82: Chapter 81 Returning to Reality

Darkness, dead silence, and that rusted mechanical lever emanating the metallic tang of blood. This was the entirety of reality.

Xu Mo's fingers hovered in mid-air, less than a centimeter away from the cold metal.

The luxurious dream of 'wish fulfillment' that had just occurred was still flickering like fragments in his mind, and compared to the chill before him, it was nauseating enough to make one want to vomit.

"Pull it, then," Lin Sa spoke in the darkness, her voice carrying a barely perceptible fatigue. "Whether there's an exit or a pit ahead, we have to jump in and try. We can't just wait here to die and rot."

Xu Mo took a deep breath, stopped hesitating, firmly gripped the lever, and yanked it downward violently.

"Click—Rumble!"

The dull sound of meshing gears exploded within the walls. Immediately after, the heavy obsidian door slowly slid open to both sides.

Blinding sunlight pierced the darkness like thousands of steel needles.

What followed was the familiar stench—cheap incense, smoke from burnt roast meat, and the noisy maya dialect filling the streets.

This routine again?

The three instinctively squinted, their muscles tensing instantly, snapping into a combat stance.

"Oh my! Esteemed guests!"

That persistent nuisance, the youth Kaban, rushed over again.

Xu Mo's gaze instantly turned to ice shards, and Lin Sa gripped her dagger in return. Pei Duo had already locked onto a target, waiting for him to approach so she could demonstrate how to slap himself.

However, Kaban did not kneel, nor did he activate his roaring mode.

He stopped at a socially appropriate distance, executed a standard ninety-degree bow, and his tone was sincere, almost overly courteous: "We sincerely apologize. There was a slight fluctuation in the energy core just now, causing a system misjudgment. We apologize for startling the three of you; this is the dereliction of duty of our Xibalba."

There was no exaggerated wailing, nor any talk of plucking stars from the sky.

Kaban straightened up, wearing a standard, flawless professional smile: "As compensation, I will arrange for our clansmen to prepare the best supplies. As long as it is within a reasonable scope, please feel free to ask. If there is nothing else, I shall not disturb your leisure."

With that, he bowed slightly and turned to leave briskly.

His back was straight, perfectly embodying the arrogance of a maya noble.

"This..." Pei Duo was completely stunned. She turned to stare at Xu Mo, "He's not slapping himself?"

Xu Mo made no sound, only staring intently at Kaban's retreating figure, his brow tightly furrowed.

It was too normal. So normal it sent a chill down to his bones.

"Don't lower your guard," Lin Sa whispered, her eyes sweeping around like a hawk's. "Look at those passersby."

This time, the maya people on the street were no longer wearing those identical, fawning smiles.

Not far away, two vendors were arguing furiously over a few copper coins, spitting saliva everywhere. Several children were running and playing wildly, and after bumping into a passerby, they were scolded mercilessly.

At a milk tea stall, a crowd was packed tight, and someone cutting in line was shoving others while spewing vulgarities.

Even though Pei Duo and the other two stood there fully armed, the passersby only glanced over curiously before returning to whatever they were doing.

That feeling of false unreality, like 'the whole world was acting for me,' had completely dissipated, replaced by an intensely glaring sense of mundane reality.

"Xu Mo, this time... is it real?" Pei Duo asked softly.

Xu Mo pushed up his glasses, the lenses flashing with a cold glint in the sunlight. He walked to the roadside, bent down, and picked up a common gray stone.

Clutching the stone, he closed his eyes and initiated the most primitive test in his mind.

"Turn into a gold bar... turn into a divine artifact... turn into Pei Fei's bank card password..."

He silently repeated these thoughts for a full five minutes.

The wind blew past, stirring up a few dry leaves coated with dust. The stone's texture remained rough, cold, and lifeless.

Xu Mo opened his eyes. The stone in his palm was still the same stone, dull and gray.

"Hoo..." Xu Mo let out a long, stale breath, and his tightly strained shoulders finally slumped. He casually tossed the stone back into the mud puddle and wiped the cold sweat from his palm as he did so.

"The rules of wish fulfillment are completely severed," Xu Mo's voice was a bit hoarse, yet carried the relief of escaping death. "The logic chain is closed, the physical feedback is authentic, and there is no data latency whatsoever. It seems we really climbed out."

Hearing this, Pei Duo and Lin Sa's legs gave way, and they almost collapsed onto the ground.

This torment of repeatedly jumping between 'heaven' and 'hell' was more draining than fighting an S-rank BOSS head-on.

The three passed through the noisy street and returned to the side hall of the temple.

Pei Fei was sitting by the window, holding a cup of dark green maya specialty wine, staring blankly at the setting sun outside.

Hearing the footsteps, he turned his head. He skipped the overly sentimental pleasantries and exaggerated inquiries, merely sweeping his gaze over the three of them.

Seeing that none of them were missing limbs, he nodded calmly.

"Brother, I want to go home," Pei Duo's nose tingled, her voice bordering on a sob. "I want to eat the braised pork ribs Mom makes. Even if she puts too much salt again, I'll accept it."

"Tired of wandering?" Pei Fei set down his cup. His tone was still gentle but carried a hint of distance. "If you're tired, go back. I'll settle the remaining accounts with these old folks slowly."

"Brother, are you okay?" Pei Duo sensed something was off with her brother's state.

"I'm fine. A few clauses in the negotiation broke down; it's annoying." Pei Fei waved his hand and casually signaled the speaker named 'One Death,' "Open the gate, send them back to the living world."

Without another word, the light of the teleportation array suddenly flared open.

That familiar sense of weightlessness engulfed the three like a tide.

...

The real world, Jiangcheng.

In the exclusive high-level ward of the Special Operations Bureau, the heart monitor beeped rhythmically.

Pei Duo suddenly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the glaring white ceiling and the slowly dripping IV bag. Outside the window, the sounds of traffic in Jiangcheng drifted in—it was the long-lost hustle and bustle of the human world.

"We're back..." Pei Duo ripped the needle from her arm and stepped barefoot onto the cold tile floor. That solid, tangible sensation made her want to cry.

The following week passed as blandly as plain water.

No anomalies descended, no system notifications appeared, not even Zhao Guobang showed his face.

This kind of 'boredom' was the most luxurious treatment the three of them could ask for after crawling out of the mythical dungeon.

Until that Saturday afternoon.

The sunlight was perfect. Pei Duo was curled up on the sofa, holding half a watermelon, watching variety shows without a care in the world. In the kitchen, she could hear her mother humming a tune while chopping vegetables.

Everything was as beautiful as a bubble.

Suddenly—

"Crash!"

A harsh shattering sound came from the kitchen, immediately followed by Mother Pei's distorted shriek: "Old Pei! Old Pei, what's wrong with you?! Don't scare me!"

The spoon in Pei Duo's hand fell to the floor with a crisp clang.

She didn't even put on her shoes, crashing into the kitchen like a madwoman.

She saw her usually cheerful father, whose face was now as white as paper, curled up on the floor, both hands clutching his chest, his throat emitting gasping sounds like a broken bellows.