Before Li Bai and his team set off, they had to explore the tunnel under the City Lord's Mansion first.
However, Zheng Yizhao and Bai Yu were excluded from this collective activity.
As for Zheng Yizhao, Yang Jia had a persistent feeling that he might never return. This intuition was subtle, but because this was a game, and it had worked for him numerous times before, Yang Jia decided to trust it.
She knew that something must have happened to her that she didn't know yet and couldn't explain, which was why she was completely different from other NPCs and players. This peculiarity was sometimes a trouble, but at least so far, it had brought her nothing but benefits, and Yang Jia couldn't say it was bad against her conscience.
Even if there was actually some big shot behind the scenes and she was just his experiment or pawn, Yang Jia felt that her life was worth it. Compared to living in a daze, she still hoped to know the truth and give it a try. Even if it was not a spectacular success, at least she would know why she died.
Sometimes she wondered if she'd read too many online novels, letting her imagination run wild. Perhaps things weren't as bad as she'd imagined. But Yang Jia always prepared for the worst. If she could accept even that worst-case scenario, then everything along the way would become a necessary thrill.
Cherish what you have at the moment.
As for Bai Yu, Yang Jia still couldn't see this person clearly.
His presence wasn't strong, and he was often overlooked in the team. But Bai Ting's attitude towards him was subtle, so Yang Jia paid close attention to him from the beginning, and gradually realized that this person was too average.
His appearance, popularity, and even strength, while not particularly impressive, allowed him to establish himself without attracting attention. However, after observing him for a long time, Yang Jia felt that he might be holding back.
This is actually very easy to see, especially in combat. When facing a powerful enemy, it's clear who is performing with ease and who is truly giving their all.
Of course, we can't say there's something wrong with him because he's not the only one in this team who hides his shortcomings.
After these teammates joined, Li Bai not only stopped using her special ability, but also began to openly slack off when fighting monsters. The last time she used that ability when facing Phoenix in the City Lord's Mansion, it was after everyone else had died and returned to the city.
Feng Qingxuan was a chemistry genius, constantly tinkering with her explosives, but beyond that, she never displayed any other combat prowess. It was as if she truly considered herself a skilled technician. Zhao Wenhan also remained calm during the battle. Even Yang Jia himself wasn't completely unrestrained.
But Bai Yu gives people a different feeling from others.
Yang Jia did not forget that the reason he wanted to keep these three people under his nose was because they were very likely 007s sent by other forces to gather information.
Therefore, it is better to keep the secret passage underground a secret for the time being.
This way, there are six people in the team.
This time, Yang Jia made full preparations, bringing lighting equipment and other things that could be used underground. After opening the entrance, he led people inside.
Bai Ting was amazed. "So there's this kind of operation! I was wondering where the city lord was hiding before. It turns out there's a tunnel here. Where does this tunnel lead to? How big is this place?"
"I don't know." Yang Jia said, "There are forks in the road. We weren't well prepared last time, so we didn't go deep. But according to my guess, the tunnel covers at least the entire City Lord's Mansion."
Because it doubles as an administrative office, staff quarters, and needs to accommodate a full escort, the City Lord's Mansion occupies a vast area. It's comparable to a medium-sized residential complex. If the underground were also filled with a maze of paths, it would be incredibly easy to get lost. After all, above ground, there are other ways to navigate, with numerous landmarks to reference, but underground, it's completely dark.
Hearing her say this, Bai Ting stopped talking.
When they reached the fork in the road that Yang Jia and Bai Ting had come to before, Yang Jia stopped and said, "There's a simplest way to navigate a maze, and that's to go left. If the road is blocked, go back. Should we do that?"
No one else objected, so she pulled out two things that looked like traffic signs from her bag and placed them at the leftmost intersection. This way, if the maze turned out to be complicated, she would get a clue when she got back on her way and not get lost in circles.
He encountered several more forks in the road, and Yang Jia followed the same pattern each time. Despite the rather dull atmosphere and the lack of light, which made him feel depressed, everything else was surprisingly calm and nothing happened.
After walking for a while, they finally came to a dead end. After returning, the group put up a sign of another color at the intersection.
Xia Hanhai suggested that everyone take some signposts and go their separate ways, which would allow them to search the tunnel as quickly as possible. However, Yang Jia declined. "We don't know if there's any danger in the tunnel yet, so splitting up rashly wouldn't be a good idea."
Their luck wasn't very good, and they encountered only dead ends, so they had to backtrack again. When they reached a fork in the road, Yang Jia suddenly stopped.
Maybe because they had been walking for so long, they had already formed a stress response. If there was no sign, they would just go ahead. If it was blocked, they would just turn back. So when she stopped, everyone else was a little surprised. "What's wrong?"
"The road sign here is gone." Yang Jia said.
The others then noticed this anomaly, and they all perked up and looked around, "So, there really is someone else in this tunnel?" Fortunately, they didn't split up just now, otherwise it might not be the road sign that disappeared silently, but a teammate.
"Maybe it's a person, maybe not." Yang Jia thought for a while and said.
"What should we do then?" Xia Hanhai asked. "We don't know how many signs have been taken away. Do we have to start all over again? What if they come back to cause trouble?"
Yang Jia didn't explain, turned and walked towards a passage, "Follow me."
Although puzzled, no one hesitated and immediately followed her steps. After walking for a while, Xia Hanhai couldn't help but speak again, "How about I go ahead?"
"Why?" Bai Ting asked.
Xia Hanhai hesitated for a moment before saying, "You are all girls, I can protect you if I walk in front!"
After he reminded them, everyone realized that this was indeed the case. Originally, there were three men in the group: Zheng Yizhao, Xia Hanhai, and Bai Yu. Zheng Yizhao and Bai Yu led the team out, leaving Xia Hanhai alone. He probably felt a little uncomfortable walking around with a group of girls.
Bai Ting said, "Then you can walk in the back. Li Bai is watching over the front, so why would we need you?"
Xia Hanhai had no way to refute, so he could only exchange seats with Zhao Wenhan, who was walking at the end.
Everyone followed Li Bai around in the maze. At first, they tried to help him remember the way, but soon they were completely confused and could only follow Yang Jia obediently.
Yang Jia still remembered the way, not because of her exceptional sense of direction or memory, but because she had taken out the City Lord's Seal and held it in her hand. Although there wasn't a detailed map projected, holding the seal, Yang Jia felt that the entire tunnel wasn't that complex. While she couldn't find the correct path immediately, she didn't have to worry about getting lost.
After walking forward for a while, the view in front of me suddenly became clear.
The sudden light of day seemed to come from the sudden expansion of the space, but in reality, it was still pitch black. Although they all held lighting equipment, the scope was too limited to see inside. However, Yang Jia was prepared for this, immediately pulling various devices from his bag and connecting them. Feng Qingxuan also came to help, and in a short while, the two of them had assembled a small power generation device. The moment the bright light came on, everyone in the group couldn't help but close their eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, I found that there was a high platform in the middle of this space, and there was a person sitting on the platform.
Everyone was startled. This was a holographic game, and physical senses were incredibly sharp. Logically, they should have noticed someone in this space the moment they entered, but they didn't see them until they had finally lit the lights after a long struggle.
However, Yang Jia's surprise was deeper than others.
Because she suddenly found that the scene in front of her seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it.
But she didn't remember, but someone else did. Li Bai whispered beside her, "The burial ground."
Yang Jia suddenly remembered.
Yes, in the Boneyard dungeon, when the boss Yuan Hai appeared, it was also an empty hall with a high platform in the middle supporting him. It looked exactly the same as the scene in front of us.
The moment they saw each other, the other naturally saw them as well. But he didn't seem surprised at all and said to Yang Jia, "You're here."
Yang Jia immediately became alert, "Did you know I was coming?"
"I know the City Lord's Seal has returned here," the man said, "and has found a new owner."
Yang Jia was slightly startled, then heard Li Bai ask, "Are you the one who won the battle against Yuan Hai for the position of City Lord, but lost the City Lord Seal?"
The man turned his gaze towards her, but his gaze didn't linger on her. Instead, it fell on the sword in her right hand. He then laughed and said, "You have obtained the City Lord's Seal and now hold this sword. Does this mean that my dear brother has completely disappeared from this world?"
This question made Yang Jia ponder carefully: was the dungeon boss's existence completely gone? If he said it had disappeared, it was clearly still there. But Yang Jia also knew that this constantly refreshing Yuanhai was completely different from the one in the plot dungeon.
She finally chose to answer cautiously, "If you wish, then it is indeed so." Anyway, Yuan Hai could not come out of the copy, and this person could not go to the copy, the two would not meet, and it would not be considered as lying to him.
The author has something to say: Yuan Hai: Blame me
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