After Bystander A Bound to JJ Literature City – CH11

Chapter 11 – True Identity

The disgusting cockroach-man vanished in the blink of an eye. Heart pounding, Yu Zhi cautiously opened the door and scanned the hallway, checking the ceiling and every corner. No sign of the creature. He motioned for Lu Liming to follow him down.

With the “Cockroach Slayer” title active, they descended without incident. The apartment’s main entrance required keycard access, but exiting was triggered by infrared sensors. As Yu Zhi stepped onto the tiles outside, the world tilted, and he stumbled. He regained his balance, still in mid-stride, but the scenery had shifted. He was back on the first floor.

A wave of dread washed over him.

“Damn, this, this…” Lu Liming stammered, his face pale.

“Let’s try again,” Yu Zhi said, turning back towards the door.

They tried again. And again. Each time, they were inexplicably transported back to the lobby. Yu Zhi even attempted to climb out a window in the common lounge, but the result was the same. They were trapped.

He cursed under his breath. The system’s restricted area was brutally efficient. Unlike the invisible walls he’d encountered in main quests, this was a “ghost wall,” a subtle and insidious barrier.

The cockroach-man, with Gao Yangyao’s head grafted onto its body, was clearly more intelligent than the one in the hospital. Its ability to disguise itself was chilling. And then there was Fu Suxi’s sudden appearance. The clues were adding up. The source of the pollution was here.

Lu Liming, his voice trembling, clutched Yu Zhi’s shirt. “Is this, is this a ghost wall?”

“If it were only it was a ghost,” Yu Zhi murmured, “that would be easier.”

“Why?” Lu Liming blurted. “Can you catch ghosts?”

“Because if I die,” Yu Zhi said, “I’ll become one.”

Lu Liming fell silent.

A cheerful chime echoed through the lobby. “Ding dong—”

The saccharine-sweet voice from the main quest announcement returned “Attention all residents of Earth. Pollution dungeons have appeared for the first time in H City, China! The dungeon tasks are officially open! All residents of Earth are urged to take action, complete the tasks, and protect the Earth!” The message repeated twice more before fading away.

A translucent panel materialized, displaying an announcement.

[Pollution Dungeon Update Announcement]
[Dear residents of Earth, to better protect our planet, the pollution dungeon is now open!]
[From now on, pollution dungeons will randomly appear around the globe.]
[During the pollution source’s existence, secondary pollutants will continuously emerge; be careful not to get contaminated.]
[Completing the pollution dungeon will yield various generous rewards! Please be sure to take action, complete the tasks, and protect the Earth!]

Yu Zhi stared at the announcement. Useless. Not a single helpful detail.

“System,” he said, “I voluntarily give up this dungeon task.”

[The current core pollution area has been locked by the pollution source; you cannot enter or exit until the source is cleared or purified.]

Yu Zhi wasn’t entirely surprised. He’d suspected as much, but it was unsettling to have it confirmed.

[Do you wish to give up the dungeon task?]

“No,” Yu Zhi replied. Why give up if they were trapped anyway?

“Brother Yu, what did the system say?” Lu Liming asked nervously.

Yu Zhi relayed the system’s message.

Lu Liming’s face darkened. “So we have to clear the pollution source.”

Yu Zhi nodded. “But there’s good news.”

“What?”

“Fu Suxi can’t come in right now,” Yu Zhi said. “Which means this place is temporarily safe.”

He sat down on the sofa in the lounge and pulled a pack of beef jerky from his backpack.

“What should we do?” Lu Liming asked, his voice still laced with anxiety.

“First,” Yu Zhi said, holding up the jerky, “eat something.”

Lu Liming obediently took a piece and shoved it into his mouth. “What good will that do?”

“To be a full ghost,” Yu Zhi replied with a shrug.

Lu Liming stared at him, speechless.

Chewing on the jerky, Yu Zhi addressed the system. “How can we clear or purify the pollution source?”

[There are various and diverse methods to clear and purify the pollution source! For a better experience, please explore on your own.]

“Can you give me an example for reference?”

[For example, violently eliminating the pollution source.]

Yu Zhi’s lips twitched. Fine, fine, a completely useless example. “Are there any other examples?” he asked, hoping for something more helpful.

[Please explore on your own! Actively complete the tasks!] the system chirped.

Realizing he’d get no further assistance, Yu Zhi grumbled and stuffed two large pieces of beef jerky into his mouth.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the backyard. Yu Zhi quickly put away the jerky and opened his inventory, his eyes scanning the watermelon knife and the gun. He lingered on the firearm.

[Item: Domestic 77-type Handgun]
[Function: Punish evil and promote good.]
[Details: Handgun equipped by police officer 017466 from the H City Gongshu District Hushu Police Station, serial number 184278032421, with three bullets remaining. Given the current special circumstances, comrades must use it in critical moments.]

Yu Zhi withdrew the gun. It looked surprisingly normal. So normal, in fact, that it felt strange. He signaled to Lu Liming, and they quietly crept towards a window overlooking the backyard.

The Meteor Apartment was situated between two streets, its backyard more of a narrow alleyway. A small patch of grass was the only concession to greenery. Two men were facing off against the cockroach-man. One wielded a baseball bat, the other a long knife.

The knife-wielding man lunged, slicing off one of the creature’s antennae. The remaining five whipped towards him. He dodged, but not before one of the sharp appendages grazed his arm. The man with the bat swung, connecting with the cockroach-man’s hard shell with a sickening thud. The bat bent in half.

Enraged, the cockroach-man turned its attention to the bat-wielder. Just as it lunged, flames erupted from the man’s palm, nearly singing the creature’s face.

Yu Zhi stepped closer to the window. He could see clearly now – there was nothing in the man’s hand. The flames had materialized from thin air. An ability user.

The cockroach-man, its five antennae twitching, suddenly froze. It sensed danger. It turned its head, saw Yu Zhi at the window, and with surprising agility, scrambled up the outer wall of the apartment building.

The bat-wielding man, assuming his fire had scared it off, sighed in relief. “Fortunately, this pollutant is afraid of fire,” he said to his companion. “Let’s go.”

They ran towards the back door. The moment they exited, they reappeared in the backyard. Confusion turned to panic as they tried again and again, only to be repeatedly returned to the same spot.

Yu Zhi and Lu Liming watched this spectacle repeat seven or eight times.

“They’re not as clever as us,” Lu Liming declared. “We only tried four times.”

Yu Zhi rolled his eyes.

The bat-wielding man, overhearing Lu Liming, looked towards the window with suspicion. “Who’s there?”

Yu Zhi slid the window open. “You can’t get out,” he said. “You might as well come in.”

“Use your ability,” the bat-wielding man, Tang Yong, whispered to his companion, Zhuang Ding.

Zhuang Ding nodded, clutching his injured arm.

“Are you two human?” Tang Yong called out.

Yu Zhi confirmed they were.

“How did you get in here?”

“We ran into a madman blowing up buildings,” Yu Zhi explained. “We ended up here while trying to escape. Then a dungeon task appeared.”

Tang Yong exchanged a look with Zhuang Ding, who gave a subtle nod.

“We ran into that madman too,” Tang Yong said.

“You encountered him as well?” Yu Zhi asked, surprised.

“We were coming from the upper city district,” Tang Yong replied. “Just passing by.” He paused. “Isn’t that cockroach-man inside?”

“Not for now,” Yu Zhi assured him.

After another nod from Zhuang Ding, the two cautiously approached the window. Yu Zhi observed them closely, his gaze lingering on the knife-wielding man. He’d fought with a reckless disregard for his own safety earlier, but now he seemed oddly subservient. A special ability, perhaps.

Tang Yong and Zhuang Ding climbed through the window.

“I’m Tang Yong, a chef,” Tang Yong introduced himself. “This is my regular customer, Zhuang Ding, a college student. And you two?”

Yu Zhi looked at Lu Liming, who launched into an enthusiastic self-introduction. “I’m Lu Liming, currently unemployed. I’ve been traveling the country for the past two years and just arrived in H City recently. I’m not local; I came here for tourism, and just a couple of days in, I had the misfortune of getting into a car accident. I don’t have any relatives or friends here, so I had to go to the hospital all alone. What’s worse is that I hadn’t even recovered from my illness when the apocalypse suddenly hit. I’m really at my wit’s end; the only good news is that I met Brother Yu, who saved my life…”

As Lu Liming chattered on, Zhuang Ding’s face grew increasingly pale. His ability was to detect lies, but he could only maintain it for a few minutes. Injured and stressed, his time was even shorter.

“Brother Tang,” he finally interjected, his voice weak.

“Is there a problem?” Tang Yong asked, trying to sound casual.

“No, no problem,” Zhuang Ding mumbled. “I just… can’t hold on much longer.”

“It’s okay, rest,” Tang Yong said reassuringly.

Yu Zhi glanced at Zhuang Ding’s arm. His coat hid the wound, but blood stained the fabric.

He stood up and said, “The management office is ahead; I remember there’s a first aid kit inside.”

Tang Yong helped Zhuang Ding up and asked, “By the way, I still don’t know how to address you.”

“Yu Qi.”

Yu Zhi casually glanced at Zhuang Ding, seeing no reaction from him, and continued, “I’m Yu Qi, police officer 017466 from the H City Gongshu District Hushu Police Station.”

Lu Liming paused, his eyes wide.

Tang Yong exclaimed, “So you’re a police officer.”

He said this, but in his heart, he still had some doubts about Yu Zhi’s identity, secretly sizing him up.

Dressed in a tactical jacket, he was slender and not very tall, but he looked clean and handsome, with an approachable demeanor.

Yu Zhi led the group into the management office, rummaging for the first aid kit, and turned to see Lu Liming’s shocked and dazed face.

He pulled Lu Liming to the door, intending to explain Zhuang Ding’s ability.

Unexpectedly, Lu Liming leaned in, nervously asking, “Brother Yu.”

“Is it okay to tell them your true identity like this?”

Yu Zhi: “…”