Guishan County.
On the official road, the county yamen runners kept shouting urgent commands. "Move! Pick up the pace! Evacuate the county town at once!"
It was the busy farming season. Rice in the fields awaited harvest, and every household was occupied with tending to their agricultural work.
Then, without warning, the order came to evacuate the entire town.
The commoners muttered complaints under their breath, yet none dared defy the government's command. Carrying bundles on their shoulders and leading young children by the hand, more than a thousand households streamed out of the town in a mighty procession.
At some unknown moment, a faint white mist rose between heaven and earth.
At first, it was only wisps and threads, ethereal and traceless. Yet in the blink of an eye, it spread madly, churning and surging. Within only a few breaths, thick white mist swept over everything, blotting out the entire Guishan County town in an instant.
The daylight suddenly dimmed, leaving the world a vast expanse of white.
Chen Yuan, the county yamen registrar leading the group, frowned. Though he found the sudden mist strange, he still tried his best to discern the road ahead. But after a while, a chill suddenly shot up his spine and straight to the crown of his head.
Something was wrong.
Why was it so quiet behind him?
The commoners' complaints, children's cries, and yamen runners' shouts that had filled his ears moments ago had all vanished, as if they had never existed.
Chen Yuan's heart jolted, and he instinctively called out to the runners beside him.
"Someone! Where is everyone? Answer me!"
No one replied.
The thick mist cut off sight, cut off sound, and even faintly severed the connection of human breaths.
After swallowing hard, Chen Yuan forced down his fear