1TWITF[C Chapter 81

Chapter 81

No sooner had they run out than a shattering sound came from behind them.

The night-luminescent pearl had been broken, and the museum was plunged back into darkness.

“What do we do? Cao Yi, she…” Jing Tao asked as he ran, “Didn’t they say they wouldn’t mutate?”

The accumulated water on the ground splashed and crackled as they stepped through it.

“Those who take the artifacts won’t, they’ll just disappear. But Cao Yi shouldn’t have touched anything… Did she come into contact with some other dead end?” Yi Jun frantically tried to think.

“Where are we running to now?” Jing Tao subconsciously looked back. “Huh, she’s not chasing us?”

Lu Yanli heard hurried footsteps in the distance, and Wang Pengfei heard them too, his face grave.

Ke Xiaoxue was still standing in place, stroking her cheeks with a look of intoxication. It was hard to tell if it was just an illusion, but her face was changing little by little.

Wang Pengfei couldn’t help but get closer, wanting to see clearly.

A drop of water fell, dripping into his eye. His vision blurred for a moment, and he immediately reached out to wipe it. When he opened his eyes again, Wang Pengfei’s eyes widened in shock.

Ke Xiaoxue was gone!

Only now did he see Lu Yanli standing quietly to the side. As if grabbing onto the last straw, Wang Pengfei lunged forward: “Did you see that just now? Did you see her? She’s gone…”

Lu Yanli had been watching all along as well. The moment Ke Xiaoxue disappeared, a horrifying scene that he could hardly believe appeared before his eyes. But the terrifying vision only flashed for a brief moment, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.

Was it really… an illusion?

Lu Yanli shook his head: “I didn’t see anything.”

Since he had already been drawn into the mission, he needed to keep these people alive longer so that the “normal” world could last a little longer, allowing him to complete his investigation of the tomb.

He detested that world of madness. Unless absolutely necessary, he would always find a way to leave one survivor among the mission takers, so they could live longer.

Wang Pengfei was still muttering to himself: “No, this is impossible… Where could she have gone?”

If taking the artifacts would make them disappear, what if they really found the Pisces Jade Pendant? Should they take it or not?

The path to survival in this mission… Wang Pengfei felt that it wouldn’t be that simple.

Another drop of water fell from the ceiling, about to drip on Lu Yanli, but the latter dodged it.

In that brief moment just now, he had seen it! What was before him was clearly a scene close to purgatory. What was falling from the ceiling was not water at all, but blood!

The blood water was too dense to avoid, and everyone was drenched, as if they had been caught in a light rain. Their clothes were wet and clinging to their bodies, and the wind that was blowing in from somewhere made them shiver. And their phones were basically ruined.

Lu Yanli could already imagine what they looked like in the true scene.

In addition, one gray-white shadow after another was drifting through the hall. Lu Yanli also saw some shadows emerging from the artifacts, joining the specters in the sky; some shadows turned around and re-entered the glass cabinets.

A shallow layer had already accumulated on the ground. While Wang Pengfei was thinking, Yi Jun and Jing Tao returned to their original location and rejoined them.

The night-luminescent pearl used for lighting was gone, and the two NPCs who could scout the way were gone… And they still hadn’t really found the pattern of how the ghosts were killing people.

It seemed that another tourist had taken the initiative to touch an artifact. A flash of lightning tore through the sky and the earth, blurring the scene before their eyes again for a moment.

This time, Yi Jun saw it too! Instantly, she was scared out of her wits, her whole body trembling.

“Oh God… didn’t you see it?” Yi Jun hurriedly tried to avoid the water droplets, but she couldn’t dodge at all, and could only let the drops of blood fall on her body.

“See what?” Jing Tao asked.

Yi Jun resentfully wiped her face with a tissue, her hair wet and sticking to her face: “Saw a ghost!”

Jing Tao was so cold that he was about to catch a cold, and he coughed twice: “I have an idea.” He looked up. “The museum has two floors. The upper floor is not open to ordinary tourists. Should we… go up and take a look?”

As soon as he said this, all he got was silence.

Yi Jun and Wang Pengfei were both hesitating.

It was true that in previous missions, in order to survive, they sometimes had to venture out. But knowing that there were ghosts ahead and still moving forward was not something that ordinary people could do.

Lu Yanli glanced at them, took a step, and walked towards the stairway.

His voice startled the three of them. They were all a little surprised. Why did they always subconsciously ignore Lu Yanli? Even though he was there, the inexplicable goodwill and trust in their hearts made the three of them ask questions one after another.

“Lu Yanli? Where are you going?”

“That’s right, the museum is very dangerous right now. Everyone should stay together.”

Lu Yanli said, “I’m going to take a look at the second floor.”

“But, the second floor might be very dangerous…”

Both Pisces Jade Pendants were in Lu Yanli’s pocket. He didn’t change his expression: “No.” But he still moved forward towards the stairway.

Another bolt of lightning tore through the sky, and a few seconds later, dropped a thunderclap that seemed to tear the entire museum apart.

Lu Yanli heard… other sounds mixed in with the sound of dripping water and the noisy rain.

He vigilantly looked around. The night wasn’t much of an obstacle to him. But no matter how he looked, he couldn’t find the source of the sound.

Yi Jun still wanted to say something, but a splashing sound came from a distance. The person was walking in a hurry, breathing rapidly, as if being chased by something.

“Who’s that?” Wang Pengfei asked.

Recognizing his voice, the person who had come seemed to have found his backbone, and quickly shouted: “It’s me! It’s Zhang Wenhao. I’m so scared. There really are ghosts chasing me.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” As he spoke, Zhang Wenhao ran closer, and Yi Jun stopped him.

“And then? Maybe the shelf wasn’t placed properly,” Jing Tao said.

“And then? And then I almost lost my life. The exhibition hall I went to was dedicated to weapons. Good lord, all those weapons fell on me, and a few knives almost stabbed me through.” Zhang Wenhao was still shaken.

Three fewer mission takers, and the tourists had lost more than half. Everyone now understood that those artifacts couldn’t be touched. Touching them was life-threatening. And now, they couldn’t run out, all their phones were damaged, and continuing to stay where they were would likely lead to them being drowned by the continuously rising accumulated water.

The footsteps of death approaching caused everyone to fall into deep despair and fear. What should they do to survive? Did they really have to go to the second floor?

The first floor was already so dangerous. What would the second floor be like? They couldn’t imagine.

Zhang Wenhao continued, “I can’t help it. I drank too much water. I really have to go.”

His voice was heard by a young man among the tourists. The latter was very enthusiastic and took the initiative to say, “You want to go to the toilet? I’ll go with you.”

Zhang Wenhao looked at the other person gratefully. He remembered this person. He was also one of the first to oppose taking the artifacts. He used to think this guy was a hindrance, but now it seemed that NPCs also had a sense of justice.

The two of them went together. Seeing that they were going, another tourist said, “Wait a minute, I want to go too.”

In the end, five people gathered to go to the bathroom.

Zhang Wenhao felt even more relieved. Before leaving, he told them not to leave, so he could find them easily later. The five people marched towards the bathroom in a mighty manner. The accumulated water was getting deeper and deeper, gradually reaching their calves, but before it finally reached their calves, they found the bathroom.

Outside the bathroom, there was a mirror.

A flash of lightning struck, and Zhang Wenhao subconsciously looked into the mirror.

Zhang Wenhao turned his head stiffly. The four dark figures were still behind him. They were so close that he could smell the earthy smell on them.

Another flash of lightning.

Seeing Zhang Wenhao turn his head to look at them, the four people showed him a neat smile.

A scream echoed through the entire space.

“No way, something happened even when five people went to the toilet together?” Jing Tao said in astonishment.

Wang Pengfei was also startled. On the other hand, another mission taker, Luo Chuan, wasn’t surprised: “If there’s a ghost in the toilet, even if there are fifty people, it won’t be of any use, right?”

“Right now, we can only hear Zhang Wenhao’s voice. I don’t know what happened to the others.”

Maybe one of them could escape and tell them about the situation in the toilet.

After waiting for a long time, they knew that the four tourists had most likely met with misfortune.

The mission takers couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

“It’s not a solution to just wait here. Everyone should have explored the first floor pretty thoroughly. Let’s discuss whether we should go to the second floor or not,” Yi Jun suggested.

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s go.”

At first, Yi Jun was still counting, but she realized that these were several identical answers, and she was startled.

Who was answering?

Yi Jun was suspicious: “Did any of you say anything just now?”

Jing Tao shook his head: “No, I’m still thinking.”

“Let’s go, let’s go…”

“Hee hee hee hee hee, let’s go…”

That voice was still answering! She heard it more clearly!

Lu Yanli asked, “What did you hear?”

“Hee hee hee hee… come and join us…”

“Let’s go, let’s go…”

The voice continued. Jing Tao was startled: “No, I really didn’t hear it.”

“Impossible!” Yi Jun roared at him with almost all her strength, her expression hysterical. “You must have heard it too… I’m not the only one…”

Lu Yanli closed his eyes.

The sound of flowing water, the soft murmur of conversation, the strings of falling water droplets…

And, what else?

Strange sounds coming from the glass cabinets, the clinking of jade, the crisp or sonorous sounds of bronze instruments being struck…

He opened his eyes: “I heard it too.”

Yi Jun, who was still roaring and struggling, paused abruptly and turned her head to look at him. Even though it was dark and he might not be able to see clearly, Lu Yanli still felt that she was staring at him intently.

Lu Yanli repeated, “I saw it too.”

Yi Jun stopped going crazy. The two people holding her slowly let go, and the former was overjoyed: “I knew it, I’m not the only one who heard it.”

What exactly did they hear?

Soon, Wang Pengfei and Jing Tao also heard it.

Strange sounds were coming from the various glass cabinets.

They finally saw it…

In the moment of lightning, several “tourists” turned into a wisp of gray-white smoke and disappeared.

This change scared them all quite a bit. But what surprised them even more was that the ground was trembling slightly.

No, it wasn’t the ground.

All the display cases were trembling. The accumulated water on the ground trembled, creating ripples.

“What’s happening? What’s going on?”

“Why are the cabinets moving?”

Terrible!

This thought flashed through everyone’s minds. They had already discovered that once an artifact was damaged, it was very likely to produce a mutation.

Before they had time to think about how to deal with it, the other cabinets also began to move, making crackling sounds.

It was as if… the artifacts locked in the cabinets wanted to escape.

Yi Jun almost laughed at her own imagination, but the next second, she couldn’t laugh anymore.

A hairpin flew out from an unknown direction, stabbing straight at her. The hairpin was very small. Yi Jun only vaguely heard a slight sound of air being torn. Before she could figure out where it was coming from, Lu Yanli pulled her away again.

The hairpin hit the wall and fell to the ground.

This was the second time Lu Yanli had saved her, and Yi Jun sincerely thanked him.

The others were not in any better situation. The various artifacts that were quietly displayed in the glass cabinets during the day now seemed to have souls. They wanted to break free, to leave them all here.

Even worse, heavy footsteps with metallic sounds came from several exhibition halls.

Judging by the footsteps, it sounded like soldiers wearing heavy armor from thousands of years ago.

They guessed right. With the occasional flash of lightning, they saw it – a dozen suits of armor, holding swords and shields, walking towards them step by step.

Lu Yanli was in the worst situation.

Perhaps it was because he had the Pisces Jade Pendant on him, but he had the most armor chasing him. In addition, there was a constant stream of attacks from other items. Even though he wasn’t too bothered by the darkness, he couldn’t avoid getting some cuts and bruises.

The museum was completely sealed off, but an unknown wind was still blowing. A painting floated and fluttered, suddenly covering Lu Yanli’s wet face.

His vision was suddenly black. He couldn’t see!

Lu Yanli had to reach out to take it off, but the painting couldn’t be torn off. Sounds came again from all directions, and he knew that those things were coming to kill him.

The accumulated water had already reached his knees, and after dodging a few attacks, Lu Yanli gradually felt the pain of hypoxia.

And the painting… still couldn’t be torn off!

The painting was slowly rotting and turning into debris, scattering and spreading.

But Lu Yanli felt very uneasy.

Lu Yanli reached out to grab the hand, feeling along the sensation on his head, but he caught nothing. There was nothing there.

How could this be?

Lu Yanli held his breath, constantly struggling to get up, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t lift his head out of the water.

The accumulated water was only less than thigh-deep.

His consciousness gradually blurred, and his lungs were about to explode, burning and aching. But he still held his breath, not letting himself drink the accumulated water, and tried to get up.

Lightning struck.

He widened his eyes in the water. He saw his reflection behind him. It was a specter with an unreadable face, its face pale. It was floating on the ceiling, its arms very long, pressing him in place.

Suddenly, a great force struck from the side, knocking Lu Yanli to the side.

Lu Yanli shook his head: “I’m fine, thank you.”

There were glass shards everywhere on the ground. He had been cut a lot, but compared to death, these were just small wounds.

Where was the quiet appearance of the museum during the day? Everywhere there were overturned display stands and large objects. The color of the accumulated water was slowly turning red, or rather, its disguise was slowly fading.

Gray-white specters with long tails floated around, laughing in the empty hall.

“Let’s go… let’s go…”

“Hee hee hee hee hee hee…”

They were still laughing, trying to persuade them to go upstairs and take a look.

What exactly was on the second floor?

Although the four of them had some injuries, none of them were serious and didn’t affect their actions much.

“Let’s go to the second floor. Otherwise, we won’t be able to leave,” Lu Yanli suggested.

They had nowhere else to go.

The blood water falling from the ceiling could almost be described as a downpour. The accumulated water would soon rise to their waists. The armor was unaffected, but they couldn’t. Their speeds slowed down a lot, and they narrowly avoided the attacks.

“Quick! Find the stairs!” Jing Tao gritted his teeth and tried to walk towards the wall.

The blood water had already passed their waists and unscrupulously emitted a thick, bloody odor, a pungent stench that was nauseating.

But there was no way. They could all swim, so they had to grit their teeth and swim over, enduring the disgust.

Outside the stairway was deep blood water.

They hesitated instead.

Strangely, all the blood water that had been on their bodies disappeared, and their clothes were dry. Only the wounds on their bodies testified to their earlier desperate escape.

Compared to the strange hall on the first floor, the second floor looked so normal. There were even a few rays of light shining down from above, allowing them to see each other’s faces clearly.

“It’s too normal. I’m actually… afraid to go up,” Yi Jun said worriedly, looking up.

“This museum is trying to trap us here!” Wang Pengfei also said.

He glanced at Jing Tao covertly, and the latter leaned closer to Lu Yanli and described the appearance and importance of the Pisces Jade Pendant to him again in a low voice.

“As long as we can find it, we can end this!”

They didn’t want to go up, but they also knew that they had to go up.

As long as… as long as they found the Pisces Jade Pendant, they could end the mission.

Would the jade pendant be on the second floor?

“Since we’re going to the second floor, let’s go up sooner rather than later,” Lu Yanli said, leveling his breathing and taking the lead up the stairs.

Well then, since it was in his hands, there was no way he would hand it over.

Seeing him walk in front, the other three felt a little more at ease and hurried to follow.

Ordinary two-story stairs, they quickly finished walking.

In the hallway, the door was ajar, and warm yellow light shone through the crack.

Lu Yanli reached out and gently pushed.

The door opened.

What was inside the door was…

*

“Teacher Yu, still busy?” A colleague passed by and saw that Yu Huaiyao was still busy at the computer, the screen showing a cultural relic restoration diagram, and greeted him.

The latter replied, “Yeah, you go first, I’ll take another look.”

After the colleague left, only he was left in the large research institute.

“Xiao Huai, still busy?” It was a call from his mother.

Yu Huaiyao responded, “What’s the matter?”

He circled a date on the calendar on the desktop: “I know.”

“Brother, do you believe that there are ghosts in this world?”

In his mind, the scene of when they met a year ago appeared.

At that time, he shook his head and told him to believe in science.

Yu Huan didn’t say anything more.

Later… they didn’t contact each other for a long time.

Then, he received the news of his death.