The castle is beautiful at night.
There are many stained glass windows at high places, and the starlight shines through the glass onto the retro floor tiles in the courtyard.
Dreamy colorful lights are floating everywhere in the deep ancient castle.
It was just terribly quiet everywhere, without a single sound.
When walking in it, I always feel that there is a huge and ancient monster lurking deep in the castle, staring at me quietly with its eyes open.
Lin Yuan glanced at Ni Ji beside her. The sentry had clear eyes, walked slowly in the colorful halo, and smiled at her.
It was as if there was nothing to be afraid of here, just like any other training they had experienced or any other time they had entered a contaminated area, it was not worth being overly nervous about.
There was a faint smell of blood in the air, and many traces of fighting gradually appeared on the ancient stone buildings.
The traces of battle were very recent, as if they had just happened not long ago.
Lin Yuan even saw a piece of severed golden braid. The golden hair was scattered in the mud on the ground and stained with blood.
He stared at those strands of golden hair for a moment, then walked over quickly without stopping, looking calm.
I have always been a calm person, and the current situation is nothing serious, Lin Yuan said to himself.
The castle hall suddenly opened its doors as they approached. The golden-red door was gaping darkly, like a man-eating monster with its mouth wide open, waiting for them to fall into its trap.
The light in the hall was very dim. Lin Yuan squinted his eyes and couldn't see what was going on inside clearly.
All we know is that the interior is luxuriously decorated, with scarlet carpets on the floor and soft vintage sofas.
At the deepest point is a curved staircase with a huge circular rose window behind the landing.
The moment the door opened, Ni Ji almost subconsciously pulled her back and raised his hand to block her view.
Ni Ji's palms were dry and cool, because he had picked a lot of flowers along the way, and they were stained with the strong fragrance of flowers. Even so, he couldn't isolate the smell of blood that was coming towards him.
Through the sentry's fingers, Lin Yuan saw a scene that he absolutely did not want to see.
In that dim, hell-like place, blood soaked the entire space.
Through the sentinel's fingers, all that could be seen was thick red and pale limbs.
The glaring red almost burned Lin Yuan's retinas.
Every corner was filled with blood and the faces of the victims were so familiar.
Lin Yuan felt that she was still very calm. She pushed Ni Ji's hand away and walked step by step towards the depths of the darkness.
She saw Nicole.
Nicole leaned on a long sofa, her hands clasped in front of her chest, her eyes closed, as if she was asleep. The pure white guide uniform was completely stained with bright red.
It is impossible for a guide to survive when he loses so much blood.
Behind Nicole, there was a huge spider web between an ornately sculpted stone pillar and the high dome.
Du Yuanyuan was hanging there, and a huge spider was lying beside her, gnawing at her brain.
Lin Yuan looked up at the huge net covered in blood, his feet slipped and he almost tripped over the sticky blood on the ground.
She saw Yun Luo when she stood up.
Yun Luo was hung on a sharp wooden stake, with a long trail of blood flowing along the stake to his feet. He seemed to be still suffering and not completely dead.
Lin Yuan wanted to run over there, but in a further corner there was a huge fish tank covering an entire wall. The gurgling fish tank was filled with turbid water.
Rachel sank to the bottom of the water, her long golden hair scattered in the water, her dilated pupils staring at herself dully.
Lin Yuan reached out to grab Ni Ji's arm.
The floor was so slippery and covered in blood that she felt like she needed to hold onto something to steady herself.
But she caught nothing, there was no one around.
Lin Yuan looked back and saw that the area around him, behind him, and outside the open door was empty. There was no Ni Ji in the hall, nor on the road outside the hall.
There wasn't a single sentinel.
By the way, she came here alone, and there were never any sentinels around her.
The kiss stained with flower petals, the heat of joints mixed with sweat, the fingers caressing her cheek, were all illusions, a dream.
Lin Yuan was sweating profusely.
She remembered the day her mother left her when she was very young and handed her a killer whale doll.
From then on, she held the killer whale doll and waited for a long, long time, but she never waited for her father, mother or any relatives to return.
Perhaps it was because I was too lonely, so I slowly began to imagine that there was a spiritual being around me who was a sentinel of the killer whale.
He is so good, able to satisfy everything I want, appear whenever I need him, always gentle and infinitely accommodating to me.
How could there be such people in this world
Have you forgotten that you have always been alone
He was a lonely, hopeless monster. How could he have such a close partner
Lin Yuan felt like something was stirring in her abdomen, making her feel so uncomfortable that she wanted to vomit.
She reached out to hold the leather sofa, and when she raised her hand, her palm was covered in blood.
It turns out that there is no Ni Ji in this world. This person does not exist.
All his companions died, even though they once trusted him so much.
This seems to be a very common thing. Isn't that what a battlefield is like
Death is the norm, and loneliness is the norm.
But why does my heart feel like it's been cut open and blocked by a red-hot iron block? It hurts so much every time I take a step.
Don't think about it, the battle is not over yet. Lin Yuan heard his own voice.
The whole world in front of him was black, like hell and the abyss. Everywhere was blood, the bodies of his companions, and everywhere were eyes staring at him intently. The color of blood was so red that it was frightening.
Lin Yuan felt like he was falling infinitely.
Falling down. I don't know where I will end up.
"There is a powerful enemy who is good at mental attacks. It will be your turn to fight, so be in your best condition."
Who said this to her? Who
Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and found that he was no longer in that dim hall.
She was in a softly lit room with a clean bed and soft carpet.
My heart was beating wildly and my thoughts were confused.
The strong smell of blood and the cruel scene are still vaguely lingering in front of my eyes.
"There is a powerful enemy, and it will be your battle next."
That familiar voice kept ringing in my mind.
Lin Yuan took a deep breath and finally realized that he was under an extremely powerful mental attack.
She was captured by the emotion called fear and trapped in the mental picture of a powerful consciousness.
After closing his eyes for a while and calming himself down, Lin Yuan stood up in the room.
Looking out the window, there was a thick fog outside, a garden, and a human figure in the distance. It looked like a very reassuring environment.
The window can be opened and is not too high, so you can jump down.
But this place is very strange. It is no longer in the superficial consciousness, but trapped in a deeper layer of fog.
Therefore, even though he was aware that he was inside a spiritual image, he was still unable to return to his body in the real world and wake up.
My mind was sluggish, as if I were trapped in a thick fog and couldn't think effectively.
She only knew that this enemy was very powerful and could completely confuse virtuality and reality.
She could even accurately pinpoint Lin Yuan's greatest fear deep in her heart, cruelly exposing to her in blood everything that Lin Yuan was most afraid of seeing.
After the depressing silence, all the people she cared about suddenly appeared before her, dying in the most tragic way.
The cold blood and desperate eyes made Lin Yuan unable to judge whether what had really happened even at this moment.
In the strange house, Lin Yuan recalled what Xunhua had said to her under the golden tree.
"You were born in this era. You may be a strong man in front of the Sentinels. But I feel that you still lack experience in fighting between guides."
At that time, Xunhua, who was wearing a silver mask, sighed and shook her head, "If you encounter that feeling of someone mercilessly tearing away your weaknesses one day, I'm afraid you will not be able to adapt to it."
I used to think Xunhua was very strict with me. Now I know that he actually dotes on me and has never been willing to do anything really cruel to me.
“Each of them is a real strong man.”
"I'm not a weakling either."
"please believe us."
Who said this in my ear
It’s Ni Ji.
When she received the messages from Nicole and Rachel, her sentinel seemed to have anticipated the current situation and said this to her.
Please believe that they are not weak. Please believe in your partners, your sentinels.
He must still be alive.
Ni Ji is so vivid, real, and full of flesh and blood.
Every look and every voice of his was treasured and collected in his own mental picture.
How could it be an illusion of nothingness
But if even he himself cannot break free from the control of the enemy's mental power, then all the sentinels outside, even if they can still hold on now, will sooner or later fall into greater danger.
Lin Yuan began to observe the small room where he was trapped.
I seemed to be still in that retro castle, entering a deeper house.
If you want to leave this room, there are two obvious escape routes: one is the window, and the other is the closed door.
The window was not very high and there was a garden outside. If I opened the window and jumped down, I might be able to escape.
The door was tightly closed, and no sound could be heard from outside. If I opened the door, I might see a scary monster. Of course, it was also possible to return to the hall where I had separated from Ni Ji.
Open the door or jump out the window
Lin Yuan looked back and forth between the door and the window twice. It was very quiet outside the door, there was thick fog outside the window, and there was a soft, empty bed in the room.
In the end, she chose to lie down on the bed and closed her eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, Lin Yuan found himself back in the dim hall.
She successfully escaped and woke up from the dream-like world.
The thick blood, the body on the sofa, the spider webs, the wood pile and the fish tank were all gone.
A cold voice sounded in the dimly lit hall.
"Ah, you got rid of it so quickly."
Only then did Lin Yuan realize that on the red-carpeted steps, in front of the colorful rose window, there stood a woman in a dress.
It was a tall humanoid creature with neatly combed hair, wearing a long dress with retro patterns, and a thin black veil covering her face.
She stood with her back to the light, and she had been standing there quietly looking at Lin Yuan since she hadn't known when.
No, Lin Yuan suddenly realized that she had actually been standing there since the moment she first came in.
From the moment she and Ni Ji came in, she was clearly standing in front of the stained glass window.
It was just that I was affected by her powerful mental power. I glanced at her several times and actually ignored her existence.
"You are quite amazing. I haven't seen a guide like you in a long time." The man in front of the window said, "It's not easy to get rid of my control and wake up so quickly."
The voice was clear and contained an expression of approval.
Lin Yuan looked at her face and said, "No, I am still in your mental picture, right?"
This time the lady in front of the flower window showed a hint of surprise, and then smiled slightly.
Her surprised and smiling expression was very natural, not stiff at all, just like a real human being.
She lifted her skirt with her hand and slowly walked down the stairs.
"You've been found out?" She walked towards Lin Yuan with a smile on her face. "I'm surprised you came to your senses."
"That's right, you just woke up from a deeper spiritual world, and you didn't really leave my spiritual picture."
"How adorable! There are always interesting people like you among humans. That's why I didn't agree with the plan to keep humans in captivity."
Captive humans.
Lin Yuan heard this word again.
The mutant species, or the "pillar" of the Food City, which was slowly approaching in front of him, gave Lin Yuan a different feeling.
She seemed to be different from all the pillars in the contaminated areas that Lin Yuan had come into contact with.
He looks very old, conscious and emotionally stable.
Lin Yuan could even feel the ease with which she moved.
She has the ability to move at will and a clear sense of self, and is not confined to a columnar body that cannot move. She also does not have the strong desire to be controlled by low-level appetites.
His words and actions were too human-like, and there seemed to be a feeling about him that Lin Yuan was very familiar with.
Lin Yuan thought about it carefully and felt that she and the Majesty who was high up in the White Tower gave her a very similar feeling.
The "Queen" of the Food City slowly walked down the stairs, dragging her big skirt. On her gorgeous dress, she wore a pendant inlaid with green gems.
That gem Lin Yuan also looked very familiar.
She had seen the same stone on the Queen's neck at the top of the White Tower. Once, Lin Yuan's fingers almost touched the stone.
But the one on His Majesty’s neck is red.
The Queen of Food City walked down the stairs wearing the necklace under Lin Yuan's gaze. She walked past Lin Yuan, through the dimly lit hall, and came to the entrance to the castle's back garden.
The door there was opened, and bright starlight poured in.
Outdoors, under the blue sky there is an endless sea of flowers, in the sea of flowers there is a long corridor built with colorful transparent gems. At the end of the corridor there is a transparent pavilion.
The Queen of Food City stood at the entrance and turned to look at Lin Yuan. Her fair fingers gently rested on the gemstone on her chest.
"I know what you want from here."
"I will wait for you in the pavilion in the garden. If you can get there, I will give you what you want."
Lin Yuan looked at her and asked, "Will you give it to me when we get there?"
The night breeze blew, slightly lifting the veil on the mutant's face, revealing her curved red lips under the veil.
"Not only that, I can tell you everything you want to know."
"But first, you have to prove that you have the ability to know all this and change all this."
She turned in the moonlight and walked away along the jeweled corridor. Her figure moved very quickly, leaving behind her the sound of water.
"If you fall on the way, don't feel sorry. I will cherish you and your companions and turn them into fertilizer to irrigate the flowers of this world."
"You will live forever in another way, become citizens of the City of Panda Food, and live a brand new life."
"Perhaps you'll find that's a better option."
Lin Yuan thought for a moment, took a step forward and walked towards the colorful corridor.
The starry sky is bright above, and the sea of flowers is endless in front of you. The long corridor of the gem building is surrounded by countless flowers, reflecting a dreamlike luster.
Lin Yuan knew that he was in a dream at that moment, in the mental image of an ancient mutant that had lived for countless years.
The colorful corridor symbolizes the journey deep into the mental picture of that powerful aberrant creature.
This road seems short, yet it seems infinitely long.
Gorgeous colors, tortuous light and shadow.
Once you take a step forward, it may be difficult to withdraw.
It is very likely that she will lose herself in the infinite spiritual landscape of others. Staying in the spiritual landscape of this person will become a stronger nutrient for her.
Do you have the ability to extricate yourself from it
Lin Yuan looked back and saw that in the world of spiritual images, the dim hall was empty.
But she knew that at this moment she was trapped in the spiritual world.
In the real world, her sentinel Ni Ji and her friends are also struggling with powerful mutants.
Ni Ji didn't know how long he could hold out. Nicole and the sentinels were unknown whether they were alive or dead.
It's going to be a tough battle.
Tentacles emerged from the skirt and surged around Lin Yuan's body. They sensed the enemy's strength and felt the breath of danger.
"Go outside and help the sentinels." Lin Yuan said to them.
[But…]
[This will weaken your power.]
[very dangerous]
[It's dangerous here too]
[Stronger than anything I've ever seen.]
"It's not enough for me alone. Only if the Sentinels can wake up and stay together with the Sentinels, there is hope of victory."
[All right.]
[Oh well.]
[You have to be careful]
We can't live without you
Don't forget that you are now a sentinel.
[The status of a widow is not at all suitable for that killer whale]
(End of this chapter)