Following the gaze of the Jiaoren, all eyes turned to the sky, where white smoke continued to pour down from above.
There was something different about the mist this time.
The white fog they had first encountered in the early days of the game had appeared no different from ordinary mist. That was exactly why so many people were caught off-guard. But what was this now?
A blanket of dense white fog, far thicker than before—even up close, it seemed almost viscous.
"Is that... the same fog we saw when the game first began?!"
"Oh damn, looks like this round is far from over! Good thing we stockpiled all that strong acid. Should hold out for two, maybe three or four days if we're lucky."
Su Bai couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
She wished she could stick to Ye Shu like glue, so naturally, she was in Ye Shu's room at this moment, earning more than a few side-eyes from Lin Qing.
Ye Shu had more or less expected this, and even still, the sight left her stunned.
"More or less, yes. But it looks like... an upgraded version."
Ye Shu saw through the change at a glance.
She had glimpsed this thicker fog before—hanging around Zhao Yao.
Even after evolving into high-level parasites, the amount of mist they could produce was limited at best...
Back then, she had nearly lost consciousness to the fog, almost becoming another cog in the parasite swarm.
These last three days would be anything but easy.
"Ughhh—"
As the stench grew stronger, the entire body of the Jiaoren seemed to wretch. Clutching a trash can, it heaved and gagged without relief.
The fog couldn't hurt it, but it was still deeply offended.
Ye Shu couldn't bear the sight any longer and sent the creature back into her spatial vault.
"Not good!"
"Ye Dalao, the toxic fog is back again!"
"What should we do?... Oh, that's right, we stocked up on strong acid yesterday—thank goodness. Good thing our leader had the foresight."
Pang Pangzi shouted from outside, panic rising in his voice, but politely knocked before entering to plead his case.
The return of the white fog—it instantly shot up to trending.
[Iron Tree Blossoms: Damn, those cursed bugs are back again?]
[Going Hungry in the Northwest: Yeah, what is their obsession? Why single out our planet for this?]
[Little Rabbit Loves Meat: What now? Are these parasites never gonna quit? Rule of three—they don't get it, huh? We know their weakness now. Still, they're back for more.]
[Slash the Price: Hurry and buy white vinegar, everyone! The supermarkets are almost emptied! I risked life and limb just to seize two bottles from some auntie.]
[Mango Mix: Ahhh! Good thing I've got a few bottles left from last week, that should tide me over for a few days.]
The public no longer panicked at the sight of the fog—not like that first time. Now, everyone's attention turned to white vinegar.
Of course, credit was due to Ye Shu.
These parasites were terrifying.
But once people discovered that the fog, when touched by white vinegar, melted to pus and blood, fear vanished almost entirely.
The fog gathered high above, at ten thousand meters.
It hung there like a white curtain, blotting out sun and sky; even at noon, not a single ray of light could pierce through. The temperature dropped visibly by the moment.
Unlike last time, the fog now descended in broad daylight, wrapping the planet, even disrupting communications.
The group assembled in the living room.
Ye Shu's expression had never been darker, confirming that white fog now covered the skies across the entire world.
"It's coming down from above... The area is huge. Before the fog reaches the ground, coat the villa with strong acid—might make a difference. Get some on the protective suits, too. It might save us when it counts."
In just a few hours, the fog's descent accelerated.
From ten thousand meters, it now hovered at several thousand. The whole sky was a creeping, gelatinous cloud, heavy with silent menace, and the air grew hard to breathe.
These bugs wanted to encircle the entire planet...
If the strong acid ran out, would they lose control and become parasites themselves?
To be made puppets—was that death?
Would the game cards work once more?
Ye Shu's brow twitched uncontrollably.
Most people, unlike Ye Shu, still believed that as long as they had enough acid, the fog couldn't touch them.
Many slathered acid on their buildings, sprayed white vinegar over clothing, daily goods, even food and drinking water.
By morning, factories stopped work, schools closed, and every household shut their doors tight.
The rainfall half a month ago had bred a deep wariness in the locals.
4:20 PM.
The sky was a pitch-black void; you couldn't see your own hand.
The fog now hovered at 3,000 meters, thicker than ever.
Lights in the villa stayed on through the night.
Raise your eyes and you could see that blanket of mist above.
Night passed uneasily.
Day 29.
9:11 AM.
The fog was now less than a thousand meters from the ground.
The closer it came, the greater the sense of dread.
Ye Shu spent half the day on the rooftop terrace, deep in thought.
After what seemed an age, she suddenly brightened. "Xiao Bai, go find some fireworks—the more the better!"
Su Bai was baffled. "...What? Fireworks?"
Surrounded by bugs, and Ye Shu wanted to appreciate fireworks?
She didn't get it, but she trusted her friend, and so she dragged Pang Tong off with her to buy as many as they could carry.
Their efficiency was legendary—they came back with a truckload.
Pang Pangzi, ever direct, blurted out, "Ye Dada, what are we doing with all these fireworks?"
"It's a secret," Ye Shu replied.
Lin Qing stared at the heap of fireworks, his expression frozen, then shook his head in exasperation.
Ye Xiaoshu... always doing unnecessary things.
Those couldn't repel the fog—at best, they could buy a bit of time.
What good was a struggle in the face of the inevitable?
Ye Shu smeared a thick layer of acid agent onto the fuses. As the fireworks burst in the darkness, the white mist lit up, retracting slightly at every explosion.
Su Bai's eyes went wide. "It works!" she shouted.
She saw it with her own eyes: where the firework encountered fog, the latter seemed to falter, its descent immediately slowed.
"Xiao Bai."
"On it," Su Bai replied, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.
Su Bai made sure to upload video of the whole event, and even called the authorities in Jing City herself.
Within half an hour, resplendent fireworks were lighting up the sky across the country, buying precious time against the encroaching fog.
The fireworks factories were pushed to the limit.
But in the end, it only delayed the inevitable.
The fog did not disappear.
The authorities scrambled to develop a stronger acid agent.
Fortunately, the fog lingered several hundred meters above the ground.
Day 30.
The thickness of the fog became visible to the naked eye.
Every hour, it crept lower by half a meter.
"What now? Just wait here to die? The acid doesn't work."
"If I’d known, I wouldn’t have struggled so much. Should've let myself become a parasite. Might’ve been better off!"
"I spent everything I had on fireworks—and the fog still came!"
Despair spread as the fog’s pace accelerated. Confidence crumbled, replaced by self-recrimination.
Game countdown: three hours.
At last, the white fog broke the final barrier—10 meters.
Standing on the terrace, Ye Shu could see the writhing worms clearly within the mist.
She struck a box of fireworks.
Brilliant bursts soared, dispersing the fog briefly—before, in the blink of an eye, it swept back thicker than ever.
"Tch, it really doesn't work anymore," Ye Shu muttered, frustration in her voice. She had hoped the enhanced acid would banish the fog for good...
Su Bai poked her head out from the garden’s underground cellar. "Shushu! We’d better move back underground, just to be sure. This fog is far beyond us—this is just a side quest. We’re just passing players; no sense worrying too much."
Ye Shu gazed up at the impenetrable blackness overhead, whispering, "Is it really just a virtual game world?"
It was all so real—she was no longer sure what was reality.
As they spoke, the mist sank another meter.
In the nick of time, Ye Shu retreated to the basement, spending the last hour in relative safety.
[Ding! Congratulations, Player 10096 has survived thirty days.]
[Player Ye Shu has successfully cleared the 'Fog Returns' instance.]