212: The warning in the notebook and the eerie outline of the photo

It was getting dark, and there was just over an hour left until the final evacuation deadline of 8:00 PM.

The sky was already covered by a layer of twilight.

It was like a tattered cloth soaked in ashes, covering the entire city.

Lu Chuan, He Jingrui, and Ding Xinyang walked on the messy ground, feeling as if they were traversing an abandoned steel jungle.

The once bustling streets were now only filled with the sound of wind whimpering, swirling scattered papers and broken plastic bags, twirling in the empty streets, trying in vain to grasp onto something.

Seeing the once prosperous metropolis now so desolate, the three felt an unexplainable complexity of emotions.

"In the face of nature's disasters, the power of humanity is truly insignificant," Lu Chuan couldn't help but sigh.

The two beside him remained silent.

The three of them moved at a good pace and soon arrived in front of an apartment building.

Lu Chuan looked at Ding Xinyang and asked, "The place Mi Zong Huan Ying mentioned, where the truth is kept, it's here, right?"

Ding Xinyang glanced at the duck statue next to the apartment and then at the "Youjian Apartment" sign, nodding his head to confirm: "That's right, he was talking about this apartment, but the door is locked with a chain, how do we..."

Before he could finish, He Jingrui had already stepped forward and pulled the chain.

There was a clatter.

The chain snapped in He Jingrui's hand, breaking into two pieces.

"...get in..."

Ding Xinyang was dumbfounded, muttering the last two words.

"Let's go," Lu Chuan chuckled, patting his shoulder, then turned on his phone's flashlight and walked into the dark apartment.

The power had not been fully cut off yet, so the elevator was still working.

As the elevator ascended, the three quickly arrived on the fifth floor.

With a 'ding', the elevator door opened.

"503... 503... 503, this is it!" Lu Chuan followed the door numbers, then took a key from under the doormat and inserted it into the keyhole.

"Click."

Lu Chuan pushed the door open, felt for the switch on the side, and the room was instantly brightly lit.

The owner must have left in a hurry, as some daily necessities were not moved out, and the room appeared messy.

After a glance, Lu Chuan walked into the inner living area.

Not long after, he came out holding a locked notebook.

He Jingrui and Ding Xinyang looked over curiously.

Lu Chuan opened the notebook with the password provided by Mi Zong Huan Ying, but due to opening it too wide, several photos folder inside fell out.

He Jingrui, quick-eyed and quick-handed, bent down to catch them, then looked at the photos.

He found that the objects captured in the photos were blurry, only allowing for a general idea.

This effect could only be achieved by taking photos from a great distance.

However, the outline in one of the photos, why was it so familiar, very much like... Just as He Jingrui frowned, trying to identify the object in the photo, Lu Chuan had already started reading the contents of the notebook.

"When you see this notebook, I am no longer in this world."

The first sentence was explosive.

It left Lu Chuan stunned.

If Mi Zong Huan Ying was no longer in this world, then who had sent them here?

An ominous thought immediately surfaced in his mind.

Lu Chuan gripped the notebook tightly, his expression solemn as he continued to read.

"How many have been deceived into coming here? Never mind, asking this is meaningless; you are like me, another unlucky soul."

"Listen, you have no way out, but you still have a chance to save those who come after."

"The one who tricked you into coming here is a lunatic, a beast, an animal, in every sense of the word."

"They are not like us; their cruelty and madness when torturing living beings are enough to make even the most perverted criminals shudder."

"So, before they appear, you must seize the time to send out a warning using your forum account! Warn those who come after, absolutely, absolutely do not step in here!"

"Then, use the quickest and most painless method you can think of to end your life; remember, it must be quick!"

"Quick! Quick! Quick!!!"

At the end, increasingly messy "Quick"s filled the entire page.

It was as if if one didn't follow what the notebook said, they would truly fall into an extremely tragic end.

Lu Chuan continued to flip through, only to find the subsequent pages were all blank.

“...”

Lu Chuan handed the notebook to Ding Xinyang, who was curiously peeking over, then looked at He Jingrui, who was still intently examining the photos.

"I think we're in trouble."

He Jingrui looked up, his expression a bit surprised.

"A Chuan, look at these photos."

Saying this, he handed the blood-stained photos to Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan took them and began to look.

These photos all showed only an outline.

Although blurry, one could vaguely make out human figures.

However, what surprised Lu Chuan was that in the first photo, countless tentacle-like things were growing out of the standing figure's body.

These tentacles seemed to be alive, tearing at the flesh and blood on the ground.

Lu Chuan resisted his discomfort and looked at the other photos.

The objects captured in these photos were equally bizarre.

There were creatures crawling on the ground like spiders.

There were creatures with their heads and butts swapped, walking upside down.

There were creatures with their upper bodies shaped like flowers, devouring flesh and blood with teeth inside their "flower buds."

It was simply a monster hodgepodge.

Just as Lu Chuan thought the last photo would also be a monster's portrait, he saw something that surprised him.

"Isn't this a Mud Monster?"

He Jingrui nodded, a hint of confusion on his face.

Isn't the Mud Monster an otherworldly creature from the rift, living in that lotus pond?

Why would it appear here?

Lu Chuan suddenly spoke, "Wait, this isn't the original Mud Monster; it has hands similar to humans."

He Jingrui followed Lu Chuan's refer to, then blinked and said in surprise, "I thought those two were branches; actually, the more I look, the more they resemble arms, though a bit abstract."

By this time, Ding Xinyang had finished reading the notebook and was almost scared stiff by its contents.

If he hadn't remembered that he had two "big shots" beside him, he probably would have thrown down the notebook and rushed out headlong without a care.

Lu Chuan patted Ding Xinyang's shoulder, encouraging him, then found a bag to put the notebook and photos into.

Then he spoke, "I don't think anyone would play such a prank in this situation."

Ding Xinyang's voice was a bit shaky, but he still tried to compose himself and said, "I also don't think it's a prank, but I'd rather it be a prank. A Chuan, what do you think about us jumping out the window now? Is there a good chance of escaping?"