NABC Chapter 99 Civilized Society is Wonderful
Chapter 99 Civilized Society is Wonderful
Chapter 99 Civilized Society is Wonderful (4K)
Security captain Cheng Fan was not swayed by Zhang Wei's hysteria.
As a veteran police officer who has been working on the front lines for twenty years, he knows all too well what people become when they are in extreme fear.
Zhang Wei is a typical person with unfocused eyes, confused logic, and an emotional breakdown.
And in front of him was a young man named Jiang Ming.
It's too quiet.
That kind of quiet wasn't just being in a daze; it was like a bottomless pool of stagnant water.
Cheng Fan could even feel the other person's gaze linger briefly on his Adam's apple, his sidearm, and the positions of the other team members around him.
Cheng Fan had only ever seen this look in two kinds of people: one was a serial killer who had been on the run for many years, and the other was a special forces soldier who had returned alive from a battlefield filled with corpses and blood.
This student is assessing the threat level.
A chill ran up Cheng Fan's spine.
This is definitely not the look that an ordinary college student should have.
"Take him to my car."
Cheng Fan pointed at Jiang Ming and said in a low voice, "Alone."
The surrounding sheriffs were taken aback, but still carried out the order.
Zhang Wei was still shouting "A life for a life" behind him, but was forcibly dragged to another restricted area by two impatient sheriffs.
boom.
The car doors closed, shutting out the noisy cries and sirens from the outside world.
This is a special operations vehicle equipped with riot netting, and the rear space is cramped and dark.
Cheng Fan sat in the passenger seat, turned around, and lit a cigarette through the barbed wire fence.
He didn't ask a question immediately, but stared intently at Jiang Ming through the smoke with his sharp eyes.
Psychological pressure.
This is a common interrogation tactic.
Unfortunately, this approach was ineffective against Jiang Ming.
With his "Iron Will," Jiang Ming's heart rate was as steady as if he were watching TV in his own living room.
He leaned back in his chair, adjusted to a comfortable position, and even closed his eyes.
This silent standoff lasted for a full three minutes.
Cheng Fan flicked his cigarette ash and finally spoke: "That student said you killed people, more than one."
"He said you cut off someone's head, and that it was a cruel thing to do."
"In that environment, was the killing for self-defense or to establish authority?"
Jiang Ming slowly opened his eyes.
Instead of answering that question, he asked a completely unrelated one: "Captain Cheng, how long have we been missing?"
Cheng Fan frowned.
He had anticipated that Jiang Ming would try to argue, cry, or even remain silent in defiance.
I never expected the other party to take the initiative.
"Answer my question," Cheng Fan emphasized.
"This is important."
Jiang Ming looked at him calmly, "This will determine how much of my testimony you can understand."
Cheng Fan stared at those unwavering eyes, and after a few seconds, he inexplicably held up two fingers.
"Two days."
"From the time we received the report that the school had disappeared into thin air until now, it has been exactly forty-eight hours."
Jiang Ming's pupils contracted slightly.
Two days?
He spent four days and four nights in that world filled with highland wolves, orcs, and goblins.
Four sunrises and sunsets, four system settlements.
But only two days passed on Earth?
The flow rate of time is different.
One to two.
Two days in another world equals one day on Earth.
This time misalignment has little impact.
"Looks like we've lived two more days?" Jiang Ming frowned and muttered under his breath.
Cheng Fan keenly caught the meaning of that sentence.
"What do you mean you lived for two more days? You've been missing for a full 48 hours! The whole city is frantically searching for you; this area is just a black patch on the satellite map—"
Sizzle—
Cheng Fan's walkie-talkie suddenly rang, interrupting his questioning.
"Calling Captain Cheng! Calling Captain Cheng! This is command center."
"Speak." Cheng Fan grabbed the walkie-talkie, his face looking rather grim.
"The Happiness Home Community is back too."
The voice on the other end of the walkie-talkie trembled slightly, and the background noise was filled with the static of electricity and terrified screams.
"The location is near the Chengdong Wetland Park, but—the situation is very bad."
"The scene—the scene was covered in blood."
Cheng Fan's hand jerked violently, and the cigarette butt burned his fingers.
Happiness Home Community.
That was another area that disappeared yesterday along with the school.
The entire city was shaken at the time, and a special task force was even set up by the higher authorities.
Now, it's back too?
"I immediately sent people over to provide support, cordon off the area, and confirm the number of survivors."
Cheng Fan shouted into the walkie-talkie.
"No need to go."
A cold voice came from the back seat.
Cheng Fan whirled around, his eyes piercing Jiang Ming like knives: "What did you say?"
Jiang Ming leaned against the shadows, his face bearing a chillingly confident expression.
"That neighborhood, they went to the same place as us yesterday."
"It's about five kilometers east of our school."
"I estimate that most of the people inside are dead, and even if there are survivors, there won't be many."
The air inside the carriage seemed to freeze instantly.
Cheng Fan stared intently at Jiang Ming, trying to find a trace of joking on that young face.
But he failed.
"How did you know?" Cheng Fan's voice was a little hoarse.
"Because we've fought against the indigenous people there."
Jiang Ming spoke in a calm tone, as if he were recounting a trivial matter.
"A group of natives riding horses and carrying spears, and a group of green-skinned, fanged orcs."
"Those natives and that group of orcs both stormed into that neighborhood."
"We were lucky; we managed to hold on thanks to the school buildings and walls."
"And that neighborhood—"
Jiang Ming paused, a mocking smile curving his lips. "Faced with those natives and that group of orcs, they're just pigsties waiting to be slaughtered."
"Oh, and I also stole a few of their horses."
"If you don't believe me, you can ask the students outside, or check the area behind the girls' dormitory near the woods. There are definitely still a lot of orc corpses that haven't been dealt with yet."
Cheng Fan felt a dryness in his throat.
Aboriginal?
Orc?
If these words had come from Zhang Wei's mouth, he would have sent the person to a mental hospital immediately.
But coming from Jiang Ming's mouth, coupled with his extremely calm logic, it actually gave him a sense of absurd reality.
"You mean—"
Cheng Fan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "The people in that neighborhood were massacred?"
"pretty close."
Jiang Ming corrected, "After all, for those natives and those orcs, it was an all-you-can-eat buffet."
""
"Team Leader Cheng, you'd better have your men take rifles with them."
"What if those natives and those orcs traveled through time with the neighborhood—"
Jiang Ming pointed to the Type 92 pistol at Cheng Fan's waist.
"This thing won't easily kill a group of orcs charging at you."
Cheng Fan eventually left.
With a face full of shock and solemnity, they didn't even have time to continue questioning about the details of the "murder".
If what Jiang Ming said is true, if the Happiness Home community really suffered a massacre, or even brought back otherworldly creatures, then this would be a deadly event that would affect the surrounding area.
In comparison, the deaths resulting from a fight between a few students seem insignificant in the face of this incident.
The car doors were locked again.
Jiang Ming was left alone in the dimly lit carriage.
Once the intense standoff ended, a wave of exhaustion washed over me instantly.
Although her physical attributes far surpass those of ordinary people, and although she has an "Iron Will" to suppress pain and negative emotions, the mental strain is real.
Four days.
-
For four whole days, he barely got a single good night's sleep.
Now, although he was in a cage, the narrow metal space gave him a long-lost sense of security.
At least there are no monsters that suddenly appear here, nor giant eagles that fall from the sky.
Jiang Ming's head lolled to the side, and his consciousness instantly vanished.
He fell asleep.
I woke up again because of touch.
A warm hand was unbuttoning his shirt.
It was almost an instinctive reaction.
Jiang Ming's muscles tensed instantly, his right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the wrist and twisting it sharply.
"Ouch! What are you doing!"
A scream rang in my ears.
Jiang Ming suddenly opened his eyes, a lingering killing intent still present in them.
Instead of a ferocious-looking orc, the person in front of him was a middle-aged male doctor wearing glasses and a white coat.
At this moment, the doctor was in excruciating pain, his face contorted, and the stethoscope fell to the ground.
"Let go! Let go now! Your hand is going to break!"
The doctor screamed in agony.
The red light in Jiang Ming's eyes quickly faded.
Reason has returned.
He released his grip and sat up straight, his face expressionless. "Sorry, it was a stress reaction."
The doctor rubbed his swollen wrist, looking at the young man with a horrified expression.
For a brief moment, he felt as if a wild beast had bitten his throat.
Is this really a student?
"Here—I'll give you a medical check-up."
The doctor stammered, not daring to get any closer, "It's what the higher-ups said, they're worried you might be carrying unknown viruses or radiation."
Jiang Ming obediently raised his hands.
The inspection process was quick.
Apart from a slightly slower heart rate and abnormally normal blood pressure, the doctor found no other abnormalities.
Even the bruises and abrasions left on Jiang Ming's body during the battle were mostly healed with the help of the [Constitution] attribute, leaving only some faint white marks.
"His physical fitness is ridiculously good."
The doctor filled in a few strokes on the form, muttered something, and left.
A dozen minutes later.
The car door opened again.
Two fully armed special police officers brought Jiang Ming down.
He was moved to a temporary office with the windows covered by black cloth and only a desk lamp lit.
A typical interrogation environment.
-
Sitting across the table were not the security captain Cheng Fan, but two unfamiliar security officers.
A man and a woman, they looked very capable.
"Name."
"Jiang Ming".
"age."
21.
After the routine questioning, the female sheriff turned on the recorder, her expression serious.
"Jiang Ming, we need a detailed report about your experiences in this other world over the past four days."
"Especially regarding how you organized the students to resist, and—Zhang Wei's accusation that you murdered Wei Yuan and others."
""
Jiang Ming leaned back in his chair, his expression calm.
He had already prepared his explanation.
The truth should be told, but not everything.
"On the first day, we arrived at a wasteland, where there were many fantastical creatures called goblins—"
'
'
"On the third day, Wei Yuan, as the leader of the student council, made a mistake in command, which led to the collapse of the team. He himself died in a sneak attack by the orcs."
"As for that Black exchange student—"
Jiang Ming paused, his tone carrying just the right amount of coldness, "He tried to snatch the girls' supplies in the chaos and attacked me. I was just acting in self-defense."
"I have witnesses."
"Wang Yang, Li Bin, Zhao Yanzhi, and more than a hundred female students who were present at the time all saw it."
Jiang Ming knew very well.
In such extreme circumstances, order collapses.
As long as he doesn't admit it was premeditated murder, and as long as he insists it was for the sake of collective survival, in this gray area where the law doesn't punish the masses and the effectiveness of surveillance is uncertain, it will be difficult for the police department to convict him.
Moreover, the value he is demonstrating now far exceeds that of a deceased international student.
The two sheriffs exchanged a glance, seemingly unsurprised by the answer.
What they were more concerned about were clearly those "monsters".
"What are the weaknesses of the orcs you mentioned?" the male sheriff pressed. "And those giant eagles, can regular bullets penetrate them?"
"Orcs are afraid of bright light, their eyes are a weakness, and their skin is very thick, so it is difficult to cause fatal wounds with ordinary pistols. I suggest using a rifle or a large-caliber weapon."
"The giant eagle's feathers are as hard as iron, and its belly is slightly softer, but it is extremely fast and very difficult to aim at."
Jiang Ming was like an emotionless encyclopedia, slowly revealing information bit by bit.
He concealed the [System], [Attribute Panel], [Synthesis Talent], and all weapons and equipment with attributes.
He presented himself as a survival genius with slightly better physical fitness, extremely strong mental fortitude, and a knack for observing and utilizing the terrain.
The interrogation lasted two hours.
Jiang Ming felt a rumbling protest from his stomach.
"That's about it."
The female sheriff turned off the recorder and gave Jiang Ming a complicated look.
The young man's calmness and logic startled her.
If everything he said is true, then this world—
It seems things are really about to change.
"Get him something to eat."
The female sheriff gave instructions towards the door.
A moment later, a steaming hot styrofoam lunchbox was brought out.
Braised pork belly, shredded potatoes, and a large serving of white rice.
Next to it was a bottle of mineral water with the label torn off.
An extremely simple meal.
But in Jiang Ming's eyes at that moment, this was simply the most luxurious delicacy in the world.
There was no smell of blood.
There was no putrid stench.
It's just the aroma of seasonings, oils, and carbohydrates mixed together.
Jiang Ming picked up the disposable chopsticks and, without the slightest hesitation, began to eat heartily.
The warm food slid down his esophagus into his stomach, and the comforting sensation finally eased the tension that had gripped him for four days.
Civilized society.
very nice.
But Jiang Ming knew very well that this peace was only temporary.
The faint, incessant sirens blaring outside the window, along with the barely perceptible commotion in the air, served as a constant reminder to him.
That cruel game is not over.
It's just a different map.
It may have only just begun.