Breaking down the door

Basement level two!?

What did that mean!?

Fuck!!

As realization struck, He Zheng was horrified.

He instinctively turned toward the door behind him. White frost coated it, and a bone-piercing chill burrowed into his heart like worms gnawing at his bones.

Shit!

If Ye Lin was right, that meant they had been on basement level two from the start. Going up led to basement level one! Going down led to basement level three!

"What are you standing around for? Get down here!!"

Ye Lin strode through the sulfuric acid covering the floor. White fumes rose with a hiss, and sharp pain stabbed through his feet.

Even though he had avoided the acid as much as possible, more and more poured out, flooding the entire floor like water filling a swimming pool.

By the right wall of the sealed hall, Huang Bin's corpse resembled boiling rice porridge. Under the concentrated sulfuric acid's corrosive assault, it sputtered and steamed, and half his head had already been eaten away.

Fortunately, Ye Lin's shoes were made of relatively corrosion-resistant leather. Otherwise, he had no doubt that the sulfuric acid's powerful dehydrating effect would already have carbonized his feet, leaving bones that crumbled at a touch.

Less than three minutes left...!

Rushing to the door on the lower level, Ye Lin raised the Fire Axe and swung at the chain with all his strength.

There was no need to wait ten minutes for the "danger" to appear.

At the rate the sulfuric acid was currently pouring out, it would reach their ankles in three minutes at most. By then, no one would be able to remain standing in the corrosive acid.

This test wasn't just about making the right choice. It also tested whether they had the courage to act immediately!

Bang!!!

Metal clashed, and sparks flew.

The recoil transmitted through the axe handle instantly split the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.

Looking at the barely visible notch in the chain, Ye Lin's expression turned grim. He could only turn back and roar at He Zheng and the others again.

"Two and a half minutes left! If we don't break this chain, we're all going to die here!"

It wasn't just that they needed He Zheng to hack through the chain by force. By a rough estimate, this door weighed at least several tons. Even after breaking the chain, pushing it open would be a problem.

At the door on the second floor, He Zheng's expression shifted again and again.

With his life at stake, he didn't dare immediately trust Ye Lin's judgment.

But perhaps because he could find no flaw in it, or perhaps because Ye Lin's earlier performance had far exceeded that of a newcomer, being driven into a corner made him feel an urge to gamble.

If he stayed here and failed to guess the password, he would die anyway. Even if he guessed correctly, who the hell knew what was behind that door?

What if it really was basement level one...!?

"Fuck!"

Swearing under his breath, He Zheng stopped hesitating. He covered his nose and mouth with his clothes and charged down.

His heavy foot landed in the sulfuric acid, and pungent white fumes immediately rose from his sole.

It hurt!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sulfuric acid began pouring out even faster.

With a mechanical shudder, the acid spraying from around the hall shot toward the floor like jets from fire hoses.

Liquid splashed everywhere. When Ye Lin had passed through, it had barely reached the bottoms of his shoes. Now, charging headlong through it, He Zheng felt as though he were crossing lava, surrounded by splashing molten iron.

No matter how fast he ran, a few drops of sulfuric acid still splashed onto his face, making him howl in pain.

"Give me the axe!"

The first to reach the door, He Zheng took the Fire Axe. He drew a deep breath, and his arms seemed to swell out of nowhere, growing noticeably thicker.

"Open, damn you!"

His body bent like a bow. Summoning every ounce of strength, He Zheng roared and swung.

Clang!!!

Even the air seemed to shudder in the shock wave.

The blow looked powerful enough to split a mountain, yet when the axe struck, it produced an ear-piercing metallic crash like two trucks colliding.

He was far stronger than Ye Lin. Amid flying sparks, he hacked a deep notch into the finger-thick chain.

The recoil was just as tremendous. The webbing of He Zheng's hand split open, veins bulged on his forehead, and with blood covering his face, he looked like a maddened beast.

Thank goodness!

Ye Lin inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had thought He Zheng had been exaggerating.

But now it seemed the man's strength really was astonishing. Breaking the chain might not be hopeless after all.

Just a few points could strengthen someone this much? Looks like points really are valuable...

With no time to dwell on it, Ye Lin forced the thought aside and turned to the four people still on the second floor.

Perhaps Huang Bin's death had terrified them. Aside from Zhang Tie, who was holding up somewhat better, their legs were all trembling, and none dared come downstairs.

Lin Ya, hiding behind another tall girl, was like an ostrich with its head buried in the sand. She didn't even dare look up.

"I don't want to... I don't want to go down... sob..."

"Zhang Tie! Bring them down!"

"If you can't, come down yourself!"

They still needed people to push the door. Ye Lin shouted angrily, signaling Zhang Tie not to waste any more time.

He truly had no sympathy to spare for others, nor did he intend to waste any on them.

If they were afraid of even this much danger, they would surely die in the next round, even if they survived this one.

"I... I got it!"

Zhang Tie answered gruffly. After glancing at the two girls behind him, he turned and reached for Hu Jia.

"Hu Jia! Your shoes have thick soles! Take Lin Ya. She's light!"

"I'll take An Ke!"

The acid was already quite deep. Although basement level one provided an outlet for it, it had already risen to half a finger joint's height.

An Ke and Lin Ya both wore sneakers. Their thin rubber soles wouldn't last even ten seconds in the strong acid. Falling over would practically be a death sentence.

"No, no! I can't! I can't take anyone!"

Seeing that Zhang Tie wanted him to bring someone through, Hu Jia hurriedly fled in fright.

Although he wasn't particularly frail, with his life on the line, he didn't dare help anyone. Besides, his finger was injured. One more mistake could cost him his own life.

"You don't have to carry her! Just support each other...!"

"No need. I can make it across myself."

Just as Zhang Tie was growing furious at Hu Jia's cowardice, the usually quiet An Ke suddenly spoke.

After dropping her jacket, she unhesitatingly took off her short-sleeved shirt and wrapped it around her soles, leaving only a white tank top on her upper body.

"Have Lin Ya take off her jacket too. Wrap it around your face!"

An Ke picked up her jacket and covered the lower half of her face, speaking rapidly.

"When sulfuric acid evaporates, it produces a corrosive aerosol. We're fine upwind for now, but once we rush down there, taking deep breaths could burn your windpipe!"

Not expecting An Ke to be even calmer than he was, Zhang Tie nodded blankly. But before he could say anything else, she ran quickly downstairs.

She moved so fast that she even overtook Hu Jia.

Even Ye Lin couldn't help giving her a couple of extra glances at the sight.

He had been about to warn Zhang Tie himself. He hadn't expected her to think of it too.

She's fast... but judging by her movements, it seems she's trained in more than just dancing...

Underground, in front of the door.

"One, two, three! Push!"

Bang!!!

"He Zheng!! How much longer?"

"It's no good! I can't cut through it!!"

Clang!!

With a dull cracking sound, He Zheng cried out in shock. The Fire Axe nearly flew from his hands and rebounded toward his face.

Having almost killed himself with his own swing, He Zheng had no time to dwell on his fright. He shouted urgently.

"The axe blade's chipped!"

The news couldn't have been worse. Everyone turned at his shout and saw a notch the size of a baby's fist in the blade of the red Fire Axe in He Zheng's hands.

Under such brutal use, the Fire Axe had already reached its limit.

"Ye Lin, what do we do!?"

Seeing He Zheng-and everyone else-looking at him in panic, Ye Lin's heart sank.

The worst-case scenario had come to pass.

Only a little more was needed to sever the chain, but with the axe unusable, He Zheng could struggle all he wanted and still achieve nothing.

Unless...

"Ye Lin!!"

Seeing Ye Lin remain silent, He Zheng grew frantic, like an ant on a hot pan, and couldn't help shouting again.

At some point, he had actually pinned his hopes on Ye Lin, a newcomer. If Ye Lin couldn't find a solution, he had no idea what to do either.

"Use the sulfuric acid."

"What!?"

He Zheng was stunned. A moment later, Ye Lin repeated himself expressionlessly.

He instinctively looked down at the sulfuric acid beneath his feet. After a moment's bewilderment, he understood. But looking at acid capable of dissolving bones, he couldn't bring himself to touch it with his hands.

As though seeing through his fear, Ye Lin took a deep breath and looked coldly toward the first floor.

"I'm not telling you to scoop it up with your hands!"

"Use Huang Bin's corpse! Bring his body down here. Use his corpse-use his skull as a bowl!"

Everyone's expression changed drastically at his words. Even He Zheng, who prided himself on having seen his share of horrors, couldn't help shuddering.

He understood what Ye Lin meant, but imagining that scene, he...

"We're running out of time!"

"You're the only one who can bring the corpse down."

"If we delay any longer, there won't be anything left to use!"

Listening to Ye Lin's emotionless voice, He Zheng clenched his fists, torn by an agonizing internal struggle.

He was right. If they delayed any longer, there might not even be bones left of Huang Bin's corpse. No matter how disgusting it was, it was better than dying here.

"Goddammit! I'll go!"

"I have to do everything! If we get out alive, you'll owe me ten points!"

With that, He Zheng steeled himself, tossed the Fire Axe to Zhang Tie, and charged toward the first floor with his head down.

Behind him, Ye Lin watched He Zheng sprinting and howling in pain. He gave no response and waited calmly.

He Zheng wasn't exactly a good person, but he really was willing to risk his life and make himself useful.

"Ye... Ye Lin... aren't you scared?"

Perhaps because Ye Lin seemed too composed, Zhang Tie, clutching the axe beside him, couldn't help asking in panic.

Even with their clothes serving as padding to temporarily delay the acid from eating into their feet, it wouldn't be long-perhaps only a few dozen seconds-before they all died here.

"Being scared won't help."

Ye Lin shook his head without explaining further.

Corroding the chain with sulfuric acid would take time, and so would pushing the door open. If He Zheng couldn't bring the corpse back within twenty seconds, they would all die.

Drawing his pistol, Ye Lin silently counted down.

Five...

Four...

Three...

"Move!!"

At the end of the stairs, He Zheng roared and sprinted toward them with all his strength like a maddened beast.

White fumes hissed from his arms, and a large hole had been eaten into the back of the hand gripping the corpse.

Whether he was holding Huang Bin's spine or intestines, he couldn't tell. Right now, all he wanted was to slam the corpse against that damned lock before all the sulfuric acid leaked out of its abdominal cavity!