IWOL Chapter 129: The Underground Garage

When Cui Zuojing and Dong Zheng arrived at the place where the others were gathered, Wang Que was curled up sideways against a shelf, sleeping quietly.

She wasn’t very tall and was quite thin. Now, she looked even more wane.

Since entering this box, the various voices and thoughts in Wang Que’s mind that didn’t belong to her never really stopped. She wasn’t able to actively control the on-off switch of her ability, so she could only endure it. This was undoubtedly a burden on her spirit, making her easily tired.

Allen and Lin Hangzhi had their helmets off and were speaking in a low voice.

Allen moved his hips to enlarge the circle of the three people, making room for Dong Zheng and Cui Zuojing. Seeing the serious expression on their faces, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I saw a snake just now.”

Lin Hangzhi said, “A snake? Alive?”

Cui Zuojing said, “Alive. I wanted to catch it to improve my food option, and so I chased it to the underground parking lot but didn’t dare to go beyond the door. It felt dangerous to me. There should be something down there.”

Dong Linhai said, “Then… let’s quickly leave.”

Cui Zuojing pointed his finger at the door. “It’s dark now, and there are still a bunch of bugs outside. How can we leave? We’re still not sure the drainage system will lead us to other places.”

“Now let’s discuss what to do,” Dong Zheng said. “We currently have two options, both with high risk factors. We could travel outside where the route is clear. Meanwhile, the drainage pipes are relatively safer, but once we go beyond the suburbs, we may not be able to find an exit.”

Everyone fell silent. Allen couldn’t help but sigh. “Is this really a three-stars box? Why do I feel that no matter which one we choose, it’ll be a dead end?”

Cui Zuojing and Dong Zheng looked at each other and saw the gravity in each other’s eyes. It seemed that it wasn’t just the two of them who had this idea.

Someone must be meddling. Cui Zuojing thought of the person who had lured him into the underground parking lot. In his heart, the image of the black snake became clearer.

In the battle against the Queen, Nana was entangled by a red-striped, sharp-nosed snake. She was unable to extricate herself and was the first to fall behind.

The owner of the snake was one of the queen’s five heirs. This heir would use a different name and appearance every time he appears. No one knew his gender, age, or what he really looked like.

Maybe he was the ugly woman who passed you on the street. Maybe he was the pilgrim who died in front of you in a box. He had a thousand faces, a thousand names, and a thousand different identities.

The only thing that could identify him was that no matter how he changes, there would always be a snake by his side at all times.

When Fu Zhe was investigating the heirs, he called him “Jormungand”, or J for short, for convenience.

It was the giant python in Norse mythology, a giant sea snake that was so large it could encircle the world and catch its own tail.

At that time, Cui Zuojing had ridiculed why he gave number two that code name, but after calling him that for a long time, he realized how appropriate the name was.

Because he was too dangerous.

If it really was J who entered the box with them, then they were in big trouble.

Dong Zheng and Allen were discussing what to do when he heard Cui Zuojing’s voice in his head, “No matter what happens next, you must first pay attention to your own safety.”

As Dong Zheng was talking to Allen, he shifted his gaze over to Cui Zuojing, his eyes full of questions.

Due to the prisoner link and because Dong Zheng was a person with a mental ability, they were able to converse spiritually. Cui Zuojing sighed and said, “I suspect that someone from the Queen’s side has entered this box with us. If this is the case, the Queen must have found out that I’d obtained the right to survive in the Pure White Realm through the prisoner contract and that you’re my master.”

Dong Zheng realized the seriousness of this and frowned, “Did they know that we have a blood contract?”

“Whether they knew this or not, you would still be in a lot of danger. Even if it was just an ordinary prisoner contract, as long as they get my prisoner card from you, I would be at their mercy.”

Dong Zheng looked at him for a few seconds and firmly nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

At the beginning, once he was able to smuggle himself back, Cui Zuojing’s primary concern was how to obtain the right to live in the Pure White Realm. This was because, once the laws of the Pure White Realm perceived that he shouldn’t have existed, it would try to erase him.

The clown gave him the easiest and most reasonable way to avoid obliteration.

But now, as he’d expected, this method had become inevitably troublesome. No, the biggest trouble was that they had too little time. Dong Zheng still hadn’t fully leveled up. How could he defeat an heir?

Thinking about it gave Cui Zuojing a headache.

Dong Zheng pressed his hand on Cui Zuojing’s shoulder. This time, he didn’t use the spiritual link and directly said in a calm and composed voice, “Don’t worry. I will live well.”

Dong Linhai was looking at them just now, knowing that they were probably discussing something that only they knew, when he suddenly heard Dong Zheng say this. His eyes widened, and he said, “No, what’s wrong with you, brother?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just afraid that this box isn’t the three-stars’ difficulty that we were told,” Dong Zheng replied in a soothing tone. “But, don’t be afraid. We’ve gotten out of danger before, and we’ll definitely be able to get out this time too.”

“We’ll definitely get out. Don’t underestimate me. After all, I am much stronger than you imagined.” Cui Zuojing stood up and added, “Let’s change location and go into the sewer to rest. It’s not safe here.”

“Is it necessary to change places?” At this time, Lin Hangzhi, who was slumped on the ground, sighed heavily and said, “Obviously, nothing has happened until now. How can the sewer compare to the supermarket?”

As soon as his voice fell, Lin Hangzhi realized what he’d said and was stunned. He immediately got up and exclaimed, “Wait, why did I have such an idea?”

Allen yawned and said, “You are not alone. I feel so tired, I don’t want to go anywhere.”

Dong Linhai raised his hand, “I also…feel weird. Obviously, a moment ago, I still felt that I have enough energy.”

Dong Zheng realized that the situation wasn’t good and immediately went over to check on Wang Que’s situation. The young woman was still asleep, not at all disturbed by their conversation.

“Wang Que.” Dong Zheng patted her shoulder and called out, “Don’t sleep. We’re leaving.”

Wang Que’s eyes were still closed tightly, motionless.

Cui Zuojing tapped his fingers on her helmet visor several times. The sound echoed and resonated through the helmet. It stood to reason that the noises would wake her up, but Wang Que still had no response.

“Lost consciousness? When did it happen?”

No one could answer Cui Zuojing’s question. Lin Hangzhi held Wang Que up and said, “What’s going on?”

Dong Zheng said, “There’s probably something here that could affect people’s mind. If I’m not mistaken, it must be in the underground garage. When Cui Zuojing suddenly became impulsive earlier, I felt that something was wrong.”

“What the hell was so magical?” Lin Hangzhi wondered. “Can the bugs here really evolve this kind of ability?”

“The Zerg Queen in StarCraft can easily manipulate people’s hearts,” Dong Linhai suddenly spoke up. “Uncle said he can go to the underground garage to check out the situation. If something goes wrong, I can immediately summon him back to the summoned beast space.”

Victor had been staying in the summoned beast space. Similar to the prisoner contract, as Dong Linhai’s summoning beast, he would also know what was happening in the outside world through Dong Linhai’s five senses.

“Let Uncle tell you himself. It’s troublesome to relay it.” Dong Linhai made a gesture with his hands, and the white cat suddenly appeared at his feet.

Victor raised his head and looked at the heavily armed group with amber eyes. “This box feels too wrong to me. You go and wait at the sewer entrance while I go and take a look. If the situation isn’t right, you can leave immediately.”

Cui Zuojing admitted that this was indeed the best course of action, but he was still a little reluctant to let Victor take the risk. “J may also be here. I saw his snake just now.”

Victor still insisted, “It doesn’t matter. Linhai has mastered the control of the summoning contract. He can summon me back in time if something happens.”

Cui Zuojing had to give in. “Okay.”

He squatted down and tied his headlight onto Victor’s neck. He stroked the two cat ears on Victor’s head and asked, “Are you cold?”

“Don’t forget I’m a Russian.” Victor shook his body and all the fur on his body puffed up to achieve maximum warmth. At first glance, he looked like a fluffy white ball.

“You go to the sewer first and wait, and when you are ready, give me a signal.”

Allen picked up Wang Que, and the group returned to the warehouse where they came from. They waited at the entrance of the sewer.

On the ground, there were still the corpses of small insects that they’d trampled to death when they first came up. The yellow-green juice had solidified, freezing the insects to the ground.

Dong Linhai sent a signal to Victor, and then everyone held their weapons and waited with bated breath for Victor’s feedback.

Dong Zheng sent some of the data representing his own thinking in the kernel, trying to wake up the sleeping Wang Que with his mind. If they had to escape in the next moment, the person carrying Wang Que would be in the greatest danger.

If the insect in the underground parking lot could really control people’s minds, then Wang Que, who could perceive the consciousness of insects, would definitely be more deeply affected then all of them combined.

Except for when testing his abilities with Cui Zuojing, Dong Zheng had never entered other people’s subconscious world. Cui Zuojing had trusted him for a long time, and before the test, he also told him what would happen once he was done. Therefore, everything went very smoothly and no accidents occurred.

But this was different. It was a natural instinct for people to protect their subconscious world.  If he hastily awakened Wang Que and he wasn’t careful enough, the result might be something that no one wanted to see.

Time passed minute by minute and second by second.

The white cat trotted all the way to the stairway leading to the underground parking lot. Victor took a deep breath and jumped down the stairs step by step until he finally stood in the same place where Cui Zuojing had abruptly stopped earlier.

Victor’s keen sense of smell allowed him to perceive an unusual scent in the air. His ears perked up, but he didn’t turn on the flashlight on his neck. The pupils in his amber eyes were dilated into regular circles, using the weak light to vigilantly watch the darkness.