Chapter 239: Lethal Chain Call

Yang Yixie nodded vigorously, seeming still eager to ask more; watching the two already walk toward the doorway, he didn't dare ask aloud.

"...... Thank you, Officer, for the reminder."

"Hmm, get some good rest, don't overthink it."

The commander gave him one last glance, then turned with his squad and left.

The main door closed softly, cutting off the sound of their departing footsteps.

Yang Yixie's worry and curiosity faded quickly, returning to a calm demeanor.

He walked back to the window of his own bedroom; most of the police cars and black box trucks downstairs had already driven away, leaving only a few officials in Isolation Suits guarding the perimeter line.

The authorities know the existence and danger level of the Mutation, but seem to lack effective detection or suppression methods, resorting only to simple, direct measures.

Yang Yixie's gaze withdrew from downstairs and settled on his phone.

He swiped the screen, opened the contacts, found a familiar number, and dialed it.

During a call a few days earlier, that guy had inexplicably brought up "games" and "soul crossing" and such.

At the time he just thought his brother was being vague, perhaps due to excessive work stress, or maybe something was wrong with his brain.

But now...

Too many coincidences, they are no longer coincidences.

Yang Yixie didn't hesitate and pressed the call button.

A regular "du— du—" tone came from the handset, and shortly after, a familiar female voice sounded.

"The number you dialed is currently unanswered, please try again later......."

He hung up immediately, then dialed again.

————————————————

Emergency lights illuminated several puddles of dark green viscous fluid on the ground, as well as a massive insect‑shaped Aberrant Species corpse sliced in half.

Yang Yichen stood beside the Aberrant Species corpse, breathing lightly.

The cuffs and pant legs of his Isolation Suit were stained with the creature's fluid, and the metal‑glinting greatsword in his hand emitted a faint cold gleam, polished as if brand new.

With a slight shift of thought, the greatsword began to melt and reconfigure from its tip; in just two seconds it reshaped into a tactical dagger, which Yang Yichen sheathed back into the scabbard at his thigh.

"Yang, you alright?"

A person also clad in an Isolation Suit hurried over; from the voice it was a woman named Suwan, in charge of communications for this ad‑hoc squad.

After the first Aberrant Species appeared in the real world, besides soldiers undergoing targeted training, the authorities also cultivated some awakened Special Ability Practitioners.

Real‑world time is scarce, but fortunately many trained individuals also awakened their abilities, allowing several temporary squads to be formed to tackle the Aberrant Species.

"I'm fine, just the energy drain is heavy, but I'm not injured."

Yang Yichen glanced at the Aberrant Species wreckage on the ground being reclaimed by other teammates with special containers.

Fortunately his life in the game world was relatively uneventful, clocking in daily for work; even when mistakes occurred, his superiors were quite friendly.

Though residing under the Dome, it was especially safe, giving him more time to hone his awakened Special Ability.

Compared with other players inside the Dome, his situation could be called heavenly treatment.

Suwan watched Yang Yichen's relatively spirited demeanor, as if she suddenly recalled something.

"By the way, Yang, your phone kept ringing, I didn't dare just…" she paused, a strange smile appearing on her face.

"'Xiao Zuzong'."

Yang Yichen's mouth twitched involuntarily; he obviously knew who it was—he never parts with his phone, so he hadn't thought to change the contact note.

Only his brother could make such relentless, deadly calls.

He really owed him from a past life....

"Got it, thanks," he nodded to Suwan, his tone softened a bit.

After moving to the corner, removing the Isolation Suit stained with Aberrant Species fluid and handing it to the responsible staff, Yang Yichen finally walked over to answer the phone.

"Hello?" Yang Yichen's voice came through the handset.

"Brother," Yang Yixie began, getting straight to the point, "what did you mean by 'game' and 'soul crossing' in your last call?"

He didn't mention the Aberrant Species attack downstairs, but went straight to the previous matter.

On the other end, Yang Yichen was silent for two seconds.

"Ah? Xiao Xie, what are you talking about? What game crossing... last time? Oh, maybe I was up too late working overtime and was half‑asleep; the work pressure has been a bit heavy lately...."

Yang Yixie listened to his brother's forced calm, a cold curve forming at the corner of his mouth, his voice steady through the mic.

"Brother."

"Hmm?" Yang Yichen responded reflexively.

"Has anyone ever told you that your acting is really terrible?" Yang Yixie asked in a low, lingering tone.

Yang Yichen's expression stiffened, a vein at his temple nearly bulging.

If his acting were good, he wouldn't have shouldered countless black pots for this kid.

His lifelong experience of taking the blame taught him that whenever Yang Yixie speaks in that tone, it means he already holds substantial evidence.

Yang Yichen inhaled deeply, his alertness instantly spiking to the maximum.

"Xiao Xie, what are you talking about? It's so late, you should get some rest early......."

"Brother, you and your colleagues in Isolation Suits, did you 'cross over' into a game called 'Wasteland Era'? And brought out special abilities from it? Are these monsters suddenly appearing in reality also 'special products' of the game?"

"How do you know—"

Yang Yichen almost blurted it out, stopping abruptly halfway, his heart missing a beat.

He glanced left and right instinctively; Suwan was still handling the scene with other teammates, likely unaware of this side.

He held the phone and shifted a few steps deeper into the corner's shadow, lowering his voice.

"Did something happen to you? Were you attacked by an Aberrant Species?! I told you not to linger outside at night......."

"Oh—"

Yang Yixie elongated his tone, cutting off Yang Yichen's muttering.

"'Aberrant Species', huh, brother? You just said 'Aberrant Species', right?"

Yang Yichen: "......."

His fingers gripping the phone tightened instantly, the knuckles turning white.

It's over.

Completely exposed.

"Xiao Xie!" Yang Yichen's voice dropped completely, "First tell me, where exactly are you right now?"

Hearing his brother's tone filled with unmistakable anxiety, Yang Yixie's lingering irritation eased a bit, but his words remained blunt.

"I'm fine, at home, but I just watched a live broadcast."

"In the neighboring unit, a household was attacked by an 'Aberrant Species'; several vehicles of people in Isolation Suits arrived, and after a half‑day of hassle they finally eliminated that thing."

"Now, throughout the whole complex, anyone who hasn't slept through it probably has a segment of a 'science‑fiction film' saved on their phone."