Is WE Willdie

"Based on the fingerprints and other biological data left on Train G3075, we can confirm that this is a real, living person, not some supernatural creature from the players' stories."

The officer held up a sealed evidence bag containing collected fingerprints and a single strand of hair.

"No matter what the suspect's motives were for coming here, he has brought this unknown, life-threatening element into Anwu City."

Guan En recalled the words echoing in his memory: "You owe your life to me."

He thought back to the entire process of the instance, feeling that this official narrative wasn't quite right.

But... as a police officer, he couldn't overstep his bounds.

Looking at the officer on the podium, Guan En swallowed his urge to speak up and add his piece.

"We suspect that the Novice Instance experienced by Guan En and his colleague was triggered precisely because of this person's escape, which subsequently led to today's tragedy."

This referred to Guan En and his superior.

Guan En pressed his lips together. Unable to interrupt, he had no choice but to focus and keep listening.

"In the future, these deaths and sudden fatalities caused by unknown forces will only increase. We must catch this person before the situation becomes severely distorted."

"For his own selfish desires, he has brought a survival crisis to the people of Anwu City!"

The words were spoken with absolute conviction.

The officer frowned slightly. The police department could show no mercy to someone who might stand against all of humanity!

...

Outside the police station.

A taxi sped past. The enthusiastic driver glanced sideways at the brightly lit office building and casually gossiped with Zhu Yan in the backseat.

"The folks at the police station are swamped. That incident this morning probably gave them a run for their money."

Oh?

Zhu Yan's internal alarms instantly went off, and his previously scattered focus sharpened.

He asked casually, "What incident?"

The driver was taken aback. "My goodness, you haven't heard? Someone died on a high-speed train at the North Station today. A ton of cops surrounded the place, and someone even took a video."

If even the driver knew about it, it meant the situation had escalated rapidly during the ten or so hours he had been asleep.

Zhu Yan remained impassive, listening to the driver talk on and on.

"I even have it saved on my phone. That police officer died a gruesome death; his head was completely gone."

"Man. I have a relative who works in the government. He heard through the grapevine that a special task force has already been set up. The whole city went under martial law this morning, and no one is allowed to leave."

"Wow, you really don't know anything at all?"

Zhu Yan smiled bitterly, shook his head, and told a lie.

"I really had no idea."

However, the driver's words did bring Zhu Yan up to speed on the latest developments outside.

Regardless, he needed to be more cautious lately and keep a close eye on the situation.

After all, even though erasing his name and appearance had made tracking him much more difficult, there were still fingerprints, hair, his ID number, and his address to worry about.

"I'm a college student. I just slept in my bed from morning till night."

If the police department really believed what the Hidden and Unissued app said—that he was some sort of contagious source of danger to humanity...

Then they might mobilize a massive police force to screen the residents using the biological data they had gathered.

"Ah, right, you do look like a college student." The driver glanced at Zhu Yan through the rearview mirror before looking back at the road.

"Do you go to school out of town? That's going to be a hassle. There's traffic control right now, and everyone has to stay put."

"They aren't letting anyone out of the city now, and a lot of people are raising hell over it."

"Go look online. Earlier today, I could still find posts complaining about it, though I don't know if they've been deleted by now."

Zhu Yan unlocked his phone and scrolled through it.

There was nothing on the trending searches, and the few sporadic posts he clicked on showed error messages.

If something as massive as traffic control wasn't even trending, it meant the authorities were deliberately suppressing the information.

"It probably won't last too long," Zhu Yan replied casually. "It is a city-wide lockdown, after all..."

The taxi came to a halt.

The towering shopping mall was brand new and beautiful, its first-floor street-facing display windows looking spacious and pristine.

"Who knows," the driver said. "But you can forget about leaving for the next five days, anyway. Take care!"

As Zhu Yan pulled the car door open, the driver's quiet muttering drifted into his ears.

"How can a guy be so handsome yet have such a generic face? I've been looking at him this whole trip, and I can't remember a single feature of his..."

Zhu Yan pushed open the mall doors and followed the escalator down, bathed in the blindingly bright, warm-toned lighting.

The mall looked like it had been built in the last couple of years. The ceilings were high, and the layout was grand, lacking the oppressive and dated feel of older shopping centers.

Looking down from the escalator, the first basement level was filled with trendy milk tea and pastry shops, along with dining bars that Zhu Yan never would have dared to enter in the past.

If it weren't for the map's guidance, he never would have guessed that the Hall of Mourning was located here.

He wondered if that police officer named Guan En had the mind to open his map and take a look.

If he had, the police department definitely wouldn't overlook this place.

Zhu Yan still remembered the female voice repeatedly emphasizing phrases like "keep moving" and "do not stop."

This time, the female voice hadn't given him any prompts, which meant the police hadn't taken action yet either.

This was a great opportunity to exchange currency.

In a good mood, Zhu Yan navigated the winding path toward the storefront standing right in the center of the basement level.

The dark brown shop was built in a bizarre, twisted cylindrical shape that reached straight up to the ceiling, reminding Zhu Yan of a massive tree root with its branches hacked off.

It looked incredibly out of place within the light-colored mall, standing like an isolated island amidst the pale yellow tiled pathways.

A giant WE neon sign hung diagonally across the "tree trunk," glowing with a faint, blood-red light.

Zhu Yan couldn't tear his eyes away. As he slowly approached, his body shrank back slightly from tension.

What could possibly be inside the Hall of Mourning?

Two dark glass windows were embedded in the main body of the shop. The interior wasn't bright, and Zhu Yan could only make out the flicker of candlelight.

He had to walk all the way around before finding the main entrance. Standing at the door was a pretty girl dressed in a brown skirt suit.

Upon seeing Zhu Yan, the girl gave him a somewhat stiff smile, doing her best to mimic a human tone.

"Hello, lovely sir. Care to come in for a cup of coffee?"

A pseudo-human.

According to the Level 3 pseudo-human on Train G3075, having a human skin meant it had survived at least one instance.

The girl stared at Zhu Yan, a deep, intense hunger leaking from her eyes.

Zhu Yan's eyebrows unconsciously furrowed. He felt deeply uncomfortable.

Were the customers who walked into this coffee shop really okay?

Reining in his thoughts, Zhu Yan calmly spoke the password.

"Silence is the only way home."

The pseudo-human's expression changed instantly.

Its mouth twitched in disappointment, and it finally turned to push the door open, inviting Zhu Yan inside.

"Welcome."

After the door closed, the pseudo-human looked around and stopped suppressing its voice.

"Please follow me, player."

The shop was filled with the heavy, stifling smell of rust, and there wasn't a single customer inside.

A massive but crude chandelier hung from the ceiling, with dozens of real candles mounted on it, burning fiercely.

Zhu Yan felt certain this wasn't something the fire department would allow.

He asked, "Have any other players come by today besides me?"

The pseudo-human shot him a dejected glance.

"No," it said. "You're actually the first customer. Goodness, I don't know why—such a prime location, yet not a single ghoul... uh, person!"

It's probably because the smell is too awful, Zhu Yan grumbled inwardly.

It was just like an uncleaned murder scene.

However, the fact that there was no one meant the police hadn't been here yet.

He followed the mimic girl behind the bar counter and watched as it opened a hidden compartment, reaching in to press something.

"Only I can press it," the mimic muttered. "Sigh, it's a pity I won't be able to press it soon."

The floor behind the bar gave a slight tremor, then began to spiral downward.

Zhu Yan steadied himself and asked curiously, "Why?"

"Because I'm starving to death," the mimic said resentfully. "According to the rules, I can't eat you right now. I hate you, Player."

Its hollow eyes stared intently at Zhu Yan's face, looking at him as if he were a dish on a menu.

Zhu Yan felt his stomach churn uncomfortably, fighting the urge to throw up his dinner.

He just wasn't sure what the difference was between the [Hall of Mourning] hosting horror creatures versus hosting players.

Moreover, [Carnival Paradise] had provided an online mall, which meant there were online accounts.

If he needed to open an account, he would still have to open a player account.

That was why he had maintained his player appearance to enter this place.

Otherwise, he would have definitely transformed into a mimic to barge in and completely kill off the mimic's desire to eat humans!