CH 3.1

Chapter 3.1 – Abyss

Wang Yu didn’t pay attention to Shi Yuan’s shock, and was seriously giving common knowledge.

[Abyss]

It’s the scariest thing in the world.

Seventy years ago, that is, 2170, several abysses appeared out of nowhere, within the polar circle, deep in the desert, right in the middle of the rainforest… No one knows how they were created, but they were deep and devoured everything.

The creatures close to the abyss mutated, birds grew five or six heads, insects and ants became huge, wolves only had bones left but could still run, and the creatures attacked by them continue to mutate, and the situation became uncontrollable.

The Alliance did its best to ward off the infection, however, this pattern of mutation was beyond the scope of known science. More and more deadly creatures appeared one after another, humans were infected, cities fell, order collapsed, and now only individual cities existed, building what could be called an iron wall of defense.

All epidemics came from the abyss, it was the source of infection, and it led to the end times.

People used many words to describe it: aberration, natural disaster, catastrophe… Some people said it was because of the chemicals, some people said that this was nature’s revenge against human beings, and some people said that this was the confirmation of the Book of Revelation.

No matter how much struggle and counterattack, no matter how much cursing and hatred, the abyss was still there.

Everyone was afraid and helpless.

“It’s been a long time, it’s been like this since I was born.” Wang Yu said, “When I was young, my parents always told me what the world was like before the end of the world, and showed me videos, movies, photos, etc., but I still think that ‘normal world’ is far away.” She smiled at Shi Yuan. “You can’t imagine it either, right?”

Lu Bafang interjected: “When my dad told me that deer have and should only have four legs, I didn’t believe him, I said that his brain was not good, and then I was beaten with a belt. Nima, all the deer I saw were very random, from 10 legs to no legs, how can he blame me, ah!”

Shi Yuan calmed down and listened silently.

Wang Yu continued: “Of course, the research on the abyss has never stopped. We know that each abyss is an independent individual and has a unique infection method. For example, the characteristic of Abyss No. 7 is ‘giganticization’, the size of creatures infected by it will be enlarged by tens, even hundreds of times. Another example is that Abyss #3 is characterized by ‘bone formation, and Abyss #4 is characterized by ‘multi-limbed deformity’ – the deer that Lu Bafang saw were most likely of this kind. We have not found out whether there is a connection between the abysses for the time being.”

Shi Yuan was unusually quiet.

After a while, he asked, “Then… would anyone live by the abyss?”

“Live?” Wang Yu was a little surprised, “It’s unlikely, at least not for ordinary people.” She paused for a moment. “There are only troops stationed there, namely the ‘Abyss Watchers’. As the name suggests, they are responsible for observing the abyss. Ordinary people can’t wait to get as far away from the abyss as possible.”

She thought that Shi Yuan would not be interested in this topic, but she didn’t expect Shi Yuan to raise his head suddenly and ask, “Where can I find the watchers?”

“Are you looking for someone?” Wang Yu raised an eyebrow.

Shi Yuan hesitated for half a second and nodded.

Wang Yu asked, “What’s his name? Is he still in service?”

Shi Yuan whispered, “I don’t know.”

Wang Yu was confused: “You don’t know? How can you not know? Who is he to you? You have to have a general direction, is he a relative or a friend?”

Neither. Shi Yuan thought to himself, neither.

He should be my…watcher.

Wang Yu was afraid that he would not understand, and described the horror of the abyss as much as possible.

Little did she know that the young man beside her came from decay, and he was the abyss.

Below the abyss, there was a black fog, which was airtight and gloomy, and Shi Yuan’s consciousness was in that chaotic fog. The world was boring and meaningless, he was alone, he was blind and silent, and he dreamed long dreams.

He could remember which day, the dark dream cracked a gap, and the light penetrated in and woke him up.

Shi Yuan saw the blue sky and white clouds, as well as his companion, watcher and gazer.

It was a young man with handsome eyebrows and eyes, looking down at him.

The man lived in an unmanned observation tower next to the abyss for many years, recorded data every day, cleaned up the infected, and monitored the abyss.

Philosopher Nietzsche once said: “When you fight a monster, be careful not to become a monster yourself. When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares at you.”

Leaving aside the philosophy of this sentence, only one thing was true about Shi Yuan: he liked the gaze of that human very much.

After the man came, the lonely abyss was stared at for the first time, and he was very satisfied.

If he was a cat, then he would have raised his tail high; if he was a dog, then he would have jumped for joy.

But he was neither.

No matter how the sun rose and the moon set, the seasons changed, the man always stayed by his side.

And that continued for ten years.

Until one day, the man disappeared.

And he never appeared again.

At first, Shi Yuan thought he would come back soon, but he waited for days, weeks, and months, and he never saw the man again.

Shi Yuan got sad.

He was so sad that he deformed, he was so sad that he decided to go and get his human back. So the abyss disappeared the next day, and the boy walked into the distance with the first morning light of the wasteland.

— That’s where Shi Yuan came from.

Without Wang Yu, he would not have known that there were other abyss, and that it was the abyss that caused the end times.

In any case, at least now he understood that his human was an “Abyss Watcher”.