Chapter 126
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They stood in place for half an hour, watching as the water surface spread further and completely submerged the car roofs.
The rainwater splattered off their umbrella surfaces, making the umbrella handles tremble. Lou Yan and Li Sanxin could feel the temperature in the air noticeably dropping, and the strong wind on the mountainside made the trees on both sides seem like they were about to uproot themselves.
Braving the wind and rain, the two returned to the villa, taking off their raincoats and boots to dry in the warehouse. Lou Yan took out the list of equipment that Lu Haoxiu had compiled last night and compared each item with the equipment in the warehouse.
Li Sanxin said, “Yanzi, you’ve bought so many lifebuoys, life jackets, and warm clothing. We can’t possibly use all of these, right?”
“Yeah, we can’t use them all, but it’s not just us who need these things. Other civilians who are unprepared also need them,” Lou Yan said, “This is just a small part of the items I bought. More of them are distributed in other warehouses.”
Li Sanxin pondered, “Are you planning to give them away for free?”
Lou Yan put down his pen and looked at him, “No, I’m going to sell them.”
Li Sanxin was surprised, “Sell them?”
Lou Yan nodded, “Especially at a time like this, the monetary system must not collapse. We can’t let people think that money can’t buy things anymore. Otherwise, social order will start to collapse, and they will start crazily grabbing all useful resources, becoming uncontrollable. Letting them spend money to buy things also gives them peace of mind, reminding them that money can still be used, and also reminding them that they are still in a civilized society. Moreover, things obtained through their own efforts will be cherished more than those obtained for free.”
Lou Yan twirled his pen twice, his eyes deep, as if he could already see the scene of chaos and collapse through the air in front of him, “As creepy as it is, the scariest thing is human nature. Once Chengjiang City falls into chaos, people will do anything to survive. They can do anything for a sip of water or a bite to eat. Even if the ‘water ghost’ does nothing and just watches from the water, humans will actively kill each other and throw them into the water to feed the ‘water ghost.'”
In the previous life, ninety percent of the people in Chengjiang City died at the hands of the ‘water ghost,’ but among these ninety percent, how many were harmed by their own kind?
Lou Yan knew that human nature during the apocalypse could never withstand the test.
Li Sanxin’s mood suddenly became heavy because of his words. There were no windows in the warehouse, but they could still hear the muffled sound of rain falling on the roof. In the past, rain made people feel relaxed all over, but now, the rain has become a harbinger of death.
Ding ding ding, Li Sanxin’s phone rang. He took out his phone and turned to Lou Yan, “It’s Lin You.”
Lou Yan expected this, “Answer it, he probably wants to talk about the rain.”
Li Sanxin answered as instructed, and as expected, Lin You sounded anxious, “Comrade Li Sanxin, have you and Comrade Lou Yan seen the accumulated rain outside?”
“We’ve seen it,” Li Sanxin said, “It should be at least one meter fifty deep now, right?”
“The accumulated rain in the urban area is already two meters deep,” Lin You said heavily, “And, the research institute where the body of the Anomaly Lord is stored has been flooded. Fortunately, with your reminder yesterday, I persuaded the team leader to transport the body of the Anamoly Lord to another city overnight. If it had been one night later, the body of the Anomaly Lord would probably have been lost.”
Lou Yan interjected, “What about the other anomaly bodies?”
“Comrade Lou Yan is there too?” Time was urgent, Lin You only greeted with one sentence and continued, “Unfortunately, all the other anomaly bodies have been flooded. I tried my best to convince them to move the body of the Anomaly Lord, but we couldn’t save the others. Our Anomaly Control Bureau was only flooded on the first floor, but unfortunately, the accumulated rain near the research institute directly submerged the entire research institute. Our rescue personnel sent over to save the institute’s staff have not returned safely until now… According to the life detectors, all of them lost their lives five minutes after entering the water.”
“Have you detected anything underwater?” Lou Yan asked.
“No, the machines didn’t react at all, but I’m sure there must be the mysterious ‘water ghost’ you informed me about underwater,” Lin You said, “The situation in the urban area is not good either. As long as someone stays in the water for a little longer, they will be dragged into the water and drowned by something underwater. Only staying on a boat is relatively safe. Since three o’clock this morning, we have received more than a hundred reports.”
“After our statistics, we found that the time each drowned person spent in the water varies, their genders, ages, and backgrounds are all different. We can’t find a pattern of the ‘water ghost’ killing people, nor do we know how to deal with this anomaly. That’s why I called you,” Lin You sighed tiredly, “Do you know anything else about the ‘water ghost’?”
Li Sanxin looked at Lou Yanu.
Lou Yan thought for a moment and said, “Lin You, have you heard of the terrifying legend of the water ghost pulling people down to die?”
Lin You solemnly said, “I’ve heard about it since I was a child. According to legend, people who die in the water can’t reincarnate, so they will become water ghosts and look for substitutes. Only by finding the next person who drowns in the water to replace themselves can the water ghost be released from its shackles and reincarnate.”
“That’s right. In the legend, once the water ghost sees someone going into the water, it will grab onto them and not let go until it drowns the person at the bottom of the river to become its substitute. This anomaly codenamed ‘water ghost’ is the same. As long as someone is found in the water after it detects them, it will rush up and grab the person who entered the water and drown them. One thing worth noting is that the ‘water ghost’ is invisible,” Lou Yan said.
Lin You was stunned, “The ‘water ghost’ is invisible?”
Lou Yan’s voice, neither light nor heavy, carried an eerie chill as if recounting a ghost story, “The ‘Water Ghost’ completely dissolves in the water, it exists, yet you cannot find its presence. For instance, when you see your companion dragged underwater by the ‘Water Ghost,’ you jump into the water to rescue them. However, all you can see is your companion struggling frantically in the water alone. You try to save them, but you realize you can’t because everywhere around you is water, and every drop of water could be the ‘Water Ghost’ entangling your companion, preventing them from escaping. You and your companion can’t even see where the enemy is, so how can you save them?”
“Put it more vividly, even if the air kills you, can you still escape from air?”
After Lou Yan finished speaking, there was a moment of silence.
Both Li Sanxin beside him and Lin You on the other end of the phone felt a strong sense of suffocation as a result of his words. Although Li Sanxin hadn’t encountered the “water ghost” yet, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair, muttering, “The water ghost is actually this terrifying?”
Lin You breathed heavily, licked his dry lips due to dehydration, and asked dryly, “Doesn’t the water ghost have any weaknesses?”
“I don’t know if it has weaknesses,” Lou Yan chuckled, “I only know that it has the ability to flood the entire Chengjiang City and directly or indirectly kill over ninety percent of the population.”
Lin You fell silent again.
Such silence was like a bucket of cold water, gradually extinguishing the hope in their hearts. But this time, Lin You quickly spoke up again, his tone firm, convincing, and full of positive energy, “I don’t believe that the water ghost has no weaknesses. Every existence in the world has its advantages and weaknesses. If the Anomaly Lord can be killed, what about a ‘water ghost’? As long as we work together and brainstorm ideas, we will definitely be able to kill the ‘water ghost’ before it floods Chengjiang City!”
Lou Yan laughed silently. Lin You was indeed still the same Lin You. Even though he described the “water ghost” as terrifying, it couldn’t shake Lin You’s indomitable spirit.
“You’re right, it can’t be without weaknesses,” Lou Yan affirmed Lin You’s statement, “Although I don’t know what its weaknesses are, I know that it has certain behavioral patterns.”
“Although the ‘water ghost’ is invisible, it can only exist in water. And as you have also noticed, the time each human killed by the ‘water ghost’ spends in the water varies. This indicates that the ‘water ghost’ is not synonymous with all water. The ‘water ghost’ is just something that exists in the water, like a fish, it will roam in the water,” Lou Yan explained.
“So when it detects people entering the water in different locations, it needs time to rush over and kill them. This results in different people spending different amounts of time in the water before being drowned by the ‘water ghost.’ Some may be far from the ‘water ghost’ and may not be killed even after five minutes in the water, while others may be dragged into the water and drowned by the ‘water ghost’ in less than ten seconds after entering the water.”
Li Sanxin’s response was quicker than Lin You’s, and he spoke first, saying, “So as long as we grasp the movement trajectory of the ‘Water Ghost’ underwater, we may have a chance to avoid the ‘Water Ghost’s’ actions?”
Lou Yan gave him an approving look, acknowledging his insight.
Lin You also suddenly realized, and without asking Lou Yan why he knew this, he earnestly thanked Lou Yan before mentioning the second matter, “At eight o’clock this morning, we will hold a special meeting at the Anomaly Control Bureau. The participants will be talented individuals like you who have awakened abilities, as well as other exceptional individuals. Little Comrade Ye Buyan will also attend. The team leader asked me to invite you to participate in this meeting to discuss how to deal with the crisis in Chengjiang City. Will you be free to come?”
Lou Yan and Li Sanxin exchanged glances, and Li Sanxin asked with his eyes, “Should we go?”
Lou Yan gave him a look, “Do you want to go?”
Li Sanxin nodded and gestured upstairs, indicating that he wanted to bring Lu Haoxiu and Duan Zege, the two talented individuals, with them.
This matter was too big, and Li Sanxin felt that every capable person should be involved. Lu Haoxiu and Duan Zege had the right to participate, and they also had the responsibility to participate.
Lou Yan nodded and said to Lin You, “We will go, and we will bring other talented individuals with us.”
“We welcome you guys,” Lin You immediately responded, eager for more people to join, “Do you need us to send a boat to pick you up?”
“No need,” Lou Yan declined, “We have a boat.”
After a pause, he added slowly, “Lin You, aren’t you curious about the weaknesses of the ‘water ghost’?”
Lin You’s eyes lit up, eager to listen, “Have you figured something out?”
Lou Yan chuckled lightly, “No, as I said, I don’t know the weaknesses of the water ghost. But there’s one person who should know the weakness of the ‘water ghost.'”
Lin You asked in confusion, “Who?”
“Fu Xuezhou,” Lou Yan said slowly, twirling the cap of his black pen leisurely, his peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly, “Isn’t the purpose of organizing this meeting to solve the ‘water ghost’ issue? Forgive me for being blunt, but I’m afraid that all the talented individuals and semi-anomaly individuals combined won’t be able to kill the ‘water ghost.’ But if he also participates in this meeting, then it might be possible.”
Before Fu Xuezhou died, Lou Yan naturally wanted to make the most of Fu Xuezhou’s abilities to kill other anomalies, so as not to waste them.
Lou Yan didn’t believe that Fu Xuezhou couldn’t deal with the “water ghost.” In the previous life, the reason why the “water ghost” was able to flood the entire Chengjiang City was either because Fu Xuezhou was not in Chengjiang City, or because Fu Xuezhou simply didn’t care about the life and death of Chengjiang City.
Upon hearing this, Lin You sighed, “Comrade Lou Yan, I won’t hide it from you. After discovering that something was wrong this morning, I tried to contact Comrade Fu Xuezhou. But in the end, I couldn’t reach him. We went to his house, but there was no one there. Finally, through surveillance, we found that he had left Chengjiang City at midnight last night.”
This time, Lou Yan was stunned.
Fu Xuezhou left Chengjiang City?
Author’s Note:
Chief Lou: …I’m speechless, my dear family, just when we need him, he’s gone
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