Chapter 993: Space
As Dilong turned back and opened the wooden door, Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu saw that it led to a space just as pitch-black as the one they were in.
Although both sides of the door were equally dark, one could clearly sense that the door led to somewhere else entirely.
The sound of many people whispering could be heard from within, indicating that all those who had been chosen earlier were gathered there—a total of twelve people.
Dilong strode inside first. Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu did not immediately follow her but instead stared at her back.
"Qi Xia... why did you participate in this game?" Chu Tianqiu asked softly.
"Isn't this what Qinglong arranged?" Qi Xia countered.
"At a time like this... there's no need to keep lying to me, is there?" Chu Tianqiu said. "Let me guess... your purpose is to find these doors?"
"No..." Qi Xia replied. "Although it's related to the doors, my ultimate goal isn't the doors themselves."
"It seems you've already known about the strangeness of this place for a long time..." Chu Tianqiu said.
"Isn't that thanks to you?" Qi Xia said.
"Me...?"
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "Have you forgotten? The first time I participated in the Man-Dragon game, it was a trap you set—you made us kill each other... But I do have to thank you, because from that moment on, I formed a bold hypothesis."
"Ha..." Chu Tianqiu let out a sinister chuckle. "So that's how it is... The answer of this world really does exist within the games... and it actually is the Dragon? If I'd known earlier, I should have led by example and gotten my hands dirty in more games."
"In that game... we entered a strange space through different doors." Qi Xia said. "Not only that... other people could also go to the same space as us through different doors. This can only mean that the doors aren't the most important thing—the space is."
"So have you figured out the meaning behind these doors?" Chu Tianqiu asked again.
Qi Xia took a deep breath and said, "Chu Tianqiu... I can only say that what we call the 'train' is merely something that resembles a train. If you break it down, its true form should be countless doors that can shuttle between spaces."
"What...?" Chu Tianqiu was stunned. "You mean there is no train, only doors...?"
"If you push open the door of your bedroom and reach the bathroom, then walk a few steps and push open the bathroom door to reach the kitchen and living room, you would naturally assume the house is rectangular, wouldn't you?"
Chu Tianqiu frowned after hearing this. "Isn't it?"
"But what if someone tampered with the doors, making them lead to other spaces? That would alter your perception. If they forcibly combine rooms that aren't originally adjacent, people walking through them would only describe it as a 'corridor' or a 'train' based on their own feelings. But the reality is that countless non-adjacent spaces have been stitched together."
Chu Tianqiu was no ordinary man; in just a few sentences, he had gradually understood what Qi Xia was trying to convey.
"But the instability of that door just now..." Chu Tianqiu felt there was still a major question, especially after Qi Xia had written the character 'Yu' earlier. "Could it be that it leads to some space beyond reality...?"
"No." Qi Xia denied it. "You're overthinking it. It can only take us to spaces that truly exist."
"That door looked like it had gone mad..." Chu Tianqiu's voice grew quieter. "Are you sure that what's on the other side of the door really exists?"
"Of course." Qi Xia nodded meaningfully. "A space you can reach just by opening a door... how can that not count as truly existing?"
Chu Tianqiu said nothing, only continuing to think with a grave expression.
Judging by Dilong's reaction earlier... what was on the other side of the door could hardly be called 'real.' Dilong spent every day haunting a bizarre place like End of Eternity. What kind of world could be more terrifying than this to scare her?
"All the doors are stable now." Qi Xia said. "They're as stable as a train, with a long corridor and countless fragmented spaces. But think about it—how could there possibly be room for a behemoth over ten miles long in a place like this...?"
"Qi Xia..." Chu Tianqiu lowered his voice and leaned in. "You know this much... aren't you worried that Qinglong might hear you...?"
"Hear...?" Qi Xia shook his head. "From what I can tell... Qinglong can't hear anything here."
"What...?"
"If Qinglong could truly hear, then when I wrote the character 'Yu' just now, it wouldn't have been Dilong who stopped me." Qi Xia deduced with a serious expression. "Besides, I tested it earlier. Qinglong has to come to the venue in person to watch our games—that only proves that if he's not on site, he can't know what's happening here."
"And you're making such a bold guess—that Qinglong can't deduce anything here—just based on that?"
"But this guess still needs to be confirmed." Qi Xia said. "Let's go. Face me with your strongest abilities."
The two followed Dilong through the doorway and found themselves in another vast, pitch-black space.
The first thing that caught their eyes was a large square. The ground here was not black but paved with white tiles. In the distance stood massive white walls that appeared to be seven or eight meters high.
The team members they had summoned earlier were standing around in small groups. Since Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu were not entirely hostile factions, the people they had chosen were not mortal enemies either.
Qiao Jiajin was chatting with Zhang Shan with his arm slung around the latter's shoulder. Han Yimo and Doctor Zhao were whispering about something. Chen Junnan was pulling Xu Liunian, who looked utterly exasperated, into a nonstop conversation.
Zheng Yingxiong kept covering his nose, while Tiantian was beside him, asking with concern about what was wrong.
If one didn't know this was the Dilong Game, anyone would have mistaken it for a gathering of old friends.
Seeing Dilong and the two men emerge, everyone fell silent one after another and then gathered around.
"Both of you... next comes the 'review'," Dilong said. "If you confirm that your teams are in order, I will take you to the game venues separately."
"Separately?" Qi Xia asked. "Isn't this game one where we all participate together?"
"Yes." Dilong nodded. "But this is your only chance to stand together. From now on, it will be a team battle."
The expressions on everyone's faces varied. Some stood there because they trusted their leader, while others had never even imagined that their leader would choose them.
"This works too." Qi Xia said. "Give everyone some time to talk among themselves."
"As you wish." Dilong said. "I'll take everyone to the venue in five minutes."
Upon hearing this, the group immediately became abuzz.