Thinking of this, Chen Bingzhong shook his head and actively cut off these dangerous speculations.

His gaze moved away from the wall and back to the Ancient Bell covered in greenish-blue copper rust on the table.

Because this derivative still carries a faint pollution.

To ensure the safety of the candidates, these examiners must stay in the interrogation room at all times and cannot enter the monitoring center to find out what is happening in that world.

The only thing they can do now is stare at the brainwave and emotion threshold on the computer screen.

Once a candidate’s fear index skyrockets and approaches the red line, showing signs of irreversible mental breakdown, or is unable to wake up.

Chen Bingzhong must immediately strike the Soul Suppressing Bell, using special sound wave frequencies to transmit information to that world, forcibly guiding the person’s consciousness back.

Of course, if it comes to this, it would mean the candidate has completely failed the test.

"The flow of time inside is different from the real world."

Chen Bingzhong looked at the gradually flattening green line on the screen and muttered to himself:

"Only seven minutes have passed outside, which means candidate number 263 hasn’t even spent a day in Black Rain World."

"Let’s see how many days he can last in this increasingly uncontrollable nightmare..."

.........

The hospital entrance in the morning.

Fang Cheng walked out of the emergency building, looking at the scene outside with a troubled expression.

The sky was gloomy, like a soaked lead-gray curtain.

Fine rain threads were still drifting, and last night’s chaos was vivid in memory.

When the paramedics carried grandfather onto the stretcher, the black-brown bloodstain flowing from his nostrils was imprinted on Fang Cheng’s retina like a branding.

His parents’ accusing voices echoed in his ears:

"How could you lay a hand on your grandfather?!"

"Are you insane?!"

Fang Cheng couldn’t explain.

Could he say he saw a monster wearing his grandfather’s skin?

Say that monster grabbed his throat with icy hands, wanting to kill him?

Or say last night’s rain was black, smelling like dead fish and rotten shrimp, very similar to the scent emanating from grandfather?

Who would believe it?

Saying these things would only make his parents more convinced that he’s mentally ill.

Fang Cheng took a deep breath, a bitter taste rising in his throat.

He looked down at his hands.

The knuckles were numb from using too much force during the beating.

The hard lump on the back of his hand hadn’t completely subsided, faintly blue and purple.

He felt a mix of relief and fear.

Relieved that he wasn’t strong enough to accidentally kill grandfather.

Afraid that if it happened again, he might still choose to act without hesitation.

Sometimes, Fang Cheng truly doubted whether he was crazy, with violent tendencies.

The rotten, swollen face from last night, the overpowering stench, the cold touch of the fingertips... all felt too real.

So real that even now, in familiar surroundings, everything seemed cloaked in a thin layer of gray haze.

The roadside breakfast stalls had just been set up, steam rising from the steamer.

Passersby hurried past, rushing to work or school.

Everything in Pingjiang County seemed so normal and peaceful.

Fang Cheng walked aimlessly, his gaze falling on the wet floor tiles.

As he was about to turn into another street corner.

The corner of his eye suddenly caught a fleeting shadow.

The shadow was extremely brief, as quick as an illusion.

Yet that blurred twisted outline instantly recalled the nightmare of last night for Fang Cheng.

His heart sank abruptly, a bone-deep chill rushing to his head.

Fang Cheng immediately turned to look.

However, besides the occasional passing vehicles, there was no one behind him.

He stopped, heart pounding.

"I guess I’m not crazy..."

Fang Cheng took a deep breath and quickened his pace, almost jogging.

Instead of overthinking alone, it was better to go to school and find Zhou Ming.

That guy always exaggerated, but he could say something insightful about "supernatural phenomena."

.........

Ding-a-ling-a-ling——

The class bell rang throughout the campus, and the classroom instantly became noisy.

The students seemed to have been activated, bouncing up from their seats one after another.

The sounds of conversation and chair scraping filled the entire space.

Fang Cheng navigated through the crowd and found the pot-headed boy with thick-framed black glasses.

He was lying on the desk, engrossed in a comic book with an unknown creature on the cover.

Even the surrounding noise seemed to be blocked out by him.

"Zhou Ming."

Fang Cheng walked to his desk and called softly.

Zhou Ming abruptly raised his head:

"Fang Cheng? Got something for me?"

He put down the comic, a curious expression on his face.

Fang Cheng pulled over a chair and sat directly next to Zhou Ming, leaning forward slightly, lowering his voice:

"I want to ask you something. You always study those bizarre things, right?"

Zhou Ming’s eyes lit up, immediately straightened his back, and pushed his glasses up his nose:

"Absolutely, as the president of the Super Research Society, my reputation is well deserved."

"What do you want to ask? Aliens? Ghosts? Or some strange disappearance?"

Fang Cheng’s gaze fell on the gleaming lenses of Zhou Ming’s glasses, his tone hesitant:

"Have you ever heard of people suddenly turning into... well, not people, but creatures that look a lot like humans?"

Zhou Ming’s mouth slightly opened, then he smiled with a hint of excitement:

"Of course I know, you’re hitting the mark with this question, it’s called ’mimetic memory body’, there are many types."

"Some are alien parasites, some are local evil spirits disguised, and there’s one called flesh and blood distortion, where the body is affected by unknown substances and gradually becomes twisted."

"These monsters can maintain human form initially, even mimic the memories and habits of deceased individuals, living within human society, but gradually reveal their true nature, becoming fierce and brutal."

He grew increasingly animated, his eyes gleaming:

"What you’re referring to is likely ’mimetic evil entity’. This one is the hardest to handle, as it can perfectly simulate your relatives and friends, making it difficult to discern between real and fake."

"Once you’re entangled with it, unless you have the Yin Yang Eye, to see through the disguise at a glance, it’s tough to manage."

Zhou Ming paused on purpose, his gaze carrying a hint of mystery.

Fang Cheng’s heart sank sharply, clenching his fists, and asked:

"Then... is there any way to deal with such things?"

Zhou Ming’s playful demeanor turned serious:

"Conventional weapons are useless; dealing with such evil entities requires ’Superpower’, or ’Spiritual Energy’."

"Our Super Research Society specializes in researching these; each member is a skilled investigator with various detective techniques."

"Well, do you want to join? I saw your impressive performance in the last math class; you have a great Talent for learning, definitely qualified to be the best investigator."

Fang Cheng was intrigued.

But he wasn’t thinking about his performance in math class; rather, it was about the bravery and Strength he showed last night, surpassing his usual self.

It filled him with questions.

He intended to refuse but heard Zhou Ming continue:

"By the way, after school today, we have an exploration activity. It’s said that strange shadows have been appearing lately at the abandoned old water plant on the outskirts, and there’s a weird rotten smell drifting out, very similar to those ’evil entities’ described outside."

"We’re planning to investigate on-site, maybe we’ll find some clues."

Fang Cheng’s pupils suddenly contracted.

Shadow? Rotten smell?

He recalled last night’s fleeting shadow and the stench emanating from grandfather.

His family was in the hospital, leaving him alone at school.

This was the best opportunity for him to seek the truth.

"Alright, I’ll join." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Fang Cheng agreed almost without hesitation.

Zhou Ming excitedly pushed his glasses:

"Great! You’re finally being enlightened! Let me tell you..."

Fang Cheng didn’t hear Zhou Ming’s excited follow-up.

His mind was filled with two words: shadow and rotten smell.

Tonight, he might find some answers.