Life Game In Other World

The cold wind blew through the windows, seemingly lowering the temperature inside the SUV, making the entire cabin somewhat silent.

"In the materials you’ve read, was the impact of that Level 1 anomaly significant?" the man with the straight mustache behind the driver’s seat asked softly.

"I haven’t seen all the materials," Reid said hoarsely, "but from the association’s records, many people died in that anomaly, with one-third of the city being engulfed by it."

"115 years ago, Trandale’s chemical plant explosion?" Chen suddenly asked from the side.

"Yes." Reid was a bit surprised but replied softly.

"You’re paying attention to events from so long ago?" the man with the mustache asked, puzzled.

"My family is from Oakhe, right next to Trandale. I have quite a few classmates and relatives from Trandale and heard bits and pieces about it. That disaster claimed tens of thousands of lives, and there are various speculations and tales about it online."

Chen sighed, "Such a major event as a Level 1 anomaly can’t be completely covered up. Knowing the habits of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, they’d likely label it as some sort of accident.

"I was curious about the explosion and found that even with my clearance, I couldn’t access detailed information. That’s when I realized it was probably some large-scale, high-risk transcendent event, with the explosion serving only as a cover."

Boom—

Just then, a loud whirring sound from a helicopter rotor blade echoed in the sky.

He Ao looked up and saw a black helicopter swiftly approaching.

He instinctively reached out a hand to grasp the inner door handle of the SUV.

"It’s not here to assassinate us," Reid said to break the oppressive atmosphere in the car as he observed He Ao’s action. "I called it."

He then turned the steering wheel to pull the vehicle to the roadside.

"What’s your plan?" the man with the mustache asked, raising his head to look at Reid.

"I need to go back one more time, see if I can enter the orphanage from above," he turned to He Ao, "I’ll need you to come with me once more. I might not be able to resist the influence."

"No problem." He Ao nodded gently.

Reid then turned his gaze to the two in the backseat, "Wes, Chen, I need you to help investigate the missing person cases in the area around Lorinse Street over the past five years.

"Every anomaly has an entry rule, and if there’s an entry rule, there must be someone who’s wandered in. Identify these missing cases, and if we can find anyone who’s exited the anomaly, it could greatly aid our understanding."

"OK!" "No problem."

The two in the back naturally agreed.

Buzz—

With a whistling sound slicing through the air, the helicopter hovered overhead, lowering a rope ladder.

"Let’s do it this way," Reid opened the car door and stepped out, "You guys drive the vehicle away. Contact me once you have results; we don’t have much time. Thanks for your hard work."

He Ao also opened the door and exited the vehicle, retrieving a large box containing a long rifle from the roof.

The two quickly climbed aboard the helicopter.

Standing inside the helicopter, with the howling wind, He Ao watched the streets on either side recede rapidly.

He turned his head to look at Reid beside him, "You seem to be in a hurry?"

"Remember our previous theory?" Reid responded quickly, "The one about the Abnormal Sect retracting its monsters?"

"They’re waiting for something?" He Ao replied softly, eyeing Reid as he asked, "Do you think they’re somehow ’controlling’ this anomaly, waiting for an ’explosive’ opportunity?"

"Pretty much," Reid nodded, "or it could be a rule within the anomaly requiring a special ’trigger’ condition to activate."

He looked at He Ao, "If this really is a ’Level 1 anomaly,’ no matter the situation, we must understand what they intend before they unleash the anomaly’s true power."

He Ao lifted his head, looking forward.

They were already close to Lorinse Street, and the helicopter quickly flew over from above.

Standing from this position, He Ao could already see the rooftops of Lorinse Street.

The street was lined with low buildings, and with the helicopter rising a bit higher, the whole area came into view.

As He Ao’s gaze swept across, Reid also shifted his view towards the buildings on Lorinse Street.

"Higher!" he turned to the helicopter pilot and shouted.

The helicopter then ascended and moved closer to Lorinse Street, revealing the entire neighborhood in one sweeping view.

The helicopter didn’t get too close to Lorinse Street, following Reid’s earlier instructions.

He worried that getting too close would severely impair their judgment due to the anomaly’s influence.

"Any issues?"

He turned his gaze to He Ao.

"Look at those buildings over there, originally where the orphanage was," He Ao pointed to several buildings in the street’s middle, "It seems like each building has shifted inward a bit, haphazardly filling in the entire area where the orphanage used to be."

Reid listened, somewhat bewildered, and looked down to carefully observe the area.

He pulled out a camera with a long lens from the helicopter, aimed, and took several photos.

Then he turned to the helicopter pilot beside him, "Let’s leave here, increase the altitude, and widen the distance."

Soon, with intense, whistling winds.

The helicopter began rising higher.

Reid sat back inside the helicopter, pulling out an iron box beside He Ao’s rifle case, opening it to reveal a large display screen.

He mounted the screen on the helicopter’s side door, turned it on, connected it to the camera, and opened the photos.

By this time, the helicopter was already far enough from Lorinse Street.

Reid turned back, looking at He Ao, and softly asked, "You just said, where’s the problem?"

He Ao reached out, touched the screen, realizing it was a touchscreen.

He then zoomed in on the photo, circling a central section, "Here, all the surrounding buildings originally didn’t extend to this area, I recall it was roughly where the orphanage was, but now the orphanage is completely absent."

Buzz—

At this moment, Reid’s wristband vibrated slightly. He looked at it and then projected a photo onto the screen, "This was found by Lily, a seven-year-old aerial photo."

He Ao looked at the screen’s photo, seeing a roughly circular building standing amidst the buildings.

The building was surrounded by walls and an electric grid, with an outdoor activity yard on the west side and several low-rise apartments on the east.

This building aligned with He Ao’s markers, not perfectly but closely enough.

Reid placed the two photos side by side, softly saying, "It seems that this orphanage has completely disappeared."