They arrived at a university town. About a few hundred meters from the entrance, they parked their vehicles and chose to walk into the university town. Upon reaching the school gate, they separated and began to explore in different directions.
Unexpectedly, there should have been security guards within the university town, yet this university town had fallen into complete silence.
Not only were there no guards at the school gate, but no matter how long they waited, not a single person was seen within the campus.
Something had definitely happened.
This place…
No, the entire university town seemed to be isolated from the rest of the world.
Everything was fine on the way here, but once they entered the university town, they found it to be eerily quiet, the complete opposite of the bustling world outside, as if it had been severed.
Duan Chen heightened his vigilance.
He chose to head directly towards the main teaching building.
Long Yi went to the comprehensive teaching building.
Tian Xi Meng went to the women's dormitory.
Wang Zi Hao went to the men's dormitory.
After exploring these areas, they would then investigate other important locations.
What Duan Chen found particularly strange was that as he approached the main teaching building, he could only hear his own footsteps. There was no sound from anyone else.
What was going on?
How could such a thing happen?
Had everyone else in the entire university town disappeared?
Duan Chen furrowed his brow, his heart filled with deep suspicion. It was not a holiday period, and even if it were, there would still be students staying on campus. Even if no students remained, there would at least be security personnel and staff.
The situation here was extremely wrong.
The main teaching building in this university town had six floors.
Duan Chen had not attended university locally in Su City. While this university might not be considered a top-tier institution, its teaching quality was decent, and its cultural resources were abundant.
It had long been a primary choice for many students after their top-tier university options.
Bringing up such a relatable topic made many feel a pang of sadness.
Duan Chen entered the teaching building's main entrance, sensing no immediate anomaly. The only abnormality was the profound silence.
What kind of anomaly could occur on a campus? Could someone have intentionally provoked it?
He was reluctant to think so, but truthfully, university students were always a group of simple and foolish beings.
Their eyes often displayed a clear kind of foolishness.
It was hard not to question their fundamental nature.
Duan Chen felt no guilt. Although he was of an age to attend university, his nature and abilities were not suited for deep academic pursuits.
Moreover, he carried too many burdens.
If possible, he would have liked the opportunity to attend university, but that would have to wait until all these matters were resolved. Perhaps then he would choose a university for further study.
As Duan Chen thought of this, his gaze lowered.
It was also about fulfilling a dream his brother once had.
He ascended the stairs, step by step, counting in his mind.
First floor.
Second floor.
Third floor.
…
Sixth floor.
Seventh floor.
Something was wrong.
Duan Chen suddenly looked up, staring at the large "7" written in blood-red paint before him.
This was a stairwell landing. Normally, a door leading to the rooftop should appear here, but there was nothing now, only stairs continuing upwards and a large splash of paint. Looking down, there were six flights of stairs; looking up, there were countless more.
Duan Chen's heart leaped. Had he fallen into a trap without realizing it?
He didn't hesitate, immediately leaping down. However, he didn't descend in the conventional way, quickly reaching what should have been the first floor.
Seven.
This number appeared before him again.
The number seven held significant meaning in Chinese culture, often representing many things.
Similar to the number thirteen in Western civilization.
There were seven days in a week.
The mourning period for the deceased had the "tou qi" (first seven days).
However, he was clear that there were absolutely no ghosts in this world, and even if there were, they wouldn't be the spectral beings depicted in horror movies.
What troubled him was whether this was a similar type of ghost from Yinshan Village. Why was the place where the anomaly occurred deliberately made to feel like a supernatural film scene?
He couldn't figure this out, nor could he possibly catch a spectral entity and question it.
A cold smile played on Duan Chen's lips.
Did they think this would leave him helpless?
Never.
The anomalies here absolutely did not know he possessed the "Eye of Truth," such a cheating item.
With the Eye of Truth activated, the true form of this place appeared before Duan Chen.
Spiritual energy surged, powering the Eye of Truth.
As Duan Chen activated his pupil technique, he instinctively rolled over.
It was a premonition from his sixth sense.
And his action proved to be correct.
Where he had been standing, a limp-looking monster now appeared.
The monster was a filthy yellow color, somewhat resembling a starfish but with a human-like form. Something was dripping sparsely from its body.
Duan Chen almost gagged.
He couldn't help but mentally grumble.
Did the characteristic of monsters in this newly discovered, nameless city have to be disgusting?
Otherwise, this was truly beyond what humans could tolerate.
After activating his Eye of Truth, he realized he was still on the first floor, right at the entrance of the main teaching building. He hadn't left, hadn't gone upstairs, and there couldn't be a seventh floor.
Behind the main teaching building's entrance stood a giant, starfish-like anomaly, directly blocking the entire entrance.
If he had taken a few more steps forward, he would have walked right into its maw.
And when he activated his Eye of Truth, he had stopped in place, less than 10cm away from the anomaly's gaping mouth!
This made the anomaly anxious, and it moved its body slightly. Fortunately, Duan Chen instinctively reacted based on his sixth sense and dodged.
Otherwise, he would have been inside the monster's mouth by now. While he didn't know what terrible consequences awaited those within its gullet, merely looking at the corrosive effect of the liquid dripping from the starfish-like anomaly's mouth onto the ground indicated that it would be no good end.