Lost in the Otherworld

"Indeed," White Rabbit nodded, "According to our speculation, since the half-human bride committed murder, Cangdao caused the entire village of Gujia to sink a thousand meters underground. The beasts of the village are endlessly repeating the actions they took during those ten days, in a perpetual cycle. Don't ask me why Cangdao punished them this way—I don’t know. But based on the outcome, it's as if they’re imprisoned, with the hair monster trapped as well, unable to escape."

"As for the Gujia Village on the surface, you can think of it as Cangdao using a sort of 3D printing technology, replicating an almost identical version to replace the one buried underground."

White Rabbit clapped her hands, "That’s all for now. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask."

No one spoke; they were all busy processing the bombshell of information.

"Ha," Wu Dahai, acting like an old hand, patted Fat Jun’s shoulder, "When I first heard all this, I was just as shocked as you. But this is only the beginning. Do you even know what the Gate of Extinction is? Or the Crimson Tide? You’ve got a lot to catch up on!"

"Alright, let’s leave it here for today. Take your time," White Rabbit stood, stretching lazily, "You all enjoy yourselves. I’m off."

"Wait," Gao Yang stopped White Rabbit, "One last question."

"Go ahead."

"What should we do now?" Gao Yang asked, feeling a bit lost.

"As for that..." White Rabbit rolled her eyes thoughtfully, "In the short term, your task is simple: get stronger. It’s the fundamental course for any Awakened. The stronger you are, the lower your chances of being killed by beasts, humans, half-humans, mutated creatures, or other enemies. The stronger you are, the better your chances of surviving the next Crimson Tide."

The Crimson Tide?

It sounded terrifying, but since White Rabbit mentioned it, it was probably public information—something to explore later.

"In the broader sense, what you—or rather, what all of us Awakened—must do is to find the twelve rune circuits as quickly as possible. Theoretically, gathering all the circuits will allow us to open the Gate of Extinction. Most Awakened, including our organization, believe that opening the gate is the first step to dispelling the 'fog,' and perhaps the most critical step."

White Rabbit’s expression suddenly darkened, a fleeting gloom in her eyes. "But... it’s incredibly difficult."

"Hard to find?" Officer Huang asked.

"Yes, the appearance of the rune circuits is completely random. Finding them depends entirely on luck, but that’s not the hardest part. Given enough time, we could eventually gather them all." White Rabbit's voice grew colder. "The hardest part is what happens next—deciding who to give them to."

"Is there no..." Gao Yang searched for the right word, "leader among the Awakened?"

"Not a chance," Wu Dahai, still lounging with his legs crossed, scoffed, "It’s a chaotic mess—warlords carving up territories, a three-way standoff..."

"His idiom usage might be off, but the meaning is spot on," White Rabbit chuckled. "At that point, it’s likely that a full-scale civil war will break out among the Awakened. A mathematician among us created a risk assessment model. The results showed that if that day comes, 94% of Awakened will die in the conflict. Ultimately, one Awakened leader will emerge to lead the survivors through the Gate of Extinction, pressing forward..."

"To be honest, I’m not looking forward to that day," White Rabbit smirked, "After all, who can guarantee they’ll be in the 6%, and not the 94%?"

Gao Yang remained silent.

Officer Huang frowned.

Qing Ling showed no expression.

Fat Jun swallowed hard.

"Afraid of what?" A booming voice broke the silence. Wang Zikai had woken up at some point, slamming a foot onto the barbecue table as he raised his arm in a bold gesture. "Within a year, I’ll crush the Lizardmen, crush all the other organizations, open that damn gate, and lead us all to victory!"

Suddenly, the once bustling barbecue restaurant fell silent. Dozens of customers stopped eating and turned to look at the towering figure of Wang Zikai and the group standing beside him.