Deep in the Living-Chapter 444 - 432 Despair

Although Jia Wen helped them open the door, he didn’t intend to follow them inside.

Creak~

As the four stepped into the mansion’s interior, the door behind them immediately closed up.

The inside was not as luxurious as expected; instead, it appeared messy and old.

No lighting,

no candles either,

the entire room’s illumination came from self-luminous paint,

a large amount of yellow and green paint coated the interior with question mark symbols, from the legs of the table to the ceiling, everything was painted in this manner.

Additionally, there were no guides or directions,

it seemed necessary to find Mr. Question on their own.

Currently, they could choose to head towards the passageways on either side or ascend the stairs to the second floor.

The squad leader looked at the scene in front of them and whispered, "Mr. Question really loves playing games... If the City of Sin didn’t have a few other big shots, the entire city’s sky would probably be floating with question marks, turned into a game city by him.

Games are a scourge, and by the time you realize it, you’ve already been caught.

My purpose is also different from yours, Luo Di, you’re here to receive an award, while I have other matters to discuss with Mr. Question. Let’s part ways for now and meet at the door once we’re done."

The squad leader had personally participated in the maze game and had a certain understanding of the question marks.

She headed towards the left passage, where the green question marks were most abundant, raising her arm over her shoulder to bid farewell to the group.

Hua Yuan and Yu Lu had not participated in the final stage, nor had they officially met Mr. Question, making it difficult to make the right judgment in front of the current situation.

However, Luo Di directly pointed out another direction, upward.

"Let’s go, upstairs."

The surface of the stairs was also painted full of question marks,

when stepping onto the stairs, the scene in front of the three changed.

What seemed like merely twenty steps previously became infinitely extending.

"I’ll go first, you guys follow me, Yu Lu it’s best not to float here..."

The intention behind Luo Di’s words was to have the others walk on the ground, but as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sensation on his back, and a cold human backpack was suddenly strapped on.

Hua Yuan could only force a smile and follow from behind.

However, Luo Di did not mind too much, he had already entered a deciphering state.

The question marks that appeared identical on the steps actually had subtle differences, and each step needed to be on the correct question mark graffiti.

After correctly navigating twenty steps, the infinitely extending stairs disappeared, transforming into a straight path in front of them, at the end of which stood a door with a yellow question mark on it.

Luo Di remained very cautious, treating this meeting and award as a game.

With a backpack on,

he took Hua Yuan’s hand and walked down this corridor.

The slightest distraction could cause the team to disband or get lost.

Luo Di’s physical structure underwent a certain extent of change, tentacles converging between his eyes, turning his pupils into a gray question mark structure.

Instead of proceeding to the door deep inside, he suddenly turned left halfway.

Using gray liquid, he drew a fixed proportion, correctly oriented question mark structure on a blank wall.

When the dot beneath the question mark was added, the wall instantly turned into a door, and the lock automatically unlocked.

A room filled with various blackboards came into view, each full of game puzzles. Mr. Question, with a sack over his head, was solving some kind of mathematical equation on one of the blackboards.

"4 minutes 27 seconds, satisfactory... It seems you really deciphered the fundamental meaning of the question mark in the final stage, rather than relying on a trial and error method to pass.

Just sprouted, yet able to reach this level, your brain is quite impressive.

Would you like to stay with me?"

Upon these words, both Yu Lu on his back and Hua Yuan behind him shuddered slightly and became serious.

However, Luo Di didn’t hesitate for a moment before answering:

"Sorry, the Sisterhood saved me."

Just as he answered, he felt a nudge at his tailbone,

Hua Yuan was glaring, giving all sorts of eye signals.

Although she really wanted Luo Di to stay with the Sisterhood, capturing such an opportunity now would be even better.

Working under Mr. Question, both safety and development prospects would be higher.

But Luo Di had already given his answer, which could not be retracted.

"Hmm~ the reward is on the table, do you want to take it with you? Or shall I install it for you?"

"Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Question."

"Hold on a moment, I’m still designing the next big puzzle, you can first acquaint yourself with this plant pot. Getting accustomed and familiar in advance will help with the upcoming integration."

"Alright."

Naturally, Luo Di turned his gaze towards the pitch-black plant pot on the table,

suddenly, he caught a scent, a very foul smell.

Unlike everyday unpleasant odors.

This stench was an ancient kind of stench,

as if a nameless corpse had been submerged at the river’s bottom,

drowning for hundreds of years,

waiting until the entire river channel dried up, the corpse still lay at the bottom, yet the body itself had completely merged with the filth, the river’s entire filth precipitated between the rotting flesh, fermenting within the body.

When this corpse was retrieved for autopsy, the smell released when the mouth opened was very similar to this current scent.

It’s a stench accumulated over years, a sediment of decay, a breath of deathly silence.

At the same time,

Luo Di also saw a unique structure [human face relief].

He saw something resembling human faces beneath the stage as a participant, appearing faintly on the surface of the Plant Pot. The pitch-black surface truly had human face structures, eyes shut tight, lips sealed, an indescribable eeriness.

The inside of the Plant Pot was filled with soil, and the smell originated from it.

For some reason,

Luo Di felt a strong desire to touch the Plant Pot, even though he replenished basic nutrition at the Soup Pool.

However, this was originally his.

Even though the Old Spine trembled slightly giving off a warning of danger, Luo Di’s consciousness selectively ignored it, subconsciously reaching out.

Hua Yuan was about to step forward to stop him,

but Yu Lu gestured with her hand to stop, seeing it as a dangerous touch yet also a chance, or saying the Plant Pot installation had begun.

The moment Luo Di’s fingers touched the surface of the Plant Pot, the sleeping or dead faces suddenly opened their eyes and mouths.

It was an expression named [despair].

The pitch-black soil inside the Plant Pot began to stir, tiny despairing faces emerging within the soil, not only appearing but starting to spread outward.

Faces began to grow on the table, followed by the floor, then the walls and ceiling...

Invading space, overlaying Mr. Question’s office.

Buzz!

After a bout of ringing,

Luo Di found himself in a completely unknown dark dungeon, the soil, pillars, and walls all emitting similar odors.

Despairing human face reliefs continuously appeared.

"This place is..."

Luo Di already had the Slaughter Knife in hand, constantly wary of imminent danger.

Yet nothing emerged from the depths of darkness, instead, a cell door suddenly opened, releasing a strong stench from inside.

Luo Di walked into the cell,

where there was no monster, but someone locked in chains resembling a skeleton, neither dead nor alive.

For some reason, Luo Di felt the person before him was somewhat familiar.

Cautiously using the Slaughter Knife to lift the person’s hanging hair, discovering their eyes had been hollowed by insects, their entire face nearly indistinguishable from a skeleton.

Mouth shaped in an [O].

Deep within the dark mouth seemed to want to convey some sound, but Luo Di heard nothing.

Such a mere motion exhausted the last trace of life from the corpse, dying in despair.

His body fused into the wall, with only that despairing face remaining on the surface.

The cell seemed to perceive a new member joining, twisted faces appeared one after another.

Crying, shouting, screaming.

From these faces, chains emerged, locking Luo Di, forcibly binding him to the wall, binding him to the position of that corpse.

All abilities were blocked, becoming an ordinary person.

No matter how he yelled, struggled, he couldn’t escape.

Luo Di was thus bound here.

A day, a month, a year... Wonderfully enough, he didn’t starve to death,

just grew weak and thin,

and succumbed to despair.

Until one day, the cell door finally opened,

A youth who looked just like him lifted his hair with a blade.

Luo Di used his last breath to urge "himself" to escape, but his decayed mouth couldn’t make a sound.

Despair condensed,

dying completely.

Luo Di’s body was gradually absorbed into the dungeon, becoming part of it.

Buzz!

Eyes suddenly opened, back to normal, returning to the office.

The yellow question mark on the cloth bag head was right in front.

Luo Di hurriedly touched his body, everything was intact and well, not shriveled, not dead.

Perceived years gone by, but only half an hour had actually elapsed.

"The Plant Pot installation is complete, you can inspect it yourself... How was the Dungeon experience?"

"It was fine."

"Your adaptability sure is strong, others would’ve gone insane long ago, requiring months of treatment for their minds, no wonder Mr. Craft selected you.

Hope to see even greater surprises next time I see you."

"Thank you, Mr. Question."

"Goodbye, human."

"Wait~ I have a question about my tongue."

Saying this, Luo Di stuck out his tongue, revealing the sealed question mark structure,

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