Looking down from upstairs, Lin Mo could see that the residential complex he was in was indeed sealed off.
Outside were police officers, with yellow isolation tape wrapped around in several circles, a scene identical to Green Garden Complex last night.
"Lin, what exactly happened?" Pang Zi asked over the phone.
Lin Mo didn't know how to answer.
He wasn't quite clear on the situation either, but it seemed that for now, Pang Zi wouldn't be able to come in. Not just Pang Zi, but likely the other three employees of the studio wouldn't be able to come either.
"I just woke up, how would I know what's going on? Look, you go home first, the studio will take a day off today." As the boss of the studio, Lin Mo could decide on a day off with just a word.
It's just that the orders they took on in the last couple of days probably couldn't be completed now, and they would lose quite a bit of money.
"But I bought you breakfast," Pang Zi looked at the youtiao and tea eggs in his hand.
Lin Mo had already hung up the phone.
Pang Zi sighed, feeling quite helpless. The wages were paid daily.
No work meant no wages.
But looking at the situation at the entrance of the complex, if he couldn't get in, he just couldn't get in. Barriers had long been set up outside, with police officers and people in protective suits guarding all entrances and exits.
No one could go out or come in.
...
Lin Mo brushed his teeth and washed his face. He opened his phone to check the local news.
Sure enough, there was related news.
"Migratory Bird Morning News: According to the latest information, three residential areas in Sanqiao District of our city experienced unexpected incidents since last night, reportedly causing casualties. For specific information, please follow our subsequent reports."
This kind of official media news was always relatively cautious. It seemed to have said something, but in fact, there was not a single piece of useful information.
Lin Mo continued to search.
Some self-media accounts, however, wrote very mysteriously.
"Breaking news, something big happened, Sanqiao District is now all sealed off, absolutely true, pictures as proof..."
Below were more than a dozen accompanying images.
Lin Mo looked closely, and indeed, his own residential complex was among them.
"Currently, the officials are tight-lipped. The news I'm posting might be deleted at any time, so everyone save it for yourselves. Here's the key content."
"According to reliable sources, many people died this time, really many people died. This picture was taken at 5 am below Building 4 of Green Garden Complex, see for yourselves."
Below were two more photos. In the dim dawn light, several people in protective suits were carrying bodies out from the building entrance. Outside the entrance, over a dozen bodies were already laid out neatly on the ground, all wrapped in black body bags, looking quite chilling.
The photos were likely taken by a resident of the same complex.
"At present, it can be confirmed that this is not the so-called gas leak, and the officials are no longer saying so either. Judging from the protective suits worn by the on-site personnel, I personally speculate that it might be a sudden infectious disease or epidemic virus."
Lin Mo scrolled through the comments below.
Most were just spectators. Some expressed disbelief; some asked if the photos were photoshopped; others said the incident was real, that they were from Green Garden Complex, and that the police wouldn't let them sleep, so they were very tired now.
After browsing through news posted by several other self-media accounts, which were more or less the same, Lin Mo noticed a reply that caught his attention.
"I'm from Green Garden Complex. I just had a dream, it was terrifying. If my wife hadn't noticed something was wrong and woken me up, I might have already died in that dream."
Someone replied below: "It's just a nightmare, why make such a fuss?"
"It's not that simple. The dream was too real. I encountered the thing I fear most, and in this dream, there were ghosts."
"I had Ultraman in my dream, don't derail the topic. We're discussing the death incidents here, go cool off somewhere else."
After that, the person didn't reply anymore.
But Lin Mo knew that the person must have been as lucky as himself, surviving the nightmare.
At this moment, Lin Mo suddenly remembered something. He quickly spit out the foam in his mouth, wiped his face, changed his clothes, and rushed out.
The corridor was quiet.
He walked to the elevator and pressed the button.
Soon, the elevator came up.
Something felt off.
On a normal day, even this early, there would definitely be old men and women going downstairs to exercise or coming back from buying groceries. But today, the elevator came directly up, and it was completely empty.
After entering, Lin Mo pressed the button for the third floor directly.
He wanted to check if Liu Ying, the neighbor living on the third floor, was still alive.
Oh right, and Old Zhang from the property management.
If these two were dead, it would prove that the nightmare was of a shared nature.
The elevator reached the third floor, and as soon as the doors opened, Lin Mo was startled.
Outside were two people in protective suits carrying a stretcher, on which lay a body. Lin Mo took a glance and saw that the body was indeed Liu Ying.
Although her neck was fine, her expression was exactly the same as after she died in the dream, mouth open, eyes wide, dying with her eyes open.
The two people carrying the stretcher were also stunned.
They probably didn't expect someone to come down from the elevator at this time.
...
"Lin Mo, currently residing at East Bridge Complex, Building 2, Room 703, ID number is..."
The female staff member wearing a protective mask across from him was reciting Lin Mo's basic information. A pair of beautiful eyes could be seen through her goggles.
Lin Mo sat opposite, listening while observing the place.
This was a temporary tent set up in the residential complex. Everyone here, including the police officers in uniform, was wearing masks and goggles.
Even Lin Mo himself had been given a protective mask.
Could it really be as that self-media account speculated, some unknown infectious disease?
But he had never heard of an infectious disease that made people have nightmares.
"Why didn't you fill this part?" The staff member pointed to a blank area on the form. "We've told you before, you must cooperate with our work. It's for your own good. The information on the form must be filled out truthfully, without omissions."
Lin Mo helplessly said, "I did fill it out truthfully. This part asks 'What are you most afraid of in daily life?' I'm not afraid of anything, so I left it blank."
"Mr. Lin, now is not the time for jokes. This must be filled out truthfully."
"I'm really not joking."
The young lady glared at Lin Mo, but Lin Mo remained unmoved.
After a moment.
"Alright, then just sign your name at the bottom."
The young lady clearly felt there was no need to continue arguing with someone so stubborn about saving face.
Besides, she knew very well that whether this was filled out or not actually didn't matter much.
Seeing Lin Mo sign, she immediately said, "You can go next door for blood sampling and testing now."
Lin Mo wanted to ask why he needed to give blood, but this young lady clearly had no intention of explaining to him.
"If you won't tell me, can't I ask someone else?" Lin Mo didn't care much, taking the form and walking out.
Soon after, a tall man wearing a mask and goggles walked in. Through the goggles, bloodshot eyes could be seen.
"Dr. Song, are the blood sample test results out?" This man had a military bearing, but he looked very tired.
The female doctor glanced outside, saw that no one else had followed in, and nodded, then took out a test report from a box beside her.
"Team Leader Liu, see for yourself."
Team Leader Liu took the test report and read it carefully.
It said: "Green Garden Complex, blood samples from 37 deceased, all tested positive for virus reaction, confirming infection with the nightmare virus."
At the bottom of the report was the marking 'Top Secret Level One'.
As the temporary person in charge here, Team Leader Liu naturally understood what this test result meant.
He remained silent for a moment.
"What about the blood tests for other residents?"
"In progress," the female doctor thought for a moment and added, "But from what we've seen so far, the situation doesn't look optimistic. The infection rate for those who have had blood drawn and tested is 100%."
Even with the mask on, it was evident that Team Leader Liu's expression was extremely grim.
"Please continue testing the blood samples, Dr. Song. I will report the situation here to our superiors."
"We have completed our responsibilities. Now we're just waiting for the higher-ups to send 'experts' to deal with this mess."