met free Chapter 26 Death Has Arrived
Chapter 26 Death Has Arrived
The next seven days were the most oppressive, yet also the most "peaceful" seven days since the Central Continent Team entered the Main God Space.
So-called calm is not the absence of danger. On the contrary, danger is like a leech, never far away. But its form has changed from the precise, malicious, and intricately linked "design" of the past to a more chaotic, blind, yet ubiquitous "bad luck" and "decline".
Wang Lin, at the cost of destroying the contract and suffering severe injuries himself, combined with the rule disorder ignited by Lu Renjia as the medium, although it only lasted for a few hours, significantly disrupted the Grim Reaper's "program" based on logic and probability. During the process of the rules self-repairing and recalibrating, its attacks lost their previous "intelligence" and "targetedness," becoming crude and random, yet even more difficult to completely avoid.
Walking down the street, a loose brick might fall from above, or a flowerpot knocked over by a stray cat might hurtle by. Passing through construction sites, scaffolding might "just happen" to come loose, causing a few steel pipes to fall. Using public transportation, vehicles frequently experience minor breakdowns, sudden braking, or even minor scrapes. Purchased food might be spoiled, drinking water might have an off-taste, and temporary accommodations might have burst pipes or short circuits. Even the weather seems to be working against them: scorching sun causing heatstroke one moment, torrential rain making roads slippery and prone to falls the next, and strong winds whipping up debris and injuring people the next.
Individually, these "accidents" are far less powerful than previous collapses, explosions, and toxic gas attacks, and are unlikely to be directly fatal (for enhanced reincarnators). However, their high frequency and wide coverage of everyday life keep people constantly on edge, maintaining a state of high tension. A minor scrape can quickly become infected due to contact with unclean substances. A slight sprained ankle can cause slowed movement in critical moments. A brief bout of insomnia can slow one's reaction time when danger strikes.
Team resources are being depleted at an alarming rate. Highly effective treatments are long gone, and ordinary medications have little effect on the infection and toxins catalyzed by death. Food and water require constant sifting, resulting in significant waste. Equipment is being worn down and lost in repeated minor accidents. More importantly, the physical and mental strength of the team members is being gradually eroded in this endless, low-intensity war of attrition.
Chu Xuan became the team's brain and early warning center. He used his enhanced computing power most of his time to analyze environmental data, calculate the probability of triggering various minor "accidents," and plan the safest routes and rest times. He was like a sophisticated instrument, trying to calculate the narrowest path with the highest probability of survival in the chaotic "field of bad luck."
Wang Lin temporarily retreated to the sidelines. The backlash from the destruction of the Contract Paper wasn't just a depletion of his mental energy; it seemed to have also damaged the foundation of his connection with some kind of rule, leaving him mentally weak and perceptive for a period of time. Even his spiritual vision and danger perception became intermittent. He relied more on experience and observation of his teammates' conditions, combined with Chu Xuan's analysis, to provide some auxiliary suggestions. He also began to try to mobilize his own mental energy for more refined control exercises without relying on external objects—this was the foothold he had to find again after losing the Contract Paper.
Zheng Zha took on the primary roles of protector and "laborer." His vampire energy and inner strength demonstrated remarkable adaptability and endurance in dealing with the endless stream of minor troubles. Whether it was deflecting falling objects, quickly moving the wounded, violently breaking through roadblocks, or temporarily dispelling abnormal statuses from his teammates (with limited effectiveness), he was always at the forefront. Zhang Jie's "normalization" made Zheng Zha the undisputed core of the team's strength and its backbone.
Zhan Lan, Zero Point, Ba Wang, Li Shuaixi, Zhao Yingkong, and Ming Yanwei each performed their duties, forming a tight protective network under Chu Xuan's command. Zhan Lan's mental scans constantly monitored energy anomalies and large-scale environmental changes. Zero Point used his sniper precision to remotely eliminate potential "coincidence sources" that could be intervened (such as breaking branches or shooting down objects flying towards teammates). Ba Wang and Li Shuaixi were responsible for close-quarters surveillance and physical labor. Zhao Yingkong and Ming Yanwei demonstrated their potential as outstanding newcomers; Zhao Yingkong was agile and possessed a beast-like intuition for danger, issuing warnings multiple times in advance; Ming Yanwei was meticulous and observant, discovering many hidden environmental hazards.
Zhang Jie… this former “semi-guide” has now become a silent and somewhat clumsy ordinary veteran. He has lost his unpredictable abilities and profound aura, relying on his past experience and still superior physical abilities in battle, but compared to Zheng Zha and others, he is now unremarkable. He speaks less, often lost in thought, but he is decisive when carrying out orders. Occasionally, a complex, indescribable look flashes in the depths of his eyes, as if he is re-examining everything around him, and also his new identity as an “ordinary reincarnator.”
Time passed by in agony, each day like dancing on a knife's edge, struggling against the ever-present decay and misfortune. Everyone was wounded, everyone was exhausted, but the lingering glow of the contract (though the paper of the contract was destroyed, the long-standing contractual relationship and the bond formed through shared life and death experiences remained), the instinct for survival, and the responsibility to their companions bound them tightly together.
Day fourteen, evening.
The group took refuge in the basement of a semi-abandoned community library, a place ravaged by economic recession. It was relatively dry, structurally sound, and the smell of books and paper masked other odors. A light drizzle fell outside, but amidst the rain, the distant, ominous sirens and occasional explosions could be faintly heard—the influence of death seemed to be spreading, a pervasive sense of panic and decay hanging over the city, with small-scale incidents occurring frequently.
"The last twenty-four hours." Chu Xuan looked at the countdown timer on the God of Death's watch, his voice calm, but the dark circles under his eyes showed his exhaustion. "The self-repair and calibration of the Death God's rules are nearing completion, and the 'precision' of our attacks is slowly recovering. In the past six hours, the average damage level of the 'accidents' we've encountered has increased by 17% compared to the previous three days. This last period will be the most dangerous."
"Damn it, these hellish days are finally coming to an end." Ba Wang gulped down a mouthful of water. His arm was wrapped in bandages, from a shard of glass that had "accidentally" shattered yesterday.
"We can't relax yet." Zheng Zha checked the few remaining supplies. "At the last moment, death might strike hard."
As if in response to Zheng Zha's words, the basement lights suddenly flickered, emitting a buzzing sound, and then went out completely with a "snap." The emergency lights shone faintly.
"The circuitry is old and damp, causing a short circuit." Chu Xuan glanced at it. "The backup power can last for another two hours. Make sure there's good ventilation to prevent carbon dioxide buildup."
Wang Lin leaned back against a bookshelf, closing his eyes to rest. His mental strength had recovered somewhat, but it was still far from its peak. He tried to introspect, feeling the strange emptiness deep within his consciousness left by the damaged contract paper, as if he had lost an important "organ." But at the same time, he also felt that his control over his mental strength seemed to be more "pure" and "direct," lacking a middleman.
"Losing the contract isn't necessarily all bad..." he thought to himself, "Perhaps it will allow me to focus more on developing my own mental strength..."
Suddenly, Zhan Lan looked up abruptly, her face deathly pale: "Something's wrong! The ground... is shaking! It's very slight, but the area affected is large! And... the structural stress of the main library building is changing abnormally! And very rapidly!"
"Earthquake?" Li Shuaixi exclaimed in surprise.
"It doesn't seem like a natural earthquake... the source of the shockwave... isn't just one!" Zhan Lan's voice was filled with terror. "It's the library itself! Several key load-bearing walls and foundation nodes simultaneously released stress before collapsing! Something is destroying them at the same time!"
Chu Xuan immediately pulled up the previously scanned building structure diagram, his fingers flying across the virtual keyboard, his expression unusually grim: "It's not a single act of destruction... it's a precise chain reaction of destruction! Death has restored some of its rules; it's exploiting the 'aging' and 'hidden dangers' of this old building, combined with the external environment (rainwater seepage, micro-tremors), to simultaneously detonate multiple structural weaknesses, creating a targeted, area-wide collapse! This is its first 'high-precision' attack since the rules were restored!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a series of sickening cracking sounds came from above! Dust fell in a flurry, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the walls, rapidly widening! The entire basement shook violently!
"Get out of here! Get to the emergency exit!" Zheng Zha roared, grabbing Zhang Jie, who was closest to him, and the weakened Wang Lin.
The group rushed towards the emergency exit at the back of the library. However, the iron gate, due to years of disrepair and the recent tremors, was twisted and warped, and jammed shut!
"Break it open!" Ba Wang roared, and together with Li Shuaixi, they rammed their bodies into the iron gate, but only caused dust to fall from the door frame.
The sound of collapse overhead grew closer, and large chunks of cement and bricks began to fall! The main structure of the library was crumbling simultaneously from multiple directions, crushing towards the basement!
"It's too late!" Zero calmly assessed the situation, raised his gun, aimed at the lock cylinder of the iron door, and fired several shots! The bullets sparked as they hit the metal, but the heavy iron door only dented and did not open.
"Go that way! The ventilation duct!" Zhao Yingkong suddenly pointed to a ventilation duct entrance, about half a meter in diameter, partially obscured by debris in the corner. "I just checked; it leads to the alley behind. It's narrow, but you should be able to walk through it!"
"Quick! Get in!" Chu Xuan made a decisive decision.
Zheng Zha punched open the ventilation duct's grille and crawled in first, then followed behind. Wang Lin, Zhan Lan, Chu Xuan, Zhang Jie, and Ming Yanwei followed in turn. Ba Wang and Li Shuaixi followed behind, stuffing some necessary backpacks and supplies inside before squeezing in as well.
Just as the last person (Li Shuaixi) had retracted his foot into the pipe, a deafening roar came from behind! The entire basement was completely buried by the collapsed building above! A surge of air and dust rushed in through the pipe opening, causing people to cough incessantly.
The pipe was narrow and dark, filled with the smell of rust and dust. The group crawled laboriously through the darkness, using both hands and feet. The pipe wasn't straight; it twisted and undulated, and every now and then, loose, rusted metal scraped against their skin. Behind them, the muffled thuds and vibrations of collapse echoed relentlessly, as if the giant hand of death was relentlessly pursuing them.
After climbing for an unknown amount of time, a faint light finally appeared ahead—the exit grille at the end of the pipe. Beyond the exit was a narrow alley, also raining, but at least they were out of that collapsing, deadly trap.
Zheng Zha was the first to smash through the rusted grille and jump out, then turned around and pulled his teammates out one by one. When the last person (Li Shuaixi) sat down on the wet alley ground, covered in dust, the community library in the distance behind them had been completely reduced to a huge pile of ruins, with smoke and dust slowly rising in the rain.
Everyone collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, still shaken. Rainwater mixed with mud streamed down their faces. Everyone was injured, their clothes tattered, and they looked utterly wretched.
But they are still alive.
The countdown on the watch, amidst the sound of rain, finally reached its final ten seconds.
10, 9, 8, 7...
Death's "bad luck" didn't seem to have stopped. At the alley entrance, an out-of-control garbage truck wobbled toward them! But it wasn't going very fast.
6, 5, 4...
Zheng Zha struggled to his feet and pulled the limp Wang Lin and the nearest Zhan Lan behind him.
Three, two, one...
The garbage truck's front wheel "just happened" to run over a deep hole, causing the truck to tilt sharply, glide past the wall at the alley entrance, and come to a stop crashing into another pile of garbage.
[Survive for 15 days, mission complete.]
[Successfully survived the period of disorder and recovery from the Grim Reaper's rules; additional rating boost.]
[Returning to the Main God Space in thirty seconds.]
The cold, familiar notification tone sounded like heavenly music at this moment.
A white light began to emanate from everyone.
Wang Lin took one last look at the unfamiliar city shrouded in rain and chaos, a city haunted by death, and then at his teammates beside him, who were also enveloped in white light, battered but with determined eyes. Finally, a tiny, relieved smile appeared on his tired face.
The next moment, pure white replaced everything.
Final Destination, game complete.