Vol. 1 - Ch. 3 - Calamity
I'm Not The Drama GodThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
T/L: So all of them are suspecting each other’s actions… sounds like a psychological thriller to me lol
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
T/L: So all of them are suspecting each other’s actions… sounds like a psychological thriller to me lol
Chen Ling's pupils suddenly contracted!
However, when he blinked, the blood-red characters on the ground instantly vanished, as if they had never existed.
An illusion?
Chen Ling stood still in a daze, and those words seemed to have drilled into his mind, unforgettable.
【We are watching you】
Chen Ling suddenly turned around!
In the empty living room, it felt as if invisible crimson pupils were observing him. This sensation of being stared at was reminiscent of a nightmare.
He stood still as a statue for a while, then started to force himself to take deep breaths.
"Maybe it's because I stayed up late preparing for the enforcer exam a few days ago, and my mind is too tense..."
"But this was done by the original owner of this body. It has nothing to do with me, right? Could it be that there was a problem during the fusion of two souls, causing damage to the mind?"
"I heard that severe schizophrenia can indeed lead to indistinguishable hallucinations..."
Temporarily suppressing his inner fear, Chen Ling attempted to rationalise and explain everything in a scientific manner. A strong sense of hunger surged, prompting him to casually grab a sausage from the cutting board. He took a few bites to ease himself.
"Maybe I need a psychiatrist."
Startled, Chen Ling didn't even bother to wash his face. He hastily put on a black cotton coat and headed out.
Even so, the cold air rushing in behind the door still made Chen Ling shiver.
This marked Chen Ling's first formal encounter with the world since regaining consciousness. He took a deep breath, preparing himself to face all the unknowns and difficulties.
However, when he inadvertently looked up at the sky, he couldn't help but exclaim.
"What on earth is this world?"
The morning light scattered from the east, creating dreamlike blue ribbons floating above the small town, seemingly close yet unreachable.
Aurora.
A daytime aurora.
Chen Ling stood at the doorway, staring at the aurora-filled sky for a long time, whispering to himself.
"What kind of place is this world?"
...
"Damn, why is this road so difficult to travel?"
"It's too cold, and it just rained heavily last night. The mountain road is all frozen, so be careful."
"We've been dragging along, and it's already daylight." The man wiped the sweat from his forehead. "How much farther do we have to go?"
"The mass grave is just ahead... we should be close."
Two shaky figures climbed over the mountain peak, finally spotting clusters of mounds not far away. These mounds varied in age, with most lacking inscriptions. Some just had a wooden sign casually stuck in front or items from the deceased.
However, after last night's heavy rain, many mounds had been washed away, and sticks and other items were scattered all around, creating a scene of chaos.
What surprised the two was that the mass grave was now cordoned off with yellow caution tape. Over a dozen figures moved within the restricted area, their expressions somewhat grave.
"Enforcers?"
Seeing those people in conspicuous black and red attire, the man widened his eyes. "How are they here?"
"They've found out?" The woman's face turned pale. "Is... is it Ah Ling? Did he go to find the enforcers? Is he really alive?"
Thinking they had killed Chen Ling, only for him to return the next day, coupled with the sudden appearance of enforcers at the burial site... there was hardly any other explanation.
"No...," the man stared intensely at those figures, "Enforcers from Zone Three, even when dealing with criminal cases, would at most deploy three people! For this many people to be mobilized at once, it can only mean..."
"The Calamity... has occurred?"
The woman seemed to realize something, and cold sweat instantly drenched her back.
"Could it be the monster in the bedroom..."
"Quick, let's go!" The man grabbed the woman's wrist, turning away from the scene.
At that moment, a cold voice came from nearby.
"Stop."
The two figures froze instantly.
An enforcer emerged from beneath the caution tape, walking slowly towards them with narrowed eyes.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"I... I..." The woman stuttered, unable to speak coherently.
"We came to see our son." The man tried to speak calmly. "He's buried here, and today is his memorial day."
"Then why are you running away?"
"...Because we're scared."
"Scared?"
"With so many enforcers mobilized at once, it seems like the Grey Boundary is converging here, right?" The man spat out some saliva. "Maybe even the Calamity crawled out from inside... we're afraid of being accidentally harmed."
"Oh? You seem to understand quite a bit." The enforcer raised an eyebrow, surprised.
The man forced a pale smile.
"Lord Enforcer," the woman cautiously asked, "Is it true that the Calamity has emerged from the Grey Boundary?"
"This is classified," the enforcer replied lightly, "You've come to visit your son today. Go back now. What you see here is not allowed to be disclosed to others. I assume you understand the rules?"
"We understand, we understand."
"Go then."
Upon hearing these words, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
"Wait."
Both of their hearts skipped a beat.
"Leave your names and address." The enforcer took out paper and a pen. "It's a requirement of the confidentiality regulations. Please understand."
"Chen Tan, Li Xiuchun, 128 Cold Frost Street, Zone Three."
After recording the information, the enforcer let the pair go, and he moved back across the yellow caution tape to approach a man in a black coat, handing over the documents.
"Got the information. They came to visit their son."
Han Meng, holding a thick cigarette, took a deep drag. The pungent smoke mixed with his exhales, drifting in the cold wind.
He casually glanced at the document and calmly spoke, "Assign a few people to follow them discreetly; they seem suspicious."
"...What?"
"Cold Frost Street is at least a dozen kilometers away from here. They arrived at this time, leaving at the latest by around four in the morning... At that time, the rain hadn't stopped. Who would come up the mountain in the dark with pouring rain to pay respects? Also, this is a mass grave, a place for those with no family or who died far from home. As parents, why would they bury their child here?"
The enforcer was stunned, suddenly slapping his forehead. "Right, why didn't I think of that?"
"Little Qin, how did you pass the enforcer exam back then?"
The enforcer nicknamed Little Qin chuckled awkwardly, swiftly changing the topic. "By the way, was there really a Calamity crawling out from the Grey Boundary last night?"
Han Meng didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a palm-sized device from the inner pocket of his coat. In the center of the device was a pointer resembling a compass, with different-colored markings indicating different areas. It was clear and straightforward.
"This is the Calamity Pointer?" Jiang Qin curiously examined the device and reached out to touch it, but his hand was sharply pulled back.
"This thing is precious. When you become an Enforcer, you'll naturally have the opportunity to touch it."
Jiang Qin rubbed his sore hand and asked, "How does this thing work?"
"This is a device for detecting the danger level of 'Calamity.' After opening it, wherever the pointer points, it indicates the magnitude of the 'Calamity' fluctuation that occurred nearby. If it's just a convergence of the Grey Boundary without the 'Calamity' crawling into the real world, it won't react. The higher the level of the Calamity, the more intense the pointer swings."
Jiang Qin nodded, expressing some concern, "Mong, there shouldn't be any 'Calamity' crawling out, right?"
"Most likely not. After all, if a 'Calamity' really descended through here yesterday, Zones Two and Three would have been in chaos long ago."
"That's reassuring."
"For safety, we still need to complete the detection."
As Han Meng spoke, he opened the Calamity Pointer. The other Enforcers, curious, looked over.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The Calamity Pointer showed no reaction. Just as Han Meng breathed a sigh of relief, the pointer on the compass suddenly shook violently.
It swept across different colored areas, and a harsh creaking sound came from inside the device. Han Meng's pupils suddenly contracted, and he instinctively let go of the Calamity Pointer.
Bang!!
Countless parts shattered in mid-air, and the sharp pointer brushed against Han Meng's cheek, leaving a crimson trail. The Calamity Pointer...
Exploded