Chapter 58 Critical Region (10)
Liudaokou is on the outskirts of the city.
Bai Ye got out of the car, looked at the varying thickness of the fog in front of him, and frowned.
This city is strange; it doesn't border any other city, and its edge is suspended in mid-air. Hidden behind the fog isn't a road, but a cliff.
Strange sounds came from below the cliff, like tearing and biting noises, making one's teeth ache.
Gou Xun was already used to this, and he was satisfied to see that the two young men were only slightly surprised and did not show any fear.
He pointed to the cliff and said, “This is the end of the city, a cliff edge that leads to the source of evil, where those disgusting things are always trying to climb out. Our mission as Order Keepers is to guard these six openings firmly.”
At this point, Gou Xun shook his head again, "Unfortunately, we couldn't hold it. Just last night, a cliff pass was completely torn apart. Our people couldn't repair it in time, and many of those filthy things have already escaped."
Upon hearing this, Shang Cai's eyes lit up. "Vice Captain, I request to go to the breach that has already been torn open. I am willing to go to the front line."
"Good lad, commendable courage." Gou Xun couldn't help but praise.
He turned around and looked at Bai Ye questioningly.
Bai Ye thought for a moment and decided not to be reckless. "Vice Captain, I'll stay at this cliff edge."
Gou Xun nodded, "Okay, I'll take you to report first. As for Shang Cai, he'll come with me."
As the deputy captain of the second detachment, it was only natural that Gou Xun was stationed at the most dangerous post.
Bai Ye was left behind and incorporated into a new team. His name was no longer used; instead, he was given the number he had during the initial training period: Orderkeeper No. 102.
“Our entrance is the closest to the city’s main road. It’s entrance number one, which generally means the lowest risk. But we must not let our guard down because of that.”
"Also, the garrison here rotates shifts every three days. The previous shift comes up at noon, and you will go down with the next shift."
The team leader led Bai Ye around the perimeter, explaining the relevant precautions and finally finalizing the shift arrangements.
Bai Ye had no objection to this, but he had some doubts about the phrase "coming up and coming down".
until!
He witnessed a group of Order Keepers climbing up from the bottom of the cliff, all of them disheveled and somewhat injured.
A specialized medical team came forward to treat him, while Bai Ye stood not far away, looking dazed.
It turns out that this garrison was located at the bottom of a cliff.
I never expected this!
"102, we're going down." A new wave of defenders is about to take their positions, and someone is calling roll.
Bai Ye snapped out of his daze and jogged to form a line.
"After everyone checks their weapons and confirms they are in good condition, they should immediately climb down the cliff. At noon three days later, regardless of whether they are dead or alive, everyone should come up to relieve them."
"Now, let's go!"
At a command, the fifty-person team quickly ran towards the edge of the cliff.
Bai Ye ran last, not very fast, as he was thinking about something.
This information was not mentioned in the document. At first, he thought that the so-called six openings were something like an abyss or black hole, like the infinite darkness in actual combat training, but there must be a "door" as a defense.
And these order-keepers are responsible for protecting just one door.
Unexpectedly, the truth was actually at the bottom of the cliff.
Reaching the bottom of the cliff required no tools, but this posed no challenge for the strange creatures. Bai Ye, being one of them, also climbed quickly, even though the cliff face was almost a ninety-degree angle.
However, the miniature doll on her wrist screamed in fright.
"Brother, brother! Take it easy, it's so steep, be careful not to fall."
"Brother! Please hide me in your pocket. I'm scared. I'll fall if I do this."
"Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, help! I don't want to die! I still want to get into Tsinghua or Peking University!"
Bai Ye wanted to offer comfort, but upon hearing the words "Tsinghua and Peking Universities," she immediately felt at ease.
The fact that the child can still dream means that he/she hasn't been truly terrified.
So they sped up and caught up with the main force below.
The boy was so frightened that he was half-conscious, and he only came to his senses when Bai Ye stopped and stepped onto flat ground.
"I was terrified. I almost thought I was going to die here."
Bai Ye ignored him, turned around and found the squad leader of the fifty-man team, asking about the specific location of their post.
"This is the first spot. I'll stay here. The rest of you will continue climbing down, one person at each spot, until the last spot."
Bai Ye was dumbfounded. What did that mean?
The squad leader gave a half-smile. "Young man, just got in?"
"Oh? Oh right, I just finished my internship."
"No wonder, it's so tender."
The squad leader patted Bai Ye on the shoulder to encourage him, "Don't be afraid. The one guarding the last place has the greatest responsibility. Just keep climbing down to the first spot. Although the scene you see is a bit disgusting, if those things escape, you just need to report it immediately, and the Order Keepers behind will intercept and eliminate them."
Bai Ye continued climbing down with the group, climbing and climbing, and at each platform, one person stayed behind.
As a result, fewer and fewer people are around me.
Meanwhile, the surrounding environment grew increasingly dark.
At first, we could still see a faint light shining down from the top of the cliff, but as we went down, the light became fainter and fainter.
But it didn't disappear gradually; instead, it went deep into the bottom of the cliff, where the faint, tiny light suddenly went out.
Yes, it was destroyed.
Like a candle flame, it was extinguished instantly by a gust of wind.
Bai Ye felt a chill in his body, a gentle breeze brushed past his ears, and the roar he had vaguely heard earlier gradually grew louder.
Beside him were two other people, who were preparing to continue climbing down.
"102, are you afraid?" one of the Order Keepers suddenly spoke up.
Bai Ye stopped and clung to the cliff face like a gecko, honestly admitting, "Yeah, I'm a little scared. This is something I've never experienced before."
"Actually, I'm scared too. This is the second time I've come down to the bottom of the cliff. The first time, I was first in line. But now that you're here, I'm second."
Bai Ye made a "hey" sound.
The orderkeeper beside him chuckled softly. "Although we are different from ordinary people, we are still human, and humans have fears. But it's okay, the bottom isn't what you think."
What do I want?
Bai Ye couldn't understand, but he grasped the key point in the other person's words and pressed on, asking, "Dude, when you were the first one, did you see those things? What did they, um, what did they... look like?"
"I didn't see anything. If something jumps out from inside, I don't think I'll have a second chance to come down."
Bai Ye wanted to ask more, but the person had already let go and jumped down.
We've arrived at another platform.
Bai Ye rested on the platform for a while before continuing to climb down with his only remaining companion.
Then, his companions finally arrived at the outpost.
"102, your post needs to be moved down a bit more, keep it up." The man stood still and offered a word of encouragement.
Bai Ye felt little comforted and silently continued on.
At this moment, the noise in my head actually brought a sense of peace to my restless heart.
"Big brother, where exactly are we climbing to? Is it going to hell if we go any further down?"
Although the boy had been turned into a doll, he still had a real heart of flesh and blood, and he was terrified. "No, big brother, I just came to the virtual world for a visit. I didn't mean to die here!"
Bai Ye hummed in agreement, thought for a moment, and said, "I didn't intend to die here either."
"Really? I don't see it that way. You look so lifeless, like you're dead. Even though you're also called Bai Ye, you're not as good as me at all."
A sunny and cheerful young man—that's how the boy defines himself.
"Life is short. No one knows whether tomorrow or death will come first. So we must live happily, be brave and crazy, and move forward fearlessly every day."
Bai Ye: "..." This brat has clearly never been through the harsh realities of life.
The boy continued, "Big White Bro, since you're a player, you must have been in this virtual world for a long time, right? What do you do in the real world? Are you and I from the same world? We're both named Bai Ye, so logically we shouldn't be in the same real world. Maybe you're from the future? No, maybe we really just have the same name..."
"arrive."
Bai Ye jumped off the platform.
The boy paused, then "observed" his surroundings and found that his view was completely blocked.
"I can't see anything," the boy said dejectedly. "Besides a little wind, there's nothing at all."
Bai Ye stood on the platform, slowly drawing his whip. The boy himself couldn't hear a sound, but he wasn't.
The angry roars came from the depths below, echoing and crashing against the cliff face, each one filled with fury.
Bai Ye even felt that if that anger were any stronger, it could materialize and cause him harm.
He didn't know if these so-called things were the same kind of people from the real world he had met before. But he was more inclined to believe they weren't.
"You better behave yourself, I think they're not easy to mess with."
Bai Ye stood guard on the platform, listening to the roars while groping around.
He hadn't had time to carefully examine the previous forty-nine platforms; this one was unique to him, and he needed to know every single stone inside and out.
The boy was somewhat resistant to the darkness, but he finally stopped nagging and obediently huddled against Bai Ye's wrist.
But as the doll touched everything, the cool touch of the cliff face brushed against it, sending a chill through his furry body.
"Big brother, I'm cold." The boy's voice trembled.
Bai Ye paused, confused. "Are you cold?"
"Hmm, it's a bit cold. My body feels chilly, like a cold wind is trying to get inside. Big brother, even as a doll, you get cold?"
Bai Ye's eyes flashed sharply in an instant, and he suddenly picked up the black whip and lashed it out at the empty space around him.
A sharp screech rang out from the invisible sky.
The boy was startled. "What is that?"
Something has climbed up.
Bai Ye looked down the cliff. Even after reaching this platform, the bottom was still not visible. "You felt cold just now because that thing wanted to possess your soul."
"That thing, what is it?"
"I don't know. There's too little information right now, so I can't make an accurate judgment."
"Brother, do they eat souls?"
"have no idea."
"It's not Bai Ye! How come you don't know anything? Aren't you a legitimate player?" The boy shouted angrily because he was too scared.
Bai Ye remained silent, looked up at the sky, and then continued to remain silent.
After a while, she suddenly hung the miniature doll on her wrist in front of her chest and then placed it close to her body.
Before the boy could understand what was happening, he saw the other person continue climbing down with their bare hands.
"!"
The boy was stunned, then exclaimed in shock, "Brother, are you out of your mind?"
Still going? The squad leader didn't say anything about continuing!
Bai Ye held a whip in one hand and climbed with the other, moving slowly but ensuring his safety.
During the crawl, he took a moment to explain: "You're right, I'm a serious player, and I need to figure out exactly what this dungeon is all about."
He had a feeling that the answer he was looking for would be at the deepest part of the cliff.
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