Chapter 172

Chapter 172 – The Boundless Dark Realm Part 27

The dark-haired woman named Li Wanran was a第二批内测玩家 with expertise in footprint studies.

“Are their faces disguised?” Song Tingshuan asked.

“Yes, they’re very cautious.” Li Wanran replied. “Estimated height for the man is around 185 centimeters; he’s slim and wearing black sportswear. The woman is about 175 centimeters tall; she’s well-proportioned and wearing a deep blue hoodie… yes, it’s definitely a girl.”

Song Tingshuan said, “Since their faces are disguised, how did you determine their ages? The woman at the scene last night seemed young.”

“By her walking posture and movements,” Li Wanran explained. “Did you not take footprint courses during university?”

“My focus was on investigation studies; I only dabbled in footprint studies… I’m still a novice…” Song Tingshuan felt a subtle sensation of being questioned by a teacher.

Li Wanran smiled, “I can see it. You’re still quite unpracticed and need more training.”

Although Song Tingshuan had relevant professional knowledge, she had not worked in that field after graduation. Compared to Li Wanran, she appeared relatively inexperienced.

Li Wanran was reassigned for a reason. A portion of that reason was her extraordinary abilities, as well as her personal capabilities. In terms of identity, she was technically Song Tingshuan’s superior; she led this investigation and was therefore privy to some of Song Tingshuan’s information.

Unfortunately, due to their face masks, reading lip movements was impossible. Li Wanran silently observed the illusory scenery visible only to her.

She wore shoe covers and brought tools to examine the scene, avoiding significant disturbance. Only a few armed guards entered the factory with them.

“Scene Retrospection” was an E-level ability possessed by Li Wanran, which had just awakened in the Second World a week ago. Its effects were weak; she could only see blurry images and had limited uses. It was best suited for crucial moments.

With a flashlight in hand, she knelt down carefully observing ground traces.

“Some dust spots are present on the floor with dust gathering where these spots are. It must have rained heavily outside when this man entered, soaking his clothes and leaving water droplets, forming these marks,” Li Wanran explained to Song Tingshuan as if teaching an on-site class. “Thanks to that rain, he left footprints…”

Song Tingshuan checked her phone confirming the time of the rain last night. “That would be around midnight. The rain from evening until 11pm was light, halted by half past twelve. The intense rainfall only occurred in between.”

“They didn’t arrive at the same time,” Li Wanran judged. “Because there are no such water stains where the girl is standing. One person is dry, while one is soaked… The girl arrived at the factory before the others.”

“There might be techniques allowing her to avoid the rain,” Song Tingshuan added. “There’s an endless number of extraordinary abilities, maybe hers allows her to control water.”

“I agree. We can’t judge these traces just by conventional methods anymore,” Li Wanran conceded.

Her flashlight revealed another faint footprint.

The beam stayed parallel to the ground, revealing a trail. These traces were hidden within fine dust. For long periods, dust accumulated on the ground. Human footsteps left barely visible depressions about one millimeter deep. They were difficult to spot unless examined carefully.

This trail led straight to the tobacco factory’s first-floor corridor.

“Man’s footprint,” Song Tingshuan said. “Large shoe size and wide strides suggest he weighs approximately 140 pounds?”

“About right,” Li Wanran scanned around with her eyes.

Song Tingshuan cautiously avoided the footprints and asked, “Where is the other person? The girl. There’s only one trail here…”

After searching nearby, Li Wanran finally found an unnoticeable trail near the corner. She followed this intermittent trace, noticing it maintained a subtle yet stable distance from the male player’s trail—neither close nor far.

“This girl and the man walked toward the same destination, as if they had a common goal,” Li Wanran reflected. “Yet, they both seem to remain alert… The distance between their footsteps is over two meters, if they knew each other, they wouldn’t maintain such a distance.”

“The two players met by chance here and decided to investigate the factory together after a short conversation?” Song Tingshuan said. “It makes sense.”

“Yes,” agreed Li Wanran. “However, I suspect the male player is part of an organization.”

Her “Scene Retrospection” ability offered limited time frames and visual range.

In her view, upon meeting, the male player answered a call, spoke briefly, then talked to the female player… After the conversation, the male player turned to leave, but returned soon afterward—the scene retrogresstion ended here.

Was he making a call? If so, whom was he talking to?

To whom was he reporting? Whom was he seeking approval from?

Moreover, the female player reacted unusually too. She waited without moving when the male player went out for a call, showing unusual confidence or trust towards him. Perhaps they formed an alliance online previously, and this was their first offline meeting…

Reflect further on this. The male player seems to be part of an organized group, the female player isn’t. Could he have been recruiting her? Their encounter may have prompted them to check in with their teammates who weren’t present.

If true, they reached consensus quickly and decided to search the factory together. Considering an unfamiliar player like Li Wanran would never travel alone with a complete stranger.

“Everyone is joining forces on the forum now,” Song Tingshuan said. “Players here surely have backing—they must be part of something larger, such as the famous player 233.”

“That’s possible,” replied Li Wanran. “Let’s continue our investigation.”

As they moved up the stairway and continued down the corridor, they spotted dried blood.

Undoubtedly, it was a critical site. Li Wanran intended to use her “Scene Retrospection.”

But she chose to collect evidence first and examine the blood with professional equipment before invoking the ability.

Blurry shadows appeared crouching beside the blood. From their outlines, they identified the shadow as the male player recently seen on the stairs.

He examined the blood for a moment, turning his head towards the girl in the darkness watching him.

They exchanged a couple sentences.

Standing back up, the man proceeded forward… the girl followed.

The two figures faded away into the darkness.

“The blood was there already, and the two players noticed the marks,” Li Wanran noted. “Judging by their body language, the female player showed little interest in the blood, even seemed unsurprised… It was the male player who reacted…”

She tried to push further with “Scene Retrospection” but failed—scene limitations allowed only one use per location.

A newly-awakened E-level ability for a week, it had its conveniences yet many limitations. Good news was that extraordinary abilities usually grew stronger with practice. In time, its utility and value would increase significantly.

Li Wanran surveyed the area thoroughly before concluding, “Keep going.”

Noticing the time was 23:25, she noted they were close to midnight.

“We have thirty-five minutes till midnight,” Song Tingshuan reminded her quietly. “Should we retreat? Or…”

“We don’t know the danger level here,” Li Wanran replied. “Spatial distortions may occur. We must leave and set up surveillance first to verify the situation.”

Their team had installed monitoring devices across the old industrial zone for better vigilance.

Song Tingshuan nodded and placed her bag containing a high-definition camera on the floor, adjusting it to night vision mode.

“Which spot is more suitable for setup?” she asked.

Today marked the first day封锁 in the old industrial zone, so they didn’t install numerous surveillance systems inside the buildings. Instead, they used alternative equipment.

“There’s still time. We will walk further,” Li Wanran suggested.

Muffled footsteps reverberated down the corridor. The armed personnel were on high alert, and neither Li Wanran nor Song Tingshuan dared let their guard down. While keeping a watchful eye, they continued with their investigation.

Soon after, another pool of blood appeared.

Significantly larger, this pooled blood covered the entire surface of the area and took a human-like form. Visible limbs and torso outlines could be discerned.

Song Tingshuan inhaled sharply and trembled slightly, “Human!”

Her voice resounded eerily in the empty factory. Trying to regain composure, she urged, “A deceased hetero-blooded… Fang Zhi! Could it be him? Did we find his death scene?”

“Very likely,” Li Wanran gestured silently to Song Tingshuan, who promptly and deftly set up the camera and adjusted the angle of the lens.

Li Wanran scanned the surroundings, invoking “Scene Retrospection.”

Ill-formed human shadows again…

The male player was still crouching, examining the blood. Then he stood and started talking to the girl… Suddenly, he fetched a small knife from his pocket and cut his arm, nodding in response to what she said. They then left the tobacco factory…

They need more clues. The information available is insufficient! More needs to be seen earlier.

Li Wanran continued using “Scene Retrospection,” moving backward in time… She couldn’t tamper with events but could only observe what happened.

That girl! She reappeared!

She approached the puddle of blood, took something from her waistbag, dipped it into the blood, and collected it. She then took a camera, secured it with tape, verified the camera’s position, and departed afterwards.

Time advanced further. Li Wanran continued her viewing.

At that instant, her eyes widened—a chaotic blur flashed within the previous scene, twisted tentacles danced along the walls, the dark “door” opened silently, as if tentacles tried to squeeze out…

The unsettling scene disappeared within a second.

Sweat trickled down Li Wanran’s forehead. Closing the “Scene Retrospection,” she suddenly noticed a deep blue vortex opening before her. From the vortex stepped out… the girl.

She looked around, unstickyng the camera from the wall for inspection, as if deep in thought…

The scene ended abruptly.

Li Wanran staggered slightly but remained stable. Song Tingshuan hurriedly supported her, saying, “It’s already quarter to one, we must withdraw.”

Agreeing gravely, Li Wanran swallowed her words, and they exited swiftly the tobacco factory with the group.

Close to the factory, they boarded an armed vehicle with a screen displaying footage from inside the factory.

“We must move farther away,” Li Wanran warned once she saw the “Scene Retrospection.”

The armored car sped away. Anxiously, she double-checked the time countless times on her watch until the witching hour arrived.

An almost translucent barrier enveloped the factory. Song Tingshuan rolled down the window and witnessed the unbelievable spectacle as the monitor screen displayed a drastic change in imagery.

A “door” opened.

Twisted shadows struggled to emerge, unlike in the previous scene… monsters actually crawled out of the opened rift!