Chapter 240: Everyone in Here is So Talented, and They Talk So Well!
Other Chosen Ones were considering that if their identity was a resident of Plague Town,
would walking into that town actually grant them some help?
Surely, at least the residents of Plague Town wouldn’t make things difficult for them, right?
Prison Town next door, just by the name, didn’t sound like a good place.
If they went to Plague Town, they should be able to use their identity to recruit some helpers or something.
Who among them hadn’t watched the Dragon Country Celestial Master’s clearance videos? Helpers make things easier.
After all, the bizarre world had given them the identity of a town resident, so going through Plague Town shouldn’t be too problematic, should it?
Zhang Yangqing’s thinking in this level was crystal clear, and he had sufficient intelligence to back it up.
Plague Town and Prison Town would each feature a different strange bird.
According to the information from the rehabilitation center’s screening room, the strange bird appearing in Plague Town was the Plague Doctor of Salvation, the Gospel of Creation.
Others had deduced this far as well, and most thought this bird might save them.
Zhang Yangqing believed the opposite: this bird’s purpose was to eradicate the plague.
And weren’t the Chosen Ones themselves carriers of the plague?
Or rather, both the Chosen Ones and the people of Plague Town were the very source of the plague.
Then they would certainly be eradicated.
The rules stated it was the Plague Doctor of Salvation, not a doctor saving people.
For the world to function properly, the best solution was to kill and bury everyone afflicted with the plague.
Just like when the Chosen Ones drove through the city, they saw those plague-stricken poultry—all killed and buried.
This foreshadowed the Chosen Ones’ fate.
The reason the bizarre world gave the Chosen Ones the identity of Plague Town residents,
and the rehabilitation center provided those two pieces of information, was to tell the Chosen Ones: do not pass through Plague Town.
Zhang Yangqing continued his analysis. As for the strange bird in Prison Town, it eliminated sin.
Zhang Yangqing was just a patient, not a criminal.
He wasn’t ‘defined’ with the label of a sinner.
So, his chances of surviving Prison Town were high.
Not knowing the passing rules yet, Zhang Yangqing decided to follow the process for now.
Taking the map, Zhang Yangqing said to the one-eyed young man who was still on guard at the door, “Let’s go. We have the destination information here; we just need to follow the route.”
The one-eyed youngman, as usual, just replied with an “Mm,” saying nothing more.
He adjusted his backpack and followed behind Zhang Yangqing.
Some of the other Chosen Ones who understood also had similar thoughts, roughly aligning with Zhang Yangqing’s, though they weren’t as confident.
Those who didn’t understand were mostly overly suspicious or overthinkers who misled themselves.
Or they simply couldn’t connect the implications of other information.
Some Chosen Ones tried to continue searching for clues in the hospital.
But invariably, they found nothing and ultimately had to rely on luck.
When going back downstairs, the Chosen Ones were also very cautious.
Zhang Yangqing appeared calm, but he was carefully observing the surroundings.
Top-tier transcendents always note specific details of the environment when they arrive.
Things like fallen leaves, branches, dust patterns, etc.
On the way back, if these things showed signs of being disturbed, it proved someone had been there.
That’s the kind of attention to detail.
As the Chosen Ones exited the hospital and walked down the steps, not just Zhang Yangqing, but even the other transcendents noticed something was off.
During the time they had spent exploring inside, it seemed someone had been in this area.
Because some places showed signs of having been stepped on.
Ordinary people would hardly notice, but with a transcendent’s eyesight, it was detectable.
This could also be attributed to the habits they had naturally formed after several days of danger in the bizarre world.
In this world, carelessness only leads to death.
Without rules, one must be vigilant against unexpected events.
Just as Zhang Yangqing was about to summon his weapon, footsteps sounded from nearby.
The footsteps weren’t hurried, but rather slow.
He and the one-eyed young man looked towards the sound and saw a scene that tugged at their heartstrings.
A gaunt elderly disaster victim, holding the hand of an equally gaunt child victim, was slowly approaching the Chosen Ones.
Their clothes were tattered and torn, barely covering their emaciated bodies.
The old man was so thin he was just skin and bones, looking as if a gust of wind could knock him over.
His eyes were slightly sunken, filled with endless sorrow and despair.
Looking closely, one could see his skin was dry and rough, like ancient tree bark that had weathered countless years.
His lips were chapped, with mottled bloodstains remaining on them.
The child the old man held by the hand looked even more pitiful.
His clothes were in rags, his body as frail as a kitten’s, his eyes full of fear and unease.
If not for the old man holding onto him, his wobbling body might have already collapsed.
The pair stood under the scorching midday sun, its rays mercilessly baking their thin bodies.
Their eyes fixed on the Chosen Ones—a heartbreaking look, full of pleading and hope.
At that moment, the old man suddenly knelt, his weak voice tinged with earnestness: “Please, spare some food. My grandson and I haven’t eaten for days.”
The child knelt beside him, seemingly lacking the strength to stand.
The air was thick with sadness and despair, giving the Chosen Ones the feeling that if they refused, the two would surely die right there.
The audience outside felt sorry for them, but the Chosen Ones saw it as a trap.
The Chosen Ones who had survived this far were all ruthless individuals.
They had no intention of saving disaster victims here; their own survival was what mattered.
Their food supplies weren’t abundant anyway. If they shared it, what would they do if they ran short?
Besides, the Chosen Ones weren’t fools. To have survived in such a brutal place, could they be kind-hearted?
Outside, it was likely a dog-eat-dog world, with many mutated bizarre creatures roaming.
Although they didn’t know when the plague had started, for these two to have lasted this long, they must have some ability.
At this stage, letting compassion run wild was not a good thing.
Even setting that aside, if the pair seemed harmless and had no combat ability, if they saved them, what if even more miserable people showed up? Would they have to save them all?
While other Chosen Ones were still hesitating, Zhang Yangqing suddenly thought of something and said to the one-eyed young man beside him, “Let’s go! Quickly!”
With that, he completely ignored the two kneeling figures and ran away.
The one-eyed young man didn’t linger either and immediately followed.
Shortly after Zhang Yangqing ran off, Gregori’s face drastically changed as he too realized what was happening and quickly fled the area.
At this stage, whether giving them food, speculating about their identities, or even attacking them, was the wrong choice.
The logic was simple: since they appeared here, it meant they had followed them.
Realizing that point made the correct course of action clear.
Sure enough, when Zhang Yangqing reached where his car was hidden, he found four similarly ragged, gaunt individuals trying to smash it open.
Unlike the old man and child from before, these four appeared to be young and middle-aged adults.
Perhaps weakened by hunger or illness, they didn’t have much strength. Zhang Yangqing’s off-road vehicle was covered in dents and scratches, and the rear window was damaged, but it hadn’t been broken into yet.
Seeing this, it was easy to guess that the seemingly frail old man and child were just stalling for time, providing cover for these people vandalizing the cars.
When these ragged disaster victims saw the owner return, they were startled.
But they brandished their tools, shouting threats, trying to drive the owner away.
They had seen the food in the car—something that could keep them alive.
At this point, Zhang Yangqing handed the steel pipe he’d gotten from the rehabilitation center’s gym to the one-eyed young man and made a throat-slitting gesture.
They didn’t plan on leaving anyway, and it had come to a point where a fight was unavoidable.
These victims would die without food, so they had to take the risk.
Putting oneself in the shoes of an ordinary Chosen One, this setup in the bizarre world was surely designed to be winnable for them.
It just tested whether the ordinary Chosen One was ruthless enough. If they were soft-hearted, they would undoubtedly die here.
So Zhang Yangqing just let the one-eyed young man handle it; he couldn’t be bothered.
Fight such small fry myself? Then what’s the point of bringing you along?
The one-eyed young man nodded, put down his backpack, took the steel pipe, and charged forward.
Although the kid looked thin, in his prime he was a formidable anomaly-level native.
Even if his current strength was a fraction of what it was, dealing with a few weak disaster victims wasn’t a problem.
Soon, the crisp sound of a steel pipe cracking skulls rang out.
The one-eyed young man’s blows were lethal; in less than a minute, he had killed all four.
The four corpses lay on the ground, their expressions twisted.
There wasn’t the expected splash of blood; they were like mummies, with very little blood.
Since ordinary Chosen Ones could defeat them, it proved how weakened they were.
After it was all over, the one-eyed young man returned the steel pipe to Zhang Yangqing.
Actually, back in the infinite parking lot, he had found weapons like daggers.
But he hadn’t hidden any on his person, proving to Zhang Yangqing that he had no intention of fighting.
The way of survival for the weak: don’t show your fangs, don’t let the strong see a single barb on you.
Zhang Yangqing’s situation was resolved, and the other Chosen Ones were also arriving at their vehicles.
Unsurprisingly, they all directly attacked and killed.
Some grabbed weapons and bashed heads in, others used fists and feet to send them flying.
At this stage, they were all transcendents, full of fighting power.
These guys were all ruthless; since these refugees posed a threat, who cared about anything else?
In a region plagued by famine, everyone does whatever it takes to survive.
You want to live? So do we.
And using the despicable tactic of moral blackmail to stall for time was truly infuriating.
After dealing with them, everyone drove away from the city, striving to reach the next town before dark.
At this stage, it was all about the Chosen Ones’ reaction speed.
If the car was simply damaged, there was still a slim chance of survival.
That would be to find the entrance to an underground parking lot, wait until 11 AM the next day, and re-enter when the gate opened.
The prerequisite for this was still having disinfectant and food.
Spending the night in that city would also mean facing immense danger—a near-certain death sentence.
Without disinfectant, this level would basically be a death sentence.
Inside the bizarre world, with the map in hand, the Chosen Ones continued towards their next destination.
At this stage, the gap among the top-tier transcendents in the first group wasn’t large. The only difference was that Zhang Yangqing sat in the passenger seat while the one-eyed young man drove; the other Chosen Ones had to drive themselves.
The second group of Chosen Ones had finished lunch and begun their own killing sprees.
Whether by poisoning or direct ambush depended on each Chosen One’s skill.
In front of Dragon Country’s main screen, Zhang Yangqing had taken off his mask, feeling the airflow from the window.
In this plague-ravaged bizarre world, the off-road vehicle traversed the desolate highway at dusk, like a solitary boat sailing alone on a desolate sea.
All around was utter silence, not a single sign of life, with many terrifying marks by the roadside.
As if rampaged by some gigantic creature.
Besides these, there were animal carcasses; it seemed they too couldn’t escape the plague.
On the distant horizon, the setting sun was like blood, dyeing the land a golden red, like a flame about to extinguish, leaving a final touch of warmth for this indifferent world.
The Chosen Ones had been driving for five or six hours.
During this time, they had taken their medicine on schedule and also managed a hearty dinner.
As time grew later, the outside temperature kept dropping.
On the previously silent roadsides, faint insect chirps seemed to emerge.
Although not written in the rules, all fifteen Chosen Ones felt that if they didn’t reach the next town before dark and had to spend the night out here in the wild, they would surely be attacked by mutated bizarre insects.
Even with disinfectant in the car to keep these things at bay, if they destroyed the road ahead, wouldn’t the Chosen Ones be left waiting to die?
So everyone stepped on the gas, speeding up.
Before nine o’clock, the fifteen Chosen Ones in the first group gradually reached the vicinity of their chosen towns.
At this stage, thirteen of the first group arrived at Prison Town.
Two actually went to Plague Town—whether due to boldness or misjudgment.
It was already dark. Zhang Yangqing sat in the off-road vehicle, seeing a lit place a few hundred meters away with some tall buildings.
This should be the Prison Town shown on the map.
As they passed a large illuminated sign, he had the one-eyed young man stop the car because he saw the rules.
The rules were this conspicuous, clearly meant to ensure the Chosen Ones saw them.
Prison Town Survival Guidelines:
[Rule 1: There are many crows in the town, but they only appear at night.]
[Rule 2: The people in the town are not welcoming to other types of people. Try your best to behave like them.]
[Rule 3: If you encounter an insect attack, you can seek help from the crows.]
[Rule 4: If there’s a knock on the door at night and it’s the town patrol, immediately cooperate with their inspection. Failure to do so will result in being judged guilty.]
[Rule 5: Prison Town has a special jail. Approaching it without reason will get you arrested and locked up.]
[Rule 6: If someone asks you to take them out of the town, you must refuse.]
[Rule 7: Guilty people cannot leave Prison Town before their sins are cleansed; otherwise, the Messenger of the End will descend.]
[Rule 8: There is no food for you to eat in the town, but food brought from outside the town is edible.]
After reading this, many Chosen Ones took a deep breath.
Just based on the rules, this town definitely had a lot of people.
From a distance, the Chosen Ones could already see a fairly large settlement.
Gregori felt somewhat relieved because Rule 7 stated that guilty people couldn’t leave.
That meant he had chosen the right place; he wasn’t from a prison background.
“These rules don’t seem too difficult on the surface, but that actually makes me feel like it’s more dangerous.”
The closer Gregori got to Prison Town, the more something felt off.
Prison Town, true to its name, was literally a massive prison.
The outer perimeter of the prison looked like a huge, impregnable fortress, seemingly designed to withstand destruction by powerful forces.
At the top of the high walls, layers of barbed wire wound like ivy covering an ancient city wall—complex and resilient.
These wires not only created a visual sense of oppression but also formed a practically insurmountable barrier.
Just didn’t know if it was electrified; if so, escaping over it would be basically impossible.
As Gregori drove to the town entrance, he encountered some masked inspectors.
The gas masks in this world all seemed to have crow-like beaks, but the clothes differed.
The inspectors wore gray uniforms with armbands on their shoulders.
They didn’t seem as terrifying as the four hidden anomalies encountered that morning, but these guys probably weren’t infected by the plague and possessed considerable strength.
At the very least, Gregori didn’t dare provoke them now.
This could potentially violate two rules.
Rule 2 stated that the prison didn’t welcome other types of people.
It was up to the Chosen Ones to interpret this.
The prison had normal people and prisoners, so the ‘other type’ referred to the sick.
Rule 2 essentially told the Chosen Ones not to reveal their illness.
It could also be understood as not letting anyone see them taking medicine or finding their medicine bottles.
If discovered, getting kicked out would be the least of their worries; getting beaten to death would be far worse.
Rule 4 mentioned that if there’s a knock at night and it’s the town patrol, immediately cooperate with their inspection; otherwise, you’ll be judged guilty.
Although this specifically mentioned night, it implied that the patrol had the authority to judge whether someone here was guilty.
So offending the inspectors was absolutely critical.
If judged guilty, leaving here would certainly invite an attack from the big boss.
Gregori felt that with his current strength, even fighting a fierce anomaly was difficult; encountering the boss would mean instant death, right?
So he decided to follow the rules and stop for inspection.
Although it was called an inspection, it wasn’t as severe as searching the car; they just needed to show the pass.
This pass was probably the permit needed to enter many places.
After checking the pass, the guards let Gregori’s vehicle into Prison Town.
Gregori looked at the somewhat ‘familiar’ surroundings—specifically the distant cells—and felt a twinge of emotion.
He never thought that as a dignified Cardinal, he’d experience the feeling of being incarcerated for a second time.
In the previous bizarre world, without the help of his cellmate, he would have died outside the prison.
Coming to Prison Town might make other Chosen Ones anxious.
After all, those imprisoned here were likely heinous criminals, and naturally their strength wouldn’t be weak.
But Gregori felt like he was coming home, because he thought everyone in here was so talented, and they talked so well!
