Tang Zhixing and his group were closer to Bai Xinjian, so they quickly reached him. The smile on Tang Zhixing’s face remained malicious. He reached threateningly toward the holster at his waist and hissed, “You dare to mess with us!”
The moment he was about to draw his pistol, his hand was pressed down. Clearly, the other party had arrived. Tang Zhixing turned back, a look of surprise on his face. “Brother?”
Tang Zhixiu cast a cold glance at Bai Xinjian, who was sitting there, and said, “The mission items will respawn soon. Do not cause trouble.”
Bai Xinjian pretended to rub his sore arm and stood up.
“Jianjian,” 0048 said, “This is the leader of the Pojun Guild, Tang Zhixiu. In the original story, the host chose to push Zhu Jin off a cliff specifically to curry favor with him.”
“I figured.”
As Bai Xinjian said this internally, he stumbled and let out an oops, falling into Tang Zhixiu’s arms.
Everyone present: “?”
Tang Zhixiu did not react in time but instinctively reached out to steady him. Bai Xinjian took the opportunity to sprawl into his arms and casually squeezed his pectoral muscle. Oh, quite solid. No wonder his shoulders were so broad and his posture so upright; he looked very satisfying to squeeze. He had wanted to do this the moment he saw Tang Zhixiu.
Tang Zhixiu: “…”
What surprised even Bai Xinjian was that Tang Zhixiu showed no reaction to this; after steadying him, he released his grip immediately. It seemed the brothers had completely opposite personalities.
At this point, others around them began whispering.
“Do you think that pretty face did that on purpose?”
“Hell, it looks like it. I saw the people from the Zhudao Guild arrive, but they did not even greet him. Look, they stayed way over there. It seems this pretty boy really was dumped by Zhu Jin.”
“So he plans to fawn over Tang Zhixiu? How shameless.”
“Tang Zhixiu would not entertain him, right?”
“Nonsense, what kind of person is Tang Zhixiu? Why would he pay attention to a useless pretty boy?”
“Whatever, the protagonist is not us anyway; we are just here to watch the show.”
“I knew this guy was trouble,” a few members of the Zhudao Guild muttered in the corner, looking indignant. “He said he wanted to rely on himself, but he ended up fawning over others. Our boss treated him so well.”
“Enough,” another advised. “It is natural for people to seek higher ground. Let him fawn over whoever he wants; we are not taking him with us anyway. The time is up. Let us go.”
A drawbridge appeared on the cliff. The respawn time for the mission items had arrived. The players guarding one end of the drawbridge, wary of other guilds, moved in groups of two or three toward it. The drawbridge was stable, and everyone crossed successfully, arriving at the castle gates.
Clang. A bell tolled in the distance. The castle gates slowly swung open. The heavy wooden doors, carved with complex ancient patterns, scraped against the ground, emitting an unbearable, piercing sound. Then, everyone heard the sound of clanking chains behind them. Someone looked back warily and discovered the drawbridge had disconnected from their side of the cliff. With a loud clatter, the long drawbridge ladder slammed against the cliff face on the opposite side.
“Well, that is great,” someone said. “We cannot get out now.”
“An old trick.”
No one seemed particularly panicked. “Where there is a cliff, there is a drawbridge, and where there is a drawbridge, it will eventually break. It is just a cliché room escape game; once we get the items, we will naturally find a way out.”
Soon, everyone’s attention was drawn back to the castle. The dark, hollow gates were open, but nothing could be seen inside. It was as if not even a sliver of light from the outside could penetrate the interior.
“Let us go inside,” Tang Zhixiu stepped forward first. Perhaps it was his composure, as if he were just visiting someone’s home, that helped relax the others. They followed Tang Zhixiu in groups of two or three into the castle.
As the last person stepped inside, the heavy doors slowly closed behind them. As the light source from the door was cut off, the interior became darker and darker. Judging by the sound of footsteps, the castle interior was vast and spacious, yet devoid of any light. It seemed to absorb light; the deeper they went, the more suffocating the darkness became.
Just before the doors closed completely, someone pulled out a flashlight and switched it on. A weak light instantly appeared inside. Soon, others followed suit. Some took out flashlights, others raised torches, and some even carried candles. The first person to use a flashlight was Tang Zhixiu, who remained calm throughout. He had exchanged for his flashlight in the point mall; its brightness and range were high, but he shook it, and the beam could barely illuminate anything beyond a meter.
Tang Zhixiu frowned.
“It is so scary,” while pondering what material in the castle was absorbing the light, he suddenly felt a chill on his arm, as if a slender, five-fingered hand had latched onto it, gripping his arm tightly.
Tang Zhixiu: “…”
“I cannot see anything here,” Bai Xinjian leaned toward Tang Zhixiu and whispered, “Even with a flashlight, it does not work.” He looked up, blinking his eyes at Tang Zhixiu. “I have no points and could not exchange for lighting equipment. Since I am closest to you, can I follow you?” He looked timid, as if he were genuinely terrified.
Tang Zhixiu’s brow furrowed deeper, but surprisingly, he did not refuse. For someone like Tang Zhixiu, it did not matter if there was an extra useless burden trailing him in the dungeon. After all, if one was strong enough, no one would dare question their actions. Clearly, Zhu Jin could not manage this.
Tang Zhixiu ignored Bai Xinjian’s proximity. Aside from his furrowed brow, he showed no other emotion and did not push Bai Xinjian away, allowing him to cling to his arm and follow step by step. Tang Zhixiu held up the flashlight and walked a few steps deeper into the castle, when suddenly, a crack of thunder echoed. The entire castle was briefly illuminated by a flash of lightning, then plunged back into darkness.
Immediately after, everyone in the castle heard a chilly, weeping sound: “Wuwu, wuwu.”
Knowing it was a cliché, everyone still felt goosebumps. Especially after the lightning flash, everyone saw rows of sculpture-like objects surrounding the main hall. These sculptures circled them, posing in various ways, their eye-socket-less eyes staring fixedly at them.
“What is that? Who is playing tricks?!”
“What was that just now? Who is here besides us?”
“It is just a plaster statue. Stop scaring yourselves.”
“It is thundering again. Damn it, why the thunder but no rain!”
After the clamor, another crack of lightning illuminated the hall, and everyone finally saw the two-meter-tall plaster statues standing everywhere in the castle.
“Are they crazy, putting these things here to scare people?!”
Someone cursed under their breath.
“Wuwu, wuwu.” That bizarre sobbing sound started again. In such a dark environment, the sound was genuinely hair-raising, even if the method of scaring them was low-level. Tang Zhixiu heard someone nearby gasping in shock. Instinctively, he looked down at Bai Xinjian, who was clinging to his arm.
After the light from the powerful flashlight was largely absorbed, the remaining illumination was dim and soft, casting a layer of light over the hair, eyelashes, and cheeks of the person beside him. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he felt the hand clinging to his arm trembling lightly. Even the eyelashes seemed to be fluttering violently.
He is crying. Tang Zhixiu realized this and instantly felt irritated. He turned and cast a deep, icy look at Tang Zhixing before saying, “Are you too idle? Lead the way.”
Scolded by his brother, Tang Zhixing dared not act out further and obediently walked ahead. However, he could not help but glance back at the two, his handsome brow, so similar to Tang Zhixiu’s, knitting together.
Is this pretty boy faking it?
He was not like this in the rainforest; he had acted fearless then. Why was he shaking as if he were terrified now? Tang Zhixing recalled the look Bai Xinjian had given him in the rainforest, then compared it to his current attitude toward his brother. He felt a faint, lingering sense of dissatisfaction.