Outside the anomaly
Hazy snowflakes drifted through the streets.
"Have all the businesses on the street been evacuated?"
Charn lit a cigarette, looked toward the bakery across the street, and spoke slowly.
"They have," Mustached Man replied, "but some of the shopkeepers aren't willing to go too far away."
He pointed toward the end of the street.
Beyond the barrier shimmering with neon light, several elderly people stood there, cautiously watching the street through the snow.
Mustached Man sighed. "Most of them have run their shops here for many years. They have emotions attached to them and are afraid something might happen to their stores. No matter how we try to persuade them, they won't leave."
"That's normal. Even with something lifeless, if you spend enough time with it, you'll develop emotions," Charn said, staring at the wall between the bakery and convenience store. "Those two have been inside for so long. Could something have happened?"
"If this really is the Level 1 Anomaly Reed described, then it is indeed dangerous," Mustached Man said hoarsely as he took out another cigarette and put it between his lips. "But Reed is experienced. They should be able to get out safely."
By the end, his voice had gradually faded.
For a moment, both men fell silent.
Behind them, the little doll pressed itself against the window of the off-road vehicle, staring intently at the street beyond the curtain of snow.
--
Inside the anomaly
He Ao and Reed stood before the towering building.
The building's doors had already been destroyed, leaving an opening into the corridor beyond.
Compared to the outside, the interior was even more dilapidated. Soot-blackened marks covered everything, and through the windows, they could vaguely make out pitch-black wreckage left behind by a raging fire.
He Ao quietly observed