Ye Shu awoke to the gentle patter of rain outside her window, a faint drumming that seemed ceaseless. Aside from the rain, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred; not even the creeping white mist that had once filled her with such dread appeared to be near.
The villa was well-stocked with food, and Su Bai, Pangzi, and the others were right by her side, yet unease clung to Ye Shu's heart.
Her fears proved prescient when a piercing, desperate shriek from the merman echoed through the halls. At once, Ye Shu and the others sealed off every faucet in the house.
"Shushu, does this half-fish really smell something foul?"
Su Bai, despite knowing the strange fish was Ye Shu’s contracted spirit beast, couldn’t resist a jab, skepticism plain in her tone.
"There’s obviously… no smell at all!"
"And I even went out of my way to sterilize the water at high temperature."
Su Bai refused to believe it, leaning in to sniff at the kettle herself.
"Suit yourself."
"Humans really are such frail, naive creatures—can’t even tell one scent from another."
"This stench is even worse than the mist, and you all can’t sense a thing. Tsk tsk, aren’t you fortunate to have brought me along for this game, Master? Otherwise, you’d all be out already..."
Except for Ye Shu and her fellow contracted spirits, Da Piaoliang and Chou Bagai, the merman had little patience for the others, barely bothering to hide his disdain.
"Wow, thanks for your concern!"
Though Su Bai spoke in disbelief, she still slipped on a thick pair of protective gloves.
Ye Shu paid no attention to their childish bickering, her every thought focused on the faucets.
Rainwater... seeping into the residents’ drinking supply...
And most of the natives, lacking the keen senses of a merman, remained completely unaware.
What would happen if they drank the rainwater?
High-temperature sterilization usually filtered out most viruses, but Xiaobai claimed the rainwater reeked worse than the mist. It seemed the boiling had no effect at all.
"Shut off all water sources in the villa at once," Ye Shu decided instantly.
Her eyes flitted toward the bathroom in the corner. She coughed lightly, adopting a stern tone: "From today on, the bathroom is off limits... we’ll use cat litter instead."
"Cat litter."
Su Bai’s mouth twitched in disbelief. So that was why Ye Shu had insisted on adding cat litter to their supplies—she’d assumed it was for the big black tiger, not for themselves.
But cat litter did have its perks: convenient, odorless.
All of them were veterans of survival games, having stared death in the face before, so none of them uttered a word of complaint. They simply nodded in agreement.
……
Two days had passed since the white mist incident.
Yet it seemed as though no one remembered. Life resumed as always: work, school, no one the least bit wary of the rain.
The rain hadn’t stopped since the day before.
The sky hung heavy and grey.
Ye Shu directed Fu Jingchuan to check the weather across the globe. Sure enough, rainclouds blanketed the world.
"Ye Xiaoshu... just as you predicted. It’s raining everywhere."
Fu Jingchuan remembered the bizarre weather in Yuhu City—not least the floods that submerged entire floors, leaving lingering dread in their wake. But logic insisted this could not be some simple repeat of natural disaster.
"Just as I thought," Ye Shu replied, "This rain is connected to the mist."
"For the time being, let’s stay inside."
She stood before the window, gaze locked on the falling rain.
"We’ll do as you say," Fu Jingchuan answered without hesitation.
Lin Qing, casting aside his habitual gloom, feigned innocence, his eyes lingering on Ye Shu. "Sister Ye, why not let me handle the investigation? I’m handy with computers, better than him, honestly."
Ye Shu was blunt as ever: "Oh? You never offered."
"You never asked."
"Next time, let me do it, Sister Ye! I’m younger, I can handle anything—I won’t trouble Uncle Fu."
Had he not gone too far when he killed Ye Xiaoshu so ruthlessly at the beginning, things wouldn't have come to this! Now, he didn’t even dare show his face.
Uncle? Was this kid doing it on purpose?
Fu Jingchuan’s gaze finally settled on Lin Qing.
There was something off about this boy, something familiar, a sense of being hunted. He brushed aside that odd feeling and, as ever, spoke calmly: "Ye Xiaoshu, if you need anything, I’ll help. No need to be courteous—just ask."
"Alright," Ye Shu replied breezily. She’d never seen the point in false modesty; not taking advantage of a good deal, after all, would be downright foolish. Teammates like Fu Jingchuan didn’t come around often.
Pang Pangzi squirmed awkwardly: was he meant to be here right now, or not?
Meanwhile, Su Bai cracked open some sunflower seeds, excitement dancing on her face as she silently urged: Come on, fight, fight!
Ye Shu—impressive! Her dearest friend’s luck in love was on full display.
A classic showdown: two men, one woman. Riveting.
Ye Shu, her back to both of them, seemed unaware of the silent rivalry simmering behind her.
……
The player count on the shimmering screen plummeted.
Only a day of rain, and already seventy thousand were gone.
[SakuraRain]: What fresh hell is this? I never knew a cold could feel like dying—they’re burning up inside, shivering outside... feels like the end. Haha, imagine surviving the game only to be nearly done in by the flu. Unreal.
[LittleFrog]: I’m sick too, and no medicine is working. Maybe I’m just weak.
[CherryWanZi]: Ugh, can you people not be so dramatic? Whining about a little cold on world chat, have you no shame? It’s just a cold—go home, be babies elsewhere! Now I believe they’ll let literally anyone play this survival game.
[FakeQianjinRadiance]: Exactly. If a little cold has you near death, better just give up. Who knows what real horrors or monsters this game will unleash? I worry you’ll die of fright before the round’s over!
[FangfeiXue]: Haven’t you noticed it’s raining everywhere in the game? That’s not normal! I’m a survivor from the second round, and the third round started with a heatwave before it turned into a flood. This isn’t just the flu—something worse is coming, mark my words.
[FangfeiXue]: I’ve switched to only eating sealed food. You all should too if you want a better chance at surviving!
[Passerby98978]: Agree +1.
No wonder the earliest players who survived the first scenarios had such a sharp eye.
Ye Shu gave FangfeiXue an approving nod. If she hadn’t brought the merman into the game, she’d never have noticed the irregularities in the water, and likely would’ve fallen victim herself.
……
Day thirteen.
The rain continued, unwavering.
Neither heavy nor light, the sky was thick with clouds. Outside the villa, the poplar trees rustled in the wind, amplifying that uncanny sense of a looming apocalypse.
Many players assumed the endless rain must be related to the game, busily stockpiling supplies. Bathtubs, basins, inflatable rafts, swim rings—anything that could float was suddenly in high demand, with the prices for upper-floor apartments soaring along with them.
Ye Shu, however, remained calm amid the apparent chaos, as though nothing had changed. She ate, drank, slept, and practiced her swordplay without fail.
Her sixth sense screamed that there was more to this game than a bout of rain. Fleeing to higher floors would solve nothing. The real objective for now... was to avoid any contact with that strange rain.
Since this morning—without the merman’s prompting—she could feel it: an earthy, sticky scent in the air, uncomfortable and hard to ignore.