Chapter 125: No Response

Chen Ling knew that he had likely been toyed with by the "audience" again.

In his field of vision, that large fifth-stage centipede was still a large centipede, but those small centipedes running all over the ground were broilers... At first, Chen Ling thought it was strange: how could a centipede give birth to broilers? But after Xi Renjie pointed it out, he finally realized something was wrong.

The audience hadn't changed his perception of the large centipede, but they had changed the image of the small ones?

Why?

Did they know he couldn't beat the large centipede, so they only changed the small ones to trick him into eating them? Come to think of it, when he was eating those "broilers," he did feel an indescribable sense of muddled confusion...

Thinking that he had eaten something similar to the large centipede made Chen Ling feel nauseous. He held the trash can for several minutes before he could barely calm down.

He glanced at the ground beside him, and two lines of small text appeared:

[Audience Expectation +3]

[Current Expectation: 39%]

"These lunatics..." Chen Ling cursed under his breath, stood up, and pushed the door open to leave.

……

Han Meng’s figure cut through the thick fog like a black arrow, speeding across the sky.

The streets of the Third District grew further and further away, gradually disappearing into the mist. In this gray world, it seemed as if he were the only one left...

Aurora City was located at the center of the entire Aurora Realm, with the seven major districts surrounding it like satellites, forming a massive ring. This meant the distance from Aurora City to any single district wasn't too far, but travel between the seven districts themselves was much more troublesome.

But even if the distance wasn't great, it wasn't something a human could just walk easily.

In the past, it wasn't as if no one had tried to walk from the seven districts to Aurora City, but the two biggest difficulties were the extreme cold and the incredibly rugged terrain... Vast stretches of permafrost and glaciers spanned the route. Without sufficient supplies, it was almost a certainty that one would freeze to death on the road if relying solely on their own two legs.

Furthermore, even if one reached the gates of Aurora City, without the identity and qualifications to enter, they would be turned away. At that point, trying to return the way they came would be another hellish journey.

The only way to connect Aurora City with the various districts was the steam train, and there was only one departure per day... A round trip would inevitably take two days.

Han Meng didn't have that much time, or rather, the Third District didn't. Fortunately, he possessed the ability to fly. In terms of speed alone, he was more than ten times faster than the steam train.

Of course, this was assuming he didn't consider the consumption of mental power.

After Han Meng promoted to the fifth stage, his total mental power had increased again, enough to support him in flying the entire distance in one go.

After an unknown amount of time, in the hazy mist, a black line crawling across the permafrost appeared at the edge of the horizon... It wasn't a line, but a city wall so long that one couldn't see the end of it.

As Han Meng drew closer, the wall became even more magnificent. When he reached the gate, it felt like a wall supporting the very sky.

Even if an ordinary person looked up, their gaze couldn't pierce the thin mist to see the highest point of this wall... And such a tall wall stretched for thousands of miles.

"Who goes there?"

Just as Han Meng reached the city gate, a deep voice rang out.

A man also wearing a black trench coat was leaning against the wall, standing at the edge of the gate like a guard. Four shimmering silver patterns on his coat hem sparkled.

"I am Han Meng, Chief Executor of the Third District." Han Meng took out his credentials and said solemnly, "I need to see [Tan Xin]."

"Han Meng?" Hearing this name, the Executor at the gate narrowed his eyes and replied coldly, "Do you have the documents for entry?"

"Our communication channels cannot reach Aurora City at all, so naturally, I have no documents."

"No documents, no entry... As a Chief Executor, do you not understand this principle?"

"A large-scale Gray Realm intersection has occurred in the Third District. The situation is urgent; I need to follow the special procedure."

"Special procedure? Is that something a Third District Executor can just decide to follow?" The Executor replied unhurriedly. "Go back. You aren't entering Aurora City today."

Hearing this, Han Meng’s gaze turned icy. He couldn't be bothered to waste words with this person, and his courtroom domain instantly expanded!

Fifth-stage mental power surged out, pinning the Executor firmly in place. His pupils contracted suddenly, and he exclaimed:

"Han Meng! What do you think you're doing?"

"I said," Han Meng raised his gun, aiming at the Executor, "I need to follow the special procedure."

Han Meng was still wearing his four-pattern Executor trench coat, but the aura he was releasing now was undoubtedly fifth-stage... How could a fifth-stage Executor appear in a place like the seven major districts?

Locked in the sights of Han Meng’s gun, the Executor broke out in a cold sweat.

At the same time, several Executors patrolling nearby rushed over. Seeing this scene, they were shocked and surrounded Han Meng at the gate. A great battle was imminent.

Yet Han Meng stood calmly in the middle of the encirclement, his gun barrel steadily pointed at the Executor at the gate, his eyes like the surface of a frozen lake, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

So much so that the Executor truly suspected that if anyone else made a move against Han Meng, he would truly blow his head off at the first opportunity...

The Executor gritted his teeth and stared at Han Meng for a long time before finally saying:

"...I will go and request instructions from Chief [Tan Xin]."

……

Aurora City.

Winter sunlight spilled into the courtyard. At the entrance of the tea room, Tan Xin, wearing a black trench coat, unhurriedly scraped the tea foam with the lid of his cup.

Just then, a figure walked silently across the floor and crouched respectfully beside him.

"Teacher, it has been eight hours since the fog rose..."

Tan Xin placed the teacup in his hand on the small table, closed his eyes, and said calmly:

"Of the seven major districts, how many remain?"

"Three hours ago, there were still five districts—1, 2, 3, 6, and 7—transmitting communications to us... But as of half an hour ago, the signals from Districts 2, 6, and 7 have also been cut off."

"So only District 1 and District 3 remain... The Chief Executor of District 1 is Chong Feng, and District 3 is Han Meng. These two still have some ability."

"Teacher, are we still not going to respond to them?" The figure paused for a moment and added, "If we don't respond, it probably won't be long before these last two districts fall as well."

Tan Xin opened his eyes, looked through the bright eaves at the clear sun hanging high in the sky, and replied faintly,

"No response."