Chapter 109: The Miracle Anime Festival

After settling the duel with his pursuer, Wujue hastened to catch up with his companions. As he ran, he pulled out the flying wheels Xiao Yang had crafted and strapped them to his feet.

Within minutes, he reached the outskirts of the city. A sprawling scenic area appeared before him, unexpectedly filled with thundering music and a lively, festive atmosphere. He found his two vehicles parked where they had left them, and his companions were standing outside, looking at the scene in utter confusion.

"Do you think that's a mirage up ahead?" Miaopu asked, licking its paws in disbelief. "It's so vibrant—I thought it was just a tourist spot or a film set."

"It might actually be a film set, who knows? What do you think we should do?" Ter was equally bewildered and turned to the others for advice.

Wujue arrived just in time, his anxiety mounting. "I agreed to a showdown here with the person tracking us. How could it turn into this?"

Xun'er laughed. "Well, the cars can't get through anyway. Why don't we go in on foot and see what's going on?"

Ter and Xun'er went to park the cars in the area's parking lot, leaving Wujue, Miaopu, and Alice to wait behind. Sensing the murderous intent of his pursuer drawing ever closer, Wujue asked Alice, "Should we go in and take a look first?"

Alice replied calmly, "I follow my master's orders, and my master told me to listen to you. Whatever you say is fine."

Miaopu yawned and started walking toward the entrance. "Let's go, then."

The two of them and the cat walked straight through the gate. There were no guards, and visitors were free to come and go. As soon as Wujue stepped inside, he was met with a surreal, kaleidoscopic scene.

Under the bright lights, various sets were illuminated. People were singing and dancing on stage, while peculiar characters wandered through the crowd below, engaged in mysterious activities.

Wujue grabbed a passerby and asked, "Friend, what is going on here?"

The person, dressed in full Gothic lolita attire with smoky eye makeup, looked at him with surprise. "Are you playing dumb? Don't you know this is an anime convention? Are you trying to be funny? By the way, is that a monk cosplay? Are you playing a bulletproof martial monk?"

Wujue scratched his head in confusion. He had no idea what "cosplay" or an "anime convention" was.

Alice chuckled. "You really don't know? It's obvious—this must be some kind of anime fashion show. But it's strange; don't they realize the apocalypse has already begun outside?"

"Of course it's strange. Can't you see? They look like ordinary people, but there's something off about them," Miaopu said, licking a paw. "I suspect these are all mutated zombies, just evolved in a rather peculiar direction."

"I feel it too. Something is definitely different," Wujue said, eyeing the convention-goers. Looking closer, he noticed tiny black holes at the base of every person's throat or chest, with faint black threads seeping out.

This was something only Xun'er could properly diagnose.

Wujue looked back and saw Xun'er and Ter entering the park. They were visibly shocked at first, but quickly kept their distance from the others and joined Wujue's group.

"It’s bizarre. It’s as if someone has reanimated them—they are all walking dead," Xun'er whispered. "Be careful, everyone. Don't arouse their suspicion. If they realize they are already dead, they will turn into vicious ghouls."

The others nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation and keeping their voices low. They continued to walk cautiously, observing the strange exhibits.

It was Wujue's first time encountering something like this. Although he had acquired a wealth of memories from Huron, giving him extensive knowledge of the world, he was completely ignorant of these trends popular among the youth.

He was overwhelmed by the variety of "kawaii" and trendy designs. Fortunately, Xun'er was there to explain, pointing out costumes from *Sakura Wars*, *Naruto*, *One Piece*, and others. She was an expert on anime cosplay.

Miaopu teased, "Hey, Xun'er, if you went up there dressed as a little lolita, you’d bring the house down."

Alice added coolly, "I agree. I could be your partner; I’ve played a maid before."

"A maid?" Miaopu’s eyes lit up. It scanned Alice up and down and laughed, "They say you need 'assets' to stand out, and your chest—"

Before it could finish, Ter snatched it up and pinched its ear. "None of that inappropriate talk."

As Miaopu fell silent, Xun'er laughed. "Serves you right. Can you just joke about anything? We anime fans are very pure."

"Everyone, stay alert. I’m worried the organization's people might follow us in," Wujue warned, still keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings despite the festive atmosphere.

Ter asked, "Should we just keep walking? There's no need to stay here for too long, is there?"

Alice said coldly, "Look, Xun'er has already gone up to sing, looking quite happy."

Sure enough, Xun'er had changed into a lolita outfit and hopped onto the stage to pose for photos.

Wujue scratched his head. "Stay safe, everyone!"

Miaopu followed Xun'er to the stage while Ter kept watch nearby. Alice stood beside Wujue and whispered, "Do you want me to help you identify the organization's people? You might not know this, but 'Ming' has four or five sub-teams. The ones coming for you are likely the 'Sweepers,' the most dangerous of them all. Those they target rarely meet a good end."

"'Sweepers'?" Wujue frowned. That was a grim title. "Why didn't you mention that earlier? I thought you were perfectly obedient to them."

Alice brushed back her hair. "I have my dignity, too. Even under the control of that girl's witchcraft, my personality wasn't completely erased."

Wujue shook his head. "You've disguised yourself as so many people—is there really any personality left of your own?"

As they spoke, a child nearby pointed at him and shouted, "Mom! Look, someone is cosplaying Baldy Strong! Come look!"

Wujue was stunned; he had no idea who "Baldy Strong" was, but the child was already excitedly asking his mother to take a picture of them. The kid reached out to grab Wujue's hand. "Uncle, aren't you going to chop wood today? Come on, take a picture with me!"

Looking at the child's innocent smile, Wujue felt a pang of pity, even knowing the boy was a reanimated corpse.

But then, he noticed something strange. There was no black thread on the child's chest or back as Xun'er had described. The hand reaching out was far too delicate, as if it had been meticulously cared for. Wujue’s suspicion spiked, and he stopped just before his hand touched the boy's.

Seeing a strange, mocking smile flicker across Alice’s face, Wujue was certain: it was a trap!

He instinctively stepped back, avoiding the child's hand. When the boy failed to touch him, he clenched his fists and began to wail, "Mom! He’s being mean!"

The woman behind him rushed over to scoop up the child, scolding, "What is wrong with you? Can't you be nice to a child?"

She pulled out her phone, angrily threatening to take a picture of Wujue’s "ugly face." Wujue saw through the ruse. The child’s palm concealed a hidden weapon, and the woman’s phone was clearly rigged. With a flash of movement, just as the camera flash went off, he darted to her side.

He snatched the phone away and looked at the bullet that had just whistled through the space where he had been standing. "Despicable! Using such tricks to plot against me."

The child stopped crying instantly and lunged at Wujue. Wujue saw the hair on the boy's head stand up, each strand as sharp as a silver needle. He grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt and hurled him directly into the approaching woman.