Chapter 239: Prequel to Infinite Highway

Qiao Song felt like he was in a box and could hear the sounds outside through a muffled can.

"It's over, I'm stuck in a maze. Are you sure the sign just now is correct?"

This is a sightseeing bus for a scenic spot. It has no iron protection around it and is currently shuttling through a spiral passage that winds downward.

Every seat on the bus was filled with people, most of whom were holding on to the railings with both hands, looking nervous.

"I told you I shouldn't have stopped the car to pick something up! If I had kept driving forward, I might have already reached the first floor!"

The speaker was a thin middle-aged man wearing a pair of glasses with small round lenses. He glanced back from time to time while speaking.

"A bunch of top players gathered together and actually listened to the words of a young man who had just entered the society. I told you that this boy was a bad-mouthed person! You still listened to him and went down to pick up that damn statue—"

He was halfway through his speech when someone next to him suddenly stretched out a camera tripod and grabbed his neck. "If you look down on my brother so much, then why did you squeeze into this car just now? If you weren't crying and almost kneeling down to beg for help, do you think we would let you get on?"

The middle-aged man's face immediately turned red: "I am a teacher, what's wrong with taking a ride? Do you know how to respect your teachers?!"

Someone in the car was already angry, but he didn't kick the person out because that would be against the rules.

[Infinity Mall Tunnel Passing Rule 3: After entering the down tunnel, the number of passengers on the bus cannot be easily changed. It can be more, but not less.]

This is a crappy rule. They wish there would be a few more weird things in the car after they drive out of the tunnel.

Once the traffic pressure caused by the maze makes people on the bus more and more nervous, even quarreling and fighting to the death will not reduce the number of passengers.

This is why Mr. Du is so confident. Seeing that others can’t do anything to him, he even raised his voice:

"Why would we go down to pick up a sculpture in such a weird passage? I think if we throw that thing away, our car might be able to return to normal."

The sculpture he was talking about was something that a young player from the team in the car took up after he asked to stop the car.

The person whose nose was pointed by Teacher Du had regular features and looked like a college graduate. He seemed too young.

In addition, this man has a high nose and deep eyes, but his skin is a little too white. It is said that after graduating from university, he has been working on game development with his classmates. Teacher Du has long labeled him as a gigolo and a person who is not doing his job properly.

Li Yuan remained calm and ignored Teacher Du. He had no intention of explaining to him. Instead, he looked at the driver and said, "Brother Mo, keep driving. This statue is very important and would never be placed on this road for no reason."

The thing in his arms was said to be a stone sculpture, but in fact it looked more like a square stone box with a vague carving of a posture similar to that of a person meditating.

"I have seen this thing in the Pony Crossing the River game on level 2. That river is extremely dangerous. All players who don't choose the right pony will be melted directly after falling into the river. This kind of stone is the only thing found on the shallows of the river and is not affected by the river water."

At that time, he just wanted to pick up two stones to take back, but as soon as he completed the copy, he was teleported back to the mall lobby.

When he was stuck in the passage for the second time while sitting in this car, he noticed a small depression in the wall like a niche, and inside it was a sculpture that almost blended with the color of the wall.

When something is abnormal, there must be something fishy.

I was stuck in a dilemma several times afterwards. Apart from some rule slogans appearing on the wall, there were no more clues.

Li Yuan was so brave that he went to pick up the sculpture. When he was making games, he would never easily set up any useless decorations in the player map.

He intuitively felt that this should be the important item that would help them reach the first floor of Infinite Mall.

Infinite Mall, where a large number of humans who came to this world due to accidents gathered. It is said that they can return to the human world after completing the ultimate game.

The birthplaces of most players are between floors 88 and 90.

There are many different shops on each floor. The lower the floor, the more difficult it is. After clearing the level, you can get certain prop card rewards. Players spread the word that the greater the reward you get on the lower floor, the closer you are to going home.

There was even a rumor among them that some players used special devices to observe the first-floor lobby of the shopping mall, where there was a fire escape with an escape sign painted on it.

All the doors in the mall open to a new copy of the game.

But the escape door was different. It was open and white light was shining from behind it.

This unique discovery inspired many people who were thinking about returning home.

The players were all working hard to go down one floor at a time, and the only thing connecting the floors was the rare elevators and the tunnels that could only be used by sightseeing buses.

However, according to many players who have stayed on the second to third floors for a long time, there are no elevators on the last few floors and they can only take a sightseeing bus.

So, after gathering another team and putting together a sightseeing bus, another group of people finally made up their minds to play the game on the last level.

Who knew that the car would have a problem halfway through the journey.

God knows, the previous passage just said that you are not allowed to get off the car easily, you have to slow down and drive slowly. As long as you can get through that terrifying 5 minutes of passing time, you can quickly reach the next level. The only difficulty is that buying a car requires the common currency in the mall.

Teacher Du just didn't have enough money, and he begged for a long time before he was reluctantly allowed to take a ride.

And there are actually 5 rules written in this passage from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor.

[1. Any behavior that damages the environment in the area, such as urinating and defecating anywhere, littering, and air pollution, is prohibited]

[2. Item cards and player skills are prohibited in the channel]

[3. After entering the down tunnel, the number of passengers on the bus cannot be easily changed. It can be more, but not less.]

[4. Prohibition of cannibalism]

[5. This channel will start self-cleaning every once in a while. Please leave the channel before cleaning starts, reach the first floor, and complete the last game]

These rules simply mean that if you cannot reach the first floor safely, you will be trapped here forever, and you cannot touch the bodies of your companions even after the food is consumed, otherwise they will be wiped out.

The first few items may seem a bit strange, but the last sentence of item 5, "Reach the first floor and complete the final game," is so inspiring.

If the car hadn't gotten stuck while driving, everyone would have been full of confidence and rushed to the first floor, waiting to finish the last game and go home.

Li Yuan frowned, holding the thing in his hand and not putting it down: "After we came down from the second floor, we walked along this road for a total of 30 minutes. This sculpture appeared every other section of the road, and it appeared 11 times in total.

The fog around us is getting thicker and thicker, and nothing else has changed. At this time, instead of studying the rules of the tunnel, I just stay in the car and keep driving forward. Do I want to be trapped in this tunnel forever?"

The rule slogans that appeared repeatedly in the passage were just putting constant psychological pressure on them. After seeing those red slogans, the passengers on the bus became more and more nervous at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Teacher Du immediately stretched his neck, straightened his back, pointed at his nose and scolded: "After you brought this thing up, has the fog in the passage been reduced? Our car is driving slower and slower now. If we continue like this, we will have trouble finding the last game and even staying alive! I think this statue is unlucky. We might as well find a place to throw it away!"

He had just finished cursing when Li Yuan frowned and stopped talking before saying anything. He felt the stone in his arms move a little.

The car was still arguing, but most of the other people in the car thought that what Li Yuan said made sense: "I haven't seen this sculpture before, but I think I've heard of it. There are many games about crossing the river on the second and third floors. Some people who fail the game can still use props to save their lives, but those who fall into the water are basically dead."

The game becomes more difficult as you go down the floors, but there is an elimination system in the Infinite Mall. Every time you fail, you can go back 20 or 30 floors to save your life.

This is also the reason why most players firmly believe that the first level of the game can directly return to reality.

The others were still discussing the games on the second and third floors, but Mo Wen, who was driving, had been driving forward after Li Yuan said to continue. Suddenly, he shouted in surprise, "Stop arguing, the fog is starting to dissipate!"

Teacher Du seemed to be in conflict with the sculpture. At this moment, he was still staring at Li Yuan. His sinister eyes did not look like those of a teacher at all. Instead, he looked more like a poisonous snake lurking and ready to bite people.

Li Yuan frowned, always feeling that something was wrong with this person, but it was a good thing that the fog had dissipated. Suddenly, his ears moved, and he tilted his head slightly and listened carefully for a while.

After a few seconds, his face changed slightly and he looked back.

He was sitting in the last row of the sightseeing bus, and when he looked back he could only see the dark tunnel. They had been driving down for 30 minutes and had not yet reached the next level. It was as if they had driven into hell.

Looking back at this time, it seems that one can see the throat of a giant beast through this passage.

Li Yuan has never been afraid of these things, but he seemed to have heard something vaguely wrong.

That's the sound of water.

No, that's not right.

Why is there a growing sound of water in the passage?

He suddenly stood up, grabbed the railing and yelled, "Brother Mo, step on the gas! There's going to be a flood coming down the tunnel!"

Mo Wen, who was driving in front, was almost startled. While Li Yuan was talking, the sound of water became louder again. The other people in the car were not stupid either, and they quickly remembered the last rule in the passage.

[5. This channel will start self-cleaning every once in a while. Please leave the channel before cleaning starts, reach the first floor, and complete the last game]

At that time, everyone was paying attention to the last sentence "Complete the final game", but did not see the implied meaning of the previous paragraph.

Li Yuan thought about the increasing number of water games on the second and third floors, and the worst outcome he could think of was -

“If this self-cleaning water flow is the same as the water on the second and third floors, we’re doomed.”

Mo Wen's hands and feet almost went numb for a moment. He suddenly stepped on the accelerator and increased the speed of the sightseeing car to the highest level: "Everyone hold on tight!!!"

This kind of sightseeing car needs to be purchased by players themselves, and the fuel burned in it is also based on soul coins. This way of burning money at the risk of one's life will only be used at critical moments.

The passengers on the bus then remembered and turned their heads to look back, holding onto the railings.

Rumble, the sound of water flowing downwards gradually became obvious.

The mist did clear, but more water rushed down from above, and they were the only living things in the pipes.

Teacher Du suddenly jumped up from his seat like crazy and tried to crawl back: "Give me the sculpture, because it's the reason for this problem!"

Li Yuan was quite calm in this situation. He had always felt that Teacher Du was strange.

A player without any companions actually made it to the first level and said that all his friends were dead.

As far as Li Yuan knows, the fact that the sightseeing bus can go up and down the stairs alone has already greatly restricted lone wolf players. Everyone will have a fixed team partner to share the pressure of soul coins.

It was also because of this that when there happened to be an empty seat on their bus, Teacher Du, with tears in his eyes, took out all his savings and said he wanted to get a ride. He looked frail and skinny at the time, but his expression changed as he got on the bus.

When the group was in a tense mood, he racked his brains to sow discord among them. Moreover, Li Yuan remembered that when he was observing the wall and others were discussing the ghost wall, he said to stop the car. Finally, when he brought the sculpture back, most of the people in the car had surprised expressions, only Teacher Du had a different expression at that moment.

Like regretting.

Li Yuan suddenly realized something. He pretended to raise the sculpture in his hand and said deliberately, "You are right. This thing is indeed too heavy. I will throw it away to reduce the weight of the car. This car can run faster."

He made a motion to throw the sculpture so fast that no one else could react. Instead, Teacher Du, who had been asking him to throw away the stone sculpture, suddenly jumped up and rushed towards the direction where he threw the stone.

As a result, his neck was quickly stuck by a photography tripod and nailed to the back of the chair, and this time it was stuck particularly tightly.

Photographer Xiaoguang and Li Yuan made a gesture: "Is this guy mentally ill? Was he planning to pounce on you or pounce away just now?"

Li Yuan put the sculpture back into his arms and held it tightly: "No, he wants this sculpture. Control the person and let Brother Mo step on the accelerator. We should be able to get out soon."

As early as when Li Yuan raised his hand to make a fake move, the people around him also noticed Li Yuan's gesture. The players who have been working in a team have a tacit understanding with each other and have secret codes with each other.

Li Yuan was not joking when he suggested reducing the weight of the car.

Some people in the car have already taken out weapons such as screwdrivers, saws and screwdrivers, trying to remove the useless parts from the car.

Their team included people from all walks of life, from maintenance workers to doctors, photographers, game planners, and craftsmen. Even though they were restricted from using prop cards, they quickly unloaded the carport and tried their best to throw away the heavy objects.

Mo Wen also stuffed all the soul coins he had into the fuel machine. Since he had always been the driver in the team, the money was always with him.

After the fog in the passage dissipated, the sound of water behind them became louder and louder, as if there was a faucet directly connected to their heads.

It sounded like the sound of flushing a toilet. What was worse was that they seemed to be foreign objects in the toilet.

If someone is brave enough to look back, they can see the water rushing down.

The players who were participating in similar games like Crossing the River on the bottom few levels all turned pale.

Isn't this pure black water with white reflections the liquid in the game that can melt people? !

This shit is used directly for self-cleaning of this broken passage? ? ?

People sitting in the back couldn't help but look back, but people in the front were not so nervous. In the spiraling downward GM road, in addition to the orange headlights, new colors finally appeared.

That is white light.

It’s the export.

Mo Wen stepped on the accelerator hard, and before the black river water almost grabbed the seats at the end of the car, the car, like a tourist sightseeing bus coming down from the Akina Mountain, directly swerved out of the passage.

The world in front of me suddenly opened up. This was an unfamiliar hall that looked very different from the previous shopping mall.

The hall was a bit deserted and dilapidated, all the shop doors were closed, and the exterior was different from the thick walls on the upper floors. It was all transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, and the outside world was pitch black.

After the sightseeing bus entered the hall, it drifted several times in order to slow down before stopping. The passengers' brains had not yet recovered and they just looked around blankly.

The broadcast finally sounded in the mall.

[Congratulations to the Wisdom Eye team for successfully passing the tunnel game. You have reached the first floor of the mall. You can cross the Styx upstream and return to the human world. I wish you all the best. ]

In the car, Mo Wen, who was still slumped over the steering wheel and gasping for breath, looked up in confusion: "Is this the end? Is there no new game on this floor?"

Not only him, but everyone else in the car was still in a state of shock.

Only Li Yuan, after loosening his hand that had been holding the railing, subconsciously looked at the stone that he had been holding tightly in his arms.

Did this thing just move again?

At this moment, after a brief loud noise in the center of the mall, there was suddenly other noise.

"What a rare guest! It's been a long time since any player came here."

The person who spoke was an ordinary-looking man. He was wearing a pair of maintenance gloves and holding a few pieces of wood. He seemed to be hiding behind a pillar in the mall lobby.

There were many people hiding in the same posture as him, each holding various tools, including wooden boards, iron sheets, and all kinds of strange materials. They were hiding behind the pillars until the sightseeing bus stopped completely, and then they came out from behind.

Li Yuan looked around and quickly realized who these people were.

This is a player who has reached the first floor before.

Although many shops in the mall lobby are closed, you can clearly see living areas such as tents if you look into the distance.

These players seemed to have lived here for a long time. They probably encountered the same thing. They came down from upstairs, passed through the tunnel, and escaped before coming to the hall, where they came up with the final method to pass the level.

"It looks like we have a new member joining us. We just happened to be short of manpower recently. We have been building ships for a long time."

The man who greeted him at the beginning came over with a piece of wood and shook hands with him: "Hello, I'm Qi Fan, and I'm just an ordinary shipbuilder in the real world. I'm quite familiar with shipbuilding."

After a brief silence, some passengers slowly got off the bus. At first, their legs felt weak, but then a great surprise slowly rushed to their heads.

"We've actually reached the finish line. Can we get out soon?"

Li Yuan was the last one to get off the bus, still holding the stone in his arms.

His good brother A Guang was carrying down the crazy, thin middle-aged man, Teacher Du.

Seeing that someone had arrived here in advance, Teacher Du looked at them in surprise: "Impossible, how could you reach the hall safely? Isn't it only those who got the stone in the passage who can..."

He suddenly fell silent while talking, but the shipbuilder who came to greet him wearing white gloves laughed heartily: "Is this what you are talking about?"

The white gloves pointed at the stone sculpture in Li Yuan's arms.

"As long as you pick up the stone, you can pass the test in the tunnel. Of course we know this. From your tone, do you think that one person can only bring one?"

The man in white gloves looked at Teacher Du for a while and suddenly realized: "Are you the player who was resurrected from the team that was wiped out earlier? I thought you were bounced back to the 70th or 80th floor in one breath, but you came down again so quickly."

When his identity was revealed, Teacher Du's face turned pale and blue.

Soon, the shipbuilder felt something strange and looked at Li Yuan's hand.

"But before, after we were trapped in the passage, we found the hole in the wall and just picked up a fist-sized stone and came down."

"This is the first time I've seen a sculpture this big like yours."

Li Yuan had an inexplicable feeling that the stone sculpture in his arms even swayed slightly with some pride.

The author has something to say:

Qiao Song: That’s right, I am the biggest treasure!