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墨書 Inktalez
I felt dizzy as I looked around, surrounded by a silvery sheen that gleamed like metal. A narrow black iron staircase was embedded in the wall, just wide enough for one person to pass through. The passage seemed to twist and turn endlessly, and I couldn't see what lay below.
"The cunning rabbit has three burrows; I might as well go down and take a look. If those little bastards get away, I'll be humiliated beyond measure," the Old Man muttered as he paced in circles before finally deciding to descend.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to catch a glimpse of this Underground City. After some discussion, we formed an advance team led by the Old Man, which included myself, Ruo Yu, Jian Jie, and two members from the Special Investigation Bureau. There were six of us in total.
The Old Man took the lead without hesitation while I brought up the rear. Fortunately, as we descended the staircase, we encountered no traps or hidden mechanisms, and we made our way smoothly to the underground.
When we all stood in the Underground City, we wore identical expressions of awe—“Wow!”
Our jaws nearly dropped; this was truly a city of the future! The streets were neatly arranged, and the buildings appeared to be made of metal. It exuded a cold metallic feel, devoid of any signs of life.
It was nothing short of a city of machines.
The Old Man pulled out a rough map of the Underground City that he had previously detected and pointed to the center. "Logically speaking, the Evil Spirit Cult should be concentrated in the middle area. If we head in this direction, we can't go wrong!"
Thus, we filed into the streets of the Underground City. The streets were remarkably clean, seemingly uninhabited. Alongside them were large plastic trees with some shade-loving grass beneath—surprisingly alive!
Walking along such streets, if there had been pedestrians bustling about, one would hardly notice any difference from the surface world.
Above us stretched an enormous canopy; the blue-and-white clouds looked almost real as they slowly drifted by.
A sun resembling a disc hung high in the sky, glaring brightly down upon us. It was unclear what material it was made from; its authenticity was indiscernible.
There was even a gentle breeze blowing through. I thought to myself that this couldn't possibly be the lair of the Evil Spirit Cult; it felt more like a vacation resort.
In my mind, I had always associated the Evil Spirit Cult with a pejorative connotation—a dark cave hidden deep within some mountain range, damp and gloomy inside.
Who would have thought it would be so technologically advanced? Looking at the scale of this project, it seems unlikely that it could have been constructed in less than a few decades. So based on Mo Cang's age, he definitely didn't design it. Unless he possesses some kind of rejuvenation technique or has mastered the art of maintaining youth! But is he really already ten years old?
As soon as we entered the Underground City, I couldn't help but feel a strange excitement. It felt familiar and welcoming, almost as if I had been here in a dream before.
The entire Underground City resembled a ghost town; apart from our footsteps and breathing, there were no other sounds.
After walking for a while, I couldn't hold back any longer. "Hey, An Old Man, are you sure we're walking in a straight line? If we are, we should be nearing the center. But it seems like we're just going around in circles."
At my remark, one of the two people from the Special Investigation Bureau following us gasped. He peeled a piece of gum off the wall and said, "Are we encountering a Ghost Wall? This gum was just stuck here by me and still has the taste from my mouth." He then tried to shove it under another person's nose.
An Old Man also stopped and pulled out a rough map. After looking at it for a moment, he suddenly realized he had no idea where we were.
It seemed like everything looked the same! An Old Man pondered for a moment and said, "Ling Feng, let's walk through again. Leave a mark at each spot, and make sure each mark is different. If we end up back where we started again, that would be eerie."
I applied Niu Yan Lei to my eyelids and activated my internal Fo Xi. There wasn't even a hint of negative energy around us, so it definitely wasn't a Ghost Wall.
We walked through again, and everyone thought we were moving in a straight line, but in the end, we found ourselves back where we started once more.
At that moment, Jian Jie furrowed his brow and spoke up, "Could this place be designed like a maze? Otherwise, how could we all lose our sense of direction?"
A maze? I repeated the word in my mind. Back when Sun Bin dealt with Pang Juan, he set up a formation. There's also something called a Hedge Maze in England. In metaphysics, it's referred to as the technique of Qimen Dunjia.
I didn't know the specific methods involved, but every formation has an exit; as long as we find the key, all difficulties will naturally resolve themselves.
Ruo Yu suggested, "How about we head back first and then bring someone knowledgeable to help us?"
“I'm afraid we might be trapped here. Is it really true that moving forward leads to a dead end, while going back could lead us out?” Jian Jie said.
Ruo Yu scratched his bald head, feeling a bit awkward.
The old man, despite his formidable strength, was only skilled in combat. When faced with such bizarre matters, he found himself utterly helpless. He squatted nearby, smoking, likely feeling just as troubled inside.
Jian Jie pulled me aside and said, “Ling Feng, don’t you know some formations? Think of something quickly!”
I felt a bit embarrassed and explained, “I only know a little.” But under Jian Jie’s watchful gaze, I changed my tune and said, “Well, let me give it a try?”
I took out the obsidian bracelet from my hand and activated it, directly setting up the Big Dipper Seven Stars Formation. The Big Dipper has been used for navigation since ancient times, so I had a sudden inspiration and quickly called out to everyone to follow the direction of the spoon's handle.
I thought to myself that as long as we kept heading north, we would surely find a way out.
Fortunately, the Fo Xi within me had solidified; otherwise, I feared I wouldn't be able to maintain it for long.
With guidance in hand, we moved quickly and soon reached the end of the path.
However, instead of finding the exit I had imagined, we encountered a massive earthen wall. It seemed that the Underground City had not been completed; tree roots were protruding from the soil like countless thin tentacles. The damp earth was a dark gray color. One side of the ground was paved with cement—half-dry—while the other half was covered with large patterned tarps, likely to prevent soil erosion.
The two members of the Special Investigation Bureau seemed to have lost their patience. They sighed and sat down on the ground with a thud.
But Jian Jie laughed. “I actually think this is a good sign. Since we've reached the end of this side, the path beneath our feet must be the outermost route of this Underground City. Isn’t the Earth round? If we go around in a circle, we’ll eventually return to our starting point. So as long as we keep following this outer path, we should definitely be able to get back to where we came from.”
Everyone became alert at this moment. I continued to control the Big Dipper Seven Stars Formation to prevent us from losing our position.
Finally, we saw the staircase we had come from. The Old Man revealed a relieved smile as we climbed up the stairs, with me leading the way and the Old Man bringing up the rear.
To our surprise, when we reached the top, we found that the door wouldn’t open.
There seemed to be a smell of welding in the air!
The exit door had actually been welded shut!
(End of Chapter)
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