For that guy who spouted nonsense, He-Gu wished he could slap him twice.

But this was a world of strange tales, and doing so might get him killed.

So, even though He-Gu was annoyed, he wisely refrained from confronting him directly and only cursed a few times while running away.

When it comes to life and death, you have to be cautious.

He-Gu ran for over ten meters, listening for any sounds behind him. It seemed like the thing didn’t chase after him, so he finally looked up to take in his surroundings.

What he saw left him stunned.

He was in a spacious hall, with an escalator leading to the upper floor not far away.

About dozens of meters ahead was a pair of glass doors.

Above the doors, there was an electronic screen displaying the current time.

It was 4:17 AM.

There were security guards standing outside, and in the distance, he could see the beams of searchlights moving around, with a faint view of iron fences.

This place… wasn’t it the first-floor lobby He-Gu had passed through earlier!?

He-Gu turned around and saw that the exit he had just crawled out of was nowhere to be found.

“Woo—”

Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded all around.

The abrupt noise startled He-Gu.

Immediately after, he saw a large line of text appear on the electronic screen above the door: [Initiate Lockdown!]

Seeing this, He-Gu knew his plan had succeeded.

Now, he just needed to escape the pharmaceutical factory and catch the bus, and this mission would be complete!

Thinking of this, He-Gu felt a surge of excitement.

“Right, I need to change into the white hazmat suit!”

Seeing no one around, He-Gu didn’t hesitate. He stood still, took the white hazmat suit out of his backpack, and started changing.

Soon, He-Gu was fully covered in the white hazmat suit, only able to see through the goggles.

After changing, he took out the bell without a clapper and held it in his hand, striding towards the glass doors.

Halfway there, he suddenly heard a rush of footsteps behind him.

Turning around, he saw dozens of puppets in orange uniforms charging down the escalator, each holding hammers, wrenches, and similar tools!

Even though He-Gu stared at them, the puppets didn’t freeze like before. They looked like a gang ready to go on a rampage.

Fortunately, the puppets moved at normal human speed, without the absurdity of instantaneously covering dozens of meters.

He-Gu wasn’t sure if he would be attacked while wearing the white hazmat suit, so he didn’t dare delay and ran straight for the glass doors.

Pushing open the glass doors and stepping out of the hall, the security guards at the entrance didn’t pay him any attention.

He-Gu ignored them as well and quickly walked towards another gate.

Soon, he exited the “core area” gate and reached the iron fence outside.

However, He-Gu then realized that the entire factory area was eerily silent. Except for the lights in the “core area” behind him, there wasn’t a single light visible around!

According to the note left by Zhang Chao, He-Gu was supposed to follow the path marked by bells to exit the factory after the lockdown was initiated.

But looking around, He-Gu saw no bells at all.

The bus would arrive at the factory gate at 6 AM, giving He-Gu just over an hour and a half!

After checking all the nearby intersections and finding no bells, He-Gu reluctantly took out the employee handbook and glanced at the map, then started moving towards the factory gate.

However, as he walked, He-Gu sensed something was wrong.

It was too quiet.

Fog had risen around him, making it hard to see anything beyond four or five meters.

All the buildings were pitch dark, even the streetlights were off.

The entire factory area was shrouded in a sinister and eerie atmosphere, as if He-Gu was the only person left in the entire world.

In such a situation, He-Gu soon got completely lost, unable to discern directions.

Walking on the foggy asphalt road, He-Gu felt as if he had entered the underworld.

As time ticked away and he couldn’t find the right way out, He-Gu grew increasingly anxious.

This was his only chance to complete the mission!

He-Gu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, afraid to wander aimlessly and risk getting even more lost.

Just as He-Gu was sweating with anxiety, a piercing cat’s cry came from the white fog ahead.

He-Gu’s heart tightened, and he looked warily in that direction.

A few seconds later, heavy footsteps echoed.

Then, He-Gu saw a shadow slowly emerge from the fog ahead.

It was a man in a purple uniform, covered in blood, holding a headless, rotting cat.

Seeing He-Gu, the man took a vicious bite of the rotting cat, tearing off a chunk of flesh and chewing it.

The sight made He-Gu’s scalp tingle. He gripped the bell tightly and took a few steps back.

The next moment, the man threw the rotting cat aside and charged at He-Gu without warning.

He-Gu’s heart skipped a beat, and he turned to run.

However, the man’s speed was significantly faster, and He-Gu soon heard the footsteps getting closer.

Panicking, He-Gu knew running wasn’t a solution. He gritted his teeth, stopped abruptly, and crouched down.

The man was running too fast and couldn’t stop in time, tripping over He-Gu and falling flat on his face.

But the man seemed to feel no pain, getting up like nothing had happened and lunging at He-Gu again.

He-Gu steeled himself, knowing he couldn’t escape. It was do or die.

With determination, He-Gu took a deep breath and leaped up, kicking at the man’s head.

But the man in purple was incredibly strong, grabbing He-Gu’s ankle and yanking him down, slamming him hard onto the ground.

He-Gu saw stars and felt dizzy, while the man pounced on him like a beast.

As the man was about to bite He-Gu’s throat, He-Gu desperately used his hands to block him.

“Jingle jingle…”

At that moment, the bell without a clapper in He-Gu’s hand suddenly rang.

Before He-Gu could react, the man in purple froze, eyes rolling back, and stopped moving.

This bell without a clapper actually rang!?

And it had such an effect!?

He-Gu didn’t have time to be astonished. He pushed the man off him and stood up, panting.

Just then, another set of footsteps sounded nearby.

He-Gu turned to see another man in purple emerging from the fog.

He-Gu’s heart tightened, and he raised the bell, ready to shake it, but the man waved his hands frantically, “Don’t be alarmed, I’m here to guide you out!”

The man’s voice was sharp and grating, like nails on a chalkboard.

Hearing this, He-Gu was taken aback, “You are… Shadow!?”

The man gave a meaningful smile, “I used to be.”

“According to the rules, I have to guide you out. I was delayed a bit earlier, so I’m late.”