Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 364 Half a Year Later

W City, 2015, a relatively quiet afternoon.

Li Yin, the author of the online military novel "The Imprint of History," is sitting in front of his computer in his study, his brow furrowed as he devises a plot about the Manhattan Project at the end of World War II, in order to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory in World War II.

He was very knowledgeable about military equipment, strategies, and tactics, but knew very little about the underlying principles of nuclear physics.

"Ziye, come help me!" He turned to his wife, Ying Ziye, who was typing on her laptop, and asked, "How do I write this chain reaction in a way that is both professional and dramatic?"

Ying Ziye, a former physics teacher, approached upon hearing this, leaned over to look at the computer screen, and patiently began explaining to Li Yin: "The key lies in what happens after a neutron strikes a uranium nucleus..."

She explained complex concepts such as atomic fission and critical mass in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Li Yin listened attentively, nodding repeatedly and taking notes rapidly on the keyboard.

With his wife's help, Li Yin finally completed the chapter. He breathed a sigh of relief and uploaded the chapter with satisfaction, but his gaze unconsciously shifted from the screen to his wife beside him.

Looking at the voluptuous curves outlined beneath Ziye's shirt, Li Yin's heart stirred. He put down the mouse, walked over, and gently wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. His tone carried a hint of ambiguity: "Wife, now that we've finished our business, shouldn't we... start working on some 'side hustles' too?"

Ziye blushed, playfully nudged him with her elbow, and waved the laptop in her hand: "Stop messing around, I'm busy writing my doctoral dissertation, and my supervisor is pushing me hard."

On the laptop screen, there were complex physics paper titles and densely packed formulas.

"There's no rush, is there? With your skills, you'll definitely be fine."

Seeing that her husband was still persistent, Ziye had no choice but to change the subject and asked, "Li Yin, I'm saying... you've been looking for that person for so long with the advertisement, but that resident named Jiang Jin hasn't contacted you again since?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yin froze.

He shook his head, somewhat wistfully saying, "No, it's like he vanished into thin air."

After a moment of contemplation, Ziye said, "If he hadn't reminded me that I should never open the drawer in the storage room of the apartment, I might be... dead by now."

She still feels lingering fear when she thinks about that cursed, hellish apartment.

Just then, Li Yin's phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang.

He picked it up and saw it was an unfamiliar number, but the location indicated it was from another region. He answered hesitantly, "Hello, who is this?"

A deep male voice, both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar, came from the other end of the phone: "Li Yin, it's me, Jiang Jin."

Li Yin jumped up from his chair, his face filled with shock: "Jiang Jin?! It really is you?! Where are you?"

……

About an hour later, in a private room of a luxuriously decorated Hong Kong-style restaurant.

Li Yin and Ying Ziye, the couple, were extremely excited to see Jiang Jin unharmed opposite them. Beside Jiang Jin was another man.

Ziye bowed deeply to Jiang Jin, saying, "Mr. Jiang, thank you for saving my life back then!"

Li Yin asked impatiently, "Jiang Jin, where did you go back then? How did you just disappear? You...you're some kind of superpowered person?"

He recalled the bizarre and terrifying experiences in the apartment, and how Jiang Jin always seemed to know some rules they didn't, which gave him many guesses.

Looking at the couple who had finally escaped the apartment curse and were living a normal, happy life, Jiang Jin smiled with relief: "I am truly happy to see that you two have successfully escaped the apartment. Let bygones be bygones."

He paused, then turned to introduce the tall, silent man beside him, "This is my friend."

The tall man scrutinized Li Yin and Ying Ziye with sharp eyes, his gaze filled with an indescribable complexity. He spoke slowly, his voice low: "I never expected to meet you under such circumstances. Hello, my name is Ye Xiao."

Jiang Jin interjected, "Ye Xiao is a friend of mine. I'm in W City on some business and wanted to meet you all."

Li Yin waved his hand generously: "What would you two like to eat today? Order whatever you like, it's on me! Jiang Jin, you'd better stay in W City for a few more days, so we can have a proper get-together. But..."

He lowered his voice, his curiosity undiminished: "How exactly did you escape the apartment? You only followed the blood-written instructions from the fruit shop!"

Jiang Jin shook his head and gave an apologetic smile: "This... is hard for me to explain, I'm sorry."

He skillfully changed the subject: "By the way, what happened to Sun Miao and the others later?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yin's expression immediately darkened, and he let out a long sigh: "They're all dead... none of them made it to the end."

Afterwards, the meal proceeded amidst the excitement of a long-awaited reunion, sighs over the past, and a deliberate attempt to avoid any secrecy.

The four chatted happily and drank quite a bit of wine. It wasn't until the night deepened that they reluctantly parted ways at the restaurant entrance.

Watching Li Yin and Ying Ziye support each other as they walked away into the distance, Ye Xiao, or rather, the Blood Lord, spoke softly: "You really... changed the history of this couple."

Jiang Jin looked at the Blood Lord and asked the question that had been bothering him: "Why did you insist on coming with me to see this couple? And why did you make me use the Evil Spirit Bookmark to bring you into this instance?"

Blood Lord's gaze remained fixed on the direction where Li Yin and his wife had disappeared. After a moment of silence, he said, "This instance... has special significance for me. Seeing them living such a peaceful life puts my mind at ease. Although, it's only within this instance of a branch in the timeline." He paused, recalling the details of the dinner earlier: "Just now, Li Yin asked you why you don't look any different after all these years. You were a bit drunk and almost told him, 'Actually, only half a year has passed.'"

Jiang Jin rubbed his temples, feeling a bit tired from the alcohol. "It's fine if I say it; he'll just think I'm talking nonsense because I'm drunk. Alright, we should go."

Then, the two figures slowly disappeared, like chalk writing erased from a blackboard.

……

Muxu Market, the entrance to Metro Line 14.

The scene before us is completely different from what it was six months ago.

The number of soldiers stationed there far exceeded that of the past. They wore the latest black powered exoskeletons, their eyes were alert, and they were well-equipped. In the sky, military drones patrolled in dense numbers, like a swarm of bees, emitting a low hum, weaving an invisible giant surveillance network.

In just six months, the world has changed dramatically.

The first to be affected is naturally a certain island nation.

Due to uncontrolled memetic pollution and the worsening of the fatal ferry incident, its homeland has become a "special zone" jointly managed by several major powers.

The Japanese yen has long since become worthless. In the current context of the collapse of the global economic order, only the US dollar and the RMB still maintain a certain level of circulation and credit.

The Old Nuclear Organization's open declaration of the existence of memes and reincarnators, and its prediction of humanity's extinction within ten years, is like dropping a psychological nuclear bomb on the globe.

A massive panic spread like a plague, plunging societies around the world into unprecedented turmoil. Terrorist organizations seized the opportunity to rise, localized conflicts erupted frequently, and some small and medium-sized countries even descended into division and civil war. The global economy deteriorated dramatically, supply chains were disrupted, supplies were scarce, and hunger and chaos became the norm in many regions.

Governments around the world hate the old nuclear organization that caused this situation to the core, but they are often helpless in the face of its elusive and bizarre meme attacks.

Against this backdrop of despair, many people begin to actively seek out or even deliberately violate some low-intensity rules in an attempt to become reincarnators.

In their view, gaining extraordinary power and fighting in terrifying dungeons, even if it means facing death at the cost of survival, is still better than being a lamb to the slaughter in the real world, waiting hopelessly for destruction.

Jiang Jin and Blood Lord appeared together at the subway station entrance.

The guards immediately focused their attention on them, their sharp gazes sweeping over the two. The two men cooperatively raised their wrists, displaying their respective Reincarnator watches. Then, military-grade scanning equipment swiftly verified their identities.

"Identity confirmed. Nirvana Team Leader, Jiang Jin, Hunter LV3 Forbidden Zone Hunter."

"Identity confirmed: Bloodthirsty Team Leader, Blood Lord, Soul Master LV4 Soul Prison Master."

"Let go!"

The soldiers saluted solemnly, their movements were uniform and their discipline was impeccable, demonstrating the elite bearing of the Nine Provinces Dragon Guard.

Jiang Jin nodded slightly and walked with Blood Lord towards the nearby parking lot.

He skillfully unlocked his sleek, imposing black Maybach and got into the driver's seat, while Blood Lord sat in the passenger seat.

The vehicle started smoothly and drove into the oppressive street.

Blood Lord leaned back in his comfortable chair and said, "Your Nirvana team now has twelve members in the main group, plus three sub-groups, bringing the total to about sixty people. Its size is now comparable to my Bloodlust team."

Jiang Jin smiled awkwardly. If they hadn't almost wiped out Shadow Blade and Crimson back then, the total number of people in the Bloodstained Team would still be much larger than the current Nirvana Team.

Blood Lord looked at Jiang Jin, "You've already reached the pinnacle of near-LV4. Many people predict that you might actually advance to LV4 within the next six months. Are you confident in that?"

Jiang Jin stared ahead, his eyes deep, and shook his head: "Who knows? The difficulty of going from LV3 to LV4 far exceeds that of going from LV2 to LV3. It's not just about accumulating energy, but also about a deeper understanding and control of the essence of the rules. It's a real insurmountable barrier. Now, we're just waiting for the new Minister Wang of the Monitoring Department to return to the country. I heard that he's going to reorganize the Light Wheel team after advancing to LV5 this time."

Blood Lord smiled and suddenly asked, "By the way, aren't you considering remarrying? With your current status and potential, countless people are eager to marry you, the Reincarnation Hunter."

"I don't have that plan for the time being," Jiang Jin replied crisply.

"Shall I take you somewhere to relax? I guarantee there will be plenty of high-quality women for you to choose from." Blood Lord's tone was somewhat teasing.

Jiang Jin frowned slightly, his tone turning cold: "I hope you can talk to me about the Insect Nest, or the latest intelligence on the Old Core. Not these things."

Blood Lord shrugged dismissively: "You're just too serious and too old-fashioned. 'Drunk on a beauty's lap, awake to wield power over the world—that's what a true man should be.' Look at your team: that Vice Commander Lin Lu, so loyal to you, her eyes practically brimming with affection; and Asakawa Reiko, that's Matsushima Nanako at her peak of beauty; and that shrine maiden Murong Yan, everyone can see her admiration for you. Rumors circulate that they're your playthings, but who knows you haven't even touched one of them? Who would believe that!"

Jiang Jin tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his voice as cold as iron: "The future of humanity is still unknown, and the great revenge has not yet been achieved! I have no mind to think about these things right now!"

Yu Tianlun, Li Shang, Lian Xuan, Liu Yan... those vivid faces flashed through his mind, burning his heart.

Just then, Jiang Jin slammed on the brakes!
The Maybach came to a steady stop in the middle of the road.

Just a moment ago, he saw a twisted, humanoid monster made of ash flash past in front of the car!

(End of this chapter)