reliable man, and Tang Jing liked what he said:

"There’s no better house nearby for now, let that young lady make do for a while. Once I buy the land nearby, I’ll quickly build a suitable one."

Tang Jing had seen wealthy people, but never anyone as rich as this.

So much so that Tang Jing wondered what Zhao did for a living? How was he able to quickly gather this group of people around him?

His voice didn’t sound old; it even sounded somewhat young. How had he accumulated such a vast fortune? Could he, like Tang Jing, also see some kind of revelation?

Did Zhao also possess a Sequence like the one his master spoke of?

All of this was a mystery.

But regardless, Xu Ling now had a place to live. And Xu Ling had a good impression of Tang Jing, so she hoped he would spend more time with her.

As a result, these past days, as soon as his classes ended, Tang Jing would go to visit Xu Ling.

Their topics of conversation were many, discussing the world’s mutations, everyday life.

Xu Ling was a girl with a very... closed heart.

Her red heart tattoo on her hand symbolized charm and rich emotions, but she herself was extremely introverted.

It was the "Bai Wu" version of Tang Jing whose sincere words had truly moved Xu Ling.

But after Bai Wu left, although Tang Jing had grown rapidly through his Sequence to a level roughly equivalent to the second tier of the Innate Force of the Investigation Corps, he couldn’t compare with Xu Ling.

Especially... he was nowhere near as naturally gifted in emotional intelligence as Bai Wu.

So to Xu Ling, there was a great difference between Tang Jing before and after, making this sensitive-minded girl feel like she might have misunderstood something.

She lived cautiously in this rich neighborhood.

She locked herself in that small room every day.

She hardly ever touched the rooms outside, only cleaning and tidying them regularly. Even so, her movements were very gentle.

She thought about not disturbing the original vibe of the house, fearful that her presence would change it.

Tang Jing also noticed that indeed Xu Ling lived here but couldn’t really fit in.

Today, something strange occurred in a supermarket, and as of now, the police of Aulora have surrounded it.

It was said that after a strange passenger walked in, everyone inside the supermarket suddenly couldn’t get out, all trapped.

Zhao told this news to Tang Jing, and Tang Jing, who had learned some of Bai Wu’s basics, had abilities different from ordinary people, but he couldn’t compare with those monsters who mutated directly.

He guessed... there might be someone like Xu Ling in the supermarket, so Tang Jing decided to take Xu Ling with him to explore.

There are a total of sixty villas in the villa area, most of them are terraced houses. Zhao bought one of the largest single-family homes, surrounded by a pleasing 160-square-meter lawn that was well-manicured and a forty-four-square-meter swimming pool.

Every time Tang Jing came here, he felt a sense of unreality.

He lingered outside the door, it was the fourth week. Especially tonight, he was going to explore the supermarket with Xu Ling, so Tang Jing was a bit scared.

He hoped that today, his master would "have time".

So, standing outside the villa, Tang Jing activated the Sequence—God Descent.

...

...

Walking in a familiar scene within the white expanse, Tang Jing felt somewhat panicked.

Although the master demanded weekly reports on changes and major events in the world beyond the mist, in fact, ever since that time he became an apprentice, each time Tang Jing contacted his master, the master was always in some state of being busy.

This time was no exception.

In the world of white consciousness, there were many human silhouettes, all of whom Tang Jing could summon.

But only the side of Bai Wu had a voice.

The voice was very weak, but Tang Jing could hear it.

The first week, the second week, the third week, and now the fourth week... Tang Jing always felt that the master had gone to a strange place and was with someone who was unclear whether a teammate or an opponent.

"It seems the master still doesn’t have time, huh... What should I do? Should I go with Xu Ling alone, or should I... look for someone else..."

"Forget it, it’s too dangerous. What if the person I find is a madman?"

Tang Jing eventually gave up.

God Descent was a very powerful Sequence that could directly grant the power of a stalwart, like positive feedback from a ’possessing spirit’.

But God Descent also had its downside; the user couldn’t be sure whether the person taking over their body was a good or bad person.

So Tang Jing did not dare to take the risk.

Especially since... he now felt that his physical strength was far superior to that of an ordinary person; maybe he could try to explore with Xu Ling.

Tang Jing prepared to leave, but as usual, before he left he still listened to what his master had to say.

Over the past few weeks, he had been guessing where exactly the master had gone, and what the meanings of these conversations were.

So he remembered every word said by the master. But these words were cryptic, like—

"So the fruits on these trees... hide human souls? Can you discern which one is you?"

"Absolute Dissolution... is he also on this tree? So, is this a nutrient? But why doesn’t it come down to feed? Can we assume that it can only go up, not down?"

"Is this his note left behind? But the contents seem to be written very briefly. Let’s search again; there may be more clues. Didn’t you encounter these before?"

"Right, this obviously only appeared after the seventh layer was opened."

"You’d better tell me the truth; we are trapped here now. You want to use me as a vessel, but if I can’t leave here, you know very well that the only thing waiting for us is death. Or like you... I also become weak; in such a case, do you still think I am the most suitable vessel?"

"We’ve passed it, I told you to listen to me, don’t ask too many questions. Where do you think my information comes from? Can’t I just be smarter than you?"

"Don’t move, or I’ll kill you. Don’t think you and I are friends. I’ve said it before, black is black, it won’t turn white. If you want to keep courting death, I won’t stop you."

"Sequence Four, Sequence Seven... I’ve only found a blank piece of paper here, with only these words on it. Was he trapped by these two Sequences? Or are these Sequences helpful to him? Does he want to acquire these two Sequences?" frёewebηovel.cѳm

"Reverence? Bullshit reverence, Cain, you and I both know very well, although you gave those people some religious names, neither of us believe in religion."

"The Spiral Corridor, you can’t get out without me, don’t ask, if you ask, it means I’m omniscient."

"How long have we been here?"

"I know it’s been two days, but don’t you feel... something’s off with the dimension of time?"

"Can’t go back? It does seem likely now, and I don’t know if my friend, who wants to turn me into a member of the Mechanical Race, could find my soul if I died here. Don’t understand, do you? Good, you shouldn’t."

"Cain, what’s your real purpose? Now that both of us can’t go back, why not tell me? There’s no need to lie anymore, we might all die here."

... freёwebnovel.com

During this time, Tang Jing heard a lot of things, and it was precisely these things that made him feel his master was in a very dangerous environment.

And there was a very dangerous presence nearby, possibly an enemy. If he forcibly summoned his master now, it might bring about a catastrophe for him.

In the end, Tang Jing gave up.

He walked into the villa, Xu Ling had actually noticed him through the window long ago.

Watching Tang Jing pace back and forth, she found it truly strange.

He was so open and calm before, but after that day, when he saw her, he seemed a bit... awkward.

Xu Ling thought that day might have been Tang Jing’s way of calming her down, so he acted... composed, filled with an air that everything was under control.

But lately, Tang Jing didn’t have that feeling anymore.

However, this didn’t affect her fondness for Tang Jing.

Soon, under the living room’s crystal chandelier, the two young people began to converse.

"That... I have a friend, the one I’ve told you about, who bought this villa. He and I set up an organization, the Investigation Corps. We’re specifically responsible for investigating some bizarre incidents."

"Yeah, you’ve mentioned it. Let’s get going," Xu Ling said.

"Aren’t you going to ask what we’re going to do?"

"I trust you, and you wouldn’t involve me in anything bad. I’ve always been afraid that I might lose control... but with you here, I’m not scared." Xu Ling’s eyes shone as she looked at Tang Jing.

Tang Jing was somewhat panicky.

What if Xu Ling really lost control? It seemed his master had also instructed him to take good care of Xu Ling... Maybe I should explore that supermarket alone and not bring Xu Ling along.

As Tang Jing thought this, Xu Ling took his hand.

Without Bai Wu around, Tang Jing’s reaction was much more genuine.

If Bai Wu were here, he’d surely exclaim, true to the Hearts series, shifting from being flirted with to flirting back, no training needed.

Tang Jing blushed, but Xu Ling was very composed.

"I’ve always felt... there is a power inside me that I can hardly control, and I don’t know how to use it. But sometimes, I feel it’s very dangerous."

Tang Jing remembered his master saying that this girl was not simple, that there was an organization behind her.

"I’m scared to use these powers, but if I’m with you, Tang Jing, I won’t be. If I really turn into a monster... you’ll be able to pull me back, right?"

His master had promised on his behalf, should he acknowledge it?

Tang Jing felt his master was very upright, but strangely he had the impression he was cleaning up after a scoundrel.

Nevertheless, he still nodded, perhaps the God Descent had instilled some "Bai thinking" in him:

"No matter what, as long as I’m here, you’ll always be Xu Ling."

(I still remember I need to ask for leave. I’ll do it the day of Kaven’s, cough cough. Tang Jing’s story arc is quite important, a necessary setup for the Counterattack Farm plot. I’ll try to make it as interesting as possible and then quickly get back to the protagonist’s story.)