TDU Chapter 270
Chapter 270 Confronting the Devil
Su Shan, along with Lin Qin, Doctor Zhao, and Han Yimo, walked down the street. They had intended to find a few simple {Mortal-grade} games, but by chance, they ended up standing in front of a display screen.
On the screen was just a solitary sentence: {I hear the reverberation of Penalty Proxy}.
Lin Qin had a persistent sense that something was amiss.
The screen had always borne a single line, sparse and isolated—yet never this one.
"Han Yimo..." Lin Qin turned around and inquired, "You..."
"Mm?" Han Yimo raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
"You..." Lin Qin hesitated, carefully choosing her words, before cautiously asking, "Aren't you... afraid in a place like this?"
Doctor Zhao and Su Shan, hearing their conversation, both looked over in curiosity.
"Afraid?" Han Yimo pondered for a moment before replying, "Now that you mention it... I was terrified before, but after Qi Xia showed up, my fear slowly faded."
"What...?" Lin Qin furrowed her brow slightly. "Are you saying... that because you've witnessed Qi Xia's methods, you’re no longer afraid of this place?"
"Exactly," Han Yimo nodded. "Haven’t you noticed? Qi Xia is the {Savior}. He’s going to lead us out of here."
Lin Qin’s expression turned cold as she looked at Han Yimo—she realised he had lost his mind.
During the days when Qi Xia hadn’t appeared, his spirit had been tortured daily. The only way he could endure was by imagining everything here as part of a fictional world, allowing his heart some semblance of peace.
But fortunately, his release was near. Once he died before his {Reverberation} triggered, his lost sanity, spirit, and worldview would all return.
From another perspective, this was also a form of redemption.
"Su Shan... where exactly are we going?" Doctor Zhao asked the woman beside her.
"As Qi Xia said, we’re going to find a {Mortal-grade} game," Su Shan replied. "From the knowledge you all shared with me, I feel like going for {Mortal-grade} games is a risk-free, profitable venture."
"Oh..." Doctor Zhao’s gaze swept over Su Shan, a hint of scheming glinting in his eyes. “Alright then… I’m in your hands.”
Having roughly determined their course, the four were about to depart when an unsettling sight suddenly presented itself.
An elderly woman, her steps slow and deliberate, was guiding a bare-bottomed child along the roadside. Her wrinkles etched deep like ancient ravines, and she wore clothes that seemed to belong to another era, evoking the image of someone from times long past.
The child, no more than three or four, was dressed in a bright red dudou[1], adorned with gleaming golden bangles on his arms and ankles, and his forehead was styled into a small tuft of hair.
The four all furrowed their brows upon witnessing this scene.
What was this...?
{Indigenous inhabitants}?
Do such elderly women and young children still exist among the {indigenous inhabitants}?
Lin Qin felt an odd sense of unease. She had been here for a long time and had never encountered such {participants}.
Their ages completely contradicted the norm of {End Point}.
As the two approached, Lin Qin couldn’t help but instinctively cover her mouth and nose. It seemed as though a strange odor was beginning to fill the air.
"Oh dear..." The elderly woman’s face bloomed into a warm smile as she saw them, her wrinkles deepening further, as if each crease had been meticulously carved with a knife.
Lin Qin’s throat tightened as she swallowed, unconsciously stepping back.
There was something unsettling about these two.
"Ma’am..." Though Su Shan's curiosity was piqued, her knowledge of the place was scant, yet she still found herself starting a conversation. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Missy..." The elderly woman smiled and asked, "Have any of you heard?"
"Heard...?"
"Yes, yes!" The elderly woman gave a firm nod and released the child’s hand. She then traced a circle in the air before her, pursing her wrinkled lips. "With a resounding {clang}!—so loud! So earth-shattering! It nearly frightened me to death!"
"Ar—Are you referring to the {bell}?"
"Oh dear... it was no ordinary {bell} sound..." The elderly woman shook her head. "Did I not make myself clear? So loud! So earth-shattering!"
"Su—Su Shan…" Lin Qin tugged at her sleeve, voice trembling. "Stop talking to them. Let’s go. Now."
Though she didn’t fully grasp the situation, Su Shan gave a stiff nod and turned to leave.
Yet the instant they turned their backs—the elderly woman materialized in front of them again, closer than before.
A foul, decaying odor began to reach their noses.
The elderly woman still pouted her wrinkled lips and said, "Oh dear... what was that thing? It was so loud! Right here! In this very area!"
Only then did the collective finally realize the immense danger posed by the elderly woman before them.
Seeing that there was no way out, Su Shan could only ask softly, "Ma'am... are you... seeking something?"
"Yes, yes!" The elderly woman nodded vigorously. "I’m looking for someone! Looking for someone!"
"Looking for someone..." Su Shan gave a meaningful glance at the others beside her before turning back to the elderly woman. "Ma'am, might I suggest that you tell me the person you seek, and I shall gladly direct the way?"
Lin Qin noticed that Su Shan had already broken out in a cold sweat.
"Direct the way?" The elderly woman gazed at Su Shan, bewildered. "It’s this way! Right here!"
At that, Lin Qin took a step forward and said, "So you mean the bell rang here, right?"
"Yes!" The elderly woman nodded happily. "I heard it from the vehicle! Who could it be?"
The four of them exchanged puzzled glances. There were too many oddities surrounding the elderly woman. What did she mean by {heard it from the vehicle}? Could she have really come here by car?
Moreover... it seemed like she was looking for a {Reverberatee}. Could it be the {Penalty Proxy} displayed on the screen?
Only Lin Qin, among those present, recognized that {Penalty Proxy} referred to Chen Junnan.
Was it time to betray Chen Junnan directly?
Although he had {Reverberation}, which made his death inconsequential...but what exactly was this elderly woman doing?
At that moment, the child in the red dudou slowly walked over and grabbed the elderly woman's hand. "They’re not talking... they seem like they’ve gone dumb."
"Dumb?" The elderly woman stared at them, bewildered. "They’re not supposed to be dumb..."
"Can I eat them?" The child asked cheerfully, a wide grin on his face.
His words sent a chill down the spines of the four.
"Didn't you already eat before coming down?" The elderly woman asked, clearly puzzled. "We’ve only just found someone to question. Let’s finish our questioning before eating."
"Ah..." The child revealed an expression of deep regret, "So I can't eat them now..."
As the group was caught in a deadlock, a loud shout suddenly echoed from afar.
"Chen Junnan, you bastard, stop right there!!"
Their eyes lifted, only to catch sight of a woman, sharp and sly like a vixen, pursuing Chen Junnan.
Chen Junnan appeared as though he had encountered a ghost, fleeing from her with desperate urgency.
But in the next instant, he saw the elderly woman and the child from afar. His face drained of color, as if he was confronting the devil himself. Without hesitation, he swiftly changed course and ran even faster.
Qin Dingdong had just parted her lips to speak when her gaze landed on the elderly woman and child. A shudder overtook her, and without a word, she turned to follow Chen Junnan in haste.
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
Footnote:
[1] A dudou (肚兜) is a traditional Chinese article of clothing that covers the front of the torso, originally worn as an undershirt with medicinal properties. The dudou proper was popularized under the Ming dynasty beginning in the mid-1300s around the time of the Black Death. The medicinal aspect of the dudou was underscored by its common incorporation of small pockets to hold snatches of ginger, musk, or other herbs intended to boost the stomach's qi. Its red form is also held to ward off evil spirits in Chinese folk religions.
