To better question everyone, Gao Yi changed his tag again, switching back to 【Reporter】.
【Name: Gao Yi】
【Equipped Tags (2/2): Reporter Lv3 (Common), Enthusiastic Citizen Lv2 (Rare)】
【Tag Abilities: ① Nightcrawler: Higher probability of encountering various unexpected events and breaking news;
② Truth Above All: Randomly obtain one confidential document per week;
③ Zootopia: Makes people unconsciously feel close and reliable, making it easier to gain trust and praise;
④ Big Hero 6: When acting courageously, combat power will be enhanced.】
【Daily Tag Mission: Undercover investigation of a criminal organization with over a hundred members and obtaining their criminal evidence (Completed)】
【Unequipped Tags: Deadbeat Lv1 (Rare), Heartbroken Person Lv1 (Common), Professional Internet Surfer Lv1 (Common), Friend of Elderly Women Lv2 (Rare)】
【Possessed Traits: None】
【Remaining Common Item Lottery Chances * 3】
Now, facing the predicament of finding no breakthrough, Gao Yi even had to hope for the “unexpected events” of 【Nightcrawler】 to appear.
After confirming that his tags were equipped correctly, he took a deep breath and looked at the people in the supermarket.
Immediately after, he began a barrage of questions.
“What kind of company do I work for? Why are you suddenly asking such a question… It’s a sales company… Sales of what? Just selling small items.”
The middle-aged office worker on duty clearly hadn’t expected Gao Yi to ask about this, and after a slight hesitation, he still gave an answer.
“Near the town? Never heard of any chemical plants or military bases around here, this place is too desolate, there wouldn’t be anything like that.”
Uncle Fujimoto raised an eyebrow, but still answered Gao Yi's question.
After thanking them separately, Gao Yi added two more strokes next to “Technology side, some kind of leak or disaster” in his notebook.
Among the twelve people present, including Gao Yi, none had any expertise in chemistry or biology.
If he had to pick the best in chemistry, it would probably be the two high school students.
And on top of that, there was no usable detection equipment available.
If there were any dangerous chemical plants or secretive military bases near the supermarket, they might be considered the source.
But in this desolate wilderness, there was indeed nothing of the sort.
The cause and various properties of this white mist remained a mystery.
“Since this is no longer the world I’m familiar with, I should broaden my thinking… Maybe this world really has various magic and ghosts?”
Gao Yi murmured softly, put away his notebook, and turned to walk towards the elderly group.
“Do you even need to ask?! It’s you outsiders, bringing all sorts of things from other places, that’s why the Mountain God is angry!”
The old woman, who already had an unpleasant expression, heard Gao Yi’s question and suddenly became agitated, repeating her previous assertion.
“Things from other places, including what?”
Gao Yi squatted opposite her, feigning confusion.
“Everything! Everything here is from other places!”
The old woman exaggeratedly raised her hands, drawing a large circle, as if to encompass the entire interior of the supermarket.
“I understand…”
Gao Yi did not question why she, who hated things from other places so much, still came here to shop, or the fact that her clothes were clearly industrial products.
“Oh, little brother, don’t listen to Grandma. She’s been yelling like that for over ten years, and she still comes here obediently to buy ‘outsiders’’ things.”
The hot girl playing with her phone beside them waved her hand without even looking up, making the old woman’s narrowed eyes open wide in anger as she began loudly criticizing her attire.
But this only provoked another round of laughter from the hot girl.
And questioning the old hunter nearby also yielded no effective response:
“I’ve been hunting in these mountains for decades, and there are plenty of wild beasts, but strange devices and buildings? Never seen them…”
“Is that so…”
Gao Yi thanked them again, noticing that his 【Reporter】 tag experience had increased.
As he turned to leave, the hot girl behind him chuckled and bid Gao Yi farewell:
“Oh, you’re anxious for nothing. It’s already one in the morning, go to sleep first, little ~ bro ~ ther ♦.”
He gave a wry smile as a response, but there was still no progress.
Looking at his notebook, if both the “mystical side” and “technological side” guesses were wrong, then what was the answer?
Everyone’s words sounded ordinary, but combined, they made Gao Yi feel a distinct sense of strangeness.
There must be some problem, some problem he hadn’t discovered yet.
No, it’s also possible that it had already been discovered, but was overlooked…
Looking at the last few people he hadn’t spoken to yet, Gao Yi walked towards the student couple and the sleeping child.
The child was currently sleeping on the sofa, with Ms. Naiga beside him, patting his back gently with a loving smile.
When he first saw this middle-aged woman, she had always worn sunglasses.
After going out into the fog, she seemed to have lost them somewhere, and didn’t wear them again when she returned.
And the exposed part of her face was bruised, clearly an old injury.
Upon closer inspection, Ms. Naiga, in this summer weather, was wearing long sleeves and long pants, which were actually to conceal her body injuries.
“Ms. Naiga, does your husband use violence against you?”
This was actually not difficult to judge; the scars on her body were clearly long-term and accumulated.
“Domestic violence” was a natural conclusion.
Although he didn’t fully understand the specific setting of this world, marital violence was a topic not limited to a specific country or era.
But to Gao Yi’s surprise, Ms. Naiga showed a surprised expression, tilting her head slightly:
“Violence? No, not at all.”
Hearing this reply, Gao Yi also frowned, confusion welling up in his heart.
He hadn’t failed to consider the possibility of her hiding something; what surprised him was Ms. Naiga’s expression and attitude.
This wasn’t the expression of someone hiding a family shame or avoiding the truth.
On the contrary, she looked like she genuinely knew nothing, as if the so-called “domestic violence” had never existed.
“Then why do you wear sunglasses at night and long sleeves in the summer, if not to cover up injuries?”
“Injuries… No, Mr. Gao Yi…” Ms. Naiga’s face showed even deeper confusion, and she spoke hesitantly:
“Isn’t it winter now?”
Huh?
Gao Yi’s frown tightened even more; Ms. Naiga’s words seemed to have lost all logic.
But then, the words of the student couple nearby made Gao Yi unable to maintain his composure.
The male student shook his head in extreme confusion, rubbing his hair as he asked:
“Night? Wait, isn’t it just past noon?”
He exchanged glances with his girlfriend, then both flipped their phone screens towards Gao Yi, and added:
“We came here for lunch…”
Looking at the phone screens extended towards him, Gao Yi felt the hairs on his body stand on end.
Above their couple’s wallpaper, the current time was clearly displayed.
【2:32 PM】
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