Vol. 1 - Ch. 21 - Peace Charm
I'm Not The Drama GodThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
T/N: Shock! What will happen to our little brother chenyan TT
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
T/N: Shock! What will happen to our little brother chenyan TT
"Anyway, your task for these two days is to search this street to see if there are any traces of Calamity beneath the abandoned ruins or any other unusual things..."
"Unusual things?"
"The power of the Calamity can affect the surrounding reality environment, with specific effects varying depending on the calamity... Some calamities just standing there can distort everything nearby, while others can cause fires. It is said that the more bizarre ones can even control humans... We call this kind of influence 'Calamity Domain'."
"The higher the level of a calamity, the greater the destructive power and range of the calamity domain. Overall, we classify calamities from level one to level nine, but each level has some aliases to represent their destructive power. For example, a level nine Calamity... we would usually call it 'World Destruction'."
"World Destruction..." Chen Ling was stunned, "So a level nine calamity can really destroy the world?"
"Although it sounds exaggerated, it's almost there... It is said that a level nine calamity has the power to completely exterminate a human realm." Qian Fan seemed to recall something and lowered his voice, "Don't you know?"
"What?"
"Actually, the previous night, the one that emerged from your Third District... was a 'World Destruction'."
"!!!" Chen Ling's face went pale instantly.
"Haha, I'm just teasing you." Qian Fan chuckled as he observed Chen Ling's reaction, giving his shoulder a friendly pat. "I heard about the calamity pointer in your Third District going off the charts, but that usually only happens when 'World Destruction' is imminent... However, let's be real, that's just not plausible, is it? It's been nearly a century since the last 'World Destruction,' and if it were truly happening again, the Third District would have been obliterated long ago. How could it have remained peaceful until now? So, my guess is there's just some anomaly affecting the calamity pointer. Han Meng's enforcers dealt with it yesterday, right? They confirmed it was just a level five calamity, not a 'World Destruction'... So, no need to stress."
Qian Fan stood confidently, hands on hips, sporting a smile that contrasted sharply with Chen Ling's solemn expression. While Chen Ling couldn't muster a smile, he understood all too well what Qian Fan meant by "level five" calamity. Han Meng's recent encounter, labeled as a "level five," wasn't truly deserving of the title. It was simply because the "audience expectation value" happened to hover around 14%-15% at that time. The "audience" usurping the stage mirrored the combat power of a level five calamity.
Chen Ling vividly recalled that less than one percent of the entire audience seating had rushed out at that time... What if the entire "audience" collectively fled? Did that mean... a complete "World Destruction"? The mere thought sent shivers down Chen Ling's spine. He had anticipated powerful calamities in the audience seating, but he hadn't fathomed they could be this strong… They were super-calamities capable of heralding "World Destruction"!
Each one was like an unpredictable time bomb that could destroy the human realm.
"Alright, get to work," Qian Fan said contentedly.
"...Okay."
As Qian Fan left, Chen Ling was left alone on the street amidst the ruins. He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing his fear, and began searching among the rubble...
Regardless of the level of the "audience," they seemed to abide by the rules of the theater.
As long as Chen Ling kept the "audience expectation value" above 20%, nothing would go wrong.
【Audience expectation value -1】
【Current expectation value: 32%】
Among the rubble, two lines of characters were hastily sketched, only to vanish in an instant. Ever since he had gone undercover as an enforcer, the audience expectation value had surged by 10%, yet gradually, it waned at a steady pace over time.
At this current rate, if he continued doing nothing, the audience expectation value would plummet back to 20% within 36 hours at most. For the next few hours, Chen Ling meticulously searched the ruins, but he was still unable to find any traces of hair or remnants of this "calamity domain."
To be honest, Chen Ling was also curious about the nature of the calamity that had fled alongside his "audience".
"Chen Ling!"
A voice nearby interrupted Chen Ling's focused search. He looked up to see his old friend Wu Youdong approaching.
"I heard you came early this morning?" Wu Youdong was sweating profusely, suggesting that he had walked all the way from the Third District.
"How did you get here so quickly? Didn't you go home?"
"No, something came up."
"Related to your little brother?"
Hearing this, Chen Ling abruptly raised his head.
"What did you say?"
"Oh, as I passed by your house just now... I noticed Captain Han Meng was there, mentioning something about wanting to speak with your brother," Wu Youdong remarked, wiping his sweat. "But hey, your family's conditions seem even worse than mine... Is your house all riddled with holes?"
Chen Ling disregarded Wu Youdong's teasing and inquired once more, "Did Han Meng actually go to talk to my brother?"
"No, there was this tall man with silver wire glasses standing at the door, chatting with him. I couldn't catch exactly what was said, but after a brief exchange, Captain Han Meng left... He didn't go inside."
A tall man with silver wire glasses?
Chen Ling was stunned for a moment, and a sudden realization flashed through his mind...
He had completely forgotten about it! Earlier, he had sent a message to Aurora City, intending for that "doctor" to come and treat him, but with so much happening these past few days, he had completely pushed it to the back of his mind... Now it seemed that the "doctor" had come as promised to treat him.
But wait, wasn't the Third District sealed off? How did he get in?
Various doubts flashed through Chen Ling's mind, and he urgently wanted to go home to see what had happened.
"I won't tell you more for now. My task is to relocate the surviving residents of Ice Spring Street, and there's a lot to do," Wu Youdong glanced at the time, bid farewell to Chen Ling, and hurried away.
‘Since Han Meng was sent away, there shouldn't be a chance to interrogate Chen Yan. His home should still be safe…’ Chen Ling thought as he quickly headed towards Qian Fan and the others.
The "doctor" was a completely unknown entity to Chen Ling, and he didn't dare to let Chen Yan be alone with them for too long.
He needed to go home immediately.
Creak—
As Chen Ling took a step, he crushed a piece of brick in the rubble. He looked down, and a faint red color was pressed under the fragments.
Frowning slightly, Chen Ling bent down to brush away the debris, and the outline of that red color gradually became clear... When he saw the full appearance of that thing, his pupils contracted sharply.
It was a broken peace charm.
In the corner of the peace charm, two small characters were embroidered—
Chen Yan.