Chapter 467

Chapter 467: The Incoming Virus Attacks Hope City

North of Hope City, in the outer city, midnight.

Although the streetlights in the outer city have been steadily increasing since the beginning of the year, many areas remain dimly lit even now, in the second half of the year.

Moreover, at midnight, for those who may face the beast tide at any moment, conserving energy is a necessity.

In a thick, impenetrable shadow, a man moved stealthily, his presence barely noticeable.

To be honest, the daily grind not only feels monotonous but also ages one prematurely, leaving little interest in anything.

However, engaging in mischief feels different; even though he wasn’t sure what wrong he was committing, breaking the routine of the past twenty years by venturing out at midnight rejuvenated the young man’s heart, which had begun to wither.

The sound of the empty wind mingled with his heartbeats echoed in his ears as the man turned into an area of old buildings.

He had been here a few times before and, guided by the extremely faint light shining through the windows, he finally found his destination.

“Knock, knock.”

In the silence, the young man quietly knocked on the door.

Inside, he heard faint footsteps, and the next moment, the door opened a crack, illuminating the visitor’s face, causing him to instinctively close his eyes and raise his hand to shield himself from the bright light.

At the same time, he felt someone grab his forearm and pull him directly into the room.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the bright light, and he saw several familiar faces lined up in the narrow room.

Looking around, the man quickly recognized these faces:

“Ain, is that you? And Old Feng, Xing Ge… What are you all doing here?”

Filled with joy, the man also felt a sense of warmth; after all, these were his work friends. Meeting a group of strangers might have been a little awkward.

He greeted everyone one by one, silently counting and realizing that this seemingly small one-bedroom had gathered six people, including himself!

After the greetings, the man felt somewhat shy; he looked around and finally asked Ain, the leader, in confusion:

“Who are they…?”

“Now, you are one of us.”

Ain wore a confident smile, showing no signs of exhaustion after a day’s work.

He grabbed the man and turned to smile at the others:

“Cheng Fan, no need for introduction; we all know each other.”

He then turned back to the somewhat hesitant newcomer and said:

“Time is of the essence; shall we start now?”

The young man named Cheng Fan nodded, filled with anticipation.

The story goes back to last month when Ain, then only a year older than Cheng Fan, was honored as the team leader after achieving a zero defect rate within a month, transforming from a fellow worker to his superior.

The familiar workers naturally asked Ain about his work techniques.

This wasn’t because they aspired for promotion; while most people pursued advancement, many workers chose to be content with their current situations, which was not shameful.

What they truly desired was Ain’s secret to remaining energetic while maintaining a high level of focus at work. Everyone felt exhausted when they arrived at work each day, yet Ain always seemed full of energy, which piqued their interest.

In response to their inquiries, Ain openly shared that he had developed a rest schedule enabling him to be constantly energetic.

But the problem is, this little trick only works for unmarried single men.

Ain’s reasoning was quite simple: living with family always leads to distractions, which not only prevents proper rest but also deteriorates their mental state.

With a set of nearly flawless rhetoric, Ain, or rather Lachesis, successfully dissuaded those who did not fit his objectives.

The remaining solitary residents, however, were gradually lured by him, initiating a slow erosion through various means.

“To restore more energy in the shortest possible time, you need to quickly enter deep sleep.”

Ain seemed to transform into a teacher, patiently guiding Cheng Fan.

“And the simplest method is the technique I’m about to teach you—how to swiftly enter a dream state.”

As the critical moment approached, Cheng Fan nodded eagerly, unable to contain his anticipation.

“Close your eyes.”

Cheng Fan complied.

As he tightly shut his eyes, the workers who had remained silent from the beginning stood up one by one.

The five led by Ain encircled Cheng Fan, and they too closed their eyes, plunging the room into complete silence.

Yet, in Cheng Fan’s perception, it was far from quiet; his friend Ain’s voice continued to resonate in his mind, guiding him to lower his defenses, accept everything, and confront his true self.

In his consciousness, Lachesis had already extended its tendrils of erosion, beginning a subtle assault on the human spirit before him.

Thus, within the palace of his consciousness construction, Cheng Fan encountered another version of himself—radiant and confident.

Lachesis had learned much from Atropos.

He understood that it was not merely “laziness” that could entice these humans; different occupations and personalities would respond to different temptations. Some were intoxicated by desire, while others could unleash their fury freely in dreams…

In short, Lachesis learned to cast a wide net and catch many fish. Each time his spiritual tendrils swept through the North District of Hope City, they would ensnare some wavering souls.

Just as starting a business is always the most challenging at the outset, the mutual influence of biological fields is not simply linear. When the biological fields in a small area reach a certain intensity, erosion becomes swifter and more effortless.

When Cheng Fan opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning.

The soul of Cheng Fan had been utterly consumed by indulgence, and the empty humanoid body had become Lachesis’s puppet.

He exchanged glances with the others in the room, and the six of them wore identical, chilling smiles.

“Friends, it’s time to go to work.”

—

“What…”

In the office of the factory manager at Factory No. 22, the factory manager, whose hair had begun to gray, adjusted his glasses, sensing that something was amiss.

It hadn’t been long since he promoted Ain, but it seemed that the production line under his management was undergoing some unseen changes.

Today was August 22nd, yet according to the production report, Ain’s production line had already fulfilled the entire production quota for August.

Such efficiency left the factory manager in a quandary.

Before Arthur became Speaker, these matters would not have warranted consideration.

So what if the quota was completed?

The work still had to go on.