Chapter 136: Hell Difficulty

Lin Fan's thoughts drifted back to two weeks ago.

At that time, the streets of Dongdao were bustling with people, full of vitality everywhere.

He and Ling Xinyu traveled here and met a local youth named Watanabe.

Watanabe was enthusiastic and cheerful, laughing heartily, also a newly‑started traveler planning to tour the world.

Frequently penniless, Lin Fan received Watanabe's help and briefly traveled with him.

While Lin Fan was pondering how to repay Watanabe, a week ago the Laughing Demon's curse erupted.

The whole of Dongdao was turned upside down within a few hours, danger everywhere.

With Lin Fan's ability, he could easily take Ling Xinyu and silently slip away with the current from Dongdao, this massive apocalyptic island.

But he chose to travel with Watanabe, offering whatever protection he could until they left Dongdao together—this was the way he and Ling Xinyu agreed to repay Watanabe.

As for how to leave the sealed Dongdao—Watanabe has a secret passage.

Back to the present.

"Squeak—"

The iron door on the rooftop was shoved open violently.

"Lin! The meeting's starting! The meeting's starting!"

Watanabe's gray‑stained face bore an uncontrollable joy as he rushed in, waving his hands excitedly.

"Everything's set on Mr. Sato's side! We're ready to go; let's go down and hear the concrete action plan!"

Lin Fan nodded, followed Watanabe down from the rooftop.

Watanabe's friend, Mr. Sato, is a wealthy businessman who had bribed the Federal Military in advance.

Sato had negotiated with the Federal Military that as long as they could board a ship from the sea and depart Dongdao in a specific area at a specific time, they would not be intercepted by warships.

And now they are together with Sato.

Their temporary base is the basement of an abandoned bar.

Lin Fan followed Watanabe downstairs; in the dim light, several figures had already gathered around a pool table.

Leading them was a middle‑aged man in an immaculate suit; even in this apocalyptic setting, his shirt collar remained crisp, and the Patek Philippe on his wrist reflected a subtle glow in the gloom. He was the wealthy businessman Watanabe referred to as "Sato".

Beside Sato stood two equally well‑dressed men, nervously sipping water in small sips.

They were two affluent friends of Sato.

In the corner, a young girl looking about twenty, clutching her knees and trembling, eyes full of terror, was Sato's niece, Miyuki.

On the other side were two sturdy bodyguards with bulging waists, eyes alert.

There was also a taciturn "Captain" who would steer the ship at sea, and a middle‑aged man with a wax‑yellow complexion and sharp eyes.

The sharp‑eyed middle‑aged man was named Tanaka, the guide for this operation, extremely familiar with the city's routes.

Seeing Lin Fan arrive, Sato proactively nodded, forcing a fairly friendly smile onto his face.

"Lin‑san."

This goodwill was extended by Lin Fan himself.

A few days earlier, Sato had been full of doubt about the mysterious young man Watanabe brought.

And shortly thereafter, several thugs burst into the base.

Before the bodyguards could act, Lin Fan surged out like a phantom, precisely stunning the thugs; his superhuman speed and strength made everyone—especially Sato—take notice.

At Watanabe's request, Sato immediately decided to take Lin Fan along to leave.

In Sato's view, Lin Fan could significantly raise the mission's success rate.

At this moment.

Guide Tanaka spread a crumpled city map on the pool table and, with a red marker, drew a winding route.

"Our target is the Third Port; Mr. Sato's ship is there. Arrival time is before noon, twelve o'clock, the day after tomorrow."

His voice was hoarse and solemn as he tapped several areas on the map with his finger.

"There are three kinds of threats on the road."

"First, Infected from the Laughing Demon's curse."

"Second, the army that indiscriminately shoots living people on the streets."

"Third, thugs who burn, kill and loot."

"The most dangerous among them… without doubt the Laughing Demon's cursed Infected; if they see you, you'll be infected and inevitably die."

Tanaka's tone deepened as he stated the harshest, most practical rule:

"So listen up, this is the only rule for us to survive."

"If you encounter anyone on the road, whether adult or child, you must kill them immediately, without hesitation."

"After all, Dongdao now is an absolute dark forest; anyone wandering outside is either an Infected or a thug."

His sharp gaze swept over everyone present.

"If… I mean if someone in our team gets infected by accident…"

"No matter who they are, they must be executed immediately!"

"Finally—remember, absolutely! Absolutely must not make eye contact with an Infected!"

As the words fell, the basement air chilled to the freezing point.

The wealthy girl Miyuki's complexion turned pale, trembling at the thought of the upcoming operation.

The two affluent friends also wore uneasy faces, cold sweat streaming.

"Mr. Tanaka is right."

Wealthy businessman Sato stepped forward, adding.

"The connections I bribed can only guarantee our ship ten minutes of clearance when passing the target sea area."

"Ten minutes."

"If we miss these ten minutes, all of us will have to stay on this island forever."

"Therefore, we must not delay, and there must be no accidents."

Everyone's expression grew solemn, and no one raised any objection.

With the plan confirmed, everyone decided to rest for a night and set off on schedule at dawn tomorrow.

Meanwhile, at the Prime Minister's Residence.

Communication had regressed to a primitive era; all reports relied on wired telephones and messengers.

Prime Minister Xiao Yesi's eyes were bloodshot as he listened to several Core staff arguing fiercely.

"His Excellency the Prime Minister! This cannot continue! If we don't distribute supplies, the people will be driven mad!" a staffer shouted, slamming a report onto the table. "Cannibalism has already broken out among the civilians! Our nation will be utterly destroyed from within! Restoring supplies is imperative!"

"Distribute supplies? How? Let the people gather? Do you want the entire Dongdao to become a Laughing Demon party?" another staffer lost complete control.

"But..."

"Enough!"

Xiao Yesi finally slammed a fist onto the table, panting heavily, and made his final decision.

"Relay my orders!"

"The Self-Defense Forces shall, in batches, distribute basic survival supplies door to door!"

"At the same time, continue clearing all Unstable Factors from the streets! I must ensure that anyone outside is only our staggered military personnel! The public must not gather, lest a massive infection occurs!"

It was a frantic yet helpless decision.

The next day, at dawn.

As the sky barely brightened, Lin Fan and his party had packed their gear and were ready to depart.

A crack opened in the basement door, and cold air surged in.

Just as they were about to step into this deathly ruin.

hiss... hiss...

Above the city, the public broadcast system, silent for a long time, suddenly emitted a hiss of electricity.

Immediately after, Prime Minister Xiao Yesi's hoarse, almost distorted voice sounded.

"All citizens, please pay attention… All citizens, please pay attention…"

"To ensure everyone's basic survival, the government has decided that, starting today, the Self-Defense Forces will be responsible for emergency supply distribution to every household nationwide…"

"To guarantee absolute safety during distribution, the clearing operation will not cease; anyone appearing on the streets who is not a government personnel will be deemed a threat…"

The broadcast's content entered each person's ears clearly.

In the basement, everyone's complexion instantly turned extremely grim.

Du Bian's mouth formed an "O" shape.

Guide Tian Zhong's expression changed dramatically.

"And it happens at this moment…"

The wealthy businessman Zuo Teng's face grew so gloomy it seemed it could drip water.

The government's decision effectively added another deadly lock to their escape route.

The number of troops on the streets will surge dramatically.

The probability of them being discovered will increase exponentially!

"Looks like now…"

Lin Fan squinted, slowly uttered, "It's hell difficulty now."

ps:

There's an even more hellish one, for the entire Dongdao.