They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 425 Anomalies and Mysteries

the other side

The sea breeze on the Izu Peninsula carries a salty, damp, and slightly cool scent, completely different from the cold, steel-and-neon-bound metropolis of Tokyo.

"How is it, Zhan Lan?"

Zheng Zha stood on a slope overlooking a large part of the fishing port, and looked back at Zhan Lan, who was concentrating with her eyes closed.

"No... My mental scan feels like it's stuck in a viscous swamp. It wasn't attacked, nor was it blocked, it was just... absorbed, or rather, diluted."

I can't sense any useful information, let alone powerful resentment or spiritual entities, even the ordinary emotional fluctuations of the island's inhabitants have become blurred..."

Zhan Lan frowned deeply.

These words made everyone present feel a chill.

"That's interesting. The electromagnetic signals here also exhibit abnormal attenuation and distortion. Although communication can still be maintained with difficulty, the interference intensity is far beyond the normal range."

Chu Xuan pushed his glasses and spoke.

"speak English."

Zheng Zha rubbed his temples and complained.

Simply put,

Chu Xuan raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the distant town.
"This island itself has 'problems'..."

Because Zhan Lan's mental energy scanning malfunctioned, they could only use the most primitive method to conduct interviews and investigations.

As planned, they split up and inquired about "Yamamura Sadako" and her mother "Yamamura Shizuko" from the island's residents.

According to the movie's plot, this mother and daughter, possessing superpowers, caused a huge stir decades ago, and in their hometown of Izu Oshima, they should be known to everyone.

However, reality gave them a resounding slap in the face.

"Sadako Yamamura? Never heard of her... Is she someone's child?"

An old fisherman, mending his fishing net, looked at Zheng Zha with his cloudy but friendly eyes, his face filled with pure bewilderment.

"Yamamura Shizuko? There are a few families with that surname on the island, but there are no women with that name."

The guesthouse owner answered politely while wiping the counter.

"Legends about superpowered people? Ah, young people, you mean those TV shows? We don't have that kind of trendy stuff in a rural place like this."

……

An hour later, the group reunited, their faces filled with disbelief.

They asked dozens of people, from the elderly to children, from shop owners to dockworkers, and the answers were surprisingly consistent—no one knew Sadako, no one had heard of Shizuko, and the "reading and writing" experiment that should have been a sensation seemed to have never happened on this land.

Everyone's memories were cleanly and decisively erased.

"This is impossible……"

Qi Teng muttered to himself, his face pale.
"Even if the government blocks the news, it's impossible to erase everyone's memories... What kind of power is this?"

"It wasn't modification, it was 'covering up'. I investigated the newspapers from that period, and there was absolutely nothing about Sadako and her daughter."

It's like the underlying data on a computer's hard drive has been rewritten. The 'reality' of this island has been redefined by some force we cannot comprehend. Here, the person 'Sadako Yamamura' never existed in the first place.

Chu Xuan said, "This kind of bizarre perception is more chilling than any menacing monster."

"If you can't find out by asking, then find out yourself!"

Zheng Zha's eyes sharpened. "No matter how reality changes, that well should still be there! Chu Xuan, use your toy."

Chu Xuan nodded and took out several palm-sized, futuristic-looking silver flying vehicles from his spatial bag.

This is a military-grade silent reconnaissance drone from the alien world, equipped with high-precision optical lenses, thermal imaging, and ground-penetrating radar scanning modules, with a technological level far ahead of this era.

With his command, several drones silently took off, becoming tiny, indistinct dots, and flew in all directions of the island. An invisible data network began to cover the entire Izu Oshima Island.

Everyone waited in silence, the atmosphere heavy.

About half an hour later, Chu Xuan's computer emitted a soft "beep".

"found it."

He pointed to a 3D terrain map on the screen.

"In a forested area on the back mountain, there is an abnormally low temperature zone, and ground-penetrating radar shows a columnar hollow structure about 20 meters deep below. This is consistent with the characteristics of a 'well'."

The target was locked on, but no one felt at ease.

As they followed the navigation, trudging through the damp woodland, a chilling aura enveloped them when they arrived at the area.

The trees here grow abnormally twisted, and the sunlight seems to be filtered out by their dense canopies, losing its warmth.

In a small clearing in the woods, the legendary well stands quietly.

The wellhead was made of rough stones, covered with slippery moss, and covered with a wooden plank that was mostly rotten. In the dark cracks, it seemed as if endless darkness was surging.

Just standing here, Zhan Lan felt a chill that seemed to seep into her very soul, making her want to vomit.

"This is it..."

Zhang Jie said hoarsely, his eyes fixed on the well, as if he could see a woman in white with black hair slowly climbing out of it.

Because his soul had become a Soul Gem, he was more sensitive to such things.

Zheng Zha stepped forward, intending to lift the rotten well cover.

"and many more."

Chu Xuan reached out and stopped him.

"Ok?"

Zheng Zha turned around, somewhat puzzled.

"The situation is more complicated than expected."

Chu Xuan's gaze also fell on the ancient well, and he began to analyze it.
"The power to distort the perception of the entire island is beyond the scope of ordinary vengeful spirits."

We know nothing about the abilities of this 'new' Sadako.

The moment you open the manhole cover, you may trigger some kind of instant-death rule that we cannot predict.

We shouldn't take any risks before Zhang Qi arrives.

"That's true..."

Zheng Zha thought for a moment and nodded.

They ultimately decided to retreat temporarily, find a place to settle down, and wait for Zhang Qi to join them.

They found the most quaint and remote-looking Japanese-style inn in the small town at the foot of the mountain and settled in.

The inn is called "Shiomi-sou," and the owner is a kind-looking old woman.

Just in case, they booked the entire second floor. After entering the room, Zero immediately took out the talismans that had been prepared beforehand and pasted them on the doors, windows, and corners of the room.

These talismans were all exchanged from the Main God Space and have a strong restraining effect on spirit-type units.

After doing all this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Night falls slowly.

Chu Xuan contacted Zhang Qi regularly via an encrypted channel.

When Zhang Qi's voice came through the radio, informing them that they had solved the source of the "ghost calls," Mizunuma Mimiko, the tense atmosphere in the team immediately eased.

"Well done, Zhang Qi! I knew that guy was no match for you!"

Zheng Zha couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"A B-level side quest, 3500 points reward. The main god is getting stingier and stingier."

"Hahaha, be content! Once we get rid of Sadako, we'll make a fortune!"

Upon learning that Zhang Qi was rushing over at full speed, Zheng Zha and the others' confidence increased greatly.

After hanging up the communication, everyone ate something and then rested in their rooms to conserve their energy, waiting for Zhang Qi to arrive so they could immediately head for the ancient well.

Time passes minute by minute.

The sky outside the window was completely dark, and the cicadas chirping and the sound of waves that could be heard before had completely disappeared.

The whole world fell into a deathly silence.

Zhang Jie, who was resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. He glanced at the tactical watch on his wrist and frowned.

"Something's wrong."

He said in a deep voice.

"what happened?"

Zheng Zha emerged from his meditation and looked at him.

"It's already nine o'clock at night." Zhang Jie's voice carried a hint of seriousness.
“At Zhang Qi’s speed, it would take him at most an hour and a half to fly here from Tokyo. Even if there were any delays along the way, he should have arrived long ago.”

These words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the optimistic atmosphere that had just begun to rise in the room.

Zheng Zha's heart skipped a beat. He immediately picked up the radio and dialed Zhang Qi's channel again.

"...rustling...rustling..."

The only response he received was a cacophony of electrical noise.

"Chu Xuan!"

Zheng Zha's expression changed.

Chu Xuan had already turned on his computer, and his fingers were flying across the keyboard, but his face was more unpleasant than ever before.

"It's no use. All network signals, including military and satellite channels, have been cut off. We're physically isolated."

Zheng Zha immediately looked at Zhan Lan.

"There's something outside...there's something outside..."

Zhan Lan's face was already deathly pale. She held her head in her hands, her body trembling slightly, and her voice was choked with sobs.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zha's expression changed, and he rushed to the window.

Then, everyone froze.

Outside the window, a thick fog had risen, so thick it seemed impossible to dispel.

Within the thick fog, a suffocating, immense malice slowly pressed in from all directions.

They were trapped.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side.

A black figure streaked across the night sky like a shooting star, silently landing on a mountaintop a few kilometers from the town on the Izu Peninsula.

It was Zhang Qi who arrived at full speed after dealing with Mizunuma Mimiko.

He retracted his [Bio-Enhanced Armor] and returned to his normal appearance, then strode towards the brightly lit town at the foot of the mountain.

The town was quiet, and the distinctive salty smell of the sea permeated the air.

The faint sounds of laughter and conversation drifted from several brightly lit izakayas, while streetlights cast a warm, dim glow on the stone pavement.

Everything seemed so normal, so peaceful.

Too normal.

Zhang Qi's brows furrowed slightly.

Half an hour ago, he lost contact with Zheng Zha and the others.

Logically speaking, there should be something unusual about this place.

He walked into the town and came to the door of a quaint inn called "Shiomi-sou".

Based on the coordinates locked during previous communications, Chu Xuan and his group are here.

He pushed open the wooden door, and the wind chimes rang out with a clear, crisp sound.

Behind the counter, a kind-faced elderly woman in a kimono looked up and gave him a polite smile.

"Welcome, guest. Are you here for accommodation?"

Zhang Qi's gaze swept across the interior of the hotel; everything was clean and orderly.

"Excuse me,"

He asked in fluent Japanese,
"Did a group of people check in this afternoon? There was a very tall foreigner and a young man wearing glasses."

The old woman's smile remained unchanged. She tilted her head, seemingly trying to recall something, then shook her head apologetically.

"No, sir. Only a young couple from Osaka came this afternoon. There are no group guests like you mentioned."

Zhang Qi's heart sank slowly.

Undeterred, he went to the town's only convenience store and the still-open police station.

He retrieved the surveillance footage from the intersection and reviewed all the check-in records.

The result is the same.

Without Zheng Zha, without Chu Xuan, without Zhan Lan... no one from the Zhongzhou team left a trace in this small town.

It was as if they had never set foot on this island...

(End of this chapter)