Lin Mo didn't expect that there would be quite a few people waiting for blood tests.
It turned out that the remaining residents in the community were all gathered here, no wonder the building was so quiet.
After inquiring, he learned that around 1 AM, people in protective suits were knocking on doors, with only one message: everyone must not sleep.
This matched what Mao Mao Hen Dan Da had said.
Later, they directly gathered everyone together.
Because of this, many people hadn't slept at all.
Lin Mo was an exception.
He had already been asleep before this, and because of his studio work, his room door was soundproofed. Plus, he was sleeping deeply, so he didn't hear others knocking and missed it.
In the current situation, everyone was very nervous. Especially knowing that many neighbors had mysteriously died, a sense of panic spread among these residents.
"We need to know the truth. Is there some kind of infectious disease? Otherwise, why are all you staff so heavily protected?"
"Yeah, what's really going on? Tell us clearly."
"If you don't explain clearly, we won't do the blood tests."
"That's right!"
The dissatisfaction born from fear erupted at this moment.
It was sudden, but also understandable.
Lin Mo watched as more than a dozen residents started to make a fuss. Come to think of it, he was also quite curious about what was really happening. Just based on the fact that the staff didn't let anyone sleep, Lin Mo could be sure that they must know something.
Just then, one of the people in protective suits suddenly collapsed with a thud.
Everyone was stunned.
The previous commotion quieted down.
Staff immediately went over to check the situation.
The scene became chaotic for a moment, and the residents didn't continue to make trouble at this point, but instead rushed forward to help.
"What happened?"
"I don't know."
"Sudden death?"
"That's terrifying."
Lin Mo couldn't squeeze in, and he didn't know first aid anyway, so he couldn't help even if he did. However, Lin Mo had noticed this person earlier. Possibly because of working all night, this young person had been drowsy and had fallen asleep leaning against the wall earlier.
And then something happened shortly after.
Soon, the person was taken away for emergency treatment, but Lin Mo had a feeling that this might not be as simple as sudden death.
After this incident, people didn't feel right about causing trouble anymore.
The blood draw proceeded smoothly, and Lin Mo was arranged with other residents in the lobby, sitting around tables eating breakfast and watching TV. However, no one was really watching TV; most were discussing in low voices.
The atmosphere was very oppressive.
"Did you notice earlier, that young nurse who suddenly died had a terrifying expression, as if they had seen something extremely horrifying?"
A middle-aged man whispered to those at his table.
"I didn't notice that."
"Have you seen any other dead people? I happened to see some this morning, that elderly couple living on the second floor. When they were carried out, their expressions were also twisted, not at all like normal deaths."
The middle-aged man had a mysterious look, and his words clearly scared quite a few people. Several people at the table turned pale.
"President Xue, don't scare us."
"I'm not lying to you. To tell you the truth, I've been paying attention to this since last night," President Xue lowered his voice. "Last night, something happened first at Green Garden Community, very close to our community. I heard about it from a friend there who told me to be careful at night and absolutely not to sleep. Sure enough, in the early morning, police came knocking on doors. You all know what they said..."
"We know, they told us not to sleep, right? But why not sleep? No one explained it to us. Speaking of which, I haven't slept all night, and I'm very tired now."
As the person finished speaking, they couldn't help but yawn.
"President Xue, do you know some inside information? Tell us."
Lin Mo also pricked up his ears, as he urgently needed this kind of information now.
President Xue lowered his voice even more at this point: "There's a reason for not letting us sleep. I heard that if you fall asleep, you'll die."
Some people didn't believe it.
President Xue was also just repeating hearsay and couldn't provide any solid evidence. Moreover, he didn't know about the existence of the nightmare world.
Lin Mo was a bit disappointed. He had thought he might hear some information he didn't know.
Not wanting to listen to the other's boasting anymore.
Taking out his phone, Lin Mo planned to contact Mao Mao Hen Dan Da to see about her situation.
Mao Mao Hen Dan Da lived in Green Garden Community, so she must know some information.
However, to Lin Mo's surprise, there was no signal on his phone, and he couldn't get online.
...
"The authorities have cut off communication and internet for these few communities," Leader Liu hurried back from outside.
This was also an unavoidable measure.
Now rumors about these three communities in Houqiao City were flying everywhere.
Especially when people inside the communities posted some speculations along with videos and pictures, it would inevitably fuel more rumors.
"Even our people with full protective measures have cases of virus infection and death. This pollution source has already been classified as level two. When will the 'experts' arrive? Any later, and everyone will die." Dr. Song was somewhat agitated.
After all, not everyone can calmly face death.
Especially this kind of most terrifying death.
Leader Liu's face looked very grim.
In their department, there were strict definitions for the levels of pollution sources. If it was a level one pollution source, protective measures would be effective, but if it reached level two, their protective gear would be useless.
Leader Liu took off his protective mask and face shield.
Dr. Song over there also took off his mask and goggles.
There was no need to wear these things anymore.
If it was confirmed to be a level two pollution source, then anyone within range would inevitably be infected, regardless of whether they wore protective equipment or not.
"The experts will arrive in an hour. We need to ensure nothing goes wrong during this time. This is our responsibility," Leader Liu said, then rubbed his face vigorously.
...
The fact that mobile phones couldn't make calls or access the internet clearly caused dissatisfaction and anger among the residents, but in the end, this issue didn't lead to any particular outcome.
After lunch, Lin Mo felt a bit drowsy.
If he was like this, it was even worse for others. One by one, they were all yawning constantly.
Coffee and strong tea were placed on the tables to help people stay awake, but for those who hadn't slept for over a day and night, the effect of these drinks was extremely limited.
Even so, no one dared to sleep.
They didn't even dare to take a nap.
Some people simply stood up and paced back and forth; some jumped around; but most just chatted with each other.
This continued until evening.
Some people couldn't hold on anymore, clearly becoming confused and speaking incoherently.
Lin Mo was still fine. He looked towards the direction of Green Garden Community from the window, lost in thought.
He stood up and went to the bathroom.
Finding the innermost stall, Lin Mo went in, closed the door, sat on the toilet, and closed his eyes.
Others didn't dare to sleep, but he did.
Moreover, Lin Mo also wanted to figure out if he would enter that nightmare world again when he fell asleep.
After a while, Lin Mo dozily fell asleep.
The brief sensation of weightlessness disappeared, and soon, blood-red and darkness slowly dispersed. Lin Mo opened his eyes and found that he had indeed returned to the previous nightmare.
It was still the second-floor corridor.
It was dead silent here, without a single sound.
The entire world seemed to be covered in a layer of dark gray mist, making everything appear extremely dim.