Suddenly, I felt something was off with my shoulder; the spot where I had been pressed down by the “Dumb Oil Bottle” was covered in blood. From the other side came the heart-wrenching scream of the fat guy, not a triumphant shout but a desperate roar forced into a corner, enough to send chills down one’s spine.

Although I couldn’t see anything, I could imagine the situation around us. The figures among the stones must have completely surrounded us. I recalled the numbers I had seen earlier on the ground: sixteen, seventeen, ten, four—adding up to thirty-seven. The two that had just been burned to death meant we were now facing thirty-five.

I couldn’t see the situation around me and didn’t know if the fat guy and the others were injured, so I didn’t think too much about it. I was too focused on gripping the iron rod tightly, my attention fully on my ears. The fat guy was far away from us, likely separated, and he was having a hard time controlling his breathing; it was very tense, yet he was also sneaky enough to lower his breath, thinking that everyone should go look for him.

Before long, the fat guy’s side erupted first. He let out a muffled grunt, then shouted, “Damn it! Let’s go!” With a whoosh, I didn’t know what he hit, but chaos erupted over there. Something started to scream, and all around us, it sounded like a flock of startled birds taking flight, shrieking and rushing towards him.

I swung the rod, wanting to rush over and help, but after taking just a couple of steps, I bumped into something slimy. Before I could react, a sharp screech pierced the darkness, and a strong wind knocked me to the ground, causing immediate pain in several places on my body.

I reached out and grabbed a claw, but it slipped from my hand immediately. I hurriedly tried to block with my hands, but soon they were a mess of scratches. However, after a few moments, I heard a muffled thud; that thing was kicked away by someone.

I scrambled to get up, but was held down by the “Dumb Oil Bottle” on my shoulder. He whispered urgently, “Don’t speak, don’t move!” After saying that, he rushed like a gust of wind towards the fat guy.

I felt strange; I wanted to help but also felt I had to listen to the “Dumb Oil Bottle.” Suddenly, I sensed something was wrong with my shoulder. When I touched it, I found that the spot he had pressed was covered in blood. The amount of blood couldn’t have come from a mere scratch; I must have been seriously injured. A chill ran down my spine; during that earlier struggle, it seemed like he had the upper hand in the darkness, but clearly, he had also taken quite a hit.

The fat guy’s heart-wrenching scream came again, not a victorious shout but a furious roar of someone pushed to the brink, enough to send shivers down one’s spine. Many times, I couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if one of the three of us were to meet with an accident. But I thought, as long as the “Dumb Oil Bottle” was around, it seemed impossible for such a thing to happen. Yet now, that feeling had vanished; the fat guy could very well be killed here.

“Get back to the wall!” The voice of the “Decision Bottle” came from the fat guy’s position. As the words fell, the situation became even more chaotic, with screams, thuds, and the fat guy’s curses all merging into a cacophony.

My mind went blank; I couldn’t think anymore. Holding onto the iron rod, I was unable to move, only able to listen to the commotion over there. It would be useless for me to rush in; the level of chaos was beyond my understanding. If I wasn’t exceptionally skilled, I might even be killed by the fat guy himself if I got too close.

I don’t know how long this state lasted, but suddenly, the surroundings vanished, leaving behind a profound silence. I still didn’t dare to move, unsure of what was happening. Were they all dead? Or had all the stone people been taken out? Or perhaps both?

After listening carefully for a while, there was a sudden “snap,” and my exploration lamp lit up on one side. Turning my head, I saw it was the “Dumb Oil Bottle,” propping up the fat guy with one hand and holding my exploration lamp with the other.

I let out a breath, watching him limping over to me with the fat guy, putting him down, and then sitting down himself. Both of them were covered in wounds, bleeding profusely.

Amidst the bloodstains that nearly covered his entire body, the Qilin tattoo reappeared. This time, it wasn’t just on his shoulder; his upper body seemed to be almost ablaze, spreading across his entire form.

I was stunned, but he handed the exploration lamp to me, pressing my hand down and directing the light towards a crack in the wall, the very cracks from which the stone people emerged.

“This is a passage formed by these things moving. I just took a look, and this passage might lead outside,” he said. “Grab your tools and hurry up and leave.”

I nodded immediately. “You rest for a moment; I’ll check your wounds. If everything’s okay, we’ll leave right away. Damn it, I thought we were in big trouble this time. I really admire you; I didn’t expect you to be this capable.”

He leaned back against the stone wall and said calmly, “He and I can’t go anymore.”

“What nonsense are you talking?” I scolded.

He suddenly smiled at me and said, “Fortunately, I didn’t end up getting you killed…”

I was taken aback. He then coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

“You—” My mind buzzed.

He continued to smile at me, his head slowly lowering as he sat there, as if he were just resting. But the surroundings had fallen completely silent.