Xin Meng quickly estimated the distance and realized that he wouldn’t make it if he ran over. He felt a bit of sweat on his forehead and instinctively turned his head left and right, looking for something that could help. To his surprise, he discovered something unusual—next to them, at the entrance on this side of the corridor, a rope was hanging down from the top, pressed against the wall.
The color of the rope was brand new, completely out of place with the old and dirty castle. It was just obscured by shadows, making it hard to spot at first glance, but once you really noticed it, you would find it increasingly strange and jarring.
You Yi almost simultaneously saw the rope and said to Xin Meng, “Go pull it!”
The others, unwilling to give up, rushed towards the little black figures, but only You Yi protected Xin Meng as they approached the rope. Xin Meng grabbed the rope and tugged at it; it felt like something very heavy was connected to the dark area above, and he couldn’t pull it down. He tried again with more strength, but even with his current strength, he could only loosen it slightly. Fortunately, the rope was very sturdy and didn’t break. Seeing this, You Yi also grabbed the rope and together they pulled down with all their might!
“Bang!”
A huge muffled sound came from the other end of the corridor. Qi Xiaokui and the others watched in shock as a wooden board standing beside the pit suddenly fell down, perfectly covering the top of the pit. The luckiest part was that one of the little black figures, who had been running the fastest, happened to be crushed under the wooden board and fell into the trap, while the other seven little black figures didn’t stop at all as they ran past the board, and they didn’t look back!
Not looking back meant they had passed the level!
“Lucky!” Dou Dou excitedly snapped his fingers, “What a stroke of luck!”
“Eight little black figures, hunting curiosities in Devon City; one lost its life and went west, leaving seven behind…” The little black figures sang as they ran, completely indifferent to their fallen companion. “Seven little black figures, chopping trees and branches clumsily; the axe split one in half, leaving six behind…”
The running footsteps never paused for anyone, and the content of the song made one’s heart feel cold.
“Hurry up!” Dou Dou jumped around, calling to Xin Meng and You Yi, who were still standing at the entrance of the corridor, then turned and bounced forward.
“His stamina is too good,” Xin Meng said helplessly, “Could it be that he practices some kind of stealthy footwork?”
The two of them caught up with the main group, following behind the little black figures as they rushed out through the back door of the castle.
Unscientifically, when they entered the castle from the front, it was still overcast outside, with lightning flashing and a desolate atmosphere. But upon exiting from the back, it was a clear sky with a sun the size of a basin hanging right in the center, lavishly pouring out its light and heat, surrounded by lush trees, and the air was filled with the fragrance of grass and soil.
“Damn, did we just jump from a horror movie into an art film?” Dou Dou complained, “Are we going to see a pair of high school sweethearts riding their bikes past us next?”
However, the subsequent events proved that even if it turned into an art film, it was still a horror art film.
The little black figures dashed into the forest, picking up axes that were inexplicably thrown all over the ground as they sang and began… chopping trees.
Although they didn’t understand why the little black figures were swinging axes to chop trees, the six of them dared not be careless and cautiously surrounded the little monsters from behind.
“Chopping trees and branches clumsily, the axe split one in half, leaving six behind,” Xin Meng said, “The song describes their way of dying. If we want to stop it, we probably need to snatch their axes away, leaving only one.”
“I’ll go try!” Dou Dou said eagerly, tiptoeing towards one of the little black figures. The little black figure paused for a moment, then immediately turned around, roaring, and charged at Dou Dou with its axe!
“Damn, I was trying to save you, and you want to kill me!” Dou Dou nimbly dodged, and as he passed by, he snatched the axe from its hands. The little black figure stood there, stunned, with its hands empty.
The others also rushed in, each taking an axe from a little black figure. Even Luo Yingying and Qi Xiaokui worked together to snatch one, but out of the seven axes, five were taken, leaving only two behind.
“We can only keep one!” Dou Dou shouted, “Which one should we keep?”
Among them, You Yi was the strongest and fastest. Without waiting for the others to deliberate, he quickly ran between the remaining two little black figures, glanced at each, made a swift judgment, and pulled the axe from the left one that had just raised its hand, immediately spinning back to Xin Meng’s side.
The last little black monster seemed to have never seen You Yi from the beginning. Suddenly, it threw its head back and let out a roar, gripping the axe handle with both hands and raising it high, bringing it down from the top of its skull, splitting itself in half!
The originally hard skull seemed to suddenly turn to paper, easily torn apart. Its body split in two, blood gushing out like a fountain, fresh organs scattered all over the ground, and its hands and feet on both sides still moved without falling, staggering towards them!
“Ah!” Even with mental preparation, seeing such a horrific scene with her own eyes, Luo Yingying was still horrified, covering her mouth and hurriedly retreating behind Li Wenjun.
The two halves of the body struggled forward until they were almost in front of everyone before collapsing to the ground, their hands and feet twitching for a moment before completely ceasing to struggle.
“Seven little black figures, chopping trees and branches clumsily; the axe split one in half, leaving six behind…” The little black figures’ eyes lit up with a vacant glow as they sang loudly.
“We passed!” Dou Dou clapped his hands in joy, but Qi Xiaokui shot him a strange look.
This boy, is it really his first game? How can he be so composed!
Even she, who had experienced several games, felt a bit nauseous seeing such a scene, but Dou Dou seemed to have never shown such a reaction… He said his mother was a police officer; could he be a criminal investigator?
Without giving her more time to speculate, the little black figures continued to run forward without stopping.
“Six little black figures, playing with the beehive and provoking the bees’ wrath; one got stung and met its end, leaving five behind…”
They weaved through the forest, the path gradually disappearing, and the surrounding trees becoming denser. The group was scattered, forced to carefully navigate between trees that only allowed one person to pass, while keeping a close eye on the little black figures to avoid losing them. It was quite exhausting, especially for Luo Yingying, who was already lacking in stamina. After running back and forth a few times, she was completely worn out, and with her injuries, she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up. Li Wenjun wanted to go back and take care of her, but he was afraid that if he, being strong and healthy, didn’t lead the charge, the others would have opinions—just like the last team.
Just as he was caught in this dilemma, Xin Meng noticed him. She keenly guessed his concerns and said directly, “Brother Li, you go take care of Sister Yingying. We’ll follow behind, just make sure you don’t fall behind.”
“But…” Li Wenjun felt a bit grateful, but the more his teammates understood him, the more embarrassed he felt. If Xin Meng had scolded him mercilessly like his previous teammates for not contributing, he would have felt justified in ignoring them, but now he hesitated.
“Hurry up, if you can take care of each other, do it. Didn’t you just save Xiaokui?” Xin Meng smiled.
“Yeah, I haven’t thanked you yet.” Qi Xiaokui immediately chimed in, “Go take care of Yingying.”
“Leave the front to us, don’t worry, we promise not to lose you!” Dou Dou also patted his chest in assurance.
Hearing these words, Li Wenjun felt warmth in his heart, and at that moment, he truly acknowledged that this team was indeed different from the previous ones.
He reflected on how he had brought the interaction patterns and thought processes from his old team into the present, which was unfair to Xin Meng and the others.
However, it must be said that saving Qi Xiaokui was indeed the right choice. Since then, the subtle barriers and defenses that existed between him and Xin Meng’s trio had gradually dissolved.
It seemed that whether it was him and Yingying or Xin Meng and the others, they all needed to adjust slowly in their interactions to adapt to the new team.
Fortunately, this adaptation was heading in a positive direction.
Li Wenjun fell back a couple of steps and walked up to Luo Yingying, who was leaning against a tree, panting heavily. He felt a pang of heartache, “Can you still walk? Are you exhausted?”
Luo Yingying’s face was a bit pale as she shook her head, feeling very guilty, “I’m sorry, I’m a burden again…”
“It’s okay,” Li Wenjun reached out, gently stroking her face, and said softly, “As long as you can be by my side, you are never a burden.”
Even after many years of marriage, Luo Yingying couldn’t help but feel a bit shy. She awkwardly said, “I haven’t asked you what happened to you recently. Why are you suddenly so good at sweet-talking? You used to not say a word for a whole year…”
In her memory, Li Wenjun was reliable and gentle, yet very inarticulate, never even saying “I love you.” But since entering the game, it was as if he had become a different person, instantly unlocking his romantic dialogue skills, always making her feel both happy and shy.
Although this was great, she couldn’t help but wonder… why?
Li Wenjun paused for a moment before sighing, “In this game, life is uncertain. No one knows when they might never wake up again… We only have one life left, remember?”
Luo Yingying nodded silently. Li Wenjun continued, “I’ve come to understand that one should enjoy life in a timely manner. If there is love, it should be expressed. While we are still alive, we should love each other well, so that we won’t have regrets when we die.”
The last sentence made Luo Yingying feel a bit awkward. She said dejectedly, “It’s all my fault. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have died twice, all to save me… Wenjun, next time, don’t worry about me. Just make sure to live well.”
Li Wenjun smiled, “If I lose you, what would I live for?”
Luo Yingying felt as if a large stone was lodged in her heart, unable to rise or fall. She remained silent for a long time, fearing that if she spoke, she would burst into tears. When her emotions calmed down a bit, she finally spoke, angrily cursing, “It’s all this damn game’s fault! We were living just fine, so why did it bring us in here and make us go through all this!”
“No,” Li Wenjun closed his eyes, placing his hand on the top of Luo Yingying’s head, and in a place where she couldn’t see, his lips silently moved, “I thank this game.”
