Multiple Personalities

"Lin Yue, look at this box, it has these symbols carved on it. Could there be any clues?" Shen Jingqi said.

Lin Yue walked over, looking at the symbols on the box, frowned, and said, "I seem to have seen these symbols somewhere before, but I can't remember where. However, since they appear here, they might be related to the secret of this place. Let's open it and take a look."

Shen Jingqi nodded and carefully opened the box. Inside the box was an old piece of paper with some blurred handwriting on it. Shen Jingqi picked up the paper and carefully tried to make out the handwriting.

"When the stars align, darkness descends, the secret will be unveiled, but it will also bring destruction."

"...What does this mean?" Shen Jingqi read aloud.

Listening to this, Lin Yue had a foreboding feeling rising in her heart: "Stars aligning, darkness descending? That sounds terrifying. Could unveiling this secret really bring about destruction?"

Shen Jingqi pondered for a moment and said, "It's not clear what this sentence means yet, but it's certain that this secret is definitely not simple. We should continue on; maybe deeper in the passage, we can find more clues."

They put the box and the paper back into their backpack and walked out of the small room. The passage still exuded a mysterious aura, and their footsteps, in this silent space, seemed particularly firm.

As they continued deeper into the passage, the surroundings became increasingly eerie. The light on the walls flickered more unpredictably, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, as if foreshadowing some impending danger. Occasionally, strange sounds echoed through the passage, like someone sobbing softly, or some creature growling, making their hearts involuntarily race.

"Shen Jingqi, don't you feel that this place is becoming more and more weird? I feel like something is watching us," Lin Yue said, gripping Shen Jingqi's arm tightly, her voice a bit shaky.

Shen Jingqi nodded and said, "I feel it too."

As they were speaking, a massive stone door suddenly appeared ahead. The stone door was covered with various strange patterns, some resembling mysterious symbols, others resembling gruesome monsters, making it terrifying to behold.

"Could the secret we're looking for be behind this stone door?" Lin Yue said.

Shen Jingqi stepped forward, carefully observing the stone door. He noticed a groove on the stone door that looked somewhat similar to the box they found in the small room.

"Lin Yue, look at this groove, could it be meant to hold that box?" Shen Jingqi said.

Lin Yue came over, looked at the groove, and said, "Very likely. Let's give it a try."

They took the box out of the backpack and carefully placed it into the groove. As soon as it was placed inside, the stone door emitted a deep rumbling sound and slowly opened. A powerful blast of air rushed out from behind the stone door, nearly knocking them off their feet.

They steadied themselves and cautiously walked through the stone door. Inside was a vast space filled with a pungent smell. In the center of the space, there was a gigantic machine, its various colored lights flickering, emitting a "buzzing" sound.

"What is this thing?" Lin Yue asked in surprise.

Shen Jingqi, frowning, carefully examined the machine. He noticed some control panels on the machine, displaying complex data and graphs.

"I also don't know, but this thing is definitely related to the secret of this place. Let's go over and take a look," Shen Jingqi said.

They moved towards the machine, stepping cautiously, wary of triggering any mechanisms. Just as they were about to reach the machine, suddenly, the lights on the machine flickered more violently, sounding a sharp alarm.

"Not good, seems like there's danger!" Shen Jingqi shouted.

Just as he finished speaking, a swarm of mechanical monsters emerged from around the machine. These mechanical monsters had various shapes, some resembling giant spiders, others fierce beasts, their bodies gleaming with a metallic sheen, emanating a formidable murderous aura.

"It's those mechanical monsters again! What should we do?" Lin Yue yelled in fear.

Shen Jingqi tightly gripped the weapon in his hand and said, "Don't panic! We'll fight them! We must uncover this secret!"

With that, they once again engaged in a fierce battle with the mechanical monsters. This time, the battle was tougher than before, with more mechanical monsters and fiercer attacks. Shen Jingqi and Lin Yue resisted fiercely under the attack of the mechanical monsters, acquiring many new wounds.

But they did not give up, their desire for the truth driving them to persist. In the intense battle, they gradually discovered that these mechanical monsters seemed to be controlled by the machine. If they could destroy the machine, maybe it would stop the mechanical monsters from attacking.

"Lin Yue, let's destroy that machine! Once it's destroyed, these mechanical monsters will stop!" Shen Jingqi shouted loudly.

Lin Yue nodded and said, "Alright, let's charge in!"

They dodged the mechanical monsters' attacks while rushing towards the machine. Along the way, they continued to strike at any approaching mechanical monsters, buying time for each other to advance.

Finally, like arrows leaving the string, they dashed alongside the machine. Shen Jingqi clutched the sword in both hands, the blade flickering coldly in the dimness, seemingly sensing his desperate resolve. He raised his arm high, muscles tensed, then slashed fiercely at the machine's control panel. With a "crack," a sharp and piercing sound, a crack instantly appeared on the control panel, spreading across the machine's surface like a gruesome wound.

The machine instantly emitted a piercing sound, as if roaring from Hell, so sharp it hurt their eardrums. The lights began to flicker even more intensely, casting everything around in an eerie yet tense atmosphere.

The mechanical monsters, which were already lurking, seemed to keenly sense the machine's anomaly. Their actions became more frantic, their mechanical joints creaking as if about to collapse at any moment. They brandished sharp claws, pouncing on Shen Jingqi and Lin Yue with a frenzy, as if to tear them to pieces.

But Shen Jingqi and Lin Yue showed no sign of retreat. They continued attacking the machine with all their might, each swing of their weapons executed with full strength. Their hands began to tremble from overexertion, knuckles turning white, seemingly losing sensation.

"Hold on a little longer, we're about to succeed!" Shen Jingqi shouted, his voice exceptionally loud in the noisy environment. His forehead was covered in sweat, trickling down his cheeks and dropping to the ground, instantly concealed by the surrounding dust.

Lin Yue gritted her teeth, not speaking, just swinging her weapon harder, smashing towards the machine again and again.

Just as they were about to succeed, suddenly, a strong beam of light shot out from the machine's interior.

The light, like a scorching sun, enveloped them instantly.

They felt a wave of dizziness, as if the whole world was spinning. Their bodies seemingly bound by an invisible force, unable to move. Immediately after, they lost consciousness, their vision plunging into darkness.