Chapter 21: Hinterland
"Of course... hehe, of course I know what I'm saying." Human Dragon slowly took a step forward and said to everyone, "Countless people have walked through this door, and I've said these exact words to every single one of them."
"Countless..."
The crowd was stunned. Officer Li said fiercely, "What the hell are you people? How many people have you captured?"
"'Captured'?" Human Dragon tilted his head, revealing a pair of murky eyes through the hollows of his mask. He stared coldly at Officer Li and sneered, "Are you sure you've got that right? Did we really 'capture' you?"
"Isn't that the truth?!" Officer Li gritted his teeth. "Did we come here willingly?!"
Lin Qin sighed and said to Qi Xia and Officer Li, "You both know they're crazy, so don't try to argue with them. Let's get out of here quickly."
Her words sobered the group quite a bit. These people in animal masks were abnormal to begin with, and the one in front of them—who had stitched together various animal heads—was even more insane. If they followed a madman's train of thought, they'd go crazy themselves soon enough.
The crowd bypassed Human Dragon and headed toward the exit behind him.
"Remember this: without three thousand six hundred 'Dao', no one can leave," Human Dragon finally reminded them in a low voice.
For some reason, Qi Xia turned his head and asked him, "How do we obtain 'Dao'?"
"Bro, why are you bothering with him?" Qiao Jiajin pushed Qi Xia irritably. "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."
Human Dragon nodded slightly and said, "It's through the 'games' you've experienced. Different games can grant different 'Dao'."
Qi Xia's expression darkened. He lowered his head and examined the golden bead in his hand. "You're saying... we have to actively participate in games to obtain 'Dao'?"
"Hehe, that's right. Take them, take them." Human Dragon waved his grimy hands. "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 the door one after another.
A gentle breeze hit their faces, carrying that indescribably heavy scent.
The few people present slowly opened their eyes, but there was no joy of being reborn.
Before them lay a dead city, like a ruin.
Under the dark red sky hung a dirt-colored sun. On its surface were thin black lines spreading inward.
Beneath this grotesque sky lay a dilapidated city.
It looked like the bustling district of a small town, but it had been bombed, then burned to ashes. The fire had raged for days without being extinguished, leaving it like this.
Most of the buildings were damaged, walls cracked. Countless dark red plants crawled up the walls.
Officer Li swallowed and asked, "Hey, Human Dragon, what kind of hellhole did you bring us to..."
He turned around, and his voice died in his throat as his mouth slowly fell open.
The others followed his gaze and turned to look.
Behind them was no building at all—just an empty square.
The nine of them now stood alone in the center of the square, as if they had fallen from the sky.
"How did we end up here?"
"Where's the door we came out of?! Where's Human Dragon?!"
Unfortunately, no one here could answer their questions.
In the very center of the square stood a conspicuously large electronic screen that looked quite old, with rust even forming on its edges.
On the screen, a sentence was displayed that left everyone baffled:
"I heard the Echo of 'Calamity Call'."
"Calamity Call? 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 huge, mottled bronze bell. Placing this ancient object next to the electronic screen looked extremely discordant.
After a long while, the writer Han Yimo slowly raised his head and muttered, "So we really are dead... This is the underworld, isn't it?"
Before seeing this sight, he had still clung to a shred of hope.
Maybe they hadn't died—maybe they had been captured here just before death.
But how else to explain this obviously abnormal world?
"I don't know if we're dead or not. All I know is that if I don't treat your wound soon, you really will die," Dr. Zhao said, forcing himself to stay alert as he supported Han Yimo's arm.
These words slowly brought everyone back to reality from their daze.
No matter what, they seemed to be 'alive' for now. Since they seemed alive, they couldn't give up.
"There seems to be a convenience store over there." Lin Qin pointed into the distance. "Although it looks badly damaged, I wonder if there might be needles and gauze inside?"
Without a word, Qiao Jiajin lifted Han Yimo's other arm and gave a bitter smile. "Let's go check it out. It'd be even better if there's something to eat."
The group moved forward slowly.
The scene around them exuded a strange aura at every moment, unsettling everyone's minds.
The convenience store was in the middle of a street. The glass door at the entrance was completely shattered, and half of the sign had collapsed.
Just as they were about to reach the door, they gradually came to a halt.
Across from the convenience store was a restaurant. A figure stood at the entrance.
He wore an ox-head mask and a black suit, hands behind his back, like a statue.
Everyone's hearts tightened with tension.
These people in animal masks were all insane.
Was he standing here to announce some new 'trial'?
They waited cautiously for a while and found that the ox-headed person didn't move at all. Not only did he not speak, but he didn't even spare them a glance.
Only then did they muster up the courage to take a few more steps forward, arriving at the convenience store entrance.
"Is it a dummy?" Tiantian asked cautiously.
Qi Xia looked closely at the ox-headed man. The eyes under the mask were still moving slightly—it shouldn't be a fake. He seemed to be guarding the restaurant behind him.
"Whatever he is, 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 unbearably 'heavy', but the convenience store's odor was even worse.
A mix of fishiness, stench, burnt smell, and some heat swirled together in the room.
These smells seemed fresh, as if they had just been released.
"Ugh..."
Lawyer Zhang Chenze couldn't take it anymore and bent over, dry heaving.
Tiantian looked at her with concern and asked, "Big lawyer, are you okay?"
"I'm fine..." Zhang Chenze wiped her mouth, then looked at Tiantian. "You seem completely unaffected..."
Tiantian's expression turned a bit awkward, and she could only force a smile and say, "Maybe it's related to my job... I've smelled worse things."
"Don't... don't say that..." Zhang Chenze nearly threw up again.
Qi Xia covered his mouth and nose as he entered the room. The shelves inside were mostly lying on the floor, and the floor was dark and sticky—he had no idea what it was.