Chapter 57

Jincheng

Yun Zheng sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the dusty, overcast sky, and dialed Jiang Linchuan’s number for what felt like the hundredth time.

Still no answer.

It had been over two months, and Linchuan’s phone remained unreachable.

Yun Zheng was deeply worried about him.

On the evening two months prior, the day Linchuan left with the little one, a typhoon unexpectedly struck Jincheng.

Although Jincheng is coastal, it lies within a temperate monsoon climate zone and is shielded by a peninsula, typically unaffected by typhoons. No one understood why such a powerful typhoon had hit.

But soon, the truth emerged online—it was caused by anomalies.

The anomalies came from the sea. Coastal residents were the first to be infected: some lost their minds and began attacking others, while some instantly grew grotesque limbs…

That night, the entire city lost power. The next day, the sky remained dark. Power was restored for just two hours, during which the government issued a television announcement. They didn’t conceal the truth, stating that anomalies had invaded Jincheng and ordering residents to stay indoors, with all roads sealed off. Anyone venturing out would do so at their own risk.

The catastrophe from a century ago was recorded in history books, and most people knew something about it. After seeing the terrifying images online, everyone feared infection and stayed locked inside. Only special agents in heavy protective gear and armed with guns could move freely.

From that day on, helicopters daily scattered large amounts of inhibitors. The plants and flowers in the community withered, the air remained hazy, and a pungent, strange odor wafted intermittently.

This continued for over a month. Gradually, the sky brightened slightly. Every three days, the government delivered food and water to households. Some families even acquired protective suits. As long as they avoided direct contact with the airborne inhibitors targeting anomalies, they remained safe. Electricity and internet services were gradually restored. By now, the daily dispersal of inhibitors had dwindled, and the air was getting cleaner. Braver individuals had begun cautiously venturing outside.

The phone rang, and Yun Zheng answered. Yun Feng’s voice came through: "Xiao Zheng, how have you been lately?"

"I’m fine, bro. What about you? Are you okay?" Yun Feng had visited the day after the typhoon, dropping off supplies and giving Yun Zheng a gun effective against anomalies before leaving. This was the first time Yun Feng had contacted him in two months.

"I’m doing alright." Yun Feng sounded like he was eating, his voice muffled by chewing—large bites, as if he hadn’t eaten properly in a while. "The strange hurricane in Jincheng happened because it’s too close to Baigu Town. As long as Baigu Town stabilizes, your area will too. Has the sun come out today?"

Yun Zheng looked out the window. "It has, but the smell of inhibitors is still strong. It’s unpleasant."

"Mm, hang in there a little longer. Things will get better soon."

Get better soon?

"How is Baigu Town doing?" Yun Zheng had visited the underground lab there as a child, and since Jiang Linchuan was the captain of the Special Operations Brigade, he knew more about the anomalies than most. He was aware of Baigu Town’s existence and the fierce fighting going on there.

"Don’t worry, those anomalies won’t break out of Baigu Town," Yun Feng reassured him.

The senior general had prepared numerous contingency plans for the aftermath of suppressing the Abyss Lord.

A century ago, humanity was overwhelmed by the anomalies. A hundred years later, they couldn’t afford to repeat the same mistake.

The Abyss originated from Baigu Town, which had always been under human surveillance. Currently, there were no humans or Abyss Lords within hundreds of miles of Baigu Town—the perfect opportunity to wipe out the anomalies in one fell swoop. If successful, humanity would secure a future free from such threats.

"Brother," Yun Zheng murmured, staring out the window, "is this really the only way?" He had witnessed the effects of the overwhelming inhibitors—everything withered, especially the living anomalies. And humans facing those powerful, eerie creatures inevitably suffered casualties too.

"Xiao Zheng, don’t be afraid. The sun will rise tomorrow as always, and everything will be fine." Yun Feng advised him, "For now, stay indoors. I’ll have someone bring you some supplies later."

"By the way, any news about Linchuan?"

"No, I can’t reach him." Yun Zheng’s voice sounded worried. "Brother, what exactly happened to Linchuan?"

"He… he’s fine. Don’t worry, he’ll be okay. Just take care of yourself."

…

After hanging up, Yun Feng scraped the last of the food from his lunchbox into his mouth, then took a shower. He first put on a tight-fitting protective suit, then his military uniform, followed by a heavy, special protective outer layer. Finally, he donned a gas mask and left his dorm.

The Abyss was highly contagious, spreading like a virus and causing rapid mutations in plants, animals, humans, and other unknown entities. A century ago, humanity lacked the experience and capability to respond, but now things were different. Containing the Abyss within Baigu Town would allow for its complete eradication.

This was the result of the senior general’s century of repeated experiments.

And the evidence showed the senior general was right—the Abyss forces, repeatedly attempting to breach the defenses, had suffered heavy losses and were gradually retreating.

"This is where the Abyss breeds," the senior general pointed at a spot on the map displayed on the large screen. "The lair of the Abyss Lord."

"Wiping out this place will make everything disappear."

"How do we wipe it out?" someone asked.

The researcher captured with Yun Feng stood up. "The mutations in the anomalies result from Abyss infection. We’ve gathered extensive data from these anomalies and conducted numerous studies based on it."

"It’s similar to the principle of the inhibitors, but we’ve enhanced and refined it, making it highly targeted… We’ve run tens of thousands of simulations—the experiments are very mature, with a high success rate."

The room buzzed with excitement. First capturing the Abyss Lord, then wiping out Baigu Town completely—how could they not be thrilled?

After all, as long as the Abyss existed, so did the danger, and humanity faced the possibility of doom.

"What about the anomalies?" General Wu, who’d been sitting quietly looking serious, suddenly spoke. "Baigu Town already had many anomalies, and many more have mutated recently. If I understand correctly, implementing this plan would destroy all living things within Baigu Town, right?" In the human world, they had to consider human casualties, but in Baigu Town, there were no such restrictions.

The senior general looked at General Wu. "Ordinary anomalies pose little threat to humans. They’ve just taken human form due to mutation. If they’re willing to cooperate, we naturally won’t harm them. We can find them a place to live, just like Baigu Town."

The meeting concluded with a vote. This matter involved not only the military but also relevant government officials. Twelve people, including the senior general, had voting rights.

Those of Yun Feng’s rank could attend but had no vote.

Surprisingly, the votes were split evenly—six in favor, six against.

Lieutenant General Pang frowned at General Wu. "Why are you against it?"

General Wu lowered his eyes and replied calmly, "I believe the plan can be optimized. Like capturing the Abyss Lord, we should target only the objective without harming the innocent."

"What do you mean, innocent?" Lieutenant General Pang stood up, leaning on the table with both hands, his face full of disbelief.

General Wu didn’t answer Lieutenant General Pang directly, instead turning to the senior general. "All living things have spirits. If we go too far, nature will punish every living thing equally—including humans."

The senior general paused, then smiled gently without refuting General Wu. "Xiao Wu is right. Let’s discuss and refine the plan further."

Yun Feng glanced at General Wu, truly surprised. He had expected a lopsided vote, never imagining a tie.

He had always thought General Wu was on the senior general’s side.

*

Unaware of the events in Baigu Town, Jiang Linchuan sat on the bow of his boat, grilling fish on a small barbecue.

In the sea around him, various anomalies—fish with human heads, humans with fish tails, some with one arm and two legs, others with two arms and one leg—were diligently helping him search.

These anomalies avoided the finger bone hanging around his neck but were particularly fond of the little one. Perhaps children were naturally likable—even anomalies were drawn to the pale, chubby little kid.

Jiang Linchuan’s task was to feed them and, incidentally, teach them to speak for better communication.

Despite all this extra help, they still found nothing.

Jiang Linchuan couldn't help but feel anxious. Although he said he'd search for fifty or sixty years, he feared Shen Jin might disappear for good inside that box.

Like someone starving, he was afraid Shen Jin would die of hunger.

Xiao Zai'er leaned against his leg, scanning the surroundings with a telescope.

"Mountain," Xiao Zai'er patted Jiang Linchuan's leg. "Puppy Daddy, mountain."

"What mountain?" Jiang Linchuan had grown used to being called "Puppy Daddy"—after all, adding "little" made it sound much better than just "Dog Daddy."

Jiang Linchuan looked up, following the direction of Xiao Zai'er's chubby little finger, and spotted a black dot on the endless expanse of the sea.

Taking the telescope from Xiao Zai'er, Jiang Linchuan saw what appeared to be a small island with a mountain on it.

"Yeah, that's a mountain," Jiang Linchuan mused, thinking he could head the speedboat toward the island and let the various fish-headed anomalies in the water adapt to life on land.

Just as he set down the telescope and prepared to start the speedboat, he paused abruptly and picked up the telescope again.

On the island stood a mountain, and on its side was a steep cliff. Growing on the cliff was a tree, and hanging from the tree was an object reflecting sunlight.

"Damn it," Jiang Linchuan couldn't help but curse. Then he lifted Xiao Zai'er onto his shoulders, pointing with a trembling voice, "Kid, look—is that your Xiao Bai Daddy hanging there?"