Xun Dao

What do the twelve zodiac signs represent? What is at the end of the corridor? Is it the underworld? Above this dim corridor with no visible end, everyone moved forward tremblingly. After several rounds of intense "games," everyone felt physically and mentally exhausted. At this moment, they suddenly relaxed, and the deathly smell that had been lingering around them also faded. Qixia inadvertently turned his head and saw Ringo standing beside him. She always had her hand covering her nose and mouth. "Don't you feel uncomfortable like this?" Following Ringo's example, Qixia also placed his hand over his nose and mouth. "Although the smell here is unpleasant, covering your nose and mouth like this will make it hard to breathe." "Breathing?" Ringo was slightly startled, then smiled faintly. "I don't feel difficulty breathing, it just feels strange not to cover my nose and mouth, like..." "Like what?" "Like being naked." Ringo smiled awkwardly and then took her hand off her nose and mouth. Her nose was straight, and her lips were rosy, completely unnecessary to cover. Qixia didn't understand what she meant by "like being naked." Ringo smiled faintly but still felt uncomfortable, so she covered her nose and mouth with her hand again. "A bit shy... Don't you all feel awkward?" Ringo asked Qixia, "Just exposing your nose and mouth like this." "Why would it be awkward?" Qixia felt puzzled. "It's the 'masks'..." Ringo also looked at Qixia with a puzzled expression, her eyes like she was looking at an alien. "Without wearing a 'mask,' why can you be so calm?" "Masks..." Before Qixia could react, a strange light suddenly appeared in the distance. Everyone was drawn to this light and looked ahead. It's the exit. A light like the sunset glow came from the exit. "We're getting out!!" Qiao Jiajin exclaimed excitedly. "I see the light of the sunset!" This shout undoubtedly injected a dose of encouragement into everyone. Dr. Zhao supported Han Yimo and hastened their pace along with everyone else. "The sunset?" Qixia thought for a moment and said to everyone, "We woke up at twelve o'clock, went through over an hour of gameplay time, so it should be around two o'clock now. Whether it's two in the morning or two in the afternoon, it's impossible to see the 'sunset.'" "I think you're overthinking it," Officer Li shook his head. "The time in the room may not be accurate. Maybe it's really evening now." Qixia nodded slightly. He knew Officer Li was right. All his knowledge of time came from the mantle clock in the room, but no one could guarantee that the mantle clock in the room showed the correct time. After a few more steps forward, everyone saw a figure near the exit. As they continued to advance, the black shadow gradually took on a human form. He also wore an animal mask, but this mask made everyone feel nauseous. Unlike all the other animal masks, this person's mask was not made from the head of a single animal but from the stitched together organs of many. His mouth looked like that of a crocodile, his nose like that of a bull, his face was covered in fish scales, and his neck was wrapped in snake skin. In addition, he had sewn lion's mane and deer antlers onto his mask. This creature looked like... "Hello, everyone, I'm 'Human Dragon.'" The stitched-together monster spoke slowly. "Everyone survived? That's quite remarkable." "Dragon...?" Everyone instinctively stopped in their tracks, their nerves tense. It's not because the "dragon" is scary, but because they're too familiar with this opening. Every time someone introduces themselves like this, it's followed by a terrifying game. "Don't be nervous, your 'test' has come to an end." The Human Dragon waved his hand, and everyone noticed the eagle-claw gloves on his hands. All the animal organs on his body were somewhat rotten and bloated, emitting a foul smell, but he seemed oblivious, saying to himself: "I won't give you a new 'test,' just some advice." No one spoke, huddling together, watching the Human Dragon warily. "For ten days, you have ten days to change everything." The Human Dragon said slowly, "If you can't get thirty-six hundred 'Dao' within ten days, the world you're in will be destroyed. Everything you see will be buried along with it." The short sentence left everyone puzzled. "Thirty-six hundred 'Dao'?" Qixia frowned. "What are 'Dao'? And what does it mean that the world we're in will be destroyed?" "Questions, hehehe, good." The Human Dragon nodded. "Questions show that you're still clear-minded. The so-called 'Dao'..." The Human Dragon reached into his black suit pocket, fumbled for a while, and pulled out four golden balls. The outer ring of the balls was white, and the inner ring was golden, shimmering with a strange light. "These are the 'Dao'." The Human Dragon continued, "As long as you have thirty-six hundred 'Dao,' you'll be saved." Qixia pondered for a moment, then reached out and took one of the balls. The ball felt not hard but even a bit elastic. "Take it, it originally belongs to you." The Human Dragon smiled. Qixia thought for a while and took all four "Dao" balls. "You've passed four tests, 'The Liar,' 'After the Rain Comes Spring,' 'Death from Above,' and 'True or False.' These are your rewards and your 'chips.'" No one had ever imagined that what they had exchanged for their lives multiple times would be these inconspicuous little beads. At this moment, they didn't know what to say. "'Dao'..." Qixia frowned, a helpless expression on his face. "So you mean if we can't find thirty-six hundred of these balls, this place will be destroyed?" "Hehehe, that's right. If this place is destroyed... you can't leave." The Human Dragon nodded, the fish scales and lion's mane on his face swaying with his head, looking very awkward. "It seems you have quite a few of these balls. Can't you gather thirty-six hundred yourself?" Officer Li said decisively. "And you're stronger than us. Obviously, you could find them yourself, so why choose us?" "Me?" The Human Dragon sneered. "We're all sinners. Sinners can't obtain 'Dao.' Only chosen ones like you can get 'Dao' and eventually become 'gods.'" "This is ridiculous!" Zhang Chenze interrupted the Human Dragon, her hands crossed in front of her chest, asking somewhat angrily, "Do you even know what you're talking about?"