Chen Ling wasn’t surprised by Uncle Zhao’s request.
Back at the breakfast shop, Uncle Zhao had already hinted that he hoped Chen Ling would look out for Zhao Yi for old times’ sake… But this time, Zhao Yi’s injury had truly shaken him.
The old man had swallowed his pride and dignity, turning hints into outright pleas for Chen Ling’s protection. It was only natural.
Chen Ling agreed. For him now, arranging a position for Zhao Yi in the enforcer system wasn’t difficult—just a matter of a few words.
Hearing Chen Ling’s assent, Uncle Zhao seemed to shed a weight of hundreds of pounds from his shoulders, visibly relieved. He thanked Chen Ling repeatedly, even offering to give him the entire breakfast shop, though Chen Ling declined.
"Just a small favor." Chen Ling waved it off.
After bidding Uncle Zhao farewell, Chen Ling headed straight home.
Behind the frosted glass, the kerosene lamp’s glow flickered inside.
Zhao Yi, wrapped in bandages and leaning against the wall, had reddened, glistening eyes.
"How much longer?" A woman in her thirties, cradling an infant, asked softly from the rickshaw.
The man wiped his sweat with a towel around his neck and replied,
"Soon. About another hour…"
"...Alright."
"Miss, why are you heading to District Two in the middle of the night?"
"My child is sick… Probably scared by those monsters." The woman stroked the baby’s feverish forehead bitterly. "The clinics in District Three are packed. The doctors won’t see us, so…"
"So you’re crossing districts for treatment?"
The man nodded. "Hold tight. I’ll speed up. The child’s health comes first."
Gritting his teeth, the rickshaw puller accelerated, sweat dripping like rain as he hauled the rickshaw toward District Two.
After racing at full speed for dozens of minutes, the man’s stamina began to wane. He trudged forward along the desolate road, surrounded by thick fog, visibility reduced to a white haze.
"Driver, are you sure we’re on the right path?" The woman asked worriedly.
"Don’t worry. I’ve taken this route hundreds of times. Couldn’t go wrong even blindfolded."
"But why is it so quiet here?"
"It’s the middle of the night. Everyone’s probably asleep."
As he spoke, the man suddenly slipped, stumbling to the ground with a yelp.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine… What’s on the ground? Feels sticky."
Muttering, the man pushed himself up. The kerosene lamp hanging from the rickshaw swayed slightly. When he grabbed the handles to continue, he froze.
His hands were drenched in crimson.
"Blood?" The woman gasped, pointing beneath him.
The man looked down and realized the street was soaked in blood. Stunned, he lifted the kerosene lamp and stepped forward. The dim light pierced the fog, gradually revealing the outline of a hill.
"This… th-this…"
The man’s pupils dilated uncontrollably. In the gloom, severed hands jutted from the mound like brambles. Shattered skulls were piled together, intertwined with hair and entrails, forming a grotesque hill of corpses. A single eyeball, clutched in a dismembered palm, stared directly at him…
The man’s heart seemed to stop. His jaw dropped as he stumbled backward, scrambling to his feet with a scream.
By now, all of District Two had fallen into silent darkness… save for a mountain of corpses, hundreds of meters tall, rising from a sea of blood.
---
"What’s that noise outside?"
Xi Renjie, sorting through casualty reports in his office, suddenly looked up at the commotion outside the window, his eyes narrowing in confusion.
"Chief Xi, something’s happened!" An enforcer rushed in.
"A rickshaw puller took someone to District Two and found the entire district slaughtered—corpses piled into a mountain…"
"What?!"
Xi Renjie shot to his feet. "District Two was wiped out?"
"Not just District Two. We sent people to District Four too… Almost no survivors there either."
Xi Renjie’s face paled. He paced the office, his heart sinking like a stone. The scope of this Gray Realm convergence had engulfed three districts? No—these were just the ones discovered. The more distant districts might have been hit as well.
If so, the scale of this disaster far exceeded expectations. This wasn’t just about District Three anymore.
Suddenly, Xi Renjie recalled Chen Ling’s earlier speculation, and his expression turned ashen.
"How are the civilians reacting?"
"...Panic." The enforcer swallowed hard. "The news spread too fast. Most don’t believe it yet, but many are already heading to Districts Two and Four to verify… It won’t take long for the truth to come out."
"Damn it…" Xi Renjie knew full well that once the public learned the truth, panic would erupt. The fragile order they’d maintained would collapse entirely.
He threw on his black trench coat and hurried outside.
The moment he stepped out of headquarters, he heard shouts and running footsteps. The streets of District Three, once asleep, were now lighting up one by one… The neighborhood was awakening—to terror.
"Old Man Li? He must’ve been dreaming!"
"Right, an entire district slaughtered and piled into a mountain? Too ridiculous."
"It’s true! My uncle went to check—nearly scared to death! He said he heard monster roars coming from District Two as he ran back!"
"District Four’s empty too? The calamities attacked that wide an area?!"
"So those monsters are still in Districts Two and Four… They could charge into District Three anytime?"
More and more residents were roused from sleep. Having barely survived one catastrophe, their faces turned ghostly pale at this news. Huddled together, their whispers fueled an unprecedented wave of panic.
"This can’t go on." Xi Renjie’s expression was grave. "We need to calm the public… Gather as many as possible. I’ll handle—"
Before he could finish, another enforcer sprinted from headquarters.
"A message from Aurora City!"
"What?!" Xi Renjie’s eyes lit up. "What does it say?"
"I don’t know… The message is encrypted. Only you have clearance to read it."