112: Chapter 112 Another Rule-Based Mystery

A Rule-based Supernatural Entity; killing one grants an additional rule in the book of rules.

Last time, killing the Mannequin got me Purification. What about this time?

Zhou Che licked his lips. Was he afraid? Not really; his courage had grown quite a bit lately.

Missing a Rule-based Supernatural Entity is the same as missing out on a free rule.

If he didn't take this deal laid out right in front of him, he'd write his name, Zhou Che, backwards.

"Lin Wan," Zhou Che turned around, "who was the Transcendent on duty last night?"

"It was Old Sun," Liu Qiang said, "he's one of the two who went missing."

Zhou Che cursed. "Two missing, and one was on duty last night?"

"Yes. The other one was in the same tent as him. When they were discovered this morning, both of their beds were already cold."

Zhou Che didn't ask any more questions. He immediately had someone call Wang Zhiming over.

Wang Zhiming was still wearing the same clothes from Linshui County, and the dust on his face hadn't been washed off.

One lens of his glasses was shattered and taped together, looking like a patched-up window.

"Mr. Zhou."

"Come here." Zhou Che pulled him to an empty spot on the side of the camp where no one else was around.

"I'm going to use the Prophet Sequence to trace back that Transcendent. Look carefully."

Wang Zhiming pushed up his glasses and nodded.

Zhou Che closed his eyes, and the Prophet Sequence began to circulate within him.

He was channeling the most recently deceased Transcendent—Old Sun.

A series of images emerged from his mind and were projected onto the nearby tent fabric.

The image was very dark; it was from Old Sun's perspective.

He was patrolling along the camp's fence, holding a flashlight in his hand.

The beam of the flashlight swept back and forth in the darkness, shining on the fence, the tents, and the embers of the bonfire.

Everything was normal. Old Sun yawned and walked a bit further.

The image cut off here.

Old Sun seemed to have seen something; his gaze locked, and his pupils dilated sharply.

His mouth opened as if he wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

There was no image of that thing in the scene, only the terror creeping across Old Sun's face, inch by inch.

It was the fear of witnessing something incomprehensible, a primal trembling that transcended the scope of cognition.

Then the image went black. Not the blackness of being blocked, but the blackness of an ending.

Zhou Che opened his eyes, his face several shades paler than before.

Using the Prophet Sequence consumed a significant amount of energy, and that last act had drained a portion of his already unrecovered stamina.

Wang Zhiming stared at the final frozen image on the tent fabric, his brow furrowed.

"Did you see anything?" Zhou Che asked.

"I didn't see anything," Wang Zhiming said.

"The Anomaly didn't appear in the image, only Old Sun's reaction. This suggests that it wasn't that Old Sun didn't see the Anomaly, but that the Prophet Sequence failed to capture it."

Zhou Che nodded. He had also noticed just now that there was only Old Sun in the image, no Anomaly.

"What does this mean?"

"It means that the Anomaly can avoid detection by the Sequence."

Wang Zhiming paused, then added, "You can't find the rules based on just this one case. Rule-based Anomalies usually have several rules, and each one must be tested with human lives. You can't deduce the rules from just one attempt."

"I know," Zhou Che said, "I just wanted to see if I could capture the appearance of that Anomaly directly. Since I can't, I'll have to use the brute-force method."

There was one thing he didn't say: his usage of the Prophet Sequence for this month was already exhausted.

He had used it up just now, so he couldn't use it again for the next month.

In other words, if he couldn't find the true form of this Anomaly within the next month, he could forget about adding a new rule to the book of rules.

Zhou Che dismissed Wang Zhiming and gave one final instruction.

"Don't spread the word about the field. The camp is already oppressive enough. If word gets out that the entire field is shrouded in an Anomaly, people will lose their minds before the Anomaly even makes a move."

Wang Zhiming nodded, turned, and walked away, his broken glasses reflecting the sunset.

Zhou Che stood alone in the open space of the camp, running through the current situation in his mind.

First, this Anomaly reveals itself. Old Sun's eyes were wide open at the end, so he definitely saw something.

Unlike the Mannequin at Hongfan Plaza, which hid from start to finish and only appeared after the rules were broken.

This Anomaly is different. It appeared in front of Old Sun, letting him see it.

This means it can be seen, found, and even attacked.

Second, this Anomaly stopped after killing two people. Or rather, it stopped for the time being.

What is it waiting for? Is it waiting for the next person to trigger the rules? Or is it observing?

Third, the range of the field is very large, covering the entire camp.

The power of this Anomaly might not be as strong as the one at Hongfan Plaza—if it were strong enough, that is.

It wouldn't need to hide; it could just wipe people out like the Mannequin did.

But it didn't. It stopped after killing two, which means it has some reservations, or its abilities are limited.

Thinking this, Zhou Che felt more confident.

He wouldn't run. Not only would he not run, he would cast a net to drag this Anomaly out of the shadows.

In the open space in the center of the camp, Zhou Che called everyone over.

The Transcendents stood in the front, the ordinary survivors in the back; over two hundred people were crowded together.

The white breath they exhaled coalesced in the air like a low-hanging cloud.

"Everyone, listen up." Zhou Che's voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the wind and the noise of the crowd.

"From now on, the camp is entering Level 3 alert. It's not because an enemy is attacking, but because something has snuck in."

A commotion rippled through the crowd; some whispered, others turned pale.

"What are you panicking for?" Zhou Che pressed his hand down.

"I just slaughtered a Rule-based Supernatural Entity at Hongfan Plaza. Old Wang, Professor Wang, and Zhang Lijuan, who are present here, all saw it with their own eyes."

Wang Laowu puffed out his chest. "That's right! Mr. Zhou obliterated that Mannequin with a single strike of his rod, leaving nothing behind!"

This was an exaggeration, but it was the perfect time for it.

Seeing how convincing Wang Laowu sounded, the fear on the faces of the ordinary survivors receded a little.

"The one in our camp now is at least a level below the one at Hongfan Plaza."

Zhou Che continued, "It's in the shadows, and we can't find it. So, we'll make it come to us."

He divided everyone into five patrol squads.

Each squad consisted of three Transcendents, plus a number of ordinary survivors.

The patrol routes covered every corner of the camp, circling the camp every thirty minutes.

"Remember a few rules." Zhou Che held up his fingers.

"First, stay in groups of three. No straggling; you are not allowed to act alone for any reason."

"Second, if you discover any anomalies, hear strange sounds, see things you shouldn't, or feel like someone is watching you from the shadows, call for help immediately."

"Third, keep an eye on each other while patrolling. Watch to see if anyone suddenly stops talking, or if someone walking at the back suddenly goes quiet."

The last rule sent a chill down everyone's spine.

This meant they didn't just have to watch for the Anomaly in the darkness; they also had to watch their own companions.

"Also," Zhou Che scanned the crowd.