...
At this moment, in Xin City.
Lu Zihan reverted from his Anomaly form back to his human form and let out a soft sigh.
He was currently in a narrow alleyway, with a manhole cover not far away. At his feet lay three decapitated corpses.
Lu Zihan glanced down at the Anomaly Web interface. The words 【Rank: E (50/50)】 were particularly striking. Looking up at the blue motes of light pulsing on his arm, a smug grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Finally caught up to Stool," he muttered to himself.
Lately, the people in Xin City were becoming increasingly difficult to kill.
Though they were harder to take down, it wasn't a major problem for Lu Zihan.
He had reached the rank bottleneck long ago and had already begun collecting energy crystals to prepare for his subsequent breakthrough.
Just as he turned to retreat and slip back into his sewer hideout, his peripheral vision caught a piece of paper stuck to a wall. He paused, unable to resist taking a closer look.
This paper was essentially the primary reason why the people of Xin City were currently "difficult to kill."
【Emergency Management Regulations for Anomalies】
To all residents of Xin City:
Due to the frequent occurrence of Anomaly attacks within the city recently, a citywide lockdown is hereby implemented to protect the lives and property of all residents, effective immediately.
All provisions of this notice are mandatory. All residents are requested to strictly abide by them and supervise one another.
Special Warning: If anyone exhibits clearly abnormal behavior or is suspected of being influenced by an Anomaly, city troops have the authority to shoot to kill immediately and will not be held liable for any consequences.
Effective immediately, the entire city will implement closed management based on neighborhood blocks. Residents are strictly prohibited from moving between blocks.
Troops will be stationed at fixed points in every block and will conduct regular patrols. If you sense anything abnormal, proceed immediately to the nearest military post for assistance.
During the lockdown, all travel must be conducted in groups under unified management. Each group must consist of no fewer than three people.
Troops have the authority to shoot lone individuals on sight!
Groups must agree on a secret code every three hours. When verifying the code, both the current and the previous round's codes must be provided simultaneously.
If you suspect a member of your group is abnormal, do not alert them. Seek help at a military post as quickly as possible.
Any abnormal objects, lights, shadows, sounds, or behaviors that contradict daily perception, natural laws, or social common sense shall be regarded as potential Anomaly threats.
Do not look directly at them, do not touch them, and do not discuss them. Seek help from the management troops as soon as possible.
Daily activities must prioritize staying within surveillance coverage. It is strictly forbidden to enter enclosed spaces that are unmonitored, unlit, or sparsely populated alone.
It is strictly forbidden to talk to, contact, or exchange items with any strangers. Military personnel will not communicate with residents outside of designated military posts. Do not trust anyone outside a post who claims to be "military personnel."
If the situation worsens, a mass evacuation call will be initiated. You may only assemble after receiving notifications from at least three different notification teams.
Lu Zihan tore the paper down with some indignation and crumpled it into a ball.
Rules were never exclusive to Anomalies and the world's will; humans could likewise create and utilize rules.
The rule "strictly forbidden to talk to strangers" alone had caused him quite a bit of trouble.
Of course, rules written on paper were just rules; the enforcers couldn't always follow them perfectly. And this was precisely the opportunity for Anomalies like them.
The Anomalies in Xin City had already reached a preliminary cooperation: some were responsible for intentionally creating gaps in management to distract the troops, while others took the chance to harvest and accumulate rank progress.
Lu Zihan's rank progress had been ground out bit by bit in this manner.
Incidentally, Lu Zihan had also adopted a cool and edgy code name and become the leader of a group of Anomalies. Currently, he had gained a bit of fame on the forums.
Although he had run into quite a few walls in Xin City at first, his leveling journey had been relatively smooth overall.
But... something felt off.
Lu Zihan picked up the crumpled paper, smoothed it out, and looked at it again. He tilted his head in deep thought, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
If Stool were here, what would he think? Lu Zihan tried to switch his perspective and ponder like Ren Yi.
"Right! Where's the method of salvation?" Lu Zihan suddenly slapped his forehead and blurted out.
He knew that Stool was stirring up trouble in the Holy City, using the name of the method of salvation to deploy the Holy City's main forces.
But here in Xin City, it was a completely different scene.
The entire city was under tight defense, with no intention of taking the initiative at all; it was purely passive defense.
This wasn't right! Could they not feel the pressure of the approaching apocalypse?
Lu Zihan felt as if he had discovered something incredible. He decided to head back to the sewers first and then consult with Ren Yi on the Anomaly Web.
However, the moment he turned toward the manhole cover, his body suddenly froze.
Standing on the manhole cover behind him was a "person" wearing a trench coat with deep, piercing eyes.
The most bizarre thing was that his senses hadn't reacted at all; the other party had appeared as if out of thin air.
If Ren Yi were here, he would surely recognize this person as the Xin King he had seen at the Three Cities Meeting.
Lu Zihan clenched his fists, his mind racing as he wondered if the person before him was human or Anomaly, and whether he should strike first.
At that moment, the Xin King spoke slowly, "I have finally found you."
"Mr. 'Beheader'."
...
On the other side, in the City of Stars, half a day had passed, and evening had arrived.
Ren Yi had just finished clearing out the third mutant beast nest. On the surface, he remained calm, but he had been feeling restless deep down.
It had been half a day—why hadn't that idiot Lu Zihan replied to his messages yet? Had something actually happened to him?
He took another stealthy look at the Anomaly Web.
Lu Zihan's IP address still showed him in the Three Cities World. He hadn't been forcibly repatriated by the Alliance, nor did he show a "deceased" status, which allowed Ren Yi to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Just then, the Anomaly Web finally showed some activity; Lu Zihan's avatar lit up.
Immediately after, a message was sent over rapidly.
【Crap! Holy crap, Stool, something huge happened!】
Seeing the message, Ren Yi let out a massive sigh of relief.
【What happened? What did you run into? Are you in danger?】
【I'm fine, I'm fine, I won't die!】 Lu Zihan's reply was lightning fast.
【I ran into a tough customer who chased me for two hours. I barely managed to shake him off!】
【Stool, you have no idea. That guy literally mobilized half a block's worth of troops to catch me. The sewer I used to escape was leveled to the ground. What a massive waste of resources!】
【A tough customer? Was it an Esper? What did he look like?】 Ren Yi asked hurriedly.
【I didn't see him use any abilities. I originally wanted to strike first and take out the leader, but the guy didn't say a word and just sent a swarm of Espers and troops at me.】
【Luckily, I reacted quickly and jumped straight into the sewer, or I would've been surrounded.】
Lu Zihan then gave Ren Yi a rough description of the "tough customer's" features.
After hearing it, Ren Yi felt like his whole world was spinning.
【He's not just some ordinary tough customer. That's the Xin King I've been warning you to be careful of!】
Ren Yi then quickly recounted everything that had happened on his end to Lu Zihan.
Ever since realizing the "method of salvation" was fake, Ren Yi's wariness toward the Xin King had been dialed up to the maximum.
This man was either a lunatic or a deep-seated, calculating schemer. There was simply no way to predict how someone like that thought.
However, Lu Zihan's focus seemed to have drifted.
【It's fine, it's fine. I got away, he can't catch me!】
【But speaking of which, are you saying that 'WhatAreYouLookingAt,' who was causing trouble with you before, is actually the class monitor?】
【Holy crap, is the class monitor's online handle really that fresh and refined? LMAO!】
Ren Yi: "..."
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