Using the MC system to pretend spiritual revival

Chapter 229 Diary
"June 28... or maybe the 27? It's impossible to know now..."

"My name is Kimura Satoshi. I'm a thriller novelist and live in an apartment by the sea because the changeable climate here inspires me."

"However, none of that matters now..."

"Something unimaginable has happened around me..."

"An abnormally large power outage swept through the entire city in an instant, plunging the city into darkness."

"Emergency lights were flashing, and I heard panic and shouts filling the streets..."

"Not long after, gunshots and screams rang out in the distance. Through the gap in the curtains, I saw many distorted and indescribable things."

"They were like monsters crawling out of a nightmare, chasing after people, leaving blood splattered all over the streets..."

"I dare not look anymore. Perhaps... I should find something to seal the window..."

"The food is enough; if I'm careful, it might last me a week. But without electricity, lighting will be a problem... and there's no hot water either..."

"I heard something crawling in the hallway outside my door...it's keeping me awake..."

The next day... sunlight streamed through the cracks in the sealed window, and I discovered I had filled more than half a sheet of paper with writing...

"I don't know why I did this. Maybe it was because I had nothing else to do, or maybe it was because of an unease in my heart. A voice in my head said I should write something down, record something, leave something behind..."

"On the third day, I was getting used to it. Someone knocked on the door, and through the peephole, I saw some people carrying weapons..."

"They came from other floors; someone organized them, I heard, and it seems to be a very respected old man..."

"I cited my health condition as the reason for not opening the door. They didn't say much, left, and even kindly left a box of bread behind..."

"On the fourth day, I'm sorry I can't write the exact date; after the power outage, I no longer had any equipment to record the time, which is a real shame..."

Just when I thought nothing would change, there was a knock on the door…

"Through the peephole, I saw who it was. It was my neighbor. He didn't seem to be doing well; he was pale and looked very weak, as if he were sick..."

"Through our conversation across the door, I learned that his situation was similar to mine. He was at home with his wife and daughter, and he needed medication, but unfortunately, I didn't have the habit of keeping a full supply of my medication..."

"On the fifth day, my candles were almost burned out. Although I was using them very sparingly, I might only be able to record things during the day..."

"My neighbor came again that night, and he looked even worse. His hair was patchy, and it seemed like some unknown illness was causing his severe hair loss..."

"During the conversation, he appeared somewhat anxious and kept scratching his arm, even though it was already red and bleeding..."

"Sigh... I feel so sorry for him, but there's nothing I can do to help. All I can do is talk to him, hoping that will ease his anxiety..."

"He left afterward, muttering to himself. I remembered him as a man of few words; such an event might truly change a person's character..."

"On the sixth day, the candles were all used up, but perhaps because we hadn't gone out, I'd gotten somewhat used to it. I could vaguely see the paper and pen strokes, which seemed like good news..."

"It's lively today. The group that gave me bread before is back. There are a few fewer of them, but they look very excited..."

"I heard they've found the materials and sealed off the staircase at the end of the corridor that leads to other floors, which will make this place much safer..."

"I was happy for them, but they left quickly, seemingly because of my lukewarm reaction..."

"I...have been staying in my room for days, and it seems to have made me a little numb..."

"At night, my neighbor knocked on the door again. He seemed more eager to talk to me, even though I often just listened..."

"He brought his wife and children with him this time. He talked nonstop, and I could see his sunken eye sockets and frighteningly dark circles..."

"After asking him, I learned that he hadn't slept for three days, which surprised me, but he seemed to be in better condition than the previous two days..."

"I listened as usual, and at the end, they asked me for anti-inflammatory medication and some food..."

"Looking at my dwindling food supplies, I had no choice but to give them a bottle of alcohol..."

"The area on his arm that he was scratching was red, swollen, and ulcerated; it looked very serious..."

"Although he didn't get any food, he seemed to be in a good mood..."

"However, I noticed that his wife and children were both clutching their stomachs, looking very hungry, and like in the past few days, they were experiencing some hair loss, and their exposed skin was red from scratching..."

"Hopefully, that bottle of alcohol will help them..."

On the seventh day, nothing changed. The neighbor came again, but this time, surprisingly, it was during the day, and he was alone…

"His condition surprised me; the rash and blisters that were originally limited to his arms had spread to his neck and even half of his cheek..."

"The reddened, swollen skin looked as if it might burst at any moment, making the other person's face look somewhat horrifying..."

"It seems the alcohol didn't work..."

"I asked him why, but he didn't seem to care about the changes in himself; he just kept talking..."

"However, his drooping lips due to a skin condition made his words very unclear, making it difficult for me to hear him..."

"What I could discern was the increasingly frequent sobs interspersed throughout his mumbled conversation..."

"It sounded very sad, but it didn't seem to be what he really meant; I could tell he was quite happy..."

"But the illness seemed to erode his nerves, causing him to occasionally let out that whimpering sound..."

"This conversation was exceptionally long, until the very end when sobs replaced his words, which seemed to have driven him to a breakdown and made him extremely agitated..."

Unable to continue the conversation, he painfully pounded on the doorframe for a long while before finally leaving…

"I don't care."

"..."

"..."

"The...eighth day?"

"No one came today. There was no knocking on the door, and I didn't see anyone pass by. It's so quiet..."

"I think I should eat, but I can't find a new box..."

"Looks like I'll have to go out, and maybe I can check on my neighbors while I'm at it..."

"I packed some clothes, things that might be useful, and most importantly... my pens and paper..."

I opened the door and stepped out of the dimly lit room. The sunlight was a bit too bright, making me quite uncomfortable…

"I saw my neighbor, his wife and daughters, and they've become so different I hardly recognize them..."

I continued forward and came to a door... I went through it...

"No... I saw that group of people from before..."

"What were they shouting? Then they ran away..."

"...I called out, but it seemed...I couldn't make a sound...How long has it been since I spoke?"

"I have some doubts..."

I turned my gaze and looked at myself…

"And... um..."

"I...I'm a little confused..."

"Is it me?... No...!"

"..."

"me…"

"I should write it down..."

"Write...on paper...?"

"Don't go hungry...don't lose your sleep..."

And...don't be lonely...

"..."

……

*Smack!*

The books, preserved in plastic wrap, were gently closed.

Zhou Wu looked somewhat grave. He put down the newly delivered intelligence and irritably rubbed his graying temples.

As the captain and coordinator of the lead ship in this operation by the Xin Kingdom, he was under considerable pressure.

Previously, he had brought back to China almost entirely the latest technology from another country—a high-altitude spy drone.

The above assessment and praise were extremely high regarding his handling of the situation.

Zhou Wu originally thought the operation would go smoothly, but unexpectedly, just one day after landing, a series of bad news came one after another.

The city, vast stretches of it, is now nothing but ruins and monsters. The highly efficient task force searched most of the city, finding only a handful of insane individuals—enough to fill a single transport truck.

And now, this is what's been delivered...

Zhou Wu looked at the "diary" he had placed on the table and had just read countless times, his face full of worry.

Worse than achieving nothing and wasting manpower is the presence of a plague in the city.

Moreover, depending on the situation, it will most likely be a plague on the extraordinary side.

However, since it was discovered early, it's good to take preventative measures sooner rather than later...

I calmed my emotions in this way.

At the same time, we were considering how to change the arrangements, and the drastically increased time and manpower costs that would result from slowing down the pace…

"Knock knock..."

There was a knock on the door.

Zhou Wu could only take a deep breath and gather his thoughts.

"Come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened.

An IT staff member dressed in a clerical uniform walked in carrying a stack of new documents.

"Sir, these documents..."

"...Alright, let's leave it for now, I'll look at it in a bit."

Looking at the thick stack of documents and imagining that they were probably not good news, Zhou Wu pinched his brow with a headache.

Blown by the sea breeze, his dark, weathered face was filled with helplessness.

Upon hearing the order, the clerk gently placed the document on a corner of the table and turned to leave.

However, he was soon called back.

"Hey, wait."

Seeing the other person turn around and look at him with a puzzled expression, Zhou Wu raised his hand and tapped the notes on the table, which were covered in various colors.

"Your information department should have seen this, right? And there hasn't been any related intelligence coming in? But infectious things are always urgent."

As he spoke, he glanced at the documents on the table with some curiosity. They did not have red covers that specifically indicated they were urgent.

"So the personnel testing didn't detect anything abnormal? Does that mean there weren't any infected people?"

Meanwhile, the clerk who was called over was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

"Sir, it's like this."

"Our information department carried out emergency repairs and preservation after receiving the samples urgently from the front."

"After restoring the contents, we took it very seriously, so we sent it to you as soon as possible."

"There are indeed people who have been infected."

As she spoke, the clerk, with a somewhat strange expression, stepped forward and rummaged through a stack of documents that had just been placed on the table.

Immediately, he pulled out a thin report from the bottom of the book and handed it to Zhou Wu behind the desk.

After the other person opened it with a puzzled look, he said:

"Both the team that went out and the team that submitted this file were indeed found to have something unusual on them by the aura-observation cultivators in charge of testing at the camp after they returned to the camp."

"However, it was quickly removed and purified by the medical team through a ritual performed by a shaman who invoked divine possession, treating it as a curse."

"There were no further consequences, so it was just filled in as part of the routine report and wasn't highlighted as emergency intelligence..."

As Zhou Wu listened to the other party's explanation, he stared blankly at the last sentence on the report in his hand, "Cleared without abnormalities."

This was somewhat different from what he had expected.

Having spent most of his life in the military, he knows about plagues and infectious or biological things.

Unless we gather intelligence in advance and take preventative measures, even the smallest impact will shake morale and affect the entire operation.

I never expected this... oh my god...

After waving the clerk away, Zhou Wu rubbed his forehead, looking at the report in his hand with a strange expression.

I feel that my way of thinking really needs to change, and I can see that I am falling behind the times.

"This really is different..."

For the first time, Zhou Wu genuinely felt the impact of the spiritual energy revival on the military and all aspects of life.

Recalling previous reports, such as stunt coordination, compass radar scanning and positioning, and "cold" imaging for ghost exorcism, etc...

Now, the ability to invoke divine possession to cure the plague and to use divination to assess one's condition has completely reshaped this old man's worldview.

"Sigh, I'm really getting old..."

Despite these sighs, the thing he was worried about didn't happen, and the worry on Zhou Wu's face vanished instantly.

He chuckled and picked up the documents beside him, beginning to flip through them one by one.

According to the Information Department's usual practice, the more important things are generally placed at the top.

The moment you open it, you're greeted by a precise electronically scanned map.

Having the most intimate knowledge of the mountain ranges and landforms, he quickly discerned that this was a precise map radiating outwards from the port where they landed, covering a radius of 100 kilometers.

You can see large areas of city buildings around you, which have been marked in green, indicating that they have been cleared, while the outermost area is gray – indicating that they have been searched.

The map also shows some points along the edges of two irregular areas, marked with serial numbers and the number of people.

Those were the numbers of the two search and cleanup teams.

Because it had been integrated and adjusted in advance, the entire search area generally radiates outward in a regular pattern.

However, now, a sharp point appears on the map, abruptly protruding from the outer gray exploration area and plunging deep into the city.

Look, we're almost heading deep into Tokyo.

This made Zhou Wu frown.

However, after he took a closer look...

Soon, at the tip of that suddenly protruding gray exploration area, a team's number appeared.

"Squadron Zero..."

He recognized which team it was at a glance.

The image of a young man with a tall hat, wearing a blue Taoist robe, and carrying a black box suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Numbered zero, this unit was specially equipped with two additional troop transport vehicles that were airlifted there, unlike the regular units.

The soldiers accompanying him were all elite troops he had specially selected.

Recalling the composition of the team, Zhou Wu's slightly furrowed brows calmed down.

This achievement, which far surpasses that of other exploration areas, is no surprise at all.

Thinking of that immortal who had also ventured deep into the city, the remaining worries in his heart vanished.

However, after a brief pause, my gaze lingered on the map of the exploration area, which resembled a single, protruding horn.

Zhou Wu picked up the phone next to him and dialed the logistics department.

"Hello, this is Zhou Wu."

"Hmm, nothing's wrong. How's the drone drop route setup going?"

"We've added an emergency plan here: we've deployed three backup drones to form a dedicated air route, ready to airdrop supplies and evacuate quickly at any time."

"Yes, I will send the corresponding communication code in a moment to directly connect with Team Zero's communication."

"Okay, go and do it quickly."

"Click..." The phone was hung up.

After giving the instructions, Zhou Wu continued to review the remaining reports.

As for the arrangements just made, how helpful they are, or whether they can actually be of any use, is not really important.

Making a statement is one aspect; attitude is another.

Whether or not to use it is another matter.

(End of this chapter)