That Punishment Was Coming, and There Was No Escaping It

Xiao Ran's home was near North Mountain, just ten minutes from the crematorium.

He had specifically chosen to live there for the convenience of work.

At first, this area had been desolate. As people in Luo City often said, "You'd rather walk a thousand li south than take one step north."

But as the times changed and the city slowly expanded, the area gradually grew livelier.

That liveliness came to an abrupt end, however, after the Maze City appeared.

Xiao Ran and the others walked along the road. There wasn't even a single streetlight around them.

Xiao Ran spread out his mental power and discovered that in the entire village, there were only a dozen or so signs of life, most of them belonging to the elderly.

It seemed most of the residents had already chosen to move away.

Xiao Ran remembered seeing in the company's records that Yanshi, outside Luo City, was a safe zone. It was apparently close to Luo City and had well-developed infrastructure. At least half the residents of Luo City had relocated there.

"Bzz..."

When he pushed open the door, a thick layer of dust billowed into the air.

Xiao Ran took a step back and looked at Wu Man.

Wu Man rolled his eyes at him, then walked inside. Less than a quarter of an hour later, he tossed out several black, dirt-covered clumps.

"I've cleaned up. Come in."

When they entered, they found the house had been cleaned until it was spotless.

There was still an indescribable smell in the air. It wasn't unpleasant, but it made them uncomfortable all the same.

After all, no one had lived there for a long time, and the air quality was terrible.

Wu Man opened the doors and windows and switched on the ceiling fan. He