The oppressive space, compressing the stench of corpses, laments, and curiosity into a single mass.
It felt akin to the stomach of a human body, sticky and sickening to the touch, making one’s scalp crawl.
Just as Duan Chen was about to lean against the wall for a brief respite, a sharp pain shot up his wrist.
He lowered his head, only to see a mouth, placed separately, opening and closing incessantly.
Duan Chen had traversed many Void Realms, and while this one wasn't the most terrifying, it was undoubtedly the most revolting.
He rubbed his arm, "Is this elevator one of those that needs to be constructed?"
"Likely," Wu Suowei's cheek, illuminated by the elevator's red glow, appeared extraordinarily nightmarish, like something from a horror film. "At a time like this, the most terrifying thing that can happen inside a confined elevator is for it to descend."
"Heh, you're still..."
*Screeeeech!*
The sound of steel cables stretching taut reverberated from above, causing the entire elevator to lurch.
Duan Chen instinctively reached out to grab the elevator's railing, but then abruptly withdrew his hand.
He had no desire to be bitten at this moment; there was no rabies vaccine for him here.
The descending elevator vibrated continuously, emitting a chilling groan.
The machine wept for its powerlessness.
Yet, the people inside, desperate to survive, clung close to the floor.
As the groans intensified and the tremors grew more violent, tragedy seemed inevitable.
Duan Chen squeezed his eyes shut, sincerely hoping not to be splattered into a meat patty. After all, once the Void Realm was dispelled, they would return to the real world.
There were far too many regrets waiting for him to resolve there.
After a long while, Duan Chen finally regained consciousness.
He... wasn't dead?
"Welcome to the Land of Zhong Tian."
A gentle female voice sounded simultaneously with the elevator's doors opening.
Duan Chen scrambled to his feet, dusting himself off. "Hello, I'm here to..."
He saw a normal, green lawn behind the beautiful woman and then thought about the elevator he was in...
Duan Chen turned his head to look. The walls were smooth, the elevator lights were bright, and he could vaguely see the blood on his forehead.
He subconsciously touched it, then looked at his hand. Wet liquid coated his palm, the metallic scent of rust assaulting his nostrils.
"I'm..."
"You met with misfortune while fighting an apostle, have you forgotten?"
Following the woman's gentle voice, Duan Chen suddenly recalled, "It seems like... there was such a thing?"
Wait, that wasn't right. There was clearly another person in this elevator.
He pointed to the empty space beside him. "Wasn't there supposed to be someone next to me?"
The woman glanced inside and shook her head. "Sir, there is no one else beside you. In any case, please exit first; the elevator needs to continue its work."
Duan Chen rubbed the back of his head and followed the woman onto the verdant lawn.
The moment his feet completely touched the grass, the elevator behind him contorted and slowly vanished.
This scene was broadcast live to someone on a higher level.
Situ Ying, holding her child, watched the screen before her.
"Now, the real show is about to begin." Situ Ying cooed at the child in her arms, who remained hollow and listless.
Duan Chen, still utterly bewildered, couldn't comprehend if he had truly died.
"Excuse me, beautiful lady, what exactly is this place?"
"This is the transit station for the deceased on their journey to hell or heaven. Here, you will live as you did in reality, but you will face a final choice."
"A final choice? What is that?"
"You'll know when you get there." The woman suddenly stopped in front of a house. "Your choice question has arrived."
Duan Chen looked at the house before him. It was a small, three-story villa with white walls and blue tiles, exuding an American rural charm.
Even if he were to go out now, he might not be able to afford such a house.
He pointed at the house. "This is my choice. What is the question?"
"You may experience it for yourself."
Duan Chen gazed at the house and the keys, still finding it hard to believe that something like this would happen to him.
Death?
A joke.
"I think..."
Duan Chen turned his head and saw an empty street. A gentle breeze rustled the trees lining the road, their green canopies swaying, as if welcoming his arrival.
He finally ascended the steps and used the key to turn the doorknob of the grand entrance.
Inside, the house was bright and airy, with a comfortable and eye-catching decor. On the fireplace by the entrance, a photo of himself, Zhong Yu, and Mi Xue'er was displayed.
He sat on a chair, with Zhong Yu close to him, their upper bodies intimately pressed together, while Mi Xue'er stood behind them, smiling and embracing them both.
It looked like a perfect family from a furniture advertisement on television.
The insincere, dreamlike unreality made Duan Chen feel a sense of fear.
"Dad, I'm back."
Mi Xue'er's voice called out from behind him. He turned his head to look.
Mi Xue'er was now wearing a miniskirt and a crop top, her long hair braided into several small pigtails adorned with bells.
It was a style popular among young people, but Duan Chen found it quite unappealing.
"Mi Xue'er, you don't look good dressed like that."
Mi Xue'er kicked off her shoes as she spoke, "Dad, can you not be so old-fashioned? This is the latest trend."
As she spoke, Mi Xue'er's youthful body walked past Duan Chen, carrying with it the scent of youth.
"What did you call me?" Duan Chen asked in confusion, pursuing the question. He clearly didn't have a girlfriend or a fiancée; where did a daughter come from?
Mi Xue'er took a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "Dad, you and Mom have been married for three years. It's long past the days when I'd call you uncle and be difficult."
"Three years?"
Duan Chen shook his head, the chaos almost tearing his mind apart.
He clearly...
At this moment, a horrifying scene appeared in the full-length mirror by the entrance.
He wasn't standing in the entryway of a house, but in a cramped space, surrounded by arms—female, male, old, plump—all embracing Duan Chen.
They weren't pulling him into hell, but whispering into his ear, an eerie and ambiguous sight.
"Dad, what are you looking at?"
Mi Xue'er's sudden appearance instantly returned the full-length mirror to normal.
"It's nothing. I've been a bit tired lately, so my eyesight is a little poor." Duan Chen seemed to have slipped into the role. Regardless of the current situation, it was better to go along with it for now and look for an opportunity to find a loophole.
After Duan Chen thought this, he found it strange. Why should he look for an opportunity? What loophole?
"Then take care of yourself. I'm going upstairs to do my homework now."
As Mi Xue'er called out, a wind from somewhere, carrying a disdainful expression, swept past Duan Chen, scattering his last vestiges of memory.