Chapter 902: Dark Channel

Hearing Li Huowang, Qing Wanglai chuckled, pushing the bridge of his glasses with a finger. "It's a secret."

With that, he walked over and, along with Wu Qi, helped Li Huowang to his feet.

"If you can talk to them, why not try to reconcile? What do they want? Or do you have some other agenda?"

"If it were that simple, I would have done it long ago. What you're saying now is too late; after what happened last time, we're sworn enemies."

Just then, Wu Qi reminded Qing Wanglai, "Be careful, his ribs are broken."

"It's fine, it wasn't crushed by a rock. A madman broke them earlier. I can walk on my own." Li Huowang pushed them away forcefully and stumbled out with the others.

Despite his injuries, Li Huowang's emotions were much more stable than before. He knew that what he had seen earlier wasn't entirely a hallucination; Chen Hongyu hadn't died, but had merely projected herself into some other form of existence.

Faintly, Li Huowang seemed to discover some patterns: some aspects of their worldview were false, but others were genuinely real.

For instance, Qing Wanglai's projection theory was confirmed by Chen Hongyu's situation.

"Are you okay?" Li Huowang quickly took two steps forward, bent down, and picked up a plump gray mouse lying on the moss.

It wasn't dead; it appeared to have been stunned by a powerful impact.

Li Huowang placed it on his shoulder and walked outside, ignoring the hushed murmurs behind him.

Upon returning to the scorching Gobi desert, it was Qing Wanglai's turn to lead the way. Fortunately, his previous directions proved somewhat accurate; after walking for about an hour in the direction of the collapse, a dark, gaping well appeared before Li Huowang.

"The previous collapse should be about a kilometer away. If we go in here, our path won't be blocked," Qing Wanglai said, putting away his compass.

"Unfortunately, there's a problem now: we don't know if they'll ambush us down there. So, we need someone to scout ahead."

The opening was deep and dark, and everything inside was unknown.

Everyone present looked at each other, and their gazes ultimately settled on Li Huowang.

"Why me? Does 'sucker' glow on my forehead?" Li Huowang retorted.

Qing Wanglai began to persuade him, "Li Huowang, this isn't just for others, but for yourself too. Your equipment's defense is naturally higher than ours. If you help, I can promise you one thing, anything within my power."

"Sorry, I don't buy empty promises. If you want true fairness, let's draw lots."

Ever since he witnessed how they exploited Chen Hongyu, Li Huowang had become utterly disillusioned with these people.

Thinking this, Li Huowang lowered his gaze to the mouse in his hand. Only then did he realize it had woken up and was cautiously sniffing around.

He reached out and stroked the mouse's head, then suddenly, as if struck by a fearful realization, his expression turned to terror.

He quickly walked up to Zhao Lei, abruptly held the mouse in front of him, and asked emotionally, "Can you see it? Tell me quickly! Can you see this mouse?"

Zhao Lei was startled and stumbled back several steps. "Yes! I can see it! Li Huowang, what's wrong with you? You're acting crazier and crazier."

"Good, as long as you can see it. At least it's not my hallucination." Li Huowang gently stroked the mouse's head and let out a long breath.

Just then, he paused, holding the mouse, and walked towards Qing Wanglai and Zhao Shuangdian, who were deep in discussion.

"I can go down to scout, but once we get back, I'll need your help with something."

"What kind of help?" Zhao Shuangdian asked.

"I need you to regularly get me the prescription medicine Yi Donglai gave me." Li Huowang knew he couldn't go on like this; he couldn't keep distinguishing between reality and illusion.

Since he was indeed ill, he had to keep taking the medicine. Even if it couldn't cure him, it could at least stabilize his condition and prevent hallucinations from recurring.

Qing Wanglai and Zhao Shuangdian exchanged a look, then nodded simultaneously. "Alright."

Hearing this, Li Huowang turned without hesitation and walked towards the well opening.

He braced his feet against the well walls, looking into the pitch-black environment below. A chilling wind blew out from within, making him feel very uneasy. "Flare stick."

Just as Li Huowang reached for the flare stick, the mouse in his hand struggled free and leaped down into the opening.

Before Li Huowang could stop it, the mouse had already vanished into the darkness.

After a few seconds, Li Huowang leaned down and shouted into the well, "Sister Chen!! How is it down there? Is there an ambush?"

When he faintly heard some squeaking sounds, Li Huowang released his feet and swiftly descended.

As soon as he landed, Li Huowang immediately held up the flare stick, and its dazzling red light instantly illuminated everything around him.

Seeing no enemies around, Li Huowang waved the flare stick to signal those above to come down.

While they were descending, Li Huowang spoke to the departing mouse, "Thanks, Sister Chen, but next time something like this happens, you don't need to help me. I can handle it myself."

"Who are you talking to?" Wu Qi, who had just descended by rope, looked at Li Huowang with some concern.

Li Huowang shook his head, offering no explanation, as he knew others wouldn't believe anything he said anyway.

"Stay alert. We've already alerted them, so they'll definitely be wary," Zhao Shuangdian said, walking to the front.

"Are you sure there are enough of us? They look like they outnumber us significantly." When Zhao Shuangdian had previously suggested a sneak attack, Li Huowang thought they had a great advantage, but now it looked like they were walking into a death trap.

Zhao Shuangdian shook her head. "They're not as strong as you think, and we're not as weak as you think. We hurt them badly last time; now they're afraid."

At this point, she spoke to Li Huowang again: "You don't need to force yourself to understand me. It's okay. You can interpret things using your own worldview."

"Whether it's an elephant's tusk or its leg, it's all part of the same elephant, so it's all connected."

"Whatever I am in your world, that's what I am."

Li Huowang looked at her delicate profile. "I wish I knew, but I honestly don't know what kind of Siming you are."

The dark passage gradually grew quiet. To avoid detection, even their flashlights were turned off, and everyone moved forward in the dark.

After about half an hour of walking, the air was filled with a mix of heavy metal and acrid, burnt smells.

The smell was very unpleasant; Li Huowang could detect it even through his helmet.

Qing Wanglai's hushed voice reached Li Huowang's ears. "That's the smell of methamphetamine. We're almost there."