Hai Baihe handed him a Snickers bar. "Eat it, you need to replenish your energy."
"You keep it for yourself," he politely declined. How could he snatch something from a young girl, especially when he didn't even know if there was anything to eat in this eerie place?
"Alright then." Hai Baihe shrugged, unwrapped the package, and just as he relaxed his guard for a moment, she stuffed it into his mouth. Liang Xiao quickly closed his mouth and moved aside, while Hai Baihe chuckled mischievously. "Let me tell you, I have excellent night vision. I saw your mouth touch it. I won't eat anything that a man has touched. Or do you want me to indirectly kiss you?"
Liang Xiao: "..." He reluctantly took it and said, "You're impressive."
That move just now was fast, accurate, and ruthless. Despite the low lighting, he couldn't completely avoid it, which proved that she was not ordinary.
"To be honest," he said while eating the Snickers, "have you actually trained? Don't lie to me, so that we don't have any deviations in judgment later."
Hai Baihe propped her cheek and looked at him. "Alright, let me introduce myself. I'm Hai Baihe, twenty years old, currently studying paleobiology at Peace University. I've practiced taekwondo, karate, and singing in my spare time. I enjoy swimming and diving, and recently, my hobbies include skydiving and gliding."
Liang Xiao: "Impressive indeed."
Hai Baihe felt a bit regretful. "Not really, I have average intelligence. I had to work hard to get into Peace University. During my phase of delusions of grandeur, I even tested my IQ and discovered that I'm just an ordinary person, not exceptionally smart. It shattered my genius dreams completely."
Indeed, bloodlines only enhance physical attributes, not intelligence. Sigh.
Liang Xiao had no words to respond. She had even managed to get into a prestigious university like Peace University, yet she still felt her intelligence was lacking. It was truly infuriating!
"Tell me about yourself, do international criminal police officers have fun?" Hai Baihe was becoming increasingly curious.
Liang Xiao shifted to a more comfortable sitting position. "I used to investigate human smuggling cases, and later I was transferred to drug enforcement."
She understood the latter, but Hai Baihe hadn't heard of the former. "What is human smuggling?"
"It's illegal immigration. The leader is called a snakehead, and the people being smuggled are called human snakes because, in the early years, they would hide in the decks like snakes," Liang Xiao explained.
"Is it terrible?"
"Very. That's why I applied for a transfer." Liang Xiao, of course, didn't tell the whole truth.
The two of them chatted aimlessly, and before long, Liang Xiao unexpectedly fell asleep. He leaned against the wall, his head slightly lowered, peacefully entering a state of slumber.
Hai Baihe studied his sleeping posture for a while, quite impressed.
She glanced at her watch; it was only a little past four o'clock. It was still a long time before dawn, so she closed her eyes to rest.
When Ni Xuanxuan woke up, it was past seven o'clock. The room was still dimly lit, and she was startled by the figure standing by the window. As she flinched to the side, her phone slipped from her body and made a light sound as it fell to the ground.
The person by the window turned to look at her. "Awake?"
Ni Xuanxuan breathed a sigh of relief when
she recognized Hai Baihe's voice. She rubbed her temples and sat up. "Hmm, what time is it? Why isn't it bright outside yet?"
"It's past seven," Hai Baihe's tone was never this serious before, "but it's still not bright."
Ni Xuanxuan shivered at her tone, and it took her a while to weakly laugh and say, "The north gets light later."
"No, the sky has never changed," Hai Baihe said. "I'll be honest with you, don't be scared. Have you seen Silent Hill?"
Ni Xuanxuan hadn't seen it. "What do you mean?"
Someone asked, "The Otherworld?"
Hai Baihe recognized the voice as that of Muge and hurriedly went to her. "You're awake. Are you okay?"
"My head hurts, and my legs hurt, Baihe, what happened to us?" Muge heard "Silent Hill" and subconsciously responded, "Where are we?"
Hai Baihe said, "We had a car accident. We walked along the road and arrived here in Huyang Township. But it seems like it was abandoned in 1997. And now it's past seven, but the sky still hasn't gotten brighter. I suspect this is a different dimension."
Muge was dumbfounded. "Huh?" She watched Silent Hill together with Hai Baihe, so she immediately understood what she meant.
Zhang Qihang also woke up. "A different world?"
"I can't be sure. Let's wait a bit longer and see if the sky brightens. Maybe I guessed wrong," Hai Baihe handed Zhang Qihang a ballpoint pen from the counter, "Could you help me with something?"
Zhang Qihang used to be the leader here, and he felt that he should take on the responsibility of taking care of others. But when the car overturned, it was Hai Baihe who saved everyone one by one. She was the calmest and most rational. Without realizing it, he had started to follow her instructions. "What?"
"We can't be sure if this Huyang Township is the same one we were supposed to go to. I want you to draw a map of Huyang Township as you remember it. Try to recall if there were any distinctive old buildings," Hai Baihe showed them the medical records, "This medical record is dated July 3, 1997, and even the newspapers are from '97."
Muge continued to stare in disbelief. "Ah?!" She had just been in a car accident, and now the world had completely changed?
"Enough with the 'ah.' There are zombies outside," Hai Baihe gave her a slap on the face, forcefully rubbing her face. "You really scared me."
Muge: "Zo-zombies??" She was on the verge of tears. "What do we do?"
"Don't be afraid. Fear won't help. Just try to survive no matter when," Hai Baihe turned to Liang Xiao. "Her leg is hurting. Can you find some painkillers for her?"
Liang Xiao rummaged through the counter and found a box of painkillers for her. Hai Baihe checked the expiration date and calmly gave them to Muge.
Muge: "Are they expired?"
"As long as they relieve the pain. Be good, are you hungry?"
"Hungry."