Free Web NovelChapter 464: Chapter 81: The Timeline Never Experienced
The sun gradually rose.
In the process of waiting, Bai Wu curled up in a corner, running through many things in his mind.
There aren’t so many coincidences in the world. If what Xi Yunzi said is true, then Club’s ability should be only to catalyze rules, not to control them.
Therefore, Lu En and Pei Ju shouldn’t be some kind of bait.
Although his eyes were suppressed, his ability to observe the essence of things did not have any problems.
From this, Bai Wu believed that what Lu En and Pei Ju said was the truth.
One was a child from a farm, the other sensed the Hei Wu disease patients of the farm.
Both of them should have historical prototypes...
If the story here is indeed related to the master of this region, then this master is very likely to be a "special" character, too.
"Club K must have taken an interest in the rules of this area because the death risk caused by choices is very high, and a hundred people are forced to enter every day..."
"And some choices can impact the real world. If I were Club K, I would also catalyze the rules of this area."
"As a result, it would become an inevitable event. Then the two people I met, they talked about monsters existing on the farm, about there being two weapons I need in Denglin City, and about how I’m destined to face a failure..."
"Even this Dr. Liu, he is very similar to the doctor on Huangquan Island who can modify terms... These are all kinds of revelations."
"Teacher Bai Can told me that Baichuan City went through seven days of calamity and turned completely into a Dead City..."
"Edible City, Shudu, Denglin, Xuanhui, which of these cities isn’t a Dead City? Why is it only Baichuan City that went through seven days of calamity?"
"What exists in this calamity? What exactly was the Masked Strange Person chasing after the doctor for?"
Bai Wu looked forward to meeting Dr. Liu for answers.
As time ticked away, sounds gradually emerged from the hospital. A prisoner had been missing for a day, but no one could find this person.
The hospital looked like a hospital, but in reality, the nurses here were all very odd, and among the patients, there were many fake ones.
If Bai Wu were to open a door that shouldn’t be opened, it could very likely trigger a death plot.
This is the strength of the double cooperation between Prayle’s Eye and Bai Wu’s intuition; so far, Bai Wu has been like he’s gone through many simulations, with every choice, every path, being exceedingly correct.
Remaining players—1.
Looking at this number, Bai Wu knew it meant that only he had survived.
The outside world must have been affected by some choices already, he silently shook his head.
Continuing to wait.
Lying in wait is a true test of patience, but Bai Wu had plenty of patience, his breath did not change in the slightest.
Many footsteps could be heard coming from the hospital’s floors, as if they were making the final confirmation; after all, an experimental subject had escaped yesterday and had knocked out a medical staffer with a kick.
This experimental subject disappeared just like that, the hospital’s people could never find them.
But it didn’t seem to be particularly urgent, because in the eyes of the hospital’s people, it wasn’t the patients who are frightening, it was the doctors.
After a long wait, a doctor finally arrived at his office with an experimental subject from Sheng Country...
It was a female from Sheng Country, young by the sound of her voice, but her tone was sluggish as if she had been hypnotized, or as if she had been given some drug that affects thinking.
What followed, Bai Wu heard lecherous laughter, and the sound of clothing being removed.
Now Bai Wu understood why there was that blue pill in the office.
This person from Sheng Country, who enjoyed dissecting and abusing other nationals from Sheng Country, was obviously engaging in some despicable act with the female experimental subject.
The experimental subject’s voice was mixed with a sense of weightlessness, as if she sensed something, but because of too much sluggishness, she didn’t put up much of a fight.
He simply let the doctor fiddle around until the doctor opened a drawer.
The doctor’s eyes were fixed on the woman’s body, but his hand was groping for something in the drawer. Then, when he realized the gun wasn’t there, he suddenly became alert.
The choice sprung out in an instant.
"The you who has been lurking for a long time, two thoughts flash through your mind. Should you take advantage of this gap to decisively kill this person, or should you find a way to break his leg and slowly interrogate him?
You don’t have time to think, so relying on instinct, you decide—"
"A: Shoot to kill, leaving no troubles behind."
"B: He might have information I want to know; shoot through his knee, just cripple him halfway."
"C: Continue to wait."
"D: Take autonomous action. (Once this option is chosen, no further prompts will be triggered.)"
The options popped up in an instant, probably less than a second, and would force a decision. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn’t be able to react in time.
But Bai Wu had long anticipated this moment. Even in that brief time, his brain was able to make a rough analysis.
Continuing to wait was obviously not an option.
Once it was discovered that he had sneaked into the office and taken away the weapon, not seizing the opportunity to overpower the opponent would certainly lead to a more dangerous situation.
To shoot the knee or the head?
Bai Wu was inclined to ask questions, seeking to extract information. However, his instincts were strong; if he did so, it would likely be counterproductive.
Given the doctor’s footsteps, tone, and the reaction of the hospital staff, it seemed the doctor possessed great strength.
With little time, Bai Wu didn’t think twice, again trusting his instinct—
Bang!
He decisively pulled the trigger, aiming at Dr. Liu’s head.
The moment the bullet was fired, Bai Wu felt as if he could see its trajectory.
In a region outside, he could easily catch the bullet, showcasing the supreme skill of speed being unmatched under the heavens.
But Inside the Mist, he was just a being slightly stronger than an ordinary person. To accomplish this was already a display of extraordinary dynamic vision.
The bullet went through Dr. Liu’s brow!
Something eerie happened; Dr. Liu’s body stiffened, indeed showing signs of death.
But he did not fall completely.
Without any hesitation, Bai Wu fired another shot. Although Prayle’s Eye had mentioned that a well-placed shot could be fatal, obviously—
Both choices were wrong!
Bai Wu fired another shot into Dr. Liu’s head, and the notes that popped up in his eyes agreed with his own thoughts.
"Keep attacking! Don’t stop! Slash madly, don’t be like a second-rate villain who thinks one shot will do the job!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three more shots were fired, through the heart, the kidney, the skull.
Dr. Liu fell to the ground, unwilling to accept his fate.
His head was quickly repaired, but the wounds on his heart kept gushing red-black blood.
Feeling the terrifying regeneration ability of his opponent, Bai Wu finally realized that there should have been a boss battle here.
This last option was truly fraught with peril.
Both choices were wrong, with such terrifying healing powers, shooting at the knee would not have caused any harm to Dr. Liu. He probably would have been able to annihilate Bai Wu in an instant.
Although the black reagent enhanced his physique, looking at the previously made choice— "I am now invincible, I will directly challenge the doctor"—it was clear that the doctor was much stronger.
Since this option was incorrect, it represented that the game was maliciously inducing challengers to make the wrong choice.
As for shooting the doctor in the head, if the weak spot wasn’t shot immediately afterwards, the doctor would come back to life.
One could say that the final boss kill, although under Bai Wu’s control it was done without much danger, was actually quite easy to be counter-killed by the boss.
Bai Wu shook his head:
"Unfortunately, it seems I only have the chance to return ’Inside the Mist’ now, to find that doctor again."
Since Dr. Liu in the scenario was bound to die, Bai Wu didn’t pay much attention to him.
The image of this doctor might be a hint in itself.
It might be a powerful entity, perhaps the creator of High Tower, or some other being, providing inspiration through this scenario.
As for why such a covert hint was necessary, there must have been some compelling reason.
Bai Wu’s thoughts returned to the present.
The woman was stunned by the scene, but due to the drug injection, she seemed very Sluggishness and tried to scream but couldn’t make a sound.
Bai Wu returned her clothes to her, and a new prompt appeared. It was neither from Prayle’s Eye nor a choice.
A string of prompts appeared, and Bai Wu guessed this was probably some kind of clearance summary at the end of the first scenario—
"Based on your previous actions, you will save some special patients. Since you are the first person to clear this scenario, your clear time will be recorded. Current record: 11 hours."
"We will advance time, while saving everyone you need to save."
"As the current record holder, a smart and brave challenger, you will continuously receive a blessing— ’Hatred of the Evil Doctor’: the effect of all reagents on you will be enhanced tenfold (effective in reality) until your clear time is broken."
"At the same time, you will unlock several routes. You must make a choice, but regardless of which option you choose, there will be no risk to your life. Please make your choice—"
"A: The Cautious Challenger: You are thoughtful and prefer to plan every step—you will gain the ability to exit the game midway."
"B: The Lonely Benevolent: You are here to end this feast of death and do not want anyone to die needlessly anymore—the game will no longer forcibly recruit a hundred participants, only volunteers may participate. However, the difficulty will increase."
"C: The Mad Gamer: Fighting against both heaven and earth is always full of fun, single-player has no joy, online elimination is the eternal god—the game will forcibly recruit a thousand participants."
"D: The All-In Gambler: For greater profits, you are willing to risk everything—rewards are doubled, but the risk is tenfold."
"E: The Narrative Experience Seeker: I just want to read the story, that’s all—you will retain your original abilities and items, but you will not gain any benefits in the game."
"F: The Exciter of ’One of Us Must Die’: To hunt or to be hunted, that is the question—you will die with a single touch from a monster, but the monster will also die with your touch."
Well now...
Bai Wu couldn’t help but say that the master of this area was indeed a lunatic, with some modes being quite perverted.
However, he still pursued a normal experience. Although he had no interest in saving many people in this world, his goal was to stop the panic from spreading.
"I would very much like to experience the Gambler mode and the Exciter mode... but it seems I can only choose the ’Lonely Benevolent’ mode."
Bai Wu didn’t dwell on the issue and quickly made his choice, opting for B.
A prompt appeared again in his mind—
"To not waste your time, let’s start the next story, shall we?"
"You have already saved the patients of this hospital, and you have destroyed the virus vault. But you are curious, why is there such a hospital? Why would anyone brazenly use living people for experiments?
You are very curious about what lies outside the hospital? Could it be that this hospital, in this city, is just an incredibly normal hospital? So you decide to walk out of the hospital to see."
"Act Two begins."
In his vision, everything changed rapidly. Bai Wu saw the nurses in the hospital being killed one after another, since they were all infected with some virus.
After ensuring that several key patients were saved, they showed no sign of gratitude, but instead looked at themselves with complex expressions, and finally decided to leave on their own.
The next morning.
Bai Wu put on Dr. Liu’s clothes and donned the white coat before choosing to leave, walking out of the hospital’s main entrance.
What slightly surprised Bai Wu was that outside the main gate was not a city district but a "ring."
A circular wall surrounded the entire hospital, with another gate beyond the main one, its structure somewhat resembling the Asylum on the third level of High Tower.
But there were no security guards in the guardhouse; it was even covered in a layer of dust.
With this sight, Bai Wu had a deduction in mind:
"The nurses and patients are actually experimental subjects, and the strong smell of disinfectant in the hospital is just to cover up the bloodshed inside."
"This is a playground of that Dr. Liu... he keeps capturing people from Sheng Country infected with the Hei Wu disease."
After leaving the circular outer courtyard, Bai Wu put on a mask, his hand in his pocket, and unhurriedly opened the door of the outer courtyard.
What met his eyes was a street that was still fairly bustling.
Near the hospital, there was a medium-sized supermarket, two convenience stores, a bus stop where several people were waiting, a somewhat dated hotel, and a light rail station not too far away. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
All the billboards were in Meinan language.
People hurried by, everything looked very normal, some were on the phone talking to their families, others were reporting work in Meinan language.
Everyone was quite busy; this must be a city in Meinan, but Bai Wu was not familiar with the geography outside the Mist.
He only felt that the pace of life here was very similar to Meinan’s.
Occasionally a few people’s gazes would fall on Bai Wu, but after seeing the logo on Bai Wu’s white coat, they shifted their attention away.
Bai Wu had not yet realized something was off.
When faced with many choices and having no goal, he would choose to eat.
So he walked towards the direction of the supermarket and convenience stores.
The supermarket staff was eating barbecue, and its aroma made Bai Wu’s mouth water.
The supermarket’s advertising TV was delivering news in Meinan language, initially, Bai Wu paid it no mind, as he wasn’t very familiar with the language.
But when the subtitles appeared, Prayle’s Eye provided a translation; although he only glanced at it and was about to look away, this translation made Bai Wu suddenly stop in his tracks, his eyes glued to the TV.
[The Sheng Country people who emerged from High Tower are being sent to concentration camps one after another. These people, claiming the world has been distorted and ruled, hope we can wake up, are about to pay the price for their blasphemous words.]
After reading this, Bai Wu subconsciously glanced at the clerk, who said in Meinan language:
"Ah, are you Dr. Liu’s apprentice? What do you need?"
The clerk was a standard Caucasian, with a fairly amiable face, but the barbecue wrap in his hand gave Bai Wu a moment’s pause.
[The raw material is from a meat shop 700 meters from here, then bought by the adjacent flatbread shop to make into a barbecue wrap. The flavor is good, but you probably wouldn’t like it, after all... the raw material, before it ended up here, was subject number four infected with the Hei Wu disease.]
Subject number four infected with the Hei Wu disease... turned into barbecue wraps?
Bai Wu’s stomach began to churn, not because of hunger, but nausea.
If this were reality, he wouldn’t have such a reaction; after witnessing hellish scenes in the Food Domain, he had built a strong tolerance to these things.
But here, apart from his analytical ability, all his other abilities were diminished.
His brain whirred into overdrive, combining the recent news caption, Bai Wu confirmed something—
This world’s timeline was neither 700 years ago nor at any point in history.
This place was the future.
