Chapter 5, Terror Descends

As there is no more time left, if we continue to delay, we may end up sacrificing ourselves. The terrifying scene after the card is activated is something I have experienced once in this lifetime, and that is already enough

In the next moment, the noise suddenly ceased, and at the same time, the streetlights, shops, and even the headlights of cars extinguished in an instant, as if someone had abruptly turned off the power.

However, before they could enter, two researchers dressed in white lab coats were faintly seen coming out.

What is going on? Brother Guo was taken aback, glancing back at Li Xia, who was equally stunned. He then raised his head to look outside, and to his dismay, everywhere his gaze fell was shrouded in darkness

Indeed, today, not only will you not cut off our electricity, but even if you were to shoot at us, we will not leave. There are reporters on site, and I do not believe you can cover the sky with one hand!

In the driver's seat, a middle-aged man around forty years old said that he was Li Xia's neighbor, surnamed Guo. He makes a living by driving a taxi. He was supposed to rest at home today, but since Li Xia couldn't get a taxi, Brother Guo offered to help her out. As a result, he got stuck here on the way back.

At that moment, the radio suddenly emitted a strange noise, extremely loud, as if a hundred cats were scratching at the glass with their claws

At that moment, Wu Ming's phone rang

8:50 PM

Only upon arriving at Tiananmen Square did Wu Ming understand why Li Xia was blocked here

This is a mass demonstration, which has been ongoing since 8 AM this morning. At this moment, thousands of people have gathered in the vast People's Square, and with the addition of onlookers from nearby, the number has surprisingly reached over ten thousand. Naturally, this has caused a complete blockage of the road, and many riot police have already formed a human wall around the area to isolate these troublemakers

The wound was inflicted by the large tooth in the mouth of a certain doctor, which is sharper than a knife

At that moment, the power suddenly returned, and under the illumination of the lights, the appearance of the two researchers was revealed. Immediately, Xiao Wang and Xiao Huang, along with the security team leader Zhang Heng behind them, all changed their expressions in an instant.

Wu Ming is not a scientist, so he cannot explain the principle behind the sudden power outage. However, he knows that soon, perhaps in a few minutes or even just a few seconds, the cards that had previously fallen will be activated. This is because the energy collector on his wrist has already begun to emit a beeping sound, which proves that there is already energy in the air

After swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Wu Ming glanced at his watch. The current time was 8:53 PM. Nine o'clock was merely an approximate time; perhaps at the very moment the power went out, those cards had already been activated.

The brief silence brought about by the sudden power outage was soon replaced by a louder voice of discontent

In recent days, due to the continuous fall of meteors in Yucheng, many people have lost their lives. Just from what Wu Ming knows, a single fall last night resulted in the deaths of over eighty individuals

As for the elderly lady who fell ill, arrangements have been made for her hospitalization

At this moment, the two researchers appeared pale, their eyes displaying a grayish-white hue. Their mouths were opened to an extreme extent, surpassing the maximum angle of human jaw opening, to the point that their faces seemed to be torn apart, revealing gory, mangled wounds. The flesh hung between their upper and lower jaws like tattered rags, with blood dripping steadily onto the ground. Astonishingly, a pair of thick, sharp black "fangs" had grown in their mouths, resembling a set of pointed pincers.

Bang bang bang bang

The taxi remained completely still. Brother Guo turned on the radio, but strangely, he could not receive any stations, only a cacophony of noise.

Several special police officers responsible for the surrounding lockdown and security heard a loud noise coming from inside, followed by several cries of anguish, and then the sounds abruptly ceased, plunging everything into silence in an instant

Wu Ming looked at the suddenly extinguished streetlight, his expression grim. He knew this was not an ordinary power outage; it was the most violent collision between the alternate space and their own. This collision seemed silent, yet in reality, many 'wormholes' would open up. From this moment on, the vital energy in the air would materialize from nothing, and the opening of the wormholes would generate a unique electromagnetic storm. The sudden blackout was caused by this phenomenon. In reality, many 'wormholes' would open up, and from now on, the vital energy in the air would materialize from nothing, and the opening of the wormholes would generate a unique electromagnetic storm. The sudden blackout was caused by this phenomenon.

Li Xia sat in the car, looking at the message on her phone screen indicating a communication failure, and helplessly tossed it aside

With Wu Ming's current physical condition, it is already comparable to that of some athletes. Running all the way to People's Square takes no more than two minutes.

For an entire hour, Wu Ming waited for a full hour. During this time, he continuously made phone calls and even went out to the nearest hospital in search of Li Xia, but he was unable to find her.

If someone were to look down at the ground from the sky at this moment, they would find that the entire Yucheng has fallen into darkness, and the crowd gathered at the People's Square is also taken aback, clearly not expecting a sudden power outage

"What happened? Xiao Wang, Xiao Huang, you two go take a look." The squad leader of the security team, Zhang Heng, wore a vigilant expression. The sudden power outage had made this alert special police officer feel that something was amiss. Clearly, this was not an ordinary power outage; could a typical power failure cause the radios they carried to stop working?

The time has reached 8:15, and at this moment, finding Li Xia would likely be too late to return. Wu Ming felt increasingly restless; in fact, half an hour ago, he had been struggling with whether to go back by himself. Now, he has finally decided to return immediately to the fortress he had built.

Time waits for no one, and in the end, Wu Ming chose the latter. The reason may be that Li Xia is his friend, or it could be due to that mysterious mark, or perhaps it is because Wu Ming cannot guarantee that he can return before 8 o'clock. Moreover, since the person has already arrived, if he were to leave now, wouldn't all his previous efforts be in vain?

Class leader Zhang Heng is currently half-sitting on the ground, his submachine gun empty of bullets. The ground is littered with shell casings and bloodstains. He has a massive wound on his chest, deep enough to see the bone, with blood flowing out uncontrollably.

The same thing happens at all card drop points

"Doctor's degree, so it was you. What just happened with the picture and the book?" Upon seeing two familiar figures emerge, Xiao Wang breathed a sigh of relief, lowered the gun he had been holding, and was about to walk over.

Their mouths tore open, growing large teeth as big as a doctor's degree, sharp and coated with a nauseating slime, and then they lunged at him with a pair of dead gray eyes, shrieking.

Xiao Wang was still in a daze when the person he referred to as Doctor Xu let out a terrifying scream and then pounced at him with a speed comparable to that of a cheetah. Xiao Wang was struck as if by a speeding car, knocked several meters away, and before he could react, his throat was torn open by a pair of sharp fangs, causing blood to splatter everywhere

A person cannot die in vain; naturally, the relatives and friends of the deceased seek an explanation. However, the official stance has made it difficult for these families and friends to contain their anger. They are not allowed to enter the area where the incident occurred, and the authorities remain tight-lipped, disclosing no information, not even permitting the families to retrieve the bodies. Families, who value a proper burial, are understandably upset. They demand that the government reveal the truth, seek compensation, and insist on substantial compensation, as well as the return of their loved ones' bodies for burial. Unfortunately, none of these demands have been met. Frustrated with the lies of the official spokespersons, the people have resorted to their own means to seek solutions to the problem.

It is rather strange that at this moment, Wu Ming is not particularly afraid. Since the possibility of returning before the disaster occurs is becoming increasingly slim, it would be better to make alternative plans. Moreover, Wu Ming had considered this possibility before; otherwise, he would not have brought armor and a Tang sword.

At this moment, the People's Square and the surrounding streets are filled with people. These individuals are emotionally charged, using various obstacles to completely block the road, preventing any vehicles from passing. Opposite the People's Square is a government institution. Some of these people are sitting on the ground, while others are holding banners made of white cloth. Upon observing the slogans displayed by the crowd, Wu Ming quickly understood what was happening.

One minute later, he hurriedly rushed downstairs and ran towards People's Square, which was five hundred meters away. The recent call was from Li Xia, who had been trying to reach Wu Ming repeatedly, but it was only just now that the call went through. On the phone, Li Xia informed Wu Ming that she had left the hospital and intended to return home, but was now stuck at People's Square.

Wu Ming glanced at his watch; it was already 8:20. At that moment, he suddenly realized how quickly time was passing. He still had not found Li Xia, and even if he were to find her immediately and head back, it would already be too late.

At that moment, he finally saw Li Xia, who was waving at him from inside a taxi squeezed among the crowd

"Damn it, am I dreaming?" This was Zhang Heng's last thought before he fell into a sea of darkness

The communication remains poor, as the phone is unable to make calls most of the time. The reasons are unclear; perhaps it is due to everyone using the communication network during this time, or it could be other factors. In any case, since the arrival of the card, the communication network has been unstable, and today it has suffered a widespread breakdown.

However, for Wu Ming, the trouble brought about by this situation is that in the absence of phone communication, finding a person amidst such chaos is undoubtedly a daunting task

Due to the nature of the special mission, the special police officers on duty here are armed with real firearms. Xiao Wang and Xiao Huang disengaged the safety on their police submachine guns and then slowly approached, one in front and the other behind.

How strange! Brother Guo murmured, "This radio is causing me trouble today as well!"

This is undoubtedly a trick played by those in power, thinking that cutting off the electricity will make us leave? Dream on. If you do not provide us with a clear explanation today, we will not leave. My poor brother, only twenty-five years old, just graduated and not yet married, has died, yet you won't even let us see his body. What exactly is your intention?

Wu Ming once suspected that it might be related to the vital energy drifting in the air, though this is merely a conjecture and there is no evidence to support this claim

Xiazi, don't be anxious. There has never been a year without roadblocks and disturbances. They will make a fuss, but it will come to nothing. However, it is strange; this time, I can't shake the feeling that something sinister is afoot. A stone falling from the sky—this is an unprecedented oddity, and with so many lives lost, the government remains silent, not even allowing the families to see the bodies. If I were in their shoes, I would also make a scene. A few days ago, I called my uncle in the countryside, and he said that something significant is about to happen, claiming that the King of Hell is coming to collect souls. He urged me to return to the countryside for safety. It's easy for him to say, but it's not that simple. We, as outsiders, have worked hard to establish ourselves in Yucheng; how could we just go back? My uncle has always been a bit superstitious.

Zhang Heng spat out blood foam, unable to believe that this was reality. He watched in horror as his subordinates were killed one by one by those two monsters. Then, from an unknown source, a dozen or so adult arm-sized grotesque insects crawled out. These insects had six pairs of limbs, their bodies divided into three segments, and were covered with a layer of black exoskeleton, resembling a mutated giant shrimp. They swiftly crawled into the mouths of Xiao Wang, Xiao Huang, and other soldiers, after which the already deceased individuals suddenly convulsed and then stood up again. These grotesque insects had six pairs of limbs, their bodies divided into three segments, and were covered with a layer of black exoskeleton, resembling a mutated giant shrimp. They swiftly crawled into the mouths of Xiao Wang, Xiao Huang, and other soldiers, after which the already deceased individuals suddenly convulsed and then stood up again

The same thing also occurred at the drop points of other cards

Wu Ming is naturally unaware of the specific situation. The phone call was abruptly cut off halfway. He now has two choices: one is to immediately return to his safe house, close the heavy security door, lock the doors and windows, and wait for the disaster to arrive, disregarding the fate of others. The other choice is to go to People's Square and find the trapped Li Xia

A series of gunshots rang out, audible even from several kilometers away. Wu Ming looked up in the direction of the sound, sighed inwardly, and thought to himself that what was meant to come had finally arrived

As Wu Ming had speculated, at a drop point approximately three kilometers from People's Square, the protective energy shield that had originally surrounded the card suddenly vanished. In the midst of the researchers who were momentarily stunned, the card suddenly exploded.

Is there a power outage