The Truth of the Dungeon and Tong

Underground Prison.

It was as if the entire world had been frozen in time; an unprecedented stillness enveloped everything.

Before the blank sheet of paper, the mysterious entity lying on the ground calmly responded in a strange tone.

Those who succumb to darkness are beyond redemption; death is their Unique destination.

"No room for negotiation?"

Looking at the object on the ground in front of him, whatever it was, it was definitely not Tong's deceased Friend, Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"To be honest, I think we should give it a try, what do you think?"

"Those Dark Companion will inevitably fall into darkness."

The other party's response remained unchanged.

"Death is insignificant; there are things far more terrifying and horrifying than death."

"If that's the case, then there's nothing to discuss?"

He pursed his lips, Bai Zhi his arms, and leaned against the wall.

"You don't understand humans at all, so don't think of them as so fragile. Sometimes you shouldn't speak too definitively, or you'll be proven wrong later... How about we make a deal?"

"No discussion."

As the voice spoke, a hint of coldness crept into its tone.

Those who have already fallen are beyond redemption; only destruction remains, and death is their best end.

"Since you chose this role, I imagine you must have been influenced by her memories to some extent, right?"

Looking down at the other person, Bai Zhi frowned slightly.

"Can you really bear to watch her wallow in endless pain and despair until her last shred of consciousness is extinguished? How about giving her a chance?"

"This is her wish."

"What?"

Bai Zhi was slightly taken aback.

"You think she's running away, but she's actually facing it. You think she wants to live, but she just wants to sleep. It's all her own choice, and you can't change anything. If you want a chance, prove it to me."

Seemingly not wanting to say anything more, the whole world came back to life the moment the other person uttered their last sentence.

The cacophony of sounds—prayer, shouts, and curses—emanating from the Underground Prison, mingled with the stench of decay Underground Prison, once again enveloped him.

"..."

Sensing the changes happening around him, Bai Zhi frowned deeply.

The other person had already left, but the conversation had not yielded the results he desired.

His initial guess was correct; the one in control of everything was none other than the book that had devoured countless people.

The ratings for the stories they had previously participated in were all given by the other party.

The so-called Players use to Walkthrough Dungeon and find ways to save Hitomi are all fake. Their real purpose is to make Hitomi completely perish in this endless cycle of despair.

There is only one main reason why the other party would do this, even at such a high level: conventional methods are no longer effective in killing Hitomi, leaving only this extreme approach.

But what kind of situation is this? What inexplicable thing happened to Tong that made her unable to even die a simple death?

After discarding all the impossibilities, the remaining option, no matter how incredible, is absolutely the right one.

"... Evil God Retainer?"

Bai Zhi let out a slight breath.

He was no stranger to the concept of Retainer; it was Qingyi who first introduced it to him, and Anna herself was Retainer of the [Doll Princess].

After a world is destroyed by Anomaly, an Ultimate Anomaly will be Gestation on the ruins of that world. The [Lord of Flesh and Blood] that he once saw is such a story.

However, the [Lord of Flesh and Blood] is not an Evil God; it is only when he develops his own Retainer of [Doll Princess] that he is considered one.

Once you become Retainer, everything about you will no longer belong to you, including your Life and Soul.

Anna is doing well; [the Princess with the Plaything and Book] is still asleep, so she retains most of her autonomy.

However, judging from Hitomi's current willingness to sacrifice herself completely in this way, it Favor that her existence is not like that of the [Doll Princess], who is in a state of slumber.

--Death is insignificant; some things are far more terrifying and horrifying than death.

"That enormous Black Shadow has been targeting Tong; perhaps we can find clues about that Evil God on it... Access Card, looks like I'll have to go to the Town Center later."

As this thought arose in his mind, Bai Zhi looked at the figure lying on the ground not far in front of him and walked forward.

Unfortunately, the other person had already stopped breathing. Or perhaps they were clinging to life, and peacefully died after hearing that Tong was safe. Or maybe, in the original story, they were already dead, and everything was manipulated by the book... Who knows?

After releasing all the surviving prisoners from the lower Cell, Bai Zhi set the entire place, including the library, ablaze, reducing it to ashes.

Then, ignoring the others who had noticed the commotion and cautiously approached to see if they could get something for themselves, Bai Zhi turned and left.

Behind him, flames Ignite the sky.

In the northeast corner of the town, there is a Garbage Heap filled with trash, teeming with Corpse Rat and cockroaches, and reeking of foul odors. Even the poorest homeless Vagrant would not want to spend the night in such a place.

However, when Bai Zhi arrived here, he realized that this place could not be called Garbage Heap at all; calling it Garbage Mountain would be more appropriate.

The Garbage Heap into more than a dozen peaks, each over ten meters high. It was filthy and overflowing with excrement and urine. The strange and nauseating smell kept drilling into my mind, and even made my eyes sting.

The only things that could survive in such a place are the Life resilient cockroaches and the ubiquitous Corpse Rat... Could humans really survive here?

To be honest, Bai Zhi had quite a few doubts.

For more than a decade prior, Hitomi and her Friend had lived in such a place, relying on each other for survival.

"I think this place would be suitable for PrayerUnderDreams..."

He hadn't gone more than a few steps when he stepped into a pool of foul-smelling, thin, yellowish substance. Looking at his feet, Bai Zhi couldn't help but feel a bit of a toothache.

There's practically nowhere to put your foot down here; the ground is littered with Landmine.

Having finally found a relatively clean spot to stand on, Bai Zhi had just stepped onto it when his foot suddenly slipped, and he fell into a pit about two meters deep.

"The trap was fairly well made, but it's a pity it didn't have dozens of sharpened bamboo sticks stuck in the bottom..."

Covering his nose with one hand while surveying his surroundings, Bai Zhi offered his comments.

At that moment, a slightly nervous voice came from the side.

Who are you!?