I'm Trapped in the Block

The moment Mo Ling heard Li Luo speak, he thought she had been possessed.

But Li Luo quickly added, "It’s circling in my mind, telling me one thing over and over—it must change."

Li Luo quickly took out her digital tablet and wrote down what she was experiencing.

’It must change? What does that mean?’

Mo Ling couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

He quickly used his tablet to ask Li Luo, "What is the Voice of God? What does ’it must change’ mean?"

Li Luo looked panicked as well. She immediately found some information and placed it in front of Mo Ling. "It’s a relic phenomenon, an unknown one, but it was famous during the Cataclysm."

Mo Ling looked at the records, his expression growing heavy.

...

The Voice of God. It was a strange, auditory relic phenomenon of unknown origin, and its first appearance had caused the deaths of many.

It first manifested in the West Bank of the Jordan River during the Cataclysm, a time when all sorts of bizarre and supernatural things were happening daily.

The Voice of God was particularly special. It arrived without any warning, suddenly appearing in the minds of everyone in the area in the early hours of one morning.

Whether they were awake or asleep, the voice invaded the deepest corners of their minds.

The Voice of God spoke a single phrase: "Let there be light."

It was a strange, telepathic voice, not in any known language, yet understood by all.

Even the deaf could hear it.

Due to the region’s prevalent beliefs, many thought it was a divine manifestation, and the entire area that could hear the Voice of God erupted in celebration.

But the celebration did not last long. Disaster struck.

Countless people and animals vanished in the darkness.

The people who hadn’t disappeared soon discovered that they were safe only if they stayed under a light source.

That strange voice wasn’t a divine manifestation at all.

It was an "announcement," or rather, a "command."

If anyone was not under a light source, the Voice of God would relentlessly torment them, echoing in their mind until they suddenly vanished.

Furthermore, the light source couldn’t be too dim; it had to be roughly equivalent to an incandescent bulb. If the brightness was too low, the voice would also ring out in their minds.

The disappearances caused a panic, and methods for escaping God’s "judgment" began to spread through the media.

The survivors quickly began to save themselves. The entire region was lit up like day. Fortunately, the Voice of God would vanish from their minds as soon as they escaped the affected area.

But most people didn’t leave. They never imagined that what was to come would be even more terrifying.

In the early hours of the second day, the Voice of God fell silent.

Just as people thought it was all over, the voice began a new proclamation.

"Must breathe."

Reading this, Mo Ling felt a surge of confusion. ’What’s this for?’

’Could there really be people who don’t know how to breathe?’

But Mo Ling suddenly realized something was wrong, because when he saw the two words "Must breathe," he instinctively held his breath for a moment.

A chill went down Mo Ling’s spine, and he quickly read on.

Sure enough, the "punishment" on this day was even more severe. Holding one’s breath for even a moment would cause a person to vanish instantly.

There was no time to react.

That day, the entire region was deathly silent. Everyone focused on maintaining their breathing; any act that broke their concentration would lead to another disappearance.

And Mo Ling instantly thought of the most fatal problem—

’You can’t breathe when you’re talking!’

After those around them had vanished, the people affected by the Voice of God also noticed this. Under immense pressure, everyone maintained their breathing, daring not to do anything.

In the early hours of the third day, the Voice of God once again entered their minds.

It said: "There must be water."

By now, the people dared not disobey God’s will. They scrambled to find the nearest water source and frantically poured it into their mouths.

But just then, the tap water stopped flowing.

The third day’s punishment did not come swiftly, so everyone frantically searched for a nearby water source.

Those near rivers were fine, but the people in the city, without tap water, could only flood into supermarkets to buy bottled water.

Soon, the supermarkets were packed. The desperate ones charged straight for the shelves and started snatching what they could.

Must drink water, keep drinking water, can’t stop!

Small beverage shops, tree sap, small puddles, stinking gutters...

When they had drunk everything at home, they went out to steal from others. When there was nothing left to steal, there was still one other way—

Blood.

The blood of others.

That day, people not only had to endure the urging of the Voice of God, but also had to be wary of their own kind, who were eyeing them like prey.

It wasn’t until the early hours of the fourth day that the Voice of God disappeared with a low rumble of thunder in the sky, and a belated downpour finally reached the city.

The scattered raindrops washed away the city’s chaos as people instinctively raised their heads, catching the once-precious water in their mouths.

「Fourth day.」

"Must move."

Beneath the night stars, the people wandered the city like the walking dead.

After several days of torment, those who remained were utterly obedient to the Voice of God.

The few remaining humans didn’t think to take the opportunity to leave the area; they just followed the voice in their heads, moving steadfastly.

By now, they had only one thing on their minds: obey the command. They had no capacity left to think about anything else.

Reading this, Mo Ling’s heart filled with sorrow.

’If I were in that situation,’ he thought, ’I’d probably have no choice but to go with the flow, either.’

Mo Ling continued reading.

「Fifth day.」

"Must hide."

On this day, enormous Black Shadows with indistinct bodies began to appear throughout the area. They brutally tore apart any human they saw.

Their appearances were completely random, and whether they found a hiding person was purely a matter of luck.

These Black Shadows roamed and hovered everywhere; humans could do nothing but hide.

People outside the area could also see these creatures and even tried attacking them with ranged weapons, but to no effect.

Only by hiding could one hope to survive.

The people within the area had no other thoughts, numbly following God’s instruction.

Hiding in closets, under beds, in attics...

The smaller and more concealed the space, the less likely they were to be found by the Black Shadows.

The survivors hid until the early hours of the sixth day, when all the Black Shadows vanished.

Numbly, they awaited God’s next command.

But when that day’s voice reached their minds, they all instinctively looked at their loved ones beside them.

「Sixth day.」

"Must beware of humans."

The moment these survivors heard the voice and made eye contact with their companions, they vanished from the world.

On the sixth day, to see a human was to die.

Those who had formed groups to survive the crisis vanished into thin air after hearing the voice, because they all saw the people next to them.

Not only that, but if anyone saw themselves in a mirror or caught their own reflection in any shiny surface, they too would disappear.

They themselves were human, after all.

Fortunately, because of the previous day’s command, most people only had to stay in their hiding places for one more day to survive the sixth day.

This day was not difficult.

But in the early hours of the seventh day, when the Voice of God reached everyone’s mind...

Despair descended.