Zhuang Li held Xuan Ming's hand tightly, and Xuan Ming also held his hand tightly, and shook it back and forth slightly, indicating that he should not worry.
The smoker squinted his eyes at the two people's tightly held hands, and his tone became gentler: "Come with me, I'll show you something."
She walked up the stairs and smoked a whole cigar so quickly that she almost swallowed the butt.
Everyone followed immediately.
As they walked, Smoker explained the situation: "This complex has over 70 buildings. Aside from the cultists and his family gathered around Liu Jizu, the rest are players. This is a dungeon where you can only exit but not enter. It's a closed cycle."
She went up to the 29th floor and casually opened the door of room 2901. She walked into the bedroom and pointed at the man lying on the bed. He was so thin that he was no longer human. He could only open a pair of cloudy eyes and looked at her helplessly. She said, "This is an SSS-level tasker. He is paralyzed and has defecated and urinated on the bed."
Sure enough, there was a bad smell in the room.
"This is him in the past." The smoker picked up the backpack that the man had placed on the bedside and took out a photo from it.
The man in the photo was handsome, strong, and had a bright smile. He looked nothing like the skeleton on the bed.
The man opened his mouth, as if to shout "Help", but he didn't even have the strength to make a sound.
Zi Wei, Xiao Dao and Huang Mao hurriedly searched for healing potions in their backpacks.
"It's useless. No medicine can cure him. I've fed him all my healing potions, but he's only getting thinner. The more energy you give him, the faster he'll weaken. This damn place is a bloody place!"
The smoker pointed at the thick fog outside the window, his voice trembling slightly. "Every time time resets and the cycle of reincarnation begins, everyone trapped here will have a portion of their power devoured. The stronger the person, the more power they lose. That's why they often become like this in a very short time, paralyzed in bed, unable to control their feces and urine, and can only live without dignity."
The smoker walked to the window and looked at the open space downstairs in fascination, where there was still a large pool of blood.
The paralyzed man in bed stretched out his hand to her with difficulty, making an "ah ah" sound with all his strength, with tears in his cloudy eyes.
Hearing his voice, the smoker sarcastically said, "He always said there would be hope, that the next newcomer would succeed in breaking the despair, so he kept holding on. Even if it became like this, he would continue to live. But some people can't stand this kind of undignified life, so they would jump from the rooftop before they become paralyzed. If they die, they will not be swallowed by this world."
The smoker turned around and looked at the man on the bed with red eyes.
The man also looked at her with tears in his eyes and shook his head with all his strength.
Don't die! Never give up hope until the last moment. The glimmer in his eyes seemed to be saying this.
The smoker finally left the window, reached out his hand, and tucked the corner of the quilt for the man.
The room stank, but the man's bed and body were clean, indicating that the smoker often cleaned for him. This stench had accumulated over the years and no amount of water could wash it away.
Zhuang Li gripped Xuan Ming's hand even tighter. For the first time in his life, he felt so close to death and despair.
He knew how powerful Xuan Ming was. If he waited until the next time reset, how would the world greedily devour him?
Zhuang Li simply didn't dare to think about it.
"It's okay, you'll definitely find a way." Xuan Ming hugged him from behind and whispered in his ear. He trusted Zhuang Li more than he trusted himself.
Zhuang Li quickly regained his composure and nodded, saying, "Every game has a corresponding solution, and I'm sure I can find this one."
The smoker gave the man a sip of water, then shook her head in despair. But she remained silent. She raised her empty wrist and said, "Over time, our task managers will disappear, for they, too, are condensed from energy and will be consumed by this world. Everything will be consumed, except despair."
She smiled bitterly, with deep helplessness in her eyes.
"Let me take you to see the heroine of this world." She glanced at the alarm clock by the bed and sneered, "That's a truly amazing person. No matter how much hope you give her, no matter how much effort and hard work you put into her, even if you pave the road to the future right under her feet and push her forward, she will just shrug you off and stand there crying. It's useless to try to get her to do anything; she's beyond redemption."
When talking about this most vulnerable person who needs help the most, the smoker felt so angry that his teeth itched.
She led Zhuang Li and his group to the original stairwell and whispered, "They're back."
The family's activity trajectory is the same in every reincarnation.
The elevator door slowly opened, and Liu Jizu strode out, grabbing Lin Shiyu's hair, followed by Liu's angry mother.
"Son, beat her to death! She was the one who killed Yuanyuan!" Liu's mother instigated.
Liu Jizu didn't need any encouragement at all. He grabbed Lin Shiyu's head and slammed it against his door panel, once, twice, three times...
There were constant loud bangs.
Lin Shiyu's head was soon bleeding and she collapsed in Liu Jizu's hands.
She had just been arguing and fighting with her mother-in-law, but now she didn't dare to resist at all. She just kept begging: "Husband, I was wrong, please let me go. I killed our son, I was wrong, please stop hitting me, I'm dying, my head hurts..."
She sobbed intermittently, begging word by word, her face covered in blood and tears.
Hearing the bang, the door of 2802 opened, and a hot woman walked out, watching the scene with interest.
She is Liu Jizu’s mistress Wang Xiaodan.
The steel security door was dented by Lin Shiyu's head, and blood splattered on the wall and the ground, leaving red marks. If she hit it a few more times, she might die.
Zi Wei walked out, gritting his teeth. He couldn't stand such violence.
"Don't go." The smoker grabbed his collar. "I stormed out like that back then and helped Lin Shiyu beat up Liu Jizu. Guess what happened? Lin Shiyu called 911 on the spot and called the police. She said I beat her husband and that I was the one who hurt her forehead, which led to my detention. I had to tear down the cell door and escape."
The smoker sneered, "You go, and you'll get the same fate. She's sent all the players who assaulted Liu Jizu to the police station. She won't thank us for our help, she'll only resent us for hurting her husband. There's a saying that perfectly describes her: there's always something hateful about a pitiful person. Over time, you'll realize she doesn't deserve any sympathy."
When she said this, a vein popped up on the smoker's forehead, which showed how much she hated Lin Shiyu.
Zhuang Li saw deep hatred in her eyes and asked, "Have you killed her?"
Smoker shook his head dejectedly. "We can't kill her. If we fail our mission, we'll never be able to touch her again. Just like like poles of a magnet repel each other, when we get close to them, we'll be pushed away by an invisible magnetic field. Only you newcomers can touch them."
Zi Wei has completely given up the idea of rescuing Lin Shiyu. He doesn't want to be detained by the police and delay his mission.
His voice trembled as he spoke, "This dungeon's settings simply don't leave anyone any chance of survival. Once the mission is over, all you can do is wait here to die. There's nothing you can do!"
"Otherwise, why would this place be called a forbidden place?" The smoker took out a cigar from his pocket, hesitated for a while, and finally lit it.
Such a precious thing, she smokes one less cigarette each time.
Xuan Ming rummaged through his backpack, but it was empty.
Zhuang Li flipped his palm and unexpectedly conjured up a box of cigars. He handed it to the smoker and said gently, "If you like, smoke more."
Smoker looked at him in astonishment, then said enviously, "With this skill alone, you'll be able to survive well even if you're locked up here. But over time, all your skills will fade, so while you still have energy, conjure more things for yourself and your companions."
She quickly put away the cigar, pointed upstairs, and said, "The five people who jumped from the building before lived in rooms 2903, 3001, 3002, 3101, and 3102. Their rooms are empty, and you can move in."
She seemed to have anticipated that these five people would stay permanently, so she gave them a lot of advice on how to live here long-term.
"Thank you." Zhuang Li nodded politely.
The smoker squatted on the steps, hissing hiss of a cigarette like a drug addict, his expression filled with pure enjoyment. As if feeling bad for accepting two gifts in a row, she suddenly said, "Later, I'll take you to a show."
"What performance?" Xuan Ming asked in a deep voice.
"Liu Jizu's performance. Just wait, he'll come out when he's tired." The smoker nodded towards the outside of the stairwell.
Liu Jizu had already dragged Lin Shiyu into the house by her hair. The sounds of fists and kicks continued, occasionally accompanied by the crackling of wood breaking and the crisp sound of shattering glass. It seemed that in addition to using fists and kicks, Liu Jizu would also use any tools at his disposal to beat Lin Shiyu violently.
Lin Shiyu's crying was intermittent and sobbing, like a wronged soul struggling on the shore of the underworld.
The smoker sneered when he heard this.
Zhuang Li walked to the door of Room 2801 and stared at the dent on the security door for a long time.
Xuan Ming asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"
Zi Wei, Xiao Dao and Huang Mao quickly gathered around and continued to observe the dent.
"That's such a heavy blow! He's beating me to death!" they sighed.
A gleam of light flashed in Zhuang Li's eyes. He turned back to look at the smoker and asked, "Lin Shiyu was beaten like this, but she is still alive?"
The smoker blew out a smoke ring and squinted his eyes. "Alive, of course she's alive. Back when I was on this mission, she was beaten up by Liu Jizu for seven days. The next day, she still went downstairs to buy groceries at five o'clock, and then went home to cook for her mother-in-law and husband. She's simply an indestructible cockroach!"
Zhuang Li pondered for a moment, then asked, "You beat up Liu Jizu, Wang Xiaodan, and Liu's mother. Were they seriously injured?"
"It's very serious. I broke Liu Jizu's arm and his nose was bleeding like a fountain. I knocked Wang Xiaodan down with one punch and he couldn't get up for several days." The smoker grinned, seeming to feel very happy.
It’s a pity that she can no longer touch those people.
Zhuang Li looked at the dent on the security door, his eyes flashing.
At that moment, the sounds of beatings in the house stopped. The smoker quickly pulled a few people into the stairwell and hid them, whispering, "He's coming out. What he's going to do next will make you so sick you won't be able to eat for three days and three nights. This Liu Jizu is a beast. I suggest you don't waste your energy on Lin Shiyu. Her despair will never be broken. Just kill Liu Jizu for the fun of it."
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