TDU Chapter 29: Enigma

Chapter 29 Enigma

Officer Li didn’t answer Qiao Jiajin but turned to Qi Xia. "I do have one more question. It pertains to Han Yimo... You left something unsaid. What does Han Yimo's death signify? And what about the sword?"

Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, carefully examining Police Officer Li before responding, "Officer, you're the expert in criminal investigation, and I'm an expert at deception. Isn't it odd that you're seeking my advice on the case?"

Police Officer Li lowered his head helplessly. "We've ended up in this strange place; how can {criminal investigation} still be useful?"

Qi Xia was silent for a moment before deciding to share the clues he had pieced together. "Officer, I can only say... Han Yimo might have recognized that sword."

"Recognize?" Police Officer Li frowned, then nodded thoughtfully. "You mean he had seen that sword before?"

"These are not the issues you need to be concerned with," Qi Xia said. "You should focus on your own situation."

"What do you mean?"

Qi Xia sighed and turned to leave, but Police Officer Li grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Don't leave. What exactly is my {situation}?"

Lin Qin, covering her mouth and nose, leaned close to Police Officer Li's ear and whispered, "Mr. Officer, since Qi Xia won't say it, I will. There are two things you need to be careful of."

"Two?"

"That's right. First, the only person who could easily lift the giant sword is that crazy female shop assistant. She has a lot of strength. In other words, if Han Yimo was really killed, then the female shop assistant is the prime suspect. You should leave this place as soon as possible."

Police Officer Li nodded, his expression grave, and then asked, "And the second?"

"The second point of concern is your {teammates}. They don't seem trustworthy."

Police Officer Li's lips twitched slightly as if he had realized something.

Among his current companions were Xiao Ran, a kindergarten teacher easily swayed by emotions and not particularly astute; Zhang Chenze, a lawyer indifferent to everything, always weighing the pros and cons; and Doctor Zhao, who had previously clashed with him and appeared somewhat self-centered.

If the four of them encountered a life-threatening event, could they trust each other?

Officer Li wrestled with this question internally for a long time before finally speaking. "Qi Xia, no matter what, I'll use the convenience store as my base and explore several nearby areas. If you have any new information... you can come to me to exchange it."

Qi Xia neither agreed nor refused, merely giving him a calm glance before turning away.

The remaining few didn't know what to say and simply followed him.

Police Officer Li watched the four of them leave for a while, then returned to the convenience store with Doctor Zhao and Xiao Ran.

How could he not realize that the four people outside were more dependable in critical moments? However, they were going to collect {Dào}—in other words, courting death.

It wasn't safe to follow them.

If he intended to survive, they needed to establish a secure base of operations first and carefully plan their next steps.

……

Qi Xia led the group forward, soon reaching the plaza where they had arrived the day before.

He wanted to come here to confirm one thing: the source of the loud bell sound they had heard that morning.

Just like yesterday, there was a large electronic display in the center, with a copper bell hanging above it.

When Han Yimo was assassinated, the large bell had rung.

Lin Qin blinked and remarked, "I think I heard the bell ring several times..."

"Several times?" Qiao Jiajin paused and asked, "When?"

Lin Qin pondered for a moment and then remembered, "Do you recall... the young man whose head was smashed by {Mortal Goat} when we first woke up in that room? It seemed like the bell rang when he died."

Tian Tian seemed to grasp something. "Could it be that... every time someone dies, the bell rings?"

Several people nodded, agreeing that this hypothesis seemed plausible. The copper bell before them appeared to serve as a death toll, signaling each death that occurred.

"No," Qi Xia shook his head. "The corridor we passed through had at least a thousand rooms. While we were participating in the {games}, people were dying constantly in those rooms. If this were a death knell, we would have heard far more than just two bells."

"True..." Tian Tian agreed that Qi Xia's reasoning was sound. But if that's not the case, what triggers the giant bell to ring?

"Huh?" Lin Qin looked up at the display screen and noticed it was blank. "I remember there was a line of text on it yesterday."

Everyone glanced up and confirmed that the words had indeed disappeared.

"It seems to be... something related to reverberation," Qiao Jiajin mused, touching his chin in thought. "I beckoned a calamity of reverberation?"

"I hear the reverberation of {Beckoned Calamity}," Qi Xia corrected.

"Oh, right..." Qiao Jiajin nodded, then asked, "What does that mean?"

Qi Xia shook his head.

This isn't something that could be figured out through mere {speculation}. There was too little known about this city.

What was Beckoned Calamity? What did Reverberation mean? Who was {I}?

"Nevermind, let's go somewhere else," Qi Xia said, turning around to leave. Suddenly, he froze in place.

Before him was a gaunt face, smiling.

This person appeared behind him seemingly out of nowhere, now staring at him intently.

Qi Xia's pupils dilated, and he instinctively took two steps back.

The remaining three were also startled. Before them stood a withered elderly man, his back hunched like a dead tree, standing on tiptoes.

"I've figured it out..." The elderly man smiled faintly, revealing his solitary tooth. "I've pondered your question deeply!"

Qi Xia felt a chill run down his spine as the elderly man continued to gaze at him. "Are you speaking to me?"

The elderly man smoothed his cracked lips. "Young'un, I know the answer! It's {staking your life}! If you stake your life, everything becomes manageable!"

He extended his hand, its dirty nails reaching towards Qi Xia.

"Escape is within our grasp! All you need to do is stake your life..."

Qi Xia furrowed his brow and took several more steps back. He couldn't comprehend the elderly man's words, but the insistence on staking his life was unsettlingly peculiar.

"Hey! Old geezer, who are you?" Qiao Jiajin asked suspiciously. "Have you met Qi Xia before?"

The elderly man's expression shifted, and he turned to gaze at Qiao Jiajin.

With a complicated expression, he opened his mouth and queried, "Don't you recognize me?"

"Why should I recognize you?"

There was a brief silence, the elderly man's cloudy eyes flickering. After a long pause, he finally pieced something together. "Ah, I see... You all... have already encountered {Celestial Dragon}..."

"Celestial Dragon?" The four exchanged bewildered glances.

"There's no hope..." The elderly man shook his head sadly, then slowly turned around. "We can't defeat him... We're trapped here forever... No wonder the {Earthly Branches} have returned..."

He walked away, muttering to himself, his desolate figure disappearing into the distance.