Chapter 105: Exit

Chapter 105: Exit

“I, I don’t know.” Old Wang shook his head, reluctant to answer. It felt like an impossible question.

After a moment of silence, he met Officer Huang’s eyes with conviction. “But at the end of the day, your wife is your wife, and your child is your child. If I were you, I would probably make the same decision.”

Officer Huang was taken aback. Then he gave the man a wry, grateful smile. “I knew it would take another father to understand me. To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t have taken the risk to enter the Rune Cave if not for my wife and unborn child.”

“It’s the same for me. I wouldn’t have put myself on the frontline if not for them.” Old Wang slapped himself on the thigh, his voice impassioned. “But forget it. If I get out of this alive, I’ll apply to transfer to an administrative role at once. Call me a coward. All that matters is staying alive for my wife and child. Everything else be damned!”

“It will happen,” Officer Huang encouraged him.

“Haha, I think so too.” Old Wang touched his round nose. “It’s said that after every narrow escape from death comes great fortune. I wouldn’t have encountered you if not for Cheng Xin’s betrayal. I feel much more secure with great fighters like you guys with me.”

“Save my contact, Old Wang.” Officer Huang took out his phone. “When my child is born, I’d like to ask you for advice.”

“Haha, of course.” Old Wang took out his phone too. “Oh, right. My daughter doesn’t have a godfather yet. Why don’t you do it?”

“Sure thing. And you will be my child’s godfather once they are born.” Officer Huang broke into a genuine smile, losing himself in the everyday talk and almost forgetting the danger they were in.

“While you’re at it, why not arrange a future marriage between your children?” White Rabbit said as a jab with a hand propping her chin.

Old Wang got nervous. “No, no. The children should be allowed to make their own decisions.”

“That’s right. Besides, I don’t even know if my wife and I are having a boy or a girl yet.” The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

White Rabbit’s eyes glinted. “Whoa, wouldn’t it be much better if they’re both girls?”

“Alright, let’s not go into that,” Officer Huang hurriedly said.

The small talk dispersed some of the tension, and this felt like nothing but a regular work trip. It was as if after the work was done, they would return to their normal life.

Gao Yang didn’t say anything. He was in no place to make a comment since he didn’t have a wife nor a child.

Instead, he accessed the system.

He checked his Luck points first. Though he had killed a good number of monsters, the level of danger hadn’t been great, and the system only granted him a ten time bonus to his Luck points acquisition rate, which was depressingly low.

Disappointed, Gao Yang checked his stats after Fire reached level 3 instead.

[Constitution: 57 Endurance: 59]

[Strength: 217 Agility: 259]

[Willpower: 309 Charisma: 97 ]

[Luck: 132]

As expected, his Willpower and Charisma had seen some growth, and the maximum temperature of Fire as well as its attack range had increased.

Surprisingly, there was no threat awaiting them. All there was on the platform were two lone bodies. Someone had already cleared this part of the map.

White Rabbit checked one of them, her eyes turning sharp. “Come here, Old Wang.”

Old Wang walked up to join her. The monster had reverted back into its human form after death. It was a middle-aged man wearing a jacket, and he lay on the floor with a hole in his back. It seemed that his heart had been torn to pieces.

“Take a look.” White Rabbit pointed at the body’s profile. His eyeball was bulging, and his bluish face was covered in dark purple blood vessels.

“He was poisoned!” Old Wang exclaimed. “It’s Cheng Xin’s Spider Venom. He must have killed the monster. They got off at this station!”

Old Wang turned to check the other body and made sure it wasn’t his companion. Overjoyed, he said, “Thank god! They are all still alive!”

“Gao Yang, light,” said War Tiger.

“Got it.”

Gao Yang raised his right hand and conjured a fireball. The posture was a little silly, but it was effective. With the darkness in the station dispersed, they were able to see many times farther.

“Look around.”

The moment War Tiger said that, Qing Ling interjected, “There’s no need. It’s that way.”

They all followed her finger and found the entrance to a corridor in the wall at the depth of the station. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

“That’s the exit from the Mobius strip,” War Tiger said confidently.

“Or it may be a trap.” White Rabbit was more cautious.

At least there was some progress, which boosted morale significantly.

“Old Wang, you’ve got a thick skin. Take the front with me.” War Tiger gave out orders. “Gao Yang, stay in the middle and keep the light on. You too, Yellow Ox. You use a ranged weapon and can support each side. White Rabbit and Green Snake, take the rear and keep your eyes open.”

Maintaining the formation, they walked into the corridor.

It looked just like any corridor one would find in a regular subway station. After about thirty seconds, they found a staircase leading upward.

That was good news.

The fact that the stairs went up meant that they were going toward the ground, toward the hope to escape. Were it a downward staircase, who knew where it would lead to? It could be the abyss, or perhaps hell.

The stairs weren’t steep, but it was a long way up, almost a hundred meters above the platform. They saw a hazy white light shone from the rectangular exit ahead of them.

Step by step, Gao Yang climbed the stairs. It felt as if he was ascending to a mysterious palace hall. Perhaps he was imagining it, but the air seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.

The six of them approached the exit slowly while staying vigilant for any incoming dangers.

Finally, they left the corridor.

Gao Yang dispersed his fireball and narrowed his eyes slightly. Gradually, his vision adjusted to the cold white light, and he could see clearly.

He held his breath.