Pale as death, the rib-like steps descended straight into the basement.
The steps were densely packed, each barely wide enough to place a foot on. A single misstep could lead to a slide downward.
But darkness engulfed the end.
As if leading to an abyss.
A tremor of inexplicable fear shook Lin Yiyi’s heart.
Although she hesitated, the barrage of messages was already bubbling with excitement:
"—It’s a hidden room!"
"—Sister Lin, quick, go down and check it out! No one’s been there!"
Where would I find a lamp, eh.
If I’m going to die, I’ll die. I was here to explore anyway...
With her mind made up, Lin Yiyi began her descent.
The basement had no light, and the stairs were somewhat greasy. To avoid slipping and causing her wound to tear and bleed profusely, Lin Yiyi held tightly onto the handrail, while her other hand pressed against her stomach, trying to slow her movements as much as possible.
"Can’t they see my health bar?"
She muttered discontentedly.
The next moment, a status bar appeared before her eyes:
...So there really was a health bar.
Seeing the health bar not only failed to cheer up Lin Yiyi, but her heart also skipped a beat.
If there’s a health bar, it means there’s a good chance of a combat segment; or else, at some point further on, I’ll be forced to advance quickly, and the health bar is a "maximum stamina value."
Either way, it’s bad news.
This body may have half health left, but it seems to be suffering from internal injuries. Just a slight motion, and I can see the health bar slowly sliding down.
How am I supposed to fight with such a battered body that’s already on the verge of failing? And if it’s the latter, it means I might encounter a deadly chase soon...
By the way, what is that Erosion Degree for?
As she slowly moved down the stairs, she muttered softly in complaint: "This man was stabbed in the stomach with a knife, right?
"If that’s the case, the stab would surely cause bleeding, right? And now I still have half my blood... which means I haven’t been injured for too long, right, guys? That’s the logic, right?"
"—Yeah, that’s right."
"—Getting stabbed in the organs and only losing half your health, I think that’s actually pretty generous."
"Right, that’s what I thought too. So the question is..."
Lin Yiyi paused a moment here.
She went silent for a while, her voice dropping even lower: "The person who attacked me...
"...couldn’t possibly be hiding down there, right?"
As soon as Lin Yiyi uttered these words, the barrage abruptly stopped.
For some reason, no one replied.
And she had already descended completely into the darkness—with her right hand on the stair railing, she suddenly felt a strange, slippery sensation.
In the silent ambush that came suddenly, panic sprouted in Lin Yiyi’s heart.
Instinctively, she thought to turn and run back upstairs.
But as soon as she turned around and had taken just two steps, she felt her feet slip—it wasn’t because she missed a step, but something slippery had appeared on the stairs she had just walked on, causing her to plant her foot down and slide straight to the ground.
She let out a middle-aged man’s scream.
The narrow steps, where it was difficult to even place one’s feet, were somehow covered with a slick, oily substance.
This body, already wounded, slid rapidly downwards like being dragged by some invisible force, away from the dimly lit gate that was getting further and further away...
Just as she thought about screaming, she found her body unresponsive. It was like watching a cut-scene... This man’s body trembled with pain, writhing on the floor like an insect.
She instinctively opened up the system panel.
—I’m already on the brink!
Damn it, I was holding onto the handrail, but I still slid down?
The next moment, Lin Yiyi’s pupils shrank suddenly.
Only because she suddenly saw... the half-closed door as she came down was now pulled open by someone from the outside.
A giant shadow stretched long and fast from above, almost touching Lin Yiyi’s body in the light.
In that instance, regret overwhelmed her heart.
That’s it, I shouldn’t have gone for that bit of light. I should have locked the door when I first came down...
What on earth is chasing after me?
But the person above didn’t speak.
He just silently, methodically descended step by step.
In his hand, he held a long-handled iron hammer.
The head of the hammer was as thick as a forearm. The wooden handle was as long as an arm.
...this hammer, must weigh eighty pounds, right?
Lin Yiyi had no doubt, if she got hit by this thing, and she could still utter another word afterward, she’d change her name to Sister Tough.
"Although I don’t know who you are..."
Lin Yiyi suddenly heard "herself" speak.
This man, looking like a painter, slowly got up from the ground.
His voice was very weak, but not panicked: "But you should not have followed me down here..."
"You’re... on a path to your own demise."
After he had spoken, Lin Yiyi suddenly regained control of her body.
A rush of comments flew across her vision:
"—Wow wow wow, a fight is coming up!"
"—Eh, it’s not a chase this time?"
"—As expected, hidden plots are different!"
It wasn’t that no one was commenting before.
But during the cut-scene, the comments were blocked.
And unlike the excitement of the comments,
Lin Yiyi was completely stunned.
After issuing that dire warning, could you at least tell me what I’m supposed to do now?! That guy is speeding up because you threatened him, okay?!
Am I, am I just waiting for him to come down? To get smashed to death directly?
Or am I supposed to start running circles around the staircase with him?
Then why don’t you give me a board or something?
"—Quick, see if there’s anything around."
Suddenly, Lin Yiyi saw a line of comment.
In fact, she didn’t realize... this was out-of-game guidance from Annan, who was watching the livestream.
After all, comments are anonymous; no one knows who posted which one.
Right, this must be a time-limited search mechanism... otherwise there’d be no point in giving me back control over my body.
Lin Yiyi instantly caught on.
She clutched the wound on her abdomen, coughing violently from the pain while quickly and clumsily searching around the basement.
Luckily, she felt a resilient rope not far from her hand.
Without hesitation, she pulled it.
As flames soared, the entire basement lit up.
Then she froze in shock.
The basement was littered with corpses.
These corpses weren’t haphazardly thrown down after being killed; they were like anatomical specimens, skeletons stripped of flesh and arranged in various poses.
Some skeletons looked like old men deep in thought, some like young girls sitting on beds with knees together, a few children’s skeletons lay together as if they were building a sandcastle... but among them, only flesh and blood remained.
Contrary to the bones, the stripped flesh seemed to have life, gathering on the floor, occasionally extending a tentacle, violently slapping against walls or stairs, smashing itself to bits.
Lin Yiyi was taken aback.
For a moment, she didn’t know whether she should be smashed to death by the Hammer Guy.
Maybe that would have been correct...
Suddenly, her attention was drawn to something.
It was the only place not illuminated by light, pure darkness.
Without thinking, she moved closer to it.
Then she widened her eyes.