I’m Not Shouldering This Blame

Abandoned World, according to an insider is a particular kind of parallel world." Jian Hua flipped through the papers left behind by Zhang YaoJin, his eyes stopped at a particular word while drinking a cup of tea in silence.

The sky outside seems like twilight. Because of the fog outside the window, the morning seems delayed.

When Zhang YaoJin left, Jian Hua had a sleepless night. There is always the urge to flip through the phone book and call Li Fei。

However, they're not close enough to exchange secrets. The second thing is that Jian Hua didn't know Li Fei's number. The last thing is that they said that the movie actor was taken away by Red Dragon to cooperate with the investigation, so calling is useless.

Jian Hua stuffed two M&M beans into his mouth, reluctantly pressing down the urge to smoke to ease his anxiety.

The invitation to join Red Dragon's new Abilities Team, Jian Hua answered with "still have to consider".

The monsters and the ability holders, maybe Major Zhang thought it takes time for a regular people to accept it so he didn't embarrass Jian Hua and after leaving a stack of information, he neatly went out. But Jian Hua felt that he was nearby, which means someone must be stationed 24 hours.

This feeling of being targeted by the National Secret Services——

Rubbing his forehead，Jian Hua reconsidered the information from the documents in his hand.

Insiders, this refers to the people who know the truth from different sources? Then that girl in the Universal Studios' elevator, the mob who destroyed the Pearl Hotel, the innocent young mountain biker who died, and even Lu Zhao.

This makes Jian Hua can't help but suspect, is there something he should know, that he missed?

Everyone knows his character which was not good.

Jian Hua dropped out of High School to work. He taught himself a lot of knowledge but "Parallel World", a concept so big is apparently not on the scope of his study.

Fortunately, movies cover a variety of things. Jian Hua has seen several foreign films involving time travel and parallel worlds, so he probably understood。

"Using a parallel world to define the Abandoned World is not really accurate. It's not like a branch that appears on a time tree. Most living things (such as human beings and animals) cannot appear in the Abandoned World. There are only tall buildings here depicting the flourishing appearance of modern society. There is no life and no change. It may be the remnants of life that has dried up at the end of time, like a frozen world. There is a better scientific explanation but still, using the term parallel world is easier to understand."

Jian Hua can't see how this passage became popular, how is it easy to understand?

However, the information in his hands is more important than the script. No matter how ridiculous the metaphor is, he had to read it.

"Special note: Abandoned World is the name of 'this particular parallel world'. It's specific members (people who have the potential to gain abilities), can enter the Abandoned World in many ways. The point at which it connects with the real world may be very tiny. For example, when your room overlaps with Abandoned World，you'll be dragged into that world. So when you open the door, you will fall into fear and anxiety, as if the real world has abandoned you and everybody's gone.

"Sometimes, this overlap is very extensive, like a city.

"If you are a person with the potential and also happen to be at the point of overlap, then you will enter the Abandoned World. Conversely, even if you're an awakened ability holder, if there is no overlapping position between the two worlds, you won't have to worry about getting into trouble."

Jian Hua wondered. He felt that the wording was net-based, like a live game commentary, or like a forum to introduce the rules. In anyways, very unlike official military information.

Zhang YaoJin left this information, so it seems to be a comprehensive explanation, but Jian Hua thinks that there's more hidden behind the report.

For example, using his experience to analyze, his first entry into the Abandoned World is the elevator in Universal Studios.

The second overlap is not the clinic but the whole Huai City.

If the third time was his conscious entry into the Abandoned World, why are the overlap points so vast. Usually, shouldn't it only involve his home? Jian Hua intends to destroy the evidence so his subconscious won't let other people interfere with his actions.

According to the written information, if he wants to live a safe life, he just has to pray that he doesn't get unlucky to be at the overlap point.

But Jian Hua was vexed at being found so it seems that his ability can open the way to that exciting world——the power is unknown, the range is unknown, the consequences are unknown!

This series of unknowns made him feel faint.

He just went out to watch a movie, and he comes back with his whole life refreshed——the world is so unreliable, how is he going to live?

——

Major Zhang YaoJin slept in the car for four hours. When he got a call from Haicheng, still with eyes closed and a deep weariness in his voice: "Nn……the missing two girls from Universal Studios, you got a clue？"

His confused brain cannot catch the point, and the one on the phone had to slow down his tone:"Yes. We found a floating body near Huai City's riverside bridge. Judging by the clothes on the diseased, it's one of the two missing girls. We still have to wait for the autopsy report until this afternoon。"

Zhang YaoJin face became fierce, pulling at his hair and forcing himself to wake up.

He didn't say anything and silently hang up the phone.

The Pearl Hotel explosion has no casualties. The young college student who died on the street, according to the investigation, had a significant change of temperament in recent times. His various actions show that he's a man who's ready to join the game.

Or perhaps, a person living in a book?

But the couple in the Universal Studios incident and the two missing girls are the same even with their lifespan. They're innocent and got involved, maybe dying while not knowing how it happened.

What's more frightening is, it's going to happen again soon. The crisis from the Abandoned World, the threat is not just to ordinary lives. The ability holders who are trapped in that world also have to face life and death choices——kill the monster to survive an attack, or be buried in the monster's mouth.

"Major, the report to headquarters was detained."

Zhang YaoJin's men carefully said: "There's news that said that he didn't even finish the first page of the report when scoldings for Major came pouring out about sending you to the mental hospital."

Touching a cigarette, Zhang YaoJin chuckled: "I'm not afraid of that."

The situation cannot be controlled by humans, and if the disasters happen as scheduled, the withheld report will be forwarded to the head of the board as soon as possible. Who will dare say a word？

"What about Jian Hua?"

The car has Zhang YaoJin and an old man，a former comrade-in-arms. Someone who doesn't usually laugh but now everyone's face can't squeeze out a smile. Zhang YaoJin was safe from that house in the morning, and they're really relieved. They didn't ask about the negotiation process between Major Zhang and Jian Hua.

"Difficult!" Zhang YaoJin smoked, and lowered the window, letting the morning air wake him up.

The window is thick with fog, he can't see anything on both sides of the highway.

Zhang YaoJin recalls the person he met a few hours ago, casually saying: "If this guy was a kidnapper or a suicide-bomber who's ready to jump, he's definitely the biggest headache for a negotiator."

Not listening to persuasion or someone else's words, he just listened。

"Opinionated, high vigilance, probably paranoid……" Zhang YaoJin listed one by one, sighed and said, "You can't even tell him the truth. The facts are so ridiculous that it'll likely cause the opposite effect."

"What the Major said, he believed it?"

"No, he just couldn't find a better explanation to explain what happened to him."

Zhang YaoJin blew out smoke through his nose and pressed both hands to his eyes, laughing at himself: "He's not to blame. If it were me, I wouldn't even believe it."

The driver slammed on the brakes. Everyone in the car subconsciously stabilized themselves and quickly touched their waist.

"What happened?"

The driver's hand shook on the steering wheel while looking at the slowly rising shadows in the mist ahead. He asked with a stiff body: "What's the way to test for potential ability holders? If we're all in a car, will we……unknowingly pass through an overlap point?"

Zhang YaoJin stared with round eyes.

A large shadow is in the mist, less than 20 meters from the car and across the highway which disappeared into the thick white fog.

The people in the car held their breath, pulling their guns and listening carefully to the noise outside.

"*pant*……*pant*……"

It's like breathing or like something leaking.

Soon, this strange sound was gone too and all around is still a vast white fog。

Zhang YaoJin and his men patiently waited for five minutes, beads of sweat formed on their foreheads and their highly tightened muscles and nerves are tested, before finally being sure that the monster has left.

"What the, isn't it a year before monsters show up?"

It's November, and the chat group records say that it will happen next spring.

Zhang YaoJin refused to study this. He pressed the driver: "Lao Zhang, tell me what you just saw?"

"I saw the shadows in the mist, and I just stepped on the brakes……"

"Not right! That's what you say, but when we entered the Abandoned World, how did you feel when you were driving?"

The driver shook his head. The fog is so big, driving in high-speed has been sealed. He can see some cars at first, but after entering this highway, they're the only ones in it. Even though he drives very seriously and has the right road conditions with no bumps, people's eyes always have to blink. God knows when they encountered a problem.

"Keep moving forward!" Zhang YaoJin patted him on the shoulder.

The men did not dare sit and looked out the window of the car. The jeep started again, moving forward at a 20kph tortoise speed. They didn't see any more suspicious shadows. At high speed, they identified their own entry into the Abandoned World——

Vehicles are waiting at long queue at the toll booth station, but they can't see anyone.

Zhang YaoJin leans heavily on the seat, his head began to feel a faint pain.

"Major, it's a good thing, at least we know what's going on in this damn world, isn't it?"

For those who became involved, Zhang YaoJin's men are still inquisitive.

"You brought food?" Major Zhang squinted.

"……"