Hidden Dead Ends - Chapter 14: People (IV)

“Ten minutes. I’ll just close my eyes to rest for a bit, and then we’ll find the exit together!” Li Chengyi replied decisively.

His body was severely overdrawn at this moment.

Wearing the Flower Scale Gear seemed to consume his body, both physically and mentally.

Then he had been tense all this time while searching for the exit, consuming a lot of stamina. He had slammed into the door, fought against the monster, and finally used the Flower Language Ability to block the door, making him even more exhausted.

It was already a testament to his willpower for him to be able to hold on and not fall asleep.

In his current state, he didn’t know whether he could still use the Flower Language Ability if the previous situation happened again.

“Okay!” Meng Dongdong nodded seriously.

The exchange just now and his status as a local gave her a lot of peace of mind.

If it was just to help look around and wait for ten minutes without doing anything else, she was willing.

“Find a place to rest. This place is too big. I’m afraid it won’t be easy to find the exit alone. After you rest, we’ll split up,” she said seriously.

“Okay!” Li Chengyi nodded.

He carried his things and looked around. Soon, he found a corner, walked over, and then sat cross-legged with his back against the wall.

“By the way, if you hear any noise from the door opposite, don’t worry about it. Don’t open the door. Remember, don’t open the door. Wait until I’ve rested. Understand?” he instructed. This was to prevent the women from opening the door for the monster affected by the Flower Language Ability.

“Okay!” Meng Dongdong agreed sincerely.

After explaining the main points, Li Chengyi put on his hood, took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes slightly without closing them completely, and began to rest.

This time, with another person watching, he was slightly more relaxed than when he was alone before.

With his eyes narrowed, he had planned to pay attention to the surroundings.

After all, Meng Dongdong was only a stranger, and it was impossible for him to place all his safety on an outsider.

But he was too tired.

Before today, he was just an ordinary university graduate who often ran, and his runs weren’t long-distance runs.

In other words, his endurance was slightly better than others. The rest of his physical fitness was average.

To be able to maintain his composure after experiencing so many things and not lose his cool… Even as a transmigrator, he felt that he was already very strong.

He squinted, and his vision gradually became blurry.

Click!

Suddenly, he heard a slight sound.

It sounded like a plastic bag falling and hitting the floor.

A cool breeze with the fragrance of flowers blew onto his face.

Fragrance of flowers? Suddenly, Li Chengyi became energetic and looked forward with wide eyes.

In front of him was a small park shrouded in moonlight.

There was a dark red running track, swaying branches and leaves in the wind, and dimly lit solar street lights.

Everything was clear.

He came out!

“I…?!” Li Chengyi stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move.

He was worried that he was hallucinating.

He had clearly been talking to Meng Dongdong just now, asking her to guard him, and narrowed his eyes to rest.

How did he come out in the blink of an eye?

No, something’s wrong! He suddenly found that the running track on the ground was new, as though no one had ever used it.

The surrounding scenery was blurry, and he couldn’t see anything clearly.

Is this a dream? Did I fall asleep?

No! I can’t sleep. If I fall asleep, I’ll lose my ability to be vigilant of my surroundings. If something happens…

Li Chengyi tried his best to control himself and wake up from the dream.

But he had just fallen asleep and couldn’t wake up so soon.

Just as he was trying his best to wake up, Meng Dongdong leaned against the pillar and watched as Li Chengyi sat cross-legged on the floor with his back against the wall and gradually narrowed his eyes, and his breathing became even and steady.

She breathed a sigh of relief and looked around before focusing her gaze on the small maintenance room door opposite.

Yes, she had long noticed that this man who called himself Cheng Yi was very unstable, and he kept staring at the small door opposite from the corner of his eye.

He thought she didn’t notice, but she had seen it long ago and just didn’t say anything.

Standing by the stone pillar, Meng Dongdong gently put down the shopping bag in her hand and put on her coat.

She looked at Li Chengyi, who was sitting beside her against the wall. He wasn’t awake and was still resting with his eyes narrowed.

She could see the whites of his narrowed eyes from the side.

Meng Dongdong exhaled, bent over, took off her platform shoes, and stepped on the floor with her socks on.

Seeing that Li Chengyi still didn’t move…

She composed herself and suddenly bolted toward the small door of the maintenance room.

There was no exit up or down from here, and this man was so obsessed with this door. It was very likely that this was the entrance and exit of this damn place!

What monster? What danger? It was all made up by the man to scare her.

It was now the era of science and technology. It was impossible for there to be any monsters. He was underestimating her too much by trying to convince her with this story for deceiving three-year-old children.

Thump!

Meng Dongdong grabbed the handle of the small maintenance room door.

“Stop!” Li Chengyi’s hurried voice came.

He woke up at this moment and saw Meng Dongdong holding the door handle with one hand. He immediately shouted anxiously, “Don’t open the door!”

“You still want to lie to me?! Fuck you, lunatic!” Meng Dongdong suddenly twisted the door handle and pulled it. With a smile of success on her face, she rushed in.

But as soon as she looked inside, the smile on her face froze.

There was nothing behind the door except an empty, small utility room.

Standing at the door, Meng Dongdong was stunned.

She didn’t expect the maintenance room that Li Chengyi was so worried about to be like this. This difference was completely beyond her expectations.

Behind her, Li Chengyi was also stunned.

He had clearly just used the Flower Language Ability to stabilize the monster behind the door, but now, there was nothing behind the door.

“Is this the monster you’re talking about?” Meng Dongdong turned around and looked at Li Chengyi, her eyes full of doubt.

“…” Li Chengyi was speechless.

He could clearly feel that something had taken effect with his Flower Language Ability earlier, but now…

“It looks like you’ve rested well. Shall we find the exit now?” Meng Dongdong’s eyes darted around, and she didn’t continue this topic.

She now increasingly believed that this person was sick, and it was very likely a mental problem, such as hallucinations or something.

“…” Li Chengyi stared at the maintenance room in disbelief. It was empty. There was nothing inside.

There was no monster, no maintenance tools. It looked like a single room that had just been renovated.

Could the monster’s appearance have a time limit? A thought flashed in his mind.

He was certain that the monster existed, but the scene in front of him was difficult to explain. He had clearly felt the door being slammed earlier.

But now…

Bang!

Meng Dongdong closed the small door of the maintenance room. Seeing that Li Chengyi didn’t respond, she no longer had any hope for him.

He was a normal-looking mental patient.

Li Chengyi could tell what she was thinking, but he couldn’t prove that what he said was true.

… Unless he was willing to expose his Flower Language Ability. But that was impossible.

At any time, in any environment, people had to leave themselves a trump card that could turn the tables.

Now, in the Dead End, without the Flower Scale Gear, the Flower Language Ability was his only reliance.

With the element of surprise, he could even affect mysterious and terrifying monsters. Therefore, it was impossible for him to say it.

“Let’s go. We have to search carefully and find out how to leave this place.” Meng Dongdong looked around, her eyes flickering, clearly thinking.

Li Chengyi stood up and felt a little dizzy, but he was better than earlier.

At least after resting for a while, he recovered a small portion of his exhausted stamina.

He still looked at the small door in disbelief.

The small door of the maintenance room was closed. It was quiet, ordinary, and didn’t have any unusual signs.

He looked at Meng Dongdong standing at the side, raised his bag, walked to the door of the maintenance room, and carefully looked at the marks on the door and the footprints on the floor.

Although the floor was concrete, the sneakers he was wearing still left slight friction marks when he exerted force.

But no matter how he looked, there were no traces here.

This reminded him of when the traces disappeared earlier.

Li Chengyi stood up straight and looked at Meng Dongdong.

He suddenly figured out the woman’s performance just now. I thought I had stabilized her and that she believed what I said. From the looks of it, the situation was the other way around.

This woman deliberately tried to stabilize me by making me think that she believed me. Then, while I was resting, she took the opportunity to make a move and rushed over to open the door.

After figuring this out, Li Chengyi had an indescribable feeling in his heart. Meng Dongdong looked simple, and she spoke as though she didn’t lack money and relied on it to get her way.

But in fact, she adapted to situations and reacted quickly.

Click.

He reached out and opened the small maintenance room door. It was empty inside. He closed it with a soft sound.

There was really no monster anymore.

“Do you have any ideas about how to find the exit?” Since the woman didn’t believe the monster, he didn’t mention it. The most important thing now was not to prove whether there was a monster but to find the exit.

“You said you came up from the bottom, right?” Meng Dongdong asked.

“Yes.”

“I saw the same scene along the way. The only thing that can be turned open and closed are these small maintenance room doors, right?” she asked.

“Probably. I’m only sure that two doors can be opened,” Li Chengyi replied. The so-called two doors were the doors where the monster came out twice.

“That’s enough. Based on a simple analysis, our hope of getting out is very likely in these maintenance rooms,” Meng Dongdong said seriously.

Hearing this, Li Chengyi frowned. Am I going to risk my life with the maintenance rooms?

“Whether you believe it or not, when the door handles of the maintenance rooms turn from the inside, don’t let it open. It’s very dangerous!” he warned again.

“Monsters and whatnot are all nonsense,” Meng Dongdong said with a frown.

“That’s right. There are no monsters. I’ve had enough of this damn place. Even if they are monsters, I’ll kill them all!”

Li Chengyi was about to speak when an irritable male voice suddenly came from not far away.

There’s someone else?! He quickly looked in the direction of the voice.

At the bend, a tall and strong young man came down from the upper floor.

This man had thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was wearing a short white T-shirt with a miniature microphone clipped to his collar. The muscle lines of his brown skin were firm and strong, and he had a crew cut.

From afar, they could clearly see the calm and steady expression on his face, as if nothing could shake him.

Most importantly, he was holding a black pistol in his hand. The butt of the pistol was very thick, and the muzzle had an eye-catching decorative silver ring.

Gun?! Before Li Chengyi could confirm if it was a real gun…

The man had already walked to a few meters away from the two of them and stood still.

“Someone said that I was going to die. After entering this damn place, it’s impossible to get out alive. Heh…” He sneered. “I don’t fucking believe it!”

He raised his hand and released the safety of his pistol, making a clicking sound.