The thick fog shrouded the entire orphanage.
It was the time of day when the afternoon sun was strongest, yet even that could not penetrate the fog to illuminate the interior.
A strange force enveloped this area, and the buildings within the fog began to change.
The Fusion Zone was thus born...
The perimeter was cordoned off by police tape, with signs forbidding entry.
The emergency response security forces on patrol went back and forth to prevent reckless people from sneaking inside.
Over the years, rumors had spread that ordinary people could awaken superpowers and become superhumans by entering the Fusion Zone.
It was understandable for older people—those whose families were broken and had no way out—to come try their luck in the Fusion Zone.
But some young people came in recklessly, not considering the consequences, just acting on impulse.
If they faced the bitter consequences themselves, the security forces could respect their determination to grasp at a chance for a better future with their lives.
But the key problem was, they didn't learn their lesson. They would cry and scream, interfering with the patrol teams' work.
Not far from the police tape, two people had rushed over after hearing the news.
"Hello everyone, good afternoon! I'm Miao Miao Tu."
Wearing athletic clothes, with long brown braided hair, the youthful and pretty female streamer waved at the camera, her healing smile making her fans feel at ease.
【Wife, what are you doing here? Come home with me quickly】
【Don't you guys have your own wives?】
【All Peach Blossom fans here】
"Does everyone know the urban legend of Qipan City? About six or seven years ago, all the people in the orphanage disappeared overnight."
As Miao Miao Tu explained, the young man responsible for filming turned the camera towards the orphanage shrouded in thick fog.
"That's what we're livestreaming today."
【??? Wife, run quickly】
【You're so brave!】
【Tu Jie, be careful】
"Don't worry everyone, the camera guy already became a D-level superhuman last week. If we don't do anything reckless, we should be fine, haha."
After laughing, Miao Miao Tu felt something was off when she met the camera guy's complicated gaze.
"Oh no, I think I unintentionally set a flag."
【Just like an old general on stage, with flags sticking all over his back】
【I wasn't worried originally...】
【Full special effects】
【Anyway, run quickly!!】
Although she set a flag, Miao Miao Tu had no intention of retreating.
The competition in the superhuman livestreaming circle was intense. With a hotspot like the orphanage, if she didn't take advantage of it, someone else would. After coming here several times, she'd become a nobody.
The outdoor adventure Fusion Zone female streamer image she'd barely established—what would her fans watch if she retreated?
With just her face, how could she compare to big celebrities?
"Let's not waste words and get started directly."
The two entered the fog-shrouded area one after the other.
When the camera guy emerged from the fog again, the footage showed no one.
【F*ck, spatial ability monster】
【Gone】
【Hard to say, the initial fusion isn't even finished yet, how could there be monsters?】
【Probably has unique rules like Jiu Lou Fish, easy to breed monsters with abilities similar to the zone's rules. Tu Jie has been livestreaming to explore Fusion Zones for so long, how could she lose the camera guy? This zone clearly has chaotic space】
【Not necessarily, could be illusion ability】
【Does it matter...both those types are hard to deal with...】
...
The youth Qi Yuan opened a crack in the window to observe outside, craning his neck eagerly.
The layers of fog blocked his line of sight, and he couldn't see anything clearly.
He shrank back below the window.
It seemed he couldn't get out now.
Before the fusion in a Fusion Zone ended, anyone who tried to leave would lose their sense of direction in the fog and end up back where they started, without exception.
Recalling when he had turned around for a moment after propping the door open with an object instead of a person, Zhao Zhen had vanished.
If he had known, he should have stuck close to the other person.
Yan... Zhao Zhen, how can I live without you?
He glanced at the time on his phone and screenshotted the current time.
The fusion phase was divided into two stages: initial fusion and complete fusion.
After the Fusion Zone descended, it would fuse and transform the original environment within the area, lasting around half an hour.
The initial fusion referred to this stage.
After the initial fusion ended, a batch of monsters would be born.
And before the complete fusion ended, neither monsters nor humans could leave this zone.
The patrol teams were responsible for eliminating monsters during this period, to prevent the monsters from harming ordinary people after escaping.
After the complete fusion, the fog in this area would disperse, leaving behind the fused new environment.
What the environment had fused with was still unknown. In the past, some clever guys who waited at the entrance for the patrol teams ended up torn apart and eaten by a group of mutated venomous snakes.
Qi Yuan could only find a room to hide in and wait for the patrol teams' rescue.
This room appeared to be a storage room.
The room was cleaned spotless, with nothing left behind, only dust covering the shelves.
He brushed away the dust in the corner and sat down to rest, preparing to face the escape battle.
The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop, an abnormal silence that made Qi Yuan's heart sink.
It was normal for him and Zhao Zhen to not dare move after getting separated.
Ren Yang's group of three could have taken action during the safe period of the initial fusion, yet currently there wasn't even any sound from the corridors or stairs.
Either the sound couldn't travel over, or Ren Yang's group had been separated as well.
Both possibilities verified his guess that the space was chaotic in this Fusion Zone.
The quiet environment tormented Qi Yuan's nerves.
After some unknown amount of time waiting for his fate to be pronounced by monsters or the patrol teams, Qi Yuan's gaze sharpened.
There were sounds of movement at the door...
Picking up the broom that had caused him and Zhao Zhen to separate—the culprit—he hid himself in the shadows.
...
"I'm fine, sorry to worry everyone."
After entering and finding the camera guy missing, Miao Miao Tu quickly took out her phone and entered the livestream room.
Confirming the camera guy was unharmed, she sent him a message on a messaging app.
Then she used her phone to log into her streaming account and reassure her fans in front of the camera.
"I got lucky this time. A patrol team member transported me somewhere, please comment 'relief' on the public chat."
After speaking, Miao Miao Tu turned the camera to the youth beside her.
The young man pushed up his glasses and awkwardly greeted the camera.
"I'm Zhuang Heng, a trainee team member of Patrol Team Four, uh...what else should I say?"
The barrage of comments rolled by discussing the two of them. Aside from some sporadic posts of "good match" that angered fans, most were admiring Miao Miao Tu's luck.
After the two started moving, Miao Miao Tu chatted softly with her fans from behind.
"The initial fusion is almost over, we need to find a place to hide."
After walking quickly for a few steps, they arrived in front of a room.
She retreated two steps back and shone the flashlight at the room door while Zhuang Heng went forward to turn the door handle.
The darkened room was like a beast lying in wait to devour them. The two sized it up for a while before deciding to enter.