The group quickened their pace, and as they neared the mountaintop, they entered another deep forest. If it had just been He Xin and I, this path would have been considerably more difficult, perhaps even leading to us getting lost. However, He Jinghui and He Xiaoyu possessed keen observation skills, and they could even leap onto trees to survey their surroundings. Thus, we soon exited the forest and arrived at the summit.
At the mountaintop stood the massive church from before. Upon closer inspection, however, I realized there were many unknown areas behind the church. Those areas resembled intricate mazes, appearing dazzling and disorienting.
He Jinghui seemed to have anticipated this. He said, "I saw the situation over here from a tree earlier. Liu Yuning and the others must be hidden here. Everyone search carefully!"
"Alright!" This was originally my line, but since He Jinghui had already spoken, I agreed.
We moved together, approaching the church. We had expected guards, like nuns or men in black, but we simply pushed the door open and entered without any trouble. There was no danger at all.
This church was different from the one He Lusheng and I had arrived at previously. This one was at the mountaintop, while the earlier one seemed to be halfway up the mountain. The difference in size was immense; the main hall we entered was on an entirely different level.
The interior was pitch black. It wasn't late at night, yet the visibility was extremely low. There were no trees outside, which was strange. It was as if the windows were merely decorative and there were no gaps whatsoever.
If one stayed here for too long, breathing would become extremely difficult, and every inch of skin would feel suffocated. This time, we had learned our lesson. He Xiaoyu stood by the door, ready to prevent it from closing, ensuring we wouldn't be trapped inside. We wouldn't proceed further until we had finished investigating the main hall.
Although our team wasn't as large as the forensics team, our investigative abilities might not be far off. He Jinghui, in particular, had eyes like my "Shadowless Reflection Tube," as if he had gained a superpower. He quickly spotted some traces. "Someone was dragged here. The tracks lead east. Let's go!"
His words drew me in. I immediately called to He Xiaoyu, telling her not to stand guard anymore. The rest of us headed towards the entrance He Jinghui had found. At that moment, an elevator appeared. It only went to the second floor. He Jinghui pressed the button, and with a "ding-dong," we were transported to the second floor.
As the doors opened, we found ourselves in a long corridor. It led to another pavilion. Within the triangular structure at the top, a golden pendulum seemed to be suspended. Emerging, I realized it had started raining outside, and the sky had suddenly darkened considerably. Truly, the weather is unpredictable. When we entered the church, the weather was fine, but after delaying inside and going upstairs, the entire situation had completely changed.
Given the current circumstances, we couldn't stay put. We had to move through the corridor towards the opposite pavilion. He Jinghui, unfazed by the heavy rain, walked ahead first, his "Gentleman's Sword" hanging behind him, moving as if in an empty realm. We dared not hesitate, for any delay now would make us seem cowardly.
The four of us passed through the curtain of heavy rain, enduring the impact of the gale and downpour, becoming thoroughly drenched. However, our determined will did not waver. As we neared the pavilion, we suddenly heard several "whooshing" sounds coming in our direction. He Xiaoyu was the first to turn. Seeing me nearby, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. She then cried out anxiously, "Young Master, be careful!"
As she tackled me, He Xin was pulled to the wall by He Jinghui. A volley of crossbow bolts pierced the wall in the nick of time. However, as we stood up to examine the bolts, we discovered a letter attached to one of them.
I took the letter and opened it. Inside, on a piece of Xuan paper, was written: "To Investigator He, please open."
I began reading the letter's contents rapidly. It read: "If you wish to find a way out, please proceed to the laboratory upstairs in the church."
"A laboratory??" Seeing these words, He Xin looked somewhat surprised. She paused, her eyes darting around as if she had thought of something. "It seems this church is involved in some kind of experimentation."
"Perhaps those strange people were being cosmetically altered here. Let's go! We need to rescue them quickly and uncover the secrets of this place!"
With my command, He Jinghui was the first to head towards the pavilion. Inside, there was a spiral staircase. On the adjacent wall, there seemed to be chains. I pulled hard, and suddenly, several steps appeared above the staircase. Well, it seemed the staircase was originally incomplete.
Now that it was fully laid out, we all ascended, our feet firmly planted, not daring to hesitate. He Jinghui and He Xiaoyu led the way like two bodyguards, protecting us. He Xin still held her pistol, her eyes scanning everywhere, like a child lost in a complex maze, fear and confusion clouding her face.
Noticing her tense expression, I squeezed her fair, tender wrist tightly. "Don't worry, just stay with me!"
"Dad, I'm not worried. It's just that this place is so deep and eerie. Walking here, I always have this strange, strange feeling, I can't quite describe it..."
"A strange feeling? What do you mean?"
"I'm not sure. It's like someone is watching me nearby, ready to attack at any moment."
It was better when He Xin didn't say anything. As she spoke, her footing suddenly gave way, and a strange "keng keng" sound echoed from somewhere. I was clearly holding her wrist at that moment, but my palm suddenly felt greasy, and I let go.
He Xin screamed and plunged downwards towards the lower levels of the pavilion with unprecedented speed. I sprawled on the steps, shouting into the dark abyss.
"He Xin!!"
"Dad!!"
Just as her final scream echoed, for some reason, I felt a sudden force from behind, as if someone had kicked my back with great force!
I lost my balance and fell towards the pavilion's lower levels along with He Xin. At that moment, I thought I was doomed. All I felt was despair and regret. I had no idea who had ambushed me from behind.