Chapter 36

“The day has come.”

“Sheng Year 741, July 4th, 11:58 AM”

“Countdown – 23:59:59”

Xia’er slowly opened her eyes on the bed.

Opening her eyes, she saw the familiar ceiling.

Familiar… ceiling?

Xia’er suddenly sat up, a shadow darted out from behind her, leaning against her back.

Isn’t it supposed to be 16 days later?

Why am I still at 44 North Stone Street? Why am I still in the Clock Tower Lane District?

A musty smell crept into Xia’er’s nose, and she frowned.

This smell, she had never experienced it at home before.

It was raining outside. She got out of bed and walked to the desk, flipping open her notebook.

[Sheng Year 741, June 18th, 7:30 PM]

[Since coming back, whether it’s psychological or not, my feeling of thirst has been getting worse compared to when I was at Jazz Bridge. This isn’t normal; my unease is growing stronger.]

[When my sister returned from resting at 6:30 PM to eat dinner, I directly told her that I would be working for Baron Hastings, a friend’s father, at the police station. Baron Hastings is a judge, and I lied about the salary to make her believe I could earn a lot of money.]

[My sister cried when eating dessert. She was happy that I could relearn the law she loves and agreed to take a day off after the graduation ceremony to thank Amy.]

[But my sister didn’t agree to quit her job, saying that working together would help us save tuition faster. This time, I was firm, telling her she must move with me, so I revealed part of the information — there is danger in the Clock Tower Lane District.]

[Now, my sister and I have left the Clock Tower Lane District and rented a hotel next to the police station. However, I didn’t sleep with her, staying outside the hotel. My thirst is getting worse; I didn’t drink any water on the way here, and my lips are starting to crack.]

[— There is definitely danger in the Clock Tower Lane District. I recalled Aivana mentioning dehydration syndrome, which could be contagious. I can’t stay with my sister anymore.]

Xia’er’s pupils narrowed slightly.

She… already contracted dehydration syndrome? When did it happen?

Even before returning to the Clock Tower Lane District, she felt thirsty walking on the road at Jazz Bridge…

This means that infection is a fact, one that cannot be changed even if she returns to reality. She is already infected!

Xia’er turned to the next page.

[Sheng Year 741, June 18th, 8:30 PM]

[Just after leaving Aivana’s house, I confessed to her that I started feeling inexplicably thirsty. For the first time, I saw shock on her face. You might find it amusing…]

[We reached an agreement: she would take care of my sister, and I needed to help her investigate the Clock Tower Lane District again. She hinted to me to try not to leave the district — she was worried that the unknown cause of dehydration might spread.]

[I agreed to her request, even for my own life, I must return to the Clock Tower Lane District to clarify the issue.]

[Finally, I left a tube of blood with her to give to someone reliable for research.]

This is the choice I made.

Xia’er took a deep breath and turned to the next page.

[Sheng Year 741, June 19th, 12:30 PM]

[I’m not sure if Aivana’s family became wary because of my blood sample. Now, a large number of troops wearing gas masks are setting up checkpoints at every exit from the Clock Tower Lane District, checking the condition of everyone leaving.]

[I now need to carry plenty of water bottles whenever I go out. To prepare for the unexpected, I exchanged 125 gold pounds for clean water and juice, storing them at home.]

[The streets are in a state of panic. The military is setting up checkpoints. The last time something like this happened was during the Black Death, nearly two hundred years ago during the plague.]

[I have no direction for investigation. My lungs are starting to hurt, and I can’t stop coughing, as if all the moisture has been squeezed out of me.]

——

Xia’er turned the page.

She froze when she saw the dates recorded, as the interval between the two entries was quite long, and the handwriting had faded significantly, with many strokes becoming blurred. If she hadn’t written it herself, she wouldn’t have been able to decipher what was written.

[“Sheng Year 741, June 25, 12:30 PM”]

[“The military lockdown has become stricter; no one is allowed to leave Clock Tower Lane District except for those who had already noticed something amiss and fled earlier. The majority of people have been trapped in the Clock Tower Lane District, and every day, many people suffering from Dehydration Syndrome are being brought in — it’s like an open-air prison.”]

[“The Salvation Goddess Religion mobilized a large number of carriages to continuously deliver various supplies to the Clock Tower Lane District, barely maintaining order within the district. Even nuns and priests have dry, cracked lips, and every day, priests and nuns from other regions come to replace them — no, I should use a different word, they seem eager to come here, despite knowing there’s a high probability of infection.”]

[“I think at least 80% of them are actually ‘attendants’ mentioned in Duwen’s notes. They came here to suffer and perform penance with their lives. Regardless, they are indeed doing good deeds.”]

[“I finally caught a glimpse of Yulis. She hurriedly ran out at 11:31:51… Remember this time; she will pass by the Clock Tower Church at this moment.”]

[“Apart from the Salvation Goddess Religion, I also saw several unfamiliar figures on the road — they wore black robes, draped with crow feathers, and had masks with brass beaks resembling ravens. I have a feeling that they are somehow related to this major contagion.”]

[“But occasionally, they work alongside the Salvation Goddess Religion, transporting and burning corpses, treating the injured — I transformed into No. 2, removed one mask, and found a terrified young man underneath. His lips were cracked, but they had nothing to do with Dehydration Syndrome.”]

This was crucial information about Yulis’ appearance. Fortunately, she had recorded it.

Xia’er continued reading.

[“Sheng Year 741, July 4, early morning…”]

[“More people are jumping into the river to commit suicide, no, they’re jumping to try and survive.”]

[“Yesterday’s entry.”]

[“There’s something I don’t want to record.”]

[“I saw Dean Jenny in the tent area being brought into the Clock Tower Lane District. She was already dead, her body lying on the ground, and the raven-faced people dragged her away… Tell me, it wasn’t me who infected her.”]

[“I don’t have the strength to walk anymore. The house full of water I had stored is almost completely consumed… My throat feels like it’s on fire.”]

[“I transformed again. Five Mortality Points can buy 30 minutes of health. I started destroying the untouched, uninhabited areas, but found no useful information.”]

[“This must be the work of an Extraordinary Person…”]

[“It’s raining again. I’ve used up all my Mortality Points and am now lying in bed.”]

[“Am I… really simulating the future? But my Mortality Points haven’t decreased. Have I never simulated the future? If I did, why hasn’t everything ended?”

[“Since I left myself a goal and task, have I never simulated again?!”

[“Everything has always been real?! Am I not paving the way for the simulation version of myself?!”

[“My points are gone, so I can’t simulate again!!!”

[“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!!”

[“I…”

[“I don’t want to die…”

At the end of the notebook, the handwriting had become erratic and eventually faded almost entirely.

The suffocating text made Xia’er feel a profound sense of despair, which made it hard for her to breathe.

These words were written in her final moments, and if she hadn’t used the save feature to enter, she would have died from dehydration soon after entering the simulation.

Xia’er took a deep breath, slowly closed the notebook, turned her head, and looked through the window at the fog and rain outside.