They couldn't operate the laser defense system.
Only Nicole had learned how.
But even if the laser defense was disarmed, it would be a dead end for them to go out; they would either be corroded or killed by monsters.
Will there be salvation... will there really be?
A sense of despair gradually permeated, making it hard to breathe.
Food in the Void was inedible. Regular food would quickly be contaminated by Aether and corroded, greatly increasing the likelihood of being corroded if consumed.
So, even if Aether resistance was sufficient,
for ordinary people, they couldn't last too long.
The longer they waited, the more desperate they became.
Time passed minute by minute. Director Xu narrowly escaped the pursuit of the high-level Aetheric Undead, but he didn't think about returning to the basement... After a secondary Void disaster, the Public Security Bureau and the Hollow Investigation Association would act quickly, but the priority would naturally be different.
Those important figures naturally had high priority.
Secondly, if a distress signal or surviving targets were confirmed at the discovery site, a team would be dispatched for rescue first.
But the Void blocked external signals.
Therefore, contacting the outside from within was impossible.
He had to leave a mark inside.
At least to leave the children hope of survival. He had just been injured and certainly wouldn't live... He had originally thought that this year the Orphanage would be better.
Buying the children some new toys and clothes, they would surely be very happy, but now it seemed there was no chance.
Blaming heaven and earth was useless.
Xu Li chuckled self-deprecatingly, observing his surroundings. If he could, he would use spray paint to leave a mark on the road, then commit suicide to avoid turning into an Aetheric Undead.
He looked up to the southwest. If there were any survivors, perhaps they could go find that young master, Yun Ming.
It was all his fault.
He should have forced Nicole and Nomi to leave yesterday.
Nomi had turned into the high-level Aetheric Undead that was chasing him.
Nicole also took the dagger he gave her and entered the basement. He knew it was cruel, but that's how this world was.
I'm sorry, children... The man rushed out, clutching the spray paint, his palm and wrist barely attached. He had already lost too much blood.
He only held on by a thread.
[Children, in the basement.]
This was the last message he left in his life... "Children, in the basement..."
Yun Ming silently gazed at the stiff corpse outside the Orphanage gate. The familiar face from yesterday's first meeting was still vivid in his mind.
He had arrived too late.
Crimson blood mingled with spray paint, making the mark very conspicuous. The middle-aged man died peacefully.
His body stood upright, as if guiding the way for those who would come, his face filled with compassion, like a god loving the world.
But God never loved the world... Yun Ming clenched his fists.
A wildfire suddenly ignited, the flames consuming his body, the flickering light illuminating the young man as he walked deeper.
The Orphanage was empty, devoid of laughter.
Yun Ming followed the corridor to the basement. The laser defense system was still active, but before he even got close, he smelled a sickening scent of blood.
Blood had spread all the way to the basement door.
By now, it had already congealed.
He rushed in, the defense measures naturally couldn't stop him, and as the door was broken through, a huge sound echoed.
A cold light flashed, and the girl, holding a dagger, stabbed fiercely, as if recklessly swinging at the world.
"Die, die, die, die!"
Such a loud noise in the Void could only be associated with an Aetheric Undead by survivors; they couldn't imagine anything else.
She wanted to kill all these Aetheric Undead.
All of them, die!
Give her back her friends and the Director-teacher!
The girl's body was already soaked in blood, emanating a thick murderous aura. Her usually clever and playful eyes
now held nothing but killing intent.
She was like a wounded little wolf, almost completely devoid of reason, unable to withstand the slightest provocation.
Around the basement, several bodies lay scattered, huddled together, indicating where the girl had previously hidden.
Dead, all dead.
The fatal wounds on their bodies were knife marks, and many of them... The technique seemed clumsy at first, but became less so later on, as if to ensure a fatal blow.
She no longer feared; her heart had become cold and numb.
The hand holding the knife naturally became steady.
"Nicole, it's me..."
The young man grasped the girl's wrist. The sticky and cold liquid stained his hand, making him shiver.
"..."
The girl stared blankly, her lifeless eyes fixed on Yun Ming, as if her mind couldn't quite remember.
After a long while, the dagger clattered to the ground.
"Oh, brother is here... Nicole just had a nightmare..."
She giggled, but her tears had long since dried up. She patted her clothes like a little princess,
habitually putting on a cute expression, her eyes sincere.
But her eyes were still devoid of light, like a doll, a walking corpse... The girl reached out to Yun Ming, "Brother, hug me."
Yun Ming hugged her tightly without a word. She also clung desperately to the young man's neck,
as if wanting to melt into him.
Her laughter gradually turned into sobs, but she still kept laughing. Yun Ming remained silent, not even knowing what to say.
He could only hold the girl tightly, gently stroking her back.
He soothed the invading Aether coursing through her body, used spiritual energy to regulate her vital functions, and simultaneously treated her wounds.
Why were there knife wounds?
He didn't ask the girl.
Fire rose again, burning the corpses.
From beginning to end, Nicole's gaze never left Yun Ming; she simply didn't want to look back.
Not even a glance, she dared not.
But those fragments of memory kept replaying. Not everyone died willingly, but no one wanted to leave the basement.
Becoming an Aetheric Undead here, everyone would die.
They tried to escape, tried to resist, but the ultimate outcome was the same. Nicole killed them all... killed them all.
This way, "the Nicole with the best Aether compatibility will survive until the end, but why?"
Yes, why indeed... Nicole didn't know, Nicole didn't want to think about it.
"Nicole, come home with me."
"Okay, Nicole will go home with brother~"
"But Sister Nomi turned into a monster. Can brother kill her too? The one that looks very beautiful, the monster with long hair."
Yun Ming was speechless, his throat felt constricted, a lump of frustration stuck in his chest. He had seen her on his way here.
But to rush here, he hadn't stopped.
That was a highly dangerous special Aetheric Undead he had never seen in the Hollow Investigation Association's compendium. It resembled a 'nephew ghost' from a game.
It was an experimental product that attempted to preserve human consciousness while transforming into an Aetheric creature. According to known information, this product was created by the Eulogy Society.
But there shouldn't be a 'nephew ghost' here.
Yet, that Aetheric Undead seemed to have consciousness, destroying things frantically, seemingly struggling.
If it was Nomi... then he probably knew why. It was the blood he fed Nomi, the spiritual energy protecting her sea of consciousness.
It seemed to have prevented her consciousness from being completely corroded.
But because of this, she had to struggle madly between bestiality and humanity, enduring more pain... It would have been better to die.
"I understand."
"I'm sorry..."
Nicole wanted to cover the young man's mouth, but at that moment, she also seemed to realize how dirty she was, and gently lowered her raised hand.
"It's Nicole... who caused brother trouble, actually."