Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World-Chapter 370: The Mysterious Fog and the River

"His name is Koko. He has some skills in taming birds. However, no matter what kind of bird it is, none of them can fly out of this place." The old man sighed. "There's a strange boundary above this space. Anything that reaches this boundary can only move downward. No matter what methods we try, we cannot ascend. Only movement within the boundary is unrestricted."

Upon hearing this, Kim Haru finally understood why Fuzzball hadn't let the owl carry him out directly.

The owl could only fly downward, not upward.

The small village hidden within the depths of Biryong Cliff had fewer than a hundred people and no official name.

After all, in such a vast cliff, there were only two human settlements.

On a daily basis, people simply referred to them as "our village" and "their village" or used directional phrases like "over there" or "across the river."

It was a simple and convenient way to distinguish between the two.

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According to the village elder, their people were originally a nomadic tribe living on the Biryong Plains.

Coincidentally, they were the owners of the farmland Kim Haru had seen before he fell.

Their lives had been relatively stable—until one day, the world suddenly changed.

Kim Haru immediately realized that the day the elder spoke of must have been the day the apocalypse began in this world.

Fortunately, no one in this small village had turned into zombies.

In fact, they had no idea that the outside world was now overrun with the zombie.

The elder recounted how, overnight, all the grass on the plains had withered and dried up.

All communication devices stopped working, cutting them off from the outside world.

They had no idea what had happened.

Some people tried to ride horses or drive out to find help, but the animals were no longer the obedient companions they once knew.

Their eyes turned blood-red, like creatures possessed by demons in old stories.

Some animals ran away, some died, but most of them moved in herds, leaping straight into Biryong Cliff.

As for vehicles?

One terrified person stole a car and drove off in a desperate escape attempt.

The changes happened too quickly, giving them no time to react.

Soon, they discovered that the crops in their fields were also beginning to mutated.

At that moment, everyone realized they could not stay any longer.

Having once been a nomadic people, they quickly packed up their belongings.

However, just as they gathered and prepared to leave, a massive vortex appeared above Biryong Cliff!

"The suction force was stronger than a tornado, leaving us completely powerless to resist," the old man said with a sorrowful sigh and shook his head. "At that moment, not a single person was spared—we were all sucked inside."

"We thought we were doomed."

However, who could have imagined that after falling through a dark and suffocating descent, they would suddenly find themselves in a space as bright as daylight?

Most of them were fortunate enough to land in the river and suffering only minor impact injuries.

However, a few unlucky ones crashed onto the shore.

Two people, who were already in poor health, died on the spot, while the others sustained severe injuries.

At least they were still alive.

Looking back, they concluded that something must have cushioned their fall.

Otherwise, from such a great height, even landing in water wouldn't have resulted in such minor injuries—let alone the fact that those who landed on solid ground had survived at all.

However, to this day, no one knows what saved them.

From the moment they fell into the cliff, everyone had been searching for a way back up.

During this time, they encountered all sorts of strange creatures within the cliff, faced life-threatening disasters, and discovered that many people had suddenly developed unusual abilities.

In the end, they settled near the stone forest, yet they still hadn't found a way to escape.

"Flying straight up isn't an option. Some people have considered climbing down the cliff walls on either side," the old man said as he noticed Kim Haru's gaze drifting toward the barely visible cliff walls. He shook his head. "But the closer we get to the edges, the more ferocious the mutated plants and animals become. We don't even last a single round against them. They live in dense clusters, so there's no way to sneak past."

"The river narrows at its end, leading to another set of steep cliff walls, also heavily guarded by strange monsters. It's impossible to get near them."

The river the old man referred to was the straight waterway running through the center of the cliff.

Kim Haru had seen part of it on his way out of the stone forest.

It looked as though someone had drawn a dividing line through the cliff, splitting it into two halves.

The other group of people at the bottom of the cliff lived on the opposite side of the river.

The old man continued, "The only place we haven't explored is the upper reaches of the river. That area is covered in a thick fog all year round. Once you enter, you can't even see yourself, let alone find your way. If you wander around blindly, within ten seconds, you'll end up right back outside the fog."

That was certainly different from the other directions.

Kim Haru's curiosity was immediately piqued.

If something is different, it means there might be a breakthrough.

"Is it just a matter of visibility and getting lost?" Kim Haru asked. "What about health conditions?"

The old man gave a bitter smile. "The first time someone enters and comes out, there are no problems at all. At first, we also thought it was just those two issues—that this fog wouldn't affect our health. We even thought that if we kept trying, we'd eventually find a way out. However…"

"Three times. The first time, there's no issue at all. But when the same person enters a second time and comes out, their body starts to weaken inexplicably. In severe cases, they might even lose an arm or a leg. Some people lose their vision, hearing, or even the ability to speak. The effects vary greatly."