The Heretical Husband Is Too Good at Acting! - Chapter 9

Seeing the two of them, several uniformed team members walked over. Zhang Tao stepped forward to greet them, handed the severed hand to one of them, and whispered a few instructions.

The team member nodded and left with the severed hand, likely taking it back to the Administration for containment.

Chen Mo only gave it a casual glance; his attention was quickly drawn to a figure at the supermarket entrance.

It was Shen Junyao, the captain of Hunting Team One.

As usual, Captain Shen was wearing the same black uniform as the others. He stood quietly amidst the crowd; his position wasn’t conspicuous, yet because of his tall, straight build and superior aura, he was difficult to ignore.

Chen Mo watched him for a while, feeling that this Captain Shen seemed a bit different from their previous encounters. He looked somewhat cold, with an indescribable sense of detachment even in the middle of a crowd, as if a layer of invisible shielding separated him from the surrounding world.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Shen Junyao turned his head to look over.

The moment their eyes met, the other man’s gaze softened significantly, and his expression didn’t seem quite so cold. He even offered a faint smile.

Chen Mo reflected that he might have been overthinking things.

It was probably because the weather was cold or the work was too exhausting; Captain Shen was actually quite a kind person.

Chen Mo walked over and took the initiative to greet him: “Captain Shen.”

Shen Junyao nodded: “Mm.”

Zhang Tao, who had followed him over, explained to Shen: “I brought him here to have a look.”

Seeing that Captain Shen expressed no objection to this decision, Chen Mo felt a bit more at ease and turned his gaze toward the supermarket entrance.

He noticed many people pushing shopping carts in and out, but they didn’t really look like they intended to shop, which made him feel somewhat puzzled. Zhang Tao took the initiative to introduce them: “These are all staff members of the Administration. Some are from the Hunting Group, and some are from other groups.”

“What are they doing?”

“They are… trying to find a way in.” The situation was quite complex. Zhang Tao looked at the ordinary-looking building and organized his words. “From the outside, it doesn’t look like anything special, right? It’s just a very common chain supermarket. For many years prior to this, people have been going in to shop normally, buying things, coming out, and leaving without any problems.”

“However, recently, the police have received several successive reports. The informants claimed that their relatives and friends lost contact after entering this supermarket to shop,” Zhang Tao said. “After an investigation, the police noticed that similar disappearance cases can even be traced back several months. Looking at the surveillance records from the past three months, at least twenty instances of customers entering this supermarket never came back out. Because these people were long-term singles or lived alone, they were missing for a long time before anyone reported it, leading to police oversight. We have determined that this supermarket should be connected to a certain ‘Inner World,’ and those missing customers likely wandered into it by mistake.”

Chen Mo: “…”

Chen Mo was momentarily speechless. This explanation was truly too bizarre, sounding like a plot from a science fiction novel.

However, combined with his experiences during this period, it somehow felt strangely reasonable despite the absurdity.

“Since the Heterotaxic Administration began focusing on this place and officially took over, four humans have escaped from the ‘Inner World.’ According to their accounts, there are many trapped customers inside who wandered in by mistake. The exact number is unknown, but it is certain that it far exceeds the total number of recent disappearances. Therefore, we are trying to find a way into this ‘Inner World’ to rescue the trapped personnel. Unfortunately, as of now, we haven’t fully mastered the correct method of entry.”

Chen Mo was curious: “Didn’t those who escaped explain clearly how they got in?”

Zhang Tao shook his head: “Their stories are mostly the same. They all entered normally through the supermarket entrance and didn’t notice anything wrong at first because the interior of the ‘Inner World’ has a layout and decor similar to this supermarket. It wasn’t until they sensed something was off and tried to return to the entrance that they found the entrance had disappeared. Only then did they realize they might have entered a strange place.”

It sounded even more like a sci-fi movie.

Zhang Tao added: “It’s worth mentioning that the four survivors who escaped are not residents of this city. They come from different cities in different countries and were all very ordinary citizens. On a very ordinary day, they walked into a chain supermarket they had frequented many times to shop, only to wander into the ‘Inner World’ by mistake.”

In other words, this supermarket was likely just one of the entrances and exits of that “Inner World.”

Some victims entered by mistake from other entrances but escaped through this exit.

After being carefully questioned by the Heterotaxic Administration, these successful escapees had their relevant memories erased and were given fabricated experiences sufficient to cover their period of disappearance before being sent home.

Such aftermath matters were the responsibility of other departments; rescuing the victims trapped in the “Inner World” was the primary mission for Zhang Tao and the others. And according to the descriptions of those escaped survivors, there were certain humanoid creatures in the supermarket’s “Inner World” that would launch violent attacks on the humans trapped inside—which was the reason for deploying the Hunting Group.

Zhang Tao looked at Chen Mo and suddenly said: “Do you still remember the Slit-Mouth Monster you killed last time?”

How could Chen Mo not remember.

Zhang Tao said: “That monster escaped from this supermarket. One week before you encountered it, at 2:43 AM on the 13th, a middle-aged male suddenly managed to escape from the ‘Inner World,’ and a few seconds later, that Slit-Mouth Monster followed him out. This monster was the only non-human entity we monitored escaping from the ‘Inner World’ since we took over this supermarket. Originally, we planned to monitor its movements and wait for an opportunity to capture it for proper study, but we didn’t expect you to kill it.”

Only after all these days did Chen Mo realize what kind of existence he had killed in a moment of haste that day.

Even though “he who does not know is not to be blamed,” he still felt somewhat apologetic and asked: “Then what should be done? Did any other monsters come out later?”

“No. We conducted a careful examination of that monster’s corpse, but didn’t find any useful clues. Right now, the best way is to find a way into the ‘Inner World’ to carry out a field investigation.”

“However, for some reason, while disappearances used to occur every few days, the Administration has sent people in and out day and night during this period, and so far, no one has been able to enter successfully.”

“Could it be that this place is no longer an entrance to that ‘Inner World’? After all, as you said, the disappearances only started happening in the last few months, and it has other entrances. Is it possible that it has shifted?” Chen Mo shared his speculation.

“It’s not impossible. If that’s the case, this matter will be very difficult to handle. However, the colleagues in the Research Group haven’t given a final conclusion yet, so the attempts are still continuing.” Zhang Tao pushed out a shopping cart and raised an eyebrow at Chen Mo: “Do you dare to go try it with me?”

Chen Mo lifted his chin, gripped the handle of the cart, and said: “What is there to be afraid of?”

The two of them made a move to walk inside, but Shen Junyao, who had been quiet on the side, suddenly stepped forward. He pressed his hand down on the cart and glanced at Zhang Tao: “Stop messing around.”

Zhang Tao gave a “hehe” laugh. He certainly didn’t really intend for Chen Mo to try.

After all, Chen Mo hadn’t officially joined the Hunting Group yet. As an off-staff member, it was fine for him to come to the scene to see the situation and feel the working atmosphere in advance, but it wasn’t suitable for him to get dragged into this.

He looked at Chen Mo and smiled: “Just a joke, don’t take it seriously.”

Chen Mo: “.”

Actually, he really did want to try and see if he could get in.

The “Inner World” sounded very interesting.

Just as the three of them released the cart and were about to put it back in its original place, Zhang Tao suddenly let out a cry of surprise.

The other two looked toward him.

Zhang Tao raised his brow: “It seems we’ve already entered.”

“What do you mean?”

Chen Mo thought of a possibility and looked around.

At first glance, the surrounding scene was no different from a moment ago. In front was the shopping cart management area; to the right was the escalator moving slowly up and down; further right was the member management center and return/exchange service area next to the supermarket exit; opposite were milk tea shops, dessert shops, ice cream vending machines, and claw machines…

But behind them, it was no longer the original supermarket entrance.

The exit had disappeared, replaced by rows of product shelves that didn’t look out of place at all.

Chen Mo: “.”

Shen Junyao: “.”

Zhang Tao started running around, checking up and down, left and right. Finally, he reached a conclusion: “We really did get in.”

He looked at Chen Mo and couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “Is this thanks to your luck? Murphy’s Law?”

Chen Mo was speechless for a moment.

Shen Junyao glanced between the two of them and asked: “What Murphy’s Law?”

Zhang Tao repeated the warped logic he had discussed with Chen Mo earlier, sighing: “I can’t be blamed for thinking that way. How long have we been wasting time here? Why is it that as soon as Student Chen comes, things go smoothly? Chen Mo, you really are our lucky star!”

Shen Junyao gave him an annoyed look and said: “Stop the nonsense and act according to the plan. Entering this place is easy but leaving is hard. There’s no telling how long we’ll be stuck in here.”

Hearing this, Zhang Tao couldn’t help but frown and said to Chen Mo: “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to actually drag you into this. It really is quite troublesome after entering here. It’s said to be very large inside, as if it has no end, and the location of the exit isn’t fixed, making it very hard to find.”

At this point, Chen Mo hadn’t yet realized the gravity of the situation. He asked casually: “About how long? Can we get it done tonight? My mom is very strict; I can’t stay out overnight. At the latest, I have to be home before dawn.”

Zhang Tao: “…”

Zhang Tao hesitated, his words caught in his throat.

Seeing that his expression wasn’t right, Chen Mo turned to look at Captain Shen.

Shen Junyao curved the corners of his lips and said succinctly: “One night might not be enough.”

Chen Mo: “?”

Zhang Tao was the one who brought the person here, so he had to be the one to explain.

Zhang Tao stammered: “I don’t think I mentioned it just now? According to the survivors who successfully escaped, many people trapped in the ‘Inner World’ have built some bases. Some bases have many people, while others have fewer. Many of them have been trapped inside for many years and have already given up on the idea of escaping, preparing to settle there permanently.”

Chen Mo: “!”

Chen Mo pulled his phone out of his pocket and said: “Wait a moment, I’ll give my mom a call.”

Zhang Tao: “…”

Shen Junyao: “.”

The two of them had no objection to Chen Mo’s action of dialing the phone; they just watched him try.

The result was not at all surprising. The call wouldn’t go through; there was no signal in the Inner World.

After all, if calls could go through, why would those people have disappeared silently for so long before being noticed by the outside world?

Chen Mo pressed his hand to his forehead, unable to imagine what kind of maternal wrath he would endure if he returned home after being trapped here for several years.

He thought for a moment and asked Zhang Tao: “I don’t mean anything else, but… that person in your aftermath department who makes up the stories, could you give me their contact info? I’d like to get to know them…”

While he was worrying, the lights above their heads suddenly flickered and then went out silently.

The surroundings fell into darkness.

Shen Junyao asked: “What time is it now?”

Chen Mo looked at the phone screen, which was exceptionally bright in the darkness, and said: “Exactly 10:00 PM.”

“Damn, I didn’t even notice the time. It’s nighttime!” Zhang Tao explained to Chen Mo, the only one on the scene who didn’t know the situation. “The time in the Inner World is synchronized with the outside world, but it’s divided into day and night based on the supermarket’s operating hours. From 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM is daytime; the supermarket’s overhead lights are on, and the surroundings are as bright as day. From 10:00 PM to 9:00 AM is nighttime; the supermarket lights go out, and the world is pitch black. It’s more dangerous at night. We could be attacked by monsters at any moment. From now on, we must be on full alert!”