152: No less than a river

After his vision returned, Cheng Zhen immediately noticed something was wrong.

His clothes had changed into a loose protective suit. He was also wearing a thick mask, which looked a bit like a gas mask.

Although the attire was indescribable, it didn't hinder his movement much, and the large mask's goggles didn't obstruct his vision.

Cheng Zhen surveyed his surroundings. The room looked like a small changing room, with iron lockers whose paint had peeled off, leaving many areas rusty.

Bang!

Cheng Zhen was about to search for information when the changing room door was roughly pushed open.

"0213, change your clothes and go, don't waste time!"

Under Cheng Zhen's wary gaze, the person who opened the door spoke impatiently.

That person wore a protective suit similar in style to Cheng Zhen's, but while Cheng Zhen's was grey-green, his was a striking orange. A dark mask obscured his face.

Cheng Zhen didn't know this person's identity, so he just played along: "Alright, I'm ready!"

"Remember to call me Team Leader."

The person's tone was cold, and he turned and left.

Cheng Zhen followed.

Outside the door was an enclosed hall, windowless and very dim. A dozen people stood outside, also wearing grey-green protective suits and dark masks.

Cheng Zhen had never participated in a dungeon with so many people before, so he wasn't sure if these standing figures were NPCs or Raiders.

Considering the possibility of a tail following him into the instance, he simply lowered his head and blended into the crowd, making himself inconspicuous.

Over the next few minutes, a few more people arrived sporadically, tall and short, male and female, but their faces were also obscured by their protective suits and masks.

Using the mask as a disguise, Cheng Zhen secretly observed those people.

A tall man used his height advantage to look around at the people, but because he was so tall, his prominent head movements were quite obvious.

Behind him stood two people, who by their height appeared to be a man and a woman. They stood very close, showing a clear relationship of dependence, somewhat like a couple.

Another person stood off to the side, too far to see clearly. However, his posture was wary, keeping a distance from many others.

Through the status bar, Cheng Zhen already knew the name of the person who followed him in was Ge Chang. Referring to Xiao Jiao's situation, to be absolutely sure, he would most likely bring teammates to kill Cheng Zhen, and the people here didn't seem to fit that scenario.

However, that was just a guess; Cheng Zhen still needed to observe further.

"Hurry up, you lazy bums!"

The NPC in the orange protective suit carried several boxes out of a room and distributed one to everyone. Then he walked out through the iron gate, and the remaining NPCs followed him.

The few people Cheng Zhen suspected were Raiders didn't hesitate and moved along with them.

Stepping out the gate and seeing the scenery outside, Cheng Zhen almost threw up on the spot.

"Ugh!"

Not far away, one of the suspected couple Raiders couldn't help but make a retching sound.

The faces of the other Raiders were hidden beneath their masks, their expressions unseen, but judging by their slightly trembling fingers, their inner turmoil seemed just as great.

No other reason than the world outside the door was simply too indescribable.

In a certain country's yellow Ganges River, during its most severe pollution, E. coli levels exceeded the standard by more than 2500 times.

Cheng Zhen felt that the place outside this door was no less terrible.

The streets were full of various filth, and some large, flat, obese cockroaches crawled nearby, having already claimed the world as their paradise.

Perhaps it was due to the mask, or maybe the air itself had color, but Cheng Zhen felt he was enveloped in a yellowish-green haze.

He wanted to denounce the Endless Game again for throwing people into such a place for a dungeon, yet he also felt a bit grateful for the protective suit; otherwise, he felt his exposed skin would be beyond saving.

The group of NPCs seemed accustomed to this environment, one that you wouldn't dare look at twice, which made the couple's reaction particularly noticeable.

"You two..."

The Team Leader in the orange protective suit strode over. Although his face was unseen, the low pressure around him was enough to indicate his foul mood.

"S-sorry, Team Leader."

The impending danger calmed the two down a bit.

The man who had retched spoke with a slight tremor: "I apologize for disturbing you, I won't do it again!"

The Team Leader remained silent, just staring at him, putting immense pressure on the man.

"What's your number?" the Team Leader asked.

The man paused, then the woman beside him immediately spoke: "Reporting, Team Leader, our numbers are 0211 and 0212."

"Hmph..."

The Team Leader grunted in response, but his tone was still unkind: "Considering you two are new, I'll let it slide this time."

Hearing this, the two sighed in relief.

The Team Leader ignored them, walked back to the front of the team, and pulled out a tool from a box.

"Hurry up, if we delay any longer, the protective shield won't work!"

He shouted loudly at everyone, then raised the spray gun-like object in his hand and started spraying at the roadside.

A burst of white gas erupted, and even through his mask, Cheng Zhen smelled a very strong medicinal odor.

In that instant, Cheng Zhen suddenly thought of a certain cleaning video—"Battling a Million-Strong Army: Queen of the Zerg Edition."

As the medicine was sprayed, the leisurely cockroaches on the street quickly fled their paradise, returning to the darkness below through the sewer cracks.

The other NPCs also skillfully began their work.

Several Raiders, including Cheng Zhen, though uncomfortable with the environment, also mimicked them, spraying the medicine.

Whether it was psychological effect or not, after spraying the medicine, the air didn't feel as murky.

Cheng Zhen followed the NPCs down half the street when he suddenly heard a strange noise, as if someone was approaching from ahead.

This street had been completely occupied by filth and cockroaches earlier, with no people to be seen.

And when people suddenly appeared at the front of the street, it made Cheng Zhen frown even more.

They were several emaciated individuals, looking sallow and somewhat sickly.

Most notably, their skin also showed some blackish-purple spots, which inevitably made one think of a highly contagious disease.

"You rats, you're here again!"

Those sickly-looking people, despite appearing very weak, immediately perked up upon seeing Cheng Zhen and his group.

They clenched their fists and rushed quickly towards them.

Cheng Zhen didn't know the relationship between these NPCs, so he quietly took two steps back.

But the Team Leader, who was at the front, didn't evade at all, directly signaling his subordinates to engage.

Both sides seemed to be on edge, with battle imminent.

Just as Cheng Zhen and the other Raiders were concentrating on the impending battle, unexpectedly, the Team Leader lunged forward, pinned down one of the sickly people, and then...

He started scrubbing them with the spray bottle.

Those sickly people, as if encountering a shower, happily took a bath right there on the indescribable street.

Cheng Zhen: ?

Other Raiders: ???

Your sprayer, does it also have a showerhead function?