Chapter 169: Wen Jianyan’s dog
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Ah? High-risk patient helping out? Is it really possible for something like this to happen?]
[Well, I’ve seen NPCs or bosses sneak into teams before, but I’ve never seen anything so blatant like this…]
[I’m shocked… and it seems like he’s really willing to help??]
[This is too surreal!!!]
On the road, everyone maintained a tense state of nerves, guarding not only against the monsters that could emerge at any moment but also allocating some attention to be wary of 02, who continued to follow at the end of the group with unclear motives that remained elusive.
The corridor was exceptionally quiet, with the deliberately subdued sounds of breathing and footsteps audible among the people.
In this oppressive, suffocating silence, each person harbored their own thoughts.
However, what surprised everyone was that, on the following path, 02 really didn’t cause any trouble.
He casually followed behind the team, saying little, maintaining a relaxed posture, and even assisting in various situations.
“Tap-tap-tap—”
Pale fingers tapped on the ground, while a multitude of palms crawled rapidly across the nearby surface, producing a spine-chilling sound. All the anchors instinctively moved away, fearing they might accidentally be pounced upon by them.
Unexpectedly, though, they never launch an attack. On the contrary, these terrifying monsters were diligently performing their scouting mission.
Since 02 became a member of the team, their journey has become much smoother; even dangerous situations have been effortlessly resolved.
“…”
Even Luce’s face shows a skeptical expression.
He discreetly turns his head, subtly scanning 02 trailing behind the team.
The other still wore that innocent and nonchalant look, looking surprisingly honest.
Could it be…
Was this guy really prepared to help?
How was that possible?
What was his ultimate goal?
As the current state still remained in the state of the outer world, even though “creatures” that didn’t belong here appeared, there wasn’t any change in the overall map, including the length of the corridor.
Out of caution, the group advanced slowly, but they finally neared the end of the first underground floor.
In the distance, a staircase leading upward appeared before everyone.
Although the front was still shrouded in darkness, as if enveloped in an impenetrable fog, it also signified the end of the first underground floor.
Everyone couldn’t help but feel a surge of energy.
To continue going upward meant to leave this place!
While they didn’t possess the ability to imprint the entire map in their minds like Wen Jianyan, they still knew that after going up from here, they could run through the hall in about five minutes and reach the small door on the side of the hall, from where they could directly enter the courtyard.
Before allowing 02 to join the team, Wen Jianyan had already mentioned that, although he could temporarily accompany them on the first underground floor, they must quickly get rid of him after entering the hall.
Most of them were experienced anchors, well aware of the deeper meaning behind Wen Jianyan’s words.
That was: upon the command, activate props, scatter and run, then regroup.
The pedestrians continued to move forward, their speed unchanged, still cautious and slow. However, everyone’s bodies subtly tensed up subconsciously, secretly preparing hidden or acceleration props. Just as Wen Jianyan would give them the order, they would immediately activate it.
Although the current situation in the hall was unclear, being seasoned anchors, most of them had some contingency plans, ensuring at least two to three minutes of invincibility. It shouldn’t have been too difficult to sprint to the backside of the hall.
This was not a world where they couldn’t escape; in other words, even if the success rate was not 70–80%, 50–60% was still achievable.
“…”
Luce took a deep breath, subtly glancing at Wen Jianyan, who was walking not far from him.
His young eyes remained focused ahead, and his face was partly concealed in shadows, making it difficult to discern his expression. He carefully ascended the steps.
Just a little more waiting.
The narrow staircase seemed to stretch on forever.
Quickly, the stairs came to an end.
Several people crowded in the small stairwell, making the already cramped space even more confined.
Through the door, one could see the dimly lit hall outside.
The lights hanging from the hall’s ceiling had extinguished at some point, leaving an eerie silence. In the shadows, one could faintly hear the unsettling sound of some creature wriggling—damp, subtle, and hair-raising, creating an almost paralyzing sense of dread.
“Tap-tap-tap—.”
Pale palms swiftly crawled out of the darkness, skirting past the unsuspecting anchor’s feet and reaching the vicinity of 02’s pants. Climbing up his legs, the hand approached his ear.
The man slightly turned his face, his pitch-black eyelashes drooping, seemingly earnestly listening to something in a language ordinary humans couldn’t comprehend.
After a few tens of seconds, the hand jumped down from 02’s shoulder and disappeared into the darkness once again.
02 raised his eyes, looking at Wen Jianyan. In a slightly peculiar tone, he spoke, “Three nests in total, located in the direction of one o’clock, three o’clock, and eight o’clock.”
Wen Jianyan fixed his gaze on him. “Come here.”
02 obediently approached, observing as Wen Jianyan gestured at the makeshift map on the wall.
It was a simple map of the hall.
“We are approximately here now.”
Wen Jianyan pointed and then looked at 02, “Where are the specific locations of the three nests?”
With a faint smile on his lips, 02, without minding Wen Jianyan’s businesslike tone, gently touched the three places on the makeshift map.
“Here, here, and here.”
He was almost like a willing servant, living up to the self-proclaimed title of “obedient.”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Good guy!!! He’s so obedient!]
[I’ve never seen a high-risk patient so obedient… he’s simply obeying the anchor’s every command!]
[Really, if the information he provided is correct, he deserves a code name.]
[What code name?]
[Wen Jianyan’s dog.]
[Hahaha, that’s actually fitting!]
After getting the response from 02, Wen Jianyan nodded, then turned to the others. “Did you all understand?”
The others couldn’t quite figure out what Wen Jianyan was thinking, nodding in confusion.
“Based on our experiences in the lab and the encounters in the trapped hall, I deduce that the head also relies on sound to determine the prey’s movements. If we gather together, even if we run fast, we’ll be attacked by all three nests simultaneously, and it’s a certain death.” Wen Jianyan lowered his voice, speaking calmly. “So, I suggest we, seven people, split up into three groups and take different routes to encircle them. This way, each team will only face one nest, significantly increasing our survival rate.”
…Seven people?
The others were surprised, subtly scanning the entire team and quickly retracting their gaze.
Clearly, he was the seventh person among them.
Shallow confusion welled up from the depths of their hearts.
Could it be… Wen Jianyan changed his mind? Is he really planning to keep him on the team?
Luce furrowed his brow slightly.
While he did acknowledge that 02 had played a crucial role on the previous journey, he was still… no matter what, a high-risk patient. Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of him as soon as possible?
Wen Jianyan looked around and pointed: “You two, go together.”
“You two as well.”
Su Cheng and Blond were assigned to a team, while Shao Yao and another person from Luce’s team were grouped together. This division was normal, especially in crisis situations where it was essential to travel with familiar teammates with whom mutual trust could be exchanged, increasing the chances of survival.
Afterward, Wen Jianyan pointed to Luce and said, “You and I will team up.”
“And you,” he said, looking at 02, “too.”
This grouping… indeed seemed like a plan to have 02 permanently on the team.
Not to mention, there was no hidden inclination to reveal the plan of separating and running away. Wen Jianyan didn’t show any signs of intending to shake people off.
Luce’s gaze fell on 02, next to him.
02 apparently didn’t notice the others’ unusual reactions, still wearing that pleasant smile on his lips. His long and curled eyelashes drooped, and his chocolate-colored eyes gazed at Wen Jianyan, focused and enchanting.
Could it be… this person is really deemed harmless?
It did make some sense…
After all, on this journey, he did have many opportunities to harm them, but not only did he not harm them, he also helped in various ways. It could be said that if it weren’t for 02 in the team, their progress on the first underground floor would have been much more challenging, and they wouldn’t have been able to advance to this point without any casualties.
While Luce pondered, Wen Jianyan had already spoken, “Are you all ready?”
In the dim light, his amber eyes shone brightly. “Once I say start, run forward. Understand?”
“Understood.”
Everyone nodded.
“Start!”
Wen Jianyan’s voice was firm; each word was enunciated clearly and urgently, as if forcefully squeezing the hearts of the people.
Almost subconsciously, everyone rushed outward at high speed.
The ceiling here was high.
In the dimly lit, shadow-shrouded hall, three towering entities, resembling small hills, were vaguely visible, silently submerged in the darkness, imparting a formidable psychological pressure.
Along with the sound of footsteps, these hills slowly undulated, crawling on the ground.
The contours in the shadows fluctuated unpredictably, and eerie, moist friction sounds echoed in the hall.
Although Blond had witnessed the true appearance of this thing, the others were still guessing. Even though they were mentally prepared, seeing its real form made everyone’s scalp tingle.
The term “nests” was indeed fitting.
Long and slender, like slugs, their necks entwined with each other and piled up to form the shape of hills. After hearing the sound, this pale, slippery mound made of limb-like bodies dispersed, revealing rows of pale heads stretching toward the direction of the sound.
It wasn’t clear what lay at the ends of those heads, but all that could be seen were those motionless and numb faces, hollow eyes staring in the direction of the sound.
“!!!”
Everyone’s faces turned grim.
It had to be admitted that Wen Jianyan’s prediction was correct.
This place needed to be run separately. While the movement speed of this thing wasn’t too fast, the sheer number was overwhelming. If they let them probe in the same direction, even if they weren’t caught at the beginning, their space for movement would quickly be blocked, leading to a situation of forced confrontation. However, they couldn’t touch it. If they got the liquid from its body on them, who knew what terrible things might happen?
At that point, they would be in a dilemma, and they might not have another chance to escape.
Only by splitting up left room for maneuvering.
Run, run, run!
Everyone’s hearts raced, preparing to activate their props and sprinting rapidly toward the distant exit!
The elongated, pale heads extended in the dark space, twisting, seemingly wanting to entangle the disobedient humans and pull them into their nests.
In just a few minutes, the situation was critical.
Luce activated his prop, barely blocking the head that was rushing toward him, then narrowly leaped forward, avoiding the necks under his feet.
He panted, blinked away the sweat that fell into his eyes, and looked ahead.
Just a short distance of a dozen meters away was the small back door.
To pass through there would lead them into the courtyard—they would succeed!
Joy and excitement fermented in the depths of Luce’s heart, causing his fingertips to involuntarily tremble.
Faster.
Even faster!
His gaze subconsciously swept over his teammates, trying to confirm their safety.
In the darkness, his bright amber eyes met with another pair.
“…!”
The other person was actually looking at him.
Luce was stunned, not expecting to make eye contact with Wen Jianyan at that moment.
The lighting was dim, but those eyes were so clear and bright, not falling into the slightest shadow. Suddenly, Luce captured a fleeting and profound emotion in the depths of those eyes.
Wait a minute…?
An indeterminate sense of judgment about the impending danger, from an unknown source, captured him in that moment. It was like the low-hanging dark clouds passing before a mountain storm, accompanied by the moist breath entering his nostrils.
Luce couldn’t help but be shaken!
A strong feeling of unease rushed over him, making his hair stand on end involuntarily.
What’s going on?
Before he could gather his thoughts and figure out the reason—the next second, a sudden change occurred!
Wen Jianyan decisively turned around, and between his slender fingers appeared what looked like a very old-fashioned toy gun, made of rough plastic with almost no markings. Luce immediately understood the origin of that thing—it was a prop, definitely a prop.
And it was…
An attacking prop!
Even though the space was cramped, Luce always had a strange illusion, as if there was a slight delay between the sound and the image, as if time had slowed down to a crawl. He could only watch in astonishment as the unfolding scene played out before his eyes.
“Bang.”
The bullet, carrying the force of a thousand pounds, tore through the air and shot straight toward the man’s chest!
At the end of the trajectory, it was 02.
Chapter 169: Wen Jianyan’s dog
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Ah? High-risk patient helping out? Is it really possible for something like this to happen?]
[Well, I’ve seen NPCs or bosses sneak into teams before, but I’ve never seen anything so blatant like this…]
[I’m shocked… and it seems like he’s really willing to help??]
[This is too surreal!!!]
On the road, everyone maintained a tense state of nerves, guarding not only against the monsters that could emerge at any moment but also allocating some attention to be wary of 02, who continued to follow at the end of the group with unclear motives that remained elusive.
The corridor was exceptionally quiet, with the deliberately subdued sounds of breathing and footsteps audible among the people.
In this oppressive, suffocating silence, each person harbored their own thoughts.
However, what surprised everyone was that, on the following path, 02 really didn’t cause any trouble.
He casually followed behind the team, saying little, maintaining a relaxed posture, and even assisting in various situations.
“Tap-tap-tap—”
Pale fingers tapped on the ground, while a multitude of palms crawled rapidly across the nearby surface, producing a spine-chilling sound. All the anchors instinctively moved away, fearing they might accidentally be pounced upon by them.
Unexpectedly, though, they never launch an attack. On the contrary, these terrifying monsters were diligently performing their scouting mission.
Since 02 became a member of the team, their journey has become much smoother; even dangerous situations have been effortlessly resolved.
“…”
Even Luce’s face shows a skeptical expression.
He discreetly turns his head, subtly scanning 02 trailing behind the team.
The other still wore that innocent and nonchalant look, looking surprisingly honest.
Could it be…
Was this guy really prepared to help?
How was that possible?
What was his ultimate goal?
As the current state still remained in the state of the outer world, even though “creatures” that didn’t belong here appeared, there wasn’t any change in the overall map, including the length of the corridor.
Out of caution, the group advanced slowly, but they finally neared the end of the first underground floor.
In the distance, a staircase leading upward appeared before everyone.
Although the front was still shrouded in darkness, as if enveloped in an impenetrable fog, it also signified the end of the first underground floor.
Everyone couldn’t help but feel a surge of energy.
To continue going upward meant to leave this place!
While they didn’t possess the ability to imprint the entire map in their minds like Wen Jianyan, they still knew that after going up from here, they could run through the hall in about five minutes and reach the small door on the side of the hall, from where they could directly enter the courtyard.
Before allowing 02 to join the team, Wen Jianyan had already mentioned that, although he could temporarily accompany them on the first underground floor, they must quickly get rid of him after entering the hall.
Most of them were experienced anchors, well aware of the deeper meaning behind Wen Jianyan’s words.
That was: upon the command, activate props, scatter and run, then regroup.
The pedestrians continued to move forward, their speed unchanged, still cautious and slow. However, everyone’s bodies subtly tensed up subconsciously, secretly preparing hidden or acceleration props. Just as Wen Jianyan would give them the order, they would immediately activate it.
Although the current situation in the hall was unclear, being seasoned anchors, most of them had some contingency plans, ensuring at least two to three minutes of invincibility. It shouldn’t have been too difficult to sprint to the backside of the hall.
This was not a world where they couldn’t escape; in other words, even if the success rate was not 70–80%, 50–60% was still achievable.
“…”
Luce took a deep breath, subtly glancing at Wen Jianyan, who was walking not far from him.
His young eyes remained focused ahead, and his face was partly concealed in shadows, making it difficult to discern his expression. He carefully ascended the steps.
Just a little more waiting.
The narrow staircase seemed to stretch on forever.
Quickly, the stairs came to an end.
Several people crowded in the small stairwell, making the already cramped space even more confined.
Through the door, one could see the dimly lit hall outside.
The lights hanging from the hall’s ceiling had extinguished at some point, leaving an eerie silence. In the shadows, one could faintly hear the unsettling sound of some creature wriggling—damp, subtle, and hair-raising, creating an almost paralyzing sense of dread.
“Tap-tap-tap—.”
Pale palms swiftly crawled out of the darkness, skirting past the unsuspecting anchor’s feet and reaching the vicinity of 02’s pants. Climbing up his legs, the hand approached his ear.
The man slightly turned his face, his pitch-black eyelashes drooping, seemingly earnestly listening to something in a language ordinary humans couldn’t comprehend.
After a few tens of seconds, the hand jumped down from 02’s shoulder and disappeared into the darkness once again.
02 raised his eyes, looking at Wen Jianyan. In a slightly peculiar tone, he spoke, “Three nests in total, located in the direction of one o’clock, three o’clock, and eight o’clock.”
Wen Jianyan fixed his gaze on him. “Come here.”
02 obediently approached, observing as Wen Jianyan gestured at the makeshift map on the wall.
It was a simple map of the hall.
“We are approximately here now.”
Wen Jianyan pointed and then looked at 02, “Where are the specific locations of the three nests?”
With a faint smile on his lips, 02, without minding Wen Jianyan’s businesslike tone, gently touched the three places on the makeshift map.
“Here, here, and here.”
He was almost like a willing servant, living up to the self-proclaimed title of “obedient.”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Good guy!!! He’s so obedient!]
[I’ve never seen a high-risk patient so obedient… he’s simply obeying the anchor’s every command!]
[Really, if the information he provided is correct, he deserves a code name.]
[What code name?]
[Wen Jianyan’s dog.]
[Hahaha, that’s actually fitting!]
After getting the response from 02, Wen Jianyan nodded, then turned to the others. “Did you all understand?”
The others couldn’t quite figure out what Wen Jianyan was thinking, nodding in confusion.
“Based on our experiences in the lab and the encounters in the trapped hall, I deduce that the head also relies on sound to determine the prey’s movements. If we gather together, even if we run fast, we’ll be attacked by all three nests simultaneously, and it’s a certain death.” Wen Jianyan lowered his voice, speaking calmly. “So, I suggest we, seven people, split up into three groups and take different routes to encircle them. This way, each team will only face one nest, significantly increasing our survival rate.”
…Seven people?
The others were surprised, subtly scanning the entire team and quickly retracting their gaze.
Clearly, he was the seventh person among them.
Shallow confusion welled up from the depths of their hearts.
Could it be… Wen Jianyan changed his mind? Is he really planning to keep him on the team?
Luce furrowed his brow slightly.
While he did acknowledge that 02 had played a crucial role on the previous journey, he was still… no matter what, a high-risk patient. Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of him as soon as possible?
Wen Jianyan looked around and pointed: “You two, go together.”
“You two as well.”
Su Cheng and Blond were assigned to a team, while Shao Yao and another person from Luce’s team were grouped together. This division was normal, especially in crisis situations where it was essential to travel with familiar teammates with whom mutual trust could be exchanged, increasing the chances of survival.
Afterward, Wen Jianyan pointed to Luce and said, “You and I will team up.”
“And you,” he said, looking at 02, “too.”
This grouping… indeed seemed like a plan to have 02 permanently on the team.
Not to mention, there was no hidden inclination to reveal the plan of separating and running away. Wen Jianyan didn’t show any signs of intending to shake people off.
Luce’s gaze fell on 02, next to him.
02 apparently didn’t notice the others’ unusual reactions, still wearing that pleasant smile on his lips. His long and curled eyelashes drooped, and his chocolate-colored eyes gazed at Wen Jianyan, focused and enchanting.
Could it be… this person is really deemed harmless?
It did make some sense…
After all, on this journey, he did have many opportunities to harm them, but not only did he not harm them, he also helped in various ways. It could be said that if it weren’t for 02 in the team, their progress on the first underground floor would have been much more challenging, and they wouldn’t have been able to advance to this point without any casualties.
While Luce pondered, Wen Jianyan had already spoken, “Are you all ready?”
In the dim light, his amber eyes shone brightly. “Once I say start, run forward. Understand?”
“Understood.”
Everyone nodded.
“Start!”
Wen Jianyan’s voice was firm; each word was enunciated clearly and urgently, as if forcefully squeezing the hearts of the people.
Almost subconsciously, everyone rushed outward at high speed.
The ceiling here was high.
In the dimly lit, shadow-shrouded hall, three towering entities, resembling small hills, were vaguely visible, silently submerged in the darkness, imparting a formidable psychological pressure.
Along with the sound of footsteps, these hills slowly undulated, crawling on the ground.
The contours in the shadows fluctuated unpredictably, and eerie, moist friction sounds echoed in the hall.
Although Blond had witnessed the true appearance of this thing, the others were still guessing. Even though they were mentally prepared, seeing its real form made everyone’s scalp tingle.
The term “nests” was indeed fitting.
Long and slender, like slugs, their necks entwined with each other and piled up to form the shape of hills. After hearing the sound, this pale, slippery mound made of limb-like bodies dispersed, revealing rows of pale heads stretching toward the direction of the sound.
It wasn’t clear what lay at the ends of those heads, but all that could be seen were those motionless and numb faces, hollow eyes staring in the direction of the sound.
“!!!”
Everyone’s faces turned grim.
It had to be admitted that Wen Jianyan’s prediction was correct.
This place needed to be run separately. While the movement speed of this thing wasn’t too fast, the sheer number was overwhelming. If they let them probe in the same direction, even if they weren’t caught at the beginning, their space for movement would quickly be blocked, leading to a situation of forced confrontation. However, they couldn’t touch it. If they got the liquid from its body on them, who knew what terrible things might happen?
At that point, they would be in a dilemma, and they might not have another chance to escape.
Only by splitting up left room for maneuvering.
Run, run, run!
Everyone’s hearts raced, preparing to activate their props and sprinting rapidly toward the distant exit!
The elongated, pale heads extended in the dark space, twisting, seemingly wanting to entangle the disobedient humans and pull them into their nests.
In just a few minutes, the situation was critical.
Luce activated his prop, barely blocking the head that was rushing toward him, then narrowly leaped forward, avoiding the necks under his feet.
He panted, blinked away the sweat that fell into his eyes, and looked ahead.
Just a short distance of a dozen meters away was the small back door.
To pass through there would lead them into the courtyard—they would succeed!
Joy and excitement fermented in the depths of Luce’s heart, causing his fingertips to involuntarily tremble.
Faster.
Even faster!
His gaze subconsciously swept over his teammates, trying to confirm their safety.
In the darkness, his bright amber eyes met with another pair.
“…!”
The other person was actually looking at him.
Luce was stunned, not expecting to make eye contact with Wen Jianyan at that moment.
The lighting was dim, but those eyes were so clear and bright, not falling into the slightest shadow. Suddenly, Luce captured a fleeting and profound emotion in the depths of those eyes.
Wait a minute…?
An indeterminate sense of judgment about the impending danger, from an unknown source, captured him in that moment. It was like the low-hanging dark clouds passing before a mountain storm, accompanied by the moist breath entering his nostrils.
Luce couldn’t help but be shaken!
A strong feeling of unease rushed over him, making his hair stand on end involuntarily.
What’s going on?
Before he could gather his thoughts and figure out the reason—the next second, a sudden change occurred!
Wen Jianyan decisively turned around, and between his slender fingers appeared what looked like a very old-fashioned toy gun, made of rough plastic with almost no markings. Luce immediately understood the origin of that thing—it was a prop, definitely a prop.
And it was…
An attacking prop!
Even though the space was cramped, Luce always had a strange illusion, as if there was a slight delay between the sound and the image, as if time had slowed down to a crawl. He could only watch in astonishment as the unfolding scene played out before his eyes.
“Bang.”
The bullet, carrying the force of a thousand pounds, tore through the air and shot straight toward the man’s chest!
At the end of the trajectory, it was 02.
