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“Even if we starve to death, we can’t eat—after all, everyone still considers us their leaders.” Chen Xing’s sophistry was very enlightening for me. A true leader should endure hardship first and enjoy comfort later. Du Liu, we were selfish enough in the past.

But now, we've reached the most difficult point, we can't... really! We can't!

In the darkness, Xu Fangfang's voice was quiet, yet resolute. Du Liu sighed softly and took her hand. "Fang. That's right. This is the last food. It's the last hope. Logically, we should share it equally with them. Divide it into eighteen portions."

Xu Fangfang said, "Eleven copies are enough. Tong Rong, Li Jun, and Ding Dada have all died. Chen Xing has defected, and Huang Zilan, Wei Yiyi, and An Yingying have left. So, eleven copies are enough."

“You’re wrong, Fang. This is food for eighteen people, and it should be divided into at least fifteen portions. Yes, there are four who have left our group, but they should also have their share. If it must be divided, it should be given to them. We have no right to judge anyone, much less to deprive anyone of their share. But now, it only needs to be divided into two portions. One for you, and one for me.”

Xu Fangfang got angry: "Why didn't you keep it all for yourself?!"

"You think too highly of me..." Du Liu's voice was slightly displeased, but he didn't finish his sentence. He paused for a moment and said seriously, "Fang, have you thought about this? How long can we go hungry? Who can eat this little bit of food? How long can we be trapped?"

If everyone were here, it would indeed be fair to share, but now that it's just the two of us, what does it prove if we'd rather starve than eat?

"Fang. It's not that I'm selfish, but I want you to understand: In this world, there are always some people who only know how to receive kindness without giving back, only know how to condemn others without ever reflecting on their own right and wrong. In the face of outsiders and ruthlessness, they will abandon everything, seeking only safety and survival; but in the face of their own people and kindness, they take advantage of others, their desires are never satisfied, they always think this is right and that is right, but they never consider that in this world, no one owes anyone anything."

"Doing is a form of love; not doing is by no means heartless."

"We are inherently selfish, inherently disunited, and inherently lack the noble sentiment of selflessness. Therefore, everything must be done in moderation. This applies to being short as well. Excessive love will only cause harm. And now, we are in a desperate situation. The more desperate the situation, the more it proves the true nature of a person. There was only one truly great person. But that person is already dead. And what happens after this one truly great, relatively great person, dies? Who will remember her? Jesus became an immortal deity because he suffered for humanity and was crucified. And what about us?"

"No one knows whether they will live or die in the next moment, and no one knows if there will be a tomorrow. But we have all done our best, and we have worked together in unity. However, when we cannot protect the lives of the majority, we can only take care of one at a time."

"They have water. Having water can prolong their survival time. They always have a tenacious will to live."

To survive, they'd do anything. When someone sacrifices everything for a goal, that goal will surely reward them accordingly. Their goal was to survive. With water, they could live for ten days, then another ten days, and yet another ten days—no problem. But what about us? What about you and me?

"We have no water. We're hungry. How long can we survive? A few days at most? Eating something might dehydrate us, but it will definitely strengthen our will to survive, provide us with the energy and nutrients to survive, and give us the most basic physical strength!"

So they started eating.

It was difficult to eat. But no matter how difficult it was, I had to keep eating.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [24]: It seems that with each bite, one gains a bit more strength.

The meal was finished. Du Liu said, "Originally, I really wanted to endure it a little longer. But there's a reason that forces me to do this; I have to eat!"

Xu Fangfang sighed sadly, "Du... don't say anymore. We've already eaten it, what's the point of making excuses? When Pigsy ate melons, he had many excuses, but the more excuses he had, the more laughingstock he became."

"No. That's not the reason. There's a reason I have to give. Otherwise, you'll misunderstand my character. And I don't want you to misunderstand." Du Liu's voice was very serious.

Xu Fangfang shook her head wearily and said weakly, "You must want to say something, so just say it."

“Because of Ding Dada! A Ding!” Du Liu’s first sentence still had a “shocking” feel to it.

"He took both hands!" Xu Fangfang was still somewhat puzzled by Du Liu's second sentence.

"He possesses 'demonic energy.' Those who practice 'demonic energy' will only experience an overwhelming fear from the depths of their hearts. However, he usually tries his best to suppress 'demonic energy.' As a result, when people look at him, they feel that he is pitiful, disgusting, pathetic, hateful, and terrifying all at once. The aura of a demon is not frightening before it is fully formed. Once formed, it is utterly inhuman. But if it is suppressed, it only makes him seem deserving of bullying, insult, and hatred."

"He was a 'gray boy.' He was born with that kind of temperament. In our daily lives, we can see many 'gray boys.' They shrink into corners where no one cares, silent, weak, and easily bullied. No one pays attention to them, but the more like them they are, the more likely they are to commit heinous acts later on."

"People usually only consider this from a psychological perspective, but very few people have considered that it is actually a kind of potential demonic temperament. When the 'demonic energy' cannot be suppressed, that is, when people usually despair of the world, even a person who does not practice martial arts can cause terrible consequences due to the unleashing of demonic nature."

"Although I don't know the specific technique he practices, I do know that when one becomes a 'demon,' he will be different from ordinary people, different from his usual self. In a casual conversation, he once said something ambiguous: his fist is the 'Death Hand Fist.' You know, his 'death' and 'four' are indistinguishable. If it is the 'Four Hand Fist,' I'm thinking, shouldn't there be two other hands as well?"

"Tong Rong was the last person to give him care and concern, letting him know the warmth of humanity. But Tong Rong died. At this point, if no one else cares for him or shows him concern, he will despair of the world. Only love can suppress the 'demon.' But when the last remaining 'love' is gone, his demonic nature will be uncontrollably brought out. At that time, in his eyes, there will only be hatred, even hatred for all living beings."

"Those who are alive will be attacked by him!"

“When that time comes, perhaps only I will be able to save everyone—after all, I have always given him compassion, smiles, and kind words…” “So, that is why I must eat something.”

"The real reason."

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [25]: "I have done him a favor. I practice the 'self-harming and self-harming' technique. I cultivate the 'two-hearted knife'. At that time, only I can deal with him."

"Use despicable means to fight hatred!"

"This is why I would rather he were dead."

"I hope! I hope he's dead!"

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ I woke up to find the environment had changed.

I don't know how long I slept. But what I found when I woke up was enough to make my heart skip a beat.

"Where is this place?" Wang Mu was extremely surprised.

I slept in the stone path. But now, I am in an open space, like a train station square.

Under a blue-green hue, the surroundings were uneven, with roads sloping upwards in all directions, each seemingly leading to a series of caves. They appeared to be in a deep valley, yet beneath their feet seemed to be a mountain peak. The summit was very high. Looking up, they saw only a high, funnel-shaped cave. The higher they looked, the darker it became, until finally, nothing could be seen at all.

This is what it looks like with your eyes closed. But what if you open your eyes?

—When I opened my eyes, all I saw was darkness.

The bottom is very deep. There seems to be a stream winding around it.

There is water in the stream.

There is light in the water.

—A purple light. In sunlight, it should be red, right?

The two of them suddenly gave a bitter smile.

—They were completely isolated!

To go uphill, you must first go down to the stream; only then can you reach the many paths leading upwards.

But I can't go down. I really can't go down.

"Walnut!" Wang Mu suddenly exclaimed, "This is the inside of a hard walnut. We're on the walnut kernel inside the shell!"

"Yes, that's it!"

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ New Year's Day.

The archaeological team leader was replaced by a middle-aged man. However, the team itself became insignificant. The old professor was arrested an hour before New Year's Day.

By noon, the police were ordered to locate the expensive recording equipment.

The two people each entered a cave.

One went in and then disappeared. The other, inside the cave, intermittently reported the situation via walkie-talkie: "Found a forked tunnel...Found writing...Found a forked tunnel... Reached the bottom. Found... No, not yet at the bottom... There's still a large round hole below... Can't see anything... Seems like a spiral-shaped, large round hole with a narrow opening and a wide belly... Hmm, a cold wind is blowing upwards, the wind is very cold... So cold... There's light, it's purple light... It seems like... No more sound."

That person no longer exists.

The person who had been silent for a long time after going in was pulled up.

—A wonderfully fragrant aroma.

He is dead.

Four or five police dogs pounced without hesitation. By the time the people used tranquilizer guns to knock them down, each of them had already grabbed a piece of meat and swallowed it.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [26]: Half an hour later, the police dogs had lost all their fur and became naked, transparent dogs. They looked at each other and barked wildly for a while. They seemed to find it very interesting and kept barking and sniffing each other happily.

At 3 p.m., the entrance to the cave was sealed off.

However, the order to seal the cave was not issued until January 10th.

Despite being highly confidential, the secret was leaked. First, Voice of America publicized the story, claiming that hundreds of people had been sent to the "place of certain death," and that the Chinese government, which showed no regard for human rights, was preparing to use the cave as an execution site, and that three hundred death row inmates had already been sent there.

Subsequently, the foreign inspection teams immediately began negotiating with government departments.

Five days later, eight more large round holes appeared in the Wangzhuang cemetery, and the situation was exactly the same as the large round holes that appeared first.

※ ...

With a "ding!" sound, a little moisture hit Xu Fangfang's face; then another sound, followed by a continuous pattering sound like rain.

It was indeed raining.

Warm rain.

"Water! Water!" The dripping sound continued, as if ice was melting overhead. The ground was already wet, and the dripping sound was like a sudden downpour. In a short while, both of them were soaked through. But the warm water dispelled their drowsiness and unease, and also relieved their fatigue.

The water rose higher and higher, reaching their knees. The two men stood up. A new fear arose: what if the water kept rising…? But their worries were clearly unnecessary. As if heaven were watching over them, the rain stopped, and the water only reached their thighs.

As the two sat down, their heads were just barely visible. Xu Fangfang couldn't help but laugh, "It's just like washing mandarin ducks in the river..." But as soon as she finished speaking, she immediately realized she had said the wrong thing and blushed.

Du Liu remained silent for a moment, then said in a trembling voice, "It's...it looks very much like..." He groped and grabbed Xu Fangfang's hand. "No." Xu Fangfang seemed to realize something and tried to break free, but her whole body felt weak, and she couldn't pull away from that hand.

"Fang. We don't know if there will be a future..." Du Liu said in a trembling voice, then suddenly pulled Xu Fangfang, whose body was limp and without any strength, into his arms as if he were crazy.

Xu Fangfang trembled with fear, but finally stopped struggling and let him caress her... After a long while, in the darkness, Du Liu's murmured voice suddenly came: "Fang,... I suddenly remembered a poem by Gu Cheng - Some lights / are lonely / in the dark / saying nothing..." "Don't mention him. I don't like that person."

"But he is a poet. In poetry, he is the person I admire most..." IV. The long wait on the other side began.

When waiting in the dark—with all the glow sticks no longer glowing and only a few glow sticks remaining—the wait feels even longer.

The feeling of cold had gradually subsided, but the walls remained icy and bone-chilling.

As the food supplies began to count down, the leader flicked the Thousand-Mile Fire. The instantaneous light stung everyone's eyes. The fleeting flash of the Thousand-Mile Fire left everyone with a blurred vision, as if they had been blinded by a bright light. This meant that even if they had light in their hands, they could no longer use it. Otherwise, they would suffer permanent blindness.

But in that instant, the leader had already memorized the surrounding environment.

—Ice walls. All four walls were covered with thick layers of ice. The ceiling was the same. The ice was crystal clear, thick, and uniform.

The people on the other side seemed to have vanished. The surroundings appeared to be on a precipice, with a bottomless abyss below and rows of ice chambers carved out on the other side. Behind them, water seemed to be flowing from the original stream channel, which sloping downwards.

—The space of the "Looking-Homeward Terrace" has been reduced by half.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [27]: If we want to force our way through, we must break through the ice wall and walk along the stream. The eldest brother pondered for a moment, then suddenly became happy. "You guys—have you figured out where we are?"

"Where are they?" the three disciples asked in unison.

"The other side!" the leader exclaimed, even more excited. "We're on the other side!"

—The other side? On the other side? (What kind of answer is that?) Not only Chen Xing and his three companions found it strange, but even the three disciples were puzzled.

The eldest brother wasn't just happy; he was even a little smug. "Alright! I've finally figured out the mechanism in this tomb passage!" He paused, then continued, "Now, we've left the Yellow Springs Road, far from the Bridge of Helplessness, and are in the Underworld! Within the Nine Netherworlds! Opposite us is the path we came from: the Netherworld Road! And I'm sure we'll reach the Underworld soon. Ha! Ha!"

Whether it's the Yellow Springs Road, the Netherworld Road, the Bridge of Helplessness, or even the Underworld, the Nine Netherworlds, the Eighteen Levels, or the Meng Po Soup, for Chen Xing, Wei Yiyi, Huang Zilan, An Yingying, and the others, there's essentially no difference. Xiao Chan has already vaguely grasped the meaning, and Xiao Dao seems to have understood as well, but Er Gou still doesn't understand. He can't help but ask, "If you don't enter the Yellow Springs, you can still be reborn; once you enter the Yellow Springs, there's no way to return to life. We've never seen water along the way, and suddenly there is water, so it seems we've arrived at the Yellow Springs. The Netherworld Road is full of souls, and the Underworld is full of ghosts and monsters. Drinking the Meng Po Soup makes you forget your past life; reincarnation is just self-comfort."

We're entering the underworld, not..."

He stopped asking questions, as if he had also come to some understanding.

Wei Yiyi couldn't help but ask, "Are we... going to die?"