51-я картина маслом

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Fortunately, fate took care of them, allowing them to enter the "node".

The term "node" refers to a central point in a stage. In the context of the Palace-Shifting Maze, it's a point where there's no "movement," no "stirring," and no "getting lost"—the gap between the "palaces" in the Palace-Shifting Maze and between the "realms" in the Maze. Without the existence of "nodes," there are no mechanisms—nodes. They are like screws connecting various parts of a machine.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [13]: "Nodes" are relatively static.

So the leader and his men quickly discovered the best route. Just as Wang Mu had said, they were only separated from these people by a "wall".

But "walls" vary in thickness. They can only choose one "wall" that is advantageous for setting up ambushes and is the easiest to retreat from after an attack.

Then, they also need to familiarize themselves with the geographical environment in order to be able to advance and retreat quickly.

This is certainly a waste of time. But no time is ever wasted; during the "time" of preparation, they have already obtained valuable information.

First, this is also a group of people trapped. They have little food and water left; but they have no experience, and according to their distribution plan, their survival time will be reduced by half.

II. There are eighteen people in this group. Twelve are women and six are men. Many people, united in purpose.

Third, the demeanor of this group of people is too strange. There is one person who is exceptionally terrifying, who is completely devoid of any "human" qualities! However, there are two others who are even more terrifying, who are far too "human"! Not only that, the remaining people are also filled with a unique and restless aura that is difficult to describe and distinguish—whether it is terrifying, repulsive, hateful, pitiful, or lamentable.

Fourth, this group of people are currently quite ordinary.

Only at this moment did the boss decide to take action.

The soil in this area is dry and pure, unsuitable for setting up traps. But the leader, a seasoned tomb raiding genius, had already devised and announced his plan before taking action.

1. Use "sharp joints" to loosen the soil; use cotton gloves to make digging silent; install "expansion rings" to make the excavated holes form a mechanism that can be removed at any time.

2. Prepare fluorescent lights and blowguns. At the moment the operation begins, blow out the fluorescent lights to obstruct their vision. At the same time, accurately fly out the tension rope attached to the "grab made of a protruding probe and an iron finger sleeve" and grab the target.

3. Quickly retreat, remove the expansion ring, and restore the soil wall to its original state.

Fourth, Little Fatty immediately moved and sealed the obtained items, and the rest moved to different positions. Then, they inserted the "steel probe," attached a periscope magnifying glass, and observed each person's face and location. Then, the person who was most likely to strike pierced out the "circling thread," destroying the opponent's source of light and causing the opponent to move towards darkness.

The operation proceeded just as smoothly.

But the eldest brother was not satisfied at all.

The ultimate goal of doing this is to more effectively obtain more supplies to ensure survival. And to do that, it is necessary to first identify the person who is least "human".

Only in the dark can he quickly and effectively judge a person's breath/airflow/aura/temperament.

But he was disappointed. Just as he began to discern, he discovered that the group had all acquired a human quality. The one who seemed the least human had, in that instant, concealed his true nature.

*** *** ***

After the light went out, no one cried out.

Having experienced the horror of an earthquake and the long period of darkness, people have cried out in terror far too many times; having experienced fear so many times, it is difficult for people to feel fear again; prolonged exhaustion has also rendered people powerless to be afraid.

So people were just surprised.

How could the food and "water" have suddenly disappeared?

In the silence and darkness, A-Ding grasped Tong Rong's hand. It was a gentle, warm hand, full of tenderness and affection. His heart trembled, but his hand remained steady. He sensed a latent crisis, an unprecedented murderous intent. Then, he heard the question.

The voice that asked the question was gentle and peaceful. He unconsciously recalled the peace he felt when he lay quietly and silently in the cave, about to lose his mind; he recalled the gentleness of his classmates, colleagues, and companions as they inflicted repeated mental and physical traumas on him.

Death is eternal gentleness / Darkness is endless tranquility.

He understood. He understood deeply—the true meaning behind all these words: gentleness, tranquility, silence, darkness, eternity, and the challenges inherent in all their connotations.

It will come eventually.

From his repeated efforts, failures, setbacks, and rescuings, his repeated escapes from death, and his repeated awakenings from and awakenings from comas, we know that he is a child of the God of Darkness; only darkness and eternity constitute his world; and he will eventually return to the side of the God of Darkness—the God of Darkness, always and forever, quietly and silently waiting for him and welcoming him.

He has disappointed the God of Darkness time and time again, stubbornly turning his back on the corrupt world that despises him, and betraying the God of Darkness who loves him. But this time, he will not disappoint the God of Darkness again!

Now, with the arrival of this voice, the God of Darkness once again extended a sincere and earnest invitation to him.

He unconsciously thought of a legend about the night.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [14]: Everything

No longer exists

The future finally disappeared

You were

black

Black

black

Surround

destiny

Netting

Waiting quietly

us

We cannot escape

So he took Tong Rong's hand, a hand he could never forget and never wanted to lose. Deep in his heart, he bid farewell to those hands, to friendship, joy, love, and light, a final goodbye.

But those hands also grasped his. Those hands also told him: We—will always be together.

*** *** ***

The boss had no choice but to ask.

People who are too "human" may be extremely difficult to deal with, but because they are so "human," they can be subdued and controlled in various ways. On the other hand, those who lack "humanity" are their formidable adversaries.

The less human a person is, the more they possess beast-like instincts; the more such a person is, the better they can adapt to harsh environments, face danger and crisis, and cope with powerful attacks. And those who lack "humanity" are only those who live in anonymity, possessing various little-known secrets and behaviors.

But that person instantly concealed and changed their demeanor.

What kind of person is he?

(Could this person also be a master of this art? Or perhaps he himself is unaware of it, and his temperament is in turmoil due to the sudden change?) So, he attached the blowpipe to the steel probe and asked in what he thought was the most peaceful and gentle voice.

But he didn't know that his voice, to these strangers, sounded more ferocious, cold-blooded, cruel, and resolute than the blade of a murderer who had killed countless people.

That's because he was filled with murderous intent. — No matter how gentle the killer's method of killing may be, bystanders will still feel a chill. Killing is inherently not about gentleness; the gentleness of killing far outweighs the terror of being beaten, tortured, or threatened.

He was waiting for an answer.

The answer is there. It's a rhetorical question.

"Who are you? Where do you come from?"

*** *** ***

The one who answered was, of course, Du Liu.

With a knife in hand, Du Liu felt incredibly emboldened. He had no reason to fear his opponent—especially since the opponent was just a human.

There are no ghosts or gods in this world. Du Liu firmly believed this. If there were, could an omnipotent God create a stone that even He Himself couldn't lift? Even if God wasn't "omnipotent," He shouldn't ask such foolish questions as "Who are you, and where do you come from?" So he immediately retorted.

The voice answered. "I am the master of this place... the master of the underworld... I came down from the earth, and I will return to the earth... Answer me... who are you... where did you come from... why did you come... what do you want?"

The voice was ethereal and cold, seemingly from the horizon yet also close to the ear, seemingly emanating from the heavens yet also from the depths of the earth, seemingly converging from all directions, and even seemingly coming from their own mouths, emanating from the depths of their hearts.

In the utterly silent passageway, the voice possessed a magical power that compelled an answer, an answer that was impossible not to give!

And Du Liu? He could only honestly answer:

“We are ordinary workers who went on an autumn outing to Dazang Mountain; we were caught in the earthquake and ended up here. We just want to get out of here, we have no other desires.”

The leader fell silent. Little Knife, Two Dogs, One-Eyed, and Little Shovel beside him also felt a growing sense of fear. From Dazang Mountain to the Wangzhuang cemetery, there was at least a ten-mile horizontal distance, yet the earthquake they encountered at Dazang Mountain had occurred here. What did this signify?

After a moment of silence, the boss asked again:

“There is no time underground… Where did you come from in the Great Burial Mountain… How long have you been traveling?… Which path did you take… Tell me… I will guide you…” His voice sounded even more ethereal, “You… are life… are human… You should go out… Underground… Your arrival is not welcome…” “We came from the Five-Linked Cave, and it took us three or four days to travel.” Du Liu answered mechanically, his mind gradually becoming hazy, “We are on the… Yellow Springs… Path…” Suddenly he awoke!

A chill ran through him—that voice had a hypnotic effect! Du Liu quickly held his sword upright in his palm, blade facing outwards, and composed himself.

A surge of righteousness arose spontaneously.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [15]: IV. There was light just now.

——Huang Quan Dao!

—The Road to the Underworld!

(The Black Mountain Black Abyss Underground Palace? A terrifying place where there is no exit, no life or death?) The leader fell silent. The disciples also fell silent. After an unknown amount of time, the leader suddenly had a flash of joy: The entrance, can't it also be seen as the exit? If we can get in, why can't we get out?

*** *** ***

Silence reigned over the darkness, and people suddenly became disoriented.

There were only three people who weren't under the influence of psychedelics:

Du Liu.

Chen Xing.

A Ding

But at this moment, A Ding was relying on luck.

He held Tong Rong's hand, sitting quietly, neither speaking nor moving. But he was gathering his strength. He already knew there were six people on the other side. The one speaking was the leader. None of these six people possessed a human quality; they were all lonely individuals like him. They were children of darkness.

They are all formidable opponents. They are practitioners of "martial arts," people who dare to and are absolutely capable of killing someone in one fell swoop.

In such a perilous and desperate situation, he encountered six more such people, and their fate, and his fate, became quite clear.

Only through resistance can we save ourselves.

—The God of Darkness wants him.

He couldn't let these classmates, colleagues, comrades/friends, good friends, brothers/sisters/lovers, and lovers who belonged to the world of light also walk into darkness.

So he began to cultivate his inner energy. He began to practice martial arts.

He had practiced martial arts, and was almost there. But in the end, he decided to give it up. He abandoned it. — Simply because what suited him best was demonic art! But practicing demonic art required sacrificing to demons; he was unwilling, did not want to, could not, and of course had never done so. Because he lived in the human world, and revered the light!

But now, for self-preservation, for saving others, for preventing this unknowable future, he must practice. Moreover, even for self-defense, he must practice qigong to improve his physical condition—trampled, beaten, without medicine, food, or water, exhausted, his physique has deteriorated to the point where he can no longer use martial arts, his physical strength even inferior to that of a woman.