Deep in the Living-Chapter 489 - 475 Water

The manhole cover in the middle of the road was lifted,

a pair of eyes slightly peeked out, quickly locking onto a newsstand by the curb.

In an instant, he burst towards the newsstand, retrieved what he wanted, and retreated back to the sewer — the whole process took less than ten seconds.

Whew...

Luo Di gasped for breath, nearly captured by the "family" within the mist.

A map of Wenslim City unfolded in his hands, marked with detailed information about the city. Whether it’s the school Luo Di needs to go to as a baseball player or the film company Mia dreams of joining, it’s all on there.

"Split up, Mia?"

"No way~ Even if we split up, you’ll be bringing the bucket, right? Since you’re taking her, I’ll just tag along. We’ll go to your school first, complete the corresponding ’plot.’ Then you’ll accompany me to my company. Isn’t that okay?

It’s basically in line with the plot development.

A girl from the countryside meets you, a prospective university student, on the train. Feelings develop, and together we go to the city to pursue our dreams.

Sounds like a happy story."

Mia held her face, seemingly lost in the ’plot.’

"And the bucket I’m holding joins the plot?" Luo Di’s words pulled her back from the beautiful story, leaving her making a silly face in protest.

"If you want to split up, then split up. I don’t care."

"Let’s check out the school first. If the ’plot’ only allows me to enter, then you can head to the film company through the sewers."

Mia pouted and put her hands on her hips, "Why not go to my company first? I don’t want to walk alone in the sewer; it’s so sinister and creepy."

"Ah?"

Luo Di tilted his head to look at the blonde girl with pigtails. If they were truly in the human world, they were all minors; it might have some credibility.

"The school is only a ten-minute walk from here, but the film company takes at least over half an hour. I’m just considering it in terms of time.

From Joker’s words, time seems pretty tight."

"Oh~ fine then."

Near a street manhole not far from the gates of Wenslim University,

buzz~ several flies flew out, confirming the location of the gate, with numerous shops set up on either side.

*It’s worth noting that it’s impossible to reach inside the campus directly through the sewers. Luo Di spent half an hour trying to find a way but found none.

Bang!

The manhole cover flew up!

Two figures swiftly ran towards the school gate, not entering it directly, but instead dashing into a nearby convenience store, quickly shutting the door.

Drip drip~

Blood continuously dripped from Mia’s cheek.

She had only been exposed in the dense mist for less than half a minute and had calculated her route and prepared in advance. Yet she still encountered "self-fear" midway and had a brief conflict.

A ghastly slash opened up Mia’s cheek, inflicted by her aged self, revealing even her brain inside.

Although she quickly counterattacked, as long as the dense mist existed, the old woman could quickly reform.

Luo Di, on the other hand, had to sever his sister’s head and his mother’s arm,

knowing it was fake, a reflection of inner fear by the mist,

but his hands still trembled slightly, his peripheral vision inadvertently glancing at a few strands of hair in his hand. The sound, shape, touch, and even the smell were exactly as remembered, indistinguishable from "family."

"I feel that [the mist] is different from other threats.

Whether it’s the blood we encountered, the sewers, or the night, those threats are fixed, merely temporary guests.

Only the mist is ever-present and constantly changing.

Mia, what do you think?"

However, Luo Di received no response. He could only think that Mia was still engrossed in self-fear or that her facial injuries were too severe for her to speak.

He glanced over only to find Mia intensely focused on the depths of the convenience store.

There sat a door, possibly leading to the store’s restocking warehouse.

Clearly, Mia sensed something, there was something inside.

Luo Di quickly got into the moment, gripping his bat, slowly easing into movie mode.

The two approached cautiously like hunters.

When they were less than three meters away.

Whish!

A sound suddenly emanated from inside, like water gushing out of a fully opened faucet, soon water seeped out from under the door.

It wasn’t a warehouse inside, but a bathroom.

Luo Di also noticed floating on the water’s surface were small reflective bits, upon closer look, they were fish scales.

Click!

Before either could approach, the door opened voluntarily from within.

A wet, pale, perfectly-shaped leg stepped out first.

A familiar woman emerged.

Strangely,

her shorts and T-shirt were soaked, her hair dripping as if she had bathed with her clothes on.

The dark-eyed gaze scrutinized the two present and the girl in the bucket.

It was the same journalist who first cast suspicion on the train and left early. Luo Di recalled her name - [Wu Wen].

Her initial impression on Luo Di was that of a good person, so he didn’t swing his bat.

But Mia was different.

Recently slashed on the face by her aged counterpart, she was in a rather irritable state. The sudden appearance of this strange woman only added fuel to the fire.

Whether due to the murderer’s instinct or a woman’s intuition, both prompted her towards violence.

Buzz!

The axe blade swung.

But...

The opponent moved like a fish in water, clearly feeling a hit, yet evaded perfectly at the moment of contact, in a fast and smooth manner.

Not only did she dodge, but she took a step closer.

Before Mia could move again... snap!

Two hands grabbed the opponent’s cheeks, examining them closely.

Then, in the same manner, she pinched Luo Di’s cheeks, moving rapidly, making it difficult to avoid even with a reaction.

The cheek-pinching examination ended quickly,

and as the axe swung down a second time... buzz!

Wu Wen was already far from them, selecting items from the convenience store. Luo Di also noticed her agility was likely due to the water spread across the floor.

During both the evasion and her current position, the journalist stood bare-footed on the water surface, and a few fish scales grew on her ankles.

At this moment,

as the journalist picked through items, she began to speak:

"Neither of you is being controlled, but are collaborating in a normal manner.

I didn’t expect to find a ’good guy’ like you, Luo Di, in such an event, actually keeping the ’sleeping girl’ with you.

I guess you both just got into the city? Planning to head to the ’locations’ arranged by memory next.

Can I join you? I’ll share some of the intel I’ve gathered so far."

"Why should we let you join?"

Mia tilted her head, as numerous rotten organisms seeped from the gash in her head, contaminating the ground water. The repeated failures frustrated her greatly, seemingly ready to get serious.

But Wu Wen spoke calmly:

"I’ve been searching for partners. Others are either unstable or too dangerous, only you two seem okay.

Solo action is too risky, especially when it’s [tomorrow]. Forming a team in advance is necessary.

As compensation for joining midway, I’ll make the first move."

Wu Wen lightly sliced her wrist skin with a nail, retrieving a newspaper from within, published by the local newspaper office.

She had evidently visited her corresponding journalist location and obtained important items, this newspaper being one.

The information recorded on it widened Luo Di’s eyes, simultaneously signaling Mia to hold off.

"Mysterious Mist Envelops Wenslim, Large Numbers Disappear Mysteriously, Is "the Corpse" Behind the Cloud of Fear?"

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel