C9 Mosaic

Zhou Ming had been walking for what felt like an eternity when the scent of blood grew overwhelming, almost acrid, prompting him to instinctively cover his nose. Abruptly, a flicker of light caught his eye, revealing a mosaic pattern in his field of vision.

His heart raced, the scene unfolding like something straight out of a horror movie. Pushing down the fear bubbling inside him, he pressed on. The flashlight from his phone revealed an increasing number of mosaic patterns scattered across the ground.

A half-intact mosaic head stood out starkly against the yellow earth, its eyes wide with panic and helplessness, bloodshot and fixed in a haunting stare.

"Ugh—"

The gruesome sight was too much for Zhou Ming, and he retched, vomiting a veritable rainbow. If it weren't for the dire need to save his own skin, he would never have ventured into such a place. The assault on his senses was far more intense than any movie scene.

After wiping his mouth, Zhou Ming felt something trip his right foot. Swinging the light in that direction, a chill shot up his spine.

A bloodied figure, unrecognizable and partially pixelated, clung to his pants, uttering a feeble and raspy plea, "Please... please... save... the children..."

The words were cut short; the eyes never closed, yet life had already slipped away.

Zhou Ming crouched down and gently closed the man's eyes. The resentment and regret they held were palpable, even to a stranger like him. What on earth had happened here?

A reflective glint caught his attention from the man's hand. Zhou Ming looked closer and saw a dark golden badge, smeared with blood, bearing the emblem of crossed swords and a shield.

This was the insignia of the Watchtower. The design seemed familiar to him; it belonged to Getrall's law enforcement agency.

Every region in Getrall had its own Watchtower, tasked with upholding social order, akin to Earth's police force.

Members of the Watchtower, known as Essence Weavers, were also referred to as Origin Guardians. In the event of severe casualties or criminal activity, the Watchtower would dispatch Origin Guardians to apprehend the culprits.

People from the Watchtower involved in this? The complexity of the situation dawned on Zhou Ming. Should he attempt to contact the Watchtower? He glanced at his phone, only to find it devoid of any signal.

A faint buzzing noise pierced the air above. Zhou Ming looked up to see a drone hovering overhead.

Not good! I'm being watched! Zhou Ming's heart raced as he quickly turned off his phone's flashlight and bolted in one direction.

A blinding light suddenly shone directly at him. Zhou Ming squinted against the glare and saw a black van barreling towards him at breakneck speed.

It was them! This black van was the same one that had taken Lin Xiaowu.

"Hahaha, big brother, looks like a little ant has wandered in."

"Perfect, another one who's not afraid to die!"

Inside the van, two young men in black uniforms cackled wildly, their eyes gleaming with a terrifying lust for violence.

What do I do? Zhou Ming's mind went blank. The van was moving too fast; he had no chance to dodge! He didn't even have time to activate Dream Fulfilled. Death seemed inevitable.

"Get out of the way!"

In the nick of time, a cool voice rang out from behind him.

A woman clad in a red combat suit kicked Zhou Ming aside and propelled herself into the air. With a swift motion, her weapon sliced the van in two, like a crescent moon cutting through the night.

Boom!

The van erupted into flames, becoming two fiery infernos.

Zhou Ming, wincing from the pain of the kick, managed to say, "Thank you."

The woman approached Zhou Ming and snapped, "What's an ordinary person like you doing here, looking for death?"

By the light of the flames, Zhou Ming got a good look at her. She was stunning, with fine features and dressed in red, her hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. The only discordant note was the massive, double-edged weapon on her back, incongruous with her otherwise harmonious appearance.

"Exactly."

Zhou Ming wasn't put off by her tone. Wasn't he here seeking death anyway, forced by the system?

The woman, amused and annoyed in equal measure, gave Zhou Ming a withering look. "I should have let them run you over just now, you're nothing but trash!"

"Have you lost your mind? Why so hostile? I came here to find death, what's it to you?"

Zhou Ming retorted, his patience wearing thin. Even if she had saved his life, that didn't give her the right to insult him.

"Then just wait here for your death!"

The woman turned away, her expression icy. With a decisive stomp, she surged into the darkness at an incredible speed. Initially, she had intended to bring Zhou Ming with her, but now it seemed unnecessary.

After she departed, Zhou Ming slumped to the ground, his back soaked with cold sweat. He was certain the woman was from the Watchtower, having spotted a dark golden badge on her chest that matched the one he had previously found.

The presence of the Watchtower's agents meant he was likely entangled in a serious affair. Zhou Ming couldn't help but smile wryly at the thought. Essence Weavers from the Watchtower had perished in this barren land, and his presence would amount to little more than being fodder.

The woman's strength was formidable. Zhou Ming had sensed her urgency in every word and action during their brief exchange, suggesting she might be on the run or severely injured.

Zhou Ming was thankful to the woman for saving his life, yet he harbored a secret that made it preferable to avoid any further contact with the Watchtower. Thus, he had intentionally angered her, prompting her to leave him behind. Escaping would have been impossible with her in tow.

The drone overhead remained intact. Zhou Ming set off in the opposite direction, determined to confront whatever challenges lay ahead...

Ming Shuang navigated the darkness, her mood oppressively somber. The Watchtower had dispatched several teams to scout this derelict area, but none had returned. As the captain of this operation, skilled in stealth and a six-star Essence Weaver, she had barely managed to escape with her life.

Had it not been for her teammates sacrificing themselves to buy time and distract the enemy, they would have met the same fate as the previous squads.

Ming Shuang found it bitterly ironic that she had narrowly escaped death, only for someone else to willingly walk into the jaws of danger. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had overlooked something.

The thought of the gruesome experiments snapped her focus back to the task at hand. She needed to deliver the intelligence quickly and rally the remaining teams to ensnare the culprits once and for all.

The deep night was silent, devoid of insect chatter, with only the heavy stench of blood lingering in the air.

Inside a processing plant in the derelict area, the lighting was faint, and the acrid scent of blood was pervasive. Numerous glass tubes, each towering over a person's height, stood within the room. These were not enclosures for animals, but for humans.

In a room as brightly lit as daylight, there was a surgical table. On it lay a boy, his hair in disarray, appearing to be about thirteen years old. His limbs were restrained on the table, his gaze hollow and distant.

A middle-aged man with long hair, donned in a white lab coat, gripped a syringe filled with a blue liquid.

"I've waited so long; you better not let me down!" he said.

With a placid demeanor, the man injected the blue liquid into the boy's chest.

Seconds later, the boy's face contorted in agony. His body began to shake uncontrollably, the tremors growing more violent by the moment.

With a loud "Bang!" blood mist exploded, splattering the surrounding walls where the thick crimson slowly slid down.

The middle-aged man wiped the blood from his face, his lips curling into a slight, satisfied smile.