Chapter 174: Chapter 173: A New Disaster
Shen Feng suddenly sat bolt upright and looked at his wristband.
Blood-red characters, fragmented words—this was the first time something like this had happened since he acquired the True Apocalypse Game.
In his previous understanding, the entity that created the True Apocalypse Game was an absolutely powerful and mysterious being, virtually omnipotent.
But now, judging from these fragmented words, the entity behind the True Apocalypse Game was actually under attack by some other force and had to temporarily shut down the system!
’Who could it be?’
’Did the Whisperer sense something and take action, or was it some other mysterious entity?’
What concerned Shen Feng the most was the second half of the message.
Protect... civilization... fight...
’Clearly, a new disaster is about to happen.’
’And this time, it seems there won’t be any mission trials within the True Apocalypse Game. It’s going to happen directly in the real world!’
’But what could it be?’
Shen Feng’s expression was grave as he thought quickly.
He had previously received an "Antiviral Serum" as a reward. ’Could this disaster be related to a virus?’
"Requesting to claim the mission reward: ’Antiviral Serum,’" Shen Feng said quickly.
The wristband vibrated violently, as if using its last ounce of energy to light up.
Then, another line of fragmented text flashed:
"...refrigerator... claim... save..."
The light on the wristband’s screen flickered a few times before extinguishing completely, turning dark gray as if it had run out of power.
The True Apocalypse Game’s system had shut down.
Shen Feng strode to the refrigerator, opened it, and saw a pale red syringe lying inside.
This was the ordinary-sounding "Antiviral Serum."
He had just acquired this refrigerator a few days ago. Besides some fruits, vegetables, and food, it also held a pair of Faulkner’s eyeballs. Now, it had a syringe as well.
Closing the refrigerator door, he returned to the sofa, sat down, and casually turned on the TV.
The TV news was a picture of peace and tranquility; nothing major was happening.
Jingwei had also dropped her playful grin. Her simulation body, now wearing an oversized T-shirt, sat cross-legged next to Shen Feng and asked:
"So the game system is just broken like that? What on earth is attacking it?"
Shen Feng slowly shook his head, his expression grave. "Regarding the True Apocalypse Game, I don’t know much more than you do... The existence of the Parallel Cosmos determines too many things. We have no idea what exists in other parallel cosmoses..."
He could only hope that the True Apocalypse Game would survive this crisis.
’But what exactly is the disaster the system warned about?’
Shen Feng then said to Jingwei,
"Jingwei, connect to the network with me. Search for any signs of anomalous disasters emerging anywhere in the world..."
"Okay." The beautiful, mixed-race-looking android beside him nodded. Her gaze suddenly froze as she and Shen Feng began to extend their Consciousness Antennae.
There was one thing neither of them said, but both understood in their hearts.
The inevitable disaster... had probably already begun.
...
「Japan, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama City, Ota Elderly Care Home.」
It was nighttime. Most of the caregivers had already clocked off and gone home to rest, and the elderly residents were fast asleep.
Tonight, Sato Ken was on duty.
Sitting in the duty room watching TV, the usually bored and listless Sato Ken was now full of energy, looking sharp and spirited. He kept glancing at his watch, as if anticipating something.
The TV was showing a live performance by AKB48. Sato Ken’s face was lit with a joyful smile, and he waved a glow stick relentlessly in his hand.
In his view, the nursing home where he worked was filled with the stench of death and decay. It was practically a living tomb, and he despised it.
Only watching his idols perform could make him forget his revulsion.
Soon, the performance on TV ended, and everything returned to silence.
Sato Ken leaned back in his chair and sighed, enveloped by a sense of emptiness.
Just then, a call bell rang. Sato Ken got up and walked toward the room the sound came from, muttering to himself,
"These old geezers are just a waste of food. Why don’t they just die? Stop being a burden, you bastards..."
An elderly resident with mobility issues needed to use the toilet.
After helping the resident with the toilet, Sato Ken returned to the duty room. He checked the time: it was exactly midnight.
He nodded slightly, then retrieved two boxes of syringes from a hidden compartment at the bottom of a cabinet in the duty room.
These syringes came from a man who had approached him after his shift the previous night.
The man, dressed all in black with a mask and sunglasses, claimed to be from the East Japan National Medical Research Institute. He said he wanted to ask Sato Ken for some help.
Of course, as he said this, the man had also presented him with a small leather case.
Sato Ken had initially thought he was dealing with some kind of scammer, but when he opened the case, he saw ten million yen—enough to blind him!
Then, the man gave him the syringes and told him the job was simple: during his night shift, he was to inject the contents into some of the bedridden, immobile elderly residents.
The man claimed the injections were the latest breakthrough from the National Medical Research Institute, capable of treating Alzheimer’s and various other age-related diseases. However, because it was a new creation, they didn’t have enough test subjects, so they hoped Sato Ken could help out.
He also said this was a contribution to the future of Great East Japan and promised another twenty million yen upon completion.
Although Sato Ken wasn’t particularly talented, he was by no means an idiot. He hadn’t believed a word of the man’s bullshit from the start.
’The National Medical Research Institute? If they were really a legitimate organization, they wouldn’t be short on volunteers, and they definitely wouldn’t approach him in such a shady, secretive manner.’
’This guy must be from some pharmaceutical company.’
’When these companies look for test subjects, they have to pay them extremely well. If anything goes wrong, they face massive compensation claims, and the new drug they invested a fortune in developing could be denied approval for the market.’
’So, it’s much more convenient for them to find some lonely, demented old people to use as test subjects.’
’These guys are truly despicable...’ Sato Ken thought as he accepted the ten million yen, demanding that the man pay the remaining balance in full upon completion.
And now, it was midnight. Everyone was asleep, and no one would know what he was doing to those demented old people.
Once he got this money, he could quit this rotten place and do whatever he wanted.
Like opening a bed-and-breakfast in the countryside and living a quiet life.
With this in mind, Sato Ken picked up the twenty syringes and walked into the depths of the nursing home.
The elderly residents who had lost their mobility lay in their rooms like the living dead. Half of them were staring blankly at the ceiling, as if they were puppets.
Some were still on IV drips.
Sato Ken was used to the sight. He began to go from room to room, injecting them one by one.
For the ones on drips, he injected the drug directly into their IV bags.
Throughout the process, these residents with Parkinson’s disease didn’t even react, as if they couldn’t feel the needle piercing their skin at all.
After he was done, Sato Ken returned to the duty room, hid the empty syringes, and lay down on the bed, still fully clothed.
A smile played on his lips.
’This money is way too easy to make.’
The thought of getting the rest of the payment tomorrow night and leaving his current life behind made Sato Ken practically bubble with glee.
’Maybe I should go to Tokyo first, attend an AKB48 handshake event...’
The next morning, Sato Ken was woken by a commotion in the nursing home.
He frowned and got up, only to see a group of elderly residents in the hallway, talking loudly, even jumping around, running, and dancing, looking more excited than he’d ever seen.
Sato Ken went out and said,
"What are you doing? Do you think you don’t need manners just because you’re old? Do I have to—"
Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes shot wide open, his mouth fell agape, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.
These gleeful elders in the hallway were, without exception, the severe Parkinson’s patients!
The very same group he had injected the night before!
Previously, they had all lost their mobility, some even needing to sleep in restraints to prevent them from wandering off and getting hurt at night.
But now, they were chatting cheerfully, even dancing gracefully. Their movements were agile, their thoughts clear—they didn’t look like old people at all. You could say they were middle-aged, and people would believe you!
"Sato, you’re awake? Sorry to disturb your rest, but we’re just so excited. It’s been too long since we could move like this," one of the old men said with a smile. Just yesterday, this same man had soiled his own pants and couldn’t even string a coherent sentence together.
The other elders now gathered around, chatting happily with Sato Ken. They didn’t seem to know what had happened the previous night but were overjoyed and relieved by their recovery.
Sato Ken snapped out of his stunned silence, his heart pounding with excitement.
’That medicine actually worked!’
’These people look completely free of any symptoms. They couldn’t be healthier!’
’I don’t know if there are any side effects, but it definitely works!’
’I should ask that guy for more money. How much more... Fifty million? Seventy million? A hundred million?’
As he was thinking, the twenty people had surrounded him.
SLURP...
A strange sound came, as if someone was drooling.
SLURP...
Just as Sato Ken was feeling confused, he heard the slurping sound again.
He looked up and saw that all their faces still wore friendly smiles, but they were drooling uncontrollably. Some of their saliva was already dripping onto the floor.
"Sato, you... what did you spray on yourself? You smell so good..." said the wiry old man at the front. At the same time, he grabbed Sato’s arm, his grip like a pair of pliers.
Just as Sato was about to say something, an old woman grabbed his other arm, sniffing him as she spoke.
"I used to be a physiology professor at Tokyo University. This scent... it’s the fragrance of a young human’s blood and muscle..."
Saying this, she licked her lips and gave a bizarre smile.
"I really want to eat you..."
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