I'm Not A Drama God

Chapter 7: Blockade of the whole area · That afternoon, the screams on Frost Street barely ceased. · The culprit behind it all, Chen Ling, sat quietly under a tree with his head propped in his hand, joining the surrounding crowd to watch the drama... while simultaneously monitoring the changes in the [Audience Expectation Value]. · Initially, when Uncle Zhao spanked Zhao Yi’s backside, the Expectation Value grew by small increments. But after a few rounds, the growth stagnated, eventually freezing at 48%. · After watching for a while longer, the value actually dropped by 1%, falling to 47%... · It seemed the Audience was getting bored. · Are the spectators in my head all just here for the chaos? Chen Ling couldn't help but wonder. · Through this experiment, Chen Ling had confirmed that the Audience's Expectation Value fluctuated based on his actions. If the events he experienced were exciting enough, the value would rise. However, if there was no "entertainment" for an extended period, the value would decay over time. · Did that mean if he wanted to keep the value above 20%, he had to constantly manufacture "thrilling plots"? · Today, Zhao Yi had provoked him first, and since the guy was the neighborhood bully, giving him a small lesson was justifiable... but he couldn't pull this kind of stunt every day, could he? · If things continued like this, wasn't he destined to become some great villain terrorizing the world? · At that thought, Chen Ling felt a wave of mental exhaustion. · His only lifeline now was the Aurora City [Doctor] mentioned by Doctor Lin. Perhaps that man could purge whatever Calamity contamination was inside him and rescue him from this trajectory of being a "passive entertainer." · Just as Chen Ling was lost in thought, a low, heavy tolling echoed from the distance! · Dong— Dong— Dong!! · Three tolls of the bell rang out, seemingly piercing through space to vibrate in every corner of heaven and earth. · The moment they heard the bell, the expressions of the surrounding crowd shifted instantly. Even Uncle Zhao, who was mid-chase after Zhao Yi, froze and looked toward the distance in shock. · "Three tolls of the Calamity Bell?!" An elder’s face turned deathly pale. "How is this possible?" · "The Calamity Bell... that’s the warning signal from the Law Enforcers. It means they’ve detected traces of a Gray Realm Convergence within the district. A Calamity has invaded..." · "I thought the Aurora Realm was protected by the Aurora Light? They said it almost never converges with the Gray Realm. In the last ten years, Calamities haven't appeared more than three times..." · "Where is the Calamity now?" · "I don't know... regardless, get home! Fast! Don't come out for anything!" · Upon hearing the three tolls, everyone’s faces turned a uniform shade of ashen white. Zhao Yi, who had been howling from the beating just moments ago, felt his legs go weak and collapsed directly onto the ground. · The earth beneath their feet trembled slightly. Chen Ling turned to look and saw over a dozen fast horses galloping toward them from the distance. · A figure in a black and red uniform sat atop each horse, handguns holstered at their waists, their expressions grim. · "A suspected High-Risk Calamity has appeared! District Three is under total lockdown! No one is permitted to enter or leave!!" · "Watch for any suspicious signs—roads or buildings appearing out of nowhere, strange-looking creatures, or even humans behaving abnormally!!" · "Report any anomalies to the Law Enforcers immediately!!" · "Everyone, cooperate with the investigation!!" · The voices of the Law Enforcers echoed through Frost Street and every corner of District Three. Accompanied by the fading resonance of the Calamity Bell, an inexplicable tension blanketed the world. · At this moment, no one had the heart to watch the drama anymore. Everyone scrambled back to their homes. Even Zhao Yi, after receiving one last slap, was dragged inside by his cursing father. · Chen Ling stood alone under the tree, preparing to head home as well. Just then, two lines of characters flashed within the pile of fallen leaves— · [Audience Expectation Value +18] · [Current Expectation Value: 65%] · Seeing the sudden surge in Expectation Value, Chen Ling froze. · A moment later, a bone-chilling thought leapt into his mind... · They... they aren't coming for me, are they?! · District Three. · Law Enforcer Headquarters. · Dim sunlight filtered through the hemispherical glass dome, refracting into mottled glimmers that illuminated the interior. · A banner over ten meters long hung high in the center. On a pitch-black background, two cyan six-pointed stars overlapped, resembling shining stars in a polar night sky. · Beneath the banner, over a dozen Law Enforcers in black and red uniforms stood in a stiff, solemn line, facing the main entrance as if waiting for someone. · As the doors swung open, five Enforcement Officers wearing black trench coats walked in side-by-side. · Among the five, Han Meng walked in the center. The hem of his trench coat was embroidered with four silver patterns, while the other four had only three. Upon their arrival, every Law Enforcer present snapped to attention. · "What's the situation?" Han Meng asked in a low voice. · "The Calamity Bell has been rung. District Three is currently under total lockdown, but we haven't found any trace of the Calamity yet..." One Law Enforcer hesitated for a moment before he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Meng... the Calamity Pointer self-destructed... what does that mean?" · "There are only two scenarios where a Calamity Pointer self-destructs," Han Meng spoke calmly. · "First, a special Calamity has descended nearby with an ability that happens to disable the pointer... but that explanation only exists in theory. To date, no such Calamity has ever been discovered." · "Second, a Level 9... commonly known as a 'World-Extinction Level' Calamity has invaded. Its residual energy fluctuations exceeded the pointer's limit, causing it to explode automatically." · "World... World-Extinction Level??" The crowd turned pale. · "Don't be so tense... do you really think a 'World-Extinguisher' has descended?" The Enforcement Officer beside Han Meng chuckled. · "A World-Extinction Level Calamity is an entity capable of eradicating an entire human Realm. There are only a handful of them in the entire Gray Realm... if a 'World-Extinguisher' really descended, forget District Three—even Aurora City would have been reduced to ash the moment it arrived." · Hearing this, the crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief. · "So, it's likely just a unique 'Calamity'?" · "That's the only plausible explanation for now." · "But the Calamity Pointer is broken. How are we supposed to rank it?" · "We can't," Han Meng shook his head. "Not unless it shows itself again and we engage it... Right now, the priority is to mobilize everyone for a door-to-door search. We must find it before it starts killing." · "A door-to-door search... but we might not have enough manpower." · "Then temporarily draft the Law Enforcer candidates. Didn't the Written Examination just end a few days ago? Gather the qualified group and tell them... this is their Martial Examination." · "Yes, sir!" · [END]