Chapter 77-Game Descent: I Am the Sole Player

Chapter 77

Lin Huijun walked over. She saw Bai Shan standing still with her head lowered, seemingly lost in thought, and felt a pang of concern.

She too had met that old woman, and knew she'd been Bai Shan's neighbor for years. Regardless of what their relationship had been, watching someone familiar meet such a grotesque and tragic end couldn't have been easy on Bai Shan.

"Bai Shan, don't be—"

"By the way, what's today's date?"

Bai Shan lifted her chin, her frozen body finally stirring.

The abrupt change of topic caught Lin Huijun off guard. She thought for a moment and answered carefully, "I think it's February 11th — no wait, February 12..."

"February 12th!"

A voice suddenly called down from the upper floors. It wasn't particularly loud or soft. The two followed the sound upward and spotted a woman standing at the railing, watching them.

Bai Shan hadn't spoken loudly, yet the person above had heard every word. The cult believers had just been wiped out because of her, and while everyone else was still reeling from the shock, this woman dared to step forward and address her — no small amount of courage.

"Are you from out of town too?" Bai Shan asked.

The woman nodded, then visibly hesitated before confessing, "I came from the Capital."

Lin Huijun's expression shifted. She sensed the woman's identity might be significant. Instinctively, she glanced at Bai Shan — who happened to be looking back at her.

Suddenly, Bai Shan seized Lin Huijun's arm. In a flash, Lin Huijun felt her body go weightless. Before she could process what had happened, her feet were already touching down — Bai Shan had carried her up to the seventh floor of the mall.

Lin Huijun studied the woman. She appeared to be in her late twenties to early thirties, with a thin, slightly hollow face but a strikingly upright posture. Not the imposing kind associated with military bearing, but closer to the poise of an exceptional artist — tall, with a small head, wearing a scarf, and a neck long enough to peek above it. She radiated an effortless air of artistic refinement.

Lin Huijun stared for a good while. The woman looked familiar.

"Oh — aren't you that pianist? The one who won the international competition?"

"I remember you toured our city once."

Lin Huijun occasionally accompanied friends to plays, dance performances, and musicals, and had come across promotional material for the woman's tour. The face rang a bell.

"I'm Jiang Yusong. I used to be a concert pianist. Now, well — I'm just an ordinary person stuck in a shopping mall."

Jiang Yusong flashed a bright, gracious smile. It was radiant enough to look as though she were standing under a spotlight, instantly dispelling her melancholic artistic aura. She seemed quite warm and approachable.

Bai Shan couldn't have cared less about her previous career. She went straight to the point. "Everyone else is on the fifth floor. Why are you up here on seven?"

When they'd crashed in, Liu Chaoyun had gathered people on the fifth floor for cult activities. After the fight, the survivors had huddled in corners of the fifth floor like quails, trying to stay out of the crossfire. Yet Jiang Yusong was alone on the seventh floor.

Faced with the question, Jiang Yusong blinked. The next instant, she vanished.

Two or three seconds later, she reappeared in the same spot.

"I have an invisibility item. My senses are also quite sharp — especially my hearing. I've been hiding in the mall for the past few days without anyone noticing."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask the people on the fifth floor. No one should have seen me — I mean after I entered this mall. I used to perform in Hai City quite often."

Bai Shan observed her natural demeanor and judged she wasn't lying. She pressed on, "You said you came from the Capital."

"The Capital is a long way from Hai City. Don't tell me you just happened to be passing through."

"Haha, well." Jiang Yusong gave an awkward laugh and touched her nose. "Of course not. We came here specifically."

Lin Huijun echoed, "We?"

Jiang Yusong let out a heavy sigh. "Yes. Twenty of us, dispatched from the Capital. We were attacked by mutants en route. I got separated from the main group, lost my abilities, and had no choice but to hide here."

"If you don't mind my asking — are you... with the government?"

Lin Huijun probed cautiously.

"Mm. Hai City's situation was too bizarre. The Capital had actually been sending people all along, but nobody ever reported back. All of them went dark."

Jiang Yusong recounted this calmly. "I volunteered because I'm originally from Hai City."

On January 27th, Jiang Yusong had been at the National Theatre in the Capital, preparing for a performance to welcome visiting foreign dignitaries. She was about to step onstage for the dress rehearsal when screams erupted outside, and chaos broke out.

The Capital was a critical stronghold, garrisoned by military forces. Natural resources were limited, and with everyone awakening Talent abilities, the mutant flora and fauna were quickly brought under control.

But the Capital's concern was the entire country — the entire world. Once the channel function went live, a dedicated team was assigned to monitor information and track developments across all regions. Hai City's anomaly was spotted almost immediately.

At the same time, every citizen's ability in the Capital was registered. The government recruited individuals with useful Talents for various assignments.

By the third day after the game's arrival, the first team set out for Hai City. Besides soldiers, the group included an ordinary citizen whose Talent was similar to long-range telepathic communication, tasked with relaying observations back to the Capital.

The team reached Hai City in two days without much trouble. Then, twelve hours later, they abruptly went silent.

The Capital immediately dispatched an elite backup unit — seasoned soldiers with formidable game Talents. A week passed, and not a single one returned.

Jiang Yusong's group was the third wave.

The three of them found an open corner by the mall's glass wall and sat down on the floor. Bai Shan listened, head tilted, expression contemplative.

Based on Jiang Yusong's account, the arrival of Tomorrow's Dominator had truly caught everyone off guard. The authorities had detected anomalies beforehand and used a pandemic-related cover story to limit public gatherings, so there had been some preparation for disaster. But no one could have predicted the catastrophe would descend in the form of a game — suddenly and without any warning.

Even Bai Shan felt it had been too abrupt. She'd only reached Level 89 when the game came crashing in, as if terrified she might hit 90.

"Before you set out, how much did you know about Hai City?" Bai Shan asked.

Jiang Yusong managed a bleak smile. "Practically nothing. All the intel we had was: heavy rain, deep flooding."

"Knowing nothing, and you still volunteered to come. Is homesickness really that powerful?"

In response to Bai Shan's somewhat biting question, Jiang Yusong laughed. "Didn't you two come here knowing nothing?"

"Your Talent abilities must be quite strong — strong enough to swagger through the outside world — which is why you dared venture into Hai City. Our team was handpicked, the best of the best. Anyone who dares come to Hai City — who among them doesn't consider themselves a powerhouse?"

As she spoke, Jiang Yusong straightened her back, the confident spark of a nationally treasured young virtuoso returning to her brow. But it deflated just as quickly.

"Who could have known Hai City would be like this? Maybe some from the first or second wave are still alive, but without Talent abilities, making it back to report is simply impossible."

Under normal circumstances, driving from Hai City to the Capital took two days, traversing terrain teeming with dangerous mutants. Without Talent abilities, crossing that distance to reach the Capital was a pipe dream.

Lin Huijun was puzzled. "Has anyone tried leaving Hai City? Once you're out, is it possible the abilities come back?"

"I don't know. On our first day in Hai City, we ran into a school of mutant fish with terrifying bite force — or 'fish tide' would be more accurate. Densely packed, wave after wave, reeking of fish. They wrecked our vehicles."

"Luckily, the first team's partial report had mentioned Hai City's heavy rain and deep flooding, so we'd brought kayaks."

"Two people per kayak — one paddling, one keeping watch and gathering intelligence."

"Then, on the second day, we encountered a giant mutant creature. My kayak partner fell into the water. I clung to the kayak for dear life. The current swept me far away. I fought to keep my balance, paddling frantically, and eventually drifted into this mall."

Bai Shan asked, "How many days have you been in the mall?"

Jiang Yusong replied, "Two."

Bai Shan asked again, "Have your abilities disappeared?"

Jiang Yusong paused, then gave her an odd look. "Of course. Everyone who comes to Hai City loses their abilities after twelve hours."

"Then what's your Talent, Jiang Yusong?"

"My ability is... controlling light."

At this, Bai Shan's dark eyes deepened further. Her direct, unflinching stare made Jiang Yusong feel an inexplicable chill.

"Sounds like a very impressive ability."

Bai Shan praised, her tone laden with implication.

People lived in light every moment of their lives. Light acted on the human eye and converted into neural signals. Controlling light was tantamount to controlling human eyes — controlling human brains.

It was an extraordinarily potent ability, and it was the confidence behind Jiang Yusong's decision to volunteer for Hai City.

Lin Huijun's attention briefly drifted. She suddenly recalled the Mirage they'd seen in Yujing City, and the giant SOS on the outside of this very mall — Hengxin Shopping Mall. Perhaps it was connected to Jiang Yusong.

She was about to ask when Jiang Yusong spoke first, in what seemed like a casual question:

"What about you two — how long have you been in Hai City?"

"Just got here. Less than two hours."

Bai Shan answered without batting an eye.

Lin Huijun's expression flickered. She glanced at Bai Shan and quietly exhaled in relief — good thing she hadn't asked about the Mirage.

Then Lin Huijun turned her gaze back to Jiang Yusong, now with a hint of scrutiny.

"So your abilities are still intact..."

Jiang Yusong wasn't surprised. She had watched the entire confrontation from the shadows and could tell the one on her left still had her abilities — her movements were fluid, with none of the hesitation or disorientation that came from losing one's powers.

But Jiang Yusong's gaze subtly shifted to the short-haired girl on her right. This one didn't seem to have Talent abilities — her combat skills were solid, sure, but surely nobody's Talent was a frozen fish?

Jiang Yusong kept her doubts to herself. She let the sensitive topic pass and smiled again.

"Comrades, you know the situation in Hai City now. While your abilities haven't faded yet—"

"I think we should try to leave Hai City and bring the intelligence back!"

Jiang Yusong couldn't hide her urgency. "The longer we wait, the more people will come here to die. We have operatives stationed in cities near Hai City. We can link up with them and head back to the Capital together. I guarantee you'll be treated very well..."

The more heartfelt Jiang Yusong became, the more Bai Shan's unmoved expression appeared cold and unsympathetic.

"You're from Hai City. You risked so much to come back. And just like that, you want to leave?"

Jiang Yusong said, "...Staying here has lost its purpose. I've already gathered enough intelligence."

Bai Shan regarded Jiang Yusong with a faint smile. She suddenly stood, swatting the dust off the back of her pants with a penguin-like backward arm motion, then shoved her hands into her pockets and looked down at Jiang Yusong.

"If you want us to escort you out, at least show some sincerity."

"Give me your invisibility item."

Bai Shan extended her hand. Jiang Yusong, still on the ground, blinked wide — as if she'd taken a punch she didn't see coming. Recovering, she quickly whispered, "Let me find it."

Her hand went to her jacket pocket, then fumbled at her pants pocket. The movements were slow and stiff.

Bai Shan and Lin Huijun watched her in silence.

"Your acting is terrible, Madam Virtuoso."

"Controlling light can deceive human vision and achieve invisibility. Your Talent hasn't disappeared, has it?"

Jiang Yusong abandoned the charade. She rose slowly, disbelief written across her face.

"Just because of that, you've concluded I still have my abilities?"

Bai Shan and Lin Huijun exchanged a glance. They couldn't reveal the critical flaw — it would expose how long they'd actually been in Hai City.

Jiang Yusong had mentioned teammates stationed in nearby cities. They had just passed through neighboring Yujing City, where they'd seen the Mirage of Hengxin Shopping Mall bearing a distress signal.

A mirage was an optical phenomenon caused by the refraction of light — consistent with Jiang Yusong's ability.

Jiang Yusong claimed she'd gotten separated from her team on the second day and arrived at Hengxin Shopping Mall. By then, well over twelve hours had passed. Yet she'd still had the ability to project a mirage — a distress signal — all the way to Yujing City.

Besides Bai Shan, there was another person in Hai City whose Talent remained unaffected.

"Tell us — what exactly have you discovered that makes you so desperate to leave?"

Seeing the reluctance still etched on Jiang Yusong's face, Bai Shan preempted her.

"I came to Hai City because it's strange enough to be worth investigating. If it weren't, I wouldn't have bothered."

"Twelve hours — oh no, eleven hours. Let's say we have eleven hours left."

"In the next eleven hours, either I figure out Hai City's secret — or I kill you."

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