Lin Ye stepped out of the vehicle. The prison transport was still some distance from the tunnel, and the overseers clearly had no intention of getting closer, as if the tunnel might devour them whole.
"Number One, you go first."
This mission's captain was a white man with a stern expression who didn't seem like the talkative type.
The other two D-Class personnel remained motionless. Unfortunately, Lin Ye had been designated Number One this time - there would be no sending others ahead to scout.
Lin Ye approached and allowed the overseers to secure his helmet.
"Can I get a weapon?"
He asked out of habit.
An overseer glanced at the captain, only handing Lin Ye a dagger from his belt after receiving a nod of approval.
Armed with the dagger, Lin Ye approached the tunnel - a massive semicircular structure with dual passages, twenty meters wide and ten meters tall.
Keeping to the right side, Lin Ye entered. The tunnel stood empty - no people, no vehicles. The lengthy passage stretched endlessly ahead, its ultimate destination unknowable.
After roughly thirty minutes of walking without encountering anything and complete silence in his earpiece, Lin Ye noted occasional curves in the tunnel but no branching paths - only forward or back.
'This simulation's difficulty seems low. Half an hour in and no monsters yet? Last time I had to restart multiple times within thirty minutes.'
Just as this thought crossed his mind, darkness suddenly engulfed him as if all the overhead lights had simultaneously extinguished.
Standing frozen in pitch blackness, Lin Ye could hear nothing but his own heartbeat and breathing. After waiting with no sign of the lights returning, he hesitantly took one step forward.
That single step triggered something - the entire tunnel abruptly relit.
Squinting against the sudden brightness, Lin Ye needed a moment to adjust. Then he spotted it - a dark silhouette on the left side of the road ahead. His eyes widened sharply, barely making out the blurred shape through the visual afterimages.
A towering humanoid monster.
Its body writhed with pulsating tendrils of flesh, its limbs grotesquely elongated. Bone spikes protruded from its torso, and a bluish-black tail lashed behind it.
Lin Ye turned and ran immediately. A single dagger stood no chance against this clearly dangerous creature.
'Tunnel deity! I was just thinking about it! Don't actually throw monsters at me!'
The creature unleashed a frenzied screech and charged at Lin Ye like a starved wild dog.
Darkness swallowed Lin Ye's vision again - but only for an instant. When the lights returned, the pursuing monster had vanished without a trace.
"Huh?"
Looking back, Lin Ye found no sign of the creature. The entire encounter might have been a hallucination.
"What the hell?"
Were it not for his certainty about his own sanity and knowledge of the tunnel's anomalies, Lin Ye might have questioned his mental state.
Hesitating briefly, he retraced his steps to where the monster had appeared. The lights remained on this time, with no evidence anything had been there.
"Damn it, actual ghosts now."
Running fingers through his hair in frustration, Lin Ye realized this simulation proved more troublesome than the last. Should he continue forward or turn back now?
'Whatever. This simulation only has one path forward anyway. Might as well see where it leads - I've got ten attempts available.'
Resuming his journey through the deathly silent tunnel, with only his footsteps for company, Lin Ye began mentally making wishes:
'Give me bubble tea. No, make it a bubble tea shop.'
'Send me some monsters, preferably the sharp-minded ones.'
'Return me to Blue Star with a hundred million credits.'
...
The timing of the earlier monster encounter had been too coincidental, making him suspect the tunnel might grant wishes.
Yet his wishes went unanswered as the tunnel maintained its eerie stillness.
After several more minutes of walking, the overhead lights cut out again.
This time Lin Ye didn't stop moving. The darkness lasted only a flash. As his vision cleared, he stared intently ahead while thinking:
'The difficulty's too low this time. An hour in and only one monster? Last simulation had multiple restarts in half that time.'
Sure enough, a figure appeared on the left side ahead - but not another monster. Instead, it was one of the D-Class personnel from his transport group.
"Why'd you turn back? Find something ahead?"
"How'd you get in front of me?"
They spoke almost simultaneously.
Lin Ye paused briefly before realizing - the other man thought he'd turned around. But he hadn't.
The tunnel had no branches. Unless the man had entered from the opposite end, the only way to get ahead would require passing Lin Ye first.
'Did the overseers take him to the other entrance? Is this some kind of test?'
'Is he lying to me?'
'Did he pass me when the lights went out? But why would he?'
'Is he really D-Class? Could he be some shapeshifting monster?'
Tangled thoughts swirled through Lin Ye's mind like yarn. Too many uncertainties prevented any clear conclusion about whether to trust this apparent ally.
"What? Getting ahead of you? You lost or something?"
Jesse eyed Lin Ye warily, his right hand moving toward his waist.
"Sorry, when the lights went out earlier, I might have gotten turned around."
Lin Ye apologized quickly, wanting to avoid conflict in this situation. While capable himself, Jesse appeared equally formidable - an altercation could waste a precious simulation attempt.
"Earlier? You mean just now? You foreigners talk weird."
Seeing Lin Ye's cooperative attitude, Jesse didn't draw his weapon but maintained distance.
"You only had one blackout? I experienced two already."
Lin Ye likewise kept his distance - both needed their personal space.
"Oh, that explains it. Must vary by section. My first blackout just happened - pitch dark, couldn't see anything. Waited forever before taking a step and the lights came back."
Jesse complained.
"...Same here."
Lin Ye ran fingers through his hair again. This situation grew more complicated than anticipated.
"Perfect timing. Since you're heading back, let's return together. We've walked forever with no end in sight and radio silence. I wanted to turn back earlier but feared those bastards might shoot me for quitting."
Jesse licked his dry lips as he spoke.
"Right, we'll go back together. They probably won't kill us - worst case we walk it again."
Lin Ye agreed.
Moving closer to Jesse, Lin Ye suddenly sensed something off. The man appeared even more exhausted and mentally drained than himself.
"Man, all this walking's made me hungry. Good thing I ate extra before coming."
Jesse sighed wearily.
"...How long have you been inside?"
Darkness swallowed Lin Ye's vision again as he heard the reply:
"Huh? Nearly three hours now. Completely wiped out."