Xu Dengming calmly raised the hammer and walked to the midpoint between the two passages.
With a forceful swing, he smashed it against the wall.
As a soon-to-be graduate whose major didn’t heavily rely on physical strength, Xu Dengming’s power was moderate.
Under normal circumstances, swinging a tool like this with full force and no technique would likely cause minimal damage to the wall and instead result in a painful recoil.
However, the seemingly sturdy wall before him actually cracked open from her strike.
The wall crumbled with a loud crash, sending up a cloud of dust that obscured Wang Yanxing’s vision and made Xu Dengming’s silhouette appear particularly striking as if she were about to be reprimanded by the university on the spot.
Standing atop the rubble, Xu Dengming commented, “So fragile, no wonder it was abandoned.”
Having witnessed the entire scene, Wang Yanxing was at a loss for words.
Her cognitive abilities were limited at the moment, and after realizing what had happened, she instinctively glanced around to ensure no one else had seen it.
She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat fortunate that no one had witnessed this spectacle.
Moreover, Wang Yanxing tried to rationalize the situation, concluding that the wall’s collapse couldn’t be blamed on her classmate.
After all, they were just ordinary, fragile college students worried about their future employment, entirely incapable of going head-to-head with industrial-grade structures.
The wall’s collapse was likely due to its own poor quality.
Xu Dengming, however, wasn’t surprised that he had managed to break the wall.
The sign had already made it clear the path before them wasn’t a simple “T” intersection but a “+” intersection with a hidden passageway.
When Xu Dengming faced left, the right side became the original center, and when he faced right, the original center was to his left.
Thus, both signs essentially indicated moving straight ahead.
The entity that left the message wouldn’t design the wall to be overly sturdy if it wanted people to proceed straight.
What intrigued Xu Dengming was that once someone understood the meaning of the signs, another question naturally arose.
For example, why didn’t the signs describe the entry method more explicitly?
Xu Dengming felt that such deliberately vague expressions could themselves be seen as hints.
The entity orchestrating all this was essentially telling her, someone who had the chance to uncover the hidden information, that her earlier speculation was correct-there were indeed two opposing forces within this instance.
The faint red text instructing temporary employees to head to the supermarket without lights was one force, while the faint blue text warning them not to go to the supermarket without lights was the other.
From the current situation, it was clear that the latter was being suppressed.
Because it was suppressed, it couldn’t convey accurate information and had to resort to more subtle expressions, hoping someone would decipher the clues.
With this realization, Xu Dengming couldn’t ignore another question.
Since there were two opposing forces in this instance, would the more powerful faction simply turn a blind eye when she followed the faint blue text’s instructions to the abandoned factory area?
The answer was obvious-Xu Dengming activated his [Observer’s Eye] once more, glancing at the threads of fate surrounding him.
Unsurprisingly, she found himself enveloped in misfortune.
The surrounding silent and crisp bushes seemed to come alive, transforming into some kind of enormous, shapeless creature that was quietly creeping toward this place, intending to envelop Xu Dengming.
In places unseen by Xu Dengming, temporary employees with snow-white faces had already stepped onto the grass, their pitch-black eyes gradually glowing.
They were searching.
They were close to finding.
A gentle breeze passed, causing the shadows of the trees to sway.
The suppression of Xu Dengming’s abilities by the dungeon was like the living expenses of an orphanage an invisible, heavy burden that never loosened its grip on her.
After a brief glance, Xu Dengming immediately deactivated her skill and once again swung the hammer, expanding the hole to a size that would allow an adult to pass through.
The hammer was incredibly useful, truly a tool worthy of being drawn from the daily necessities pack.
After successfully opening the passage, Xu Dengming called over her classmate, whose face clearly expressed “this scene must never be discovered by the school or the company,” and they stepped through the hole into the factory area.
While the interior of the factory area was filled with unknowns, the outside was undoubtedly fraught with danger.
Xu Dengming moved slowly and cautiously.
Fortunately, the information on the sign at the entrance was accurate the middle path, demonstrating its safety through complete silence.
After both of them had passed through the hole, the already dim light inside the factory area instantly darkened.
Without turning around, Xu Dengming knew that the hole she had just made had automatically refreshed, standing steadily on the correct path leading into the building.
From the outside, Factory Area 17 had returned to its original, unvisited state-lifeless, with no sign of anyone having been there.
Three minutes after she entered the factory area, the temporary employees with snow-white faces finally arrived in this area.
They opened their black eyes, their gazes shifting around before moving away again.
-If one were close enough, they would notice that the abandoned buildings in the open area had never been reflected in the eyes of the temporary employees.
The blue-lettered permissions kept the uninvited outside the target.
Compared to the vibrant and beautiful garden scenery filled with temporary employees outside, the interior of the factory area was covered in dust, cobwebs, nails, and scattered bricks.
Moving through an unfamiliar area made Wang Yanxing’s palms sweat slightly.
She spoke in a very soft voice, as if worried that any louder noise might cause unnecessary trouble: “Is there no light here?”
Xu Dengming first shook her head, then realized something and asked,
“Can you not see anything right now?”
Wang Yanxing replied, “It’s very dark around me.”
Her consciousness floated in the darkness before her, unable to feel herself or anyone else.
If it weren’t for being constantly pulled along, Wang Yanxing would have thought she was alone whenever Xu Dengming wasn’t speaking.
Xu Dengming wasn’t sure if Wang Yanxing couldn’t see because she hadn’t discovered the hidden information on the employee card or because she lacked special abilities.
If she had to guess, she thought the former was more likely, as the power behind the pale blue text could arrange for people to come but couldn’t ensure they had good eyesight.
Wang Yanxing whispered, “Can I turn on my phone’s flashlight?”
Xu Dengming also whispered in response, “It’s better not to.”
Since the sign indicated that she was on a safe path, perhaps the darkness was also an essential condition for ensuring safety.
In certain situations, the inability to see can actually be a form of protection.
Xu Dengming continued to move forward.
Although she could vaguely make out her surroundings, her vision was extremely blurry.
With each step, she had to maintain enough focus to avoid leading herself and her classmates onto a path filled with sharp obstacles.
She carefully navigated around piles of miscellaneous items that were too complex to categorize, except as trash, and finally arrived at a relatively open area.
In the center of this area stood a solitary workbench.
Compared to the haphazardly discarded garbage in the factory area, the workbench before her exuded a sense of meticulous order.
Gloves, screwdrivers, hammers, and other tools that had clearly been used were neatly arranged in their designated places.
Xu Dengming made no move upon discovering the new items.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to react, but in the moment of observation, her attention was completely captivated by the object at the center of the workbench.
The instant she laid eyes on it, Xu Dengming became like a drop of water in the desert, her rationality rapidly evaporating under the scorching sun.
Her mind was undergoing a searing, turbulent ordeal.
Beside her, Wang Yanxing, who couldn’t see the surroundings, remained unaware.
She only noticed that her classmate had suddenly stopped and was trembling slightly.
Intuition told Wang Yanxing that Xu Dengming’s trembling wasn’t out of fear but rather an effort to suppress something.
Indeed, Xu Dengming was struggling to hold back.
It felt as though ants were swarming into her brain, causing sharp, fine pains at her temples.
The images in her vision suddenly expanded, then contracted, twisting into irregular shapes and lines.
She wanted to scream, to flail her limbs wildly, to cut into her flesh with a sharp object, to watch crimson liquid gush from her veins.
Xu Dengming’s body continued to tremble uncontrollably.
Her veins bulged, and tiny red spots appeared on her skin.
Moist liquid seeped from the corners of her eyes and nostrils.
Her senses, once confined to her body, had amplified hundreds of times, extending from the factory area to the outside.
She saw “insects” rustling through the bushes, aimlessly searching for their target.
Then, as if sensing some omen, the “ants” collectively bent their heads back at a ninety-degree angle, their pale faces turned toward the sky, their eyes wide open as if searching for another pair of eyes floating in the air.
In the darkness.
After stepping into the darkness, Wang Yanxing gradually lost her perception of the surrounding environment.
The only thing that gave her a sense of reality now was her companion beside her.
She tried to grasp Xu Dengming’s hand and found it damp with sweat.
The two didn’t speak.
At first, Wang Yanxing could only hear Xu Dengming’s breathing, followed by the rapid “thump, thump, thump” of her heartbeat.
Even as her rationality and common sense were being stripped away, Wang Yanxing knew that the human body had its limits.
At this moment, Xu Dengming’s limit was like an old dam under the force of a flood, inevitably on the verge of collapse.
Her heartbeat grew increasingly dense and powerful, reminiscent of the chaotic downpour of a summer storm.
Even without seeing it, one could feel its intensity.
The heavy raindrops pattered noisily against the window.
Wang Yanxing thought, if it were a torrential downpour, she could go and lend an umbrella to a classmate.
But here, what could she do?
Living together in university had deepened Wang Yanxing’s understanding of her peers, such as Xu Dengming.
In Wang’s eyes, Xu Dengming was someone who really disliked giving up.
Campus life at E University was not always smooth sailing.
Xu Dengming often encountered unexpected situations, yet she never appeared flustered.
She always responded promptly, always well-prepared.
In the darkness, Wang Yanxing carefully observed her roommate’s reactions.
Xu Dengming was not one to resign herself to fate.
Even when time was pressing, she would inevitably want to take some action.
Wang Yanxing felt that Xu Dengming might have considered the remedial measures after losing the ability to move before leaving.
Tftc!