Chapter 140: The Sound of the Curse

Prime Minister's Residence.

In the final safe house, the heavy alloy door sealed off the outside world.

Prime Minister Onodera and several core aides leaned against the wall, gasping heavily.

Just a few minutes ago, a high-ranking official on the corridor merely glanced a little longer at the senior's portrait hanging on the wall.

The corner of the mouth of the person in the painting, which should have been solemn, split open a weird arc without any warning.

Then, everything went out of control.

The infected high official, like a moving source of plague, spread that terrifying smile to everyone he encountered.

The entire Prime Minister's Office fell in an extremely short time.

Outside, former colleagues frantically slammed the alloy door.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister...... we...... what should we do now?" a young aide's voice trembled, his face ashen as paper.

Onodera did not answer; he just stared fixedly at the constantly trembling door, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and despair.

No one knew how long had passed.

The frantic pounding outside suddenly stopped.

The safe house fell into a terrifying silence.

Several people looked at each other, each able to see the uncertainty in the other's eyes.

"Is it over?"

"Have they...... left?"

The young aide trembled, carefully edging toward the door, wanting to peek through the observation hole to see what was outside.

"Don't go!" Onodera barked sharply, stopping him in his tracks.

Seeing this, the others breathed a sigh of relief.

And just then.

"Ha...... ha ha......"

A broken, extremely suppressed weird laugh came faintly from outside the door.

Though the sound was not loud, it was like an icy awl that easily pierced the heavy alloy door, stabbing into everyone's nerves.

The few people inside instantly felt their hairs stand on end.

This sound...... was completely different from the frantic weird laughter of those infected before.

It was lighter, lower, yet even more chilling.

Onodera suddenly felt an inexplicable chill rush from his tailbone straight to his Heavenly Spirit Cover.

He instinctively wanted to cover his mouth.

But.

His facial muscles no longer obeyed him.

He could clearly feel that the corner of his mouth was being pulled upward inch by inch by an invisible force.

A stiff, twisted arc was forming on his face.

"No......"

He wanted to scream, but his throat could only squeeze out the same dry, weird syllables as outside.

"Ha...... ha ha......"

He stared wide-eyed in terror at the aides beside him; each face showed the same desperate smile.

Even his voice...... also...

The cargo ship sailed on the midday sea.

The sea surface was as calm as a mirror; the surroundings were eerily silent, to the point that even the sound of waves was indistinct.

In the cabin, the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.

Watanabe and Miyuki huddled in the corner, their bodies still trembling uncontrollably, clearly not having recovered from the previous terrifying moment.

Lin Fan leaned against the window of the cockpit, feeling the weakness transmitted from within by Ling Xinyu.

After this battle, he clearly realized.

He and Ling Xinyu were not some special, invincible existence.

In this world, there are even more terrifying ghosts.

This world is likely to undergo a drastic change soon.

But...

He raised his hand and gently stroked his right eye.

As long as he could still feel her presence, as long as he could still be with her, even facing true hell, he had nothing to fear.

Just then.

"Zi——zila——"

The ship's emergency broadcast system suddenly activated on its own, emitting a harsh burst of static.

"What's going on?"

Watanabe was startled; knowing a bit about electronics, he immediately got up and walked to the console to check.

He tinkered for a while, his brows furrowed.

"Strange, this isn't a fault of the ship's broadcast system; it's...... an external signal forcibly tapping into our channel."

He looked up at Lin Fan, his face full of confusion.

"The signal source...... seems to be the public broadcast from the East Island Prime Minister's Office."

Prime Minister's Office?

What else do they need to announce to the whole nation?

Lin Fan and Miyuki both showed curious expressions.

The electrical hum in the broadcast gradually faded.

Immediately after, a slightly hoarse voice that everyone found unmistakably familiar came out of the speaker.

It was the Prime Minister, Xiao Yesi.

"Cough... cough cough..."

In the broadcast, Xiao Yesi seemed to be clearing his throat, preparing to deliver some important speech.

Lin Fan, Du Bian, and Miyuki all subconsciously held their breath, waiting for what came next.

However.

The anticipated speech and orders never appeared.

"Cough..."

"Cough cough, hehe, hohoho..."

"Ho... hoho... hohohohohoho!"

In the broadcast, only Xiao Yesi's uncontainable, increasingly loud and frantic... laughter could be heard.

That laughter had already completely left the realm of humanity.

It was sharp, twisted, filled with pure malice and madness, as if alive, traveling through the radio waves, turning into an invisible Magic Sound that instantly filled the entire cabin.

It even covered the whole Dongdao.

"Ah!"

A tearing pain surged in Lin Fan's right eye.

That pale blue vortex, before this pure, all‑penetrating sound wave, couldn't endure even a second and was completely crushed.

Ling Xinyu's last bit of strength was instantly reduced to the limit.

The blue in Lin Fan's right eye quickly faded, returning to the human black.

A feeling of utter exhaustion, as if all his strength had been drained, swept over his entire body.

His legs went weak, and he suddenly fell to a half‑kneel on the ground, lacking even the strength to stand up.

He raised his head in terror.

Directly meeting the faces of Du Bian and Miyuki looking at him.

The two stood rigidly, motionless.

On their faces simultaneously appeared that eerily familiar, nightmare‑like Weird smile he knew all too well.

They heard the broadcast and were instantly infected!

"Du Bian!"

Lin Fan's eyes bulged as he roared, trying to stand, but his body was as soft as a puddle of sludge.

Du Bian's face bore that extremely rigid Weird smile.

Yet a clear tear slowly slid down the corner of his eye.

He didn't look at Lin Fan.

He only exchanged a glance with Miyuki beside him, then the two, like puppets programmed in advance, turned in unison with stiff steps and walked out of the cockpit.

"Come back!"

Lin Fan mustered all his strength, crawling forward with both hands and feet.

He watched helplessly as the two walked to the ship's rail.

Without hesitation.

He leapt forward.

"Splash!"

"Splash!"

The two figures were instantly swallowed by the black, icy seawater, not even a single splash rising.

Moments later, Lin Fan staggered to the rail, seeing only an empty expanse of sea.

It seemed that everything just now had been merely an illusion.

The cargo ship continued to glide smoothly forward in automatic navigation mode, heading toward the safe waters.

Onboard, only Lin Fan remained.

He leaned on the cold railing, gazing at the island silhouette left behind, resembling a hellish landscape.

He had clearly escaped the terrifying Dongdao.

Yet no joy could arise in his heart.

He knew...

This world was truly about to undergo a complete upheaval.

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