The white plastic wall had been erected by the armed police three days ago, enclosing the Black Tower and preventing ordinary citizens from approaching.

Now the armed police had disappeared, and so had the scientists conducting research inside the white wall. The two men made a large hole in the wall and approached the Black Tower. Brian Carter didn’t go over to look; he glanced from a distance and continued walking forward.

So many scientists had studied it for half a year without making any progress. He didn’t think he could figure out what this Black Tower really was.

The first problem Brian Carter had to face was that he didn’t have a car.

It was now 8:15. At exactly eight o’clock, Logan Reed and Little Scott had disappeared. Like them, most people in this city had vanished. With no drivers, buses and subways couldn’t take anyone home. Moreover, many people had been driving when they disappeared, and now those cars were scattered and crashed into each other, blocking most of the roads.

After walking half a kilometer, Brian Carter saw a toppled yellow bike on the ground.

He took out his phone and scanned the QR code.

“Just as I thought, it doesn’t work anymore…”

Brian Carter frowned, squatted down, and examined the lock mechanism of the yellow bike. After two minutes, he picked up a stone from the ground and started smashing the lock.

The strong recoil made Brian Carter’s wrist ache, but he was much stronger than before. After just two hits, the steel lock snapped.

Brian Carter thoughtfully glanced at the broken lock he had smashed, then got on the yellow bike and rode home.

Forty minutes later, he entered his apartment complex and parked the yellow bike downstairs.

In the silent complex, there was no one around, only the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind. After returning home, Brian Carter quickly packed a few clothes. Both of Brian Carter’s parents were only children, and his grandparents had all passed away when he was young. His parents died in a car accident when he was in college, and after that, he had little contact with relatives.

Several of Brian Carter’s close friends didn’t stay in Suzhou after graduating from college—one went to Beijing, another to Shanghai.

Logan Reed’s daughter was also in Shanghai, so he could go look for his friend.

Yesterday evening, Brian Carter had been trapped in the library. After returning home, he first filled his stomach, then packed a few more clothes into his suitcase. Once everything was packed, he faced a more serious problem—

He didn’t have a car.

From Suzhou to Shanghai, the high-speed train only took half an hour, and driving took about an hour.

The high-speed train definitely wasn’t running now, and Brian Carter didn’t dare imagine the current state of the railways. If it was like the streets, with drivers suddenly disappearing and countless cars crashing, then on the railways, the uncontrolled trains had probably all collided as well.

He needed a car.

Brian Carter went upstairs and knocked on the landlord’s door. After three minutes with no response, he picked up a wrench he’d brought from home and forcefully broke the door lock.

As soon as he entered, he smelled a strong odor of gas.

Brian Carter’s eyes sharpened, and he quickly ran to the kitchen to turn off the gas stove and open the windows for ventilation.

There were still chopped vegetables on the kitchen table; clearly, the owner of the house had been preparing a delicious breakfast before disappearing. Brian Carter had rented this place a year ago after leaving school. The landlords were a very kind elderly couple who lived upstairs. Since retiring, they had little to do and sometimes invited Brian Carter upstairs for meals.

Brian Carter didn’t have a car and often borrowed one from the landlords.

Familiar with the place, he took the car keys from the drawer under the TV cabinet, checked around, and, confirming that no one was home, left.

Shanghai was very close to Suzhou, and driving wouldn’t use much gas, but after getting in the car, Brian Carter realized the landlord’s car was almost out of fuel—the gauge was near the red line. Judging by the amount of gas, he’d be lucky to make it halfway before breaking down.

He’d have to refuel first.

Brian Carter inserted the key into the ignition and turned it to the right. Just as he started the car, a sharp pain suddenly struck his heart. It felt as if a giant hand was pressing hard on his heart; Brian Carter’s face turned pale in an instant, his heart pounding wildly, blood rushing through his body at an incredible speed.

His body temperature soared at an unimaginable rate.

Within a minute, it reached 40 degrees Celsius!

Yet the high fever didn’t fry Brian Carter’s brain; his mind was crystal clear, and he could distinctly feel a sharp blade slicing into his heart. His temperature kept rising, and the pain in his heart grew more intense.

Brian Carter punched the passenger seat, but it did nothing to ease the pain.

The intense pain gradually blurred his consciousness.

Ten hours later, when Brian Carter woke up, it was pitch dark outside. While he was unconscious, his clothes had been soaked with sweat again and again, then dried by the breeze, only to be soaked once more. This cycle repeated countless times before his heartbeat finally returned to normal and the inexplicable pain disappeared.

Brian Carter still looked a bit pale, but his eyes were sharp and bright.

He touched his chest—his heart had returned to its normal rhythm. After checking the rest of his body, he found nothing unusual.

Then he reached out and pulled a book out of thin air.