Wu Yiliu crouched in the distance in the bushes, the camera on a tripod beside him. Through the gaps in the green branches and leaves, a small circular plaza was visible. White tiles, a stone fountain, and the man standing in front of the fountain were all fragmented into several shadows by the foliage.
To get a closer look, one had to watch the man's occasional turns to see the black and white clapperboard in his hand.
Fortunately, the consular officer's physical quality and various abilities were indeed much worse than an average posthuman. Wu Yiliu had evened out his breath, and the other party still hadn't noticed someone was nearby.
"Then you go and help him," the consular officer said, sounding a bit irritable as he spoke into the microphone on his collar. "Don't let the last few people escape. If they run out and spread rumors, who will approach this pocket dimension in the future?"
A voice in his earpiece seemed to respond for a moment, and the consular officer nodded. "Then be quick about it; you've always been quite good at this, resolve the few people lingering at the door as soon as possible. As soon as you throw them back into the pocket dimension, I can activate it here."
He paused to look at the clapperboard in his hand and said, "It's showing here that only five cameras are in 'ready to shoot' status... Hmm, still missing five; that's half. Too many! Patrol again and see who's messed up. If it really won't work, even with fewer cameras, we must start shooting."
Fewer cameras could still activate it? Ah, it meant that if some cameras were missing, the pocket dimension's range would be reduced, but it could still be turned into a pocket dimension, right?
This meant that even if he had taken a camera, he still couldn't guarantee his safety—or the safety of Professor Qiao, whose location he didn't know.
Wu Yiliu silently exhaled a hot breath, tormented by anxiety. Sweat trickled down his forehead into his eyebrows.
The previous conversation had also contained another hint that had shocked him to his core. He initially thought that the posthumans who had rushed out of the pocket dimension after hearing the broadcast were mostly safe, except for a few who had run into Huanzi and others. But from the consular officer's words, it seemed this was not the case.
There were probably no more than four or five still fighting, yet the consular officer was concerned about "not letting them run out and talk"—this could only mean one thing: the others hadn't escaped.
A reason that had prevented all the others from escaping would soon deal with the remaining few, and then he would be exposed.
Wu Yiliu knew that his opportunity was only these few minutes, and he had to act—but what should he do?
The opponent was just a consular officer, supposedly only capable of issuing visas. If he suddenly lunged at him, would he have a chance? Although he was young and strong, enjoyed playing sports, and should have the stamina...
But no matter how he tried to force optimism, his thoughts were shattered by his accelerating heartbeat.
It all seemed impossible. If the other party simply activated something, Wu Yiliu would be done for.
Could he try to deceive him? Claim he was sent by Huanzi? No, the consular officer had seen him once before.
Wu Yiliu's teeth were buried in his lower lip as he pondered desperately for a moment. Not far away, the consular officer had fallen silent too, occasionally glancing at the clapperboard and saying, "Why isn't it ready yet?"
As time thinned and the opportunity grew more elusive, just as Wu Yiliu decided to go all-in but found his legs frozen in place, there was suddenly a "zzap" sound on the radio, followed by the sound of electricity.
Professor Qiao's slightly weary voice then came through every intact speaker inside the fake pocket dimension.
"Every word I am about to say relates to your lives, so listen well," Professor Qiao said. The consular officer, who had been sitting by the stone fountain, jumped up at once.
"Those of you who have mistakenly entered this fake pocket dimension, you may have realized that you have entered an artificial fake pocket dimension, not a pocket dimension themed like a fake one. They won't let you leave now because they are about to activate Special Item [Pocket Dimension Setting], turning this place into a real pocket dimension."
Professor Qiao's voice was a little hoarse, light and dry, as if it would shatter at a touch. The old lady was truly tired, as her voice was so weak that even this broadcast seemed somewhat careless.
"Who is broadcasting now?" the consular officer asked, having reconnected with his companion, nearly frantic. "Wasn't the person who was sending random broadcasts already caught?"
Wu Yiliu's heart gave a "thump." No wonder they hadn't heard the broadcast for so long since Professor Qiao appeared — had they caught the middle-aged man as well?
Professor Qiao's voice remained steady.
"I'll give the next hint only once. In the small square at the center of the fake pocket dimension, there is a posthuman, the key figure responsible for activating [Pocket Dimension Setting]. He's been waiting for you to be controlled and will then use the item to trap you inside the pocket dimension. To stop you, they've focused their strength outside the pocket dimension, leaving it hollow inside. What you should do next, I need not say more."
So, Professor Qiao had also deduced the situation! Wu Yiliu, excited, nearly made a sound — after finding the middle-aged man and gaining information from surveillance cameras, it was not difficult for her sharp mind to reach the same conclusion; this tactic had indeed hit the mark, as the consular officer alone could not withstand the arriving posthumans.
Whether she had been seen was another, less certain matter: the struggle with the posthuman had affected many circuits, and the pocket dimension's cameras clearly could not provide complete imagery. For Professor Qiao, she was probably just trying to turn the tide by herself.
"What's going on?" the consular officer cried into the microphone. "What if they come? You can't stop people from several directions at once; should I hide first—"
Someone in his earpiece spoke, and he calmed down slightly after listening.
"Are you sure?" he asked with concern. "Alright... then I'll wait for them to come. Okay, I'll keep an eye out, and as soon as the cameras on the clapperboard show they're ready, I'll act. Sigh, if there are fewer, there's no way around it."
Yes, Wu Yiliu thought with a start, suddenly realizing his situation was even more dangerous now than when Professor Qiao was silent. Once the posthumans gave up fighting and turned back, the temporarily disrupted cameras would become "ready to shoot," giving the consular officer an opportunity.
Moreover, Professor Qiao's words might not convince everyone at once; some might return, others might not. This could lead to a situation where the consular officer was prepared for not all ten cameras to come online; even if one or two of the five were reconnected, he might activate [Pocket Dimension Setting] immediately — trapping him and Professor Qiao forever.
As these thoughts raced through Wu Yiliu's mind, the consular officer stared at his clapperboard. After half a minute, he suddenly became excited and muttered, "One is ready! That's enough."
Only six cameras could shoot, but that seemed enough for him. The consular officer raised the clapperboard and said, "Name, Fake Pocket Dimension; number of cameras, six—"