“Did you not see them, or are you unwilling to report them?” Jing Tuoshen looked much younger than the man, but his tone was direct and rude.
The branch chief didn’t seem to mind. He merely repeated, “We have the record of everyone who has come to pick up the keys. Do you want me to send the information to you?”
“This selection is planned by the headquarters. I’d advise you to conduct yourself accordingly. I don’t care what you do at the Northern Port City, but I will not allow any mistakes to happen tonight.” Jing Tuoshen adjusted the channel and connected to the spies he had planted.
Prosperity Neighbourhood was jointly managed by the 13 centres from the east city futuristic technology park and the northern port city. There were a lot of investigators and security members there, but they couldn’t control the streets. This was because the neighbourhood had been taken over by the citizens and horror game players led by Situ Cheng.
The people from the investigation centres were not scared of Situ Cheng. They didn’t fight him because it would not be good for the centre’s image, and they wanted to retain their power. They also knew that there had to be ghosts and criminals mixed in with the citizens. In fact, the wanted criminals from Class 13 were there, but they were too lazy to search for them.
Entering the anomaly was extremely dangerous. If these people were volunteering themselves to die, why would the investigation centres stop them?
Jing Tuoshen frowned as he scanned the videos provided by his spies. He saw citizens with student council badges and a few mutants in the crowd. To make things worse, Wang Jie and Xi San from Class 13 were standing not far away from the branch chief!
They wore the equipment only given to the investigators with the highest clearance. Half of their faces were hidden and they were protected by other professional investigators.
As the selection was initiated, the citizens at Prosperity Neighbourhood started to move forward. The elites from the 13 centres gave everyone their keys and room cards. Since a lot of the units in Prosperity Neighbourhood employed digital-coded doors, some of the participants were given passwords.
“Gao Ming should have entered Prosperity Neighbourhood already. Soon, his memory will be eaten by the ghosts inside the neighbourhood and revert back to his weak and useless self…”
Jing Tuoshen scanned the files he was holding. There were test results from Hen Shan Penitentiary, report cards from Han Hai First High School and so on. They all featured one name, Gao Ming.
“Once he took over Situ An’s inheritance, he would have inherited his fate.”
Jing Tuoshen didn’t enter the anomaly. He stayed inside the safe zone and watched the neighbourhood gate as he waited for the first living human to exit the anomaly alive.
Bai Xiao ran around Everlasting Life Apartments. The lights above his head dimmed. He had already been separated from his teammates. A lot of people entered the building, but he couldn’t see anyone around him. There appeared to be something chasing him in the dark. Even the blade in his hand couldn’t bring him any security.
“4343.” His brain became muddled. He only remembered the number on the key. Other than that, he seemed to have forgotten many things. The stronger one’s obsession, the easier it would be for the other things to fade away from the memory. Time ticked away, carrying with it the lost memories.
Room numbers flashed by Bai Xiao’s mind. His brain was filled with numbers as blood filled his eyes. Compelled by obsession and chased by an unknown, his heart pounded anxiously.
He didn’t even have time to contemplate the things that he had forgotten when his eyes were pulled by the room number not far away. 4343 became the last thing he remembered. Bai Xiao grabbed the doorknob, entered the key and pushed the door open. As the lock clicked, the world spun as well. Bai Xiao felt a force shove him from behind, and he fell into the room. At this place, doors appeared to have a different meaning.
As the door slammed closed, the last stage of the hypnosis was completed. Bai Xiao climbed up from the ground. There was only confusion and a light trace of malice in his eyes.
“A blade?” Bai Xiao studied his hands. He held a smelly blade. He silently studied the room he was in. Everything made him feel familiar as if he were at home.
“What a headache… Have I had too much to drink? I can’t remember anything…
“Wait…” Bai Xiao felt something was off, “Why isn’t there a single picture in this room?”
Bai Xiao looked around the living room before walking to the wooden table. A present sat on the dining table that was at least a decade old. One black and one white ribbon was tied around the bloodred box. It was unique. It was like a pair of black-and-white eyes growing out of a beating heart. R
The box didn’t fit with the rest of the room. It captured people’s attention easily. Bai Xiao opened the box. There was an exquisite wrist chain inside. When he saw the chain, the name Bai Qiao popped up in his mind, “This is my sister’s wrist chain. Is it a present for me? Is this the most important thing for me?”
Inside the smallest unit at Prosperity Neighbourhood, Xi San sat before the mirror with befuddlement, “Why am I dressed ? Is this my home? Where are my parents?” His mind was blank. Xi San felt his stomach growling. He walked to the kitchen without thinking, “Filling my stomach is more important.”
Just as he approached the fridge, he noticed a red present box on the dining table. It called to him.
“Is it a present for me?”
Xi San undid the two coloured ribbons and opened the present with excitement. There was a purple female underwear that was L in size.
Xi San stood there as if shocked. Memories related to this present flooded his mind. “Doesn’t this belong to the female neighbour upstairs? I remember her death impacting me a lot and changing a lot of my thoughts and worldviews.”
The people inside the rooms received their personalised presents. Each present was different, and no one knew who prepared them.