Chapter 121: Luzhou Crisis

Xia Kingdom's Thousand-Thread Bar, Huisheng Province's Luzhou Bar.

Netizen "Luzhou Old Shouter" posted a thread: "Luzhou Level-A Hazard; over two thousand people have died so far!"

The main post displayed an image—a monster covered in gray-white whiskers and hair, floating in the air defying Earth's gravity.

Its body was larger than a semi-trailer truck, with long hind legs like a mantis and four shorter front legs. The legs were covered in gray-white hair, drifting freely in the air, writhing as if alive.

At the monster's head position, there was a huge hole emitting red light; it was unclear whether it was its mouth or its eye. Apart from that, its facial features were indistinguishable.

Luzhou Old Shouter: A monster recently appeared outside Luzhou's West District; it's simply terrifying. I heard it killed nearly a thousand people in one go! Now all citizens in the city are staying indoors, too afraid to go out. Awakened squads are trying their best to hunt it down, but I heard the Awakened have suffered heavy losses; three C-ranks and one B-rank have already died at this monster's hands.

Floor 2: What ability does it have? Is it more terrifying than the human-fusion monsters that appeared in Mist City?

Floor 3: Luzhou Old Shouter posted a short video. In the shaking footage, the monster appeared out of thin air from the sky. People scattered in terror. Its gray-white hair lightly brushed through the crowd; anyone it touched instantly turned to flying ash, leaving only their clothes behind.

Floor 4: This is a new type of alien creature. Anyone whose body is brushed by its gray-white hair is completely obliterated, leaving not even a trace. I hope I never encounter it in my lifetime!

Floor 5: Just one? It killed nearly a thousand people in one go? What about missiles? Don't various shells have any effect on it?

Floor 6: Its appearance is very random; it suddenly emerges from the sky. It doesn't seem to be a physical entity. Shells pass directly through its body; only attacks from Force-Field-type Awakened can slightly slow its steps...

Floor 7: Is this an alien creature or a ghost? If shells cannot attack it, doesn't that mean most physical attacks are useless?

Floor 8: Couldn't so many Awakened squads solve it? I've been trapped at home for four days. I have no stored food; I'm about to run out of supplies...

Floor 9: If a person dies, their soul faces the sky; can a living person be killed by needing to pee? I still go downstairs for a walk every day as usual, and I'm still alive and well.

Floor 10: The person above is truly brave! I live in Yaoh River District. I saw that monster appear in mid-air with my own eyes through a telescope. Its gray-white whiskers and hair extended out, and an entire street's worth of people turned to flying ash. A Fire-type Awakened died on the spot! I was so scared I hid in a closet, trembling...

Floor 11: Listening to everyone's descriptions, I feel this monster is somewhat familiar; it's a bit like the altar projection above Britannia...

Floor 12: We need Yang Yi. Where exactly is Yang Yi? Is she really dead?

Floor 13: Damn Britannia! If they hadn't launched nuclear bombs and blown up the return passage, Yang Yi would have returned long ago! This Level-A Hazard would be a piece of cake for her. Britannia has killed our Republic's Guardian!

Floor 14: Brothers, who will team up with me to climb the wall and go vent on Britannia? Who's going?

Floor 15: Me!

Floor 16: Take me along!

Floor 17: Count me in! I must curse them until they're covered in blood!

$$

Huisheng Province, Luzhou City, Yaoh River District.

Evening, twilight closing in from all sides.

In the urban village, Wei Chang'an and Zhang Zhang Ningning walked along a narrow, dark path. All residents here had evacuated yesterday, leaving only empty houses.

Wei Chang'an held a space tester in his hand. On the screen, a red curve rose and fell irregularly.

"Captain Wei, that long-haired monster appeared from nearby yesterday, right!" Zhang Zhang Ningning observed the surroundings vigilantly.

They privately called this type of monster the "Long-Haired Monster." It was a newly appeared monster type, and due to its immense lethality, it was classified as Level-A immediately upon its appearance.

"It should be nearby. The instrument shows slight fluctuations in space here. Be careful!"

"Where exactly do these monsters come from? If they come through spatial rifts, is the other side of the rift a monster world? Or some planet? Why is the type of every monster different?" Zhang Zhang Ningning was full of doubts.

"According to the experts' research, they should be from different planets. Many monsters have different body structures and growth methods, so the planetary environments that shape their growth should also differ. However, the only common point is that they all grew up in environments filled with dark matter energy..." Wei Chang'an said with a worried expression.

"So Earth's dark matter descent is considered to have created a suitable living environment for them?" Zhang Zhang Ningning, truly a student from an Ivy League university, quickly grasped the main point.

"Our Earth Awakened awakened in a dark matter environment. Could these monsters, like us Awakened, be creatures from certain planets whose abilities awakened after dark matter descended, producing supernatural powers?"

"The experts also have this suspicion."

Zhang Zhang Ningning frowned. "Captain Wei, tell me, is the only way to completely solve these alien creatures to block all of Earth's dark matter?"

Wei Chang'an remained silent for a long while, then insincerely repeated once more: "This is a problem the experts should consider."

Zhang Zhang Ningning pressed relentlessly. "If we really block the dark matter then, will we Awakened also revert to ordinary people?"

Wei Chang'an spoke ambiguously. "Perhaps..."

The two chatted intermittently when suddenly, the curve on the instrument panel fluctuated violently.

Both stood ready for a great enemy. They saw a crack appear in the air as if it were being corroded, from which thick dark matter energy overflowed.

A long leg covered in gray-white whiskers and hair slowly extended from the crack.

%%

Tongdu City, several thousand li away from Luzhou.

Huang Huang Shusheng, a villager of Huangyang Village, rode an electric bike on his way home.

Huang Huang Shusheng is forty years old. He works at a construction site in Tongdu City. His family has five members: his paralyzed mother, his wife who takes care of their five-year-old daughter and looks after the old mother back home, and a twenty-year-old son attending university in the provincial capital.

The burden of the family rests on his shoulders; he dares not slack off for a single day.

But his son is sensible, working part-time to earn living expenses. His wife is filial and never complains. His daughter is also well-behaved and cute. Although Huang Huang Shusheng is very tired, he feels there is hope for the future; things will eventually get better.

The village where he grew up is called Huangyang Village. A round trip to Tongdu City takes most of a day, so he only returns home once every half month.

Today he took a day off. He bought the "Ice Queen" dress his daughter had been longing for, carried a roasted chicken, and bought some medicine for his old mother.

Hurrying as fast as he could, Huang Huang Shusheng returned to the village before evening.

As soon as he entered the village, he sensed something was wrong. In the past, although there weren't many people in the village, it was never to the point where not a single soul was visible. The entire village was shrouded in silence.

He felt puzzled. Could the whole village have gone to the village committee for a meeting?

He rode his electric bike through the streets and found a few pieces of clothing in front of a neighbor's door. Judging by the style, they looked like Li Li Laogen's. Li Li Laogen's door was wide open, with no one in sight.

"Brother Li? Are you home?" He stopped the electric bike, picked up the clothes, and found they were full of ash inside. He didn't pay much attention, just shook them off casually, intending to return them to Li Li Laogen.

No one was at Li Li Laogen's house.

A strange sense of tension made his heart pound wildly.

Huang Huang Shusheng rushed into his own house and shouted loudly: "Lifen! Tongtong!"

The familiar answering voice that usually came did not sound.

A wheeled hospital bed stood in the hallway; that was the one his paralyzed mother used. His wife was always filial; when the weather was good, she would push his mother out to see the scenery and get some fresh air. But now, on the hospital bed, there was only a black short-sleeved shirt his mother often wore, and there was still dust inside the clothes.

Huang Huang Shusheng thought of Li Li Laogen's clothes, and his heart grew even more panicked.

"Lifen! Lifen!" He couldn't help but shout again, rushing inside in a panic, only to see the floral dress his wife often wore at the kitchen door, with even underwear inside it.

Huang Huang Shusheng frantically rushed into the house, searching everywhere, but there was not a single person.

"Lifen—Tongtong—where are you?"

His head was dazed, and for a long time he couldn't react; trembling, he pulled his mobile phone from his trouser pocket, just about to dial the police, when suddenly he heard a faint cry.

"Dad... I'm here..."

That was his daughter Tongtong's voice; Huang Huang Shusheng immediately followed the sound, and finally found her in the cellar.

"Dad... it's so scary. Sister Lili and I were playing hide-and-seek... suddenly, a furry big monster appeared in the sky... wuwu... Sister Lili, Mom, Grandma, all disappeared when the monster's fur touched them..."