The mute died.
She lay in the water with her eyes open and a peaceful expression on her face, the corners of her mouth slightly raised. Blood gushed out of the hole in her stomach, dyeing the water red.
The skinny little body sank to the bottom of the water, and the sticky note pad in the pocket of the denim skirt fell out.
The words were soon washed away by water, blurred, rotted away, and no longer existed.
Like the owner of the sticky note pad, she disappeared from this world, and the only people who remembered her were the four teammates who were still alive.
"Little dumb..."
There was blood around Chen Yang's legs. He lifted Chao Jian onto his back. His body was cold, but his chest was burning uncomfortably. There was a ball of cold fire burning there.
The road to complete the mission was long, with no end in sight, and everywhere he passed was filled with death and blood. The belief in returning home was like a rope, tied around his body and soul, tightly holding him.
Keep going, keep going, keep going.
The death of the little mute made Chen Yang forget to count his steps. Walking with his eyes closed and without any reference, it was easy for him to get lost. He had to use one hand to support Chao Jian and the other hand to touch the cold and damp wall as he moved forward carefully.
People feel insecure in the dark, and their imaginations are terribly rich. They reach out and don't know what they'll touch, so they open their eyes to look. Chen Yang forced himself not to imagine anything, and he kept silently repeating "go home" as he walked.
When the wall turned into metal, Chen Yang stopped. Here we are, at the elevator entrance on the right.
Chen Yang put down Chao Jian and said in a hoarse voice: "The door is closed again. We have to pry it open again."
Chao Jian stood in the water and adjusted his crutches to support himself.
Chen Yang supported Chao Jian. Just as he was about to insert the key into the elevator door, he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten, and his temple began to throb.
Qiao Qiao went with the little mute, but she didn't make any sound during the accident.
and…
Chen Yang listened carefully and heard only the sound of water coming from behind.
Zheng Zhitan walked closer: "They both entered the illusion at the same time."
Chen Yang's guess was verified. He gasped and clenched the key. His head seemed to be strafed by a machine gun, making a rattling sound and was in great chaos.
"Everything in the illusion is fake, don't believe it!" Chen Yang yelled with his face tense and covered in cold sweat, his voice sounding fishy and sweet.
But the people in the illusion can’t hear it, Chen Yang thought helplessly.
"I can sense it a little bit." Zheng Zhitan said, "She hasn't completely entered the illusion and is still struggling on the edge. It's hard to say what will happen next."
"Qiao Qiao, no matter what you heard, it's all fake. You are on a mission, and it's the end." Chen Yang looked for the girl's location based on his senses, "We will be able to leave soon."
"The little mute is already... You stay strong!" Chen Yang uttered a pale encouragement from his throat.
Chao Jian touched Chen Yang's cold back and patted him.
In the unspeakable silence, Zheng Zhitan said in a formulaic tone: "Pry the door open."
Chen Yang adjusted his state and touched the elevator door. He pressed his fingers tightly against the door gap and pulled it to the side. Veins popped out on the back of his hand and sweat kept rolling down his neck, soaking the collar of his T-shirt.
His hand slipped, and Chen Yang rubbed it on his clothes, and found that it was still wet. He touched Chao Jian, grabbed a piece of dry cloth to wipe his hands, and then continued to open the door.
Chao Jian didn't say anything, but when Chen Yang pulled his clothes to wipe his hands again, he handed the clean place to him.
"It's open, it's open, it's open." Chen Yang panted quickly.
As soon as the door was opened, a pungent smell came out and the body was still there.
Chen Yang wiped his face carelessly, his fingertips twitching from prolonged use: "Shall we go in?"
Neither of the people next to him responded.
Chen Yang sensitively sensed a signal that they were not going to leave by elevator, and the exit was outside the elevator.
So where is it
Chen Yang groped with his hands and feet like a blind man. He paused for a moment: "What time is it? Is it time to get off work?"
After saying that, he frowned. In order to know if it was time to get off work, he had to open his eyes and look at his phone.
Chen Yang was about to take the risk when he heard Zheng Zhitan say, "Two more minutes."
Even though Zheng Zhiqin had completed many tasks, he only opened his eyes a little when looking at his phone and closed them after a moment.
In this context, the more people try to focus their attention, the less their brain can control it, and they can go astray if they are not careful, which is very dangerous.
It's five fifty-eight.
Chen Yang faced the elevator door. Without opening his eyes, he knew that four corpses were staring at him.
It was only two minutes before the end of the get off work day, but Qiao Qiao had not yet gotten out of the illusion, and the exit was not yet…
"Chen Yang." Chao Jian called him, "Count for a few seconds."
Chen Yang did as he was told subconsciously.
"One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds... fifteen seconds, sixteen seconds..."
"Seventy-three seconds, seventy-four seconds..." Chen Yang counted attentively. There was a sound of water approaching, accompanied by a faint fruity scent. It was Qiao Qiao. She escaped the disaster by herself.
Chen Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Now was not the time to communicate. He was still counting the seconds.
After Chen Yang counted to 120 seconds, he turned on the camera of Jian's phone. The screen was placed horizontally under his eyelids. He lowered his head and moved closer, squinting his closed eyelids: "There is a reflection."
"Reflection?" Chen Yang's heart skipped a beat. "Is that the elevator?"
Chao Jian turned off the phone and closed his eyes: "Yeah."
"Are we going to enter the elevator in the reflection?" Tiny beads of sweat oozed out of Chen Yang's nose.
"Try it." Chao Jian said.
Chen Yang automatically translated those two words into "yes". The rhythm of his breathing became disordered. The elevator was the starting point of the mission and death, and conversely, the end point of the mission was rebirth.
The elevator is a dead end, and its reflection is the way to life.
The real meaning of the water seeping out from the first floor is to reflect... the exit.
"Qiao Qiao?" Chen Yang called out, and the only answer he got was a weak sob. He said, "Are you okay?"
"Woo..." Qiao Qiao just cried.
Chen Yang didn’t have time to comfort her, nor did he know how to comfort her. The last time Li Zheng died, he told Qiao Qiao, “You have to get used to it.” This time, the little mute who was holding her hand died, and she herself almost died.
"We have no choice but to move forward." Chen Yang said this to Qiao Qiao and also to himself. He held Chao Jian and asked, "Where is the reflection?"
Chao Jian led him to a direction. There was a sound of splashing water, and then there was dead silence.
No response.
Chen Yang and Chao Jian, who walked into the reflection, were still there.
Chao Jian's expression suddenly turned extremely cold. He grabbed Chen Yang's wrist and said, "Come out."
Chen Yang stepped back immediately.
The reflection of the elevator in the water shook for a while, then returned to calm.
"Open your eyes and turn on your phone." Chao Jian paused, then increased the strength of his grip on Chen Yang's wrist. He clenched his five fingers and then withdrew them. He supported himself with the crutch with one hand and raised the phone with the hand that had touched Chen Yang.
Chen Yang understood the key from Chao Jian's words. He took a deep breath and felt numb from head to toe.
It’s no use going in with eyes closed, so I can only go in with eyes open
Crazy, fuck.
Chen Yang revealed this information to the other two teammates, his voice trembling.
"This rule is really too much." Zheng Zhiqin smiled and shook his head, as if blaming an old lover.
Qiao Qiao stopped sobbing in grief and stood blankly in the water. If she wanted to get out, she had to open the camera of her mobile phone to see her reflection in the water. Not even a second of residual light could leak out. Could she do it
"The reflection is at the elevator entrance. Turn on your phone when you come over." Chen Yang reminded everyone, "Hold the phone closer and squint your eyes. Don't open them completely. Try to reduce your field of vision as much as possible."
Chao Jian said, "You go in first."
Chen Yang almost couldn't help but open his eyes: "Not together?"
"I checked, the elevator door is only wide enough to accommodate one person." Chao Jian lowered his head and whispered in his ear, "I'm behind you." Don't be afraid.
"Then is it difficult for you to hold your phone with crutches?" Chen Yang was very worried, and his eyes were rolling around impatiently under his eyelids.
Chao Jian pressed the back of his head and pushed it gently.
Chen Yang raised his phone and shone it at his feet. He pursed his lips tightly and held his breath, and walked into the reflection in the water with a stiff posture. The sound of the elevator door slowly closing rang out. At that moment, Chen Yang's figure disappeared.
Then, Chao Jian stepped in.
The elevator door in the water opened and closed, which was weird and scary.
The two people who stayed there had their eyes closed. They hadn't turned on their phones yet, but they heard the sound.
Zheng Zhiqin asked Qiao Qiao to go first. There was no movement around him. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why, you don't want to go out?"
There was no color on Qiao Qiao's face: "I dare not open my eyes. I don't think I can do it."
"What do you think?" Zheng Zhitan laughed out loud, "You've done it, and that's what you think." His smile faded, "The exit is right in front of you, no more than five steps away."
When Qiao Qiao heard this, she did not feel the slightest bit of excitement for relief, because she could not take a single step, and her knees below her felt like ice.
"Mr. Zheng, you go first." Qiao Qiao said, covering his eyes.
"The more I hesitate, the less I dare." Zheng Zhiqin said this and turned on his phone, opened his eyes, stared at the phone screen, and strode towards the elevator in the water. There was no hesitation or timidity at all.
The eyelids under Qiao Qiao's palms trembled constantly. She couldn't move not only because her legs were out of control... but also because there was a person standing in front of her, with a hand on the back of her hand that was covering her eyes.
It was an illusion, Qiao Qiao knew. But that hand was warm.
The temperature was fake, and the breath that brushed against his face was also fake. Qiao Qiao took the mute's hand and clenched it tightly, saying, "Let's go, take a step forward and leave here."
"Fairy." A low and soft voice sounded.
Qiao Qiao shed tears.
"I remember you told me about your family situation. You said your parents had a business marriage and they couldn't divorce even if they had no love for each other. They usually didn't care about you and didn't have time to accompany you..."
Stop talking. Qiao Qiao covered his tearful eyes tightly, his body shaking continuously.
"I can accompany you."
"Even if you don't like me and don't agree to be my girlfriend, I'm still your buddy. Can I accompany you?"
The tip of Qiao Qiao's tongue was bitten, and the fishy smell in her mouth tugged at her consciousness. Oh no, you are fake.
The real Li Zheng lost his life protecting me, he would never say such things.
If he were still alive, he would walk me to the exit.
"You've already given your constellation book to Chen Yang. He will pass it on to your aunt. You have nothing to worry about now, right? Keep it."
The hand seemed to be trying to pull down Qiao Qiao's hands that were covering her eyes. Her fingertips began to tremble and painful and helpless sobs escaped her mouth.
"Qiao Qiao... Qiao Qiao... Look at me... Qiao Qiao..."
“Look at me.”
"Qiao Qiao... Qiao Qiao..."
"Don't call me... Don't call me..." Qiao Qiao cried out loudly, "Don't call me!"
The hem of the skirt that floated into the water was gently lifted up: "It's dirty."
Qiao Qiao's pale face froze. Many scenes emerged in her mind, and her fingertips trembled even more violently.
The skirt was carefully squeezed dry, and a sigh was mixed in with the crisp sound of water: "Can you walk the whole way?"
As soon as Qiao Qiao stopped struggling to cover her eyes, a crack appeared in her protective wall and expanded uncontrollably.
“There’s no end to the journey.”
"You might as well stay here instead of staying at another mission site."
"I'm not the only one here. Your favorite mute sister is here too."
Then Qiao Qiao heard a dumb "ah".
"Stay with us."
Chen Yang stood in the elevator, his eyes fell on the red number "4". Next to him was Chao Jian who was using a crutch. They came here from the reflection in the water on the first floor of the mission world.
—The elevator on the right in Building A3 in the real world, the fourth floor.
The elevator door didn't open for a long time, as if it was waiting for someone.
Chen Yang knew that the elevator was waiting for his other two teammates. He lowered his head to look at his clothes, which were all clean. Then he looked at his partner, who was also intact.
Chao Jian put away his crutches and held them in his hand, then hugged Chen Yang with one hand and buried his face in his neck.
Chen Yang froze but didn't push Chao Jian away.
"I'll pick you up right away." A voice suddenly sounded in the elevator.
Chen Yang came out of Chao Jian's arms. He looked around Zheng Zhitan and said, "Why are you the only one here? Where's Qiao Qiao?"
Zheng Zhitan did not answer.
Chen Yang's expression changed. Was she dragged into the illusion again? Impossible. After experiencing it once, she should be able to prevent it.
Zheng Zhiqin tied his tie facing the elevator door: "I'm not firm enough and I don't have the confidence to go on."
Chen Yang was silent.
Qiao Qiao's desire to live was indeed not strong. The moment Li Zheng died to save her, her wisdom and will died with him.
Chen Yang thought that the newcomers who were quite capable did not survive due to various reasons.
19 taskers, 16 died.
The scary thing is that this mission didn’t have the highest death rate. There were 26 people at the train station, but only 6 of them came out alive, a total of 20 people died.
That was the mission with the highest mortality rate so far.
Chen Yang thought again, if the mission on the A3 floor included the four people in the elevator, the death rate would be the same as at the train station.
The death toll is horrific.
If people keep dying like this, how long can the city of Qingcheng last...
The elevator door opened and Chen Yang came out. What he saw was a bright corridor and office workers walking slowly. He glanced at his phone and his pupils shrank slightly.
They get off work at six o'clock in the mission world and return to the real world at eight thirty in the morning, which is the rush hour.
A group of office workers came out of the elevator next to them. One of them saw Zheng Zhiqin and quickly put away his lazy posture to greet him: "Mr. Zheng, good morning!"
Zheng Zhitan nodded: "Morning."
It was a normal working hour and this was a very ordinary office building, but Chen Yang had a magical feeling.
"I work at Jingfeng. Unless Jingfeng goes bankrupt, I won't move." Zheng Zhitan glanced at the scar on Chen Yang's left ear. "As long as it's a weekday, you can come to see me anytime."