Chapter 116: Rabbit Hole

Nie Yingying watched helplessly as Xie Yaoyao fell into a black hole that had appeared out of nowhere, and before she could even get close, the black hole vanished without a trace.

Nothing had changed on the smooth floor tiles; only the person and the chair that had been there just a moment ago were gone.

It was as if it were a hallucination!

Nie Yingying's first reaction was that someone had launched a sneak attack; the pitch-black Shadow-Piercing Dagger instantly appeared in her hand, and her beautiful eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly.

"Meow-woo?!"

Neither the cat nor the dog showed any signs of abnormality; they were still playing and frolicking freely.

She vigilantly circled the shop, but other than causing Huixing to follow behind her, hopping along happily, she found no enemies.

Through the glass door, Helai'er and Lilisi were still standing on the billboard outside in high spirits, calling out from time to time; clearly, they hadn't discovered any enemies either.

"A-Yao, my Doudou's dog food is finished, could you get me a bag to tide me over... Huh? Who are you? Where is A-Yao?"

A fashionable, mature woman walked in through the door; it was none other than Xu Lin.

With a flick of her wrist, she hid the dagger in her sleeve before Xu Lin could even react.

"Hello, I am the new shop assistant! Xie Yaoyao, he... went to restock!"

"A new... shop assistant?" Xu Lin's expression suddenly turned playful. "That brat, no wonder he wouldn't let me introduce him to a girlfriend, hee hee!"

Nie Yingying had already heard this kind of talk from Sun Jie next door today, so she naturally knew the other party had also mistaken her for Xie Yaoyao's girlfriend.

"Hello, the dog food is over here, please come with me!"

Nie Yingying didn't explain, but instead began doing the work of a shop assistant.

Xu Lin walked alongside her quite familiarly and said with a grin.

"What is your name, little sister? How did you meet A-Yao?"

The moment he fell into the black hole, Xie Yaoyao already knew it was because he had accidentally triggered the regulator on the Old Pocket Watch.

But he never imagined that this thing could actually function in the real world; otherwise, he absolutely would not have been so careless as to fiddle with it in his hands.

Hmm, it's getting a bit stifling!

Xie Yaoyao felt that he was still in the process of falling; he didn't know why he had this feeling, as it was pitch black all around and he couldn't see anything, and the clothes on his body weren't affected by any inertia from the descent, but he just knew he was falling—it was a very strange sensation!

Hmm, it's getting more and more stifling!

He wouldn't be suffocated to death, would he! This falling process seemed infinitely long!

No light, no sound; there was nothing but himself.

But Xie Yaoyao didn't feel the legendary loneliness, fear, or breakdown; perhaps it was because not enough time had passed! Or perhaps it was because he was about to suffocate to death, so he wouldn't have those feelings anyway!

Xie Yaoyao began to regret his own numbness and carelessness; perhaps the successive successes had made his brain slack off, though it seemed he didn't need to worry about that problem anymore—his brain had already started recalling his entire past life!

"I heard that being deprived of oxygen for a long time causes permanent brain damage. Hmm, better to just suffocate to death; if I don't suffocate and end up a fool, that would be worse than dying!"

Just as Xie Yaoyao's consciousness was fading and he began to let his mind wander.

With a "pop," like the sound of a champagne bottle being opened, Xie Yaoyao landed on the ground.

Calling it landing wasn't quite accurate; Xie Yaoyao was just standing there, fresh and lively, without any sensation of having fallen.

"Tap, tap!"

Xie Yaoyao subconsciously stomped on the ground and took a deep breath.

There was no abnormality in his body, as if he had been standing there the whole time.

No black hole, no falling—none of it!

He had just been standing in this dim alley the whole time, stepping on the brick-paved ground, caught in the rustling light rain!

Light rain?

Where exactly was this place?

That rabbit named Roman seemed to have mentioned the word "Underground City," but this place didn't look like any Underground City; instead, it had a somewhat modern feel.

For example, the street lamp at the entrance of the alley ahead clearly had a style that only existed after the Industrial Revolution in the 1860s.

Well, that would be true if it weren't chatting with the trash can next to it!

He looked up again at the rain falling from above; it wasn't heavy, but it was annoying.

Perhaps he should find somewhere to take shelter from the rain; he had only been standing here for a moment and his clothes were already getting a bit damp.

Xie Yaoyao looked around again, and when he turned around, he froze instantly.

Three pairs of blood-red eyes were staring fixedly at him, their open mouths constantly dripping saliva onto the ground; their white, bared teeth proved they were not to be trifled with, and their gaunt, skeletal bodies told everyone they hadn't eaten in a long time and wouldn't mind some fresh human meat.

"Three stray dogs, you scared me; that's a truly familiar Entry!"

【Sharp Teeth and Claws】, Blue Entry! After years of wandering and fighting, if you don't have a good set of teeth, you will eventually become someone else's meal!

【Ferocious】, Blue Entry! Cowardice and kindness are no excuse to help you survive on the streets! Come on, show your true nature!

He glanced at the surrounding brick ground and walls; they didn't seem very friendly to his plants, and while it wasn't impossible to force it, but... it was a perfect time to test his newly acquired weapon.

"Swish!"

A trident as tall as a person appeared out of thin air, reflecting the light from the street lamp at the nearby alley entrance.

"Huh!"

Xie Yaoyao gave a soft exclamation; the moment he took out the 【Sea Soul Trident】, he had a special feeling—the rain constantly falling around him seemed to have become his own hands, eyes, and ears, and he felt he could manipulate them at will.

Even the whispered conversation between the street lamp and the trash can at the alley entrance was heard clearly by Xie Yaoyao at this moment.

"Luyisi, look! There's a guy in the alley; when did he get in? Did you notice?"

"Shut up, Pite! Don't you see the weapon in his hand? He's either secret police or one of those Rebel Party members; you'd better not bring trouble upon yourself!"

"You're still the smart one, Luyisi! If you hadn't reminded me, I was planning to go say hello to him..."

The short, fat trash can's voice grew quieter under the glare of the tall, thin street lamp, and finally, it shut up sheepishly.

It was just that the glances they kept casting over were still quite conspicuous.

The guy in front of them looked like someone not to be trifled with, but the hunger in their bellies still urged the three stray dogs to prepare for a desperate fight; being a well-fed ghost before dying shouldn't be too bad.

As long as, as long as they could have one mouthful of bloody meat, that would be enough!

"Awoo!"

The fine threads of rain suddenly turned into the life-taking hands of fate, and the three vicious dogs pouncing in mid-air were suddenly frozen in place.

"Crack!"

Three sounds merged into one, and the necks of the three vicious dogs were twisted one hundred and eighty degrees simultaneously.

The corpses were dropped onto the slippery brick and stone, sending splashes of water flying everywhere.

The streetlamp and the trash can at the alley entrance both witnessed this scene, and in an instant, even the sound of their breathing vanished.

If not for their two pairs of eyes being wide open, one would almost think they were just two ordinary objects.

Picking up the Entry from the ground, unlike others, Xie Yaoyao never minded having too many low-level Entries!

"Huh! The corpses... didn't turn into ash and disappear!"