Chapter 10
The road from Suzhou to Shanghai was blocked. Before accelerating to a high speed, Tang Mo had to push two vehicles that were blocking the road.
Yes, he pushed the cars away alone.
After the black tower incident, Tang Mo discovered that his physical condition and psychological qualities had greatly improved.
Let’s look at the change in physical conditions. His strength increased, his eyesight improved, his recovery capacity increased and his skin became as hard as iron.
When Qian Sankun allowed Tang Mo to open the trunk to get his clothes, Tang Mo had deliberately tested the hardness of his skin against the trunk’s lock. The palm of the hand was one of the most delicate parts of a human body. The sharp lock moved across his palm but there was no wound or even pain. Therefore, Tang Mo decisively decided to fight Qian Sankun. It was precisely because of this increase in physical condition that Qian Sankun’s knife failed to cut through his calf to his bones, only leaving a trace of blood.
In addition, there was the improvement in psychological quality.
Tang Mo had never won a certificate of merit as a student but he also never did anything bad. He wasn’t a petty thief and was too lazy to cheat on exams.
This was the first time he had killed someone. It might be self-defense and an accident, but he had killed Qian Sankun.
Yet apart from the momentary panic and helplessness, he soon calmed down and thought about what to do next.
He didn’t know whether he had become cold-blooded because of the change in his body or if this was actually him.
Tang Mo looked at the book in the passenger seat before shifting his gaze back to the front and continuing to drive.
Due to the need to clear the road, the one hour drive was stretched out. The sky was the white of dawn when Tang Mo just entered the boundary of Shanghai. He was two kilometres away from the toll station when he saw seven cars rear-ended and blocking the highway.
Tang Mo got off and touched a car.
Creak.
There was the loud and clear sound of tires moving across the ground. The seven cars were seriously collided. The front four cars had been crushed while the fend in the middle of the expressway was crooked. Tang Mo moved from the back car towards the front car. He exhausted half his strength and finally reached the first car.
“A luxury car?” Tang Mo laughed loudly.
The first car was a Maserati sports car. The fiery red body was smashed. A luxury car was hit like this. The tires were stuck and not rolling around.
The cold winter wind blew as Tang Mo forcibly pushed the Maserati. He prepared to open the door of his car when he suddenly stopped moving and turned. “Who?”
The only answer was the rustling of wind.
Tang Mo didn’t open the door. He stood by the car with his finger pressed to the match tattoo on his wrist. He coldly asked again, “Who’s there?”
There was still no one.
Tang Mo wasn’t in a hurry as he stepped towards the pushed Maserati. He placed his feet lightly and his body was tense as he remained alert to possible changes. He placed his hand on the Maserati’s damaged body and was about to pull it open. Then he heard a trembling voice. “Don’t, I…I’m coming out. I’ll come out myself. I mean no harm.”
Tang Mo raised his head and looked at the young man who walked out from behind the Maserati.
It was a black-haired young man with a height of 180cm, wearing a thin white shirt and jeans. His clothes were torn and stained with blood. He had several injuries on his body but they were scarred and no longer bleeding.
In the cold wind, the man’s lips were purple and his hands trembled as he raised them. He walked out of the car and watched Tang Mo in a horrified manner.
“I’m the owner of this car. I don’t have any ulterior motives. I saw you earlier. If I was going to attack you, I would’ve done it when you were pushing the cars.”
Tang Mo watched him for a moment before asked, “Why didn’t I find you when I was pushing the car?”
The young man explained, “I was hiding under the highway. It is too cold here. The area with grass is a little warmer. I was driving back to Shanghai from Nanjing yesterday morning. I had just arrived in Shanghai when the car behind me suddenly crashed into me. When I woke up, I found myself thrown out of the car window. However, I wasn’t dead. Then I discovered…” There was a hint of fear on his face. “I found no one in the rear-ended car. There wasn’t even a drop of blood!”
Tang Mo looked at him indifferently and didn’t relax his vigilance. “They have disappeared. You might’ve been unconscious due to the car accident and missed the black tower announcing the start of the game. Now there are less than 500 million people left in the world. The others…” Tang Mo pointed to the rear-ended cars. “They had disappeared.”
The young man’s eyes widened in fright and he froze in the cold. He looked at the cars who rear-ended him before looking back at Tang Mo and whispering, “My family is in Shanghai. You are going to Shanghai. You…can you take me? I saw that you are strong enough to push these cars out of the way. I will give you how every much money you want if you give me a ride.”
Tang Mo heard these words and smiled softly.
The young man was bewildered.
Tang Mo replied, “I am going to Shanghai. It doesn’t matter if I give you a ride. But do you think that money is still useful in this world?”
The young man was startled and his face gradually whitened. It seemed that he only just understood what type of world this had become.
Tang Mo got into his car and the young man got into the passenger seat. Tang Mo quietly lifted the book on the seat and put it on his side. He had just placed the book when it slowly disappeared. Tang Mo was a little surprised but quickly regained his calm. Then he drove with the youth to Shanghai.
“My name is Li Wen.” The young man wrapped himself in the coat Tang Mo lent him and said with a shiver, “Thank you. I just woke up less than two hours ago and ran to the front toll booth. However, no one was there. I didn’t know what to do and returned to my car. It wasn’t long until I saw you. You really have a lot of strength. My windbreaker was in the car but the car was crushed. I couldn’t get it out and also died of being frozen.”
“My name is Tang Mo.” Then he asked casually, “You don’t have a lot of strength?”
Li Wen shook his head. “It isn’t very much. I can’t push the cars away and I also couldn’t take out my windbreaker.”
“But you aren’t dead.”
Li Wen stared blankly at Tang Mo.
Tang Mo drove with one hand and spoke lightly, “There was a big car accident but you survived. You haven’t lost your arms or legs. Don’t you think something is strange?”
Li Wen was dumbfounded.
Tang Mo didn’t say anything more while Li Wen looked down and didn’t know what to think. However, his thoughts were revealed by the expression on his fact. Tang Mo glanced at him and knew this person must be thinking about what changes were happening in his body and how he was still alive.
Tang Mo seemed to be driving easily but his attention was always on Li Wen’s body.
During these times, being alone might be safest but having a companion was a good thing. Li Wen should’ve participated in a black tower game like him and won. He couldn’t take this type of person lightly. But based on his observations, Li Wen seemed to be a silly and rich second-generation son who wasn’t a threat.
If he really let such a silly person stay on the highway, Tang Mo thought…this person might really die.
Li Wen spoke. “Can you tell me, what did the black tower announce while I was unconscious?”
Tang Mo briefly described the black tower incident.
“Are you going to Shanghai to find relatives? I am very familiar with Shanghai. Do you need help?” Li Wen asked.
Tang Mo had been to Shanghai several times but he wasn’t a local person. It would be hard to find someone. He said, “I am going to the north to find a student. I only know her name and plan to find her file at her school. If she isn’t at school, I will go to her home to find her.” There was nothing he could do if she wasn’t in any of these places. This was the only thing he could do for the huckster.
Tang Mo didn’t mention that he was planning to find a friend. Everyone had something to keep back and he didn’t want to have a heart-to-heart with Li Wen.
Li Wen asked, “The north of the city? It is in the Jing’an District. My home is there and I went to junior high there. I’ll go with you.”
Tang Mo looked curiously at Li Wen.
Was this person really silly or was he so shrewd that Tang Mo couldn’t tell what he was thinking?
Tang Mo thought that it was likely to be the former.
Li Wen wore the coat and spoke a lot more once his body became warmer.
“We will go down the highway and pass through the city first. At that time, I will help you find the person. Do you know what class the child is in? If you know the class then it is easier to find the file.”
“I only know her name. Yes, she is in the first grade.”
Li Wen nodded. “That makes it a little easier to find.”
Li Wen hesitated for a moment before asking, “Can I ask Tang Mo, do you know… what is happening with the black tower? Why did some people disappear and some people not disappear?”
He said so much when he just wanted to ask this question.
Li Wen had been unconscious until now due to the car accident. He missed a whole day and didn’t have a lot of information. He offered to help Tang Mo for a reason. On the one hand, he wanted to thank Tang Mo for bringing him back to Shanghai. On the other hand, he wanted to obtain information about the current situation.
However, his question showed that he didn’t participate in the black tower game.
Tang Mo frowned slightly.
People could survive without playing the game? He licked his lips and pondered for a moment, thinking about how to answer Li Wen. But as he prepared to speak, a loud and cheerful song rang out through Shanghai.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Let’s all say thank you.
We will all say thank you.
On this special day!”
The children’s chorus sounded after the bright female voice. The pleasant and joyous song wasn’t compatible with the dead city but they continued to sing. Tang Mo braked directly while Li Wen raised his head in a panic. They stared at the black tower hovering over the centre of Shanghai.
After the entire song of ‘thanks’ was sung, the flashing lights on the black tower disappeared. Tang Mo held his breath and stared at the black tower.
Then he heard—
“Ding dong! In China District 1, Stowaway Fu Wenduo has successfully opened the first floor of the tower. After three minutes, players in all of China’s districts will begin to attack the tower!”
“Ding dong! In China District 1, Stowaway Fu Wenduo has successfully opened the first floor of the tower…”
“Ding dong! In China District 1, Stowaway Fu Wenduo has successfully opened the first floor…”
The black tower broadcasted the information three times.
Tang Mo’s eyes widened as the phrase ‘begin to attack the tower’ constantly echoed in his ears. The next moment, his vision turned black and his entire body fell.
The author has something to say:
Black Tower: Thank you Fu Wenduo~! [Sprinkle flowers] ~o(*≧▽≦)ツ
Sugar Sugar: Who is Fu Wenduo?!! I want to chop him up (╬￣皿￣)凸!!!
Fu Wenduo: #My wife wants to chop me up. What should I do?#