59: Chapter 59, Fifth Level – “The Realm of Arrow Rain”

Passing through the stone gate, the nauseating stench came to an abrupt halt.

The fifth level of Mictlan—"Realm of Arrow Rain."

The oppressive black rock layers overhead had vanished, replaced by a sky as deathly white as bone ash.

There were no clouds and no wind here; only a screeching sound, so sharp it felt like fingernails frantically scratching a blackboard, was rapidly falling from high above.

"Is it raining?"

Zhao Tie, the "Iron Wall" of the team, looked up subconsciously.

In the next second, the hairs all over his body stood on end.

That was no rain; it was clearly a sky full of sharp arrows polished from obsidian and bone fragments!

"Defend!!"

Zhao Tie roared as his muscles instantly bulged, his skin taking on a blue-gray rocky luster. He held an alloy tower shield firmly over his head.

Thud, thud, thud, thud—!

The dense sounds of impact were like heavy rain hitting plantain leaves, making one's scalp tingle.

"Ah—!!"

Screams instantly tore through the defensive line.

The physical defense Zhao Tie took pride in was as fragile as paper before these black arrows.

Every time an arrow exploded against the shield, a circle of invisible ripples would penetrate the alloy directly, violently striking everyone's souls.

"Pfft!"

Xu Mo felt as if a red-hot stirring rod had been shoved into his brain, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Beside him, Lin Sa staggered, the "blood kiss" dagger in her hand nearly slipping away. The remaining two teammates, "Ah K" and "Skinny Monkey," were even worse off, rolling frantically on the ground while clutching their heads, bleeding from all seven orifices: "My head! My head is going to explode!!"

The arrow rain specialized in killing souls; this was true damage!

In this purgatory-like scene, only one person's style was oddly different.

Old Ghost.

Although this old geezer was also hunched over, scurrying away in terror with his head in his hands, the fatal arrows along his path seemed to have eyes, weirdly sliding away to the sides. It was as if he had turned on an "auto-dodge" hack.

This scene was clearly witnessed by Pei Duo, who was hovering in mid-air in an invisible state.

"Heh, an insider indeed. Even the dungeon mechanics are protecting you, aren't they?"

Looking at the team below about to be wiped out, Pei Duo flipped her small hand, and a large seal, black as ink and radiating a power that could suppress the heavens, appeared in her palm.

[Underworld Treasure: Fengdu Seal]

"Rise, for this one!"

Without a hint of heartache, Pei Duo threw the seal, which was powerful enough to suppress an entire region, like a common brick.

Buzz—!!

A visible black ghostly light exploded beneath the seal, instantly transforming into a translucent hemispherical barrier that firmly shielded the remaining six people, including Xu Mo.

The arrows carrying soul shocks hit the barrier like raindrops on a lotus leaf, bouncing off one after another and dissipating into black smoke.

Immediately after, the [Soul-Suppressing Bracelet] on Pei Duo's wrist slipped off, turning into a halo of light to protect everyone.

A cool and moist aura instantly enveloped everyone's nearly shattered spirits, and the soul-tearing pain receded like the tide.

"Huff... huff..."

Xu Mo panted heavily, wiped the blood from his face, and looked at the large seal overhead that radiated an aura of Eastern majesty, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.

It was that nanny-level protection again.

This familiar operation, this extravagant style...

"Thank the god Xiuolotl! The deity has not abandoned us!"

Seeing this, Old Ghost's eyes darted around. He immediately knelt on the ground, fervently worshipping the void. "Quick! The divine power won't last long. There's a cave ahead; we'll live if we charge through!"

How could the others dare to hesitate? Beneath the black barrier, they scrambled toward the black cave several hundred meters away.

...

Having charged into the cave, the screeching of the arrow rain was finally shut out.

This was a natural limestone cave, cold and damp.

At the deepest part of the cave, the black sacrificial stone gate and that old camera stood there quietly.

"Is everyone alright?"

Old Ghost counted the people with a look of concern, then gazed solemnly at the cave entrance.

"This place isn't safe. The Skeleton Archers on this level love to burrow underground for sneak attacks. Someone must stay to guard the entrance."

His gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Lin Sa, his eyes filled with a hypocritical sincerity.

"Sister Lin Sa, you have the best skills and the fastest reflexes. You guard the first wave. Once we're done taking photos and the gate opens, and everyone is safe, we'll get out of here immediately."

Old Ghost spoke with righteous indignation, as if this were a difficult decision that had to be made for the sake of the team.

Although Zhao Tie, Ah K, and Skinny Monkey felt something was off, under this extreme pressure, it seemed to be the only way out.

After all, throughout the journey, Old Ghost had been a responsible captain.

Although Lin Sa's intuition told her something was wrong, for the sake of the big picture, she was about to move.

"Stop acting, Old Ghost."

A cold voice abruptly rang out in the empty cave.

Xu Mo took a step forward, blocking Lin Sa.

The expression on Old Ghost's face froze for a moment, and then he put on a confused and innocent look. "Brother Xu Mo, what do you mean by that? I'm doing this for everyone..."

"For everyone?"

Xu Mo sneered. Without any nonsense, he suddenly rolled up his blood-stained left sleeve.

"Hiss—"

By the faint light from the cave entrance, Zhao Tie and the others gasped.

On Xu Mo's pale forearm, the flesh was mangled and dripping with blood. A number, carved deep enough to see the bone and even severing some muscle fibers, was clearly visible—

"7."

The number was carved crookedly and looked hideous, clearly done in extreme pain and haste.

"Just before entering this level," Xu Mo's voice was chillingly calm, "our team still had seven people."

The entire cave instantly fell into a dead silence.

Zhao Tie and Ah K looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion. In their memories, the team had clearly always been six people. Where did a seventh come from?

"I know you don't believe me, and I can't remember who the seventh person was either." Xu Mo pointed to his temple. "The brain is tampered with by the rules, and memories are deleted; that's the most disgusting part of this dungeon. But..."

He raised his arm and pointed to the still-bleeding wound. "The pain of this body doesn't lie! I carved this wound myself! It was to remind me—this team has been losing members! And every time someone disappears, it's after a photo is taken!"

"You're crazy!" Old Ghost's face changed drastically, a flash of panic in his eyes as he shouted sternly, "Xu Mo! I think your soul was injured by the arrow rain just now, and you're having hallucinations! Everyone, don't listen to his nonsense! We've clearly always been six people!"

"Hallucinations?"

Xu Mo didn't give him a moment to breathe, a mocking curl forming at the corner of his mouth.

He grabbed Lin Sa's backpack and dumped everything inside onto the ground with a "clatter."

Out of the pile of junk rolled two proximity high-explosive charges and a massive alloy bear trap.

Xu Mo stepped on the bear trap and looked up, staring intently at Old Ghost:

"Is this a hallucination too? Which one of us would use this thing?"