Chapter 44

Following the wall, she might find a door into the building around the corner.

Su Cheng rose slightly onto her toes, making every step exceptionally light.

Without knowing anything about the monsters' strength or numbers, attracting their attention would pose an unpredictable danger.

To avoid making any noise, she could only move very slowly.

Her eyes were of greatly diminished use in these circumstances. Hearing and touch became her main senses.

Yet no matter how closely she listened, there was still not a sound in the fog.

Were there actually monsters in the fog?

If there were, where were they? Were they close to her?

Why weren't the monsters moving...

Her brows knitted. The uncertainty of the unknown could always stir unease.

She paid particular attention to whether there were obstacles underfoot. The rough wall against her back told her she had yet to find a door she could enter.

"Clink, clatter..."

It was the sound of the wind moving an empty can. That tiny noise was amplified dozens of times in the silence.

As Su Cheng turned her eyes toward it, a blurry black figure flashed past.

!

The thing was so fast that Su Cheng had no time to get a clear look.

The crunch of a can being crushed underfoot broke the silence.

"Thump, thump."

Her heart belatedly sped up for a moment, then quickly settled.

So that was a monster in the fog.

The monster was right there in the fog, yet it cunningly made no sound at all.

Perhaps it was listening quietly just like Su Cheng. Perhaps it was some distance from her, or perhaps it was within arm's reach.

Clearly, the monsters were extremely sensitive to sound. The slightest disturbance was enough to draw them.

If Su Cheng had made a noise just now, unaware of the danger, the monster would have pounced on her rather than the can.

Within the thick fog, sound was the monsters' signal to feed.

They waited with ample patience for their prey to relax, for any hint of a signal that would expose its location.

Su Cheng collected herself and continued moving slowly. The white fog before her seemed even more dangerous than before.

"Is anyone there?"

A trembling female voice came from the left.

The voice came from where she had been when she first arrived in the instance.

Su Cheng's breath caught, and she suppressed the whispered words "shut up" in her throat.

Was this person a native or an apartment resident who had just entered the instance?

Why were they so reckless...

"Don't speak!" a man warned in a lowered voice.

"S-sorry... Is there anyone else besides us?"

The two seemed to be together.

"We need companions (whisper)..."

"There's strength in unity (indistinct voice)..."

"Is anyone there? (whisper)"

The voices drew closer little by little, but alarm bells went off in Su Cheng's head.

Though the two spoke very softly, their voices were not much quieter than the rattling can...

Yet no monster appeared.

Su Cheng's fingertips tightened slightly.

There was only one possibility. These were monsters speaking...

The monsters could actually impersonate humans, mimicking even the fear in their voices and the logic of their words perfectly.

Did these monsters possess intelligence?

If anyone mistook them for companions and answered, the consequences were easy to imagine.

"Is no one there? I'm so scared (low, trembling voice)..."

"I'm hurt. I need help..."

The monsters unwittingly approached Su Cheng step by step.

In the thick fog, they could not see Su Cheng, but that might change if she let them get too close.

Su Cheng held her breath slightly and moved carefully and slowly away along the wall. At times like this, she had to be all the more cautious.

Unaware of Su Cheng's presence, the monsters continued mumbling indistinct "cries for help."

Su Cheng could estimate the distance between them from their voices.

The wall against her back was rough. Her right hand found a sharp edge, and she carefully felt along it with her fingertips. It was the corner of the wall.

Su Cheng rounded the corner to the other side of the wall.

Though she had reached the other side, her view had not changed. There was still only fog.

But at least she was no longer in a straight line with the monsters.

Su Cheng did not dare let her guard down and continued feeling her way along.

After receiving no response for so long, the monsters stopped "calling for help."

Su Cheng could no longer judge their location. They might have stayed where they were, or they might have headed the other way...

Whichever it was, the monsters made not the slightest sound as they moved.

At last, Su Cheng's palm found the junction between the wall and an iron doorframe. Farther along was cold glass.

A little pleased, Su Cheng gently moved over to the glass door.

She turned around, only to meet five pairs of eyes inside.

It was a restaurant. A sign reading "Fangfang Small Restaurant" loomed faintly in the fog. Judging by its height, the building seemed to have two floors.

The three males and two females inside all looked at Su Cheng.

The middle-aged man and woman wore work uniforms and were clearly the restaurant's owner and his wife.

A little girl with similar features hid behind them. They appeared to be a family of three.

The other two young men stood to one side, their gazes somewhat hostile.

The woman wanted to open the door for Su Cheng, but the two young men stopped her.

They did not argue, instead confronting one another silently through their expressions and gazes.

Su Cheng clenched her fist toward the door and gestured as though she would pound on it. Her meaning was unmistakable.

The gesture brought the standoff inside to an abrupt end. The two young men looked extremely displeased, but no longer dared stop the owner's wife from opening the door.

The owner's wife opened the door very slowly. Rather than hurry her, Su Cheng turned slightly sideways and watched the thick fog warily.

The instant a gap opened, Su Cheng slipped through.

Only after the door closed again did Su Cheng notice a wad of sponge padding stuffed around the latch to muffle the sound.

Soundproofing strips lined every gap around the door, and soundproof padding covered the interior walls. All the curtains were drawn. The only light inside came from outside through the front door.

Notes reading "Mind the noise" were stuck to the refrigerator, tables, chairs, and counter. All the bottles and jars had been moved away from the edges of the tables.

The white fog had not entered the building.

Su Cheng mouthed "thank you" to the owner's wife.

The owner's wife gave her a friendly smile, took her phone from her pocket, and turned on the screen.

A line of text appeared on the screen:

Keep quiet. The monsters' hearing is very sensitive.

Su Cheng nodded, pointed at the phone, then held out her open palm.

The woman thought for a few seconds. Once she understood, she opened the phone's notes app and handed it to her.

Su Cheng: How many days has it been since the fog arrived?

The owner's wife gave Su Cheng a couple of puzzled looks, then took the phone and replied: This is the sixth day.

Su Cheng nodded. Thank you.

So this instance was set on the sixth day after the monsters arrived with the fog? Almost a week. That wasn't very long.

The owner's wife shook her head. You're welcome.

The two held a silent conversation just like that.

The two young men had been sizing Su Cheng up ever since she entered. Now they approached the owner's wife and peeked at their conversation on the phone.

After reading it, the two exchanged a glance, seemingly sharing the same suspicion.

The taller young man took two steps toward Su Cheng and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the black bracelet on his left wrist.

They were both apartment residents.

Su Cheng looked expressionlessly at the two young men. Their black bracelets elicited neither surprise nor delight from her, as though she had merely seen the most ordinary bracelets imaginable.

These two young men were neither like Yan Yu nor like Lu Heng. They were not worth her taking the initiative to reveal or conceal her identity.

Su Cheng did not even feel any desire to communicate with them.

Seeing that Su Cheng remained unmoved, the taller young man hesitated for a moment, but that hesitation soon vanished.

From what Su Cheng had asked the owner's wife, he could be certain she was not a native of the instance. Otherwise, how could she not know when the fog had arrived?

He took out a notebook and began writing.

The sight of him producing something out of thin air did not surprise the owner's family. Clearly, they had seen it before.

The taller young man held the notebook open: My name is Wang Yang, and his name is Li Mu. You come from the same place as us, right? Want to be friends?

Su Cheng ignored Wang Yang's friendly overture as he held up the notebook. She turned and sat on a chair against the wall.

Did this Wang Yang think she hadn't seen him stopping the owner's wife from letting her in?

Now he was coming over to "make friends" as though nothing had happened.

He certainly had a thick skin.

Su Cheng's smart bag had already turned into a pocket in her clothes.

She reached into her pocket, took out two daytime sanitary pads, and carefully peeled them open as quietly as she could. She planned to stick them to the soles of her shoes.

Sanitary pads were made of cotton. Sticking them to her soles would do a good job of muffling her footsteps.

To Wang Yang, her taking things out of her pocket confirmed her identity as an apartment resident.

Wang Yang's expression stiffened slightly, and irritation flashed in his eyes. He inwardly cursed Su Cheng for her arrogance, for rejecting his goodwill.

He turned and glared at Li Mu, who had been watching silently. Li Mu rubbed his nose and looked away.

The owner's wife suddenly took out her phone. Seemingly having seen some good news, she broke into a delighted smile.

The owner and their daughter leaned over to look, and both showed the same joy.

The owner's wife first showed the phone to Wang Yang, but he merely waved impatiently and took out his notebook to reply: There are so many monsters outside. Do you have a death wish?

The owner's wife awkwardly withdrew her phone, then held it in front of Su Cheng.

Su Cheng took it and glanced at it.

[Recently, the entire country has come under assault by an unknown thick fog and monsters. Research indicates that most monsters in the fog mutated from reptiles and are highly sensitive to sound.

The monsters' characteristics vary, but they cannot breathe underwater or swim. If there is an island in a lake near you, please try to reach it and await government rescue.-Green Leaf City Government]

The owner's wife happily switched to the notes app. We're only 3 kilometers from the island in the lake!