Heartland

"Of course... hehe, I know exactly what I'm saying." The Human Dragon took a step forward slowly and said to everyone, "Countless people have walked out of this door, and I've said these words to each and every one of them." "Countless..." The crowd was stunned for a moment, and Officer Li said fiercely, "What exactly are you? How many people have you captured?" "Captured?" The Human Dragon tilted his head, revealing a pair of dirty eyes from the hollow of his mask. He stared coldly at Officer Li and said with a smirk, "Are you mistaken? Did we really 'capture' you?" "Isn't it?!" Officer Li gritted his teeth. "Are you suggesting we came here voluntarily?!" Ringo sighed and said to Qixia and Officer Li, "You both know they're crazy, so don't try to argue with them. Let's just get out of here." Her words sobered up the crowd a bit. These people wearing animal masks were already abnormal, and the man in front of them who stitched together various animal heads was even crazier. If they followed the lunatics' logic, they would go mad themselves in no time. The crowd bypassed the Human Dragon and headed towards the exit behind him. "Remember, without thirty-six hundred 'Dao,' no one can leave." The Human Dragon reminded them in a low voice. Qixia turned his head as if by instinct and asked him, "How do we get 'Dao'?" "I'll be damned, why bother?" Qiao Jiajin pushed Qixia impatiently. "Do you really want to go find those golden beads?" "Regardless, I must get out." Qixia's eyes were filled with determination. "Someone is waiting for me." The Human Dragon nodded slightly and said, "It's the 'games' you've experienced. Different games can earn you different 'Dao.'" Qixia's face looked somewhat unpleasant as he examined the golden beads in his hand. "Are you saying... we have to actively participate in the games to get 'Dao'?" "Hehe, that's right, take them, take them all." The Human Dragon waved his filthy hands incessantly. "You must leave this place." Qixia looked at the beads in his hand, lost in thought. The crowd didn't know how to persuade him and just followed one after another out of the door. A breeze blew, carrying a strange and heavy smell. The few people present slowly opened their eyes but didn't show the joy of newfound life. Because before them lay a dead city resembling ruins. Above the dark red sky hung a sun the color of earth. Black lines crawled across its surface, spreading inward. Under this bizarre sky was a dilapidated city. It seemed to be the prosperous area of a small town, but it looked like it had been bombed once and then burned to ashes. The fire had burned for days and nights without being extinguished, ending up like this. Most of the houses were damaged, and the walls were cracked. Countless dark red plants covered the walls. Officer Li swallowed and asked, "Hey, Human Dragon, where the hell did you bring us..." He turned his head, and his words abruptly stopped, his mouth slowly gaping open. The others turned their heads at the sound of his voice. There were no buildings behind them, just an open square. The nine of them stood alone in the center of the square, as if they had descended from the sky. "How did we get here?" "Where's the door we came out of?! And the Human Dragon?!" Unfortunately, no one here could answer their questions. In the center of the square, there was a particularly conspicuous large electronic display screen, which looked like it had been around for quite some time, with even the edges showing signs of rust. On the screen was a sentence that puzzled everyone: "I hear the echoes of 'summoning calamity.'" "Summoning calamity? What the hell is that?" Qiao Jiajin read the sentence twice and still didn't understand. Qixia noticed a large and mottled bronze bell above the electronic display screen. This ancient object looked very discordant next to the electronic display screen. After a long time, the writer Han Yimo slowly raised his head and said softly, "So we're really dead... This is the underworld, right?" Before seeing this scene, he still had a glimmer of hope. Maybe they hadn't died, just caught here before death. But how to explain this obviously abnormal world? "I don't know if we're dead or not, I just know if I don't treat your wounds, you will be dead." Dr. Zhao forced himself to stay alert and supported Han Yimo's arm. This sentence also slowly brought everyone back to reality from their daze. Anyway, they seemed to be "alive" now, and since they seemed to be alive, they couldn't give up. "It looks like there's a convenience store over there." Ringo pointed her finger to the distance. "Although it looks severely damaged, I wonder if there will be any needles, threads, and bandages inside?" Without hesitation, Qiao Jiajin took Han Yimo's other arm and smiled bitterly, "Let's go and see. It would be even better if there's something to eat." The crowd moved forward slowly. The atmosphere here was always emitting a strange aura, making everyone somewhat uneasy. The convenience store was located in the middle of a road, with the glass door completely shattered, and half of the sign collapsed. Just as the group was about to reach the door, they stopped abruptly. Across from the convenience store was a restaurant, and a figure stood at the entrance. He wore a bull-headed mask, a black suit, and stood with his hands behind his back, like a statue. The mood of the crowd couldn't help but become tense. These people wearing animal masks were all lunatics. Now that he stood here, was he going to announce another "test"? After waiting cautiously for a while, the bull-headed figure didn't move at all. Not only did he not speak, but he didn't even look at the people. The crowd finally mustered up the courage to move forward again and approached the entrance of the convenience store. "Is he a dummy?" Sweetheart asked cautiously. Qixia carefully observed the bull-headed figure. His eyes under the mask were still moving slightly, so he probably wasn't a dummy, more like guarding the restaurant behind him. "Whatever he is, let's pretend he doesn't exist." Officer Li turned and pushed open the dilapidated door of the convenience store. As soon as the door opened, a nauseating smell rushed out. The smell of the city itself was already particularly heavy, and the smell in the convenience store was even worse. The smell of blood, rot, and burnt mixed with a hint of heat lingered in the room. These smells seemed fresh, like they had just emanated. "Ugh..." Lawyer Zhang Chenze couldn't bear it and bent over to dry heave. Sweetheart looked at her with some concern and asked, "Miss Zhang, are you okay?" "I'm fine..." Zhang Chenze wiped her mouth and looked at Sweetheart, saying, "You seem unaffected..." Sweetheart's expression was unnatural, and she could only smile bitterly and say, "It might be related to my profession... I've smelled worse things before." "Don't... don't say anymore..." Zhang Chenze almost vomited again. Qixia covered his nose and mouth as he entered the room. Most of the shelves here had collapsed, and the floor was pitch black and sticky, covered in who-knows-what.