Chapter 121 - 116: Reinforcements from All Sides

Chapter 121: Chapter 116: Reinforcements from All Sides

White River Beach, one of the disaster sites.

By the time Shi An and his group arrived, a strict cordon had already been established. People in black trench coats and plainclothes bustled about.

The former were usually the core operatives of the Countermeasures Bureau Headquarter; their black trench coats served as both a symbol and a badge of honor. The latter were mostly logistics personnel from the Bureau, such as clerks from the Newcomer Guidance Department like themselves, or peripheral Dream Descenders.

There were many people present, yet they were still desperately short-handed. Because...

"The coverage area is too vast!"

Shi An and his team were stationed in a relatively outer zone, but they could still see the dense, grayish fog in the distance. The gray fog shrouded the entire beach and the river’s surface, stretching endlessly out of sight.

"The coverage area is at least several times larger than the incident at Baijiang University, and this is just one of the disaster sites," someone remarked.

With such a broad range, there was a constant risk of Anomalies or secondary monsters charging out from the Fog Area. This naturally made the situation incredibly thorny. Even the logistics clerks of the Countermeasures Bureau had to be roped in to help.

"Our task is to coordinate with the security officers from the Public Security Bureau," Song Qiming explained. "However, since many of them are unaware of the Nightmare, we must strictly enforce confidentiality protocols to prevent any information about the Nightmare from leaking and spreading."

"Understood!"

The five-man group arrived at the western entrance of White River Beach, where a Public Security Bureau squad was currently on standby.

"Boss, what exactly is going on?" a security officer couldn’t help but ask in a hushed tone. "Why is it so serious, and who are those people in the black trench coats?"

The squad captain was an insider, but he simply scolded in a low voice, "Don’t ask so many questions. Just do your job."

After exchanging a few words with the captain, Song Qiming said, "The higher-ups have ordered the cordon to be expanded outward by another kilometer. We need to set up a blockade further out and forcefully evacuate the civilians within this area."

The captain’s expression shifted. "Is it that serious?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the faint sound of gunfire echoed from the distance, wave after wave, growing increasingly frantic. He immediately nodded. "We understand."

Nearly twenty people began going door-to-door, checking to see if any civilians had yet to evacuate. This was their task, while other groups and squads from the Countermeasures Bureau were also racing against time.

A few specialized Bureau vehicles sped over and screeched to a halt just outside the beach. The doors swung open, and several stern-faced operatives in black trench coats stepped out. Leading them was a muscular man built like an iron tower, accompanied by a middle-aged man.

"Director Tian, this is far enough," the burly man said. "What lies ahead is our battlefield. You must maintain order and ensure that information about the Nightmare doesn’t spread."

"Understood. I may not have the Ability to step onto the front lines, but we will definitely secure the rear!" the director replied earnestly.

Several security officers who were conducting the door-to-door checks stared with wide eyes. "Isn’t... isn’t that Director Tian from our branch?"

He was their captain’s boss’s boss!

Yet, Director Tian was respectfully accompanying the tall, burly man, attentively listening to his instructions. Just who was that man?

"Those black trench coats really do have a mysterious background and an extraordinary status! Brother, I get the feeling the waters in Baijiang City run very deep."

"You can say that again. Even those few people doing the checks with us aren’t wearing black trench coats, but our captain treats them with the utmost respect. They definitely aren’t simple folks either."

If Baijiang City’s novel and film industries were more developed—or perhaps less censored—the two security officers would have been able to imagine the entire hidden truth just from the scene before them.

Team member Li Hao was also looking in that direction. "It’s Captain Long Niuniu. Are the Captains and Deputy Captains of our Countermeasures Bureau really this awe-inspiring?"

Titles like Captain and Deputy Captain didn’t sound particularly prestigious on paper. Usually, Captain Level figures only traveled with two or three team members, making them look no different from a low-level Public Security Bureau squad leader. But today, they finally witnessed the true weight a Deputy Captain carried!

"But they are the ones heading to the battlefield to face the Anomalies head-on," Zhang Yuning said weakly. "It’s perfectly normal for them to have a higher status."

"Exactly," Song Qiming agreed. "The Captains and Deputy Captains of our Countermeasures Bureau are figures who constantly charge at the very front lines. They are important figures and people worthy of respect. Of course, to secure the position of Captain or Deputy Captain, the most crucial factor is strength.

"For the vast majority of us, even if we become Dream Descenders, just making it into the main roster of the Headquarter’s combat teams is already quite an achievement. Above that is the Elite roster, then the squad leaders, and only after that comes the Deputy Captains and Captains.

"That being said, our former part-timer, Kai, actually has the makings of a Deputy Captain."

The frantic gunfire from earlier lasted only a short while before falling silent. However, the atmosphere enveloping White River Beach and its surrounding areas grew increasingly oppressive.

"I feel like a disaster is going to erupt at any second, or an Anomaly is going to burst out and attack us," Zhang Yuning muttered, glancing around like a startled bird.

She wasn’t wrong to think so. None of them knew exactly what was happening inside the Fog Area. If the disaster were to spill over, their chances of survival wouldn’t be much higher than those of ordinary people. But this was their duty.

"The Headquarter is short-handed this time because multiple disasters occurred simultaneously," Shi An asked. "Has anything like this ever happened in the past?"

Li Hao thought for a moment. "I don’t think so?"

"Probably not," Jiang Yilu chimed in. "This is the largest disaster event I’ve ever experienced. Past disasters have had casualties too, but that was usually due to a lack of timely rescue. This time, the scale is so massive that even ordinary clerks like us aren’t enough to fill the gaps."

Song Qiming remained silent for a moment.

"Actually, there has been," he finally said. Old Song paused for several seconds before continuing. "About a year ago, I personally experienced a similar disaster event. At that time, multiple Nightmare invasion disasters erupted all at once, and the Headquarter’s powerhouses were stretched too thin."

He clenched his fists tightly. It was as if he had been transported back to that day, where blood and flames dyed his vision red. He had only been able to fall powerlessly to his knees, watching helplessly as his family and friends died right in front of him.

"During that incident, the areas affected by the disasters suffered catastrophic losses, with countless casualties. Even many of the Countermeasures Bureau’s action squad members sacrificed their lives. I even heard that two Deputy Captain Level powerhouses perished!"

Events like these were lethal to ordinary people and Ordinary Dream Descenders, but they rarely threatened the strong—let alone major figures like Deputy Captains. The fact that even Deputy Captains were killed was a testament to the disaster’s sheer terror.

"And this time..." Song Qiming’s voice was laced with deep worry.

He vaguely felt that this disaster was even more severe than the last one, as the outbreak zones were far more densely populated. So many lives were lost last time; what would happen now?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a sudden gust of wind seemed to sweep past. The distant gray fog surged forward like a rolling tide, engulfing everything in its path.

The gray fog didn’t consume the area beyond the beach or merge it into the Nightmare. However, when the tide of fog finally receded, it left behind an array of horrifying monsters scattered across the roads and residential buildings.

"A-Anomalies! Water Locust Dragonflies!"

These were monsters over two meters long, resembling dragonflies magnified countless times. Their abdomens split open, releasing locusts as thick and long as a human arm that rapidly swarmed in all directions. And as far as the eye could see, there were several of these Water Locust Dragonflies!

Whether it was Song Qiming—who recognized the Anomalies from thoroughly studying the common Anomaly compendium—or the ordinary security officers who had no clue what they were, everyone gasped in horror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Even if the security officers couldn’t identify the creatures, the sheer appearance of the Water Locust Dragonflies was enough to chill them to the bone. Having caught the scent of humans, the locust monsters swiftly lunged forward.

Pulling a handgun from out of nowhere, Song Qiming gripped it with both hands and rapidly opened fire. BANG BANG BANG!

He fired seven consecutive shots!

Five of the locust monsters were killed on the spot, but a much larger swarm was already hurtling toward them.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT!

A machine gun mounted atop a high building began unleashing a torrential barrage of firepower.

However, Anomalies were products of the Nightmare. Not only did they possess incredibly potent Life Force, but they were also bound to a fraction of the Nightmare’s rules. Real-world bullets striking an Anomaly had some effect, but it was highly unlikely they would cause any substantial damage.

It would only work if they could concentrate overwhelming firepower. But the Anomalies weren’t stationary targets, and the urban terrain was incredibly complex. Furthermore, Baijiang City was just an ordinary city; where were they supposed to find heavy weaponry?

The Water Locust Dragonflies were exceptionally fast. In a flash, they shot into the air, leaving trails of afterimages as they rocketed toward the distant machine gun nest. The soldier manning the weapon braced himself for death.

Shi An was just about to intervene. His Shadow Incarnation had been lurking nearby, seamlessly merged with the shadows, ready to strike out like a sharp blade at a moment’s notice.

But then, sensing something, he turned his gaze toward the distance.

The WHIR WHIR WHIR of a helicopter’s spinning rotors pierced the air. A young man stood at the open cabin door, the howling wind whipping his hair into a frenzy.

He reached out, the tip of his sword pointing dead ahead.

In the next instant, his entire figure vanished.

"Instantaneous Sword!"

Crossing a distance of twenty to thirty meters in an instant, a pitch-black sword beam carved through the air, cleanly severing one of the Water Locust Dragonfly’s wings. The two figures brushed past each other.

Profound Sword landed on the fourth-floor rooftop of a residential building, executing a smooth roll to stabilize his footing. Meanwhile, the Water Locust Dragonfly plummeted heavily onto the street, violently crushing a parked sedan into a mangled wreck.

"A high-altitude slash still causes my landing point to deviate," Profound Sword thought to himself.

He had initially planned to catch the Anomaly off guard and slice it perfectly in two. Instead, he had only managed to hack off one of its wings. To an Anomaly, this hardly counted as a severe injury.

"This is going to be a bit troublesome."

Profound Sword surveyed his surroundings. Taking down a single Anomaly would have been a walk in the park. Even facing multiple enemies, he was confident he could hold his own. Handling a few Water Locust Dragonflies was, at the very least, far easier than dealing with the Black Armor Leader.

The issue was that these Anomalies wouldn’t all target him simultaneously. On the contrary, aside from the one he had just injured, the remaining creatures scattered—some lunging toward the patrolling personnel, while others flew right past the blockade line.

He was just one man; he couldn’t be everywhere at once!

Old Song, Director Tian, and the others realized this grim fact as well.

However, Shi An had already relaxed. There was no need for him to make a move.

Because...

He had already sensed that points of light—each one symbolizing a member—were converging from all directions.