Chapter 174
"Who are you?"
My name is Chen Hong.
"Chen Hong?"
He's the first person in the building!
Chen Hong nodded and smiled. Despite his gentle and refined appearance, his smile made him seem somewhat simple and honest.
The person at the top of the building has an unmatched composure. Even though the rules of the building were proven to be false, and he was the one who would be most injured after climbing to the 90th floor and being only 10 floors away from the exit, he still managed to keep his composure.
Even the passion remains intact.
He scratched his head and said to Yu Hai, "I saw you seemed really anxious to know what happened, so I came over to check. You just came out of the mission space? Well, it seems we've all fallen into a scam that's been going on for over twenty years, haha."
Chen Hong recounted the changes that had occurred in the building to Yu Hai in a lighthearted tone.
"But don't worry too much. Although the exit might not be on the 99th floor, toys don't harm people for no reason. Don't scare yourself just because you can't go home for the time being. You can always look for the exit, and it might not be off the 99th floor. Nobody has been to the 99th floor to confirm; it's just speculation."
Yu Hai: "..."
He finally understood what had happened, why these people had collapsed—their beliefs and hopes that had sustained them had been shattered. Ultimately, these people were just ordinary citizens before they entered the building.
However, the mindset of this person, who is the top person in the building, is far superior to that of the average person.
Yu Hai looked at Chen Hong with mixed feelings.
What about Yu Hai? What is Yu Hai thinking? Although Yu Hai is anxious, he is not so devastated. When he first entered the building, he suspected that the exit might be on the 99th floor, because he knew that some of the Logistics Team had left. It was unlikely that the Logistics Team could leave the mall so quickly from the 99th floor, unless they were thrown to a very, very high floor as soon as they entered the building.
He was more concerned with how the scam would become known to the public.
Now he knew, from Chen Hong's mouth.
Yu Hai looked up at the 99th floor, where the toy, which was over a meter tall, looked like an ant.
"The toys have all gone to the 99th floor..." he muttered to himself.
Because the toys all went to the 99th floor, even though people knew the barrier between the buildings was broken, they didn't dare go up to check if the exit really wasn't on the 99th floor.
Yu Hai frowned slightly. The Healer had gone to the 99th floor; he wondered if she was alright.
Chen Hong, standing nearby, overheard his whisper. He didn't care much; in his eyes, it was nothing serious. He said, "The toys haven't all acted out at once; each time it's just a lot of noise and little action, just a scare tactic."
Yu Hai for a long time.
Abnormal activity.
Another unusual movement.
A thought flashed through Yu Hai's mind: in every instance of the toys acting strangely that he had encountered, it seemed as if someone was present...
"Hello!"
Someone squeezed over here and patted Yu Hai on the shoulder, instantly shattering that flash of inspiration.
He looked at the newcomer.
"Big brother, you're from the Ability Control Bureau, right? Stop hiding, you are, right?" Wu Si grabbed Yu Hai's shoulder; they had met again after parting ways on the first floor. "Think of something!"
Yu Hai looked at the hands that were gripping his shoulders; these were the hands of people pleading for help.
His expression suddenly hardened. He gently brushed Wu Si's hand away and turned to the collapsing crowd in the building.
"Everyone--"
He shouted loudly, startling everyone who turned to look at him.
Yu Hai took out his work ID.
Everyone in the world recognizes the Ability Control Bureau's work ID. The Ability Control Bureau has always been the most steadfast protector of the people. From the distant Disaster Day to the present, they have always been there, never abandoning us.
The Ability Control Bureau is humanity's sedative that never fails.
"It's the Ability Control Bureau."
"People from the Ability Control Bureau have arrived..."
"The Ability Control Bureau has come to our rescue..."
The crowd seemed to breathe lighter as they looked at the thin document.
Looking at the group of people, Yu Hai simply said, "I will definitely find a way to get everyone home."
He said, "Please believe me."
The crowd fell silent, followed by deafening cheers.
It's the Ability Control Bureau!
The Ability Control Bureau will take them home!
People were moved to tears, and hope was rekindled.
Humanity may have had moments of despair, but the Ability Control Bureau is their last spark, burning until the very last moment to propel humanity forward.
So don't be afraid. Just believe.
Yu Hai looked at the calmed-down crowd and secretly clenched his work ID in his hand.
He used the name of the Ability Control Bureau as collateral, so he must bear the weight of that name.
He was determined to bring these people home.
must.
Yu Hai put away his work ID and looked up at the 99th floor again.
He wanted to go to the 99th floor to check on the situation, to see what kind of toy was behaving strangely, and also to see the Healer. If he couldn't go to the 99th floor, he would at least go to the 98th floor to find out more from the nearest floor.
He leaped up, and his superior physical abilities as A-Rank ability user carried him to the 6th floor in one go, the whole process proceeding smoothly—the barriers between the floors had truly disappeared.
As he continued to leap upwards, he was still thinking when, just as he jumped off the 6th floor, three shadows descended from the sky. Startled, he dodged and entered the 7th floor, brushing past the three shadows.
He changed his movement abruptly, landing rather awkwardly. He grabbed the railing on the 7th floor with one hand and hooked one foot around it, with most of his body suspended in the air, holding his breath as he looked at the three shadows.
Voices came from the fleeting shadow.
"Second brother, we've gone too far."
"Big brother, we've gone too far."
"..."
The three shadows had already descended several floors before quickly turning back.
Back on the 7th floor.
Three human babies sat in a row on the railing opposite Yu Hai Yu Hai, gazing at him across the distance.
Yu Hai: "!!"
It's monsters 3, 5, and 7.
Yu Hai stared warily at the three monsters opposite him, each with a human child on its head, making him feel immense pressure.
"Are you from the Ability Control Bureau?"
Monster No. 3 asked, his voice still childish.
Yu Hai cautiously did not reply, and the monsters did not need his reply either, as they had all heard him upstairs.
Monster No. 3 looked at Monster No. 7, who, receiving the look, raised his hand, revealing a thin rope. The exploration team members from the Ability Control Bureau hung from the rope like gourds. Yu Hai was startled. The monster flicked its hand, and the gourd with its vines flew towards him. Yu Hai quickly caught it.
Yu Hai quickly checked on his teammates and found they were all alright, just unconscious. He placed them on the 7th floor and, through the railing, thanked the three monsters on the other side with complicated emotions, "The Healer told me she asked you all to help find my teammates. Thank you."
The three monsters ignored him, sitting in a row, their three childlike faces turned to the side, staring in the same direction, their eyes unfocused.
It looked like they were feeling sentimental about something.
Yu Hai was speechless at his own thoughts; he must have gone mad to think the monster was grieving. He glanced at them hastily, then crouched down to wake his teammates.
After being inside the building for so long, their team has finally assembled.
No, not yet.
We're still missing Healer.
The Monster 357, sat in a row, their faces turned to the side as they gazed into the void, filled with endless sorrow.
The world is so beautiful.
All that's missing is a monster to destroy the world.
They had encountered one before, but unfortunately, she met her Slaughter God early on and was gone.
99th floor of the Toy Mall.
Ye Jiang wanted to know why she was helping the little monster, so she became more attentive and serious about finding the exit. She looked at the Mirror Woman and asked, "Do you think the exit is in the hands of these toys?"
Ye Jiang did not deny that toys were very special to her as a manufacturer, but whether the export market was in her control...
However, this remains an unknown.
The Mirror Woman chose her because of the special treatment the toy gave her. Therefore, does the Mirror Woman believe the door is controlled by the toy?
The Mirror Woman gently shook her head upon hearing this. "I didn't think that way. I do hope so, because if that were the case, everything would be over soon. But I also know that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."
She dared not dream of anything too wonderful.
She said, "I just feel that toys are the longest-standing residents of this mall, and they might know some information that we newcomers don't."
She said, "I just hope you can get this information from the toys."
That was her true intention.
Ye Jiang remained silent. Were toys the longest-standing residents of this shopping mall?
Ye Jiang thought that it wasn't like that; at least, the toy came into existence after she, as the maker, existed.
Her memory told her that she had been to the mall a long time ago.
She was born into the body of a human Tang Su four years ago, yet she possesses memories of the business world.
Perhaps this isn't her first time in the Surface World Surface World. She's been here before, inexplicably entering this magical shopping mall, encountering Coal Ball, and leaving behind this pile of toys.
She made a reasonable deduction.
No wonder she had a strange feeling about the mall; she'd been there before.
Although she may have arrived before the toy, she lost crucial memories and doesn't know where the exit is.
So, we still need to seek help from toys?
She looked around at the toys.
The toys, with their dull and clumsy bodies, show no signs of consciousness when they are still.
A pelican-shaped toy tilted its head, its eyes met hers, and then it wound itself up and walked toward her.
It approached, opened its mouth, and its beak suddenly became very large, moving up and down, revealing a hidden world within.
It opened its mouth and lunged at Ye Jiang's head, trying to give her a pelican-like headbutt.
It's like someone with intellectual disabilities.
Ye Jiang: "..."
She raised her hand and pressed it against the toy's upper jaw, physically closing the toy's mouth.
These toys seem to possess consciousness, but their intelligence appears to be quite low. Their nascent consciousness is similar to that of a newborn infant.