Chapter 102: They Have Arrived

"No anomaly on Cold Moon Street.""No anomaly on Cold Wind Street.""No anomaly on Cold Snow Street..."

Successive voices came through the walkie-talkie as Chen Ling stood alone on the rooftop of a five-story building, surveying his surroundings.

This small building was already the tallest in the vicinity. On a normal day, Chen Ling could see five or six streets spread out below him from this vantage point. But now, in the dense fog, he couldn't even see the edge of the roof, as if the entire world were enveloped in mist. He sighed resignedly, then pressed the button on his walkie-talkie. "No anomaly on Cold Frost Street."

It was the second evening since the dense fog had descended. There were no signs of disaster or invasion, and no reply had come from Aurora City. Everything was eerily quiet, an unsettling silence. Chen Ling, in particular, had been convinced something was wrong in District Three ever since he saw that audience expectation value prompt. Yet, despite searching all the streets last night, he found nothing unusual.

"Third watch law enforcement officers take over, everyone else can rest," Han Meng's voice came through the walkie-talkie, followed by a series of acknowledgments.

As dusk fell, Chen Ling put away his walkie-talkie, descended the stairs to the first floor, and headed straight home.

Spurred by the audience expectation value last night, he hadn't slept at all and needed to rest today. He reached his doorstep and noticed the brightly lit Zhao's Breakfast Shop across the street. After a moment of hesitation, he decided not to disturb them and turned back into his house. Chen Ling washed up, lay down in bed early, and his consciousness gradually drifted into sleep...

Of course, dreaming was impossible.

Chen Ling opened his eyes again, and pairs of mocking red eyes watched him from the audience. Blinding spotlights shone on him, making him the sole focus on the dilapidated stage. Chen Ling was accustomed to this sight, but he had a vague feeling, as if it wasn't just his imagination, that the audience's gaze today seemed even stranger... as if they were expecting something.

Chen Ling furrowed his brow, looking down at the screen on the stage. After a full day of boring guard duty, the audience expectation value hadn't dropped; it remained at 39%, the same as last night. This was almost impossible for an audience.

"Something's not right..." Chen Ling keenly sensed an abnormality. "Something must be wrong."

Chen Ling carefully reviewed everything in his mind but found no issues. This wasn't surprising, as Chen Ling knew the audience could see "plots" that he couldn't. Trying to deduce the problem this way required luck. Chen Ling pondered for a long time before finally giving up.

He closed his eyes, and in a trance, the twisted divine path leading to the heavens reappeared around him. Since Chen Ling unlocked the qualification to step onto the second stage, he essentially tried to ascend every night. After all, he could feel his mental power growing daily; although it was only a very slight increase, it was an increase nonetheless.

Chen Ling took a deep breath, continuously pouring his mental power into his feet. Just as his sole gradually approached the surface of the step, a crisp ringing sound suddenly echoed from above the stage!

Ding-a-ling-ling—

Chen Ling froze. He was, of course, familiar with this sound; it signaled the end of the intermission. For him, it meant his dream was about to end. But he had only just fallen asleep, hadn't he?

Chen Ling looked at the screen in front of the stage, puzzled, as a line of text popped up:

Intermission over, please continue your performance.

Immediately after, a string of characters appeared:

Audience Expectation Value 3%Audience Expectation Value 3%Audience Expectation Value...

Chen Ling's consciousness plummeted!

Thump, thump, thump—

In his sleep, Chen Ling abruptly opened his eyes! Someone was knocking at the door? Misty fog drifted outside the dark window. He quickly sat up, looking towards the door.

Thump, thump, thump—

The knocking sound came again, neither too soft nor too loud, each knock perfectly even, giving off an impression of politeness and grace.

Chen Ling checked the time; less than an hour had passed since he fell asleep. No wonder the stage was urging him so much to continue the performance; someone was at the door.

No, that's not right... Chen Ling clearly remembered seeing the rapid-fire audience expectation value increase notifications on the screen before losing consciousness on stage. Something that could excite the audience so much surely wasn't just a simple knock at the door!

Without hesitation, Chen Ling got out of bed, grabbed the gun from his bedside, and slowly approached the door.

Thump, thump, thump—

"Who's there?" Chen Ling asked in a deep voice.

A moment later, a jarring and eerie voice sounded from outside the door. "I've come... to find someone..."

Hearing that voice, Chen Ling knew something was wrong. It was not a sound that human vocal cords could produce at all, as grating as nails scratching on a blackboard, yet it was mimicking human speech.

"Find someone?"

Chen Ling instinctively asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"The Scarlet Sovereign of the Ghost-Mocking Abyss;The Faceless King of Mocking Fate."

These two sentences were spoken without any pause or obscurity, sounding very fluid and natural, as if they had been practiced many times.

Chen Ling's mind raced, debating whether to open the door and see what was behind it, or to simply open fire. After a moment of silence, he replied, "The person you're looking for isn't here."

The voice behind the door fell silent.

The next moment, Chen Ling's front door exploded inward! From within the hazy mist, a figure lunged at Chen Ling's face! Chen Ling was prepared; he instantly raised his knee, striking the figure's chest, then swung the gun butt in a whistling arc, smashing it into the creature's head. The figure grunted, falling heavily to the ground. Only then could Chen Ling barely make out its full appearance.

"Zhao Yi?"

Seeing the person's face, Chen Ling froze in surprise.

"...Watch out! My shadow!!" Zhao Yi's face was ashen, and he yelled, pushing through the dizziness from the blow to his head.

Chen Ling's pupils contracted slightly. Almost simultaneously, a massive afterimage darted from the shadows right in front of him! It was too fast; Chen Ling had no time to think. His move was his strongest attack: the Domain of Judgment burst open, the black muzzle instantly aimed forward, and he pulled the trigger without hesitation!

Bang—!

The deconstructing bullet pierced the dark shadow, tearing it directly into nothingness, leaving behind a mass of fragmented goo that splattered onto the ground. The mental exertion of the Domain of Judgment made Chen Ling feel a bit dizzy, but it was much better than his experience in the Ancient Arsenal. He frowned, glancing at the amorphous corpse on the ground, then looked at Zhao Yi, who was lying down and coughing violently.

"Zhao Yi, what's going on?"

Zhao Yi lay sprawled on his back on the ground, gasping like a broken bellows, his voice incredibly weak. "Chen Ling... they're here!"