Hawkeye Had Excellent Eyesight

"Did you see anything?" Her voice trembled slightly.

Jiu Jia Yi stopped and scanned their surroundings, his brow furrowed and his eyes alert. "Was it an illusion?"

"I don't know... I feel like there's something here." Unease crept into Yan Zhi's voice. She could almost hear how fast she was breathing.

Jiu Jia Yi stared into the distance, his gaze sharp as a knife. "We can't stay here long. This place isn't what it seems."

Suddenly, a light flashed ahead of them, so bright it made their eyes ache. Yan Zhi squeezed her eyes shut, her heart nearly leaping from her chest. A scream seemed to echo inside her head, but she could do nothing.

When she opened her eyes again, the scene before her had changed completely.

The open space was gone. In its place stretched a deep passage shrouded in thick fog. An enticing light seemed to flicker at its far end, but it only made her more uneasy.

Yan Zhi fixed her gaze on the light, as if some invisible force were drawing her toward it. With every step she took, her heart beat faster, caught between curiosity and fear. It was like standing at the edge of an abyss, knowing the danger below yet unable to resist the urge to jump.

"Are you sure we should go over there?" she asked Jiu Jia Yi quietly, giving voice to her unease.

"Whether we're sure or not, we can't turn back." His voice was steady, calm and resolute. "The farther we go, the fewer choices we have. All we can do now is keep moving."

His words steadied her a little. But an indescribable fear still circled in her heart, like an invisible hand gripping it tight. Her steps faltered, yet she followed him toward the light.

The passage grew narrower, and the air heavier, as if the whole world pressed closer with every step. She heard her breathing grow labored and their footsteps quicken, tightening her nerves further.

"What do you think this place... is?" Yan Zhi finally asked. Her voice was low, with a tremor she could not quite hide.

Jiu Jia Yi kept his eyes ahead, giving no immediate response. His gaze held an air of composure, as though he saw through everything, but she knew it was only a mask. He had buried his turmoil deep.

"I don't know," he answered briefly, then added, "But we have no choice. Whether we turn back or go forward, the outcome will be the same."

A complicated emotion flickered in his eyes, and Yan Zhi's heart sank. She sensed that Jiu Jia Yi was struggling too, though he never showed it. In this endless fog, the pressure bore down on everyone.

Yan Zhi stared at his back, lost and suddenly lonely. Whether he was beside her or not, she seemed to have been walking this endless road all along, fighting herself. A voice inside her told her it was all a vast deception, and they were nothing but puppets trapped within it.