Community Traversal: I Have a Daily Rescue Kit

4: Deviation

All eyes were fixed on Su Chen's face.

He clutched the note, his brow furrowed. The men craned their necks, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

"Do you see the red circle, bro?"

"Flip it over! Let me see it!"

There were only five slips of paper with red circles in the lottery box; each one drawn reduced the number of slips available. Under the intense gaze of everyone, Su Chen took a deep breath, composed himself, and slowly opened his palm—on the crumpled slip of paper, a bright red circle was clearly visible.

"oh--!"

"I won!!"

A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd, like howls of ghosts. Many men jumped up and down, waving their arms and legs, their excitement surpassing that of someone who had won five million dollars.

"Sigh... What a pity. He was a pretty good-looking young man, and now he's become cannon fodder for scouting." Someone in the group of girls sighed softly.

She frowned, squinted at Su Chen, glanced at the group of cheering men, and gently shook her head.

……

The lottery continues.

Soon, the second person received the red circled paper.

Bald programmer Wen Fei stared at the paper in his hand, his cheek muscles twitching stiffly.

He slowly opened his palm, revealing the note to the fiery gazes around him.

"Red!"

"This is the second one!"

The men's excited shouts were like tiny needles, repeatedly pricking Wen Fei's eardrums. He gritted his teeth, veins bulging at his temples, and even his sparse stubble of hair seemed to stand on end. His fingers gripped the paper tighter and tighter, his knuckles turning white, and the thin, brittle paper was pinched into fine cracks.

"Why me... why me of all people!"

"I was the first to realize we didn't have enough resources! I was the one who brought this bunch of scatterbrains together! I was the one who suggested going out to find a way to survive! I'm the one who put in the most effort! Why should I be the one to die?!"

For a fleeting moment, Wenfei really wanted to tear that damned red-circled paper to shreds and deny it.

But he ultimately didn't have the guts—he was afraid of being torn apart by this group of bloodthirsty people first.

"Wenfei," Old Wang, dressed in a dark blue Zhongshan suit, strolled out at this moment, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Since you've decided to go out and explore, it's not appropriate for you to keep that laptop in the property office. Hand it over."

Before he finished speaking, he casually pushed his son forward: "I think it's good that Wang Wenye took over. You can recommend someone based on merit, even if it's a relative. He studied architecture in college, so it's a good fit for him."

Watching Old Wang's blatant actions throughout, Wen Fei's nostrils flared, his face contorted with rage.

"...Come and get it."

He forced out two stiff words from his throat.

Wang Wenye grinned and came over, turning sideways and pulling hard several times before finally managing to pull the laptop out of Wenfei's tightly gripped hand.

"Wow, you've got some strength." Wang Wenye hefted the computer and grinned.

……

"It's only been two days, and things have escalated to this point!" Su Chen sighed inwardly, no longer wanting to remain in this place of turmoil as a mere background figure.

"You guys keep smoking, I'm going home to grab a handy weapon and get ready."

He waved to the crowd, turned and left the square, heading towards his apartment building.

Old Wang and Wang Wenye exchanged a glance, then whispered a few words to the young men next to them who had already drawn lots but hadn't won.

Soon, the two young men jogged to catch up with Su Chen and followed him into the building.

Back home, Su Chen first took out the precious antibiotics and stuffed them into the innermost hidden pocket of his clothes. Then he securely fastened the heavy Nepalese dagger under his belt at his lower back.

He also pulled out an old backpack and stuffed in two bottles of mineral water, half a can of luncheon meat, and a packet of pickled cabbage noodles.

The notice board said that the mysterious little village is only 700 meters away from Xingfu Community, and it won't take much time to go back and forth.

But Su Chen still felt that he should be fully prepared—who knew if he would get lost in the thick fog? If that happened, these supplies would be a lifesaver.

With everything tidied up, Su Chen pushed open the door to her home.

In the stairwell, two young men stood like door gods, one on each side of his doorway.

Su Chen was taken aback for a moment, then understood, and smirked, "What, are you afraid I'll hide at home and never come out after drawing the lots?"

"Hehe... No way, Brother Su." The two scratched their heads and laughed it off, without offering any further explanation.

Su Chen ignored him and turned to walk outside.

As he descended the stairs, he deliberately took large, heavy steps, causing the curved knife at his waist to sway with each stride. Occasionally, the metal blade would gleam coldly from beneath his clothes.

He clearly heard the two footsteps following behind him pause noticeably. Only after his figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs and headed towards the elevator did the soft footsteps cautiously resume their approach.

……

By the time Su Chen returned to the square, the lottery was almost over.

There were four men standing on the field, each holding a red circle: Su Chen himself, Wen Fei, a bald programmer, a young man with dyed yellow hair, and a man with a full beard, a stocky build, who called himself "Ruby Lin of Chengdu".

Of the four, Su Chen's expression was relatively calm; Wen Fei and "Ruby Lin" looked miserable; and the blond youth's face was ashen.

"I'm not going! Whoever wants to go can go!"

Yellow Hair stared at the people coming and going to draw lots, finally unable to hold back any longer, and roared at the crowd, "You have no right to force me to go out and die!"

"Do you know who my older brother is? Do you know what my brother-in-law does?! You dare to touch me and see what happens..."

Before he could finish shouting, a leather shoe, still smelling of sweaty feet, slammed into his face with a "thud."

"You idiot! What kind of place is this? Still putting on airs? What good is it? Can it feed you or add attribute points?"

"If you fucking howl again, I'll throw you over the wall right now to feed those owl-faced bastards!"

……

The blond-haired man was instantly silenced by the scorn and threats from the crowd, shrinking back and daring not to utter another sound.

The drawing of lots continued. Soon, the last red-circled paper also found its owner—Old Wang in a Zhongshan suit.

Seeing Old Wang holding that red paper slip, Wen Fei, who had been looking dejected, suddenly brightened up.

Old Ye, the man in the suit who had long been at odds with the Wang family, raised his voice and began to mock them:

"Old Wang, why is your face so pale? Are you scared? Don't dare to go?"

Old Wang's face flushed red, and he opened his mouth to retort.

But the next second, he caught a glimpse of the thick, billowing gray fog outside the residential area and suddenly remembered Xu Ermazi, who had died tragically yesterday, and the owls with distorted human faces in the fog... His legs went weak and his arrogance immediately diminished.

"Is...is there anyone who can help me out? I...I'm willing to offer a gold bar!"

He stammered and held up one finger, his voice weak.

"Hey! Old Wang, you've chickened out now!" Old Ye laughed exaggeratedly. "Weren't you just talking about 'being willing to sacrifice' and 'putting the big picture'? Now you're cowering when it comes to your own?"

"I...I'm...I'm different!" Old Wang suddenly raised his voice, as if trying to encourage himself.

"I have worked diligently for the country and the people for over thirty years! My selfless dedication is a testament to heaven and earth! How could I possibly be a coward who clings to life and fears death?"

"Then why don't you go?"

"With great power comes great responsibility! I must stay and contribute to the harmony and stability of our happy community! Serving the people, coordinating relationships... this is my mission!"

When the word "mission" was mentioned, Old Wang tensed up, raised his right hand, and pointed his index finger at the sky, stabbing it three times as if he were swearing an oath to an invisible flag.

"Hahaha! This is hilarious! Old Wang, you still think you're a leader giving a report? Still not satisfied with your officialdom, huh!"

"This is another world! What use are gold bars now? Your gold bars are like your own farts—they smell loud, but they're worthless!"

Laughter and mockery filled the air, and no one gave him the slightest face.

"Sigh..." Old Wang looked left and right, and seeing no one responding, he finally deflated like a punctured balloon, slumped his shoulders, and sighed resignedly.

Just then, a clear, cold female voice abruptly broke in:

"You don't need to go. I'll do it for you. Remember to give me the gold bars."

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Everyone turned their heads at the sound, wanting to see which foolish young man was willing to risk his life for money.

A woman with a high ponytail walked out of the crowd unhurriedly, stood directly next to Su Chen, and pushed Old Wang aside.

The woman was dressed in a neat short-sleeved outfit, exuding a capable and efficient air.

Unlike most of the people around her who were dressed in casual pajamas or sportswear, her outfit made her look like she had stepped straight out of a post-apocalyptic survival movie.

The close-fitting outfit was covered with various bulging pockets of different sizes. The belt was cinched tightly, with two rows of eight slender cloth knife pouches neatly inserted on it. Black leggings were tightly wrapped around the calves, and the heavy work boots were tied with laces so tightly that they were not breathable.

What is most striking is that she holds a long, slender, and beautifully curved Miao sword in her right hand, held in reverse.

The blade was dull, yet it gleamed with a chilling light; just holding it quietly exuded a fierce killing intent.

"With such thorough preparations...did she know in advance that something bad would happen?"

Su Chen's heart skipped a beat, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

"Th-thank you so much!" Old Wang said, his voice trembling as if he'd been granted a pardon. He could tell this woman was no ordinary person, and after thanking her, he immediately shrank back into the crowd.

"Everyone's here, let's go." The woman with the high ponytail said calmly, then shrugged towards the misty gate of the residential area, indicating that Su Chen and the others should go first.

"No, no, no... I won't go in front..." The blond-haired man retreated in fear, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

Wenfei and "Chengdu Ruby Lin" exchanged a glance, then tacitly circled behind the blond-haired man, each taking his arm from either side.

Well, so I'm supposed to be the one to lead the charge.

Su Chen's mind raced, and he immediately understood his predicament.

Thinking of the eerie human-faced owls in the gray fog, his palms began to sweat. He took a deep breath and drew his Nepalese kukri from his back. The cool hilt in his hand brought a strange sense of calm.

"It's alright," he told himself silently. "Those monsters, no matter how strange, are still made of flesh and blood. If they're hit in a vital spot, they'll still die!"

With that thought in mind, he steadied himself, gripped his knife tightly, and took the first step into the churning, thick gray fog.

……

"Smack."

The moment his foot touched the ground, Su Chen felt as if he had passed through a cold, sticky membrane and entered a completely different world.

Biological instincts instantly take over the body.

Adrenaline surged, and my heart pounded heavily in my chest. Every hair on my body stood on end, and every muscle tensed like iron. My pupils dilated dramatically, and every detail in my field of vision suddenly became crystal clear; my dynamic vision was pushed to its limit.

However, the anticipated attack did not occur.

There were no mournful howls, no ferocious owl faces emerging from the mist.

"call……"

Su Chen slowly exhaled the breath that had been trapped in his chest, and his tense muscles relaxed slightly.

Only then did he have the energy to carefully perceive his surroundings.

This was a world ruled by absolute silence; apart from the suppressed breathing of the five of them and the soft rustling of their shoes against the ground, there was no other sound.

There was no wind, no chirping of insects, and even the sound of my own heartbeat seemed unusually abrupt.

At this moment, they are standing on a narrow dirt road.

This road extends from the rusted gate of the residential area behind us, like a gray-yellow ribbon, leading straight into the depths of the mist.

Su Chen squinted and strained to see ahead.

In the hazy grayness, one could vaguely see a strangely shaped, twisted old locust tree, its branches gnarled and swaying slowly in the mist, like a silent giant.

"That should be the first road sign mentioned in the announcement," Su Chen thought to himself, while cautiously looking at both sides of the road.

Unlike the barely discernible front and back directions, the world on both sides of the path was completely swallowed up by an impenetrable gray fog.

Su Chen could see the blurry shadow of the old locust tree a hundred meters away, but when he looked at the roadside, his vision couldn't penetrate even three meters. The mist rolled and surged silently, swallowing all light and sound, as if it concealed endless, indescribable things.

Don't go near the roadside!

Once you stray from this path and get lost in the fog, you may never be able to come back!

A strong, almost intuitive sense of alarm exploded in Su Chen's heart.

He immediately moved a few steps toward the center of the road, trying to get as far away as possible from the unsettling gray fog on either side.

Seeing his actions, Wen Fei and the other two behind him were stunned at first, but then seemed to understand something and followed suit, moving cautiously along the middle of the path.

And so, under Su Chen's silent guidance, the group, filled with trepidation, finally made it to the first landmark—the huge, crooked old locust tree.

Su Chen's heartstrings, which had been taut to the point of near pain, finally got a moment to relax.

"call……"

He let out a long sigh, stopped, and rested his knees for a while.

This short distance of just over 100 meters left his back soaked in cold sweat, more tiring than running 1,500 meters.

"Brothers, let's take a break, recharge our energy, and then..."

Before Su Chen could finish speaking, a fierce force suddenly slammed into his lower back!

He had no time to react, lost his balance, and stumbled forward—not towards the road ahead, but straight into the churning, thick gray fog beside the road!