Chapter 20: Seeking the Way
1167 Words
What do the Twelve Zodiac signs represent?What lies at the end of this corridor?The underworld?
In this dimly lit, endless corridor, the group moved forward, trembling. After several rounds of intense “games,” everyone felt mentally and physically drained. As they suddenly relaxed, the deathly aura that had been clinging to them seemed to fade.
Zhi Xia accidentally turned around and saw Lin Qing standing beside him, still covering her nose and mouth with her hand.
“Aren’t you feeling uncomfortable doing that?” Zhi Xia asked, mimicking Lin Qing and covering his own nose and mouth. “Although the smell here is awful, doing that might make it hard for you to breathe.”
“Breathe?” Lin Qing was slightly taken aback, then smiled. “I don’t find it hard to breathe, it just feels odd not covering my mouth and nose, like…”
“Like what?”
“Like not wearing clothes.” Lin Qing laughed a little awkwardly, then removed her hand from her face.
Her nose was sharp, her lips full, and there seemed to be no need for covering it. Zhi Xia didn’t quite understand what she meant by “like not wearing clothes.”
Lin Qing smiled faintly, still feeling a bit uncomfortable, and covered her mouth and nose again.
“I feel a little shy… Don’t you think it’s awkward?” Lin Qing asked Zhi Xia. “Like leaving your mouth and nose exposed like this.”
“Why would it be awkward?” Zhi Xia felt a bit confused.
“It’s the ‘mask’,” Lin Qing said, looking at him as though he were an alien. “Aren’t you uncomfortable without one?”
“Mask…”
Before Zhi Xia could process her words, a strange light appeared in the distance.
The group was drawn to this light and hurried forward.
It was the exit.
A ray of light, like the glow of a sunset, streamed in from the exit.
“We’re getting out!!” Jo Jiajin shouted excitedly. “I can see the light of the sunset!”
His shout was like a shot of adrenaline for everyone. Dr. Zhao helped support Han Yimo and followed the others, quickening their pace.
“Sunset?” Zhi Xia thought for a moment, then said to the group, “We woke up around midnight. After more than an hour of ‘games,’ it should be around 2 AM now. Whether it's 2 AM or 2 PM, we shouldn’t be seeing a ‘sunset.’”
“You’re overthinking it.” Officer Li shook his head. “The time in the room might not be accurate. It could very well be evening right now.”
Zhi Xia nodded slightly, realizing Li was right. His perception of time was based on the clock in the room, but no one could guarantee that it showed the correct time.
A few steps later, they saw a shadow next to the exit.
As they approached, the shadow gradually took on a human form. He, too, wore an animal mask, but this one made everyone feel nauseous.
Unlike the others, whose masks were made from a single animal head, this person’s mask was crafted from various animal parts sewn together with thread.
His mouth resembled that of a crocodile, his nose like a bull’s, with fish scales on his cheeks and snake skin on his neck. He had the mane of a lion and antlers of a stag sewn onto it.
This creature looked like…
“Hello, I am ‘Human Dragon,’” the patchwork monster said slowly. “All survivors? How interesting.”
“Dragon…?”
The group instinctively stopped, their nerves on high alert.
It wasn’t because of the word “dragon,” but because they were all too familiar with this introduction. Every time someone introduced themselves like this, it was followed by a terrifying game.
“Don’t worry,” Human Dragon waved his hand. “Your ‘test’ is over for now.”
The group noticed that his hands wore eagle-claw gloves.
His entire body exuded the stench of decaying animal parts, but he seemed completely unaware, continuing to speak as if nothing was wrong:
“I won’t bring you any new ‘tests,’ just some advice.”
The group remained silent, huddled together, eyes fixed on the Human Dragon with vigilance.
“You have ten days,” Human Dragon said slowly. “You have ten days to change everything. If you don’t collect 3,600 ‘Dao’ within that time, the world you’re in will be destroyed. Everything you see will perish along with it.”
His words were so brief, but they left the group bewildered.
“3,600 ‘Dao’?” Zhi Xia furrowed his brows. “What is ‘Dao’? And what do you mean by the world will be destroyed?”
“Questions? Heh heh, good,” Human Dragon nodded. “Having questions means you’re still clear-headed. The so-called ‘Dao’ is…”
Human Dragon reached into his black suit pocket, fumbled for a while, then pulled out a small golden ball.
The ball’s outer layer was white, with a golden center, radiating a soft glow, looking rather strange.
“This is ‘Dao,’” Human Dragon continued. “If you collect 3,600 ‘Dao,’ you’ll be saved.”
Zhi Xia pondered for a moment, then reached out and took one of the small balls. It didn’t feel hard, and had a bit of elasticity to it.
“Take it,” Human Dragon said with a smile. “This is yours anyway.”
Zhi Xia thought for a while before accepting the ‘Dao.’
“You’ve passed the six tests: ‘Liar,’ ‘Spring After the Rain,’ ‘Sudden Death from the Sky,’ and ‘Yes or No,’” Human Dragon said. “These are your rewards and your ‘chips.’”
No one had expected that the things they had risked their lives for were these inconspicuous little balls. The group didn’t know what to say.
“‘Dao’…” Zhi Xia furrowed his brows, helplessly saying, “You’re saying that if we don’t find 3,600 of these little balls, the world will be destroyed?”
“Heh heh heh, exactly. If this world is destroyed, well… you won’t be able to leave,” Human Dragon nodded. His face, with fish scales and lion’s mane, wobbled with his head, looking very odd.
“It seems you have a lot of these balls. Can’t you just collect 3,600 yourself?” Officer Li cut in sharply. “You’re stronger than we are. You could go collect them yourself. Why choose us?”
“Me?” Human Dragon sneered. “We are all guilty beings. Guilty ones cannot obtain ‘Dao.’ Only those chosen like you can. In the end, you will become ‘Gods.’”
“This is absurd!” Zhang Chenze interrupted, crossing her arms with a bit of anger. “Do you even know what you’re saying?”
- Writer
