| WRIAWW | Complete Family | 09
Almost simultaneously, a survivor specializing in medium abilities, who was carrying out a mission in Building 2 of Ankang Community, suddenly froze.
"What's wrong?" his companion asked, puzzled.
Their mission in this building was relatively simple. They had already cleared most of the way up and estimated it would take about twenty more minutes to finish everything.
"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems like a Weird Domain has been activated in Building 4."
"Huh? No way!"
When survivors complete missions in various instances, they might acquire some advanced abilities. For example, those with high medium enhancement levels might activate a mediumship constitution; those with high strength enhancement might comprehend an invincible body; and those with high agility might master instant teleportation.
Of course, besides these three advanced abilities, there are other special abilities, though they are rarer and harder to come by. Those who master them can usually make a name for themselves on the leaderboards.
A Weird Domain, however, is an advanced ability unique to weirds.
Once a weird possesses a Weird Domain, its strength is enhanced in all aspects. Some top-tier weirds have terrifying Weird Domains that can even kill based on "rules."
Fortunately, only A-level weirds possess basic Weird Domains, and the probability of encountering a Weird Domain in a B-level mission is about as likely as winning the lottery, which greatly ensures the survival rate of the survivors.
"Based on my experience, only the activation of a Weird Domain can cause such intense weirdness energy fluctuations."
The medium specialist frowned, "Speaking of which, I wonder if it's because the final instance is more difficult than the previous ones, but it feels like the probability of encountering a Weird Domain in B-level missions has increased significantly compared to before. Didn't the forum mention that a Weird Domain appeared in a B-level mission at Taikang Yongle Hospital not long ago?"
"If it really is a Weird Domain, then those two D-level guys who provoked Young Master Qin are in for a rough time..."
"True. But who told them to mess with someone they shouldn't have."
"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's finish our mission quickly and wait for the settlement at the community entrance."
"Agreed."
What these survivors didn't know was that the situation in Building 4 was far from what they had imagined.
"Wait! Stop moving forward! We might have entered a Weird Domain!"
Sun Ming, upon noticing the abnormal spatial folding around him, immediately shouted a warning.
However, to his horror, no matter how loudly he yelled, the survivors ahead seemed deaf to his warnings. Even though they were just a few meters away, an invisible barrier separated them. He desperately chased after them, even breaking into a sprint, but he couldn't close the seemingly reachable distance.
The space became quiet. The sounds of footsteps and breathing had all disappeared.
Only his own shouts could be heard.
"No, I have to warn the people ahead quickly..."
Sun Ming forced himself to calm down, "Right, there's still the system!"
He tremblingly reached into his pocket, just as he touched his phone—
"Hehehe..."
A burst of innocent childlike laughter suddenly rang out, piercing the silence of the hallway.
Sun Ming looked up in terror.
Through the gaps in the stairs, he saw a familiar figure on the platform below.
"Big brother, we meet again."
The little boy holding a human-skin ball looked up with a grin, his pitch-black pupils curved like a crescent moon.
"So you're not a friend of the one in 302? That's great."
Room 301 belonged to the female weird, but wasn't 302 supposed to be empty?
Why did this weird seem so wary of room 302, and even afraid to mention them by name directly?
As the slow, rhythmic sound of the ball hitting the ground continued, Sun Ming felt his limbs grow cold.
He suddenly realized he might have overlooked something, but it seemed he no longer had the chance to think it through.
"Hehehe, come play with Xiao Fu!"
At the same time, Zuo Wenxuan, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.
Due to the lingering unease in his heart, he had been closely monitoring their surroundings. Just now, as the weird’s power in the air grew denser, it had reached its peak.
"What are you doing?" Qin Man pushed him. "Go kick the door down!"
"Something's not right." Zuo Wenxuan abruptly drew his blade.
He stared warily at the door ahead, his eyes heavy with caution.
"What could be wrong? It's just a regular B-level mission. Let's finish it quickly, deal with that rookie, I’ve got a party scheduled at the Imaginary Fortress. The sooner we’re done, the better. Don’t drag this out, or my dad will find out and lecture me again..."
Before Qin Man could finish, Zuo Wenxuan interrupted, "Where’s that D-level guy?"
"Huh? Wasn’t he following us?"
Qin Man, annoyed at being cut off, finally glanced around. "Wait, where is he?"
Another team member quickly chimed in, "He was here just a second ago, then suddenly disappeared."
"Maybe he gave us false intel and ran off to avoid being held accountable?!"
"No."
Zuo Wenxuan stared at the dust particles floating like ashes in the stairwell, taking a deep breath. "It’s a weird domain."
Almost as soon as he confirmed this, a faint blue light rapidly rose from his feet, enveloping his entire body like a veil.
This was the advanced skill mastered by strength-focused survivors—Indomitable Body.
As an A-level survivor, Zuo Wenxuan was well-versed in dealing with weird domains. Indomitable Body acted as a personal shield, reducing the weird’s influence on him.
He knew that since the team had unknowingly entered the weird domain, Sun Ming’s chances of survival were slim.
"Don’t act rashly. Let’s figure out which weird’s domain this is."
However, even after activating Indomitable Body, the surroundings remained shrouded in dead silence. This advanced skill, which should have neutralized the weird domain and created a small safe zone, had completely lost its effect.
After experiencing numerous A-level missions, he had never encountered such a bizarre situation.
Thinking of the three known weird’s in Building 4, a terrifying hypothesis began to form in Zuo Wenxuan’s mind.
'No, things haven’t developed to that point yet it. Maybe I’m overthinking it.'
Due to the "color loss" characteristic of the weird domain, the interior of the building appeared in shades of gray under the flashlight’s beam, with black dust particles floating in the air.
The deep green wall slowly revealed a dense mass of long hair, accompanied by countless eerie creaking sounds emanating from behind the writhing strands. The long-awaited predator bared its fangs.
Amid the chaos, the survivors each showcased their unique abilities, some using skills, others using tools.
"Old Xu!" A terrified scream pierced the air.
Teammates watched in horror as a blazing flame ignited beside them, only to be engulfed by a surging tide of black hair within mere seconds. The trapped survivor didn’t even have time to let out a scream before being dragged into the depths of the hallway, vanishing into the endless darkness.
Those who witnessed the entire scene were chilled to the bone.
"Old Xu was holding an intermediate talisman! It should have lasted at least half a minute against a B-level weird! How could it not last for three seconds?"
"Shut up, stop asking questions, and get out of here!"
Zuo Wenxuan’s expression turned grave as he watched the black strands crawling toward him from all directions.
Through the open door, he caught another glimpse of the large pot boiling over a fierce flame, the butcher wielding a cleaver as he began processing the latest catch, preparing a new pot of stew.
Zuo Wenxuan’s heart sank completely.
The odds of encountering such an event were akin to winning the lottery.
"Young Master Qin, you go first..."
Zuo Wenxuan severed the black hair in front of him and turned around.
The hallway was completely empty, there was no trace of anyone else.
....
Meanwhile, Zong Le was sitting on a small stool at the security guard’s post.
After receiving enough money, Old Wang readily shared information about the other two residents of Building 4.
"The butcher on the first floor has suffered from a strange skin-shedding condition since childhood. His parents couldn’t afford treatment and abandoned him. As an orphan with no education, he could only do manual labor. But he’s quite strong and sturdy, and his stew is delicious, so he’s managed to make a living."
"Two years ago, for some reason, the butcher offended the owner of the Guiyi City slaughterhouse and was cut off from the supply chain. He was depressed for a while, but later found a new source of meat. The quality of the meat now is even better than before—it’s tender and affordable. Many people in the neighborhood have started buying from him."
Zong Le pondered for a moment. "From what you’re saying, the butcher seems to be doing quite well. Old Wang, do you know if he’s had any recent troubles?"
"Troubles? Are you kidding? The biggest trouble for those in Building 4 is..." You.
Looking at the money in his hand, Old Wang swallowed the last word.
He waved his palm-leaf fan and said guiltily, "How would I know? In life, troubles come and go. The butcher’s not getting any younger, maybe he’s worried about finding a partner."
Hearing this, Zong Le seemed deep in thought.
He noted Old Wang’s suggestion on his phone. "What about the little boy on the fifth floor?"
"That boy is a left-behind child, he was raised by his grandmother since he was young. When he was five, his grandmother passed away, and his parents rushed back from out of town. In the middle of the night, for some unknown reason, they had a fierce argument that could be heard several buildings away. The next day, while I was taking out the trash in the neighborhood, I overheard people saying that the couple had stabbed each other with knives in the middle of the night, hacking so violently that their heads rolled down the stairs, and blood was everywhere. It took me a whole day to clean up the mess, it was so annoying. The most absurd part is that those two heads still haven’t been found to this day."
Hearing this, Zong Le suddenly understood.
He had been wondering why a child of that age, who usually love Ultraman, would be so obsessed with playing with a lifelike human head.
Having spent some time in a psychiatric hospital, Zong Le had picked up a fair bit of knowledge. He realized that the child might have been traumatized by witnessing his parents’ brutal murder, leading to a cognitive disorder.
"So, the child is all alone now? How pitiful."
"Exactly."
The butcher and the child were already dealt a terrible hand in life, not to mention Sister Liu, who met an untimely end.
Now it’s clear why the happiness index in Building 4 is so low.
The four residents together couldn’t even make up one complete family.
"Thank you, Uncle Wang. I think I have some ideas now."
After bidding farewell to Uncle Wang, Zong Le continued walking, pondering his next steps.
"According to the survey, the butcher’s wish is to have more ‘fresh humans.’ From this, it’s clear that he’s deeply lonely and craves human interaction. He needs more companionship to improve his happiness."
"The child’s wish is for someone to play with him every day. Essentially, it’s similar to the butcher’s situation, they both stem from a sense of loneliness."
"Sister Liu wrote on the survey that she wished I’d stop bothering her. Of course, I can’t take that seriously. What if she gets overwhelmed and does something drastic again?"
Wait!
Connecting the three individuals’ backgrounds and recalling Uncle Wang’s "advice," Zong Le suddenly had an epiphany.
He thought he might know how to improve the neighborhood’s happiness index!
With this idea in mind, Zong Le hurried toward Building 4.
As he approached the building, he happened to see the little girl who had exposed Qin Man’s identity earlier, standing under the shade of a tree across the way. Along with her, the survivors who were supposed to be on missions in other buildings of the neighborhood had also gathered there.
The group was staring at Building 4 with solemn expressions.
"Hey, why are so many people here? Did you finish your missions?"
Zong Le had a natural affinity for these survivors who maintained peace in Guiyi City, so he greeted them warmly.
To his surprise, they looked at him as if they’d seen a ghost.
"Why are you here?!"
"Huh? Where else should I be?"
"...Shouldn’t you be in Building 4?"
"I went out to gather clues to better complete the mission."
So, Qin Man led the team into the weird domain, only to find that the person they were looking for wasn’t even there?
Looking at the unscathed black-haired young man before her, Yu Anlian couldn’t help but feel a sense of absurdity. It was both laughable and pitiful to see those who had done so much evil end up shooting themselves in the foot.
"What’s wrong? Did something happen while I was away?"
Oh, where to even begin? Yu Anlian was at a loss for words.
Someone backstabbed you and wanted to kill you, but in the end, they ended up suffering the consequences of their own actions, they are all trapped within the weird domain.
Unaware of it all, you avoided everything unscathed, and your life was saved in the end.
She was just about to organize her thoughts and give a brief description when a loud crash came from upstairs.
Bang—
The hallway window on the fifth floor was suddenly shattered by the hilt of a knife.
The previously impenetrable weird domain was forcibly torn open, and a figure leaped out, landing steadily.
"Boss Zuo!"
Seeing this, the survivors below couldn't hide their excitement.
Most of them were B-level survivors summoned by Yu Anlian after she sensed something was wrong. However, with limited abilities and no knowledge of the situation inside the building, they dared not rush in, choosing instead to wait and see.
"Great, I knew the boss would be fine."
"As expected of an A-level boss, he broke through the weird domain so easily."
"Hey, why is the boss the only one coming out? Where are the others?"
Unlike their relief, Zuo Wenxuan's expression was grim.
"Are there any B-level or higher survivors specialized in mental strength or agility? Come with me now."
Among them, only Yu Anlian was the first to understand his meaning. "What? Are there multiple weird domains inside?"
Zuo Wenxuan nodded heavily.
Although the conclusion was hard to believe, all signs pointed to it being true.
"Yes... this is a layered weird domain."
If it were just a B-level weird domain, he could try to dispel it by activating his invincibility.
But with three weird domains layered together, it would require the same level of difficulty of an A-level mission executed by at least a hundred people. It would also need the cooperation of multiple mental strength and agility specialists.
With just his strength-based abilities, he could only watch helplessly. Reluctantly, he had to retreat and find a way to call for reinforcements.
His words immediately caused an uproar.
"That can't be. The probability of encountering a weird domain in a B-level mission is less than one percent, and now there are two?"
"Boss, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"It's no mistake," Zuo Wenxuan shook his head. "Stop talking. Anyone with advanced abilities, follow me in. Otherwise, if the mission fails, we'll all face punishment from the main system."
He didn't care about the lives of the entire team, but Qin Man absolutely could not be harmed.
However, the survivors looked at each other, hesitation evident in their eyes.
In the Ankang Community mission, Zuo Wenxuan was the only A-level survivor; the rest were B-level or C-level, the majority of them are independent survivors or mercenaries.
According to the rules of the Infinite Space, as long as a survivor completed their assigned main mission, even if other divided main missions failed, they wouldn't be erased, just punished, but it wasn’t fatal.
But stepping into an unknown weird domain was a different story.
B-level survivors generally lacked the experience and strength to confront a weird domain . Entering recklessly could mean certain death.
Seeing the survivors' hesitation, Zuo Wenxuan couldn't help but close his eyes heavily.
He was like an exhausted worker, enduring humiliation for the sake of his boss's life.
"The one trapped inside is the young master of the Watchtower Guild!" He suppressed his anger, his voice filled with urgency. "If we can rescue him, the Watchtower Guild will surely offer a generous reward. I can't handle the overlapping weird domains alone, so I ask for your assistance."
"Wait. Are you saying that the fourth building has encountered a weird domain, and the people inside are in danger?"
After last night's intensive study and listening to the conversation for so long, Zong Le finally pieced together the whole story.
How dare some reckless evil weird target his friendly neighbors?! Zong Le was furious.
"What kind of reward are you talking about? I'll help you!"
With that, the survivors watched in stunned silence as he dashed into the fourth building.
After a long pause, Yu Anlian finally reacted. "Huh?"
"Wait... he's a D-level. What's he doing running into a weird domain?"
She had noticed this clean, unique, and handsome young man when he spoke out against the guild's protection fee's earlier.
Yu Anlian understood the rules of the infinite space better than anyone. She knew that only newcomers who had yet to face life-and-death challenges would dare to challenge the established order with their sense of justice.
While those who had truly struggled through missions, even if they had only experienced a few, would choose to silently accept reality after witnessing the cruel side of this world.
Coincidentally, there was also a rising D-level newcomer on the forum. Yu Anlian didn't believe in coincidences.
But after observing him silently until now, apart from his inexplicable luck in avoiding danger, Zong Le's performance was rather unremarkable. Excessive kindness and a reckless nature were always burdens in this dog-eat-dog infinite world.
"I must have misjudged him. It turns out he's just a fool with guts."
Yu Anlian shook her head, picked up her phone, and stopped watching.
Not just her, but the other survivors standing there shared the same sentiment.
"You have to be alive to claim the Watchtower Guild's hefty reward."
"That D-level has no idea how terrifying weird domains are. A newborn calf isn't afraid of the tiger."
"Even Qin Man wants him dead, and this D-level still wants to help. It’s really hard to judge..."
Even Zuo Wenxuan, who had asked for help, couldn't bear to watch anymore.
He strode forward, reaching out to stop Zong Le, but unexpectedly grasped at thin air.
How could a D-level have such speed? Just as Zuo Wenxuan's doubts began to rise, he witnessed an even more astonishing scene.
The moment the black-haired youth stepped into the stairwell, the building, which had been enveloped in the weird domain and faded into black and white, suddenly trembled.
Immediately after, color surged back like a tide, instantly restoring the entire building to its original appearance.
Zong Le, who had already walked inside, came to a halt.
"That... the moment I stepped in, I really did feel the weird domain you mentioned," he said, turning back with a puzzled expression. "But why did it disappear after just one step?"
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