I Am Extraordinary Alone-Chapter 627 - 625 Entering the City

Leng Kai and his group had been driving their electric pickup for about eight hours when they finally caught sight of Etolia’s city silhouette on the horizon.

The white high-rises peered out subtly from the line where sky meets earth, the silent blue ocean resembling a canvas painting. They had reached the edge of the red zone, where the blue and red of the sky blended together, creating an ambiguous purple hue in the distance before gradually fading.

Leng Kai opened a paper map and found the swamp.

Wang Mingxue drove the car there, delving deep into the swamp. This place was indeed pitch-dark like mud, and the air was filled with a pungent, bitter, and sour odor—one could tell at once it was the black wastewater discharged from the production of Black Medicine.

"This is the place. Next up is the real deal. Do you all still remember what was discussed in the combat meeting?" Leng Kai asked.

"Of course, I remember. Wang Ye and I will enter through the drainage pipe, infiltrate their company, and wait for support. You’ll head to the city to find Mr. D and rendezvous with George," Wang Mingxue said.

"That’s right. Wang Ye, don’t fire at will. We are now under Their watchful eye. They could snuff us out with just a breath. Understand?" Leng Kai said.

"I have my measure," Wang Ye said.

After repeatedly giving instructions, Leng Kai handed over the long rifle and the remaining explosives to Wang Ye, keeping only a handgun and a spare magazine for himself, along with a claw knife.

In reality, a mistake in the city would render even a tank useless. The handgun’s purpose was simply to provide self-comfort.

They parked the car under a large tree, and Wang Ye, along with Wang Mingxue, carrying their rifles and climbing backpacks, made their way toward the drain outlet.

Watching Wang Ye and Wang Mingxue stepping across the swamp over broken branches and stones, Leng Kai didn’t feel much worry. According to intelligence, this drainage system was not patrolled and so was quite safe. With that in mind, he turned to head into the city’s inner regions.

Etolia had a total of six provinces, with the inland province of Felda being Heisai State’s economic center, known as the Black Pearl. They had been to this vibrant city before, but now, revisiting these familiar streets, the changes were significant.

The streets were filled with believers, who moved slowly and orderly along. Since the Pseudo-God had no teachings nor holy texts, the devotees had nothing to recite, and their silent prayers and wishes were no different from each other, making it seem absurdly comical.

Leng Kai walked for quite a while before he moved from Felda’s industrial district to the old town, where Pei Guode Hotel was located. Originally, this old street was unremarkable, rife with gang strife, but now, it had become the center of Felda.

The closer he got to Pei Guode Hotel, the more crowded the streets became.

Under the red zone, people did not need to eat or sleep, making the cityscape especially eerie and frightening.

The mass of pilgrims, mountain-like and oceanic, all faced the direction of the hotel, sitting consciously along the sides of the road. The traffic was scarce, and the shops operated at the bare minimum, all tending towards quiescence, as if preparing to listen to something.

Everyone on the street was like this— the city appeared to have fallen into a standstill, only in a few places did people and vehicles move at the slowest of paces.

What were those driving aiming to do? Leng Kai couldn’t figure out.

He found the coffee shop Mr. D had mentioned, but upon arrival, he discovered that the shop was completely closed, with a "closed for good" sign hanging on the tea-colored glass door.

Looking through the window, he saw a waiter wiping tables and knocked on the glass.

The waiter came forward, opened the front door, and stood in the doorway, "We’re closed."

"Uh, when will you open?" Leng Kai asked.

"We’re closed for good. You’re new here, right? We no longer do business with mortals, so there’s no coffee beans in the shop. Soon, there will be no need for coffee here either. Sitting on the street, joining in listening to the holy sounds—that’s what you should do. Go find your meaning, brother," the waiter said with a smile.

After speaking, the waiter closed the door and continued his hectic work.

Leng Kai took a deep breath and suddenly noticed the reflection of another person’s shadow on the shop window.

As he turned around, he saw Mr. D.

"D..." Leng Kai said.

Mr. D shook his head, and Leng Kai followed him into an alley behind the street.

"I was starting to think something bad had happened to you," Mr. D said.

"We were quick enough, considering we had to drive a pickup across Heisai State," Leng Kai said.

"There’s no day or night here, no need to sleep either. I’ve counted hundreds of hours on this watch, and these few days have felt longer than my entire life," Mr. D said.

"What are they doing? Just sitting there like bugs, not moving an inch," Leng Kai couldn’t help but ask.

"That’s the most terrifying part about this place. It wasn’t like this when I came here before. More and more people are arriving in the city, there are fewer cars, and all commercial and recreational activities have stopped. They all head towards the hotel, sitting outside, all looking in the same direction... I suspect His room is right there. Every day at noon, a woman in a white dress comes out and speaks to them, they call that ’The Holy Sound,’" Mr. D said.

"Okay, let me tell you about what we saw, and you definitely don’t know this, but He can now teleport troops out of thin air. If one day He decides to attack a city, perhaps that’s how He’ll do it. His soldiers are over 3 meters tall, and from what I could tell, they have the power of a Trinity Iron Man. Light weapons can’t hurt them; I don’t know if a gauss rifle could take them down," Leng Kai said.

"Did you run into them? How did you escape?!" Mr. D asked.

"No, it was the multinational forces chasing us, those Iron Men mistook us for pilgrims and came to our assistance. That Black Medicine George mentioned had better work... I have no idea how we’re going to deal with them with our current military capabilities," Leng Kai said.

"That Black Medicine was extracted from His body; we might as well stay optimistic. How much do you know about the multinational forces? Did they engage in combat? Why were they chasing you?" Mr. D asked.

"I’m not sure, they were preparing for urban warfare in Re’ermai. Those Iron Men said they were doomed, and I believe their word. Those multinational force troops are nothing but bandits; ever since they entered, they’ve been pursuing the pilgrims’ procession. We saw many wrecks, and aside from the killing, there were also their lecherous acts," Leng Kai said.

"Damn it... things will go down fast... we need to act quickly now. I bet the multinational forces won’t last half an hour; by the time you arrived, they had probably all perished," Mr. D said.

"Wang Ye and Wang Mingxue are in place; let’s go meet George," Leng Kai said.

"This is exactly the problem... George has disappeared," Mr. D said.

"What...?" Leng Kai was stunned.

"I had arranged to meet him and waited quite a while, but he never showed up. He’s never been like this before," Mr. D said.

"Let’s just take the Black Medicine and leave; after all... that’s what we came for," Leng Kai said.

"Without George, we don’t know where exactly in that building the Black Medicine is. I’m actually worried about whether to wait longer or..." Mr. D said.

Leng Kai rubbed the back of his head, also feeling troubled.

How long should they wait? To go and search for the Black Medicine in the black building themselves seemed ridiculous, who knew what the container for the Black Medicine looked like? And if they picked the wrong one in a building full of Black Medicine, then what?

The two men stood there, looking at each other in silence.