Chapter 212 Exit
Renault and Li Baiyu also nodded in agreement.
Now there were no other choices. Only by following that voice could they find the way out.
So, the three of them cautiously proceeded along the passage. They walked gingerly, afraid that they might accidentally trigger some mechanism or trap. However, as they delved deeper, they realized that the voice was indeed guiding them forward. They crossed corner after corner, traversed passage after passage, yet they never lost their direction.
Yet, just as they were about to exit the maze, a strange sound echoed. The sound reverberated in the maze like a phantom, sending chills down their spines. They looked around in terror, but all they could see was darkness, with only a faint candlelight to show the way.
"What is that sound?" Renault asked in horror. His voice was filled with unconcealable fear and unease.
Shen Jingqi also furrowed his eyebrows, his heart filled with doubt and worry. He knew that the sound was definitely not normal. There had to be some danger approaching them.
Just then, a cold wind suddenly blew past. They felt a chill rising from their feet and piercing through to their heads. They screamed in terror, yet were powerless. They saw a shadow flickering under the candlelight, like a ghost climbing out from Hell.
"Ghost... ghost!" Li Baiyu screamed in horror.
Shen Jingqi and Renault also stared at that shadow in terror, their hearts filled with fear and anxiety. They knew that shadow was definitely not a normal existence. It had to be some kind of monster or evil spirit within the maze.
However, just as they were overwhelmed with fear, the shadow suddenly moved. It swept towards them like a gale, instantly engulfing the three of them. They felt as if they were caught in a vortex, spinning endlessly.
When Shen Jingqi, Li Baiyu, and Renault regained consciousness, they found themselves in an even more bizarre environment. Everything around was blood-red, as if the entire world had been stained with fresh blood.
The red was as intense as solidified blood, thick and heavy, making chills rise in one's heart at first glance.
The air was filled with a pungent scent of blood, so intense it was almost tangible, like a mist that entered their nostrils, irritating every olfactory cell and making them want to vomit.
Renault asked in terror, "Where... where are we?" His voice trembled, infused with uncontrollable fear and despair. He widened his eyes, looking around in an attempt to find a familiar sight in this blood-red environment, but he saw nothing beyond the endless crimson. His hands were clenched into fists, nails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain, as if his body had gone numb and only fear dominated his soul.
Shen Jingqi also furrowed his eyebrows. His brain was working rapidly, trying to analyze the situation before them, but the scene around them was too bizarre, beyond his understanding. He pressed his lips tightly, refusing to let his fear show, but his eyes betrayed him, reflecting unease and anxiety.
Li Baiyu, on the other hand, was unexpectedly calm, neither panicking like Renault nor frowning like Shen Jingqi. He merely stood quietly, observing everything around them.
Renault clung closely to Shen Jingqi, as if he had found an anchor. At this moment, he firmly believed that only Shen Jingqi could lead them out of this eerie place.
The three of them began to move through the blood-red environment.
However, they walked for a long time yet still didn't find an exit. The scenery around them remained blood-red, as if there was no end in sight. Renault started to feel anxious, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.
"Will we never be able to get out?" Renault couldn't help but ask. He was on the verge of breaking down.
"No, we will definitely find the exit," Shen Jingqi said.
Just then, Shen Jingqi suddenly stopped in his tracks. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes, as if he had discovered something extraordinary. He stared intently at a section of the blood-red expanse ahead, an inexplicable feeling welling up in his heart.
"What is it?" Renault asked quickly upon seeing this.
Shen Jingqi didn't answer Renault's question; instead, he kept staring at the blood-red area. His eyes were lit with a gleam, as if he was contemplating something. Suddenly, he waved his hand sharply, pointing towards the blood-red ahead.
"Look there!" Shen Jingqi said loudly. His voice was filled with excitement and surprise, as if he had discovered an important clue.
Upon hearing this, Renault and Li Baiyu quickly looked in the direction Shen Jingqi was pointing. Amidst the blood-red expanse, they seemed to notice some faint traces. These traces were very weak, almost imperceptible, yet stood out in the blood-red environment.
"What is that?" Renault couldn't help but ask.
Shen Jingqi did not answer Renault's question, only staring at those traces.
The three began to follow those traces. However, as they walked, the traces suddenly vanished. They looked around, trying to find the traces again, but everything was blood-red, with nothing else.
At this moment, Li Baiyu suddenly spoke, "Maybe those traces aren't true clues."
"Look here." Li Baiyu pointed at the surrounding blood-red area and said, "This blood-red is too bizarre, as if it is artificially controlled. And those traces, perhaps they are just some kind of illusion, made to confuse us."
Upon hearing this, Shen Jingqi's heart pounded. He carefully observed the blood-red surroundings and found, as Li Baiyu said, that the blood-red was too strange, seeming to have some sort of pattern.
He suddenly realized that they might have been deceived by illusions all along and that the real exit might be hidden within this blood-red realm.
Just then, Shen Jingqi suddenly waved his hand, pointing at a blood-red area above them.
"Go there!" Shen Jingqi said loudly. His voice was filled with excitement and confidence, as if he had seen the dawn of victory.
Renault and Li Baiyu looked up at the ceiling, only to see, amidst the blood-red expanse, a seemingly faint passage. That passage was very narrow, almost unnoticeable, yet stood out in the blood-red realm.
The surroundings remained blood-red.
The three of them started walking upward along the passage.
The view ahead began to blur. The blood-red seemed shrouded in a mist, becoming hazy and mysterious.
At that moment, they suddenly saw a bright light ahead, the mist dissipating to reveal a brand new world. That world was no longer blood-red but filled with life and energy. Shaded by green trees, echoing with birdsong and fragrant flowers, it seemed like an idyllic paradise.