Chapter 318: Echo of the Past (7)

When the two creatures entered his radar, Shen Nianzu swiftly activated his skill card, ’The Sea God’s Domain’, and the scenery around them changed in a blink of an eye.

Gone was the desolate path and the world bathed in an eerie crimson glow, replaced by an endless sea floor extending as far as the eye could see. The ethereal dance of aurora borealis painted shimmering lights across the seascape, filling the air with a refreshing scent of salt.

Shen Nianzu himself was nowhere to be seen.

The two tentacle creatures, who lost sight of their target, were confused. "Where... where is..."

A gust of wind blew behind them, but it was already too late by the time they realized what was happening. Shen Nianzu brought his sword down, severing all of the tentacles on the first creature!

"AHHH!!!" A deafening cry of agony echoed from deep within the creature’s body, and Shen Nianzu wasted no time to slash its chest where the eyes were, blinding it permanently. It collapsed onto the seafloor, writhing and convulsing in excruciating pain. Everything happened in a matter of seconds.

Before the second creature could comprehend the situation, Shen Nianzu had already appeared before it, the purple energy of his blade was reflected on his cold and merciless eyes.

"N–No..."

Severed tentacles fell on the ground, their small hands clawing at the soil as though attempting to escape. Shen Nianzu deactivated his skill card, and the aquatic sky receded like a cicada shedding its shell. Standing before the convulsing bodies of two creatures, Shen Nianzu flicked the blood away from his blade and declared with an icy tone, "I don’t have time for you, so you’d better not get in my way."

Leaving behind that stern warning, he turned and dashed towards the hospital’s side entrance.

"S–Scary..." the severely injured creatures were sobbing in great pain, their childish voices sounded extremely miserable. "Human... scary..."

"Help... Momoko, help... us..."

***

The hospital was in a great uproar when Shen Nianzu arrived. Countless people swarmed to the exit, while the doctors and nurses struggled to calm the panicked patients. He took advantage of the chaos to blend in with the crowd and headed straight for the emergency stairs. Everyone was rushing downstairs, but only he alone ascended.

Two days earlier, the evening after Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi discovered that their memory could be tampered with, they had hastened their plans and visited the hospital at once.

Honglei Hospital was a public hospital that sprawled across a cast area, encompassing various specialized departments and wards. It was not exaggerating to say that the hospital resembled a mini maze. On their initial visit, they thoroughly explored the entire building but found nothing amiss.

The following day, shortly after Shen Nianzu’s brief emotional breakdown, they returned to the hospital. This time, they posed as visitors and mingled with patients and their family members in the garden. When they struck up conversation with patients who had been there for quite some time, they finally stumbled upon intriguing information.

Any hospital would have one or two urban legends such as the sound of crying babies in the dead of the night, or the vengeful nurse who haunted the place where she met her demise. And Honglei Hospital was not an exception.

It was unknown where the rumors came from, but someone claimed that if one were to enter the elevator precisely at 1 am when the Yin energy was at its peak and press the button for the fourth floor, they would be transported into a different realm.

Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi exchanged glances, knowing that they had hit the jackpot this time.

"A different realm?" Shen Nianzu asked curiously. "What exactly does it mean?"

"Who knows?" The elderly man who shared this story responded with a shrug. "No one dares to test it, anyway. Hearsay, once you get lost there, you can never return."

...

Shen Nianzu hid in an empty room on the second floor. He peeked out of the window and saw that the crimson beams had spread rapidly from the city center. By now, the troops had probably arrived to evacuate everyone to safety. On the other hand, he still had ten minutes until one am, the time he had to enter the elevator.

He gnawed on his bottom lip, anxiety palpable on his face. Could he make it in time before the crimson radar engulfed the entire city?

No, he shouldn’t be asking a question like this. Failure was not an option, he had to make it in time or else...

Or else what?

Did he have to repeat everything from the start again, just like his other shelves in the past era who died five times in the process? No, he couldn’t do that; both Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin were still alive, so there was no way the restart would be triggered. During the agonizing wait, Shen Nianzu felt like he could understand a fraction of desperation the Shen Nianzu from Team 9 must have experienced.

His thoughts drifted back to the events that happened last night.

...

At exactly one am, Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi stepped into the empty elevator. "What do you think we will encounter here, Nian’er?" Jin Jiuchi couldn’t contain his excitement, his voice laced with anticipation. "Different realm, huh? I can’t wait to see what it’s like!"

"Don’t get your hopes up," Shen Nianzu replied with a snort as he pressed the button for the fourth floor. "The old man said that those who entered will not return. Given the theme of this Cycle, it will most likely be a maze."

"Another?!" Jin Jiuchi cried out in disappointment.

The elevator soon ascended to the fourth floor, and the metallic doors slid open. "Stay within my sight," Shen Nianzu commanded sternly. "I won’t forgive you if you— Da Shen?"

He turned to find Jin Jiuchi with an astounded look on his face, as if he had seen something that shook him down to the core. Shen Nianzu’s heart gave a loud thump. "What is it?" He clutched Jin Jiuchi’s arm. "Hey, are you okay?!"

However, Jin Jiuchi remained unresponsive to his words, his gaze fixed in the distance as though he could see something beyond the wall. "...I sense it."

"What?"

Jin Jiuchi slowly shifted his gaze to him, his silver orbs brimming with excitement and agitation. "Nian’er, I can sense myself here!"

It took Shen Nianzu one full second to comprehend what he was saying, and his jaws dropped to the floor. "You can sense... who?!"

In the past era, Jin Jiuchi had gone missing in this place. Was it possible that he was trapped here, and both of them would locate him soon?!

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