Ying Qiang, scared, scrambled towards Jing Minghe and the others. It was then he saw Ding Chang, previously blocked by Chi Hao and Jing Minghe, and hurriedly shouted, "Save me, Ding Chang, quick, save me!"
Ding Chang frowned slightly, a hint of disgust in his expression, "What are you yelling about, you won't die."
However, as soon as Ding Chang finished speaking, numerous strangely shaped, unknown creatures emerged from the walls surrounding the factory. With long whiskers, horns, sharp teeth, and claws, they rushed towards Jing Minghe and the others with incredible speed.
"Tong Ge, take Wu Wen!"
After speaking, Jing Minghe and Chi Hao flanked Tong Zheng and Ke Wuwen, shielding them.
You Mi followed behind them, picking up a rusty knife as she ran and holding it as a weapon.
Wen Sha supported Ban Sheng, and together with Yue Di, they also stayed close to Jing Minghe and the others.
Ying Qiang happened to run over, and Ding Chang did not abandon him. After casually dealing with one monster for him, he grabbed Ying Qiang and followed Jing Minghe and the others.
The group ran towards the factory exit, but the door was closed. Jing Minghe and Chi Hao tried twice but couldn't open it.
As the pursuing monsters grew in number, and with no time to figure out how to open the door, everyone began to panic.
"There!" Yue Di suddenly shouted, "There's a staircase going down over there!"
The exit door wouldn't open, and the monsters kept coming. With no other options, and no time to figure out what was down there, they had to go down.
"Hao Ge," Jing Minghe decided instantly, "You take them down first. I'll cover the rear."
As he spoke, Jing Minghe gave Chi Hao a look that brooked no refusal.
Time was of the essence, and there was no time for debate. Chi Hao could only choose to trust Jing Minghe, as Jing Minghe had already turned back to fight the monsters after speaking.
"Let's go."
Chi Hao led everyone towards the descending staircase Yue Di had pointed out. Along the way, several monsters lunged from the side, but Chi Hao dealt with them easily.
Chi Hao was concerned for Jing Minghe's safety and only wanted to get everyone to a safe place as quickly as possible. He quickened his pace, and those behind him struggled to keep up.
Just as they were nearing the stairs, several monsters suddenly leaped down from above, landing directly in front of Ding Chang and Ying Qiang. As the monsters lunged at Ding Chang and Ying Qiang, Ding Chang quickly moved a few steps, then abruptly grabbed Tong Zheng, who was holding Ke Wuwen in his arms not far to his front left, and pushed them towards the direction the monsters were attacking.
To protect Ke Wuwen in his arms, Tong Zheng turned and used his back to absorb the monsters' attack.
The monsters' sharp claws tore several long wounds across Tong Zheng's back. You Mi rushed over to help Tong Zheng, but another monster blocked her path.
Chi Hao noticed this, swiftly turned back, quickly dealt with the monsters attacking Tong Zheng and You Mi, and then stood guard behind them.
Tong Zheng was already covered in injuries from the previous dungeon in the train car. Now, his injuries worsened. Seeing the large beads of sweat on Tong Zheng's face and his pale complexion, You Mi suggested they help Ke Wuwen walk, but Tong Zheng refused.
However, in the end, the group finally managed to descend the stairs safely.
Below the stairs was a long corridor. At the end of the corridor was a glass door. Ding Chang pushed it twice without success, then attempted to kick it open, but Chi Hao stopped him.
Chi Hao stepped forward, giving Ding Chang a cold glance. "Get out of the way, idiot."
With that, he placed his palm against the glass door and pushed it open to the side. He then said to Tong Zheng and the others, "Go in first. I'll go find Minghe."
Chi Hao watched as Tong Zheng, You Mi, and Wen Sha went in first. As Ding Chang and Ying Qiang walked past him, Chi Hao said in a low voice, "If you don't want to die a gruesome death, you'd best not do anything unnecessary."
As Chi Hao spoke, he gently patted Ding Chang's shoulder. Ding Chang shivered and felt something crawl down his neck. When he turned to look at Chi Hao, the man had already walked far away.
When Chi Hao returned, Jing Minghe was already surrounded by a large group of monsters. Chi Hao rushed towards Jing Minghe, kicking away any monster that dared to block him. But just as he was about to reach Jing Minghe, all the monsters suddenly vanished, and along with them, Jing Minghe, whom he was about to reach out and grab.
Chi Hao's face showed disbelief. This was the first time he had truly experienced the feeling of loss.
"No, no!!!"
Chi Hao couldn't help but roar in anguish. However, looking around the entire factory, there was no sign of Jing Minghe.
How could this have happened? What had happened?
Chi Hao tried to calm himself. He knew he had to be calm at this moment to save Jing Minghe, who had been taken to an unknown location.
But at a time like this, how could he calm down? This feeling of loss made Chi Hao, who had always been confident in everything, have a face full of anxiety and helplessness.
No matter what, he couldn't calm down enough to think.
·
Jing Minghe only felt a blur before his eyes. When he regained his senses, the monsters he had been fighting were all gone. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't just the monsters; the entire factory had vanished.
Jing Minghe pondered. It wasn't that the factory had disappeared, but rather that he had been brought to another place.
Jing Minghe carefully observed his surroundings. It was a vast expanse of white, with nothing visible. This situation reminded him of the Yin-Yang overlapping dungeon. During the transition from Yin to Yang, there was a similar place, but he couldn't see it then. Recalling Tong Zheng's description, it should have been similar to this.
Could it be that this was also a place where Yin and Yang intersected?
Just as Jing Minghe was in doubt, something even more confusing happened.
A figure flashed by, and something appeared before him. Jing Minghe froze in place upon seeing it.
What appeared before him was none other than the pendant that Lu Fanfei never left without.
Jing Minghe quickly bent down to pick up the pendant. As he picked it up, he kept telling himself that it might just be an identical pendant, not necessarily Lu Fanfei's.
Unfortunately, self-suggestion was just self-suggestion. The moment Jing Minghe opened the pendant, he felt a dizzying sensation. Inside this pendant were photos of him and Lu Fanfei when they were children. It was indeed Lu Fanfei's.
He didn't know what it meant for this pendant to appear before him now.
Jing Minghe clearly remembered Lu Fanfei telling him that unless he died, this pendant would never leave him, as it was the only valuable thing his parents had left him.
Jing Minghe tried to calm himself down. He stared at the pendant in his hand, contemplating what this pendant, which Lu Fanfei cherished like his life, appearing before him now, could signify. Was the system trying to tell him something? Or was Lu Fanfei, hidden somewhere, trying to convey a message?
But just as Jing Minghe hesitated, unsure which of these two possibilities to believe, the place where he was suddenly began to shatter, fragmenting before his very eyes.