After drawing cards, the evil god became my source of吐槽 (tu cao, a form of humorous commentary/criti

Chapter 8 Stalemate
Her gaze unconsciously drifted towards Li En—his disheveled appearance didn't seem fake.

But the more real it seemed, the more unsettling it became. She didn't believe it. He was too pure.

It's not about appearance, but... the process.

In that scenario, in that environment, how could ordinary people like them, who had not received any training, possibly survive?
If someone bleeds and faints in a completely mysterious environment, how can they survive?
Even if the lamplighter saved him, that was only just now. Before that, he didn't show the slightest sign of contamination.
It went so well.

She had already vaguely categorized Li En as "abnormal" in her mind, but she knew she couldn't show it.

She's not the one holding the torch, so her words carry no weight. Rashly exposing her would only alert her.

If Li En really has a problem, she would probably explode if someone heard her say, "I feel like something's wrong with him."

So she kept her mouth shut and quietly stood a little closer to 001.

001 remained standing at the top of the stairs, calmly surveying every corner of the room. His hand never left the gun handle at his waist, as if he could release the safety at any moment.

Time ticked by, but 013 and 016 still hadn't appeared.

The person leaning against the wall frowned and finally whispered, "Why aren't you coming down yet?"

001 didn't answer, but simply raised his hand to activate the communication device behind his ear and called again: "013, 016, please respond if you hear me."

A few seconds later, a familiar, low, husky voice finally echoed in the earpiece: "013 received, has met up with 016, expected to arrive within one minute."

001 grunted in response, withdrew his hand, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head, his gaze falling on Li En, who was squatting to the side, his eyes devoid of emotion.

An Jing also glanced over at that moment.

Li En had recovered and was sitting with her hands supporting her knees, unconsciously picking at her fingers with one hand.

Footsteps came from upstairs.

Boom, boom, boom.

It's the weight of two people, moving from far to near at the same time.

Finally, two figures appeared at the top of the stairs—it was 013 and 016.

Unlike his previous composed and efficient demeanor, this time 013 had one trouser leg ripped open, several layers of first-aid bandages wrapped around his knee, and blood was seeping out. His face was slightly pale, and although his movements were steady, his steps were noticeably slower.

016 walked beside him, carrying a medical kit, and occasionally looked down to check on his condition.

"There's been a bit of trouble," 016 said as soon as he landed. "There are some remnants of the supernatural at the corner of the south wing, hidden behind a cabinet. 013 got a scratch while cleaning it; the wound isn't deep, but the supernatural contamination is quite strong, so I gave him some initial treatment."

"All cleaned up?" 001 looked at them.

“Cleared.” 013 replied briefly, his gaze sweeping over Li En before he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Are you sure you delivered it?" 001 asked.

“I’m sure.” 013 grinned. “But that guy was pretty scared of me. I said, ‘You’re in the way, get out of the way,’ and he almost burst into tears on the spot.”

Li En chuckled dryly in the corner and wiped away his sweat.

013 shook his head and ignored him.

001, however, did not relax. He glanced down at the reading on the detector and frowned: "The magnetic field has not disappeared yet."

"What do you mean?" The person leaning against the wall looked up.

"Didn't you say it was completely clean?" the inspector asked, frowning.

“It’s definitely cleared,” 016 said. “The two of us searched the entire villa. All the abnormal nodes were dealt with, and all the mysteries were eliminated.”

"Why is the magnetic field still there?"

Listening to their conversation, An Jing suddenly thought of the system and felt inexplicably guilty.

She dared not speak, but the system in her mind trembled slightly.

You suspect it's me?

An Jing didn't speak, but answered slowly and clearly in her heart:

"The magnetic field hasn't been dispelled. And you're definitely not an ordinary object. What do you think? It's perfectly normal for me to be suspicious of you."

The system remained silent for a while, as if it were thinking, or perhaps deliberately avoiding the issue.

"...It wasn't me."

It said that, but An Jing didn't believe it.

Because she knew that saying "it wasn't me" didn't mean "it has nothing to do with me."

001 said in a deep voice, "Let's retreat first. There's no point in staying here any longer. Since there are doubts, let's discuss it further. If the outside world discovers that we've lost contact, they will also take action."

"Yes!" The two team members who were already there answered without hesitation.

“But…outside…” Li En suddenly spoke up, standing up, his face noticeably paler. “No, we can’t go out, can we? Outside the villa…the pool area is full of students’ corpses…I can’t bear to look…I can’t go out…”

As he spoke, his voice trembled, just like an ordinary person who was extremely frightened.

An Jing looked at him, but still didn't say a word.

"013." 001 suddenly turned to look at the teammate who had just sat down, "Can you move your leg?"

“It can move.” 013 shifted his position slightly. “But it’s best not to move too much. I’d better adjust myself here; that thing was a bit dirty.”

"Want to stay?" 001 asked.

"Okay." 013 nodded. "The villa isn't big, and you won't go far. As long as I can get a signal here, it'll be fine."

001 pondered for a while, and finally nodded.

"Okay, then 016 will go with you."

"it is good."

As soon as he finished speaking, An Jing noticed that the two team members who had stayed on the first floor to do data analysis were acting strangely.

The two teammates standing to her side paused noticeably after 013 said "Stay".

The young inspector frowned slightly, as if surprised, or perhaps considering something; while the person leaning against the wall even smacked his lips softly, his gaze toward 013 carrying a hint of inquiry.

They were puzzled.

But they didn't say anything.

An Jing suddenly felt another layer of cold sweat on her back.

She understands now.

She's not the only one whose situation is wrong right now.

Everyone knows who the lamp-bearer is!

They all sensed something was wrong, but... no one said anything.

Everyone is waiting, waiting for the person who will make the first mistake.

The momentary silence was like cold water poured into a blazing fire, forcefully suppressing the atmosphere.

"Then you two be careful." After saying that, 001 glanced at the person leaning against the wall and the inspector, "We'll go first, and come back to support you when someone on the outside comes to meet us."

"Understood." 013 nodded and gently rubbed the bandage on his thigh.

001 deftly activated the communication device and switched frequencies, while nodding to An Jing: "You follow me."

An Jing responded silently, but her gaze remained fixed on 013 and Li En. The latter kept her head down, seemingly lost in thought, still immersed in shock and exhaustion.

Her eyes flickered, but she didn't say anything more, and quickly followed the pace of the lamplighter as he left.

Footsteps echoed across the sticky floor and broken handrails as the group quickly made their way out of the villa. The stench of blood still lingered, like a memory that could never be washed away.

Just as 001 stepped through the doorway, he suddenly stopped.

"and many more."

The person leaning against the wall also reacted quickly, his right hand reaching for his waist: "What?"

001 raised her hand, pressed it against her ear, and her expression changed slightly.

"Communication... has been lost again."

This time, they were also unable to contact the team members who were inside the magnetic field.

The inspector immediately turned around and restarted the equipment in his hands. After operating it a few times, he whispered to himself, "Unable to connect. The interference has reappeared."

001 didn't say anything, but just turned his head to look inside the villa.

They had only been gone for less than thirty seconds when the contact was lost again.

“It’s still about cutting off, not interfering,” the inspector said, gritting his teeth. “It’s not a signal problem; the entire channel has been cut off.”

"Looks like we're being watched by something," the man leaning against the wall said coldly.

001 remained expressionless, as if he had anticipated this scene.

An Jing stood quietly beside them, but her steps unconsciously slowed by a half-beat. She didn't speak, but her mind was already racing:

(End of this chapter)