Chapter 580: Yes/No

No! No!!!

The bad premonition in his heart turned into reality; he saw his wife, who had always been kind, patient, and usually wore a smile, now reduced to a head that would not close its eyes in death, and the short‑haired man collapsed on the spot.

He staggered to the dining table, fell to his knees, and tears streamed out uncontrollably.

"Lisa. Lisa," the short‑haired man slurred, repeating "Lisa," as he tried to reach out and embrace his "wife" again.

But his outstretched left hand suddenly froze in midair.

The remaining shred of reason told him that his "wife"'s blood might still carry the virus, and direct contact could very likely lead to infection.

!!

Realizing this, the short‑haired man felt immense frustration and self‑blame.

Why!

Why was his final conversation with his wife full of complaints and irritation!

He even felt an urge to point the Remington's barrel at himself and end it all.

But he still forced himself to hold back.

Because his two daughters were still missing, and he had to determine their current condition!

Regaining his spirit, the short‑haired man quickly rose from his kneeling, glanced at his "wife" with lingering reluctance, gripped the Remington with both hands, and began to search the first floor of their house.

But as soon as he stepped into the living room, he heard a faint sound.

"Ah...! Ah...! Haha...!"

The short‑haired man's expression grew extremely solemn.

Then, after confirming the Remington was loaded, he steadily ascended the stairs to the second floor and headed toward the room where the sound originated.

It was his eldest daughter's bedroom.

Standing in the doorway and looking into the bedroom, he saw a scene that shattered a father's heart to the extreme…

Several men of varying ages, driven mad, were committing indescribable, extremely bloody and violent acts against his eldest daughter.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Aaah!!!"

The short‑haired man's tolerance reached its limit; he could only unleash a gut‑wrenching roar and repeatedly pull the trigger and rack the bolt to vent his anger and pain.

"Ding~... Ding..."

Finally, only the sounds of spent casings rolling and bouncing remained in the bedroom.

"Ha ha~... Father, come quickly... Ha ha~..." the daughter said in a weak voice, uttering a maddened line.

Her body was shattered, with almost no intact part, and the "Blood Cross" also marked her face; she struggled to raise her hands and "call" out.

She was in the prime of her youth, only half a month away from heading to university to start a new chapter and enjoy her youth, yet now she had become this "unbearable".

"It's all dad's fault... dad's fault!"

Even so, the short‑haired man still loved his daughter deeply and took all the blame onto himself.

Moreover, the symptoms shown by the Blood Cross were indistinguishable from a "zombie"; he was unsure whether the Infected could be cured.

Seeing his daughter on the brink of death yet still hyper‑excited and frantic, the short‑haired man hesitated a moment, then raised the Remington toward his daughter, tilting his head slightly aside, unable to look directly:

"Theresa, dad will end your suffering now, then go find Lina. If Lina also... fine, I won't say those ominous words. Dad loves you."

After speaking, the short‑haired man trembled all over, especially his right index finger poised to pull the trigger, as if using his whole body's strength.

Finally.

He shut his eyes tightly and pulled the trigger.

But...

The expected gunshot never came.

?

Startled, the short‑haired man opened his eyes.

He looked and realized there was no corpse‑filled, foul‑smelling room, nor a dying, mad daughter; there was only endless darkness and icy void.

!!!

The short‑haired man could not even sense his own existence, as if only his consciousness or soul floated within this unknown space.

Fear and confusion, coupled with the amplified anguish of losing his beloved family.

【Charles Horton.】

Just as the short‑haired man named Charles Horton was about to lose his sanity, a line of his name's characters floated above.

Soon after, more words reappeared, each outlined with a cold yet strangely gentle golden glow.

They first scattered randomly, then quickly recombined:

【Do you wish to change the current situation, do you wish to save your daughters.

Yes/No.】

What is this?

With Horton's understanding, he could not comprehend these rows of characters nor what this void was; his brain could not make a judgment in time.

【Ten,

Nine,

Eight…】

Suddenly, to the right of that question, a string of "words"—perhaps Chinese characters—appeared rhythmically, one after another.

It was clearly a countdown.

Horton immediately snapped out of his frozen state, feeling as if he were sinking into a swamp or mire, clutching a branch someone extended, straining with all his might, shouting:

"Yes! Yes!! I'm going to save them!!!"

【Received.】 Upon getting a confirming reply, the golden glowing script changes again:

【Binding…

Binding complete, ID 016.

Transferring…】

??

As the text continues to shift, and Huo Dun remains baffled, the void he occupies is rapidly collapsing…

Or rather, some invisible, formless force is forcibly "dragging" him, and at extreme speed pulling him out of the void, performing the so‑called "teleportation".

…

Soon after…

【Transfer complete.】

"Where are we?!"

"Maybe… inside a train?"

"Can a train be this wide?"

As his vision gradually returns, Huo Dun also hears speech in various accents and languages, and as if equipped with some "self‑translation" ability, he can understand each person's words.

Waiting for his vision to fully normalize.

Huo Dun finds himself in a spacious yet sealed compartment, likely due to metal decking and bulkheads, a row of dim red lights overhead, and occasional shudders and jolts, leading those around him to surmise this is a "train".

Referring to the crowd.

Huo Dun scans the surroundings and roughly counts at least one hundred and forty‑to‑fifty people gathered here.

Moreover, the "train carriage" still has ample space left; otherwise someone would doubt whether this is truly a train.

At the same time, just as Huo Dun previously guessed he now has "self‑translation", the surrounding people's ethnicities, skin tones, attire, and so on all differ and have their own "features".

For example, he himself is still dressed in western trousers, shirt, leather shoes, holding a Remington that could not free his eldest daughter from suffering.

Besides that, there are soldiers with sharp eyebrows and star‑like eyes, a righteous expression, wearing four‑leaf camouflage and wielding a stock‑less rifle.

Their uniforms, gear, and weapons are exceedingly expensive; the helmet's "flap vehicle" is fitted with a four‑eye night‑vision device, unmistakably marking them as elite special‑forces.

There are also police, doctors, high officials, celebrities, and even terrorists wearing headscarves, white robes, and simple chest rigs—essentially a gathering of typical representatives from around the world.

Seeing this, although they are adults, as a gaming nerd who usually enjoys fitness and follows military and sci‑fi topics, Huo Dun suddenly feels a chill down his spine.

Because in an instant, someone who controls the glowing script can transport him and the surrounding people of varied identities and occupations from their original positions to here, indicating that the one manipulating the luminous lettering…

That entity is undoubtedly an unimaginable existence.

"Everyone! We probably aren't on a train."

At that moment, a muscular man wearing his baseball cap backwards, a tight "H"‑logo short‑sleeve shirt and jeans, with a gun holster and magazine clip at his waist, raises his booming voice to cut through the chatter.

The muscular man, half‑crouched, professionally touches the deck with his left hand and continues: "There's no impact from a coupling, no rail friction, and it can't be a ship. If I'm not mistaken, we're on a transport aircraft."

"As for the model…"

He says, then stands, glances at the ceiling and bulkheads, shakes his head: "I can't identify it, but I'm certain this transport aircraft's specifications far exceed any model I know; it's likely a cutting‑edge product from a major power."

"Hmm, I share the same view."

When the muscular man finishes speaking, the four‑eyed elite nod in agreement.

"." The camouflage soldier, being too young and inexperienced, remains silent, furrowing his brow tightly.

"I don't care whether this is a transport aircraft! I want to go back! My mother is still being tormented by those lunatics!!"

"Me too! My girlfriend was also killed by a bunch of lunatics!"

"Is this some variety show staged by a production crew? First everyone goes crazy, then they kidnap us? Interesting! I want my lawyer and manager!"

Soon, the venting roar reverberates through the cabin once more.

But at this moment, Huo Dun is no longer devastated; he remains silent, observing.

First, he can confirm that the people gathered here all come from the same Earth, the same universe, and have experienced the outbreak of the Blood Cross.

Second, these people are all puzzled about how they "teleported" here.

Huo Dun fixes his gaze on the muscular man; from the calm aura alone, he knows he's a "big boss", likely involved in covert operations, black missions, and perhaps dealing with "supernatural" incidents.

【Attention.】

Golden lettering suddenly appears above the cabin, accompanied by a metallic‑toned, emotionless female voice that begins broadcasting as the text materializes:

【Reincarnators, greetings. Welcome to the First Trial Ground. In a short while, a sergeant from this universe will brief you on the enemies you will face.】

?!

Reincarnators?

Trial Ground?

"What is all this! What are you doing!"

Upon hearing this, the male celebrity who earlier shouted for a lawyer and manager, his skin whiter than a woman's, pale as straw, still firmly believes this is a "prank".

But…

"Boom!" Golden flames blaze intensely.

"Ah…!" An echoing wail reverberates through the cabin.

Everything unfolds so fast that the star, questioning a moment ago, is incinerated the next.

【Please, Reincarnators, understand one truth: you were chosen because within thirty minutes in your original world you will die by attack, accident, suicide, etc.】

In short, you are theoretically already dead, so please remain quiet.】

!!

Seeing this, everyone, including Horton and the muscular man, were all shocked.

Through that just now, it indicates that the speaking "person" is not a dead thing, but an existence possessing intelligence yet lacking emotion.

Once one violates the rules and scorns the current situation, the other side will unhesitatingly carry out erasure.

After making this clear, the cabin fell into deathly silence, and no more "Precursors" dared to take risks.

【Everyone, the goal you need to achieve in the first trial site is very simple: follow the sergeant of this world, and the sergeant's unit, reach the mission location, and then rely on your own perseverance to the end.

Upon completing the goal, you will receive corresponding points and rewards; points can be used in the store to purchase corresponding items, weapons, and equipment, as well as skills considered magic, illusion, or immortal arts in your universe, and can also be used to enhance your physical fitness.

Detailed content, you may peruse it yourself.

After obtaining points and rewards, you will be instantly teleported back to the vanished position.

Rest assured, the time flow of this universe differs from that of your home universes; you need not worry about the injuries of those you care about.

Also need to remind everyone: if you successfully pass this trial, among the distributed reward items there is a certain chance they contain items that can save you and your loved ones.

Therefore, for your own sake and for the sake of your dearest loved ones, please strive to survive to the end.

Note: Everyone can, according to their subjective consciousness, open the interface of the store and personal information.】

After the emotionless being finished speaking, Horton discovered that on his right wrist, unknown when, had appeared a thumb-wide, completely black bracelet.

Seeing this, Horton no longer speculated or guessed, but eagerly opened the mall and personal information.

Subsequently, a holographic-quality screen generated before Horton, displaying a dazzling array of thumbnails, while his physical condition, state, and spirit were also presented as data.

Looking at "TPS Land Combat Powered Armor", "M56 Intelligent Machine Gun", "Nanomotor Powered Exoskeleton (Flight-capable)" etc., Horton only felt incredulous.

When he switched to the "Items" tab, he was initially attracted to the "Super Soldier Serum", "Te-036 Reagent (Hazardous)", but when Horton saw the thumbnail and related description of the "Nanomachine Serum" injection, the whites of his eyes instantly filled with red blood vessels.

Because the nanomachine robots contained in the nanomachine serum can effectively alleviate various bodily injuries, and also assist the immune system in eliminating all harmful microorganisms within 20 to 70 minutes…

That's all!

If he could exchange points for nanomachine serum, his eldest daughter would still have a chance!

"Whoosh——!"

The sound of the metal gate opening.

"Grrr——!"

And another kind of disgruntled roar, interrupting Horton and everyone's thoughts.

They all turned toward the source of the sound and saw a figure at least 2.4 meters tall, wearing deep-black powered armor, helmet with three red stripes, but skin light gray, and with a four-part mouth, a "Non-commissioned Officer" walking into the cabin…

…