Children

Zhu Yan originally thought that this scene would be like a water-filled fish tank, and those terrifying creatures were the fish inside.

They were safe on the outside because the water and air were kept separate.

But once they entered the water, the fish in the tank would discover their food and suddenly launch an attack.

However, that wasn't the case—

After Yang Zhanbai stepped into the light, the queuing children still had no reaction, as if they completely couldn't see this intruder!

Everything was so peaceful that it was somewhat eerie.

Zhu Yan stared intently in Yang Zhanbai's direction.

Why?

How could this be?

Four meters away, Yang Zhanbai also seemed to find it unbelievable.

Zhu Yan watched as his tense body relaxed a little; he stood in place and tentatively turned his body.

No reaction.

Yang Zhanbai poked a child, but there was still no reaction.

They were like a pre-set program, like a tangible video recording that outside forces seemingly couldn't interfere with.

Zhu Yan furrowed his brows.

Yang Zhanbai must have realized this too, because he turned around, as if to tell Zhu Yan that it was safe here.

The sudden change happened the moment he turned around—

In just a split second, Yang Zhanbai's expression changed.

Confusion, surprise, bewilderment, and then a sudden flash of panic.

Standing in the light, he helplessly faced the direction where Zhu Yan was. His gaze wasn't focused on Zhu Yan, but looked past him toward somewhere further away.

It was as if this person was facing a complete blank, seeing absolutely nothing!

What the hell? Zhu Yan couldn't help but curse. What is this?

A few meters away, Yang Zhanbai was mouthing words in his direction.

Zhu Yan could tell the guy was trying really hard, because the sweat beading on his forehead was reflecting under the light.

But Zhu Yan couldn't hear a thing!

...Wait, that's not right.

A strange feeling welled up in Zhu Yan's heart.

Being so close yet hearing absolutely nothing—this should be highly abnormal.

Just now, when Zhu Yan saw those children talking and laughing, he also hadn't heard any sounds from them.

If it were his usual way of thinking, he would have immediately noticed something was wrong.

However, his mind seemed much more sluggish than usual.

It wasn't until Yang Zhanbai stood inside shouting silently that he finally realized it!

And that [Hunter] mark too...

How could he have just carelessly forgotten about it?

Zhu Yan astutely sensed that things were not simple.

These things inside likely carried mental attacks as well.

Flipping his left hand, he pulled a bottle of [Panacea Potion] out of his [Storage Silver Ring], and grabbed a few more bottles to stuff into his pocket.

He didn't know what level of terrifying creatures these things were...

Zhu Yan bit off the bottle cap and poured the ice-cold potion directly over his head.

As a warm current seeped into his scalp, his mind felt a bit clearer.

[Panacea Potion] could heal injuries caused by terrifying creatures of level four and below.

So...

Are these only level four? Zhu Yan muttered to himself, taking two strides to the edge of the block.

What kind of ability is this, acting so arrogant?

He lifted his foot and stepped into the circle of light.

Instantly, a tide of noise, laughter, and the sizzling sound of cooking flooded his ears. Yang Zhanbai's shouts were especially prominent among them.

Zhu Zeyu, can you hear me? There's—

I'm in.

Zhu Yan said, twisting open a new bottle of [Panacea Potion] and pouring it right over Yang Zhanbai's head.

Are you feeling better?

Yang Zhanbai was chilled to the bone and instantly shut up.

The potion quickly absorbed into his skin. After a two-second pause, Yang Zhanbai opened his eyes again.

Oh, fuck, he cursed under his breath. What kind of stupid thing did I just do?

Yelling for his teammate right in front of a group of terrifying creatures, and completely forgetting that he was a [Hunter]!

Damn it!

Be careful, Yang Zhanbai warned. You shouldn't look too closely at the scene here; if you look too much, you'll fall for it. It wasn't until you poured that bottle of potion on me that I realized something was wrong with me.

What a novel mental attack, Zhu Yan said. What did you see when you turned around?

Yang Zhanbai's warning made sense, but it was unrealistic not to observe their surroundings—that would just leave them completely blind.

Zhu Yan quickly scanned the area, his left hand tightly gripping a new bottle of potion.

The scene here was beautiful, but the flaw was that it couldn't be scrutinized.

Every spot had a greasy sheen to it, like an AI-generated video, with extreme incongruities in the details.

In just a few seconds, Zhu Yan felt his head spin and a wave of dizziness hit him.

Turn around, take a quick glance, and then look down at your shoes, Yang Zhanbai said. We're going to have a busy night.

Zhu Yan opened the new bottle of [Panacea Potion] and poured a few drops onto both of their heads.

The dizziness in his head was instantly relieved. He turned around to look at the path they had just run down.

What the hell.

The moment his eyes made contact with the scene, a curse slipped from his lips.

There was no longer any dim path behind them—

There was only an identical, endless expanse of [David's Kitchen] and countless queuing children, stretching all the way beneath the massive black silhouette of the [Hovering Clock].

Zhu Yan once again dripped a few drops of [Panacea Potion] onto their heads to keep them awake.

He tried walking forward a few meters, but no matter how he walked, his feet only stepped on ground illuminated by warm light.

That boundary between light and dark had completely vanished!

If the situation isn't optimistic, we can only tough it out until daytime tomorrow, Yang Zhanbai said with a serious expression. I still have two bottles of [Panacea Potion] here. What about you? How much inventory do you have in total?

I have five bottles here. Zhu Yan didn't forget to emphasize his lie. The pharmacy's stock was pretty abundant; if we use it sparingly, it should be enough.

Seven bottles—that amount was definitely not small!

Yang Zhanbai let out a quiet sigh of relief. His gaze toward Zhu Yan held a bit more admiration, and he subconsciously straightened his back.

This was definitely a genius player.

Who else could do this? Scavenging so many useful items on such a dangerous night?

Zhu Yan, however, had no time to care about Yang Zhanbai's obviously rose-tinted gaze.

He handed the [Panacea Potion] to Yang Zhanbai, signaling him to heal himself whenever necessary.

Then, Zhu Yan bent down and casually grabbed one of the queuing children.

Hey, let me ask you something.

The child was giggling.

Even though Zhu Yan had grabbed its arm, it didn't seem to notice or mind at all, merely maintaining its happy expression.

The tactile sensation of this arm was no different from a real child's—

For no apparent reason, Zhu Yan suddenly felt a wave of nausea.

He hurriedly signaled Yang Zhanbai to pour the potion on him, while his Level 5 dining knife pressed mercilessly against the child's neck.

I said, look up!

Thanks to this Level 5 dining knife, the captured child finally reacted.

It rigidly lifted its head, a pair of realistic, clear eyes looking at Zhu Yan. The smile on its face extinguished instantly, like a lamp losing power.

What's wrong? it asked in a tender childish voice. What do you want to ask me?