[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world":3,"chapter-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-287":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Survival Guide in a Mysterious World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2299256,4497,"Chapter 287: Evacuation","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-287",287,"\u003Cp>“This is a violation of the law...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will file a lawsuit...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chief Brechet will never stand idly by while his subordinates suffer such injustice...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chief Ebunick clenched his teeth, his holster already open, right hand gripping the pistol—he clearly feared these inhuman investigators might turn their weapons on him too—but his vigilance was useless; the leather-clad man and the other three investigators advanced with guns drawn, leaving the chief trapped between two evils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The housekeeper, Marylin, glanced aside and saw the young officer beside the chief had already removed his sidearm and placed it on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least you’re sensible.” Marylin handed the umbrella handle to Prumeliya, bent down to pick up Ning Zhe’s pistol, and soon after, Chief Ebunick and Officer Camack were also disarmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leather-clad man removed the radio from behind the chief’s belt and said: “The situation is urgent—extremely urgent. I hope you understand us and cooperate with our work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The investigators moved Officer John’s corpse beside a pillar. Chief Ebunick stared at his mangled left hand, frowning silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leading this operation, the veteran chief had received certain instructions from his superiors—vague, suggestive words he hadn’t fully grasped at the time. Now, reflecting carefully, a sudden clarity dawned in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please cooperate with our work, Chief.” The leather-clad man brought the radio to Chief Ebunick’s lips: “Thank you for your understanding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the leather-clad man’s orders, Chief Ebunick issued commands to all officers stationed across Vanessa Castle, ordering them to halt all activity immediately, remain in place, and remove their gloves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If two or more officers are moving together, they must inspect each other’s hands for intact fingers. If a male officer is missing his left pinky, or a female officer her right pinky, do not believe anything he or she says—take immediate action to subdue them by any means necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swift response, clear orders—this investigation team handled the anomaly with professional precision. They were an experienced, seasoned unit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So practiced—they’ve dealt with more than one anomaly before,” Ning Zhe silently concluded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including the six investigators, everyone in the hall removed their gloves, verified each other’s fingers, and confirmed their identities as living humans. Then Marylin returned Ning Zhe’s pistol and said: “Given the unusual circumstances, thank you for your understanding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly is going on?” Ning Zhe took back his pistol and feigned confusion, frowning: “What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prumeliya lifted her head, glancing at him with mild confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?” Marylin asked at once, concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing... probably just my imagination.” Prumeliya shook her head, bent down, and began gathering the chess pieces one by one into the box: “We should move the board somewhere else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.” Marylin nodded and helped tidy up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The investigators moved the folding table from the center of the ground-floor foyer to an open space outside, then repositioned the chessboard upon it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe noticed Marylin placed the chessboard with extreme care—perfectly centered on the wooden table, its four sides perfectly aligned with the table’s four edges, no deviation whatsoever, resembling a large “ Hui ” character.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So neat—obsessive-compulsive?” Ning Zhe wondered: “Or does the board’s orientation relate to the ‘take-back’ rule...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered, Ning Zhe shifted his gaze from the board to the distant walls—and suddenly, a flash of insight struck him: “So that’s it... the board’s orientation doesn’t just match the table—it matches Vanessa Castle’s four outer walls...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a faint premonition about the chessboard’s “take-back” logic. As he thought this, the officers scattered across the castle received the order and gradually gathered before Zhong Lou’s entrance, all having removed their gloves to display their intact hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Abel...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gaven Newson...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the puzzled stares of the officers, Chief Ebunick held the mission roster and verified each officer’s identity as they arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, hey, Banuto.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A colleague familiar with Ning Zhe’s identity, “Banuto,” elbowed him and asked: “What’s going on? I just heard gunshots...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another female officer added: “I heard them too—the shots came from Zhong Lou. Was there a firefight inside? Did you find the suspect?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” Ning Zhe froze: “Firefight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe glanced at the female officer. He didn’t know her well—only that her name was Suxi, and she was from a different department.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one missed a single detail!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officer Suxi blinked in surprise: “Didn’t you go into Zhong Lou with Chief Ebunick? You didn’t hear anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh... what exactly did you hear?” Ning Zhe asked, shaking his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suxi found Banuto’s reaction odd but replied: “I was chatting with Newson near the laundry room when I heard gunshots—coming from Zhong Lou. About ten or more in a row, like a firefight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, I heard it too,” Newson beside her added: “Banuto, you were inside Zhong Lou—you were closer than any of us. You didn’t hear it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...No.” Ning Zhe’s expression turned grave; he shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s strange...” Suxi shrugged and walked off to chat with another officer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After counting heads, the chief approached the leather-clad man with the roster: “Including myself, we deployed twenty-four officers. Twenty are present. Besides the deceased John, three are unaccounted for—no radio contact.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three missing?” The leather-clad man frowned. Missing here? Likely dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like everyone who can be found is here.” The girl in black dress raised her eyes to the scattered officers standing in loose rows and murmured: “Marylin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Your Highness. The isolation cells in Brechet Town Prison are ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marylin’s expression remained unchanged as she addressed the gathered officers: “All officers who have verified their fingers and identities—leave Vanessa Castle immediately. Do not linger. Something unusual has occurred; we must clear the premises. Return to your vehicles—transport awaits you outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",943,"2026-06-20T06:29:22.815Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ad0759aa51cc5810c80d1cb1573e9aa0d99c513aa630b879f9e12fa040a96e87","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-288","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-286",353,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurvival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-cover.jpg"]