nycdaug 14: The expedition team badge is here!
14: The expedition team badge is here!
Su Chen stuck his head out of the window and scanned the area below.
At first glance, I didn't see any members of the expedition team. Instead, I saw a dense multitude of residents, like a school of fish, pouring out of the buildings. They formed a dark mass, their footsteps deafening, all rushing towards the small square below.
Everyone's face was filled with anxiety. They rushed forward desperately while pushing aside those who were blocking their way, as if they would miss out on some great benefit if they were even a step slower.
Seeing this, Su Chen raised an eyebrow and looked towards the center of the crowd—
Sure enough, the expedition team was there, surrounded by a tidal wave of residents from the neighborhood, treated like heroes returning from a victorious battle.
Su Chen narrowed his eyes and carefully observed these former "teammates," secretly wondering: Who exactly is the "mastermind" who pushed me in the fog?
Wenfei, Huangmao, and the burly man nicknamed "Chengdu Ruby Lin" were all carrying black military packs that were half their height on their backs. Each pack was bulging and stuffed full, looking particularly heavy, and they had to use their backs to push it up so it wouldn't slip off.
The residents around them were excited, even fanatical. Everyone stared intently at the three backpacks, their desire barely concealed.
Faced with these gazes, Wen Fei and his two companions not only did not feel disgusted, but actually seemed quite happy, letting the crowd squeeze towards them like a school of fish.
Su Chen was standing too high, and the noise downstairs was too chaotic, so he couldn't hear what they were saying.
But looking at the residents' uniformly fervent expressions... an unbelievable guess gradually became the only reasonable explanation for the scene before them:
Wenfei, Huangmao, and Lin Xinru from Chengdu seem to really intend to distribute what they've collected!
Su Chen frowned and looked at Wen Fei.
The very next day, this kid displayed an extremely strong desire for power, paying particular attention to matters in the neighborhood. In order to win people over, he might actually do something like dividing up the spoils.
Lin Xinru's motives regarding the Chengdu incident are still unclear.
Su Chen had never interacted with him before, and he wasn't as conspicuous in the crowd as Wen Fei, so Su Chen couldn't find a starting point for analysis.
But the blond guy is different!
Before the expedition set off, Su Chen had already seen through Huang Mao – he was a selfish, dim-witted, and bullying thug!
Would someone like that really be willing to give away the spoils they fought so hard to acquire to a bunch of complete strangers? Unless the sun rises in the west!
Moreover, from Huang Mao's perspective, the reason he entered the gray fog and went through that life-threatening adventure was because he was collectively forced in by the residents of the community.
He had absolutely no reason to use his own advantages to please his enemy.
There's something wrong... there's definitely something wrong here!
Su Chen's eyes narrowed, and he immediately searched for the last person in the crowd—the woman with the high ponytail who was holding the Miao sword in reverse.
The actions of Wen Fei and the other two were too strange and abnormal, and for Su Chen, who wanted to find the "mastermind behind the scenes," they were nothing but "noise" that interfered with his judgment.
Now, only that woman with the high ponytail might be the key to solving the mystery.
Finding her might help us uncover the truth.
Su Chen scanned the sea of heads below when suddenly, a chilling glint of light flashed into his eyes.
Found them, the woman with the high ponytail wasn't with Wenfei and the others.
She was carrying a black backpack, pressed against the wall of Building 1, hiding in the shadows, and quietly moving forward, trying her best to avoid the attention of those around her.
If Su Chen hadn't been standing on high enough to catch a glimpse of the long, slender Miao sword wedged between her side and the wall, he wouldn't have noticed her at all.
Will it be you?
Su Chen noticed that the woman with the high ponytail completely ignored anyone who tried to talk to her.
Even if someone points at her and yells at her, she acts as if she doesn't hear them and completely ignores them.
It wasn't until a bloated fat man reached out and blocked her way, pretending to snatch her bag, that she put her Miao knife in front of her.
Could her cautious nature really be the one who pushes me into the gray fog?
Su Chen seemed to be deep in thought.
He stared at the woman with the high ponytail until she was completely out of sight before turning his gaze back to the other three people in the small square.
The small square was particularly lively at this moment, especially around Wenfei and his group.
The residents huddled on the sidelines kept talking and gesturing wildly, which made Wenfei and his two companions laugh out loud from time to time.
Perhaps pleased by the flattery, Wen Fei, the leader, suddenly clenched his fist in mid-air.
In an instant, the noisy square fell silent, and everyone held their breath.
"Line up in three lines! Come to us to get your food! Hurry up! Keep quiet!"
Wenfei gave orders to the crowd.
The previously chaotic crowd immediately became orderly and moved quickly, with only the sound of footsteps echoing throughout.
Soon, the three lines were formed.
Wen Fei put his hands behind his back and shouted loudly at the dense crowd in the square:
"I'll count down from three! After that, everyone come up in order to get your food!"
"three!"
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Wen Fei began the countdown with a smug look on his face.
Boom boom boom...
He had barely uttered the first number when the entire small square was engulfed by a burst of footsteps.
A large group of people, their eyes red, rushed towards Wenfei and his two companions, grabbing their backpacks and trying to divide them among themselves.
Queuing and order were completely forgotten. Those at the front wanted to eat everything themselves, while those slightly behind desperately tried to snatch a share from those in front. The neat queue from before was a complete hoax, designed to fool honest people into believing in order and slowing their movements.
On the balcony, Su Chen shook his head.
"In the end, he lost both his wife and his army."
But just then, he suddenly saw that the first few people who grabbed the backpacks all threw them away!
Not only did they throw away their bags, but they also all looked like they had seen a ghost, opening their mouths wide and letting out extremely terrified screams!
"What happened?"
"What exactly did they see?"
Su Chen frowned and subconsciously looked at Wen Fei and the other two—they knew best what was in their backpacks.
Looking at the backpack that had been thrown far away, Wenfei and the other two looked like they were about to cry, their faces full of heartache.
They ran toward the backpack, seemingly trying to retrieve it.
Before they even reached the destination, the residents who had been cheering for them just moments before surrounded them and, without a word, began to punch and kick them.
These people attacked him while hurling insults at him.
Because they were far apart and the people were noisy, Su Chen couldn't hear the specifics, but he could guess that it must have been awful. He estimated that even if Wen Fei and the other two combined, they probably wouldn't have a complete set of parents and grandparents.
"What deep-seated grudge could lead to such a brutal attack?"
"What exactly did Wenfei and the others put in their bag that could make someone so angry?"
He picked up his pistol, ready to go down and take a look.
……
When they got downstairs, Su Chen saw that a circular human wall made up of girls had been formed between Wen Fei and his two companions and the enraged residents. The girls had all spread their arms, blocking the angry men from the outside.
Inside the human wall, Wen Fei and his two companions were restrained by several burly military police officers.
These military and police officers all served in the temporary management team. After two days of operation, they gained high prestige among the residents and became the most influential force for maintaining order.
"I clearly distributed all the supplies to you! Why are you still bullying me?! Is it because I dyed my hair blonde?!"
The blond-haired boy cried pitifully, his face covered in snot, tears, and blood, looking quite pathetic.
"Supplies?! You call the stuff you brought back supplies?! It's clearly harmful stuff!"
The two military police officers holding down Huang Mao got angry as soon as they heard this, and suddenly increased the pressure on his hands, making Huang Mao howl in pain.
"I've done so much for the community! I've risked my life for the community! I even brought back so many supplies! How could you treat me like this?!"
Lin Xinru, looking miserable, roared at the crowd and military police in Chengdu.
He was a burly man, and the two military police officers almost couldn't hold him down as he broke free.
"A bunch of beasts! I'd rather die in the smog than live in the same neighborhood as you!"
Lin Xinru wiped the blood from his forehead, glared fiercely at the police and residents, as if trying to etch their faces into his mind. Then he turned and ran towards the gate of the residential area.
But he hadn't run far when a figure pounced on him like a leopard and knocked him to the ground. He was then locked in an armbar and passed out after a few struggles.
"Pah! What trash!" The leopard-like man stood up and spat without any attempt to hide his disgust.
Then he grabbed Ruby Lin's ankle, which was wearing white socks, and dragged her back to where she was.
This is a retired soldier wearing a red armband.
Su Chen had encountered him during yesterday's battle to defend the wall. Now, it seemed that this man was not only short-tempered, protective of his own, and cunning, but also quite capable in combat.
"Hmph! Like discarding a bow after the birds are gone, or killing a donkey after it has served its purpose!"
"I thought Old Wang was already a beast, but I didn't expect you guys to be even more shameless!" Seeing the miserable state of Huang Mao and Chengdu Lin Xinru, Wen Fei felt the same way and cursed them with tears in his eyes.
"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have organized the expedition, and I definitely shouldn't have brought back so many supplies. God, open your eyes! Is there anyone left in this neighborhood? They're all beasts! They're all demons!"
Upon hearing Wenfei's cries and curses, Captain Chen, who was as fierce as a cheetah, immediately started rolling up his sleeves.
"Captain Chen! Wenfei has done a lot for the community, please don't hit him, give him a chance to explain!"
Just as Captain Chen was about to take action, a group of girls walked in from outside the human wall and spoke up to stop him.
They had long been disgusted by the temporary management team's brutal suppression methods, and took the opportunity to speak out under the pretext that Wenfei had helped the community.
"What else is there to explain!"
"Their backpacks were clearly filled with bloody severed hands and feet, but they insisted they were food! They wanted us to steal them! They wanted to laugh at us! They were treating us like fools!"
"The facts are right here, the cause and effect are crystal clear, how else can it be explained?!"
Captain Chen spoke with absolute certainty, and his words immediately drew applause of approval from the men around him.
Hearing this, Su Chen's heart raced, and he quietly squeezed into the crowd to steal a glance.
At that moment, all three backpacks were opened, and inside were not food and water, but human limbs that were bleeding and still twitching slightly.
"Don't touch these severed limbs! I feel there might be a virus inside!" A female doctor in a white coat next to Su Chen reminded him, and then added, "Anyone who just touched them, come here and register immediately, I'll disinfect you."
"Holy crap! Doctor! You have to save me! This isn't a zombie virus, is it?!" The instant noodle guy was pale as he ran to the female doctor and raised his hand—it was stained with dark red blood, he had just touched those severed limbs!
"Hey, isn't this Instant Noodle Bro? You're not afraid of AIDS, but you're afraid of turning into a zombie?"
"Exactly! Let them fight it out inside your body and see which virus is more powerful!"
A burst of laughter and mockery erupted around him. Instant Noodle Guy was so angry that his mouth twisted, his eyes squinted, and he stomped his feet. But the female doctor in the white coat reached out and touched the back of his head, instantly calming him down.
"Don't be afraid! No matter what the illness is, I will do my best to save you," the female doctor said calmly with a smile to the instant noodle guy.
Upon hearing this, Instant Noodle Bro was so moved he almost cried, and thanked him repeatedly.
"I never imagined there were still such good people in this world."
Looking at the female doctor's compassionate smile, Su Chen felt a surge of emotion, but then he immediately sensed something was amiss—
"wrong!"
"Even if Wenfei and his two colleagues weren't as professional as the female doctor and couldn't immediately think of the virus, seeing these bloody severed limbs, they would never have dared to collect them, stuff them into their bags, or carry them all the way back to their neighborhood!"
"unless……"
In that instant, Su Chen remembered what Wen Fei and the other two had said.
No matter how many times they were beaten, Wenfei and his two companions insisted that what they brought back were valuable supplies and good things, and that sharing them with everyone was doing a good deed for the collective.
"Hiss... So, maybe they really weren't just joking, but rather... their perception is off?"
Thinking of this, Su Chen immediately walked up to Wen Fei and the other two.
He casually pried open the eyelids of the three people and looked at them.
Sure enough, all three of them had wide pupils and unfocused eyes.
Su Chen took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shone the bright light directly into their eyes—their pupils did not contract at all, and their pupils were almost completely filled with black pupils!
Boom!
Su Chen's heart sank.
He quickly asked Wenfei and the other two, "Brothers, what supplies did you bring back?"
"I brought dried beef! It's my favorite, the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes!" Huang Mao said to Su Chen.
"I was carrying white rice! At least ninety pounds! I carried it all the way with great difficulty, and what did I get in return? No one thanked me, but instead they beat me up!" Lin Xinru from Chengdu said with a face full of grief and indignation, and then glared fiercely at the residents who beat her up.
"Is there any point in asking this now? I brought back top-quality flatbread, the finest grain! They insist I brought back severed limbs, bleeding profusely! Haha, how ridiculous!" Wen Fei gave a bitter laugh, then solemnly said to Su Chen:
"Brother! You can do whatever you want from now on, eat, drink, gamble, whore—just don't do anything good for the community! There's not a single good person in this neighborhood, they're all wicked devils who will kill you after you've served your purpose!" Wenfei roared. "They're all devils! Devils..."
"Still lying through your teeth, so stubborn! You deserve a beating!"
Captain Chen, wearing a red armband, cursed and, ignoring the girls' attempts to stop him, stepped forward and slapped one of them across the face!
Snapped!
Wenfei's two left molars flew out, and his cheeks swelled up at a visible speed.
"Well played!"
"Well done, Captain Chen!"
"I have a feeling these people have sided with the demons in the gray fog, bringing these severed limbs back to kill us all!"
"Kill them! Kill these demons' accomplices!"
The collective malice grew increasingly overwhelming, and the girls forming the human wall were swaying unsteadily, on the verge of collapse.
At this moment, Su Chen stepped forward and raised his voice slightly:
"I know what's going on!"
As soon as he said this, all the residents looked at Su Chen, and even Captain Chen, who was wearing a red armband, narrowed his eyes and stared at him intently.
"They've been deeply hypnotized! Their cognition is distorted!" Su Chen said seriously.
He then briefly explained the basis of his findings and judgment.
The crowd fell silent as they pondered Su Chen's words, and no one dared to shout for violence anymore.
Two doctors, a man and a woman, from the neighborhood were quickly pulled over and had their eyelids pried open to examine the "evidence" of Wen Fei and the other two.
"I wonder what they went through in that village..."
"Three out of the four went mad... and it's uncertain whether the third one is alright. On the contrary, I, who got lost, brought back supplies and a compass that can locate our home."
With mixed feelings, Su Chen silently retreated to the back of the crowd to observe.