Being stared at by such pairs of turbid, crazed, and irrational eyes, even Ruowang, Sally, and the others, who were survivors who had escaped all the way to the sea from the pursuit of a large number of "Heartless" and managed to board this cruise ship, felt a chill rising from their tailbones, heading straight for their minds.
Without giving them time to think, the crew members infected with "Heartless Disease" either picked up knives or bared their teeth and rushed over.
These were all people working in the kitchen and did not have guns.
The group of people at the cold storage door had eked out an existence after the destruction of the Old World, and their experience was undeniably rich. Although they were shivering from the cold, with white frost congealing on their heads, and were startled by the situation inside the kitchen, they quickly reacted and raised the weapons in their hands.
"Use your abilities sparingly!" Someone shouted.
Ruowang snapped to attention and interrupted the "Sloth" he was about to use.
He instantly understood what the person who shouted out meant:
The cause of the current outbreak of "Heartless Disease" is unknown. It may be related to the chaotic and crazy state of the previous few nights. Under such circumstances, rashly using abilities may cause oneself to become chaotic or even infected with "Heartless Disease!"
Bang, bang, bang, da, da, da, Shang Jianyao, Sally, and others pulled the triggers.
A large number of bullets poured out, killing the crew members working in the kitchen on their way over.
Looking at the blood splattered everywhere and the corpses on the ground, Ruowang, not wanting to be outdone, took the initiative to say:
"Maybe we should go out and see what's happening.
"If there's a chance, leave this cruise ship as soon as possible and get onto the island!"
He didn't want to stay on this strange and terrifying cruise ship for even a moment.
Ruowang's thoughts coincided with those of everyone else present, except for Shang Jianyao. They had no objection, and armed with weapons, they rushed out of the kitchen in a swarm.
"You guys can't do this! No tactical literacy!" Shang Jianyao "lamented" as he ran behind.
He meant that Ruowang and the others had no division of labor or cooperation. Although they maintained a certain distance from each other, they could easily be wiped out in one go, behaving like a rabble.
This was not because Ruowang, Sally, and the others lacked experience, but purely because they lacked tacit understanding, fighting on their own and being wary of each other.
Fortunately, there were no "Heartless" in the corridor outside. It was empty, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.
The group of people who rushed out of the kitchen did not suffer any attacks or interceptions, and they arrived at the small deck on this floor quite smoothly.
The continuous sound of gunfire then rushed into their ears, causing them to subconsciously slow down and observe their surroundings.
Da, da, da, this was the sound of a machine gun firing wildly, and it came from outside the cruise ship.
Ruowang turned his head and looked at Shang Jianyao, and found that this companion was already crawling on all fours towards the edge of the small deck.
After hesitating for a second, Ruowang chose to do the same.
Sally and the others exchanged glances, and were infected by this cautious attitude, and followed suit by lying on the ground.
They took turns using their elbows to quickly reach the edge of the small deck.
What first came into their eyes was the dense crowd on the large deck below trying to set foot on land via the gangway.
There were as many as one or two thousand of them, with hair of various colors, but their eyes were all turbid, and they roared like beasts from time to time. Those with weapons in their hands occupied advantageous positions and fired wildly at the pier.
"Heartless Disease!"
Almost all the passengers and crew members had contracted "Heartless Disease!"
Seeing this scene, Ruowang, Sally, and the others' pupils dilated sharply, and their bodies stiffened there, as if struck by lightning.
They were no strangers to similar scenes. They had all witnessed them to some extent when the Old World was first destroyed!
Under the background of dense gunfire and constant screams, the whole scene was like the end of the world descending once again.
Almost at the same time, Shang Jianyao felt that the surrounding atmosphere became oppressive, heavy, and like substance.
Then, he experienced the mood of the owner of room "912" at that time as if he was there:
On the one hand, he was glad that he had hidden in the cold storage and had not been infected with "Heartless Disease," and had successfully avoided a disaster, which produced a little joy. On the other hand, he was afraid and fearful, not knowing why he and others could maintain their sanity, and was unsure whether they would become one of those "Heartless" below if they encountered a similar event in the future.
Under the mist called "Unknown," no one could guarantee it.
Sally shifted his gaze to the fortifications on the shore and the armed personnel who were arriving one after another, swallowed his saliva, and said in a deep voice:
"Let's go back to the kitchen and hide, and come out when the battle is coming to an end."
He was afraid that he and others would be discovered by the "Heartless" and be besieged—at that time, even if there were several ability users in the team, they would inevitably be outnumbered, and he was worried about being affected and accidentally killed by the residents of Speshi Island, so he didn't want to stay outside.
And according to what Shang Jianyao knew, in this era before the New Calendar, surviving humans had a more superficial and blind understanding of "Heartless Disease" and often made all kinds of extreme behaviors due to overwhelming fear.
Under normal circumstances, since most of the people on this cruise ship were infected with "Heartless Disease," the remaining lucky ones would definitely be considered carriers of the virus and would need to be eliminated, rather kill by mistake than let go.
If Ruowang, Sally, and the others were not Awakened, possessing unique abilities, Shang Jianyao didn't think they could still survive on the island and be quarantined.
As the group of survivors carefully returned to the cabin, Shang Jianyao felt the surroundings quickly fade away and then become clear again.
A deck appeared in front of him, and the passengers on the deck were chatting in groups of three or five, reminiscing about the past.
He had returned to the moment he first boarded the cruise ship once again.
"Doesn't this count as passing through this psychological shadow?" Shang Jianyao raised his hand and stroked his chin.
His expression quickly became gloomy:
"Definitely not.
"Since the owners of rooms '522' and '912' are still alive, it means that they were not infected with 'Heartless Disease' at the time and successfully landed on Speshi Island. We just triggered this hidden ending, figured out what happened in the end, and didn't solve the corresponding fear.
"What is certain now is that such a terrifying change has become a psychological shadow for the owners of the two rooms, making them constantly worry that they will suddenly be infected with 'Heartless Disease,' and it was only later that they slowly overcame this fear.
"Maybe they won't dare to take a boat for a long time."
Shang Jianyao nodded to himself:
"To truly pass through this psychological shadow, it seems that there are several directions:
"First, take a few more trips on a boat in reality, come into contact with more 'Heartless,' and bring the emotion and state of not being afraid of being infected with 'Heartless Disease' into it to see what changes;
"Second, figure out why the passengers and crew members in this psychological shadow can interact with me like real people;
"Third, investigate the source of the chaos at night."
After speaking, he covered his mouth and yawned:
"Too much consumption today, so much for today, continue tomorrow."
…………
Inside the jeep, Shang Jianyao opened his eyes.
He didn't rush to sleep, but sat up and looked at Jiang Bai Mian, who was huddled in the front row, in the dim light of the campfire and stars outside the window.
During these days, Jiang Bai Mian used the sense of powerlessness and unease she felt in the Wasteland No. 13 ruins to mobilize her own desire to become stronger within the "Doomsday Company" mind island, trying to break the fear of losing her relatives, friends, companions, and current life.
She didn't think she wouldn't be afraid of losing these, but she was trying to turn this fear from a stumbling block into a motivation to move forward.
After repeated adjustments, she gradually got better and felt that she was finding the right direction.
Swish, Jiang Bai Mian opened her eyes.
She subconsciously looked to the back row and met Shang Jianyao's eyes.
Jiang Bai Mian blinked:
"In the middle of the night, don't be so scary, okay...
"I just withdrew from the 'Sea of Origins' and was about to sleep when I felt something watching me in the dark.
"How was it, did this exploration have any gains?"
Shang Jianyao nodded and briefly explained the process of finding Ruowang, the owner of room "522," and the sudden change on the last day.
Jiang Bai Mian listened very attentively and gradually frowned.
"In the end, it was a 'Heartless Disease' that swept over most of the people..." After Shang Jianyao finished speaking, Jiang Bai Mian muttered to herself, "Could it be that the previous chaos was a manifestation of the 'Darkness' erosion? When the eroding power accumulates more and more, the 'Heartless Disease' breaks out?"
This was a conjecture based on the current gains and judgments of the "Old Task Force."
Shang Jianyao's eyes lit up:
"Doesn't that mean that there may be a node connected to the 'New World' on the cruise ship?
"It is the influence of this node that allows humans on the ship to interact?"
Jiang Bai Mian nodded slightly:
"Look for it next time.
"Get a good night's sleep now!"
She emphasized the last sentence, worried that Shang Jianyao would ignore his fatigue and try now.
"Okay." Shang Jianyao did not force himself and pointed to the car door, "I'll go relieve myself first."
"Didn't you go before going to bed?" Jiang Bai Mian was a little surprised.
How long had it been?
Shang Jianyao replied sincerely:
"I ate and drank a lot on the cruise ship, and my body had a stress response."
"..." Jiang Bai Mian was speechless.
Shang Jianyao pushed open the car door, greeted Genaava, and walked towards the edge of the parking lot camp.
Just then, he swept the corner of his eye and saw some strange phenomena:
Some hunters were constantly swinging their arms there, and someone was spitting out a bubble from their mouth...
ps: Last half day, asking for monthly tickets~