The group did a simple, fear-filled sweep of the gas station.
Tang Sui also used her spiritual power to confirm the life signs in the vicinity. The bad news was that no one here had survived; they had all been brutally devoured by unknown monsters. The remains—bones and flesh—had been obscured by time and the white mist, rotting and crawling with disgusting, slimy maggots.
The good news was that the unknown monster responsible for the gas station's gruesome state had already left, and the place had been abandoned for some time.
Without further incident, they found a vehicle that appeared to have been recently refueled and was attacked before it could drive away. Tang Sui looked at the blood-stained driver's seat, her lips tightening, and hesitated to step in.
However, faced with the choice that lingering longer might bring more danger, Tang Sui opted to sit in the seat farthest from the bloodied driver's seat, refusing to return to the original middle position.
Bella’s head ached a little, but seeing Tang Sui’s tense and serious expression, she knew the girl wouldn’t easily change her mind.
The taciturn Connor stated that he also didn't want to sit in the middle.
Bella had no choice but to turn her gaze to Billy, the weakest among them in terms of speaking rights.
Billy: "..."
Fine, what's a little squeezing?
As long as they could survive and he wouldn't get beaten, he'd squeeze.
Thus, Connor became the driver, Wilson, still tired, remained in the passenger seat, and the back row was occupied by Tang Sui, Billy, and Bella.
Sandwiched between two ladies, Billy felt uneasy, with unspeakable grievances.
If Tang Sui’s aura was like gentle, embracing water, Bella’s was like a drawn sword, her released murderous intent capable of freezing people, making their bones ache with cold.
The journey of over 160 kilometers took two and a half days, including an overnight drive after rerouting due to a broken bridge. Finally, the sturdy fortress base, like a copper wall and iron bastion, appeared before their eyes.
Soldiers in full isolation gear and armed to the teeth, dressed entirely in black, stared at the unfamiliar vehicle, guns pointed at it.
Billy, who had been carried along for the entire trip, finally had a chance to be useful.
Under the soldiers' supervision, Bella and the others got out of the car, hands raised, awaiting inspection. They watched Billy conversing with a soldier nearby. Under the soldier's half-disbelieving gaze, Billy pointed at Tang Sui and relayed what Tang Sui had told him on the road toward the base to the soldier.
Billy walked back with his hands raised, and this time, it was Tang Sui's turn to go and speak with the soldier.
However, they saw that the soldier did not stand still and talk with Tang Sui. After a few exchanges, the soldier suddenly began to reprimand Tang Sui somewhat agitatedly. Yet, Tang Sui conversed with him calmly, her expression unchanged. Finally, the soldier called over another subordinate, asking him to report to his superior.
Bella, however, keenly noticed that after the soldier finished communicating with Tang Sui, his gun remained pointed at her, as if fearing she might do something.
Looking at Billy, who returned still unsettled, she lowered her voice and asked, "What did you tell him? Where are they taking Tang now?" Su Dan Novel Network
Even without life-or-death camaraderie, they were still companions who had escaped together. Coupled with Tang Sui's calmness and composure throughout the journey, and her decisive actions when necessary—drawing her gun and firing without hesitation—Bella felt a growing admiration for Tang Sui and didn't want to see such a promising talent perish.
Billy thought of what Tang Sui had asked him to say and swallowed hard, shaking his head at Bella. "I can't say, but I believe she'll succeed."
Bella: "?"
She hated riddles, truly.
Meanwhile, the soldier who had gone to report to his superior via radio had returned.
The superior's intention was to meet the girl who claimed to be from the world beyond the mist and see how she intended to prove herself.
That's right, what Tang Sui had asked Billy to tell them was that she was from the world beyond the mist and wished to cooperate with the higher-ups here to restore everything to its original state.
The notion of traveling across worlds sounded fantastical, but now that the mist was massively pouring into their world, and the dangerous, unknown creatures were increasingly ferocious, humanity's survival was greatly threatened. In these desperate times, they had to investigate thoroughly, even if it was just a whisper.
As Tang Sui departed, Bella and the other three were temporarily taken to a separate isolation room, a special treatment distinct from the quarantine area where a large number of rescued civilians were gathered.
Wilson and the other two increasingly felt Tang Sui's identity was extraordinary. Billy, who was "alone and awake," closed his eyes and began to pray for Tang Sui's victory.
Sensing wisps of faith power penetrating the reinforced concrete and steel and flowing into her body, Tang Sui couldn't help but curve her lips slightly upwards.
Unfortunately, one person's faith power was meager. If only there were more believers.
The faces of the people in the convenience store flashed through her mind, finally lingering on Mrs. Irene.
She closed her eyes and exhaled softly. She couldn't say she regretted it; it was more a sense of indifference that prevailed.
Without companions to rely on for warmth or relatives connected by blood, she had realized that her humanity seemed to be fading, and even the most brutal scenes could hardly evoke any empathy within her.
However, for now, there was a tough battle ahead.
Tang Sui suppressed the emotions churning in her eyes and, under the watchful gaze of the captain, stepped into the specially prepared isolation room.
Inside, a psychologist and a negotiator in white isolation suits were waiting on the other side of a salvaged rectangular wooden table.
Once both parties were seated, this special conversation began.
The psychologist and the others withdrew their surprised gazes and got straight to the point: "Hello, miss. According to our soldier's report, you claim to be from a country called Huaxia in another world. If I may be so bold, that sounds like a fairy tale, the fantasy of a child your age."
"Does it? Have you found any record of a place called Huaxia?"
Tang Sui's expression remained unchanged.
Using Huaxia as an entry point was not a wild guess. When Wilson had produced the world map, she had noticed that this world had only one country. Unlike her previous life where different countries had distinct appearances or cultural characteristics, this world vaguely categorized people as Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern.
Initially, Tang Sui hadn't registered it. It was only when they were chatting in the car about where she was from, and she mentioned Huaxia, that Bella and the others expressed confusion, saying they had never heard of such a town. Tang Sui was startled, and then heard Bella say she was from the North, from a place called Wula City, while Connor was from the South, from a small village in a more remote area.
Tang Sui subtly extracted more information, and after piecing it together, she realized that in their understanding, people from different regions were distinguished by their physical features and cultures. However, in this world, there was only one country, no single leader, but a council composed of representatives from five regions—East, South, West, North, and Center. Major matters were decided by vote.
Tang Sui immediately thought: "..."
No wonder the portraits on their currency were blurry, as if deliberately made unclear.
So there was no central figure of authority at all.
— Author's Notes —
The man who plays with water will arrive tomorrow. Wuwu, Ya Ya, I'm ready!