Chapter 1136: Chapter 105: The Death of Lu Li
The depths of the mist shrouded in darkness.
The dim oil lamp gradually lit up, dispelling the darkness, revealing a figure holding an oil lamp.
Lu Li lowered his gaze, focusing on the left hand holding the oil lamp, and raised it in confusion—then lifted the empty right hand.
Stepping forward with the right leg, the left leg indeed moved forward, and the disoriented Lu Li stumbled uncontrollably, falling to the ground before he stretched out to support himself, releasing the oil lamp which rolled away and collided with a nearby ceiling fan.
Familiar with the discomfort of reversed perception, Lu Li moved slowly to the ceiling fan, like a patient recovering from a serious illness, to pick up the oil lamp.
The dusty metal ceiling fan no longer shimmered, and holding the squeaky, swaying oil lamp, Lu Li raised it high.
The dim light spread outward, revealing more hidden things in the darkness.
Living room furniture stuck to the ceiling, messy bowls and spoons strewn across the dining table, the outline of the doorway extended along the floor.
Standing on the ceiling, Lu Li slowly approached the door, grasped the doorknob, and pushed open the inverted room door.
The dome-like ground extended forward, with the house hanging upside-down from the dome. The darkness below was unfathomable as if stepping out of the house might lead to falling into the sky.
Lu Li already knew where he was: the corrupt sewer.
The corrupt sewer is the anomaly among three forbidden zones.
Unlike the swamp and mysterious dense forest, where people tread and establish safety zones to explore and understand, the corrupt sewer is not included, and people know very little about it—
But Lu Li’s status allowed him to know deeper truths: the corrupt sewer is a land of oblivion.
Before the disaster, the corrupt sewer was once the Spirit Town located at the end of the old sewer mainline. With the advent of a catastrophic event, the town sank, forming a giant pit that integrated with the old sewer. The town’s residents, the church, and its divinity all disappeared during the sinking event.
But Lu Li’s knowledge was limited to this; understanding the corrupt sewer required stringent conditions: only when you intend to enter the corrupt sewer will you be informed of all its details.
The March competition placed the second round in the corrupt sewer, requiring all participants to enter here... Is there some profound meaning?
With two of the three forbidden zones being the first two rounds of the competition, will the distant third round, the final mysterious dense forest, await them?
Bang.
Closing the door, Lu Li retreated back to the living room, mentally calling out for Will Ken. The old Exorcist gave no response, confirming the parchment in his chest was still there, Lu Li took out an eyeball to summon Merchant Anthony.
But the situation in the corrupt sewer was more troublesome than expected: Lu Li and Merchant Anthony couldn’t understand each other’s words, and the written content not only appeared reversed but even formed bizarre, unrecognizable characters.
However, gestures for it to leave were still recognizable.
After Merchant Anthony left, Lu Li approached the dining table.
A note lay atop the dusty tabletop. He reached for it, written with text that Lu Li could recognize.
[Congratulations on reaching the second round]
[I hope you can still understand the note, or you might miss this clue]
[Your task is simple, stand in front of the window, do you see the distant exit of the corrupt sewer? Reach there to enter the third round]
[Remember, eliminating other players will offer no reward; this is a cooperative stage]
After examining the normal note, Lu Li took out a pen to try copying it. But no matter how proper the cognition was in his mind, the written content always turned into brain-jarring reversed text.
Pa—
Lu Li looked down at his feet, a sound came from the second floor.
Ceased copying, replaced the note, Lu Li headed towards the staircase.
The staircase, due to its inversion, became an ornament, and jumping down remained Lu Li’s only way to reach the second floor.
Confirming the ceiling wouldn’t collapse under weight and fall into a void-like sky, Lu Li jumped down from the stairwell.
Bang!
Dust trembled as the ceiling shook, and shadows swayed with the oil lamp.
Crash—
Simultaneously, the sound of glass breaking came from a room at the end of the corridor.
Stepping on the creaking ceiling, Lu Li headed down the corridor to the end, briefly sensing the space behind the door, then opened the door.
It was a guest room, the window was long shattered, glass scattered across the ceiling floor, the breeze fluttered curtain-like drapes, and two stones quietly lay around the broken glass.
As Lu Li observed, another pebble entered the window, landing on the floor with a clatter, rolling a few circles.
Stepping over the threshold-like divider at the door, Lu Li entered the room and approached the window.
From a dozen meters away in another house, behind its window appeared a silhouette grasping stones.
He expressed joy at receiving a response, but expectedly, Lu Li couldn’t comprehend his words, nor could the silhouette understand Lu Li.
Then, unexpectedly, the silhouette shouted in some astonished tone, seemingly recognizing Lu Li, shouting in an unintelligible manner, wanting to express something.
Then he came up with an idea, starting to swing his arms wildly in circles like a madman by the window—
Lu Li immediately realized the intended meaning. In the reversed perception of the corrupt sewer, normalcy itself represented abnormality.
But then, the silhouette’s actions began to bewilder Lu Li: he pulled out a dagger, gesturing to Lu Li, slowly changing his mouth shapes, and using the dagger to cut open his own neck.
The anticipated scene of gushing blood did not happen, and the silhouette behind the window suddenly disappeared.
And Lu Li understood the meaning conveyed by the silhouette’s final mouth shape.
"Death can restore the situation." he said.
The house window behind calmed with the silhouette’s suicide, Lu Li paused for a while, clumsily and bizarrely leaving the room to return to the corridor.
There were two rooms above, one was a storage room, and the other was the house owner’s bedroom.
Standing on the ceiling right above the bed, Lu Li looked at a book on the bedside cabinet—it was reversed and unidentifiable like everything here.
If the house contained clues, they should be in this owner’s bedroom—
Suddenly, Lu Li’s chest felt slightly warm, and he heard the long-silent voice of Will Ken.
"Lu Li... integrate... method... feign death, only then... escape... trust Will."
The normal, comprehensible, elderly voice seemed to echo from afar, piecing together fragmented words intermittently. But thanks to what was seen in the second-floor guest room, Lu Li pieced together the truth: feigning death is the method to integrate with the surrounding... trust Will.
Coincidentally, Lu Li recalled that among the "gadgets" given by Vice-Chancellor Criss was an Eternal Sleep Tablet.
"Taking it will end your suffering alongside your life" Almost imagining Vice-Chancellor Criss pinching the tablet, Lu Li fished out the box containing the tablet from his stomach pocket.
Will Ken’s elderly voice ceased to resonate, seemingly blocked by the forces here.
Before proceeding, Lu Li released the young tree projection, confirming it wasn’t an illusion or a falsehood, then took the medicine.
The melted tablet quickly took effect, numbing the body—
Lu Li’s heart ceased to beat.
The chest no longer rose and fell.
The drooping black eyes became still, veiled by the gray and deathly aura.