NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 139
New Arc: The Black Mist Zone
The sensation of being engulfed by the Black Mist was deeply unpleasant, akin to being submerged in icy water while countless insects crawled across his skin. Lu Ming was no stranger to pain, but the relentless itching proved to be a formidable adversary.
It was a discomfort that gnawed at his nerves, testing his endurance.
But the sensation was fleeting. As the Black Mist enveloped him entirely, it stripped away his senses, plunging him into a void of nothingness.
Sight vanished, sound faded, even touch became nonexistent.
Lu Ming's consciousness grew hazy, his thoughts drifting aimlessly in the darkness.
Time became meaningless, an amorphous concept lost in the void.
Finally, after an eternity or perhaps a mere moment, a tingling sensation prickled at Lu Ming's skin, jolting him awake. Beside him, the three girls groaned in discomfort, but Lu Ming paid them no heed.
Instead, he leaned against the car window and surveyed their surroundings. The world had transformed.
Gone were the familiar buildings and the towering Holy Tower. In their place, a desolate landscape stretched as far as the eye could see, dotted with rugged boulders and withered vegetation.
The sky was a dull grey, casting a bleak pallor over everything. A sense of unease settled upon Lu Ming as he realized the source of this oppressive atmosphere.
"It's the sky... The sky is gray," Lu Ming observed, a hint of unease in his voice.
Indeed, the sky within the Black Mist Zone was a monotonous, oppressive gray. There was no sun, only a diffuse, unnatural light that seemed to emanate from the very atmosphere itself. This eerie illumination cast everything in a dull, lifeless hue, as if the entire zone was cloaked in a perpetual layer of dust.
"There's no one else around, no monsters," Zhang Chengcheng chimed in from the passenger seat.
Lu Ming surveyed their surroundings, confirming her observation.
There was no sign of life. Within their field of vision, only their vehicle and its four occupants remained.
"I wonder if we're lucky or unlucky," Wei Lan remarked, her voice filled with uncertainty. The others echoed her sentiment.
Bai Tianyu had explained that entering the Black Mist Zone was akin to random teleportation, although confined to a certain area. Thousands of people had entered the zone simultaneously, yet Lu Ming and his companions found themselves alone at their landing site. It could only be attributed to a quirk of probability.
"What should we do now?" Lolita asked, her voice trembling slightly as she looked to Lu Ming for guidance.
Wei Lan and Zhang Chengcheng followed her gaze, their eyes fixed on Lu Ming. In this unfamiliar and unsettling environment, he had become their anchor, their source of strength and hope.
After a moment's consideration, Lu Ming made a decision. "Let's head for the ruins of the ancient city," he announced.
The ruins were the designated meeting point within the Black Mist Zone, established by the officials. Despite his immense power, Lu Ming wasn't interested in venturing out alone. A stable environment was crucial for his training, and aligning with the official team would provide that stability.
However, without a map or any knowledge of the terrain, the only way to locate the ruins was through a brute-force search.
"Let's get moving, then," Lu Ming said, his voice filled with determination.
Wei Lan immediately started the car, its engine sputtering and coughing as it struggled to life. The vehicle groaned and creaked, as if on the verge of collapse.
"Lolita," Zhang Chengcheng inquired, "can you sense your mother's location?"
Lolita closed her eyes, focusing her powers. After a moment, she nodded. "Yes," she replied, pointing towards the right side of the car. "That way."
"How far is she?" Zhang Chengcheng asked.
Lolita furrowed her brow, concentrating. "Very, very far," she finally said.
Without a point of reference, she couldn't accurately gauge the distance. But it was clear that the journey to reunite with her mother would be a long one.
However, one thing was certain: Lolita wouldn't be reunited with her mother anytime soon.
At the very moment Lolita entered the Black Mist Zone, in a distant land, within a crude stone dwelling, a woman named Maggie reacted with a subtle shift in her expression.
She sensed her daughter's presence within the treacherous zone. Quickly masking her emotions, Maggie didn't want anyone to witness the turmoil within her.
Unfortunately, the man beside her possessed an uncanny ability to read subtle cues.
"Your daughter has entered, hasn't she?" inquired the tall, white-haired man with a knowing smile.
His name was Anderson, the leader and strongest individual in New York, a formidable Level 7 Awakened.
Maggie bit her lip, remaining silent.
Beside Anderson, a young woman of eighteen or nineteen, her face adorned with heavy makeup, spoke softly. "I heard her thoughts," she revealed, her voice barely a whisper. "Yes, your daughter and the survivors from Nanxiang have entered the Black Mist Zone."
Some secrets were simply impossible to keep hidden.
Maggie remained silent, but Anderson had already gleaned the answer he sought. He turned towards the center of the room, where the most revered figure held court. Kneeling, Anderson spoke in a tone of utmost deference, "Great One, the other group I mentioned has entered the Black Mist Zone."
The figure before Anderson, towering over two meters tall, responded with a low growl of acknowledgment.
The sound reverberated through the room, a deep, guttural noise that wasn't quite English, yet resonated directly within the minds of those present, conveying its meaning instantly.
"Bring me to them, and you shall live. Fail, and you shall perish."
Anderson nodded hastily, "Of course, Great One. Of course."
The figure acknowledged Anderson's compliance with another grunt, then turned and strode towards the door.
As the light from the doorway illuminated the figure, its true form was revealed.
It stood an imposing 2.3 meters tall, its facial features humanoid, suggesting it was likely male. Its body was adorned with intricate purple-black patterns, resembling a bizarre form of clothing that concealed its most vulnerable areas.
It possessed hands and feet, but each hand bore only three clawed fingers, and its feet were more akin to the talons of a bird of prey than those of a human.
Even more striking than its humanoid features were the pair of wings that sprouted from its back, vast and leathery, like those of a colossal bat.
In its entirety, the creature resembled a grotesque fusion of man and eagle, reminiscent of the fallen angels of Western mythology.
However, the New Yorkers who had encountered these monsters knew better. These were not divine beings sent to offer salvation, but twisted abominations birthed from the depths of the Black Mist.
As the creature exited the dwelling and took flight, its wings beating the air with a thunderous sound, Anderson turned back to Maggie, his expression grave.
"Which direction did the people from Nanxiang go?" he demanded, his voice leaving no room for evasion. "Don't lie to me."
Maggie bit her lip, remaining silent.
Before the young woman with the smoky makeup could interject, Anderson let out a weary sigh.
"You've seen the brutality and power of those fallen angels," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "If the people from Nanxiang don't perish, we will."
"Maggie," he continued, his tone softening, "I know you have a kind heart, but in this situation, we have no other choice."
"The lives of the Nanxiang survivors are important, but so are ours. Don't you agree?"
Seeing Maggie's resolve wavering, Anderson pressed on.
"I've already negotiated with them," he revealed. "After they capture enough people from Nanxiang, they've promised to extend their protection to us as well. Think about it, Maggie. With their protection, at least in this area, our safety would be guaranteed."
"We have to stay alive," he urged. "Only then can we hope for a better future."
"When the time comes, you can bring Lolita here. She won't have to live in fear anymore. You two, mother and daughter, can finally be reunited..."
Tears welled up in Maggie's eyes. She longed for a solution that wouldn't involve sacrificing others, but there seemed to be no other way.
The sound of flapping wings grew louder as the creature soared closer. Maggie took a deep breath, steeling herself for the inevitable.
"I understand," she finally conceded, her voice barely a whisper.