Strange game designer.

Chapter 793 Countdown

Only three hours have passed since Gao Ming returned to Han Hai. All 37 investigation bureaus in the major urban areas of Han Hai, the 16 major companies under the three major chambers of commerce, as well as 112 ghost story player bases and 17 major citizen self-help organizations have been notified.

It was drizzling that day, the sky was still overcast, and the black fog was still lingering, just like any other day. But the atmosphere in the city seemed a little different.

There were far fewer pedestrians on the street, the shadows were spreading more slowly, and all the faces that used to appear on television channels were gone, with many programs replaying previous content.

The list of players who had been updating the "Strange Tales" list for nearly 100 days stopped updating, and the number of people posting on the forum also decreased significantly, as if everyone was holding their breath and waiting for something.

"Snapped!"

A rotting rat's eyes rolled, and it stood up like a human. It was spotted by a stray cat on the trash can, but there was no fear in its eyes.

The hungry cat pounced, but the next moment it let out a scream as the mouse bit a rotten wound on the cat's neck and burrowed inside.

A few seconds later, the stray cat emitted a faint stench of decay, its eyes glowing red, and it ran out of the back alley, gazing at the somewhat empty street.

Similar situations were playing out throughout the vast wilderness, with a faint stench of decay wafting into each room.

Deep within the shadow world, a flesh-and-blood demon, having regained part of its body, carried Gao Ming on its back as it walked through the streets of the old city of Han Hai.

The buildings here are dilapidated. The bloody battle years ago destroyed everything in the vast sea, leaving only a cement shell filled with the will of death and a series of unwilling obsessions.

“We’re very close. The former heart of the Blood City of Vast Ocean is just ahead.” Jing Tuo and several security personnel from the Investigation Bureau, dressed in hazmat suits, followed closely behind the Flesh and Blood Demon. They were equipped with various instruments. “We need to speed things up. The director has sent word that the Unspeakable Ones of the Rotten Blood City have extracted some of the citizens’ memories.”

Crossing the street, Gao Ming stopped in front of a pile of ruins, opened the door of the torture chamber, and brought A Fang out.

“That’s right, my home is right here, exactly the same as the one I dreamed about.” Afang is the remaining consciousness of the Blood City of the Vast Sea, and one of the candidates for the Lord of the Blood City.

Situ An and Lu Zang specifically sought out A Fang's parents in the ruins of the Han Sea to ensure her safe birth. His appearance can be seen as a meticulously planned conspiracy, or as something specifically for this moment.

"Let's go."

Digging through the ruins, countless houses were piled up together, like a vertically descending maze, with the shadows growing thicker the further down you went.

Tilted, twisted, and deformed, these houses resemble the shapes of a child's nightmare, each floor exuding an eeriness, like the corpses of monsters.

"The Bureau of Investigation's data shows that the Blood City of the Vast Ocean is too powerful. None of the Nine Dream Demons can subdue the other. It is the most special Blood City." Jing Tuo touched the buildings with his palm: "The Vast Ocean itself was a dream from which we could not wake up. From the lowest level of citizens to the Dream Demons, everyone was just a dreamer. These buildings record the extraordinary nature of the Vast Ocean."

How evil must a Blood City be to be targeted by a coalition of other Blood Cities? How powerful must a Blood City be to dare to stand alone against the combined forces of other Blood Cities?

Gao Ming had no answer. He wandered through the twisted buildings and arrived at the bottom of the shadow world.

Looking up, countless buildings were piled together, fitting together perfectly to form a large tomb.

"The entire city has been turned into a tomb, and the once mighty Hanhai is buried here." Jingtuo God's expression was solemn. He was also one of the nine candidates for the Blood City Lord and could feel the Blood City's pain and resentment. "Let's begin." Gao Ming grabbed his chest with both hands, and the Flesh and Blood Domain unfolded. The door of the torture chamber opened, and countless ghosts living in the shadow world crawled out and burrowed into the surrounding buildings.

Patients and nurses at Lishan Hospital, students and teachers at Hande Private Academy, believers of the God of the Past and Future, and all the ghosts and monsters from all the abnormal areas of Hanhai were summoned by Gao Ming.

A rumbling sound rang out, and several seeds of the flesh and blood giant tree were thrown nearby by Gao Ming. Nourished by the shadows, they instantly sprouted thick flesh and blood roots.

Many years after the destruction of Blood City in the Vast Ocean, these abandoned rooms were filled with new souls for the first time.

A savior from Xinhu brought a seed of hope to the vast ocean in order to create an ideal world where humans and ghosts could coexist. Now, this seed has taken root and sprouted into a bloodthirsty evil god filled with vengeful fury.

Ghosts have returned to inhabit the dead buildings, and deformed flowers have bloomed from the ruined dreams. Shadows have gathered into rain, and water droplets have rolled between the cracks in the buildings, linking everyone's fate together.

"We only have one chance."

The chains in the torture chamber clanged slightly as Yan Xizhi emerged, dressed in brand-new clothes. Her white hair was neatly combed, and her sleeves and trouser cuffs were wrinkle-free. In her hands, she held a thick file filled with children's blessings.

She, whose soul had not yet returned, stood due east. Then, the babbling of children making wishes rang out. In a room due south, candles were lit, and the shadow of a child was cast on the curtains.

Gui Yuan was injured even more severely than Yan Xizhi, and his original form had not been able to be reconstituted.

After both sides stood still, Jingtuo God came to the due north position. The security personnel opened a huge black box, and an arm stretched out from under layers of red paper. The Dream Ghost of the Investigation Bureau was hiding inside, shielding it from the perception of the deep world. People could only see that it had an arm covered with blood-red words, and its five fingers were holding a beating black heart.

"Isn't your bureau chief here?" Gao Ming glanced at Jing Tuo Shen.

"He has to deal with the investigation of the Rotten Blood City, and you may need to guard the vacant part." Jing Tuo's voice was unpleasant, but Gao Ming didn't argue with him and was carried to the due west position by the Flesh Immortal.

After all the ghosts and spirits were in place, one by one, citizens wearing student council armbands emerged from the torture chamber, looking around at the surrounding buildings with surprise and curiosity in their eyes.

These living people were weaker than any of the ghosts present, but no one would underestimate them, because Gao Yun was hiding among them.

"let's start."

The student council president squeezed to the front of the crowd, a faint smile on his face, as if he were talking about something trivial.

Gao Ming nodded and moved the third Dream Shrine out of the torture chamber. Previously, Eternal Life Pharmaceuticals had used this shrine as a coordinate for descending upon the Vast Sea, and now Gao Ming planned to use it to take the first step in rebuilding Blood City.

Opening the shrine door and placing the statue of the Blood Immortal inside, Gao Ming allowed the Blood City Ghost Pattern to devour the Dream Mark, quietly watching the main shrine completely turn blood red.

The aroma of meat wafted through the shadowy ruins. The flesh-and-blood demons, whose bodies had been mutilated by their self-destruction, began to rapidly recover. Arms grew back, and the faces of the demons killed by dreams overlapped on the four demon faces.

(End of this chapter)