Tong Yang did not know the conditions for people from the parallel world to enter and exit the real world.
Perhaps the conditions were very simple, not requiring the tedious steps they had to take. To prevent "Yan Qing" from escaping while they were in the parallel world, before entering the parallel world for the second time, they handcuffed Police Officer Wan to "Yan Qing".
Worried that this person might be a wolf in sheep's clothing, they also called seven or eight police officers to keep a constant watch on her.
Afterwards, guided by Ye Huai, they entered the parallel world.
"Please choose whether to open your eyes."
The location in the parallel world was still the abandoned building. Having experienced the self-destruction game, those who survived here had either successfully entered safe zones or had already died at the hands of others, making it relatively safer.
"Oh my god!"
Tong Yang opened her eyes, took in her surroundings, and immediately threw herself at Tong Yang, clutching her arm tightly.
Tong Yang staggered from the impact and said irritably, "Didn't you say you were mentally prepared?"
Yan Qing said pitifully, "Imagining it and seeing it with your own eyes feel different."
"Tong Yang, there's a note here." Xu Junyue bent down to pick up a slip of paper from the ground and handed it to Tong Yang.
By the dim light around them, they could see the handwriting on the note. It seemed to be left by Meng Xiao, saying she would be taken to District Ten for investigation and couldn't participate in subsequent matters. She hoped they would take care and that she would meet Tong Yang in the real world if there was a chance in the future.
After reading the note, Tong Yang folded it and put it in her backpack.
"Let's go directly to District One."
"Let's go."
Before coming here, they had learned the locations of the capital's twelve safe zones from "Yan Qing," at the edge of Tianyuan District, near Shuangbai District.
Thick fog pervaded the night, and people lurking in the Nameless District hid within the darkness. Since visibility was less than two meters, those people generally wouldn't initiate attacks proactively.
Tong Yang's group tried not to make noise to attract their attention, lest too many people gather.
Without transportation, the group could only walk towards District One. Although they encountered no danger along the way, the late hour and the long trek left everyone somewhat exhausted.
Yan Qing had the best spirits among them. While afraid of the unfamiliar environment, she also found it incredibly novel. Sometimes, hearing rustling sounds in the thick fog, she even wanted to crane her neck for a look.
A place that would take half an hour to reach by vehicle took them a full three hours to reach by taking shortcuts before they arrived near District One.
By then, the sky was beginning to lighten, the thick fog gradually dispersing. Utterly exhausted, everyone found a hidden spot to rest.
"I can't do it anymore, I'm sleepy," Yan Qing said, sitting on the ground, hugging her backpack, her eyes heavy with sleep.
"Why couldn't we just take a car to the location of District One in the real world? Then we wouldn't have had to walk so far."
Tong Yang said, "We don't know the situation in District One, so we can't rush in recklessly."
The "Elevator Game" required a period of guaranteed safety, so they could only choose an absolutely safe place to enter the parallel world. Apart from the abandoned building, they didn't know the conditions of other places.
Along the way, the buildings and terrain they encountered were almost identical to the real world, just extremely desolate from long neglect. Corpses and severed limbs by the roadside were common sights. At first, Yan Qing was startled and alarmed, but later she became accustomed to it and no longer felt afraid.
Yan Qing, dozing off, mumbled, "Sister Tong Yang, I feel like this place is a bit like a scene from a horror story, where we're the only few people left alive in the world."
Tong Yang sat leaning against the wall beside her, resting with her eyes closed, and said calmly, "Treasure the present."
Yan Qing immediately perked up a bit and asked, "What do you mean? Is there something even more terrifying than this?"
"There aren't many normal people in the parallel world."
"Really? I think the other me seems pretty normal."
Xu Junyue chimed in coldly from the shadows, "Little girl, in this place, having people around can be far more terrifying than having none."
They were sitting inside a sealed building, less than a kilometer from District One, planning to recuperate their strength before entering.
Chu Shiyu and Tang Shuyan were already asleep. The others also planned to sleep first, to regulate their physical condition. Haste makes waste.
Tong Yang and Xu Junyue had agreed that each would sleep for two hours while the other kept watch, to avoid sudden attacks.
Everyone gradually fell asleep. In the quiet environment, a faint rustling sound suddenly came.
"Who? Who's eating something?" Yan Qing, with a nose like a dog's, abruptly opened her eyes in her sleep and looked towards the source of the sound.
Ye Huai was holding a plastic box, his fair, slender fingers having just popped out two small white pills. He said, startled, "Sorry, I woke you."
"What are you eating? Is it good?" Yan Qing licked her lips and asked curiously.
Ye Huai said softly, "Medicine."
"Medicine? Is it tasty?"
Ye Huai hesitated slightly and asked, "Do you want some?"
"I want..."
"Yan Qing."
Suddenly, Tong Yang's voice sounded faintly.
"Hungry? I have snacks in my bag."
Yan Qing's face lit up with joy. "I'm hungry!"
It was clear the kid was genuinely hungry.
"Give me some too."
"Me too."
"Tong Yang, I didn't expect you brought snacks!"
In the darkness, voices chimed in one after another. Probably everyone was hungry after such a long night.
Tong Yang turned on her phone's flashlight and poured out the food she had prepared from her backpack, saying, "I didn't know if there was anything edible here, so I brought some."
"All compressed biscuits? Why didn't you buy something tastier?"
"These are filling."
The group, having slept, were clamoring to be fed. Regardless of taste, they stuffed the food into their mouths. Ye Huai also ate some, washing it down with water from his thermos.
Although his health wasn't great, he wasn't as frail as Tong Yang had imagined. He didn't complain of fatigue, didn't cause delays, and when he really couldn't hold on, he would quietly take a few pills from his bag and swallow them.
"It's only 8:30. Let's rest," Tong Yang said.
Tang Shuyan waved at them and said, "You rest. I've slept enough."
"Okay." Tong Yang nodded. She was indeed tired.
Immediately after, Tang Shuyan took out a tablet computer, not much larger than a phone, from the cloth bag he carried. He opened a single-player game, and colorful light reflected on his face.
"Wow, you actually brought a tablet in here!"
"Speaking of which, you, a second-rate Taoist priest, actually carry a telescopic baton. It doesn't match your image at all."
Tang Shuyan said, "Following my heart's desire is the Taoist principle I pursue. Don't make a fuss."
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Tang Shuyan took off his Taoist robe and handed it to the girls. "You sleep. I'll keep watch."
"Thank you."
Tong Yang blinked. The wide Taoist robe covered her, drowsiness washed over her, and despite leaning against the hard wall, she fell into a deep sleep.
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
Noticing Ye Huai's gaze fixed on the screen, Tang Shuyan asked in surprise.
Ye Huai replied, "I'm not tired."
"Want to play?"
"Thanks."
Ye Huai took the tablet. His long, distinct fingers moved across the screen as if dancing.
"Not bad, you're pretty good."
After finishing a round of the single-player game, Ye Huai said, "I want to see if there's any signal here."
"Signal? You want to connect to the internet?" Tang Shuyan looked puzzled.
Ye Huai nodded. "That girl's communication device is the same as in the real world. Moreover, before we entered this place, while still in the real world, she could relay information to the people in District One."
"It's possible the signals from both worlds are compatible."
Tang Shuyan nodded, only half understanding. "Well, give it a try."
Ye Huai was very familiar with electronic devices. He performed a series of operations on the tablet, bringing up an interface full of code. Then he took out his own phone from his bag and connected it to the tablet using an adapter.
"There's only satellite signal here."
"Satellite signal?"
Ye Huai lowered his voice. "Satellite signals are commonly used in military fields and for GPS."
"Can we get online?"
Ye Huai examined the streams of green code on the two devices, his frown deepening. "The satellite signals in this parallel world are different from ours. If we connect, communication might be possible, but the devices would become monitors, reflecting our every move back to another location."
Tang Shuyan raised an eyebrow. "Like the things on the Enforcers' belts?"
"Exactly."
"What about that girl's communication device..."
Ye Huai explained, "Her satellite signal would be interfered with in the real world. After shuttling between the two worlds, the received signal becomes extremely unstable, so she couldn't give accurate information to District One. Before we entered here, I already jammed her phone signal. It won't affect Tong Yang's plan."
"That's good."
Seeing he still seemed deep in thought, Tang Shuyan asked, "What's on your mind?"
Ye Huai said, "After entering District One, we might encounter emergencies and get separated. It would be ideal if we could use our phones to contact each other."
"But in that case, we'd be under reverse surveillance, wouldn't we?"
Ye Huai pondered for a moment. "After connecting to the satellite signal, it would reflect our signal elsewhere. We need to find a way to adjust the device to a state where it can only receive signals."
"How do we do that?"
Ye Huai shook his head. "I don't know. I want a computer from this parallel world. That might make it possible."
"District One is sure to have one. We'll find an opportunity to try once we're inside."
"Mm."
"So, are you still going to play?"
Ye Huai shook his head, handed the tablet back to him, and then packed away his own things.
Half-asleep, Tong Yang felt a cold liquid drip onto her forehead.
She opened her eyes groggily, reached up to wipe her forehead, and felt a sticky sensation.
Instinctively, she looked up. A bloody, mangled face appeared over the second-floor railing, and a few more drops of blood landed on her.
The person leaned over the railing and, with a "thud," fell down.
"What? What?"
"What happened?"
"What's going on?"
Those sleeping instantly awoke, looking around in confusion.
Suddenly, seeing the bloody mess on the floor, they became fully alert.
"Holy shit! It's alive!" Yan Qing covered her eyes, peeking through her fingers to see a lump of flesh and blood squirming like a caterpillar.
Xu Junyue drew her machete and swung it down. The flesh burst with a sickening "squelch."
Yan Qing shut her eyes tight, too scared to keep watching.
It was already noon, bright daylight outside the window. The commotion in the building had drawn the attention of other things. Disorganized footsteps approached from all directions.
Tang Shuyan, who had volunteered for guard duty, was the last to wake up, looking around bewildered. "What's wrong?"
Tong Yang quickly slung her backpack on and pulled Yan Qing up. "Let's go!"
"Oh no! There are so many people outside!"
Tang Shuyan exclaimed in surprise, "How did so many people appear all of a sudden?"
Tong Yang tossed his Taoist robe to him and said coldly, "Weren't you supposed to be awake?"
"I accidentally fell asleep..."
Tong Yang shot him a glare. Two creatures had already climbed in through the window.
"Take the knife. If anyone gets close, use it." Tong Yang handed a knife to Yan Qing, then she and Xu Junyue lunged forward from left and right, quickly taking down the two intruders.
The Nameless Zone survived solely on plunder, and resources were extremely scarce. Even those who managed to stay alive suffered from severe malnutrition. Aside from their pale and terrifying appearance, they weren't much of a threat.
"This way!"
Chu Shiyu stabbed one to death with her short knife. Turning back, she saw someone approaching her get their head smashed by Tang Shuyan wildly swinging his baton.
More and more people were drawn by the noise. Even though they weren't lethal, their endless numbers would only drain the group's stamina.
After taking down another person, Tong Yang frowned and looked outside. They hadn't exposed their identities. The reason these creatures attacked them might be on a whim, or perhaps for resource plunder.
Suddenly, Tong Yang remembered something. She took out "Yan Qing's" golden identity card.
She had said that with this thing on her, no one would dare harm her.
"Hold this."
Tong Yang handed the identity card to Yan Qing.
Sure enough, as soon as Yan Qing took the card, the patterns on its surface emitted a faint golden glow. The crowd pressing in suddenly halted, looking at them with slight confusion.
Seeing them stop, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Get out! Get out!" Yan Qing shouted fiercely.
The man closest to them had bloodshot eyes. He stared at Yan Qing for nearly half a minute before finally turning and leaving.
Seeing this, the others gradually left the building they were in.
But just after stepping outside, one of them immediately attacked the person next to him, thrusting an iron rod as thick as a little finger through the other's eye. He then bent down and tore at the flesh with his teeth. Moments later, he lifted his face, smeared with horrifying bloodstains, and looked back at Tong Yang and the others.
Yan Qing covered her eyes and cursed, "So perverted."
Tong Yang relaxed. "I didn't expect the identity card to be so useful."
Chu Shiyu said, "That girl said the identity card represents safety information. People outside the Safe Zones cannot attack those holding identity cards."
Xu Junyue asked, "These people don't seem afraid to die. What would happen if they did attack us?"
Chu Shiyu explained, "I asked her about that. It seems to be because of magnetic field forces. People living in the Nameless Zone are affected by the magnetic field. Their perception of the world is already completely different from normal people's."
Tong Yang nodded in understanding. "That's a good thing for us."
Xu Junyue nodded, not fully comprehending. She glanced at the bloodstains on herself, walked over to Tang Shuyan, and used his Taoist robe to wipe the blood from her face.
"What are you doing? My robe is very expensive!"
Tong Yang had tried to avoid getting blood on herself during the fight, but her legs hadn't been so lucky. Thinking Tang Shuyan's robe was already dirty anyway, she walked over, picked up the robe, and wiped her calves. How expensive could one Taoist robe possibly be?
"How expensive could it be?" Xu Junyue said dismissively.
"One hundred and thirty thousand."
Tong Yang's hand froze. Silently, she put the robe back and casually brushed off some dust from it.
This isn't a Taoist robe, it's one hundred and thirty thousand RMB.
"One hundred and thirty thousand? You're rich?"
"I'm not rich. My dad's a second-generation rich kid."
"Then aren't you a third-generation rich kid? You're out here being a Taoist priest, doesn't your dad give you trouble?"
"He does. My dad pesters me to get married every day, offering a huge reward for a daughter-in-law. Five million just for getting the marriage certificate."
Tong Yang crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking thoughtfully at Tang Shuyan.
"What are you looking at?" Tang Shuyan turned and saw her enigmatic expression, shuddering inexplicably.
"I'm thinking," Tong Yang paused for a second, "what the odds are of me successfully kidnapping you to get that marriage certificate."
"In your dreams."
Chu Shiyu said, "Tong Yang, you have to be twenty to get a marriage certificate."
"Hey! I'll be twenty next year! Priest-brother, wait for me, let's get the certificate next year." Xu Junyue said excitedly.
"Get lost! Don't disturb my Taoist heart."
Tong Yang sighed regretfully. Five million just for a marriage certificate, she wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of her life. But then, one million would be enough too. She just didn't know when Ye Huai would be able to come up with it.
Sensing Tong Yang's gaze, Ye Huai pursed his lips into a smile and said, "I'll definitely give it to you before I die."
Given his current physical condition, he might die in a couple of years. Tong Yang nodded; a few more years wouldn't make much difference.
"Let's go," Tong Yang said.
"Let's go!"
The group walked out of the building. Gloomy clouds shrouded the sky, buildings were obscured by a thin mist, only their outlines faintly visible.
The road was desolate and empty as if a great wind had swept through. Road signs lay toppled on the ground, bloodstains and human tissue were everywhere, along with tire tracks on the asphalt.
With the ID cards, they proceeded unhindered to the First District.
It was a structure resembling the Bird's Nest, but covering an area over ten times larger. A massive glass dome covered the ground, forming airtight, transparent walls. Above the dome was a huge golden emblem—First District.
"This is the First District? Why does it feel more like a prison to me?"
Tong Yang stopped, looking at the colossal structure before her. It was less a safe zone and more a shelter. Even if one could enjoy resources, being sealed inside all day might not be such a good thing.
The few benefits were that people in the safe zone could come and go freely, and carrying an ID badge meant they wouldn't be attacked and didn't have to participate in the numb, self-destructive games.
"That girl said using her ID card could get us in," Chu Shiyu said.
"Let's go."
They walked towards the entrance of the First District. From afar, they saw four men in black uniforms, standing in place like four wooden posts.
Yan Qing held the ID card in her hand, somewhat afraid. "Open the gate. I'm taking them in."
According to "Yan Qing," this wasn't the first time she had brought outsiders into the First District. As long as she used her ID card, the Enforcers wouldn't give them trouble.
The four Enforcers stared ahead expressionlessly. Hearing the voice, their eyeballs slowly turned, coming to rest on her ID card.
"Please scan."
Yan Qing then noticed a machine resembling a security checkpoint. She glanced back at Tong Yang and the others, then pressed the ID card against it.
"Beep—Yan Qing, S-class ID card. Identity verified."
"Please proceed."
The machine's gates parted to either side, leaving a passage leading into the First District.
"You go first," Yan Qing waved to those behind her.
Tong Yang walked in first, the others following closely.
Passing through the gate, they finally saw the full scope of the First District.
It was a very ordinary street.
The First District was just a very ordinary neighborhood block, except the doors and windows were tightly shut, and the streets were empty.
Compared to the Nameless District, it was just cleaner, without the ever-present blood and corpses. Other than that, there was no difference.
Tong Yang looked up. Above the forest of tall buildings was the boundless glass dome. Sunlight shone through the glass roof onto the First District, no different from outside.
The door behind them closed again. Everyone stood in the empty street, momentarily at a loss.
"This is the safe zone? There's no one?"
Every shop on the street was closed, even the windows shut tight. It was unclear if anyone lived inside.
Chu Shiyu said, "That girl said people in the safe zone don't leave their living quarters unless necessary. The Enforcers deliver what they need to their doorsteps every morning."
"What's the difference from being in prison?"
"If they can get resources without labor, what do they do in their rooms all day?"
Tong Yang said, "The Self-Destruction Games are broadcast live. Probably watching the show."
Chu Shiyu continued, "From what she said, it's not that the Instructors force them not to go out. They just despise each other intensely. Conflicts can happen just from meeting."
Tong Yang nodded. In that case, information probably didn't spread very quickly here either.
"What are you doing?"
A voice suddenly came from the upper left. Everyone looked up. A woman with disheveled hair stood at a window.
The window was half-open. She stood by it, eyes wide open, staring straight at them.
At the same time, windows on both sides of the street opened. Those people watched them quietly, not blinking, their calm gazes tinged with something eerie.
No extra movements, no one spoke. They just all stared.
Their calmness was chilling. Different from the brain-extracted Order Maintainers, you could clearly feel they were observing.
"Thud—" A stone hit the windowsill. The woman slowly raised her head, shifting her gaze away.
"Thwack—" A dagger flew over their heads and embedded itself in the woman's chest.
Blood quickly soaked her clothes. After standing still for a moment, the woman, holding a kitchen knife, jumped down from the second floor. She walked past Tong Yang's group without a glance, went to the opposite side of the street, hacked open a rolling shutter door with two or three blows, and went upstairs.
Not long after, the sound of a blade cutting through flesh and hitting bone rang out. Crimson liquid splattered onto a windowsill.
Half a minute later, the woman walked out covered in blood, a kitchen knife in her right hand, a section of human bone in her left, the dagger still stuck in her chest. She returned to her room.
A wind from somewhere blew, swaying the windows of her room back and forth, revealing a wall hung with bloody human bones.
Yet the people standing at their windows just watched coldly, long accustomed to such scenes.
"Tong Yang, sis..." Yan Qing stood behind her, swallowing hard.
"What's the difference between here and the Nameless District? They're all psychos, right?"
"Throw a knife at the slightest disagreement, swing a kitchen knife at the drop of a hat."
"Don't say 'at the slightest disagreement'—no one even said a word."
"I thought people in the safe zone were like that little girl."
Tong Yang comfortingly patted the back of Yan Qing's hand. "Let's go."
They didn't understand what was wrong with these people, but since no one threatened them, ignoring it was the best approach.
They had already learned from "Yan Qing" where they were to stay: Residence No. 322 in the First District.
After leaving that street, they heard the sound of wheels rolling and turned to see a police armored vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. Two law enforcement officers got out, carrying cleanup tools as they walked towards the room where the owner had been hacked to death by the woman with a cleaver.
Furthermore, they showed no intention of sanctioning the woman.
It seemed that even in the safe zone, acts like murder were not illegal.
Put another way, killing was actually helping them reduce resource waste.
"This place is too bizarre," Tang Shuyan remarked.
"I hope her parents are a bit more normal."
"They should be fairly normal, right? 'Yan Qing' seemed pretty normal, anyway."
On the way, they didn't encounter anything else strange.
Twenty minutes later, they finally found residence number 322, a detached villa with a garden.
Yan Qing took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself, then rang the doorbell.
"Ding-dong—"
"Ding-dong—"
According to what "Yan Qing" had said, her parents didn't know she had sneaked off to the real world. She wasn't sure if knocking on the door like this would cause unnecessary trouble.
However, if they wanted to get close to the First District instructor's study, in a place full of surveillance, their only choice was to walk in openly and aboveboard.
About half a minute after the doorbell rang, a woman dressed as a housekeeper appeared behind the door.
"Aunt Liu?" Yan Qing exclaimed in surprise.
It was indeed Aunt Liu from the parallel world.
Unlike the amiable Aunt Liu from the real world, this woman's expression was severe, with faint bloodshot veins in the corners of her eyes and an unnaturally pale complexion.
"Qingqing." She called out softly from behind the iron gate. "Who have you brought back?"
Looking at the face identical to Aunt Liu's yet with a completely different expression, Yan Qing fearfully lowered her eyes and forced herself to say, "They are my friends. They're staying over tonight."
Aunt Liu's gaze swept over the group. Showing no particular reaction, she opened the gate and said, "The master has said many times not to bring outsiders home so casually."
"I... I'll be more careful in the future."
"Come in."
Aunt Liu stepped aside to let them enter.
"The master and madam noticed you were gone early this morning. They're waiting for you in the living room. Go on in."
When they reached the villa's front door, Aunt Liu stopped and looked at them coldly.
Yan Qing felt increasingly terrified, finally understanding why Tong Yang had told her to cherish the times when no one was around. These people looked exactly like those close to her, yet they felt utterly wrong and unsettling.
She bumped her shoulder against Tong Yang's arm, feeling Tong Yang's body warmth. Yan Qing let out a relieved sigh. Compared to being surrounded by all these strange people, having Tong Yang here was a great comfort.
Summoning her courage, she pushed open the villa door and walked in.
The spacious, bright room held some decorative items, giving it a somewhat ordinary family feel.
The sound of a TV came from the living room, the volume not loud, and even listening carefully, it was hard to make out what was being said.
Clean shoe covers were placed on the shoe cabinet. Everyone took a few pairs and put them on.
Walking through the entryway, they saw the open-plan living room. A man and a woman sat with their backs to them on the sofa, facing a 75-inch television.
Their sitting postures were very upright, but within a home meant for leisure and relaxation, it created a strange sense of dissonance.
A strange program was playing on the TV: a group of foreign-looking children were locked in a cramped space, mosquitoes and insects flying around them, as they continuously whispered something.
"Qingqing, you're back."
The woman's calm voice sounded, though she didn't turn around.
Hearing the familiar voice and seeing the woman's back, Yan Qing's feet felt welded to the floor, not daring to take another step forward.
"Mom..." she called out weakly.
"Qingqing, who are they?"
The man was the same, facing the TV, asking without turning his head.
"Dad..."
Yan Qing swallowed and said, "They are my friends."
Xu Junyue rubbed the goosebumps rising on her arm. Even she found this scene extremely eerie.
The sight before them wasn't bloody; on the contrary, it was quiet and peaceful, which only made it all the more spine-chilling.
Chu Shiyu also felt a creeping dread and averted her gaze.
Ye Huai and Tang Shuyan, however, showed no change in expression.
Tong Yang, needless to say, kept her eyes roaming the room, checking for anything unusual.
After the reply, the two people in the living room fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly turned their heads in unison.
"Perfect timing, it's time for lunch."
Two smiling faces appeared in their line of sight, the curves of their mouths strikingly similar.
Yan Qing trembled with fright. "N-no, that's okay..."
The man's eyes curved into near slits as he said, "Aunt Liu made your favorite cola chicken wings. We mustn't waste food."
The woman looked at Tong Yang and the others and said, "Since you're here, join us for a meal."
Yan Qing turned her head, looking to Tong Yang for help, silently asking what they should do.
Three minutes later, they were seated at a dining table with Yan Qing's parallel-world parents and Aunt Liu.
Fortunately, the food on the table wasn't the bloody stuff Tong Yang had imagined, but rather appeared to be perfectly normal dishes.
"Why aren't you eating?"
Everyone was slow to pick up their chopsticks, prompting Aunt Liu's puzzled question.
Simultaneously, Yan Qing's parents looked up at them.
"Qingqing, eat."
Yan Qing instinctively shook her head. "I... I don't want to eat..."
"Eat!"
Suddenly, Yan Qing's father, who had been mild until now, changed his demeanor. He slammed the table violently in a burst of temper.
Yan Qing had never experienced anything like this before. Tears instantly streamed down her face.
"Qingqing doesn't want to eat, so she doesn't have to."
"Clang—"
The woman grabbed a dinner knife and stabbed it violently into the back of the man's hand. The tip pierced through his palm and embedded itself in the table.
The sudden, unforeseen turn of events left them all stunned.
The expression gradually faded from the man's face. Without a word, he pulled the knife out and, in one motion, plunged it into the woman's cheek.
"Holy crap..." Yan Qing shuddered.
Tong Yang pressed her hand, signaling her not to speak.
Blood spurted out. The woman didn't fall. She grabbed a plate and smashed it on the man's head. The shattered porcelain pieces were razor-sharp, and she used them to slash at the man's body, one cut after another.
"Qingqing, if you don't want to eat, go back to your room." Aunt Liu showed no surprise at their mutual assault, looking up at Yan Qing.
"Qingqing, remember to eat," the man reminded her, even as the woman pinned him down.
"Qingqing, you don't have to eat if you don't want to," the woman said.
"Let's go, let's get out of here!" Yan Qing couldn't take it anymore. She pulled Tong Yang up, fleeing the dining room as if escaping.
As she left, Tong Yang glanced back and saw a bunch of keys hanging from the bleeding man's waist.
The key to the study's safe was likely among them.
Back in "Yan Qing's" bedroom, Tong Yang closed the door.
Yan Qing rubbed her eyes, which were moist. "They're insane..."
"They're not Mom and Dad at all. Dad would never yell at me like that, and he would never hurt Mom."
Chu Shiyu stepped forward to comfort her. "It's okay. They were never Mom and Dad to begin with."
Xu Junyue sighed, "It really is different from the real world. If my old man suddenly changed his tune like that, I'd go straight for the knife."
Tang Shuyan said, "They're clearly not normal people. Even if they blended into the real world, they'd be easy to spot."
Tong Yang shook her head, "Not everyone from the parallel worlds is like them. Take Meng Xiao and 'Yan Qing,' for example."
"Only... perhaps this is their true nature. After entering the real world, they disguise themselves to seem like normal humans."
"We can't rule that out."
Tong Yang walked over to Yan Qing and asked, "Are you holding up?"
Yan Qing sniffled, "It's fine. I'm just a bit unsettled. I know they aren't my real parents."
"Mm."
Then, Tong Yang surveyed the bedroom. Its style was quite similar to Yan Qing's room in the real world.
"I saw keys on Yan Qing's father. We need to figure out a way to get them to open the safe in the study," Tong Yang said.
"They haven't discovered Qingqing's identity, have they?"
"Probably not."
"It would be best if we could get the keys without being discovered. If we're found out, we'll probably have a tough fight on our hands."
Ye Huai noticed a computer on the desk and went over to turn it on.
"Come here, everyone," Ye Huai called.
"What is it?"
"Did you find something?"
Everyone gathered around the computer, asking questions with puzzled looks.
"This computer is connected to the parallel world's satellite signal. No password."
"So what?"
Tang Shuyan asked, "Can our phones connect to the satellite signal too?"
Ye Huai nodded. The computer screen's eerie blue light washed over his face as his fingers moved the mouse, quickly generating a line of code to create a strange program.
When he opened the program, dense lines of code popped up.
He carefully reviewed and modified the code, his hands dancing across the keyboard.
"The computers in this villa can interconnect."
Tong Yang looked slightly stunned. "Can we connect to the one in the study?"
"I don't know which computer is in the study."
"Give it a try."
Ye Huai created another program, constantly debugging it until he finally found several computers with the same IP address. He then clicked to check them. Computers connected to the satellite signal acted like monitors, showing the view directly in front of them.
After trying several computer addresses in a row, a spotless desk appeared on the screen. Next to it was a pen holder with three or four fountain pens, and behind the desk was a floor-to-ceiling window.
"That should be the place."
"Are we being monitored too?"
Ye Huai said, "No. I've already blocked this computer's outgoing signal. It can only receive now."
"Not bad, rich boy. I was starting to think you were just dead weight," Xu Junyue remarked.
Ye Huai ignored her and continued moving the mouse. "It seems I can connect to the surveillance cameras in the study."
Tong Yang nodded. "See if you can access them."
"Possible. The room cameras share the same IP as the computer. They use the same signal receiver."
"So, by blocking this computer, the camera in our room is disabled too?"
"Mm."
Ye Huai clicked on the last link, and a whole page of surveillance feeds popped up.
"Whoa! So many cameras in the study? Are they insane?"
"One, two, three... seven, eight! Eight cameras!"
Ye Huai opened the feed with the fewest blind spots, finally getting a clear view of the entire study.
"Not only that, there's a red alarm light here. If the camera content shows anything abnormal, the alarm will automatically activate and notify the command base in the First District."
Tong Yang frowned. "So if we make any strange moves, the cameras will automatically sound the alarm?"
"Pretty much. After that woman killed the other person, the Enforcers arrived in less than two minutes. Probably the entire First District is under surveillance."
"Then we're in trouble?"
"If we open the safe, it will definitely trigger the alarm too. Alerting the Enforcers and others in the First District, even if we use 'Yan Qing' as leverage, escaping smoothly would be extremely difficult."
Tong Yang said, "I thought of that point. My original plan was to use 'Yan Qing' as a bargaining chip to force the First District to let us go after we're discovered taking the gene serum. But after what just happened, I'm not sure if they would actually feel threatened."
"Of course, there's another possibility: 'Yan Qing' intentionally led us to the First District."
Ye Huai pondered for a moment, then said, "To disable the study's camera alarm system, we'd need to use the computer in the study itself. I probably won't have a chance to get in. Stepping into the study might trigger the alarm directly. The only person who could possibly get the keys, approach the study, and the safe smoothly is Yan Qing alone."
Tong Yang said, "Even if Yan Qing can enter the study and open the safe, we can't rule out the possibility that the safe itself has an alarm."
"Then what should we do?" Xu Junyue asked, confused.
Tang Shuyan suggested, "Create a diversion?"
"After that woman killed someone, the camera alarm went off, and the Enforcers arrived shortly after. What if multiple camera alarms go off simultaneously? That could buy us more time to get the gene serum and leave. 'Yan Qing' can be our last-resort threat if we're cornered."
"We need a timing gap," Ye Huai said.
"If Yan Qing enters the study, successfully gets the keys, and opens the safe without an alarm, that's the best outcome. The problem is we don't know what conditions or when the alarm is triggered."
Chu Shiyu looked grave. "So we need to prepare countermeasures in advance. We can't wait until the study camera alarm goes off to act; it'll be too late by then."
"Then what's the plan?" Xu Junyue asked helplessly.
Tang Shuyan said, "Before Yan Qing enters the study, we need to be ready to create a diversion. And since the situation could change at any moment, the tool we need is remote communication—meaning phones."
"But there's no signal here. We can't make calls."
"I can help you connect to the satellite signal and then block the outgoing signals to avoid surveillance."
Everyone was surprised. "Is that possible?"
"Yes."
Tong Yang couldn't think of a better solution, and there wasn't a more suitable alternative.
"If that's the case, at least one person needs to stay here to monitor the study feed and watch for alarms. Everyone else needs to find a suitable spot, ready to trigger alarms in different locations at any time."
At this point, Tong Yang shifted her gaze to Yan Qing.
This way, she might have to act alone, as unauthorized people probably can't enter the study.
Just as Tong Yang was about to say something, the door was suddenly knocked.
"Qingqing, the Master wants to see you alone in the study."
Aunt Liu's cold voice came through the door panel.
