049 Choice

The sounds of stabbing and piercing, the roars of the giant serpent, and the hurried footsteps of the five people running across the stones echoed endlessly along this final stretch of the journey.

Although none of them knew for certain whether the dark space above would be the ultimate end of this race against time and death, as the saying goes: in certain situations, you have no choice.

In such a desperate predicament, even if there were a mountain of blades and a sea of fire up ahead, they had to bite the bullet and charge upward—that was still far better than dying.

Approaching that ceiling, Duan Qing finally managed to spot an arched opening along the edge of the pitch-black circular expanse. It looked as though this had originally been the terminus of an upward flight of stairs, but right now it was completely empty, with nothing to be seen there.

Duan Qing made a quick visual estimate. If they continued circling along their current route, they should eventually end up right below—and directly opposite—that entrance.

It shouldn't be like this.

The entire journey had been virtually uniform; if this final entrance didn't match up, it clearly made no sense. But with various formidable enemies fiercely pursuing them from below, Duan Qing had very little time to think.

A dozen seconds later, they neared the black stone ceiling.

Sui Linghuanbing suddenly looked back, sensing a familiar killing intent. Behind the group, the giant serpent had stopped its writhing climb, fixing its eyes squarely on the prey ahead, its gaze flashing with a heart-pounding red light.

"Careful!"

A massive plume of black mist spewed from the giant serpent's maw. Because they were heading upward, the spread of the black mist didn't seem as fast as one might have imagined, but correspondingly, the mist rapidly flooded the entire cylindrical space.

"Good news! Good news! The vines have been finished off by that stupid snake!" Duan Qing, running at the very front, had already reached the highest point of the stone steps, spreading his arms wide in a gesture of embracing the world. The pitch-black stone ceiling was only a few meters away from the top of his head, as if he could touch it with a single jump. Unfortunately, his earlier visual estimate hadn't been far off; right now, the arched opening hugging the wall was directly opposite him.

He stretched out his arms and looked down—the green vines touched by the black mist were decaying at a visible rate, withering away into dead-gray branches.

"Good news my foot!" Meng Zhu shouted from behind, "We're going to die..."

"So there is bad news after all... But don't panic, didn't you see an exit on the other side?"

"That's so far away, how are we supposed to cross over?!"

"Don't panic, stay calm, there's definitely a way." Sui Linghuanbing, catching up from behind, took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. A few steps behind her, A Niu and Duan Shanyue were still running wildly, followed only by pitch-black darkness.

Their path back had already been swallowed by the black mist.

"What do we do now? There's barely any space overhead, we can't jump across even if we wanted to..." Duan Shanyue hadn't even arrived yet, but his suggestion was already out.

"And even if you could jump, there doesn't seem to be anywhere to stand over there." Duan Qing stroked his chin, maintaining a calm demeanor, "Unless you can fly."

"Is this really a dead end... Why does it infuriate me so much to see you looking so calm?" Sui Linghuanbing stood next to Duan Qing, saying irritably.

"You were the one who said to stay calm just now... I think you're the most flustered person here right now." Duan Qing pulled back one foot that had been extending into the empty air, then tested the ground in another direction.

"You haven't fought that snake. Back then, it took out Dongxia Yanliang with a single move, of course you don't... What are you doing?"

"Finding a way." Duan Qing retracted his foot again, then stepped out once more. "They're throwing volleys of arrows and sending out giant snakes, only rushing us upward, so..."

He stamped his foot down. "They just don't want us to stop and have time to search for the path carefully."

Sure enough, this step didn't miss.

"Wow!" Meng Zhu hopped like a child. Duan Qing continued testing the way forward, then stepped into empty air once more, firmly landing on some invisible path.

"I know it's not a great time to say this... but those black Mists are coming up..." A Niu muttered from behind.

"You can't rush these things." Duan Qing probed forward another two steps, then suddenly withdrew the foot he was about to put down. "Not here..."

"Time is running out." Sui Linghuanbing's eyes grew resolute, as if she had made a decision.

"I know, don't rush me... Hey, what are you do—" Duan Qing heard the sound of forceful running approaching rapidly from behind, and then someone suddenly stepped on his shoulder.

"Duan Shanyue!" Sui Linghuanbing shouted in mid-air.

"Power Burst!" Duan Shanyue roared. "Take this move of mine!"

He strode forward, stepping twice across the suspended ground. "Swallowing Mountains and Rivers!"

Planting his stance, arching his torso, as he thrust both fists forward, the surrounding air was pushed, compressed amidst stagnation, and then—centered on Duan Shanyue—it exploded with a deafening roar!

The direction of Duan Shanyue's punch was the direction where the roar was most fierce. Ahead of him, Sui Linghuanbing's body had already flown out. She adjusted her posture in mid-air, holding a sword horizontally beside her face with both hands in a thrusting stance, before being violently propelled forward by the tremendous force transmitted from behind.

The exploding air completely blasted away the black mist, dispersing a fraction of the heavy fog that was about to envelop them from below. Duan Shanyue retreated a step, grabbing Meng Zhu and A Niu—who were flattened on the ground by the violent wind pressure—by the scruff of their necks, one in each hand. "Let's go!"

Duan Qing was closest to the epicenter, so he had no choice but to drop flat, taking advantage of Sui Linghuanbing's leap to clumsily embrace the transparent floor. Before he could even lift his head, he heard two whistling sounds fly right over his head.

On the other side, Sui Linghuanbing had pinned herself, sword and all, against the stone wall at the far end. Hanging in the air by her grip on the hilt, she steadied her posture slightly, then began flailing her legs, trying to find a foothold. In the airspace ahead, two trailing projectiles came flying over.

"Ah—"

Caught off guard, Sui Linghuanbing barely managed a defensive posture before all three collided. Meng Zhu and A Niu screamed as they plummeted straight down.

Then they landed on some invisible floor.

"We're—falling—falling—falling—down—!" A Niu stuttered, struggling on the ground in a trembling panic. "That—scared—scared—scared—scared—scared—me—to—death—!"

The young girl, by contrast, was the first to bounce back to her feet. "Are you trying to kill me?! What if there's nothing here—"

She looked at the scene opposite her and stopped talking.

Duan Shanyue's bulky figure was half-kneeling on the other side.

Panting heavily, sweat streaming down his face, all the color drained from his skin, he looked at Duan Qing's inquiring gaze and smiled bitterly. "The backlash from that move... I'm in a weakened state right now..."

"Swallowing Mountains and Rivers, huh? So badass, it would be a miracle if it didn't make you kneel for a bit..."

"I just made up a cool name to show off, the system didn't actually recognize the move, but the backlash wasn't caused by that anyway... Never mind, won't explain."

He took two more heavy breaths. "You... you should go. You can make the jump across, right..."

The dispersed black mist was beginning to rise again. Over on the other side, Sui Linghuanbing had also cautiously hopped onto the suspended transparent floor, and the three of them were scrambling noisily to find the hidden path leading to the upper opening. "Over here, over here, there's a path this way too..."

"I don't have the habit of abandoning teammates." Duan Qing looked back once more at the panting Duan Shanyue with lowered head.

"Heh, truly heartwarming..." Duan Shanyue muttered. "If I'm not mistaken, you are..."

He suddenly stopped speaking because the gaze fixed on him from across the gap seemed to suddenly turn tangible, pricking sharply against his face.

Time seemed to stretch on for a long while before Duan Shanyue heard the other ask, "How did you guess?"

"Heh, hehe, that sword strike down below earlier..." Duan Shanyue chuckled. "I had my suspicions before... Don't treat me like that little girl Sui Linghuanbing, I know my stuff..."

"That was clearly the style of Intent Swordsmanship."

Duan Qing sighed. "Heh..."

"Since you know..." He took a step forward.

Duan Shanyue closed his eyes.

The sensation of death, which he had experienced several times in New World, did not arrive. Duan Shanyue only felt his body grow light, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself flying through the air.

"...Then of course I can do it too." The fading voice came from his original position, though caused by his own departure, Duan Shanyue heard it clearly to the end.

With a thump, he landed on the identical spot. In a daze, he felt himself hoisted up by two people, stumbling forward toward some destination. From behind came the voice of the little girl he had mentioned earlier: "Moshang Qingishan, what about you?!"

"Of course I'm jumping hahahahahahaha..."

From below came the roar of the giant serpent and Duan Qing's loud shout drawing closer, and then... he was hauled through the entrance and emerged into the world of the upper level.

Duan Shanyue felt a weight lift from his body as he was set down on the ground. Raising his head in bewilderment, he took in the appearance of this floor.

He beheld a resplendent, golden hall.

Golden walls, golden floor tiles, golden pillars, and even the furniture scattered around the perimeter radiated a luxurious golden glow on their surfaces. Right in the center of the circular hall stood a golden throne. The throne was exceptionally wide, with intricate carvings etched into its high back and armrests, utterly displaying the supreme dignity of the seat.

"This is..." he muttered, then looked around, noticing that he was all alone here—both Meng Zhu and A Niu, who had carried him, had vanished.

The clanking sound of armor echoed from another side. Following the sound, Duan Shanyue saw a fully armored figure appear on the opposite flank of the room. This person seemed to have been sitting in that seat all along, only Duan Shanyue hadn't noticed it previously.

Watching the armored figure approach, Duan Shanyue struggled to push himself up from the ground. However, the suit of full armor stopped just a few paces away, an exquisite helmet completely covering the person's face and obscuring their features, while their armor reflected the magnificent metallic gleam cast by the golden light of the hall.

The figure extended a hand, gesturing for Duan Shanyue to "bring it on," and then assumed a combat stance.

"Though I have no idea what's going on..." Duan Shanyue rubbed both shoulders, "Even though I'm exhausted right now..."

"Well, it looks like this is the end. Let's... fight first and talk later!"

Though his voice had grown hoarse, Duan Shanyue still laughed heartily as he charged forward without a single shred of hesitation.

On the other side, Meng Zhu, who had just stepped through the opening, also arrived at this resplendent hall. Just like Duan Shanyue, she was standing here all by herself.

"Whoa..." The moment she beheld the sight, Meng Zhu's eyes were practically blinded by the dazzling sea of gold. Excitedly rushing forward as if she had forgotten the mortal peril she was just in a moment ago, she began circling the perimeter of the hall.

Then, on the opposite side of the circular chamber, she discovered several large golden chests.

Meng Zhu's eyes burned with the sort of avaricious glow only fellow kindred spirits could understand. She slowly walked over to the chests, her outstretched hand trembling slightly.

She pushed open a lid. Inside rested a bounty piled high with gold coins.

"Whoa..." This time, Meng Zhu's gasp wasn't as loud, but it exuded a profound, blissful satisfaction. Glancing around to confirm that her party members indeed weren't showing up, she pressed her palms together.

"Oh well, even if I die, I've already struck it rich this time."

In New World, barring certain special circumstances, players' equipment and backpacks were not lost upon death. The spear confiscated from Qingpingle earlier had vanished alongside his demise, meaning that looting unowned gear and items—the classic "grab the loot and die" routine—was entirely viable for players, provided they were already resigned to death.

Facing a room full of gold, Meng Zhu reached this epiphany. She untied a cloth sack from her waist, squatted down, and began frantically stuffing gold coins from the chests into the bag...

Simultaneously, Liu Qingniu discovered identical chests in an identical setting. Only, when he cautiously pried one open, what greeted his eyes... were all manner of weapons and gear.

"Hm, this staff looks quite imposing..." Hesitating for a moment, he casually pulled an iron staff from the chest and checked its attributes.

"This... this is hitting the jackpot..." A Niu's eyes dilated, his hand gripping the staff beginning to tremble. He peered back into the chest, clutching the staff tightly with one hand while using the other to scoop up a suit of armor.

"Good grief..." A Niu gritted his teeth, swallowing back his exclamation, though the trembling in his hands only grew more violent.

"If... if..." His eyes fixed rigidly on the chests before him, and then a slow grin spread across his face, turning into laughter that grew louder and louder. "Isn't this... isn't this going to make me invincible... Hahahaha!"

The triumphant laughter of a man echoed through the empty hall, heard by no one else, not even Sui Linghuanbing.

The cloaked female warrior sat quietly in another corner of the hall, holding several sheets of parchment and reading with intense focus. Before her stood a golden round table laden with even more similar documents.

"Mhm... These are records concerning the artificial synthesis of gemstones." After reading for a spell, she murmured to herself, carefully setting the pages aside. "Though I don't quite understand it, this must be a legacy of the ancient Magic Empire..."

She picked up another batch of parchments, continuing to read and verify them, her gaze focused and resolute.

During those final moments at the opening, she had watched Duan Qing vault across from the air, plunging into the portal with the giant serpent's head snapping at his heels. But afterward, just like the rest, she never saw any other members of her party again; she had only encountered this hall, its lavish decorations, and... the documents and pages resting upon the bookshelves.

"If I can manage to take these back... No, wait, I'd better double-check..." The sliver of wararginess remaining in her heart warned her to stay alert to the anomalies of this bizarre situation, yet amid the persistent tranquility, she found herself involuntarily continuing to peruse these materials, right up until now...

After leaping forward, Duan Qing didn't find himself in any resplendent hall.

Pitch darkness greeted his eyes.

"Am I dead? Did the dark miasma from that dead snake touch me after all?" Duan Qing's mind was still analyzing potential causes when a speck of light suddenly flashed in the darkness ahead.

That beam of light flickered like a drowning creature, struggling and swaying in the air before gradually expanding, growing larger, and eventually stabilizing into... a human silhouette.

"What farce is this now..." Duan Qing rubbed his chest, slowly picking himself up from the ground. Though he couldn't be certain whether he was standing on solid floor, it felt safe enough here—at least devoid of tangled vines and red-eyed giant serpents...

The next moment, the formed silhouette revealed its visage, and the relaxed expression on Duan Qing's face slowly faded away.

"So that's how it is..." He rubbed his head, muttering to himself.

"This is... the end, after all."