Not until more than two months later, when Happiness City announced the lifting of the curfew, did life quickly return to normal. As for what exactly happened during that period, no one knew.

"Is there any connection to 13 years ago?"

"If there is a connection, it would be this: 13 years ago, the infection source was also contact-based and was named 'Nightmare Leech.'

At the mention of this name, Master Tian's hand, gripping the steering wheel, turned a little pale from exertion. "As long as you sleep more than 3 hours, the infection source becomes active. If you don't wake up then, you'll be trapped in an endless nightmare, eventually turning into a walking corpse. But if you can endure for 28 days, sleeping no more than 3 hours each day, the infection source will deactivate on its own."

"Isn't it easy to deal with then?"

Cheng Ye frowned, celestial phenomena are beyond human control, but sleep can be entirely self-regulated.

And sleeping 3 hours a day is enough for humans to recover some energy; enduring 28 days shouldn't be too hard.

"Yes, it is easy to deal with."

Master Tian pulled a stiff smile. "But such an easy-to-handle infection source killed 170,000 people in the Buffer Zone back then, and 80,000 more escaped in the chaos, eventually turning into a Plague Level infection tide that wiped out a small neighboring Shelter City."

"Hmm?"

Cheng Ye froze abruptly, instinctively disbelieving, but would Master Tian deceive him on such matters?

"On the first day of knowing how Nightmare Leech outbreaks, everyone was optimistic, thinking they could easily get through it."

"But the mood swings caused by sleep deprivation accumulate. Peaceful neighbors might, after ten days of poor sleep, suddenly take up arms over minor disputes, and security guards on duty might lose control of their emotions, worsening their attitudes towards residents, exacerbating various conflicts."

"The closer you get to the 28-day deadline, the harder it gets. More troublesome is that everyone's infection batch is different. Some manage to endure 28 days, while others just got infected, resulting in a second infection, forcing them to restart the 28-day countdown."

Master Tian sighed, "Inspector Cheng, you should be able to guess what happens next, right?"

Actually.

Before Master Tian finished speaking, Cheng Ye was already stunned with shock.

When he heard terms like second infection and repeating 28 days, goosebumps rose on his arms instantly.

No wonder they named such an infection source 'Nightmare Leech.'

As long as everyone can't maintain the same pace, this nightmare will continue endlessly.

One round of 28 days begins, one round of 28 days ends, and a new round starts again.

Sleeping only 3 hours a day, even an iron-willed person couldn't last for half a year.

"So what was the result?"

"The result was a chaotic battle. Those who survived 28 days fired at newly infected people, and those nearing the 28-day limit fled desperately to buy more time. The Buffer Zone turned into a battlefield, with everyone shooting at each other from behind building shelters."

"Because they could only sleep three hours a day, the infected couldn't withstand the firepower of the recovered. Barely holding on for three days, they were exhausted, ultimately forced to accept Inner City's forced isolation plan, entering isolation pods one by one until everyone had confirmed 28 full days. Only then did this disaster conclude."

Master Tian smiled self-deprecatingly, "I know you want to ask why everyone didn't accept forced isolation from the start. The truth is, in this vast Wasteland, not everyone is willing to shine for the collective. There are always some parasites leeching off the group; I was one of those forced into isolation pods back then. I'm well aware of those people's thoughts."

"Some people don't want Nightmare Leech to end. They want this disaster to continue forever. I remember something that cost only 5 Happiness Coins, almost snatched up—what was it called—right, the potent Sleep Spirit, drinking it could put you into deep sleep in minutes, quickly restoring energy."

"Even though Nightmare Leech was about to end, mysteriously, a batch of infected would pop up again in a couple of days, spurring new infections. Isn't that strange?"

"Until the final chaos broke out, no one cared anymore. They'd rather die than rely on Sleep Spirit every day. Only then did Nightmare Leech disappear suddenly, and the resistors were willing to enter isolation pods."

"Inspector Cheng, the reason I'm telling you all this is to make you understand not to try combating the trend single-handedly. It's not the Inspectors' fault; it's the inevitable development of Shelter City. Even if you truly have the skill to end this disaster early, without solving the root problem of parasites, the next internal infection tide will only come faster."

"Yes, it's like a sieve that every few years sifts out those parasites from Happiness City."

"Once they've all been sifted out, our Buffer Zone, our Happiness City, can embrace a new round of development!"

"And you don't need to worry too much about this disaster. It's something we all have to get through together. There will definitely be many people standing with you!"

"Including me!"

...

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