Chapter 21: Heartland
"Of course... heh heh, of course I know what I'm saying." Dragon-man slowly took a step forward and said to the group, "Countless people have walked through this door, and I've said these same words to every single one of them."
"Countless..."
The group was stunned for a moment. Officer Li said viciously, "What the hell are you people? How many have you kidnapped here?"
"'Kidnapped'?" Dragon-man tilted his head, revealing a pair of murky eyes through the hollows of his mask. He stared coldly at Officer Li and laughed. "Are you mistaken? Did we really 'kidnap' you here?"
"Isn't that the truth?!" Officer Li gritted his teeth. "Did we come here on our own?!"
Lin Qin sighed and said to Qi Xia and Officer Li, "You both know they're insane, so don't try to argue with them. Let's get out of here quickly."
Her words sobered the group somewhat. These people wearing animal masks were already abnormal, and this one who had stitched various animal heads together was even crazier. If they followed the logic of a madman, they'd soon go crazy themselves.
The group bypassed Dragon-man and walked toward the exit behind him.
"Remember, without three thousand six hundred 'Dao,' no one can leave," Dragon-man reminded them quietly at the end.
Qi Xia inexplicably turned his head and asked, "How do we obtain 'Dao'?"
"Damn it, why are you bothering with him?" Qiao Jiajin pushed Qi Xia in annoyance. "Are you really going to look for those golden beads?"
"No matter what, I have to get out." Qi Xia's eyes held a resolute determination. "Someone is waiting for me."
Dragon-man nodded slightly and said, "Through the 'games' you've experienced. Different games can grant you different 'Dao.'"
Qi Xia's expression turned grim as he looked down at the golden bead in his hand. "You mean... we have to actively participate in games to obtain 'Dao'?"
"Heh heh, that's right. Take them, hold onto them." Dragon-man's dirty hands waved continuously. "You must leave this place."
Qi Xia stared at the bead in his hand, lost in thought.
The others didn't know how to persuade him, so they filed out through the door one by one.
A gentle wind hit their faces, carrying with it that indescribably heavy smell.
The people present slowly opened their eyes, but there was no joy of being reborn.
Because before them lay a dead city, like a ruin.
Beneath a dark red sky hung a muddy-colored sun. The sun's surface was streaked with black lines that were spreading inward.
Under this bizarre sky, a dilapidated city unfolded before their eyes.
It looked like the bustling center of a small town, but it had been bombed once, then burned to ashes. A great fire had raged for days and nights without being extinguished, leaving only this ruin.
Most of the buildings were damaged, their walls cracked. Countless dark red plants crawled up the walls.
Officer Li swallowed hard and asked, "Hey, Dragon-man, what kind of hellish place have you brought us to..."
He turned around, and his words died in his throat as his mouth slowly fell open.
The others followed his gaze and turned back.
Behind them, there was no building at all—just an empty square.
The nine of them stood alone in the center of the square, as if they had fallen from the sky.
"How did we get here?"
"Where's the door we came out of?! Where's Dragon-man?!"
Unfortunately, no one here could answer their questions.
At the center of the square stood a conspicuously large electronic display screen, looking quite old with rusty edges. On the screen, a sentence flickered that left the group baffled:
"I heard the echo of 'Zhao Zai'."
"'Zhao Zai'? What the hell is that?" Qiao Jiajin read the sentence twice but still didn't understand.
Qi Xia noticed that above the electronic screen stood a massive, mottled bronze bell. This ancient object placed alongside the electronic screen looked very incongruous.
After a long silence, writer Han Yimo slowly looked up and muttered, "So we really are dead... This is the underworld, isn't it?"
Before seeing this sight, he had held onto a sliver of hope. Maybe they hadn't died—maybe they had been captured just before death. But how else could he explain this obviously abnormal world?
"I don't know if we're dead or not, but I do know that if we don't treat your wound soon, you'll die for real," Doctor Zhao said, forcing himself to stay alert as he supported Han Yimo's arm.
Those words slowly dragged the group back to reality.
No matter what, they seemed to be 'alive' for now. And since they seemed to be alive, they couldn't give up.
"There seems to be a convenience store over there," Lin Qin pointed into the distance. "It looks badly damaged, but I wonder if there might be needles and gauze inside?"
Without a word, Qiao Jiajin lifted Han Yimo's other arm and said with a bitter smile, "Let's go check it out. It'd be even better if there's some food."
The group moved forward slowly.
The scene around them exuded a strange atmosphere at every turn, unsettling their minds.
The convenience store was in the middle of a road. The glass at the entrance was completely shattered, and half of the sign had collapsed.
Just as they were about to reach the door, they gradually slowed to a halt.
Across from the convenience store was a restaurant, and a figure stood at its entrance. He wore an ox-head mask and a black suit, his hands clasped behind his back, standing like a statue.
The group's hearts tightened with tension.
These people in animal masks were all insane.
Was he standing here now to impose some new 'trial'?
They waited cautiously for a while, but the ox-head figure didn't move at all. He didn't speak, nor did he even glance at them.
Finally, the group mustered their courage and shuffled forward a few more steps until they reached the convenience store entrance.
"Is it a dummy?" Tiantian asked cautiously.
Qi Xia took a closer look at the ox-head man. His eyes beneath the mask were still moving slightly—he probably wasn't a dummy. He looked like he was guarding the restaurant behind him.
"Whatever he is, let's just pretend he doesn't exist," Officer Li said, turning to open the battered door of the convenience store.
As soon as the door opened, a nauseating smell hit them.
The city's scent was already exceptionally 'heavy,' but the convenience store's odor was even worse.
A mix of fishy, stinky, and burnt smells, laced with a hint of heat, swirled within the room. These smells seemed fresh, as if they had just been released.
"Ugh..."
Lawyer Zhang Chenze couldn't bear it and bent over, dry heaving.
Tiantian looked at her with concern and asked, "Lawyer Zhang, are you alright?"
"I'm fine..." Zhang Chenze wiped her mouth and looked at Tiantian. "You seem completely unaffected..."
Tiantian's expression turned slightly unnatural, and she gave a bitter smile. "Maybe it's because of my job... I've smelled worse things."
"Don't... don't say any more..." Zhang Chenze nearly vomited again.
Covering his nose and mouth, Qi Xia entered the room. Most of the shelves here were toppled over. The floor was pitch black and sticky—he had no idea what it was.