Alice's Hell (30)-Rose Tunnel

Looking at Yi Qing, who was covering her face with a fan and refusing to show her whole face, Yu Xing muttered something to herself.

Yiqing said there was no such thing... then let's say there was no such thing.

Although this denial is rather perfunctory.

Yu Xing didn't press the matter; he didn't care much about it. He just noticed that Yi Qing's source of information was a bit strange, so he asked about it casually.

It seems most likely that the system did something convenient for Sheqing Ghost... Anyway, Yi Qing has a lot of authority, something Yu Xing noticed back at the Sheqing Ghost Bar.

By this time, he had been walking for five or six minutes, during which he could occasionally hear the sound of bells from the other side of the wall.

Fortunately, even though Alice was ruthless, she didn't attempt to break down the wall. The key reason was probably that she didn't find Yu Xing; otherwise, it's uncertain whether she would have broken down the wall.

But then she thought, if she could break through the wall, she wouldn't be unable to even break through the thick door of the sculpture exhibition hall.

Yu Xing thought to herself, "Ghosts that can't pass through walls aren't much of a threat... As the final boss of Alice's Hell, is she a bit weak? Sure enough... she is..."

His thoughts became clearer, and he felt that his guess had been corroborated by another piece of evidence, so he moved even more decisively.

Finally, after four minutes of silence from Alice's bells, a place ahead caught his eye.

Kitchen!

That's right, it was the place where the three fat chefs cooked dinner for them. Yu Xing made his way through the maze of directions and successfully entered the place he had been before.

It wasn't meal preparation time, and the kitchen was quiet. The portly chefs had long since left, their whereabouts unknown. Only various mechanical-punk-style kitchen utensils remained, unused—such as the gear-embedded, heavy-duty metal stove and range hood—quietly awaiting their next use.

"Great, that's it, we're on the right track..." Yu Xing smiled and stepped into the kitchen without hesitation.

He looked around, curious about the chefs' cooking methods, and noticed that the utensils were different from normal kitchen utensils and had a strange design.

Then, he raised his head and made a gesture of looking up.

Because Alice could appear at any moment, he was wearing a smiling mask, which made his vision slightly uncomfortable.

From his perspective, he could see the observation deck on the third floor, which protruded half a floor high.

The observation deck, designed to provide visitors with... or something else? A perfect vantage point, it juts out slightly, making it particularly eye-catching. The crystal platform sparkles under the lights, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

Looking at the crystal railings on the observation deck, Yu Xing revealed a satisfied smile.

Seeing his expression, Yi Qing glanced at the observation deck as well, then asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"I've figured out the fastest shortcut to the library," Yu Xing replied casually, then turned and picked up a large vat of wine from the kitchen.

The jar was almost full, and a strong aroma of baijiu (Chinese white liquor) wafted out, filling the air with a fermented smell that made people slightly dizzy.

As Yu Xing moved, the wine vat, which was half a person tall, moved away from its original position. A little wine spilled from the top due to the shaking, leaving indistinct water stains on the ground.

Yi Qing: "..." Is this strength real?

Those were full jars of wine.

If he hadn't been restricted in his deduction, moving the wine vat using ghostly energy would have been effortless, just like how he could smash Zhao Yijiu against the wall with a wave of his hand at the Sheqing Bar.:(/

But Yu Xing isn't a ghost!

Yi Qing watched as Yu Xing silently moved the wine vat from its original position to the side of the stove. After pausing for two seconds, accompanied by a suppressed groan, the thin-looking young man carried the wine vat directly onto the stove!

... Okay? He knows what someone's up to.

Yi Qing had too many limitations, so she chose to observe from the sidelines.

Yu Xing was not as relaxed as Yi Qing appeared. His body had fully grown by the time he reached the kitchen. Now, hidden by his hoodie, the veins on his arm, which was carrying the wine vat, were bulging, and his muscles were taut. This allowed him to move the wine vat silently without making a loud dragging noise that would attract ghosts.

No matter how hard he tried under his clothes, it didn't show on his face.

After all, although his strength was greater than that of an ordinary person, the full wine vat was simply too heavy, and he was somewhat overloaded.

The wine vat was quietly placed down, a process that made almost no sound.

Yu Xing wiped the sweat from her temples, regained her strength, and then set her sights on another large item stored in the kitchen.

Before long, a tall stack of things had been piled up on the stove, gradually tilting towards the viewing platform to form a subtle and stable angle.

As the top of this pile of things got closer and closer to the observation deck, Yu Xing weighed the remaining distance.

The horizontal distance is about four meters, while the vertical distance is about two and a half meters.

There aren't many movable items in the kitchen to begin with, so by piecing together various things, a makeshift "ladder" was barely made.

Yes, Yu Xing wanted to use these movable objects to build a staircase that would allow him to go directly from the second floor to the third floor!

If a "leap of faith" can be performed from top to bottom without following the usual path, then why should the rules be followed when going from bottom to top?

"We also have to consider the height difference," he muttered, calculating to himself for a while before stretching his aching back and legs.

Yi Qing seemed about to speak but then stopped.

Until Yu Xing couldn't find anything else to add, he nimbly and gracefully reached the top of the ladder. As he squinted, preparing to leap over the seemingly endless distance, the Sheqing Ghost had been watching the whole thing, couldn't help but speak up, "Wait a minute... I know you're incredibly strong and can move these heavy things, but..."

If you compare this distance to a parabola, you'll see just how impossible it is to cross.

Since the third floor was very smooth and there was nothing to hold onto, Yu Xing clearly intended to jump onto the observation deck. However, the observation deck was half a floor higher than the third floor. This was even more absurd than jumping four meters in the long jump or two and a half meters in the high jump.

I hope this jump doesn't cause him to fall flat on his face and turn into a puddle of mud, taking him a while to recover.

Not only did he suffer for nothing, but the loud noise he made going down would easily attract the attention of ghosts.

"Yi Qing." Yu Xing looked up at the observation deck, and upon hearing this, called out the name of Sheqing Ghost with a complicated expression, "Do I look like someone addicted to suicide?"

Yi Qing realized the other party had ulterior motives, and smiled politely again, "Excuse me."

The next moment, his smile froze.

Then, with a very elegant and graceful gesture, Yu Xing out the [Sheqing Dreamscape] he was holding.

The sharp dagger spun rapidly, creating a brief whistling sound, then trembled and became firmly embedded in the smooth wall of the kitchen.

This position is exactly in the center horizontally and two-fifths of the way down vertically.

Seeing that the position was perfect, Yu Xing didn't hesitate at all. Using the object beneath her feet for leverage, she leaped and precisely landed on the protruding half of the dagger sticking out of the wall. (Fastest updates on PC::/)

The dagger was pressed into a firm arc, and then bounced back as Yu Xing "flew" away again.

Over there, Yu Xing's position was clearly not high enough to reach the observation deck, but his pupils reflected the increasingly close crystal light. He smiled slightly and, in Yi Qing's dim and unclear gaze, grasped the two crystal railings with both hands.

Now, he was hanging precariously on the edge of the observation deck, as if he might fall off at any moment.

However, that was enough.

Yu Xing exerted force with both arms, swung her body, and flipped up with an almost unbelievably light and agile motion.

With her feet firmly planted on solid ground, Yu Xing let out a long breath, pressed down on the extinguished tinder, glass marbles, and other items in her pocket, and immediately collapsed wearily onto the ground of the observation deck.

A sigh escaped her lips, "I'm so tired..."

Physical stamina is a major weakness.

Yi Qing floated up and, seeing Yu Xing touch the ground again with no sign of germs, squatted down next to Yu Xing. Her black hair brushed against the bloodstains on his hoodie, which he brushed away with his hand. "Impressive, Mr. Yu."

His gentle tone carried a hint of coolness.

Yu Xing glanced at him, deliberately ignoring his displeasure. "Could you please help me retrieve the dagger?"

As the ghost residing within the dagger, Yi Qing naturally had control over it, but he didn't move. Instead, he politely asked Yu Xing, "Take it back? When you stepped on the dagger just now, didn't you consider the possibility of not being able to get it back?"

"Oh dear~" Yu Xing noticed the faint threat in Yi Qing's eyes. Recalling the difference in environment when Yi Qing was floating and walking, she belatedly realized that Yi Qing seemed to have a cleanliness obsession.

His shoes had been stained with blood, and to be honest, the soles were filthy. No wonder Yi Qing was unhappy. It was the same when he carelessly threw [Sheqing Dreamscape] on the ground in reality.

He scrambled to his feet, feeling dizzy for a moment, then immediately removed his mask, clasped his hands together in a gesture of apology, and said with a cheerful smile, "Please don't be angry, sir. In that situation, using the dagger for a double jump was a perfectly reasonable course of action!"

Seeing that the man's tone was becoming increasingly evasive, as if he was trying to deceive and confuse the situation, Yi Qing saw through him at a glance and didn't buy it. She just glanced at him and said, "But I don't like things that come from me to get dirty like other things."

Ordinary gifts are one thing, but he's living in [The Sheqing Dreamscape] now!

They really don't know how to cherish things... It's too much! (￣へ￣)

Yu Xing: Oh? Then why don't you find the bloodstains on this dagger from when you killed people and ghosts dirty?

Thinking this, his expression became even more sincere and obedient. This was an experience he had gained over the years: most of the time, with his face, showing weakness would appease both men and women.

Yi Qing was equally experienced; after all, he had approached Yu Xing by feigning discouraged Ghost and weakness. Even so, considering his own position, he straightened up, the ornaments on his robes jingling, sighed softly, and floated over to pull the dagger from the wall.

He returned to Yu Xing, gripping the blade, and handed the hilt of the dagger to Yu Xing.

After Yu Xing took it, Yi Qing said, "Then, next time..."

Yu Xing wiped the dagger on her clothes. "You'll dare to do it again next time."

Yi Qing: "?"

Seeing that the dagger was already in Yu Xing's hand, Yi Qing immediately regretted why she had helped just a second ago!

But he quickly regained his composure, as if he hadn't been the one throwing a tantrum just moments before, his gentle voice unchanged. "Interesting..."

"Right? Isn't that interesting?" Yu Xing knew that being interesting was much more important than being a germaphobe, so he wasn't intimidated at all. He even chimed in with a comment before walking toward the bedroom.

Once on the viewing platform, both sides were the places he had been before, so he knew the way very well.

Go back to the lobby on the first floor first, and then take the stairs directly to the fourth floor. This is definitely faster than him trying his luck on the second floor to find the stairs to the fourth floor.

The dark tunnel was filled with bright red roses.

The thorns had become deformed, hard and sharp, long and thin. Each thorn was pierced with bits of flesh, and crimson liquid flowed down the flesh, flowing into the main root and then seeping into the soil.

The rose petals, blooming alluringly at the top, seemed to have absorbed blood as nourishment, their redness dazzling, clustered together like a welcoming party from hell.

Gambler Zeng Lai had lost count of how many times he had been scratched by rose thorns. Everywhere his hoodie didn't cover was covered in fine scratches, even his face.

Because he can't see.

It's because he... shoved the tinderbox into Yu Xing's hand when he came down.

Looking at the die with the "2" facing up that had reappeared in his hand, he looked completely pale.

The result of the second throw was still not ideal, making him wonder if he was cursed today for having such bad luck with the dice.

This has never happened before.

The only good news is that when he fell, he felt a certain distortion in the space around him, so the black hole, which looked deep, wasn't actually that high to him.

This is the only good news.

After that, only bad news followed.

For example, the place where he fell was a cluster of deformed roses.

The sharp thorns pierced his body without any resistance, causing Zeng Lai to cry out in pain twice, disregarding his image. He then gritted his teeth, got up, and pulled out all the thorns.

Then he discovered that it was a dark tunnel, a long one, with no lighting at all. The scent of roses was so strong it was pungent, making him feel tired and his eyelids began to droop.

Zeng Lai escaped this feeling by offering sacrifices to protect himself from the curse, but soon realized a problem.

This place is unlike any other floor in terms of style; the ground beneath your feet is dirt instead of floor tiles, yet behind the roses on both sides, there are still walls that stretch as far as the eye can see, like a dream.

He could only follow the path, his skin constantly being scratched by the roses, causing waves of strange pain.

Ten minutes later, he began to feel that something was wrong.

Because, besides the scent of roses, he seemed to faintly smell a very slight burnt odor as well.

"Is this the map for the hidden quest...?" Zeng Lai muttered to himself, when suddenly he saw something different appear in front of him.

It was a pale red lamp, hanging high on the ceiling, with a door below it.

He raised an eyebrow, having no other choice, and stepped forward.

Just as I reached the door, there was a knock on the other side.

Following this were bursts of cries and screams!

"Help me! Help me! I'm still here..."

"The one crying out..." Zeng Lai paused, his expression suddenly becoming complicated.

He seemed lost in thought for a moment, then turned his head and muttered a curse under his breath.

Damn it... If Ren Yi knew how pathetic he was in the simulation, he would definitely gloat!

Is this the luck brought by a "2"...? Why am I so unlucky today...? Has the goddess of dice abandoned him?