Night Watcher

After a few hours' drive, Bai Zhi arrived at the vicinity of the Orphanage.

However, the building that once stood there has now collapsed into ruins. The area around the Orphanage has been cordoned off, and many staff members are still busy working on the ruins.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Zhi walked straight forward.

In a sense, the Orphanage was his home, and the Old Director was his Unique relative in the world. It was impossible for him to ignore such a matter and stand idly by.

According to official estimates, the death toll in this accident is expected to be around 5 to 7 people, and the rubble is expected to take three to five days to be completely cleared. The possibility of further deaths cannot be ruled out. The cause of the accident is that the Orphanage has been in disrepair for many years.

--A rather formulaic answer.

Furthermore, for safety reasons, unauthorized personnel were prohibited from approaching the ruins. Even after Bai Zhi revealed his identity and intentions, he was still refused entry by the police.

Seeing that he couldn't get any more clues from here, Bai Zhi was slightly disappointed and was about to go to the hospital to visit the Campus Belle and see if he could get any clues from them when an uninvited guest suddenly showed up at the door.

"The Night Watcher?"

Looking at the handsome man in front of him, who appeared to be in his early twenties and was still wearing a scarf around his neck to protect himself in the sweltering heat, Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow with interest.

"That's right. Guarding the dawn in the Hei Ye is the very purpose of the Night Watcher. Elder Xu must have mentioned us to you in a roundabout way."

With a smile, the man reached out and pushed a few photos onto the table.

"You did hide it very well, that's true, but you ultimately chose to save people and exposed your identity. This time we came with sincerity."

... Hidden? Seriously, do I really have anything hidden?

With a strangely complicated feeling, Bai Zhi reached out and picked up the photos on the table.

The photo shows him being taken by surveillance cameras when he was seen entering and leaving the hospital to help students who had fainted.

"You were the one who revived those unconscious students, right? I've already learned the details from those two Girl. Although Elder Xu repeatedly emphasized that you're just a common and told us not to involve you in this kind of thing, you've actually been secretly becoming Player behind Elder Xu's back all along, haven't you?"

Inside the Private Room, the man wore a look of deep emotion.

"Elder Xu is just too stubborn. He wouldn't tell you anything in order to protect you, which led to several big arguments between you two. What a pity... But you're really good at holding back. Was it out of spite?"

"... What are the Night Watcher?"

Bai Zhi maintained a completely expressionless face, as if he didn't understand what Bai Zhi was talking about but felt he was incredibly impressive.

"Also, what exactly happened at the Orphanage?"

Before answering your questions, let me ask you something first... Do you think these Anomaly that have emerged recently are a recent phenomenon, or did they already exist before?

Leaning back slightly in his chair, the man countered with a question.

"Did those strange things exist before?"

Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"In the past, these Anomaly were called supernatural tales, ghosts, Monster, Myth... but with the development of the times, they are now collectively referred to as Anomaly."

The man shook his head slightly.

"An existence awakened from Ancient Mythology, an existence crawling out of history, an existence descending from Outside the World, an existence materialized from fantasy... Although I am reluctant to admit it, this world is gradually falling into darkness, and the purpose of our Night Watcher Organization is to watch for the dawn in the long night."

"..."

For some inexplicable reason, Bai Zhi suddenly thought of the text message he received from the Fake Campus Belle on that the Bus to Hell, and the Shadow Realm in that so-called lost world that he had once visited.

[... I have some knowledge of the Mythological History of your world, but I can tell you very clearly that when they descended upon your world, there were no more immortals or Immortals and Buddhas...]

... Was that Fake Campus Belle an existence that descended from Outside the World?

"As for what happened in that Orphanage... aren't you wondering why Elder Xu wouldn't leave even if it meant death?"

Turning his head to look in the direction of the Orphanage, the man's voice was slightly low.

"Because he can't leave. In the place where the Orphanage is located, there's a Type, unsolvable Anomaly sealed away... let's just call it that for now. If no one volunteers to guard that place, the scope of that Type Anomaly will expand to an entire county or even a city."

"..."

After hearing the man's words, Bai Zhi fell silent for a moment.

Unsolvable Type Anomaly —the very word "unsolvable" carries a great deal of meaning. Anything bearing these two words is invariably a troublesome entity that cannot be eliminated and can only be controlled.

If such Type supernatural Anomaly were to erupt out of control, the consequences would be catastrophic.

The most prominent example is a Type Anomaly Incident that occurred in North America.

The Anomaly known as [Falsehood Hell] initially erupted in an Apartment Building in a small town. At first, Player and official organizations in North America didn't pay much attention to it. However, as one Player after another mysteriously disappeared while trying to solve the Anomaly, its reach quickly spread throughout the town, causing tens of thousands of casualties.

To this day, that town remains a military-controlled Forbidden Zone.

With a sigh, the man continued speaking.

"Over the long years, we have lost too much of our heritage. As the long night approaches, we are willing but unable to continue, and can only place our hopes on the new generation... Would you like to join the Night Watcher Organization?"

How many organizations are there similar to the Night Watcher? Are you affiliated with the government? What is your relationship with the Relevant Department?

Without any intention of giving a hasty answer, Bai Zhi bombarded the other party with several questions in one breath.

"While not many, there are definitely a few. There are several overseas... For example, the Holy Light Cathedral; those foreigners like to use names like that."

The man laughed.

"Our relationship with the official team is one of cooperation, or rather, all the large and small organizations spontaneously established by Players in China have a cooperative relationship with the official team. It's just that our relationship is a little Special; it's probably a deep cooperation."

"One last question."

Bai Zhi took a deep breath.

"Is the Old Director really dead?"