What Are You Most Afraid Of?

One-Eyed Snake!

Everyone looked at each other strangely. Ying Yingying suddenly asked Russell, "Jason, what does One-Eyed Snake remind you of?"

Russell has repeatedly demonstrated his formidable strength and earned a considerable reputation. Although he is unreliable in general, he is very trustworthy in critical moments, Ying Yingying has unknowingly developed a dependence on him.

That's just how people are; they talk about equality, but subconsciously they gravitate towards the strong.

"Candle Dragon! Candle Dragon!" Russell replied without hesitation.

"The Candle Dragon has a human face and a snake's body, and it has two eyes..."

"So, that one-eyed snake wasn't Candle Dragon, it was just a giant, mutated python." Russell said bluntly, "I know what you're thinking, but if it really was Candle Dragon, it's a god who can change day and night at will. Even if we tied ourselves together, we wouldn't be enough for it to beat us up."

"That makes sense. The main god will increase the difficulty of the mission, but he won't leave us with absolutely no hope." Ying Yingying said with a dry laugh, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.

Russell stood up and patted his black robe. "Hurry up and leave after you've finished laughing. This place is too eerie, there are ghosts and monsters one after another."

Everyone agreed, having been on tenterhooks the whole way and wanting to leave as soon as possible.

Walking along the dark stone path, using the Flying Carpet to leap over a collapsed section, the stone path gradually widens, and the sound of a babbling brook can be heard again.

Russell waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to stop.

"Wait, don't come any closer, there's the sound of water ahead..."

"I heard you. Is there something wrong with that?"

I need to pee!

"..."

The girls' foreheads were bulging with veins, and they were all gritting their teeth. Even Fei Jiehe, who had the best temper, almost lost it and pulled out her transformation device to shoot Russell in the face. Fearing that he would continue to act out, they had no choice but to grant his request to go easy on him.

Russell strode with an arrogant air, then turned around and crouched behind the rock wall. He took out the Adamantium skeleton of the corpse, stuffed Jason's soul inside, and silently chanted a spell.

Jason: (._.)

Russell handed Jason a machete and Hockey Mask, then instructed Jason to find a way to escape. Jason nodded, submerged in the water, and disappeared.

Watching Jason's departing figure, Russell breathed a sigh of relief. Jason was still reliable in crucial moments. Relieved, he immediately loosened his belt to relieve himself; he hadn't lied, he really needed to pee.

Splash!

(=▽=)

As the water level dropped halfway down, a female corpse in blue with long hair floated on the river. It was a familiar ghost she had seen before. Her tattered body had been restored to its original state, and she slowly moved towards Russell with the splashing water.

(一`一)

Russell braced himself, focusing all his strength on one point, intending to create powerful water pressure to wash the female corpse away. Unfortunately, the weather was uncooperative; the female corpse arrived too late, and the water flow had run out. Despite his extraordinary skills, he was powerless to do anything without the necessary resources, and could only draw his Desert Eagle and fire continuously.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud—

The tattered female corpse floated away again, just as silently as it had arrived.

"What a pity, it would have been so much better if you had come earlier..."

Russell sighed, shuddered, and put the ship's cannon away. Turning around, he saw faces covered in black lines.

"..."

The scene was somewhat awkward, and no one spoke for a long time. Ying Yingying waved without saying a word and led the women to continue walking.

Subconsciously, everyone forgot what had happened before. They walked and talked without mentioning it. Halfway there, the cliff and abyss closed up, turning back into the underground river and slope they had started with.

A light appeared ahead, and the Cavern gradually came to an end. Beneath their feet were man-made stone steps, and from time to time, they could see human skeletons. Due to their age, the skeletons were rotten beyond recognition, and the hard skulls shattered at the slightest touch.

Eager to leave the Cavern, the group did not investigate the sudden appearance of the skeletons, assuming they were simply Enslavement working to carve out the stone path.

Finally, the dim light took shape, and two bronze doors opened. If there was any difference, it was probably that the faces on the doors smiled even more sinisterly.

Passing through the door, one enters a massive stone chamber, flanked by six bronze giants on each side, each swaggering about. Their bodies are covered in intricate patterns—including kui dragons, silkworms, cicadas, vortexes, tile-like textures, and cloud and thunder motifs—the layers are distinct, the lines numerous, creating a dazzling spectacle.

"The Twelve Golden Figures?"

"The one from Qin Shi Huang?"

The King of Qin unified the six kingdoms, then gathered his troops and cast bronze statues!

Legend has it that after unifying the six kingdoms, Qin Shi Huang collected all the weapons in the land to prevent rebellion and cast twelve large bronze statues. Some say they were cast from the melting down of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons of Yu the Great. Because their whereabouts are unknown, they have become a historical mystery. Upon seeing them, regardless of whether it's true or not, thousands of ducks started quacking again.

Russell, his head throbbing with pain, shouted to interrupt the commotion, "Gentlemen, I didn't mean to disturb your enjoyment, but I personally think it's best to leave now, in case the Twelve Golden Figures are alive..."

"..."

Having witnessed Russell's uncanny ability to foretell disaster, the group wisely jogged away from the stone chamber, and then the stream flowed gently again.

"Where did all this water come from? Could it be Ghost Wall?" Ying Yingying frowned and said. At their walking speed, plus the long time they had used the Flying Carpet to travel, they should have crossed the mountain range long ago if they weren't Ghost Wall circles.

After all, this mountain is only tall, not necessarily wide!

"Since we're here, we might as well stay put. We can't go back the way we came. Be careful from now on, and let me know if anything goes wrong."

Left with no other choice, the group continued along the underground river. They hadn't faced many life-or-death crises during their exploration of the ruins, but their mental state had been thoroughly worn down. Just as Russell had said before, it would have been better to have a real fight; even if they lost, they'd feel better.

The group maintained a steady pace, and instead of a bottomless abyss, the underground river widened, with several tributaries converging and roaring as it rushed into the distance.

A layer of phosphorescent light floated on the river, tiny points of light coalescing into shape, only to dissipate instantly upon impact with the water. The ghostly figures that had successfully coalesced then hovered on the water's surface, marching in a mighty torrent toward Russell and his companions.

"This is unbelievable!"

Ying Yingying complained, the ruins were baffling, and it was best to avoid fighting if possible. She took out Flying Carpet and called for everyone to leave.

As Russell was the last to step onto the Flying Carpet and sit cross-legged, he caught a glimpse of a small white plastic box, about the size of a palm, that had been washed ashore by the current. It was the kind of box you often see on supermarket shelves.

"Sour... yogurt!?"

Russell murmured in surprise, about to take a closer look, when the Flying Carpet accelerated and sped away from the waters that resembled a ghostly Rising Tide.

Clues began to unravel in her mind: Duan Xinlan and Chu Renmei, Jian Shaoxin and yogurt...

Russell's eye twitched, and he shoved Guan Yin, silently squatting down next to Ying Yingying: "Hey you, what are you most afraid of? Band-Aid- Aids, right? They have to be Band-Aid!"

Ying Yingying rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay attention to Russell. At this moment, Guan Yin tugged at her black robe, beckoned him closer with her finger, and whispered, "I'll let you in on a secret, our vice-captain's biggest fear... is the captain!"

Russell: "..."

You must be kidding me! Please answer again and tell me she's afraid of not growing up!

Etc...

What am I most afraid of?