Chapter 87 Death's Lament: The Code Was Wrong
"The code..." Fang Zhi pondered for a moment, then turned and asked, "When was the first time we met?"
Without thinking, Chu Zhao blurted out, "The ocean, the world of raft survival." He paused, then added a more precise location, "the shipwreck zone."
Fang Zhiyi snapped his fingers: "This is it. If we separate, ask this question when we meet again. But..." He winked at Chu Zhao as he spoke, "Give me your hand."
Chu Zhao opened his palm.
Fang Zhiyi placed his fingertip on it and used a brush to draw a character.
Chu Zhao's expression shifted from confusion to understanding: "Yes—"
Fang Zhiyi shushed him, signaling him not to say it.
Someone is watching them.
Throughout the journey, the prying gazes never disappeared, and the malice they carried became increasingly obvious, bringing a chilling sensation to my skin.
Their conversation here is bound to be overheard by eavesdroppers. Walls have ears; it's best to be careful.
Fang Zhiyi smiled slightly and deliberately raised his voice: "That's the code. If you answer it wrong, I'll know you're not the real one."
Chu Zhao clenched his fist, feeling the warmth left on it, and understood: "...Okay."
Fang Zhiyi stood up, half of her foot dangling over the edge of the cliff, and tugged at her slightly slipping backpack: "Let's go."
The game gives very little time; you have to reach the next supply point within one day. After spending half a day entangled with the fake Chu Zhao in the illusion, there isn't much time left.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at the map fragment, confirmed that he was on the right path, and continued climbing.
He changed his title to "Climbing Master," which increased his climbing speed by 10% and reduced his stamina consumption by 10%. With the speed boost, he reached the top in no time.
With the map, they avoided detours and made their way up smoothly. However, the map was incomplete, and they reached the top only halfway. But problems arose one after another: the map was only partial, and the route ended there.
Chu Zhao climbed slowly, and when he finally peeked out from below, he saw Fang Zhiyi with a furrowed brow. He took Fang Zhiyi's outstretched hand, and together they stood on the platform at the top.
The platform was suspended in mid-air, with a chilling wind blowing in.
When you climb up, you're full of energy and don't think about anything else, but it's hard to climb down. If you look down, there's a bottomless abyss, and just looking at it makes your legs and arms go weak.
Chu Zhao took a breath: "What's wrong?"
Fang Zhiyi held the map fragments in his hand: "There's no road ahead." He showed the map to Chu Zhao.
Chu Zhao glanced at the map; the route ended there. Looking around, he saw two paths before them: continue climbing up the cliff, or explore the passageway in the crevice.
Chu Zhao then shared his thoughts.
Fang Zhiyi scratched his head and looked up. The cliff face was steep and winding, seemingly endless. The passageway in the crevice was deep and unpredictable.
It's a choice between two paths; once you take the wrong one, there's no going back.
Fang Zhiyi: "Let me think..."
There's too little information available right now to make a choice.
The word "information" flashed through his mind. He realized what he was doing, canceled the title of "Rock Climbing Master," and replaced it with "Snow Hunter."
Passive, enhanced insight.
The amber eyes suddenly sharpened, and no matter how complex the terrain, it could not escape the hunter's eyes.
Fang Zhiyi turned around and stood on the narrow platform, holding a flashlight in one hand to provide light.
Bathed in light, every detail came into view.
The cave passages are narrow and low, with a thick layer of silt at the entrance. The stones at the entrance are sharp, indicating that no one has ever set foot there.
The cliff face appears unremarkable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one can see holes spaced at regular intervals. These holes have smooth, clean edges and were not naturally formed but rather carved out one by one with tools for securing the rock climber.
Some people have climbed this stone wall.
Whether you climb up or down, it's clear that this path is passable.
Fang Zhiyi made her choice: "Up."
Without a map, we had to figure out our way forward by feeling our way. Fortunately, there were holes left by the previous climber in the rock face. Following the layout of the holes, we climbed up, stopping and starting, and it took about half a day before we finally saw the traces of a supply point.
A tent stands in a cave behind a huge rock.
Fang Zhiyi quickened his pace, grabbed a foothold in mid-air, and with a powerful shake, landed behind the boulder. He took two steps further and, sure enough, reached the second supply point.
He poked his head out and waved at Chu Zhao: "Here!"
Chu Zhao followed closely behind and landed.
This supply point was larger than the previous one, and it was also equipped with a campfire and tents. There were two backpacks scattered on the ground, with the zippers open and their contents scattered everywhere, as if some accident had happened here and the climbers had left in a hurry.
Fang Zhiyi opened his backpack and checked it, confirming that it wasn't left there by a player.
Because it contains the climbers' identity information.
[Germany]
【Eileen】
They look like a couple, with matching couple charms hanging from their backpacks.
Since it wasn't a player's backpack, Fang Zhiyi felt relieved and emptied everything out, searching for anything useful.
A windbreaker, a sleeping bag, a thermal blanket... Fang Zhiyi placed these repetitive and space-consuming items to the side.
Chu Zhao was also searching when he suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?"
Fang Zhiyi looked up and asked, "What did you find?"
Chu Zhao: "An introduction to the cave."
Fang Zhiyi took it and looked at it.
This is a booklet produced by a group called the Cave Exploration Club, which contains information about the Cave of Death's Sigh.
The cave has a vertical length of 1,000 meters and complex cave paths, making it extremely difficult to climb and explore. The 96% mortality rate is the origin of the cave's name—even death would sigh when it comes here.
At first glance, no normal person would think of going on an adventure in such a place.
However, there was a group of abnormal people in the cave exploration club. They claimed to be experienced and well-equipped, and formed an exploration team to go deep into the underground cave, wanting to conquer the Dead Sigh Cave that no one had ever explored before.
As expected, they got lost, their teammates became separated, their equipment malfunctioned, and they even died inexplicably.
[You have learned one fragment of the truth about the expedition team]
Fang Zhiyi closed the booklet: "I'll go check inside the tent." With that, he plunged inside.
The tent was triangular in shape, with a windbreaker hanging on it, and an extinguished oil lamp on the ground. Fang Zhiyi rummaged around and found a supply box in the corner.
[Received 4 energy bars, 6 chocolates, 2 cigarettes...]
[Received 2 climbing axes, 2 miner's hats, 1 medkit...]
[Obtain Cave Map Fragment x1]
Upon opening the box, a series of messages popped up.
They were probably the first players to reach the supply point, and the resources they received were more abundant than ever before, enough for them to live a life of luxury for several days.
Fang Zhiyi didn't even glance at the food; instead, he picked up the miner's hat, the first-aid kit, and the fragments of the cave map.
The backpack only has so much space, so I can only keep the things I need last.
A miner's helmet frees up your hands, and the miner's lamp on top provides illumination, so you don't have to carry a flashlight all the time.
The medicines in the first-aid kit can deal with the dangers in the cave.
Needless to say, map fragments are a must-have.
Fang Zhiyi put the other things back into the small box and was about to leave when the flashlight in her hand suddenly flashed.
Chu Zhao's voice came from outside the tent: "Are you done?"
Fang Zhiyi gripped the flashlight: "Okay."
Lifting the tent flap, Chu Zhao stood not far away, holding a flashlight, his back to the light, his features indistinct: "What did you find?"
Fang Zhiyi stared at him intently: "The code."
Chu Zhao was taken aback: "Do we need to use a code even for such a short time?"
Fang Zhiyi asked to herself, "When was the first time we met?"
Chu Zhao smiled: "On the high seas, um... in the shipwreck area. Okay, now you believe me, right?"
Fang Zhiyi's guarded expression gradually disappeared: "I'm doing this for safety reasons."
Chu Zhao: "I know, the cave is so dangerous, it's better to be careful."
Fang Zhiyi grunted and walked towards Chu Zhao. Just as they were about to make contact, he suddenly attacked, slamming his shoulder into Chu Zhao's chest and knocking him to the ground.
Chu Zhao's voice was panicked: "What are you doing..."
Ignoring everything else, Fang Zhiyi punched that handsome face.
Chu Zhao winced in pain, his face contorted: "I've already matched the code, I'm real! Fang Zhiyi, what's wrong with you?"
Fang Zhiyi said coldly, "The code is wrong."
Chu Zhao blurted out, "How could that be? I clearly heard you say that—"
The sound stopped abruptly.
Wisps of black mist emerged from Chu Zhao's body, revealing its true form. Its voice was low and distorted: "You deliberately let me hear this."
Fang Zhiyi: "Who gave you permission to eavesdrop?"
The dark figure's face was contorted in a ferocious grimace, his long, curved hands bracing against the ground: "Despicable!"
Fang Zhiyi grabbed the dark figure by the neck, using all his strength to suppress its movements, while simultaneously glancing at it from head to toe.
The last time he fell off the cliff, it seemed to have no effect on the shadowy figure. On the contrary, he even felt that the shadowy figure's strength and speed had been enhanced to some extent, and now he was finding it somewhat difficult to deal with it.
We must completely eliminate the shadowy figure this time, otherwise, if it continues to grow, we will no longer be a match for it.
The shadowy figure was composed of some special material, so it would be unharmed even if it fell from a bottomless abyss. The punch it just threw only caused the black mist to vibrate and dissipate for a moment, without causing any damage.
It seems that a special method is needed to kill the shadowy figure in this situation.
Fang Zhiyi was locked in combat with the shadowy figure, and unknowingly moved closer to the cliff edge. The figure wrapped its arms and legs around him, revealing a sinister smile: "Come down with me—"
Fang Zhiyi stumbled and stepped on something. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it was the flashlight that the dark figure had been holding.
The shadowy figure appeared twice, each time holding a flashlight. Light, shadow... shadows only appear when illuminated by light.
Fang Zhiyi immediately kicked the flashlight switch.
哢哒.
The flashlight beam went out, plunging the supply point into darkness.
Fang Zhiyi's vision went black; he could see nothing but hear a sound. The shadowy figure seemed to slow down slightly, but it quickly returned.
You guessed wrong.
The shadowy figure was not affected by the light; on the contrary, it was the one who was at a disadvantage because it was not used to the darkness.
[Injured] [Bleeding]
[Physical strength continues to decline]
[Stamina-10]
[Stamina-10]
[...]
The situation is dire for him. He's already lost half his strength, and it's continuing to decline. If he can't defeat the shadowy figure, he'll be the one to be eliminated.
The lights are not off.
What about turning on the lights?
Fang Zhiyi took a step back, grabbed the flashlight from the ground according to his memory, and as soon as he got the flashlight, the dark shadow wrapped around him. Its limbs were long and its claws were sharp, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone.
Fang Zhiyi was choked by its hand and couldn't breathe. He fumbled around and found the flashlight switch, then pushed it hard behind him.
A beam of light shone from the flashlight.
The dark shadow was right behind him, illuminated by the light. In the blinding light, it let out a painful roar, like melting ice and snow making a sizzling sound.
Where there is light, there is shadow.
And the omnipresent light can make shadows disappear without a trace.
The shadow melted completely, turning into a wisp of black smoke that dissipated in mid-air. With a gust of wind, a piece of paper slowly fell to the ground.
[Eileen's Note]
They've all gone mad... I hid the fragments of the cave map in different places, and no one but me can find them...
[Task - Collect all cave maps]
You now know the location of the map fragments; your task is to find them and piece them together to form the correct escape route.
[Map fragments obtained (2/4)]
Fang Zhiyi looked up and reappeared in the tent, still holding Eileen's note in his hand, his pain seemingly genuine.
Stepping out of the tent, Chu Zhao found himself enveloped in a thick fog, lost in the illusion created by the black mist. His brows furrowed, and he looked anxious.
Fang Zhiyi didn't wake him up, but whispered in his ear, "Shadows are afraid of light!"
Chu Zhao seemed to have heard what he said. His brows slowly relaxed, and then he suddenly opened his eyes, raised his right hand, and held out a piece of paper.
"The shadowy figure dropped this."
[Germany's Notes]
[Rumor has it that the Cavern of Death's Sigh is a cursed place, haha, does anyone actually believe that?]
Turning it over, on the back, in scribbled handwriting, it read: "I was wrong, we are cursed, we can never leave this place... God, my Father, forgive me..."
Fang Zhiyi placed the two sticky notes together, and something was triggered. Suddenly, a white light flashed across them, and the two notes merged together.
[De & Irene's Notes]
If only one person could survive, I hope it would be me, so... I'm sorry, De/Eileen.
In just a few lines, Fang Zhiyi seemed to have already envisioned a couple exploring a cave. Faced with the cave's complex and confined environment, friction and suspicion gradually arose, and finally, due to some kind of threat, they decided to kill each other. Out of unspoken understanding, they both chose to strike at the same time.
Looking at the final stand at the supply point, no one survived to the end.
[You have learned one fragment of the truth about the expedition team]
【Pieces of Truth Puzzle (3/6)】
Fang Zhiyi stuffed the note into his pocket, turned to look at the supply point, and felt a sense of unease.
Chu Zhao put his arm around his shoulder, looked at the words on the note, and whispered, "If only one person can survive to the end, I hope that person is you."
Fang Zhiyi grasped his hand: "Don't say such discouraging things." He smiled, "Besides, I will survive to the end on my own. You don't need to give me your chance to live."
Chu Zhao met a pair of bright eyes, confident and determined. Even the deep cave could not extinguish the light in his eyes, and no difficulty could defeat him.
“…I will try my best too.” Chu Zhao kissed his cheek. “I will try my best to keep up with you.”
Fang Zhiyi extended her hand: "Keep it up."
Chu Zhao gave him a high five, the crisp sound echoing through the supply point.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at the task list.
There are currently two ongoing tasks: collecting all the map fragments and uncovering the truth about the expedition team. It seems that the two tasks are progressing simultaneously and can be completed together.
"Let's find the map fragments first."
He opened the mission details, and a fragmented map appeared in his field of vision. The two bottom sections were already lit up, while the upper part was still in darkness. There was a bright spot in the upper left and lower right corners, indicating the location of the map fragments.
Fang Zhiyi stared at it for a while and found that one of the map fragments was hidden in a cave passage they had passed through on the way there. To get it, they would have to turn back.
Looking down into the bottomless abyss, I suddenly felt a toothache and realized more deeply what it means to be easy to come up but hard to come down.
Fortunately, the supply point was well-equipped, and we could use climbing ropes to climb down.
Chu Zhao secured the rope to the supply point and lowered it down the rock face.
The rope unfurled with a whoosh and hung down to the bottom of the rock face.
Fang Zhiyi fastened the safety buckle to the rope, grabbed the rope, and climbed down the rock face little by little.
As my feet rubbed against the rock face, chunks of rock rolled off my feet. Finally, I let go and landed steadily on a cliff edge.
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