City of Sinful Mist (Black Death), Chapter 125: Isolated and Helpless

Gao Cheng was quite sincere, after all, there were only a handful of people in the city who could be of any help. A level 4 player might be a bit weak, but it was better than nothing. Who knew? Perhaps in a critical moment, the meager strength of a level 4 player could be the deciding factor.

"Why not meet at the Inquisition headquarters?" After a brief exchange, Wu Hui did not fully trust him yet, but he felt the guy had reached a credibility level of about eighty percent.

"The Inquisition and the police station are the most severely affected areas," Gao Cheng replied. "Getting close to them, you're likely to lose your mind."

In fact, many people had gone insane during this period, especially the frontline police officers and members of the Inquisition. Gao Cheng had dealt with those individuals—not by killing them, but by locking them up. Of course, two level 7s had also lost their minds today; that was something he truly couldn't handle. Inquisition members usually had strong resistance. Theoretically, it should have been impossible for level 7 players to be so severely affected, but since it had already happened, Gao Cheng could only try to investigate the cause rather than dwell on what was impossible.

"I need the criminal records of Dayun City from this period, focusing on the window between seven and ten days ago," Wu Hui said. "Though... you must have already checked these, right?"

"We have. We've even killed two players involved in the game," Gao Cheng sighed. "We don't know how many players there are currently, but at least one of them is a level 7."

"Those who haven't realized the truth can leave whenever they want, but it must be of their own volition. Our words are useless. They can communicate with the outside world, but we cannot."

"Although this city is populous, we have been completely cut off from the rest of the world."

Gao Cheng told Wu Hui a great deal. Of course, none of this was too sensitive. Even if Wu Hui were a spy sent by the enemy, he wouldn't gain any critical information from this.

"Is that so?" Wu Hui adjusted his glasses. "Do we need to find a place to rendezvous?"

"No. Both my hidden assets and yours should withdraw. Keep in touch, but meeting up might just lead to us being wiped out in one fell swoop," Gao Cheng said. "We don't trust each other yet, so let's skip that."

Their mental states were not particularly good either. Breathing the black fog in this city would change anyone subtly. Perhaps in a little while, the entire city would descend into madness.

Wu Hui and Ren Yin withdrew.

Orb Weaver emerged from the shadows and approached Gao Cheng. "That kid is a reserve member of the Spiders."

"Your Spiders have very high-quality recruits," Gao Cheng curled his lip. Of course, he knew the Inquisition also had a special elite training group, but he wasn't qualified to join it yet.

Orb Weaver, a level 5 player, was just a newcomer to the Spider organization. The level 9 player, Bird-Eating Spider, next door was his superior’s superior.

To Gao Cheng's compliment, Orb Weaver said nothing, simply retreating back into the shadows.

Ren Yin and Wu Hui walked back. Gao Cheng had ultimately sent the criminal records and other intelligence to Wu Hui, clearly hoping that this clever newcomer might make some additional discoveries.

Wu Hui flipped through the data as they walked. "They investigated very thoroughly. Their conclusions match mine."

Criminals affected by the black fog lost their ability to control their emotions. They would commit heinous crimes like murder and robbery over trivial matters, and after committing these crimes, their bodies would become emitters of black fog, continuously expanding this influence.

It was like a chain reaction. A proton strikes a nucleus, the nucleus is blasted, releasing more protons, which then strike more nuclei. Once it begins, it is hard to stop, and it keeps expanding. By now, the entire city was blanketed in black fog.

It probably wouldn't be long before the whole city went completely insane.

"Someone is approaching." Ren Yin moved close to Wu Hui, clutching his arm with a natural, affectionate gesture, as if they were an ordinary young couple returning from a night market.

Wu Hui quietly reached into his pocket. His chess pieces and spirit beasts were ready to be deployed. Ren Yin also quietly tied her hair into a ponytail. Her hairband was embedded with a gemstone—her spatial device, containing her weapons and various gadgets.

A black card was activated. This was a reward she had earned in the previous Grid Mansion game. The black card’s effect was a curse, while the white card’s effect was to block damage. The curse was triggered, and the enemies lying in ambush were quietly weakened.

The black fog churned at the edge of Wu Hui's vision. Without hesitation, he initiated a summon and began to manifest a sheet of ice. A small boat appeared beneath his feet. Seawater appeared out of thin air on the road, and the waves turned into ice crystals, scattering all around.

A colorful parrot flew across the sky, diving straight toward the densest part of the black fog. Ren Yin jumped onto the boat, drawing her dual pistols and opening fire. Gunfire bloomed in the darkness as the Grizzly Bear and the Nightmare Fighter stood on either side of the street. Muffled groans echoed from afar.

The glasses scanned the target, obtaining information.

"Name: ??? (Level 5 Player)
Gender: Female
Age: 29
Charisma: 7
Intelligence: 8
Physique: 13
Perception: 12
Willpower: 8
Mystery: 14
Status: Injured, covered in black fog
Favorability: 10 (Target: Kill)"

A level 5 player... perhaps she had even been enhanced within the game. Her strength was much higher than the wounded fugitive Wu Hui had killed before.

Wu Hui took a deep breath, gripped the handle of his long crossbow, and aimed. The Wilderness Shooter chess piece was summoned, firing alongside him.

Crossbow bolts and bullets, imbued with various supernatural powers, rained down on the level 5 player. Her ambush seemed doomed from the start; not only had Ren Yin detected her, but she was now being battered by various ranged attacks.

A long sword made of black matter thrust toward them. The ice surface turned into a wall, the Nightmare Fighter stepped forward, meeting the blade with his shield, and they collided in mid-air. The surrounding water turned into ice spikes, hovering all around the enemy. Ren Yin holstered her pistols and drew a large sniper rifle, pressing the muzzle almost against the enemy's forehead before pulling the trigger.

Blood splattered.

Wu Hui's throwing knives followed. He activated the blade's innate skill, the power of the beast soul amplifying the damage, aiming straight for the enemy's throat.

The black fog spun like a top, repelling all attacks. Wu Hui stepped onto his boat and retreated rapidly with Ren Yin. The Grizzly Bear and the Dire Wolf pounced, pinning the enemy into the crashing waves, and were then frozen by Wu Hui.

Ren Yin fired again, the light from the special ammunition illuminating half the street. Although the two had only known each other for nearly two months, their compatible personalities, combined with their rehearsals and experience fighting side-by-side, made Wu Hui and Ren Yin incredibly synchronized. Joining forces, they maintained complete suppression even against a level 5 player.

Wu Hui still had many chess pieces and spirit beasts he hadn't summoned, and Ren Yin still held many trump cards. They held the upper hand and the initiative, so they were in no rush. But the enemy could no longer afford to remain silent.