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INS Chapter 108: Mysterious Empty Fog, A Moving Transcendent Curse! (Part Two)
🕑 Added 2025-08-18 10:26:07 +0000 UTC"It's me!" Song Hai withdrew his hands, probably moving closer to the isolation net, his voice becoming slightly clearer. "This isn't infected entity influence. Don't scare yourself, and don't randomly shoot in panic. If I'm not mistaken, this is the kind of... empty fog that's been appearing frequently in Sha Province recently."
"Sha Province, empty fog?"
Cheng Ye was stunned, frowning in thought.
He seemed to have heard of such a thing somewhere, but couldn't recall the specifics for the moment.
His thoughts raced, memory flipping like pages in rapid search and focus.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, finally remembering where he had heard this news.
It had to be traced back to half a month ago, the day he had just activated the Collector and found Dragon Force Embryonic Form on Chu Yunfeng. Since he didn't know beforehand that skills would modify the body, he had been hungry all night and waited at Uncle Dong's door at dawn.
Uncle Dong had been listening to Little Sun's broadcast then, which included a mention of strange thick fog in Sha Province.
However, listening through a door at the time, he hadn't heard clearly, only managing to catch a few key words.
"Empty fog is brought by celestial anomalies. Starting from mid-year, it had never appeared before."
"Some suspect this is a kind of moving transcendent curse, but Sha Province's super shelter cities denied this theory, since no other provinces had reported similar empty fog outbreak events."
"Now it seems this theory... might not be false!"
Worthy of being a third-term veteran inspector, Song Hai took sides but still had personal capabilities.
With his explanation, Cheng Ye immediately felt reassured, and the two huddled by the isolation net for quiet discussion.
"Did they mention how to deal with this empty fog, or how to break out?"
"When I first heard news about empty fog, it was just a radio broadcast mention. Later, although I actively searched for information on this, because it only appeared in Sha Province, I didn't take it to heart."
Song Hai deliberately slowed his speech so that even through the thick fog, people could hear clearly.
"First, empty fog has a duration limit, maximum no more than two hours, minimum no less than half an hour. During this period, once a person is enveloped by the fog cavity formed by empty fog, there's no way to leave, and all electronic devices will fail. Of course, there's a theory that transcendents can overcome all methods through pure force and break out directly, but I suggest you absolutely don't try this. Just stay here!"
"Because there's another theory that fog cavities are interconnected. That is, if empty fog appears simultaneously in two places, even if they're separated by thousands of kilometers, if you leave from this side's fog cavity, you might directly cross those thousands of kilometers and appear in the other side's fog cavity."
"If the fog cavity dissipates at that time, you'll have to stay there."
So miraculous?
Cheng Ye was stunned and couldn't help asking, "Wouldn't that be equivalent to a space tunnel?"
"Not clear. This news came from someone claiming to have crossed through a fog cavity, without further verification. We don't know if he really crossed such a long distance or deliberately fabricated false information. But if we can survive this time, we must conduct deeper research on empty fog."
"Don't worry, we can survive this." Cheng Ye said in a low voice.
"You're quite optimistic, just like your father."
Song Hai sighed, then his voice became serious again. "But if the fog cavity connection theory is true, you should know what consequences that would bring."
"People could drop directly into our checkpoint, crossing thousands of kilometers to reach Happiness City?"
"That's the best-case scenario."
Song Hai's voice turned colder. "If what drops down isn't human, you should know what the result would be."
Hiss.
An angle he hadn't considered.
Cheng Ye instinctively gripped his gun tighter. If an infected entity dropped down, wouldn't that be a direct face-to-face encounter?
More terrifying, what if a mother source dropped down? If it landed at the checkpoint, that would be manageable.
But if it dropped in the buffer zone or inner city, wouldn't all of Happiness City be finished?
"Alright, I suggest you don't stand in corners, just stand in the middle of the inspection area."
"If anyone appears from the fog cavity, remember: don't respond, don't speak, don't make contact."
"If you're confident, shoot them dead directly. Don't bet your life on whether what comes out of the fog is a normal person or monster."
"If you're not confident, then..."
Song Hai didn't finish his sentence, knocking on the isolation net. "For the sake of being colleagues, three long one short to give me a heads up, thanks!"
"Don't worry, if I encounter a monster I can't handle, I'll definitely signal you."
Cheng Ye's heart stirred, suddenly understanding Song Hai's purpose in telling him all this.
Currently, everyone was trapped in the empty fog, facing the same unknown situation.
To survive, they needed to cooperate and share information.
"Good, you're a promising seedling among us Easterners. Live well, don't take foolish risks."
Song Hai's voice paused, but before leaving, he hurriedly added, "Don't warn Zone D's Wei Lecheng. That guy's a Western lackey, he deserves to die!"
Damn.
Even at a time like this, he still couldn't forget factional struggles. Really something!
Cheng Ye couldn't help but feel exasperated, and the tension he had been building up dissipated somewhat.
Returning to the center of the inspection area, he couldn't help looking up overhead, where equally thick fog had formed an almost substantial heavy layer, pressing down heavily above as if something might penetrate down at any moment.
When he didn't know the situation before, he hadn't thought about this but after Song Hai's reminder, his mind kept replaying images of giant monsters falling from overhead.
Especially those dozens-of-meters-tall giant monsters he had seen through drones before.
"I just hope no real monsters appear, or I'll have to go on a killing spree."
Gripping the pendant tightly, at this moment, he suddenly had the illusion of holding an Ultraman transformation device.
Besides the heavy sense of security, there was actually a little excitement?
Time passed minute by minute.
Without a defense communicator to check exactly how much time had passed, time seemed infinitely stretched, becoming extraordinarily long.
Cheng Ye maintained his habit of staying active, warming up whenever he felt his body getting cold.
He also wasn't foolish enough to stand in the center of the inspection area the whole time, constantly changing his standing position.
As for warning Zone D's Wei Lecheng, he had gone over once but before the empty fog appeared, Wei Lecheng had already retreated to the rear isolation area, and should not be in the inspection area now.
"Huh, the fog seems to be clearing?"
After an unknown amount of time, having just finished physical activity, Cheng Ye suddenly noticed signs of the thick fog dispersing.
Vaguely, he could already see the inspection passage ahead clearly.
Only when turning to look behind, the fog remained thick, but regardless, this was already a good omen.
He quickly walked to the isolation net between Zones B and C.
The two seemed to have telepathic connection, approaching and knocking on the isolation net almost simultaneously.
"Clearing up?"
"Same on your side?"
After these two sentences, both tactically retreated without saying more.
Danger often lurked at moments when hope first appeared.
Before the fog completely cleared, now was the most critical time to stay alert.
Fortunately, all worries seemed excessive. After showing signs of clearing, the empty fog dispersed faster and faster.
Cheng Ye counted silently. Almost every half minute, the fog thinned by one degree.
Just when the inspection passage became completely visible, a light 'zzzzt' sound suddenly came from his waist.
The defense communicator was back to normal?
He pulled out the defense communicator and looked. The screen had indeed lit up, with the time in the upper right corner showing:
2:37 PM!
From receiving the weather warning until now, about an hour and a half had passed.
But enveloped in this empty fog, Cheng Ye felt like at least three to four hours had passed, so incredibly long.
"Sir, sir!"
Urgent shouts from Snake came from behind. Cheng Ye whipped around. The fog in the isolation area had also cleared, revealing blurred human figures!
What surprised Cheng Ye was that centered on the isolation net closest to him, the guards and staff in the quarantine area had spontaneously formed a semicircle.
At the front, Red Mountain merchant convoy's four trucks were parked haphazardly, cargo panels lowered to form a simple barrier.
Everyone was squeezed together back-to-back, long guns and short cannons in their hands uniformly facing outward, pointing directly at areas where thick fog had not yet dispersed, faces showing alert wariness after recovering from shock.
"You all..." Pressing the isolation door switch, Cheng Ye moved slightly closer while maintaining alertness.
"Sir! Something was moving in the fog just now!"
Snake's voice trembled, pointing at the fog outside the semicircle. "We got scattered, many people couldn't be found, then somehow we all gathered here. Jin Dafei said putting the trucks sideways could provide some blocking..."
"What?"
Cheng Ye looked in the direction he pointed. The fog outside the semicircle remained impossibly thick, but he could vaguely see drag marks on the ground mixed with dark red stains, extending into the fog.
"Where's Jin Dafei?"
"In the truck. He said if monsters come, he'll run them over directly!"
"What's the casualty situation?"
"Currently... currently no bodies found, but two guards are missing." Snake's voice dropped lower. "Just now there were strange sounds in the fog. We heard screaming, but... no one dared go over."
"Well done. At times like this, staying put keeps you alive."
Cheng Ye nodded slightly, his voice steady. "Tell everyone to maintain formation. Don't shoot randomly. Wait until you can see clearly."
"Yes!"
Snake responded loudly, his voice gaining confidence.
With Cheng Ye as their backbone, the previously panicked crowd gradually calmed, their weapon-gripping hands steadying.
The defense line further contracted near the isolation door, but no one entered the inspection area.
Because inside was enclosed, and once monsters charged up, everyone would only be trapped to death inside.
Cheng Ye tried contacting the outside with his defense communicator. The screen could light up normally and functions had resumed operation, but signals were still blocked by the fog.
Just then, a burst of intensive gunfire suddenly shattered the silence.
Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat-tat.
Not from Zone B, nor Zone D, but from Quarantine Zone A.
The gunfire mixed with monsters' fierce roars and frenzied howling.
Like instantly igniting a fuse, the fog that had been quiet enough to hear each other's breathing the second before suddenly became noisy.
"They're coming!"
Almost simultaneously, clear 'click-click, click-click' sounds came from Zone C's fog, like some hard claws tapping the ground. The rhythm was slow but carried step-by-step oppressive pressure, slowly approaching from multiple directions.
Infected entities wouldn't make such strange sounds.
"Mutant beasts?"
Cheng Ye roared suddenly, raising the Thunder-1 first and pulling the trigger toward where the sound was clearest.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shotgun's thunder exploded in the fog. Crimson splashes immediately appeared in the fog ahead, followed by sharp, pained monster shrieks.
Effective!
Gunfire instantly became the main theme. Not caring where exactly the things in the fog were, everyone held the principle of striking first, pulling their triggers at the thick fog in unison.
Bullets tore through the fog with sharp whistling sounds.
Suddenly, a black shadow ignored the shooting blockade and charged out. Without thinking, Cheng Ye pulled the trigger.
Beautiful blood blossoms bloomed.
Then came the 'thud' of a heavy object hitting the ground, crashing in front of the truck and bouncing twice.
"It's an ant wolf?"
Everyone looked closely. The monster corpse that fell in front of the truck revealed its true form.
Gray-black fur covered in blood, fangs protruding, slightly larger than ordinary wolves, exactly the ant wolves at the bottom of the wasteland food chain.
Without reason, everyone's panic instantly vanished.
Especially Little Black cowering in the corner, who directly stood up and barked twice at the fog.
Damn, trying to scare who?
Thinking it was some powerful monster, turns out it's ant wolves that humans could beat barehanded?
Seeing the barely contained eagerness in everyone's eyes, Cheng Ye coughed lightly, suppressing the gradually heating restlessness, "Hold your positions. Until the fog clears, no one moves around."
After being badly frightened, there was always need for an outlet.
The shooting just now was one wave of outlet, instantly venting most of the fear and anxiety accumulated in everyone's hearts.
"Yes!"
Everyone responded in unison.
In fact, if he really told them to charge out, they definitely still wouldn't dare.
After the gunfire stopped, the mutant beasts in the fog were obviously scared, no longer daring to charge forward but embarrassingly, as the fog gradually dispersed, the passage they could use seemed to... disappear?
Waves of agitated roars came, accompanied by scratching sounds.
When the fog dissipated a bit more, Cheng Ye squinted and saw more ant wolves revealed, a full thirty to fifty of them.
Crowded in front of the isolation chamber, huddled at the edge of corner fog, snarling at the defensive formation in front of the isolation net, saliva dripping from their fangs, yet never daring to cross the line.
"Fog cavities are real..."
Cheng Ye's heart sank slightly.
For ant wolves to enter the isolation area, they would have to first pass through his inspection area.
But now, with so many ant wolves suddenly appearing in the isolation area, one thing was already proven.
Through fog cavities formed by empty fog, one could indeed instantly travel to the other side, ignoring spatial distance.
Currently, only ant wolves from the bottom of the food chain had appeared, posing negligible threat.
But what if infected entities appeared, or mother sources, or even transcendent earth-bound spirits?
"I hope this empty fog only formed by chance. If it continues to break out around Happiness City for extended periods..."
Cheng Ye gazed at the gradually dispersing fog, only able to silently pray at this moment.
Time reached just past 3 o'clock. The fog enveloping the checkpoint seemed to receive some signal.
In just one to two minutes, it suddenly scattered like being swept by fierce winds, shrinking back to its original scale.
Though still shrouded in veil-like mist, it was now like ordinary water fog, completely unaffecting vision.
Cheng Ye instinctively looked toward neighboring Zones B and D, discovering situations remarkably similar to Zone C.
Each area had constructed defensive circles centered on isolation doors, also facing only mutant beasts without any infected entities appearing.
Even Zone A, which had first erupted in battle, was only fighting a group of larger mutant beasts, with no difficult-to-handle monsters appearing.
"Clear out the ant wolves."
"Yes."
After the fog dispersed, dozens of ant wolves huddled in corners posed almost negligible threat.
Instructing Snake to lead people in cleanup, Cheng Ye walked back to the isolation net. Song Hai also happened to walk over.
"Fog cavities are real. These mutant beasts should have come through fog cavity passages."
"Indeed, the trouble might be big." Song Hai's expression was obviously somewhat dazed. After silent contemplation, he suddenly squeezed out two words:
"Take care!!!"
?
Cheng Ye was stunned, his expression suddenly turning silent.
If he hadn't come to report for duty, according to regulations, Song Hai would need to complete a full cycle partnered with Wang Kang before leaving, unable to abandon his post due to increased danger.
But now that he had come, Song Hai could conveniently withdraw.
Third-term inspectors already had qualifications to enter the inner city. Whether hiding in the inner city or leaving the city for secret shelter points, both were much safer than staying at this checkpoint.
But leaving the checkpoint for other places, would that really be safe?
