Chapter 295: Divine Gift

Dear survivors, good evening.

On this beautiful Blood Moon night, to increase your survival fun, we will launch a city‑wide revelry—the "Blood Moon Game".

Lei Yu's brows twisted into a knot. He

"Who the hell sent this? A hacker?" the bald deputy captain beside him stared wide‑eyed, "People still pull this kind of prank now?"

Su Ming said nothing. He simply lowered his head and stared at the screen.

The Blood Characters on the screen kept scrolling, each one exuding a chilling malice.

Rules are as follows:

1. We have placed "Divine Gifts" throughout the city. They might be a pair of scissors, a pair of embroidered shoes, or even a finger bone…

2. Find them. Anyone who possesses a "Divine Gift" will automatically gain "player" status.

3. When all "Divine Gifts" have been obtained, all players holding a Divine Gift will be transported to the final stage.

4. The sole victor will receive one chance to "wish to the deity". Whether you wish to resurrect a loved one, obtain endless wealth, or even… become a god.

Wishing you all a pleasant hunt.

Below the text is an extremely detailed city holographic map.

The map, originally dim, now flickers with fourteen glaring red dots scattered across the city's corners.

"Madman." Lei Yu spat, turned off the screen, "Ignore this, continue the mission."

Special Forces members hurriedly slipped their phones back into their pockets. To them, it was just a clumsy threatening message.

Only Su Ming remained standing, his gaze still glued to the screen.

His pupils contracted slightly.

Fourteen.

The map displayed only fourteen red dots.

But in the previous life, the number of "Divine Gifts" was fifteen; the missing one—could it be the Time Marrow Worm inside him?

"It seems… the Time Marrow Worm, being in deep hibernation, was classified as 'inactive', so it didn't appear on the map."

"Moreover, it appears to be the sole one in spacetime… whether future or present, only one Time Marrow Worm can exist."

Su Ming was calculating in his mind.

In his previous life, Su Ming personally experienced that bloody "Blood Moon Game".

He knows all too well what those so‑called "Divine Gifts" actually are.

They are curses, power, and also a Ticket to the Abyss.

In the last life, the emergence of these Weird items triggered disasters scarier than monsters.

For that vague, ethereal "wish", survivors began slaughtering each other. Fathers turned against sons, spouses ate spouses; humanity's beastly greed was a hundred times uglier than the Weird who only killed by the Rules.

Now, the Time Marrow Worm sleeps, a huge advantage and also a Timed Bomb.

If the Time Marrow Worm awakens, or if one harnesses its power, the missing "fifteenth red dot" will instantly appear on everyone's map. Then, one becomes a moving target.

"Su Ming? What are you daydreaming about!"

Lei Yu's low growl snapped his thoughts back.

"Got it." Su Ming tucked his phone away, a hint of panic flashing on his face, "Sir, this message… really can be ignored?"

"What a load of crap." the bald deputy captain nudged him, "If you want to stay alive, don't trust these ghostly things. Wish? I'd wish this moon to explode—could it even happen?"

Su Ming craned his neck, following the squad with a submissive demeanor, while sneering inwardly.

It can.

It really can.

But Su Ming has no intention of joining this game.

In his past life, this very game made human infighting more efficient than the Weird.

In the previous life, it was during the third stage of the Blood Moon Game—

He died.

Before dying, he watched that terrifying creature win, and made a hopeless wish.

He never wants to encounter Sai Men—the masked Fool—again.

Thus he chose to stay out of this contest.

He hopes this time the Time Marrow Worm's slumber won't cause it to be classified as a Divine Gift in the third stage.

Otherwise, even refusing to join the game won't help.

At the same moment.

Federal Weird Investigation Bureau.

"Chief, the signal source is untraceable."

"It's a forced Rules implantation, acting directly on the city's communication base stations, even bypassing our physical firewalls."

Lord Wei's cloudy yet sharp eyes fixed on the map, his fingers rhythmically tapping the tabletop.

"Wish…"

His gaze swept the map, finally settling on several special coordinates.

"Fourteen Weird items, i. e., fourteen high‑level Rule carriers. If civilians—those who manipulate the Weird—or ill‑intentioned people obtain them, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"Chief, should we change the operational plan?" the secretary whispered nearby.

"No."

Lord Wei flatly refused, "Send the Special Forces unit to the North Suburbs Hospital to locate Liang Wen as originally planned."

He paused at that point, his gaze deepening.

"As for these 'Divine Gifts'… inform the other covert posts in the city to closely monitor activity near the red dots, provided safety is ensured. If anyone obtains one, record its features. Once our forces gather, we will secure them immediately."

Yes!

Subway Line 2, entrance.

The familiar blue 'M' logo originally there has now been covered by a thick layer of flesh membrane, still pulsating rhythmically, like a heart exposed to the air.

The escalator leading downward had long stopped working; although there was no Weird mirror from the street just now on the steps, they were overgrown with dark-red moss.

Those mosses are not plants, but tiny blood vessels; under the flashlight's beam, one can still see the liquid flowing inside.

A gust of yin wind carrying the smell of iron rust and mildew is blowing up from underground, making the back of one's neck feel chilly.

Bring gas masks.

Lei Yu made a hand signal.

Everyone hurriedly put on their masks, and their breathing became muffled.

"Kid, are you sure we can go down there?" the bald deputy Captain looked at the entrance that seemed like a monster's esophagus, feeling a bit creeped out.

Su Ming's voice sounded muffled through the mask: "The subway station's structure is simple, and its ventilation system is independent. As long as you don't touch the moss on the walls or step on the manhole covers, there's a good chance there won't be......"

Before he could finish, a shrill wail suddenly came from deep within the subway.

That sound didn't seem human; rather, it was something imitating a human infant's cry—sharp, piercing, with an echo, reverberating repeatedly against the eardrums in the spacious tunnel.

"It's just the wind." Su Ming bluffed without changing expression, "A crosswind in the tunnel passing through damaged ventilation ducts produces this sound. It happened before, but now with no one around, it's clearer."

Actually, that is the "Crying Infant".

A low-grade Weird that parasitizes the ceiling of the subway tunnels, they hang upside down like bats, using their cries to lure prey. As long as you don't look up or make eye contact with them, they are blind.

Lei Yu gave Su Ming a deep look.

He of course could tell it wasn't the wind, but he valued Su Ming's talent for spouting nonsense to steady morale even more.

"Down."

Lei Yu waved his hand and stepped first onto the stairs covered with vascular moss.

Su Ming followed closely behind.