Yuan Qingqing and Zuo An were on their way to find Yuan Qingqing’s younger brother. Unbeknownst to them, Duan Chen and Jun Ci, who were searching for Yuan Qingqing, had fallen into danger.
It wasn't exactly a dire peril, but to dismiss it as no danger at all would be excessively arrogant.
Duan Chen and Jun Ci stood back-to-back, warily surveying their surroundings.
Before them, a considerable number of people had appeared.
Yet, just a moment ago, there had been nothing here; it was merely a barren desert. The instant they stepped into this desert, their vision swam, and then everything went black, as if their eyes were covered.
When they opened their eyes again, this was what they saw.
It was a fighting arena built upon the desert.
The arena’s size was immeasurable; at least, with the naked eye, one could hardly discern its furthest reaches.
Upon this arena, a significant number of people were present.
Including Duan Chen and Jun Ci, the total number of individuals was difficult to ascertain at a single glance.
For some inexplicable reason, Duan Chen’s heart pounded incessantly.
Jun Ci’s voice echoed from behind Duan Chen, "If nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected has probably happened to us."
Duan Chen’s lips twitched at his words.
He knew without a doubt that something unexpected had indeed occurred.
He scratched his hair with a sense of exasperation, his vigilance escalating linearly as he observed the various individuals before him.
Duan Chen could not tell if these people were real or illusions. Each one of them wore an exceedingly lifelike expression on their faces.
Yet, Duan Chen could not sense the aura of living beings emanating from them.
However, they were clearly capable of movement, possessed their own thoughts, and could perfectly answer a question Duan Chen posed.
He had conducted a Turing test on himself.
Just as the Turing test could ascertain the nature of AIs and intelligent robots, it could also determine if the beings before him were truly human.
As for the result of the Turing test, Duan Chen was unsure whether to feel disappointed or pleased.
The test indicated that these individuals were unequivocally normal people.
Yet, he still couldn't detect any vitality within them.
"Could these people be puppets?" Duan Chen mused aloud, puzzled.
Before he could fully comprehend, Jun Ci, still with his back to Duan Chen, suddenly spoke, "If I'm not mistaken, these are likely puppets."
Duan Chen nodded, feeling quite certain of this conclusion.
However, if they were indeed puppets, another question arose.
Who would be so extravagant as to discard these lifelike puppets, indistinguishable from real humans, in this desolate desert?
Furthermore, to construct such a vast arena.
Could it be a martial arts contest for marriage proposals?
Duan Chen’s lips twitched.
Apart from the absurd notion of a marriage contest, the only other possibility he could conceive of was a fight to the death.
His gaze darkened slightly.
Duan Chen spoke softly to Jun Ci, "If I haven't guessed wrong, this is likely a place for fights to the death, and very possibly a battle of attrition."
Jun Ci nodded calmly and steadily, inwardly agreeing with Duan Chen’s assessment.
Their back-to-back stance was a precaution against any surprise attacks.
He said, "We just don't know how to get out of here, or what conditions must be met. If I'm not mistaken..."
Both Duan Chen and Jun Ci understood the unspoken words lingering in Jun Ci's sentence.
That unspoken word was: kill.
With so many people present, not all of them could be puppets. If they were, these puppets could have swarmed them instantly, but they hadn't.
While these puppets appeared to display active emotions, it was evident they were mere puppets.
However, he could sense, or rather, he could see, small green dots covering their map around them.
Due to their extreme proximity, they overlapped almost completely, making it impossible to distinguish which green dot belonged to whom based on the map alone.
Alternatively, the cartoon avatars of Duan Chen and Jun Ci were directly obscuring these green dots.
Thus, on the map, all that could be seen was their avatars emitting a faint green glow.
This left Duan Chen feeling rather exasperated.
He spoke with apparent ease, "We don't know how many living people are here. We must be extremely careful, absolutely cautious, and never separate, or one of us might very well be in danger."
Jun Ci grasped the gravity of the situation and nodded vigorously, offering no resistance or objection.
As they stood on guard, someone was also covertly observing them from their side.
It was a lone wanderer, detached from any group.
He was entirely hidden within the space beside Duan Chen and Jun Ci. He wasn't using his eyes to see; his eyes were closed, and he was perceiving with his hands.
In his palm rested a lifeless, glass-like orb, an eye.
It was through this orb, and his ability to conceal himself within space, that he could eavesdrop with impunity.
Upon overhearing Jun Ci and Duan Chen’s conversation, a flicker of light appeared in the man's eyes.
If this was the way to escape this bizarre arena, then these two must be living people.
As long as he could kill one of these two living individuals, he should be able to leave with a great reward.
The man’s thoughts were astute, but as he continued to examine them, he couldn't discern any particular weakness in Duan Chen.
This left him momentarily troubled.
It was at this moment that the orb in his hand suddenly blinked.
Within the glass-like sphere, a palpable sense of fear emerged.
It was precisely then that Duan Chen suddenly felt a sensation of being watched.
He furrowed his brow slightly, feeling a sense of unease.
Although Jun Ci was behind Duan Chen, he could keenly sense Duan Chen's emotional shifts.
He instinctively inquired, "What's wrong? Why is your mood suddenly fluctuating?"
Duan Chen shook his head.
He suspected he might have been mistaken.
Although he saw nothing, he had an inexplicable feeling that something was observing him from a certain direction.
However, the sensation was too faint.
Even with his 'God's Eye' activated, he couldn't locate what was watching him.
Duan Chen could only temporarily set the matter aside.