Night Demon Outbreak and Tokonosu City

A week later.

At Manhattan Central Hospital in New York, a grand press conference was held as scheduled.

Xiao Miao stood among the crowd wearing sunglasses, surrounded by fervent family members of patients.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to solemnly announce, with great excitement, that the second phase of clinical trials for the Krippin Virus has been a complete success!"

"All 2,315 volunteers who received treatment have had the cancer cells in their bodies completely eliminated! The cure rate is 100%!!!"

As the host announced the results in a trembling voice, the venue instantly erupted. Countless relatives of the volunteers wept with joy, and the cheers nearly blew the roof off.

"Waaah, thank you! Thank God!"

"Idiot, you should be thanking Professor Krippin!"

"It must be God's will! God sent Professor Krippin to save us!"

"This is wonderful. My wife is finally going to be okay."

Xiao Miao suddenly heard a familiar voice amid the noisy crowd. He searched through the masses and saw Alice pushing through the crowd toward him.

The two met up, their conversation completely drowned out by the nearby cheers.

"Did you find anything on your end?"

Alice shook her head. "No. It's a legitimate virus research institute. Every procedure is legal and compliant, and there are no illegal human experiments."

Xiao Miao swept his gaze across the frenzied crowd around them. "They already have more than enough legal volunteers. There's no reason for them to take risks."

Alice nodded. "It seems Umbrella Corporation really hasn't been up to anything. We need to find our next target."

At that moment, the host ceremoniously announced Professor Krippin's arrival. A small side door opened, and Professor Krippin walked onto the stage in high heels.

Xiao Miao looked above Professor Krippin's head, but did not see any Fate Dice.

What a pity.

I should go try my luck with Will Smi... Professor Robert instead.

"Let's go. It's too noisy here. We'll leave first."

"Okay."

Professor Robert worked for the United States military. Under normal circumstances, ordinary people could not meet him at all.

Xiao Miao had originally planned to use his identity as a reporter to arrange a meeting under the pretense of an interview. However, he could not find Professor Robert's email address, and the invitation he sent to the United States military vanished without a trace.

In the end, Xiao Miao had a sudden idea and contacted the reporter who had interviewed Professor Robert before. The two arranged to meet at a coffee shop downtown.

The reporter was tall and skinny, with a slightly balding head and tiny beady eyes. He looked somewhat sleazy.

After they met, Xiao Miao could not be bothered with small talk and got straight to the point. "I need Professor Robert's contact information."

The reporter immediately shook his head. "Impossible. I don't have his contact information either."

Xiao Miao frowned. "Then how did you find him back then?"

The reporter smiled. "That's a trade secret. No comment."

Xiao Miao understood. He pulled out two Franklins and placed them on the table. The green bills immediately caught the other man's attention.

The reporter looked disdainful. "Don't waste your effort. I have professional integrity. I would never sell any information about my subject for a mere two hundred dollars."

Xiao Miao pulled out another two. Four Franklins lay stacked together, and the reporter glanced at them twice before forcing himself to look away.

"Save it. I'd rather starve to death, die outside, or jump down from here than take your filthy money!"

When the sixth Franklin landed on the table, the reporter's tone gradually softened. "If it were you, would you sell your own source of information?"

Impatience flashed across Xiao Miao's face. He took out another four Franklins and pressed them into a stack. "It's only a private contact method or a chance to meet him. This is my highest offer."

The reporter's breathing grew rapid. A thousand dollars was equivalent to more than half a month's salary for him. Instinctively, he wanted to agree, but greed urged him to wait a little longer.

Maybe the other party would offer more money.

Seeing that he was still hesitating, Xiao Miao lifted his coffee and took a sip, making no effort to hide his impatience. "If you want to talk, talk quickly. Otherwise, I'm taking some back."

"Don't be ridiculous. I said I wouldn't—"

Swish!

Before the reporter could finish his nonsense, Xiao Miao directly took back two of the bills.

The reporter instantly panicked. He lunged onto the table like a starving dog pouncing on food, clutching the remaining eight bills tightly in both hands. Just as he tried to stand and stuff them into his pocket, a slender hand pressed down on his wrist.

The hand was not broad, yet it was as powerful as a vise. The reporter used all his strength to pull his hands free, but they would not budge.

"Give me the information first."

The reporter's expression changed several times. He lowered his head and said quietly, "Central Park."

"Be more specific."

"Every weekend, from 6:30 to 7:00 in the morning, Professor Robert goes jogging in Central Park. Go there first and jog, then... blah blah blah, wibble-wobble..."

Like someone opening a floodgate, the reporter spilled the entire process he used to manufacture a "chance encounter" with Professor Robert in one breath.

Xiao Miao nodded and memorized it, then got up to leave. The reporter felt as if he had been granted amnesty and stuffed the eight bills into his pocket.

Two days later, on Saturday, Xiao Miao arrived at Central Park early to wait for his prey. He successfully spotted a familiar face on a path by the lake.

Will Smith—though he should be called Professor Robert now.

Just as Xiao Miao had expected, a Fate Dice floated above Robert's head. When he connected to it with his mind, however, the information that came back left him stunned.

[(Suspected) Plot Character: Robert Neville]

[Current Bond: Unable to Activate]

[Draw Cost: 300 Fate Points]

Wasn't the cost for one draw a little too high? And what did "unable to activate bond" mean? Was this man cold-hearted? Could a plot character even be merely "suspected"?

Xiao Miao approached using the method the reporter had taught him, but several plainclothes agents immediately stepped in front of him. It seemed the previous interview had caused public backlash, prompting the military to increase Professor Robert's security level.

Forget it. I'll draw once and test the waters first!

Since he could not activate the bond, there was no need to force his way closer. Xiao Miao connected to the Fate Dice with his mind, and 300 Fate Points instantly vanished.

The dice above Robert's head erupted with an orange glow, and Xiao Miao's breathing suddenly quickened!

Orange!

Under Xiao Miao's eager gaze, a special card appeared on the system panel.

[Item Card: Invitation Letter · Night Demon Outbreak (Upon use, immediately begins a traversal of the myriad worlds)]

After drawing this card, the Fate Dice above Professor Robert's head gradually faded before disappearing completely under Xiao Miao's gaze.

Realization flashed through Xiao Miao's eyes.

Perhaps only by encountering the protagonist before the plot began could he trigger this special situation.

On the surface, this invitation letter was merely an opportunity to travel through the myriad worlds. However, the Main World was not some peaceful paradise. If he encountered a crisis he could not overcome in the future, he could use it to temporarily evade his enemies.

Then he could draw a Hancock character card from Robert and return to give those enemies a huge surprise.

Xiao Miao paused for a moment, then turned and left under the plainclothes agents' watchful eyes, returning to the hotel to meet Alice.

Alice had not been idle during this time either. From the vast sea of news reports, she had found a few clues and successfully identified a virus research base belonging to Umbrella Corporation.

"Look at these reports. I suspect Umbrella Corporation is working with a local councilman named Ichiro Shido. Ichiro Shido is the dog they planted in the government, and Umbrella Corporation invested in an Ocean Science Research Institute there!"

Alice laid the clues she had found in front of Xiao Miao.

"Ichiro Shido? In Japan?" Xiao Miao froze when he heard the name. Then he looked through the clues and noticed a familiar name. "Tokonosu City Ocean Science Research Institute... Tokonosu City!!!"

"You've been to this city?" Alice noticed the subtle shift in Xiao Miao's tone.

"No. I've just heard of it."

Xiao Miao was far too familiar with Tokonosu City. The name came from an anime he had watched in his previous life, and he vividly remembered that scene of dodging bullets with a Ru kiln vase!

"We have to go to Tokonosu City. Let's leave now!" Xiao Miao immediately said to Alice.

A world with such low combat power was perfect for someone like him to show off... Ahem, to harvest Fate Points!