Chapter 33: Loss Of Control
Wei Ling collapsed to the ground in an instant, her eyes losing focus for a moment, then she looked up at Lu Jinzhao as if wanting to say something.
“I”
Just as she opened her mouth, the sharp pain in her throat made her stop speaking.
The spot where Lu Jinzhao had strangled her hurt badly; clearly, the other had used a heavy hand.
But that made sense too; if not for being on the brink of death, how could she possibly have snapped out of the illusion?
Lu Jinzhao probably knew what she wanted to say; the fleeting impatience and anxiety from earlier had now disappeared, and she said in her usual calm tone: “No need to thank me. I just don’t want to be the only one left alive on this platform at the end.”
Saving Wei Ling’s life created this favor, making it much easier to ask questions about the train.
Moreover, among the people Lu Jinzhao had observed, Wei Ling was one of the more outstanding ones; her behavior with Ye Jingyun had also given her inspiration—perhaps she could cultivate some suitable teammates herself.
However, it was still too early to say these things now.
“Be careful; it’s not over yet.”
There was still some time before dawn and the train’s arrival; Lu Jinzhao didn’t think the ghost would just give up killing them.
However, judging from the anomaly after entering the Ancestral Hall, could the ghost really not harm anyone inside the Ancestral Hall?
That made sense.
After all, it was just a Class C Instance; if the ghost could harm people inside the Ancestral Hall, the mission’s difficulty would be a bit too much.
“But the mission ending is still so far away, and there are only two of us. What if something unexpected happens again…”
Wei Ling’s voice no longer held the confidence it had when she first entered the platform.
Lu Jinzhao frowned slightly upon hearing the trembling tone in her voice, but when she lowered her head to make eye contact with Wei Ling, she restrained her expression, looking at the other calmly and saying:
“Based on the current situation, as long as we stay inside the Ancestral Hall, the ghost cannot truly harm us.”
“The only thing to watch out for is the illusions that could appear at any unknown time.”
As she spoke, her tone grew heavier: “You just need to remember that no matter what happens in front of you, absolutely do not try to leave your spot.”
Hearing this, Wei Ling breathed a sigh of relief, her complexion improving slightly.
Unknowingly, she had come to trust Lu Jinzhao immensely.
In the time that followed, the two didn’t engage in much communication; as time passed, hunger, fatigue, and drowsiness all surged up together—the last time they had eaten was over ten hours ago.
Though not enough to starve to death, it was sufficient to slowly weaken the body and erode one’s will.
Nothing could be read from Lu Jinzhao’s calm complexion, but Wei Ling’s frequent glances at her watch already revealed her inner anxiety.
“Almost, almost.”
“Just the last half hour left.”
Wei Ling’s mind had already begun fantasizing about what she would do after leaving this place.
First, she would definitely go home and sleep soundly, then get up, take a shower, and go downstairs to the restaurant to order every single dish on the menu!
At this moment, Wei Ling even felt she could eat everything on the menu.
Time ticked by second by second in her immense anticipation, and the ghost’s attack she had been worried about never came.
Finally, as the hour hand moved another notch, she heard the roar of a train coming from the distance.
A look of joy appeared on Wei Ling’s pale face; her weary body actually stood up straight, with the bluish-purple marks from Lu Jinzhao still on her neck, yet she disregarding everything said: “The train!”
“The train is here!”
The familiar train slowly pulled up outside, its doors opening slowly under Wei Ling’s immensely expectant gaze.
Warm light shone through from the doors—that was hope made manifest.
“Great, we survived.”
Joy at having survived the ordeal showed on Wei Ling’s face; she took a difficult step, about to head toward the train, but behind her came Lu Jinzhao’s voice.
She said:
“Don’t go.”
Wei Ling’s footsteps halted.
She turned her head, her expression toward Lu Jinzhao extremely complex—seeming both sad and joyful, with expectation mixed with despair.
She paused, then raised her finger pointing at the train door: “The train is right there—why not go?”
Her voice trembled, as if she already knew something but her subconscious refused to consider that possibility.
But Lu Jinzhao shattered her hope, stating the cruel fact in calm words.
“How do you know that’s not an illusion?”
Wei Ling’s hand dropped instantly; the complex expression on her face turned to dead silence in that instant, and the spark in her eyes also faded away at that moment.
Right, during the long wait, hadn’t she realized this herself?
She had just clung to a fluke of hope—what if the ghost couldn’t illusion a train?
If the ghost’s illusions could even fabricate a train, then wouldn’t they be doomed to die without doubt?
She looked up at Lu Jinzhao, her facial expression more awful than crying:
“So what should we do?”
If they couldn’t confirm whether the train’s arrival was an illusion, they could never board it!
They would be lost here, passively awaiting death!
Lu Jinzhao fell silent.
Seeing her silence, Wei Ling’s expression grew even more distraught; dragging her weary body, she quickly took a few steps closer to Lu Jinzhao, kneeling unconcernedly before her and grasping Lu Jinzhao’s sleeve in supplication: “You must have a way, right?”
“You’re so intelligent.”
Only after saying it did she realize she had said almost the same thing as Xu Ruolin.
But now she couldn’t even tell if that was her illusion or the real Xu Ruolin.
Perhaps it was all her illusion, her subconscious already seeking help from Lu Jinzhao?
Lu Jinzhao’s mind struggled repeatedly; many thoughts flashed quickly through her head as she tried to find a method to break the current situation.
In the end, she realized that with just Wei Ling and her, this situation was unsolvable.
Too difficult—why was a Class C Instance this hard?
A spark of anger from confusion even rose in Lu Jinzhao’s heart.
Until suddenly, a line of Blood Script appeared before her eyes.
The content on it was especially familiar to her.
[Pay the price, exchange for a way to survive]
It was the parchment.
Knowing full well there was something wrong with it, Lu Jinzhao had still brought it with her before entering the platform.
Now, it finally acted again.
Reluctance flashed in Lu Jinzhao’s eyes, but no matter how she thought about it, the answer was only one.
Either get lost here, or make an exchange with the parchment.
Wei Ling was still pleading with her; Lu Jinzhao could see that Wei Ling’s mental state had fluctuated repeatedly and reached some kind of limit—if she said something like it was impossible, probably the next second, Wei Ling would turn and head toward this unknown real-or-fake train door.
She closed her eyes briefly, sighed helplessly, then opened them again, and under Wei Ling’s gaze that looked toward her like a lifesaver, she calmly said:
“I know.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll save you, okay?”
