To the west of the hotel was the direction they had come from yesterday. She vaguely remembered that area should be a business district, with shopping streets, a plaza, and several office buildings over ten stories tall.
But now, a massive, gray-black mountain jutted up abruptly there, as if it had grown out of the middle of those office buildings, squeezing the original structures until their walls cracked, deformed, and collapsed…
The unfamiliar mountain was steep and barren. Here and there, parts of the original buildings could still be seen—sometimes a corner of a glass window, sometimes an office stripped of its walls—both seemingly “fused” together, or rather, the mountain had “devoured” the original office buildings.
The collapse caused by the mountain was still ongoing; from time to time, new debris from buildings or furniture tumbled down the slopes, kicking up clouds of dust.
Even though the events of the past few days had long exceeded Tang Siqing’s understanding, at this moment, staring at the distant mountain, she was still struck dumb, caught between shock and self-doubt.
Was what her eyes saw truly happening in reality?
Or had she already died the moment the gray mist spread out, and this was another world?
Or perhaps, she wasn’t really herself anymore, but merely a consciousness existing in a digital world?
Was she still herself?
…
Tang Siqing’s chaotic thoughts were interrupted by banging sounds on the door. At first, she thought it was the Red-Tongue monsters upstairs, trying to break in, but she soon realized it was knocking.
She moved her chair aside and peeked through the peephole. The people knocking were Zhang Yu and Zhang Xin. Besides them, there were others in the corridor; some doors were even wide open, with occupants coming and going—some asking about the situation, others packing.
Although the scene was somewhat chaotic, everyone spoke and moved quietly. Even when someone panicked and raised their voice, they were quickly hushed by their companions.
From this, it seemed the hotel was free of monsters—or they had already been cleared out by the Self-Defense Forces.
Tang Siqing opened the door. Zhang Yu and Zhang Xin didn’t try to enter, but spoke immediately: “Just got the notice—there’s going to be an evacuation towards the east side of the city. Everyone should pack up and head to the first-floor lobby, wait quietly for the vehicles…”
Since all communication devices were unusable, such notices were delivered verbally by the Self-Defense Forces. Their method was to notify the outermost room on each floor, which then passed the message on to the next room. Even if Zhang Yu and Zhang Xin hadn’t come to inform her, others staying in the hotel might soon knock on her door.
“Moving out so soon?”
“Yeah, my brother and I didn’t expect it either—we’ve stayed here less than a day,” Zhang Xin replied. They had come out because they happened to be near the peephole watching the corridor and saw several people outside. They immediately came over to notify her.
If Tang Siqing already knew, it was fine; if not, this was the perfect moment.
As for the reason for the evacuation, the Self-Defense Forces hadn’t explained—probably due to the urgency and lack of phone service, no detailed explanation was possible. But after last night’s events, most people wouldn’t refuse to move just because there was no explanation.
In this situation, the fact that anyone was able to organize an evacuation at all was remarkable.
“Thank you!” Tang Siqing said, understanding the situation. After thanking them, she agreed to meet in the lobby and immediately closed the door to pack.
She had access to the pocket dimension, but everyday items like her backpack and foldable water cup still had to remain in the room. She had also stored the box of supplies Zhang Xin and Zhang Yu shared with her in a corner.
She quickly tossed her personal items into her backpack, then took two bottles of water and some lightweight, filling food from the box to put into the pack. The rest of the water, drinks, and food from the box went into her pocket dimension. She then placed the packed trash from the dimension into the cardboard box, sealed it, and left it in the room’s corner.
The whole process took only two or three minutes. There weren’t many useful supplies in the hotel room. The electric kettle, blankets, and pillows were not especially clean, and she had better versions in her dimension. With limited space left, she only took disposable toiletries and two unopened bottles of water from the tea bar, along with a few free packs of black tea, green tea, and coffee.
Ready, she slung the backpack over her chest, donned a mask, and stepped out.
The hotel lobby on the first floor was small. The glass doors were long broken, but the iron gate was closed. It was only latched to allow people to enter and exit; it wasn’t locked. Everyone was cautious, fearing that some Red-Tongue monsters might have slipped through outside, so they stayed as far from the door as possible.
There weren’t many evacuees assigned to this hotel—only about forty or fifty people. But the lobby was too small to hold them all, so many who came down later had to wait in the stairwell. When more people arrived, they could only stand on the stairs, blocked by those ahead.
Tang Siqing was among the first to come downstairs. Zhang Yu and Zhang Xin had spent some time figuring out how to carry their newly acquired box of supplies but were quick enough. They found Tang Siqing soon after and stayed with her behind the lobby’s service counter.
The evacuees were a mix of adults and children, including several elderly with graying hair.
Some were outsiders like Tang Siqing, but most were locals from other districts. Many had been forcibly separated from their families. They had hoped the temporary safe zone would expand gradually, pushing outwards to their homes so they could reunite safely with their loved ones.
But now, the sudden evacuation order caught them unprepared.
Many remained confused. They had just been living ordinary lives that afternoon—eating out, shopping, bringing children home from hospital visits, or meeting friends for afternoon tea since no one was working.
Then a thick fog changed everything.
They had lost contact with their families for days and nights. Even though the police and fire departments organized the evacuation, everyone’s hearts were filled with anxiety and fear.
So the lobby and stairwells were filled with hushed, fragmented conversations.
“Are you two from Yongding District too? I’m from there. Do you know what’s happening there? I’m so worried…”
“…My family lives in Jia’an Garden, just one intersection away. My mom’s there alone with the kids; I don’t know how things are now!”
“My daughter was at school when it happened. She has a phone, but no calls go through now!”
“There was so much noise outside last night. Just thinking about it scares me. I want to go find my parents…”
“I want to find my son at school too…”
“It’s all my fault for going out to shop! If I’d been home, I’d have food and shelter and could wait for rescue safely…”
“Rescue? We’re lucky the nearby police, fire brigade, and Self-Defense Forces cleared monsters here and set up a safe zone… No one knows what’s happening elsewhere yet…”
“Yeah, it’s not just monsters anymore. That mountain that appeared over there is way too strange!”
“…Where exactly are we evacuating to? What’s the situation outside? It’s been days—why hasn’t the army come yet?”
…
Many were scared and restless, fully aware they wouldn’t get answers. But talking helped ease some pressure.
Some people, however, frowned and pressed their lips tight, never speaking, only watching around—the hotel’s interior and outside through the iron gate.
Outside, vehicles passed occasionally, and people ran by quickly. They were all Self-Defense Force members, and the situation nearby seemed momentarily under control.
After a short while, a minibus packed with people slowly drove down the street outside the hotel, followed closely by a full-sized bus.
The evacuation had begun!
Some people seemed to remember something and immediately pushed through the crowd toward the hotel entrance. After checking outside, they lifted the iron gate and slipped out. Seeing the vehicles moving slowly, someone boldly ran over and tapped on the bus window, asking which district in the city the bus had come from.
But the vehicle didn’t stop and continued eastward.
Soon, a jeep covered in sticky, bloody, and foul-smelling dark red liquid drove up. It was a vehicle recently used to clear monsters nearby.
A Self-Defense Force soldier popped out of the sunroof and waved to the few who had run out, signaling them to hurry back inside.
Although they had cleared many monsters nearby, the sheer number of Red-Tongue monsters last night had broken many first-floor windows around here. Some buildings had interconnected rooms stretching endlessly, making it impossible to check every corner. They feared some might still be hiding.
A few people crawled back into the hotel to lower the iron gate again, but not everyone obeyed. One person seemed determined; after a quick look around, he dashed across the street. Among the bloodstained and foul debris strewn across overturned electric and regular bikes by the roadside, he found a bicycle with intact wheels and frame.
He mounted it, tried a few pedals, then tied a shopping bag of drinking water to the handlebar and quickly headed in the opposite direction.
A Self-Defense soldier from the jeep got out and tried to stop him, but was pulled back by another soldier after just a few steps.
Time was tight. Their plan was to complete the evacuation east of the city before the next gray mist appeared. Many were still waiting nearby, so they couldn’t afford to deal with individuals who disobeyed orders.
Besides, that person was clearly breaking away to find family. Their own teams had been formed on the fly—they couldn’t guarantee saving everyone and had no authority to stop such decisions.
Probably because the Self-Defense Forces didn’t forcibly intervene and no monsters appeared on the street for now, more bold individuals left the hotel as the evacuation proceeded. They found makeshift transportation along the way and set off toward their homes.
Others inside watched quietly. Many wished to go home too, but had no cars, couldn’t drive, or even ride bicycles. They simply didn’t dare to cross a city full of dangers on foot.
Now, all they could do was hope that rescue teams were organizing in their families’ districts and that everyone could meet up at the evacuation point east of the city.