Thunder rumbled between heaven and earth, while the sound of falling rain stretched farther and farther behind him, fading from his ears. All manner of sights flashed before Si Yehan's eyes, but he remained unmoved. Wisps of black fog enveloped him, and azure lightning rolled across the pitch-black sky, revealing a clear sight.
Rain poured down, but Si Yehan was unaffected.
By the time he returned to Cangyun City, the sound of rain had mostly faded. Si Yehan hovered in the air for a moment, looking down at the brightly lit city beneath him, before the black fog around him slowly dispersed.
Si Yehan plunged straight down from the sky, the sound of air splitting echoing sharply in his ears. Just before he hit the ground, his figure suddenly blurred and stretched, then vanished!
The furnishings of a room appeared before his eyes the next instant.
Si Yehan sat on the sofa and gently closed his eyes. Darkness descended before him again, and his surroundings grew exceptionally quiet! Wisps of black fog seeped out from beneath his feet, then vanished.
Time seemed to stand still. The wind and rain outside had stopped, and the lights grew ever more brilliant. The city lay submerged beneath its glorious facade, as though everything were flourishing.
Wails rang through the room. Si Yehan opened his eyes to see a letter hovering above the table, blood-colored patterns covering its entire surface. He picked it up and opened it unhurriedly. Its contents were surely connected to the next dungeon.
Sure enough, the letter contained the opening time for the next dungeon:
[Notice to participants: A dungeon's opening time is closely related to its difficulty. The second dungeon will open at midnight tomorrow night! Starting with the third dungeon, players may choose whether to open a dungeon early.]
Si Yehan ran his fingers over the envelope, letting it turn to ash in his hand. Orange-red flames burned along the blood-red patterns, casting light on his indifferent face.
The dungeon would open at midnight tomorrow night, leaving him enough time to slaughter everyone in the city beforehand! Even if those organizations came looking for him, they would never find him and could only wait for the dungeon to end. Leaving aside whether he would die in the dungeon, if he made it out, he would only be stronger, and escaping would be no difficult feat.
Thoughts churned in his mind. Si Yehan had some confidence in his current strength. He could certainly be considered one of the strongest newcomers, though he was nothing impressive compared to the game's "veterans."
Seven hundred li away, in Hai Xu District near the capital.
Skyscrapers stood tall, with buildings surrounding a lake on all sides. Brilliant lights reflected on its rippling surface.
A helipad had been set up on a rooftop, with a square table placed nearby.
Two men sat upright at the table. Both wore suits and dress shoes, but their clothes could not conceal their imposing builds! A trace of thuggishness showed through, and one of them said, a chill in his eyes, "Zhang Kui is dead! This dungeon clearly wasn't all that difficult, and Shen Jing of Han Shu died too. Neither of them was weak among the veterans, and they're both suspected to have been in the same dungeon. I'm very curious whether the two of them were killed by people or ghosts."
The other man drained his glass of wine and gently wiped his lips with a tissue, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "A great many dungeons open every day, of course. Quite a few people from Shirenjian died too, but the list of names hasn't been made public. Zhang Kui's death wasn't surprising. Although his personality had grown much more ruthless, he still couldn't get rid of that bit of softness in his bones. If he hadn't died in this dungeon, he would have died in the next one sooner or later. So what if a person killed him? Are you going to avenge him?"
The man who had spoken first sneered. "Xie Ao, what kind of joke is that? How would I avenge him? Zhang Kui did me a favor, but so what? Dungeons are as numerous as grains of sand on the ocean floor, and there are even more participants. Where would I look? I, Zhang Xuan, don't have that much time to waste."
Xie Ao clapped his hands. It was impossible to tell whether his tone held admiration or sarcasm. "In that respect, Zhang Kui was nowhere near your equal."
Zhang Xuan snorted. "Enough idle talk for now. Jiang Shanghan's next dungeon isn't far off, and neither is ours. I asked you here today because I want to offer forty percent of the Hundred Prosperity Company's shares in exchange for Jiang Shanghan taking us into the dungeon with him."
He glanced at Xie Ao and added, "Once it's done, I'll give you ten percent of the Hundred Prosperity Company's shares too!"
The Hundred Prosperity Company monopolized the real estate and entertainment industries throughout Hai Xu District. Its market value was extremely high, and it was a company of some size even within Great Xia. What people did not know was that its greatest value lay in the numerous participants backing it and its extensive network of contacts.
"This is our ninth dungeon, while it's Jiang Shanghan's eleventh. The difference in difficulty is too great. But with his strength, there's nothing to worry about. As for what you promised me... it's too little. I have some ties with Jiang Shanghan, so this is sure to work out, but you'll have to add another five percent of the shares." Xie Ao stood up straight, his voice echoing in the wind as the helicopter on the helipad slowly rose!
The rotor roared, and Xie Ao's short hair hung beside his ears. His burly frame filled out his suit, giving him an immensely oppressive presence.
"Fine." Zhang Xuan also rose slowly. He was not as tall as Xie Ao, but his frame was somewhat broader, his muscles knotted as though they might burst through his clothes at any moment.
A smile curled at Xie Ao's lips, adding a touch of disdain to his strong, handsome features. "A pleasure doing business with you."
He boarded the helicopter and flew away.
Zhang Xuan stood on the rooftop, gazing into the distance without a word!
Throughout Great Xia, participants were busy preparing for the opening of their next dungeons in the dark of night.
In Cangyun City, Si Yehan fell asleep in bed.
Dreams intertwined and took shape. The sky was an endless expanse of blood red, and the sea was calm! A ship remained half capsized. Sea and sky were the same color, and the world had an eerie beauty.
His consciousness was hazy. Before Si Yehan's eyes, darkness surged from the sea, devouring its mirrorlike surface. His will drifted outside the world, observing everything coldly.
People were fleeing wildly aboard the half-capsized ship! His field of vision suddenly expanded. There were three men and four women among the fleeing people, dressed in extremely revealing sleepwear that exposed their chests.
Tentacles slithered through the cabin corridors! Beneath the ship, shadows wrapped around everything under cover of night, their full form yet to be revealed. They intertwined without leaving a gap as Si Yehan watched the scene of predation before him.
The tentacles were clearly right in front of their prey, yet they did not strike, letting them wail and flee. Suddenly, a clear song rose from the depths of the sea. The three men and four women had no time to think before they became immersed in it!
The tentacles turned into faces weeping blood, and the surrounding darkness swept over the seven victims like a tide, crushing and devouring them all! The sound of chewing echoed clearly. The ship sank beneath the surface, destined to become nourishment for the seabed.
The scene before Si Yehan's eyes kept changing. After gaining control of a ghost's power, his control over his dreams had also grown stronger! He could even extend their duration.
An intuition from somewhere deep within made him instinctively feel that these dreams would surely benefit him in the future.