Bang!
As the door slammed to a close, Jiang Baimian suddenly felt the air thin.
No, it wasn’t thinning but turning sticky. It was so sticky that it seemed to have solidified into an iron plate, making it impossible to absorb.
That wasn’t all.
The air was also contracting like a pair of iron hands that wanted to clasp Jiang Baimian’s throat. It was like layers of soil were attempting to bury her.
Jiang Baimian turned her head and saw that Long Yuehong and Bai Chen’s expressions had become abnormal.
Although the reaction toward suffocation would be delayed, Long Yuehong felt like he had really entered a ghost story. Someone had grabbed him by the neck, making him dizzy. He tried his best to struggle and resist, but his movements were restricted because of the surrounding air’s ‘solidification.’
Moreover, there was nobody around him. He didn’t know what to do to get out of his predicament.
The most helpless thing was when one couldn’t find their enemy at all.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Baimian suddenly exerted strength in her waist and abdomen. She took two difficult steps and arrived beside Long Yuehong.
After that, she stretched out her left palm and grabbed Long Yuehong’s shoulder. Then, she exerted her strength, lifted Long Yuehong, and threw him toward the stairwell like she was throwing a lead ball.
Despite Long Yuehong’s weight, he still flew up.
Bang!
He hit the wall on the side of the stairs and rebounded to the middle of the flight of stairs. He then rolled down extremely quickly.
As his face and back kept colliding with the stairs, Long Yuehong saw stars as he was powerless to stop his inertia.
In just two to three seconds, he rolled to the bend in the stairwell.
Long Yuehong was surprised to discover that the feeling of being strangled had weakened significantly. His breathing had also recovered a little.
The viscosity of the air here was clearly much weaker than that on the seventh floor!
Without thinking about the reason, Long Yuehong relied on his instincts, experience, and inertia to roll toward the stairs that connected to the sixth floor.
Amidst the thumping sounds, he finally returned to the sixth floor. At this moment, he felt that the air around him was ever so fresh and wonderful.
He was nearly moved to tears.
When Long Yuehong flew to the stairwell, Shang Jianyao retracted his gaze regretfully and looked at Bai Chen.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Shang Jianyao seemed to be running while dragging something weighing more than 50 kilograms. His expression turned grotesque.
In a few steps, he had already arrived behind Bai Chen. After that, he raised his right leg and kicked Bai Chen’s butt.
During this process, he seemed to have used all his strength.
Bai Chen ‘flew’ toward the staircase uncontrollably before rolling down one stair after another.
At this moment, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao held their breaths and ran toward the stairs leading to the sixth floor. They used all their strength as if they were being dragged by an invisible, powerful, omnipresent, and increasingly powerful enemy.
After spending a Herculean effort, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao arrived at the staircase one after another. Then, they covered their heads and faces and relied on gravity to roll down.
After rolling all the way back to the sixth floor, Jiang Baimian finally felt the air return to normal. She then jumped to her feet and glanced at the still-conscious Long Yuehong and Bai Chen. In a deep voice, she said, “Back to the room!”
If they had reacted a little slower just now, the entire team might’ve stayed on the seventh floor in the form of corpses.
That suffocating feeling—that feeling of being buried became stronger with time!
The suffocating feeling remained in the air as the four Old Task Force members returned to the room where Garibaldi was. As for the gray-robed monk’s corpse on the stairs, they didn’t have time to care, nor did they dare to.
After closing the door, Shang Jianyao glanced at the bruised and swollen Long Yuehong and complained to Jiang Baimian, “You should’ve thrown Little White.”
Clearly, he wanted to kick Long Yuehong’s butt even more.
Jiang Baimian chuckled. “According to the team’s tactical handbook, we should prioritize the one closer.”
That’s right, that’s right. I don’t want to be sent flying from a kick… Long Yuehong wanted to say that, but he realized that there weren’t many bruises on Bai Chen’s face. She seemed to have come to her senses during her flight and protected her head in advance.
In comparison, he was the first to roll down the stairs. Although his head didn’t swell like a pig’s head, there were bruises everywhere.
He didn’t dare to blame his team leader for throwing him so hard that he couldn’t react in time. He could only helplessly mock himself for having bad luck.
At this moment, Bai Chen brought the topic back on track. She said in a deep voice, “I think there’s more than one person on the seventh floor.”
Someone was trying to bewitch the Old Task Force into entering the room; someone was preventing the door from opening; someone was trying their best to send out information; someone was trying to silence them… Some of these actions were contradictory, and they didn’t seem like something a single person could do.
Jiang Baimian nodded. “From the situation just now, at least two people are fighting each other. We’re just props in their skirmish.”
She then glanced at Shang Jianyao. “But we can’t rule out the possibility that this person is similar to Hey. He has split personalities, and they will restrain each other in reality and fight for a long time.”
“I knew it!” Shang Jianyao had a look of anticipation on his face. He had previously hypothesized that Buddha’s Nirmanakaya had 81 ‘personalities.’
Long Yuehong recalled and said, “I remember that the opening and closing of the doors happened at the same time. There’s an obvious tug-of-war. If he really has a split personality, is he able to fight his left hand with his right?”
This was equivalent to an Awakened being capable of using two abilities at the same time without relying on any items.
“I’m not too sure about that.” Jiang Baimian turned to look at Shang Jianyao.
Shang Jianyao replied regretfully, “Not now. Perhaps when I enter the Mind Corridor.”
“Therefore, the ‘split personality’ theory can’t be completely confirmed. There’s also a certain possibility of the ‘suppressed devil’ theory.” Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said, “However, this isn’t the main problem. After all, we’ve already escaped. In the future, just remember not to go to the seventh floor no matter what. The main point now is what does the ‘Holm’ that was said with great difficulty from the room mean?”
“Fakh region’s Holm Fertility Center?” Long Yuehong thought of this first.
Bai Chen nodded. “I think it’s referring to that. The person in the room wants us to go to one of the five holy lands, Wasteland Ruin 13’s Holm Fertility Center. There might be some secret there that he wants us to discover.”
“Yes.” Jiang Baimian nodded slightly. Obviously, she thought so too.
Based on its superficial meaning, ‘holm’ meant flat ground or an islet. There was nothing special about it. At the very least, the Old Task Force couldn’t think of anything that matched the conditions.
“I’m a little inclined to the devil theory now.” Shang Jianyao suddenly interrupted.
Actually, me too… Long Yuehong replied softly in his heart.
Sealed somewhere in Wasteland Ruin 13 was the terrifying devil, Wu Meng. Now, the person in the third room on Sikhara Temple’s seventh floor wanted the Old Task Force to go to the Holm Fertility Center in Wasteland Ruin 13.
Combined with the rumor that Buddha’s Nirmanakaya suppressed a devil, it was difficult not to make similar associations. But in this way, they would arrive at the strange conclusion that Buddha’s Nirmanakaya had killed the gray-robed monk to silence him.
Before Jiang Baimian could respond, Shang Jianyao asked excitedly, “Shall we go?”
“We’ll see,” Jiang Baimian said perfunctorily. “Even if the Holm Fertility Center isn’t the secret laboratory, it’s still dangerous. Let’s report to the company and see what hints we can get.”
With that said, she looked around thoughtfully. “Every time we discuss something similar, Master Zennaga doesn’t seem to participate. Could it be that his Mind Reading has been interfered with?”
As she spoke, Jiang Baimian looked up at the ceiling.
“Perhaps.” Bai Chen nodded in enlightenment.
“I wonder how he did it…” Shang Jianyao had a yearning expression.
At this moment, Garibaldi—who was tied to the bed—asked them in confusion, “What are you guys talking about?”
Shang Jianyao pointed at Long Yuehong and dragged out his tone. “We met a ghost…”
Giuseppe—who was leaning against the bed—followed Shang Jianyao’s finger and looked at Long Yuehong. He saw that his neck was red, but there were no finger marks.
Giuseppe couldn’t help but shiver. Was there really a ghost?
After a short moment of silence, footsteps sounded in the corridor. Judging from the time, it was likely that the young monk from before had come to deliver breakfast.