CH 104

Chapter 104 – Without a Key 16

Xu RenDong casually found an empty room, drove the maid away and fell asleep.

This time he finally managed to fall asleep. He had a long dream. There was nothing in this dream, only a black sweetness. When he woke up, he was in good spirits and his mood had recovered from the dull, almost numb pain. Only then did he realize that he was really tired.

He couldn’t remember how long since he’d had a good rest like this. He seemed accustomed to this prolonged state of mental strain. Every time something like this happened, it was like a race against time, a race against death.

Every time he wakes up in the elevator, his body has returned to its best state but his spirit is like a piece of iron that has been bent over and over again. It has become white and stiff and he does not know when it will break.

So when Lian Qiao offered to sacrifice himself, he would easily lose control and lose his temper with Lian Qiao.

So when Lian Qiao abandoned him and chose Shi JianChuan, he also didn’t do anything other than find a place to sleep.

He suddenly realized that his spirit had actually collapsed. He was so sick that he wanted to die and he didn’t want to struggle anymore.

But death is nothing but a rebirth. He can’t even die.

In any case, he finally got a good night’s sleep and he regained some strength. He was able to calmly examine his current state.

He heard very loud noises from outside. The wind and rain slapped on the doors and windows, with the sound of sharp arrows breaking through the air and the sound of insects flapping their wings. Some men and women were crying and screaming but the sounds soon disappeared into nothing.

Gradually, a reddish liquid seeped in from under the crack of the door. It’s rain mixed with blood.

Xu RenDong was very calm listening to the voices outside. He believed in the strength of Lian Qiao and Shi JianChuan. If these two cooperated, they would definitely find a way out. And since he is not affected by the curse, he just needs to sit back and enjoy their achievements.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help caressing his chest and hooking his fingers lightly. With that, he hooked out the longevity lock around his neck.

The longevity lock had a simple and plain style with delicate cloud patterns carved on it. He squeezed the longevity lock in the palm of his hand and it felt heavy and rigid, like a mother’s love turned into a reality.

…what a ridiculous thought.

He used to think that the one who hurt him the most was Zhong Xiu. Zhong Xiu brought him 20 years of loneliness and unwillingness, but at the end of her life, she left him the most precious thing – she gave him a way out.

He also once thought that the one who loved him the most and hated to see him hurt the most was Lian Qiao. But what about now?

Xu RenDong sat on the edge of the bed for a while and suddenly heard a knock on the door. He hid the longevity lock behind his shirt and before he could ask who was outside, he heard a hoarse voice shout:

“Open the door, cough, Ren, Ren Dong, come out!”

It was Lian Qiao.

Just by hearing the sound, he knew that he was seriously injured. Xu RenDong got up and went to the door, opened it and there was a bloody smell so thick that he choked his nose.

He saw Lian Qiao holding the door and standing on one leg with difficulty. An arrow was stuck in his injured left leg. The long sharp arrow pierced through his thigh and the blood stained his entire trouser leg red.

Fortunately it was the broken leg. If the other one got injured, he would only be able to crawl on the ground.

Xu RenDong looked away from Lian Qiao’s legs and suddenly noticed the corridor behind Lian Qiao. The railings were filled with slanted wooden arrows. The sharp arrows were all deeply inserted into the surfaces, showing how powerful the arrows were. From the angle, it seems that it was shot from the air towards the surrounding of the tulou, so the entire interior of the tulou was filled with arrows.

At this time, the entire tulou was already embroiled in a bloody storm. The wind was blowing hard outside and the rain was thundering. There were corpses everywhere in the tulou, some with their necks and heads cut off, some with torn stomachs and intestines. Bright pieces of red meat were scattered everywhere, it was impossible to tell if they used to be individual people.

The rain has flooded the floor. There was a strange mist in the air and a faint rancid stench. A giant snake circled in the pool and the sky was dark. A group of black giant birds circled around the giant snake.

“I found the elevator, cough, cough, let’s go!” Lian Qiao’s face was pale and blood oozed from his eyes and ears. It was unknown what he had experienced. He stretched out his hand to pull Xu RenDong but what he stretched out was not an intact palm, but a piece of bone!

Xu RenDong was startled and subconsciously wanted to help him. Lian Qiao suddenly withdrew his hand, turned around and gritted his teeth. He said, “Follow me!”

His left leg was seriously injured and it was unknown where his crutch had gone. He could only hold on to the railing and move forward step by step with difficulty.

After Xu RenDong slept for such a long time, his numb heart also recovered and he had the ability to feel heartache again. So he was very distressed.

Enduring distress while forcing yourself not to act will only make yourself more uncomfortable. So Xu RenDong reached out to him and pulled Lian Qiao onto his shoulders.

“…” Lian Qiao glanced at him blankly and then his eyes suddenly turned red.     

Xu RenDong didn’t want to look at him so he turned his head to look at the sky and changed the topic bluntly: “What is that?”

Lian Qiao’s breath was unsteady and a line of blood was coughing up from the corners of his lips. He took Xu RenDong to the edge of a broken railing and stopped, “The elevator is in the water, let’s jump down together.”

Xu RenDong looked down at the dark and deep water: “In the pool?”

Lian Qiao: “That’s right.”

Xu RenDong estimated the distance from here to the bottom of the water in his heart. The elevator should be at the bottom of the pool. If he added the height of the rainwater on the submerged floor, it was unknown how deep it was.

Seeing his hesitation, Lian Qiao broke free from his hand: “I have calculated it already. According to our lung capacity, it should be enough to swim to the elevator…cough, but the water level is rising fast and we can’t delay. Then it will be too late.”

While coughing, Lian Qiao moved his body up the gap in the railing: “Don’t worry, I’ll go down first.”

“…Let’s go down together.” Xu RenDong went around to the other side and grabbed his still intact arm.

Lian Qiao didn’t speak anymore, just took a deep breath while trembling slightly.

Xu RenDong closed his eyes. The next second, the two held hands and jumped into the water together.

The deep pool formed by the rain was freezing cold. Xu RenDong held his breath and opened his eyes in the pool. The pool water was a turbid green and light from nowhere shot down on the water, illuminating the shallow water.

The water was very dirty and it stung when it got into the eyes. But at this time, he couldn’t care about it so much so Xu RenDong endured the discomfort of his eyes, held his breath and went downstream.

The further down he went, the dimmer the light got. At first, the roars of fighting above the water could be heard but, gradually, those sounds became erratic, like a boat swaying further and further away.

Xu RenDong vaguely saw something in the slightly dark place below. Only when he swam close did he see clearly that it was actually a pale floating corpse!

It was unknown how long since the floating corpse had died and its entire body was soaked white. It looks like the body was a male corpse but the facial features were blurred. I was unknown if it was smashed by a blunt object or eaten by a school of fish. The original appearance couldn’t be seen at all.

Lian Qiao tugged at his arm and took him to swim in the other direction.

The oxygen remaining in his lungs was getting less and less and his nostrils contracted unconsciously, struggling to breathe. Xu RenDong tried to hold his breath but the more he dived, the greater the water pressure outside. Water squeezed into his nose desperately and there was a dull pain in the depths of his ears. He couldn’t help worrying about his eardrum being burst and the pool water pouring into his brain from his ear canal.

After another dive, however, fortunately what he feared did not happen.

The human body was much tougher than he imagined. Despite his growing thirst for air, he was able to hold on and was able to slowly paddle while remaining conscious.

In contrast, Lian Qiao must be working much harder than him.

Lian Qiao was seriously injured and he was already coughing up blood desperately whilst he was on the shore. Now that he was underwater, it was unknown how he was enduring it.

Xu RenDong couldn’t help turning his head to look at Lian Qiao. The light in the water swayed on Lian Qiao’s face. The blood on his face had already been washed away but his color was so bad that he didn’t look much better than the floating corpse.

After all, there was a sharp arrow piercing through the muscle on his leg and he had to struggle to dive into this cold and dirty pool. Lian Qiao was obviously in a lot of pain.

Xu RenDong felt a stab in his heart – if he didn’t choose to escape on his own these few days but found a way to work with Lian Qiao, then maybe Lian Qiao wouldn’t have suffered such a serious injury…

Thinking of this, Xu RenDong stiffly restrained own feelings.

Who hasn’t suffered an injury of this magnitude?

No one even knows about the injuries he has suffered, the inhuman pain he has suffered, and everything he has sacrificed.

Perhaps it is precisely because he doesn’t know that makes Lian Qiao capable of betraying him without telling him… It makes all his sacrifices seem so ridiculous.

Really, so very ridiculous.

Xu RenDong looked away indifferently, no longer looking at Lian Qiao’s pale face. Lian Qiao didn’t notice the gaze of the person beside him but just kicked through the water with difficulty and tried to dive down.

Suddenly, his expression brightened.

Xu RenDong looked forward and saw a huge silver-white metal block standing in front of him.

The elevator!

Xu RenDong also felt joy in his heart. Then he thought: the elevator has been found, then what about the button?

Lian Qiao’s expression suddenly changed and he stretched out his hand in front of him. Xu RenDong was stunned, not knowing what he meant.

Lian Qiao seemed to be enduring something. He frowned, opened his fingers and put something into his palm.

It was the button.

There’s nothing wrong with that touch, it’s just the button.

The elevator was close at hand and it was silent underwater. Xu RenDong glanced at Lian Qiao sideways and found that Lian Qiao was covering his mouth and his body trembled. Red blood seeped out from between his fingers and quickly spread into the pool.

It was very buoyant in deep water. Lian Qiao coughed badly and his entire person began to float up quickly. Xu RenDong hurriedly grabbed him but only caught a corner of his clothes. Lian Qiao coughed so badly that he couldn’t swim by himself so Xu RenDong had no choice but to grab the corner of his clothes and try to pull Lian Qiao back.

After finally pulling him to his side, Xu RenDong grabbed the elevator door, and finally managed to stabilise them. 

Liam Qiao was still holding back his cough. He covered his mouth and nose, revealing only the top half of his face but he smiled and raised his eyebrows.

Xu RenDong was about to install the button when he accidentally caught a glimpse of Lian Qiao’s smile. His heart was pierced for no reason and it was sore and painful.

However, in the next second, the smile in Lian Qiao’s eyes disappeared.

Xu RenDong’s heart thumped. He sensed something was not right and he wanted to hide, but Lian Qiao grabbed his arm.

What was he going to do? !

Xu RenDong tried desperately to withdraw his hand, but was pulled closer and closer by Lian Qiao. He was shocked and touched the knife on his body subconsciously but unfortunately Lian Qiao had already pulled him to the front with that grasping force. Before Xu RenDong drew out the knife, Lian Qiao had already left him behind!

He, in the end –

Xu RenDong’s eyes were shocked and pained, and he vigorously shook his arms, trying to turn around in the water. But when he turned back, he saw a bright red floating in the water.

Blood. A lot of blood, more blood, exploded from behind him.

Xu RenDong was instantly icy cold. A biting cold pain came from his limbs.

He finally turned around and saw Lian Qiao’s body that had been chomped in two within the waters that was close by.

A large amount of blood smeared the vision. A mouth of fine and sharp teeth gradually receded from behind Lian Qiao’s waist and disappeared into the darkness. Xu RenDong recognized the pair of teeth, they were the murlocs, the murlocs who had bitten him so hard that he wanted to die.

It turned out that – Lian Qiao was trying to save him –

Pushing him away was so he could die in his stead!

“Go-!” Lian Qiao hadn’t died yet so he shouted with all his strength. The blood and water mixed with the bubbles, carrying his last words, and rushed towards Xu RenDong.

Xu RenDong’s scalp was numb and his whole body was stiff. He watched Lian Qiao’s exposed intestines float in the water and watched as Lian Qiao turned into two pieces of lifeless flesh, sinking little by little.

Xu RenDong wanted to cry but the pool of water was too heavy, pressing his tears back into his eyes.

He also wanted to shout loudly but when he opened his mouth, cold water with a bloody smell poured into his nose and the intense pain caused him to faint.

In fact, he actually knew it deep down in his heart.

How could Lian Qiao betray him, how could he abandon him to pave the way for himself?

He was just in too much pain and there was no one who could share his pain. He could only deliberately bite back at Lian Qiao, he wanted Lian Qiao to feel the same pain as him and taste the same taste of despair as him.

But…but…

His tattered heart, which was obviously riddled with holes, turned out could still hurt more.

-But wasn’t that as it should be? Because he loves Lian Qiao.

How can you relieve your pain by hurting someone you love?

…

Fortunately, everything can be done all over again.

At this moment, Xu RenDong suddenly understood the meaning of that sentence.

“You will experience countless tortures, but this is not a punishment, it is a reward.”

It really is a reward.

Xu RenDong pulled the corner of his mouth and drew a wry smile. At the same time he released his fingers slightly.

The hard metal buttons slipped from his fingers, followed the current and sank into the depths of the pool. It soon disappeared.

There was less and less oxygen remaining in his body. The bloody pool water poured back into him, filling his entire lungs with the smell of Lian Qiao, cold and painful.

Let it be all over again.