This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!-Chapter 188 - Sweet as Honey
Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Sweet as Honey
Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Sweet as Honey
Explaining the current situation to these surviving ordinary civilians wasn’t an easy task.
Regardless of the reality of the “Mirror World” proclaimed by Ying Baiyi, Diana had no choice but to use this notion to inform everyone of their current predicament.
Upon learning the situation, a wave of disheartened sighs and sobs immediately swept through the crowd; the thought of being trapped in such an unfamiliar place for an extended period caused many to break down.
Even when Diana told them that there was still hope to return, very few found the strength to rally.
The three volunteers who had bravely stepped forward to leave the subway station with Chen Ke and Sam all had their spirits dampened.
Sam attempted to pick out some individuals from the crowd to form exploration and defense teams, but he couldn’t even muster up a group of 10.
Ying Baiyi, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care much; he just wanted to find the subway and leave this place quickly.
Heroes gathering brave villagers to launch an attack on a dragon, ultimately saving the world—such scenes exist only in movies.
In reality, even if it were for their salvation, many people remained apathetic.
Chen Ke had serious doubts about the likelihood of success for such a simple plan. He had no doubt that Ying Baiyi and Diana, perhaps Sam as well, could hold out until they found that subway.
But what about the others? How many could endure until Chen Ke and the others located the subway?
When Ying Baiyi introduced himself and informed them that they were leaving for an unfamiliar hotel, most of the survivors showed resistance.
Though remaining there was pointless, as ordinary people arriving in an unfamiliar place, their natural inclination was to stay put as much as possible.
Sam continued to encourage people, yet he lacked the potential to be Captain America; his impassioned speeches failed to inspire.
But at least he was a soldier of the United Federation, a Ranger, trained to cope with harsh environments. Despite their low spirits, at his call, people slowly formed lines and walked out of the subway station.
The empty streets were eerily silent as over fifty people split into three cautious groups moving forward, with Diana holding a revolver in the middle of one group, Ying Baiyi leading, and Sam and Chen Ke wielding rebar clubs at the rear.
Ying Baiyi was one of only two people in the group capable of using Spiritual Power and possessing a Holy Diamond; he could openly harness his Transcendent abilities, but not Chen Ke.
Moreover, only he knew the location of the hotel and County Police stations, potentially avoiding many unnecessary dangers in scouting the path.
The moment he summoned his purple spear, he briefly uplifted the survivors, looking more like an Administration Bureau agent to the everyday person than Diana, who had a broken arm and had lost her Spiritual Power.
Chen Ke, trailing at the back, unlike Sam who was constantly on edge, was more focused on the dozen or so survivors led by Ying Baiyi.
Their physical condition was very poor, the exhaustion stemming not just from hunger and fatigue, but seemed more like they had experienced horrifying combat, yet they were more mentally stable than the others.
Of course, Chen Ke did not believe these people had been in a battle; he preferred to think of them as survivors of some disaster, certainly not those who had just emerged from the subway.
On Ying Baiyi’s person, Chen Ke could see many signs of filth and disorder, clearly not the remnants of a mere subway incident that happened moments ago…
Chen Ke lacked solid evidence to prove his conjecture, or rather, he couldn’t even clearly articulate his own suspicions.
He just felt there was something odd about Ying Baiyi, who might have once led quite a few people… and now only these remained… or put differently, he might have had companions before, a few agents leading dozens, maybe hundreds of civilians from a disaster, until only he and a dozen survivors were left…
With the help of his Spiritual Vision, Chen Ke scanned the surrounding streets and buildings, finding no sign of life, at least certain that Ying Baiyi had laid no traps for them.
Moreover, as a level 9 agent, Ying Baiyi must know much about the Transcendent realm; unlike the cautious, secretive Diana, he seemed more willing to share information with others.
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Chen Ke made up his mind to seize this opportunity to subtly glean some intelligence. A sudden disaster had revealed Diana’s identity right before him, something unimaginable to anyone.
The column hugged the street as it moved forward, while on the main road beside them, dozens of cars were involved in a chain-reaction pile-up. Some cars had crashed into the shops next to them, and it was unclear whether the evacuation had been too rushed, or if the incident had happened too suddenly, but in any case, people had abandoned their vehicles and fled.
“We’re almost there.”
These two words passed from the front of the crowd, relay-style, to the back. The triple column of more than fifty people wasn’t short by any measure, so Ying Baiyi didn’t want to shout. Instead, he had people pass the message back line by line.
The group turned the street corner to see the hotel at the crossroads moving in sight, a six-story building that looked very luxurious, with an architectural style that somewhat mimicked Baroque church elements.
Several large marble columns in front of the hotel entrance mimicked a short church corridor, and at the top of the six-story building, on a roof styled like a church spire, a neon sign had lost its luster.
“Sweet as Honey,” Chen Ke read the self-coined phrase on the sign and uttered the hotel’s name.
With Spiritual Vision, Chen Ke confirmed there wasn’t a soul in the hotel. Meanwhile, Ying Baiyi had already nonchalantly pushed open the front door.
Although the city was deserted, the power was still on. In the hotel lobby, a grand chandelier spread a warm, orange glow. More than fifty people streamed into the lobby, much like tourists visiting the town.
“Are you sure this place is safe?” Diana pulled Ying Baiyi aside and asked cautiously.
“I guarantee it’s absolutely fine. You have to trust me; we’ll definitely make it out,” Ying Baiyi said earnestly.
“Alright… let’s get down to business then. Everybody must be exhausted both physically and mentally. I think we should let everyone get to their rooms to rest as soon as possible, and then we can decide whether to look for food or guns first,” said Diana.
“No problem, we’ll start dividing the rooms now. I’ll handle it. You and your friends should discuss if you can form a search team…” Ying Baiyi began to discuss with Diana.
Chen Ke left the crowd, walked around the lobby by himself. The hotel itself was fine but under the staircase and along the corridors, he saw some potato chip packets…
“Chen Ke, your name is Chen Ke, right? Diana told me her arm started to hurt, she needs some painkillers,” Ying Baiyi called out to Chen Ke.
“Okay, we’ll go out together later to look for some commonly used medicines and get some food…” Chen Ke replied.
“Alright, we’ll divide the rooms and then immediately talk about supplies,” Ying Baiyi said with a smile, turning and walking up the steps.
He was very enthusiastic and motivated, like someone who had long been lost and had found hope. Ying Baiyi quickly resolved the room issue; the lower three floors with the lobby were planned as a base for later operations, and the upper three floors were for accommodation.
Although nobody complained, no one wanted to walk upstairs. Chen Ke noticed that Ying Baiyi had arranged for his group of a dozen survivors to stay in the continuous rooms on the most inner part of the sixth floor, and they seemed quite familiar with the place.
Even inside the hotel, there was red dust on the floor.
Diana comforted everyone, led the survivors upstairs, and instructed Chen Ke and the others not to go outside before she came back down.
Settling in the survivors took quite some time. The hotel’s rooms had complete bedding and toiletries; daily use products were not an issue, but food and medicine were in short supply. Chen Ke considered finding these items a priority over firearms.
By the time Diana came down to the lobby from upstairs, it was already past 4 PM. Chen Ke glanced at the life countdown at the corner of his eye, feeling a bit agitated.
“Is everyone settled in now?” Sam asked.
Diana nodded, her expression tired, cradling her left arm.
“Let’s begin, then. The nearest hospital is a bit far, about half an hour’s walk. The County Police station is a quarter of an hour’s walk. I suggest we look for guns first,” Ying Baiyi said.
“Is that a fracture or a dislocation?” Chen Ke didn’t pick up on Ying Baiyi’s suggestion, as he was more concerned about Diana’s condition.
“Dislocation. Don’t worry about me, big boy. I’m not the kind of girl who whines over a little injury,” Diana said with a smile.
“Should we look for guns or medicine first?” Sam asked.
Chen Ke looked at Ying Baiyi and then at Diana, already having a plan in mind.
