Chapter 76: The Dragon Prison Well (4)

Ma Liang had not entered in person; it was merely a paper avatar, and he could afford to lose it. Without hesitation, he directed the avatar straight toward the spot where the black threads converged.

Hao Yun and Zhang Yuan, on the other hand, refrained from acting rashly. After a brief exchange, they decided to leave. The cluster of buildings was vast, and if anything went wrong, the two feared they might not escape safely. Caution, after all, was the key to longevity.

While those two began their withdrawal, Ma Liang's paper avatar, needing no stamina, was entirely powered by the magnetic energy stored within its paper body. Thus, Ma Liang soon approached the convergence point of the black threads.

To his surprise, the threads did not gather in the sky, but underground!

The black threads, which had originally hung in the air, plummeted sharply upon reaching the center of the architectural complex. At the heart of this convergence lay a deep pit, from which a red glow of fire emerged.

Peering over the edge, Ma Liang saw an endless sea of fire below, seemingly eternal. The threads vanished into this inferno.

Amid the crimson flames, one could vaguely discern a world starkly opposed to the architectural cluster above—a world where monstrous, human-shaped figures endured the burning, running frantically along roads.

That world’s buildings, much like those in Ma Liang’s own, were roasted and consumed by the flames.

Faintly, Ma Liang thought he heard the wailing of souls from hell.

Before he could observe further, a sudden cry of pain escaped his lips.

“Hiss—”

Ma Liang’s true self clutched his head. Just then, his paper avatar had leapt into the pit’s flames, instantly incinerated, and he suffered a mild backlash.

Hidden within his own mirage, Ma Liang shook his head. The loss of the avatar was inconsequential, but he regretted the grey-covered book it had carried.

Yet, to venture in again—Ma Liang felt a shiver of fear. That pit had the power to lure him in; had he entered himself, he would have been doomed.

His remaining supply of golden ink and magnetic paper would only suffice for one more avatar. If he tried again, luck might not favor him in retrieving an intact book. Even if he succeeded, with his trump card gone, escape could become impossible.

Since no new passageways had appeared for quite some time, Ma Liang guessed the only way out still lay with the lake’s anomaly.

As Ma Liang pondered, Hao Yun and Zhang Yuan emerged from the buildings, heading toward the spot where Ma Liang had set his illusion. After a moment’s hesitation, Ma Liang revealed himself from the shadows and approached them.

“Boss? You didn’t go inside?”

Seeing Ma Liang, Hao Yun greeted him immediately.

As a cameraman, Hao Yun had teamed up with Ma Liang since their first live broadcast. Though they couldn’t truly communicate, they’d met face to face, making Hao Yun one of the more familiar participants in Ma Liang’s direct encounters with the supernatural.

“Mm. It seemed rather eerie in there, so I didn’t dare enter. What about you two? Did you find anything inside?” Ma Liang concealed the fact that he’d sent an avatar to investigate, perhaps not only to hide its existence but for other reasons as well.

“Find anything? Just a few old books, their contents fragmented and incomplete—probably useless. I’ll check if the Bureau wants them. Maybe I can trade them for some points,” Hao Yun said, pulling out three grey-covered, wordless books, waving them in his hand before passing them to Ma Liang. They appeared similar to the one Ma Liang had obtained earlier.

“They’re not just some old books! Inside are methods for cultivating internal energy. With the world undergoing drastic changes and monsters emerging, the Bureau will pay dearly for these. If we can make them compatible with magnetic energy, we won’t have to progress so slowly anymore!” Zhang Yuan remarked, glancing over as Ma Liang reached for the books.

The atmosphere grew tense. Both Ma Liang and Hao Yun realized the books weren’t simple, but hadn’t expected their value to be so immense.

“In that case, you’d better keep them safe yourself,” Ma Liang replied, withdrawing his hand, somewhat dissatisfied, to address Hao Yun.

Hao Yun then smoothly tucked the three grey books back into his coat; they were, after all, his ticket to a wealth of points.

“Have you found a way out?” Ma Liang asked, as the golden brush at his waist flashed a barely perceptible blue light.

“No.”

“No,” Hao Yun and Zhang Yuan replied in unison.

“I haven’t found anything either. In that case… we’ll have to try the lake. Perhaps that’s the only place where an exit might open,” Ma Liang mused, sharing his thoughts.

Hao Yun and Zhang Yuan considered it, realizing Ma Liang was likely correct. They’d wandered for quite some time, probably over an hour, but the only place where passageways appeared was the lake.

“Even so, the passage opens above that lake anomaly. If we go, we’ll be risking our lives—there’s no way we’d survive!” Zhang Yuan said helplessly. If Ma Liang was right, their fate would be grim indeed.

“I suspect the passage opens randomly near the lake anomaly; otherwise, when we fell, we would’ve landed right in the monster’s mouth. We should wait until it’s not directly above the anomaly before we leave!” Ma Liang analyzed sternly, sounding quite convincing.

Their decision made, the three headed toward the lake to observe. If the passage’s location changed each time, they’d wait for it to move away from the anomaly before seizing their chance to escape.

Afterward, the trio left the buildings.

Not long after their departure, Ma Liang’s figure reappeared at the original spot.

It turned out that when Zhang Yuan revealed the value of the grey books, Ma Liang resolved to use his last chance for a paper avatar.

He first used his nearby illusion to confuse Zhang Yuan and Hao Yun, making them believe he was still chatting with them. Then, he crafted another avatar undisturbed, slipping back into the illusion afterward.

The Ma Liang who had just left with the two was, in fact, his paper avatar. Once they found the passage, both avatar and true self would act together to hold up Zhang Yuan and Hao Yun. If the lake anomaly went berserk, Ma Liang would have a safe window for escape.

…

The three arrived at the lake. The anomaly seemed oblivious to them, making no attempt to hunt them down. The woods that should have stood there had vanished, leaving only a stretch of open ground—a relief for the trio.

After a while, the new passage indeed opened.

Just as Ma Liang had predicted, the passage’s location changed each time. But since the lake was vast, they could only wait patiently for the passage to appear away from the anomaly.

Time passed—how much, none could say—before the passage finally opened away from the lake’s surface.

An iron chain extended from the lake’s center up to the passage in the sky, slack and curved, its length unknown.

“Now’s our chance! Let’s go!” the paper avatar shouted, pulling Hao Yun and leading the charge toward the passage, while Ma Liang’s true self, hidden, quietly tossed a golden bomb into the lake.

Zhang Yuan, lagging behind, had barely started toward the passage when a thunderous sound erupted, followed by the roar of waves.

The lake anomaly had noticed them!

Its rotund body sprouted gaping, inverted triangular jaws, and the rusty chains rattled as they lunged toward Zhang Yuan.

The anomaly’s explosive speed was astonishing; Zhang Yuan, being slower, found himself targeted. If he continued toward the passage, he’d likely be intercepted.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuan’s shoes flashed blue, lifting him slightly and doubling his speed. Now, he could reach the chain before the anomaly struck.

From the shadows, Ma Liang began interfering with Zhang Yuan’s sense of direction using his illusion. To outsiders, Zhang Yuan seemed to be running the wrong way, like bait for a fisherman.

As Zhang Yuan pressed on, the chains on the anomaly’s body snapped taut, stretching to their utmost limit. More chains emerged, binding its body tightly.

The blood vessels in Zhang Yuan’s legs burst, soaking his magnetic protective suit and dripping down his trousers.

Meanwhile, Ma Liang took advantage of the struggle between anomaly and Zhang Yuan. His paper avatar seized the grey books from Hao Yun’s coat and, before Hao Yun could react, hurled them away.

Ma Liang’s true self had already been waiting at the spot where the books would land. As Hao Yun recognized Ma Liang’s face, the paper avatar self-destructed, blowing Hao Yun into the pit left by the anomaly.

Ma Liang caught the books thrown by the avatar and swiftly escaped along the taut chain through the passage.

As for Zhang Yuan, upon witnessing what happened to Hao Yun, he fainted from excessive blood loss.

The anomaly was still only three meters in front of him, producing furious wave-like sounds—if they truly were the sound of the sea, Zhang Yuan would have been reduced to pulp.

After a long while, the anomaly returned to the pit, now calm. For some unknown reason, it seemed unaware of Hao Yun’s presence in the pit.

Zhang Yuan regained consciousness after some time, his body barely upright thanks to the support of magnetic energy.

Feeling his coat, he discovered two grey books hidden there, a fact Ma Liang had missed. Otherwise, Ma Liang would have tried to take all five.

After treating his wounds, Zhang Yuan began waiting for the next passage to open, uncertain how long it would take.

As for Hao Yun, still in the pit, his body had vanished entirely—yet, strangely, his mind remained clear.

Gradually, he began to resonate with the lake anomaly. Scenes of the anomaly’s past slaughter surfaced in his mind. With his consciousness intact, Hao Yun became lost in endless carnage…