Chapter 123: A House for One |
Bai Mu saw the man frantically grab a handgun, aiming it at the sudden, ghost-like apparition.
But the scene abruptly cut off there, and a chunky old CRT television appeared in Bai Mu's vision.
"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news. Recently, several citizens living alone have been found brutally murdered in their homes."
"The police have identified the culprits. A large number of Doppelgangers, crawling up from underground, have appeared in our city. They only emerge at night. Citizens are urged to carefully distinguish between real humans and Doppelgangers, exercise extreme caution when opening doors, and avoid living alone whenever possible."
"The currently known characteristics of a Doppelganger include mud under their fingernails."
As the broadcast finished, Bai Mu found that he had regained control of his limbs.
He was sitting on an old, blue leather sofa, directly facing the vintage television that had just been broadcasting the news.
He was inside a small, wood-paneled house. The living room was about twenty to thirty square meters, with wooden floorboards underfoot. In front of him sat a small coffee table bearing an ashtray and a fruit bowl, though the bowl contained no fresh fruit.
Overhead hung an old-fashioned pendant light on a wire. A pull cord dangled beneath the lampshade—one tug to turn it on, a second tug to turn it off.
He scanned the living room furniture. Aside from the television, there was a refrigerator and an oscillating fan blowing air directly at him. A coat rack stood in the corner, draped in a messy pile of clothes, pants, and hats.
Everything in the house was in complete disarray. Slippers and leather shoes were tossed haphazardly on the floor alongside a pile of unwashed, foul-smelling socks.
As he observed the room's layout, a notification chime rang in his ears.
[Main Quest: Survive for 50 days.]
There was no further introduction to the Script, but he had gathered the basic information. This appeared to be a survival Script without any complex plot or setting. The sole requirement for clearing it was to survive in this world for fifty days.
The time was currently 10:00 AM. On the wall behind the television hung a square, beige clock. Every movement of its hands emitted a crisp ticking sound.
A wave of heat washed over his face. Even with the electric fan running, he felt overwhelmingly stifled.
The indoor temperature was at least thirty-five degrees Celsius, hot enough to leave him drenched in sweat. An unpleasant stench, a mix of body odor and stale smoke, permeated the room.
"The currently confirmed dangers are this abnormal heat and the Doppelgangers mentioned in the news," he muttered.
"Based on the Script's introduction, the combat prowess of a Doppelganger seems incredibly high. They can break down doors, and even firearms aren't guaranteed to put them down."
"The era of this Script seems quite dated, too." Bai Mu cast a glance at the furniture, feeling it belonged to the same era as his grandmother's belongings.
The news broadcast on the television had ended, giving way to commercials.
Bai Mu grabbed the remote control and flipped through the channels. He discovered the television only received three stations. Aside from the news channel, one was playing a children's cartoon, and the other was an infomercial peddling health supplements to gullible seniors, constantly emphasizing the word "free" alongside a flashing hotline number.
The people on the television were all Caucasian, and the room's decor followed a Western style.
Bai Mu wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had only been in the Script for a few minutes, yet he was already perspiring heavily.
The clothes and shoes in the house seemed to belong solely to him. This time, he was playing a character who lived alone. All of his skills and items were fully accessible without any restrictions.
The fact that the television worked meant order hadn't completely collapsed, and the government was still providing electricity. However, in this scorching heat, the most vital resource was actually water.
He stood up from the sofa, walked over to the bathroom on his right, and turned on the faucet.
However, a very troublesome issue presented itself. Not a single drop of water flowed from the pipes.
After conducting a thorough search of the house, he finally found a notice detailing a water rationing schedule for each household.
[Due to the abnormal heatwave, citywide water resources are severely depleted. A timed water supply schedule will be implemented for all households. Properties confirmed to be vacant will have their water supply terminated entirely.]
[Rationed Water Supply Hours: 17:00 – 18:00.]
Bai Mu let out a sigh of relief upon reading the notice. An hour of running water a day was far better than having none at all.
Having assessed the water situation, he moved on to check the food reserves in his starting location. The kitchen cupboards were completely bare, though the toaster and oven were fully functional.
There was also a gas stove hooked up to a cylinder. Bai Mu tested the ignition, and the burners flared to life without issue.
The refrigerator contained some canned food and beer, but the quantities were pitifully small. He completely emptied out both the fridge and the freezer compartments, turning up only a can of luncheon meat, a can of tomato soup, and a can of chicken and corn. As for the beer, there were exactly six bottles of dark rye ale, all with a six percent alcohol content.
In the trash can, he found several empty cans and instant noodle wrappers. Judging by the various clues around the house, this sweltering heatwave had been dragging on for quite some time.
"This food will last me two or three days at most," Bai Mu declared after turning the entire cabin upside down, confirming there were no hidden stockpiles.
The house wasn't large to begin with, consisting of only a single story.
The doors and windows were relatively sturdy, equipped with steel security doors and reinforced window bars. He just didn't know if they would be enough to keep those so-called Doppelgangers out.
Peering through the window, Bai Mu examined his current neighborhood.
He seemed to be situated near the middle of the city. He could see other houses spaced fairly close together. An asphalt road stretched past his front door, with a few cars parked along the curb. Further down the street stood several small, three- or four-story apartment buildings. Through the windows of those apartments and houses, Bai Mu could make out the silhouettes of moving people, though they were few and far between.
He had no idea how many people were still alive out there, but he guessed the number wasn't high. After all, the news had just reported a string of murders committed by the Doppelgangers.
As far as the eye could see, not a single living person was walking around outside. When Bai Mu cracked a window open slightly, he instantly understood why.
It was simply too hot outside. Just opening a tiny crack allowed a terrifying blast of scorching air to squeeze its way in.
The outdoor temperature was at least seven or eight degrees Celsius hotter than indoors. If someone with a weaker constitution stood outside in that sun for ten minutes, they would suffer from severe dehydration and heatstroke. And this wasn't even the hottest part of the day; it was only 10:00 AM. The heat wouldn't reach its absolute peak until around 2:00 PM.
"Under these conditions, going outside during the day is going to be incredibly difficult," Bai Mu remarked, hastily shutting the window and sitting back down in front of the electric fan to cool off.
He factored in the basic supplies he had obtained from opening a resource chest: twelve bottles of mineral water, twelve packs of compressed biscuits, and a roast chicken weighing roughly five hundred grams. Coupled with the cans and the beer, that was his entire food supply.
Trying to stretch that out over fifty days was clearly a pipe dream. Even if he doubled this food supply, he still wouldn't survive the fifty-day duration.
Moreover, he hadn't forgotten the news anchor's warning: all the victims who died in their homes lived alone.
Living alone seemed to be a key factor when Doppelgangers selected their targets for murder.
'As expected of a C-grade Script,' Bai Mu thought to himself. 'However, since Paradise threw me into a C-grade Script, it must have determined that I have the ability to clear it. Solo Scripts are generally simpler than team Scripts, so it shouldn't be a near-certain death sentence.'
The current Bai Mu was completely different from when he first entered Paradise. He already had a wide variety of skills and items at his disposal.
"Still, since this Script takes place in a Western setting, maybe..."
A thought crossed his mind, and he hurriedly began rummaging through the drawers, looking for a wallet or something similar.
Unfortunately, he didn't find any large bills. However, he did manage to fish out some green pocket change from an old coat hanging on the rack.
Yes, American cash.
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