FI CH 33

Chapter 33: Underground Labyrinth (III)

After knocking out two passing brutes, Bai Hua stripped them of their clothes and helped Kurosawa and himself put them on. He then tousled their hair a bit and smeared on some dirt. Sure enough, they looked much more like they belonged in this environment.

They chose a less crowded path and passed through quietly. People they walked by didn’t react strangely at all and continued whispering about the “invaders.”

The “invaders” were most likely referring to the six of them.

Kurosawa lowered his voice and said, “It seems this shelter isn’t completely isolated. There’s a lot of movement, so most people probably don’t bother memorizing every face. That works in our favor.”

Bai Hua asked, “But what now? We ended up in this space by accident—we should first figure out how to get back.”

“Mental landscapes created by environments usually follow a certain pattern,” Kurosawa said

“Our arrival here likely wasn’t pure coincidence—we probably triggered some unknown condition. Let’s return to the main hall and see if there are any clues that might help us return to reality.”

By the time the two of them returned to the hall, the banquet had already dispersed—probably because of the earlier intrusion. Only a few women remained, cleaning up the mess, along with a few sturdy men standing guard.

One of the men seemed to find them unfamiliar and kept eyeing them back and forth. But perhaps because they were wearing oversized clothing that didn’t quite fit—plus the fact that their builds were thinner than the locals—he didn’t recognize them as the intruders. Since they didn’t seem threatening, he didn’t press further.

The two pretended to be hungry, picked up some leftover food, and huddled in a corner, slowly eating.

Just then, a few of the pursuers returned and began speaking quietly with the guards stationed in the hall.

“Did you find them?”

“No. But the entrance is sealed—they won’t be able to escape…”

The men seemed to be deliberately lowering their voices—their conversation grew increasingly hushed—but Bai Hua still heard every word clearly. Sitting there, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange feeling, as if he had truly belonged to this era all along. Being hunted by these people seemed completely logical and real, as if everything had unfolded exactly as it should.

It was so convincing, so vivid, that it felt indistinguishable from reality.

He knew that anyone who lingered too long inside a mental landscape could easily start blurring the line between illusion and reality—eventually mistaking the illusion for the real world and rejecting reality as false.

Kurosawa gently nudged his hand and said, “Don’t overthink it. Just trust my judgment.”

As a sentinel, Bai Hua was naturally more susceptible to sensory distractions, making it easier to lose himself. On a battlefield, this wasn’t a big deal. But in a world like this—where illusion and reality were intertwined—it was the easiest place to lose one’s sense of self.

By now, Bai Hua was used to Kurosawa’s ability to read his emotions. He simply replied, “I’m fine. I was just wondering if He He and the others might’ve gone through something like this too.”

Kurosawa said, “Even if they did, there’s nothing we can do about it now. What we can do is bring them back. Don’t worry—we’ll find a way.”

After staying in the hall for a while and realizing there were no more useful clues or information to glean, the two of them decided to look around elsewhere.

Following his instincts, Kurosawa chose a corridor at random. They hadn’t gone far when Bai Hua suddenly heard a commotion coming from around the corner—low voices shouting, along with the muffled groans of someone being hit.

Kurosawa hadn’t caught the faint sounds. Seeing Bai Hua suddenly stop, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Bai Hua glanced at him but didn’t respond. He knew better than to meddle in someone else’s business… but he still couldn’t stop himself from approaching the corner.

Kurosawa didn’t ask further and followed him in.

In a secluded corner against the wall, several older boys had someone surrounded. A scrawny child lay quietly on the ground, taking the blows. Only when the pain became unbearable did he let out a soft grunt. In his hands, he clutched a piece of cloth tightly, guarding it like a treasure—refusing to let go no matter how much he was beaten.

One of the bigger boys kept hitting him while yelling, “Give it to me!”

The child stubbornly replied, “…No! It’s for my brother. You can’t take it!”

“What’s the point of giving that little monkey anything—” The older boy abruptly stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Kurosawa and Bai Hua standing nearby. Thinking the child had called them over, he quickly ordered the others to stop and scurried away.

The child, unaware of what just happened, quickly lifted his head. Seeing the two strangers walking toward him, he ignored the pain from his injuries and tightened his grip protectively over what he held.

Bai Hua said, “We’re not going to take your stuff.”

The child’s soft voice asked, “Really?”

“Mm. Let me help you up.” Bai Hua used just one hand to easily pull him to his feet.

The boy looked very young—about five or six years old. Though he expressed his gratitude for the help, the wariness in his eyes didn’t fade in the slightest.

Bai Hua looked at the child and suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity, as though they had met before. “What’s your name?”

The child seemed to sense Bai Hua’s goodwill and answered, “Xiao Jiu.”

“Where do you live? We can take you back.”

Xiao Jiu shook his head quickly, clutching tightly onto the thing in his hands. “Thanks, but there’s no need. I can go back myself.” After thanking them again, he turned and ran off.

Bai Hua watched the small figure disappear into the distance, ultimately choosing not to say anything.

Kurosawa asked, “Want to follow him?”

“No.”

The two of them wandered around that floor for a while. They discovered that although this place wasn’t exactly free, it was governed by strict rules and systems. Access to many areas was restricted, making it resemble a miniature society. Internally, it wasn’t as peaceful as they had imagined—plenty of infighting and power struggles occurred—but once an external threat appeared, everyone would set aside their biases and work together.

Kurosawa managed to gather that most people who came here were descendants of displaced refugees, including fugitives and the homeless. Some had enemies in the outside world, while others had offended powerful military leaders or influential figures. They were wanted fugitives destined to remain in the shadows for life.

No one really knew who had built this temporary shelter in the first place, but over time, the population grew, the community expanded, and those who stayed simply settled down and made it their home. Even though the outside world had changed significantly, they still clung tightly to this place.

Bai Hua asked in confusion, “Then why did this place eventually disappear?”

Kurosawa shook his head. In all the records and documents he had read, there was never a single mention of this underground city.

The only thing they could now be certain of… was that this place likely had something to do with Lin Yuan.

Even after spending several days here, the two still hadn’t uncovered any new leads.

Unexpectedly, they ran into that same child again—Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu, perhaps because he was still very young, often became a target. This time, they saw him surrounded again by another group of older boys who clearly intended to snatch the food in his hands. Scenes like this were apparently commonplace here—no one nearby stepped in to help.

Due to the scarcity of supplies, everyone understood how hard it was to get anything in this place.

Just as Bai Hua was about to step forward, Kurosawa held him back.

Kurosawa pointed toward a shadowy area and simply said, “Look.”

Bai Hua followed the direction Kurosawa was pointing and saw a brown-haired boy suddenly dart out from the shadows, standing protectively in front of Xiao Jiu.

Logically, one child standing up for another should be at a disadvantage. Yet, when those boys surrounding them saw the brown-haired kid, their expressions immediately changed. They seemed frightened of him, muttered a few curses under their breath, and then quickly left.

Xiao Jiu walked up and called out to the brown-haired boy, “Gege.”

Only then did Bai Hua notice—the clothes the brown-haired boy was wearing were made from the piece of fabric Xiao Jiu had been clutching that day.

The brown-haired boy turned around and asked Xiao Jiu, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. How does the clothing feel?”

“Very comfortable.”

Xiao Jiu smiled and said, “That’s great. I heard this kind of silk fabric won’t irritate your skin. That way, you won’t lose sleep at night anymore…”

To others, this would’ve sounded like a completely ordinary conversation. But Bai Hua caught something deeper—the brown-haired boy was a sentinel.

Judging by his age, he didn’t look any older than Xiao Jiu, and yet he had already awakened.

Panicked, Bai Hua suddenly called out, “Kurosawa—”

The brown-haired boy seemed to hear Bai Hua’s voice and quickly turned his head to look straight at them.

Bai Hua’s heart tightened.

That sharp gaze—it looked strikingly similar to Lin Yuan’s.

(To be continued…)