Chapter 754: Essence of Speed 2

Heartbeat throbbing, torches flashing.

As the stone door slammed shut with a bang, the vast secret chamber held only Lin An, alone, pressing forward.

He did not pause before the half stone wall.

Taking two steps as one, Lin An strained to expand his perception, rushing straight to the coffin.

The wind howled fiercely.

Memory fragments flashed like shards, constantly piecing together.

Secret chamber, maze, speed.

Based on his strength-trial experience, he boldly hypothesized that the maze in this trial must represent some crucial information.

Upon entering the trial, the system gave no requirement to leave the maze, nor to find an exit.

Lin An almost instinctively thought of a possibility.

The so-called maze is simply the most blatant hint.

Just like the strength trial.

Since the system does not require finding an exit, it has nothing to do with the maze's physical form.

A maze without an exit, or one that need not be escaped, is meaningless in physical terms!

Then conversely, the essence of the maze is likely a mental maze, a maze of reaction!

All the information misleads the trial-takers; the test is whether they can quickly realize this.

Test reaction speed!

Not the thought process that the North American war zone reacted to first.

Maze, maze.

Since it's a maze, how could it lack misleading paths or seemingly correct routes?

Thus, this is also a key reason Lin An does not fully endorse the North American war zone.

Even...

His thoughts were heavy.

Lin An even suspected that the North American war zone, on the way to the maze's core, would surely find evidence to corroborate their judgment of the 'clue'.

For example, increasing numbers, allowing entry to more people's secret chambers.

He could imagine that the North American war zone, under misleading hints, would grow ever more confident in their judgment.

Luring the fish to bite, the system's nature will definitely first give them a little sweetener.

When people feel they are right, mistakenly thinking they have found the correct path, the system will cruelly lift the veil of truth.

In a single thought, from heaven to hell—this is the system's favorite 'game'.

His steps stalled.

In less than a second, at full burst, Lin An swiftly stood before the coffin.

His eyes fixed ahead.

A strong attraction compelled him to stare at the coffin.

He forcibly averted his gaze.

Under the dim torchlight, the coffin before him seemed like a monster lurking in darkness.

The coffin definitely has a problem.

Uncertain of the exact problem, Lin An could only avoid observing it, planning to first use the replay to locate the issue.

What, exactly, is in that crack?

I definitely saw something...

If, in the 'recording,' the coffin could still interfere with me, then it would truly be unsolvable.

Without Hesitation.

The only two remaining grains of time-sand were thrown from his palm, the shimmering silver sand instantly bringing forth a strange brilliance.

Enveloping, spreading.

'Beep, confirm use of special prop—time sand?'

At the moment the system prompt sounded, Lin An simultaneously issued the confirmation command.

'Replaying footage, time locked…'

'First batch of entrants…death scene!'

'Hum—'

High-frequency vibration brought a piercing buzzing sound.

He dared not waste a moment.

Lin An was unsure how many seconds into the replay the first batch of entrants into chamber 00277 began to die.

The chamber cannot be lingered in; he must find the crucial clue before he can no longer endure.

The footage began to replay, like the Tyndall effect.

The blurry footage gradually cleared under the silver light, and a phonograph-like sound rose with it.

('Cough cough…')

('What smell…')

In the swaying footage, fifteen Awakened Ones cautiously filed in one after another.

Walking ahead, a man with torches wrapped around his arms looked like their captain.

Fifteen people?

His eyes unblinking.

Lin An noticed the number of people was off.

When he entered the secret chamber, the system clearly indicated the maximum number of people allowed to enter was ten...

It seems that each time after entering, the maximum number allowed for the next entry is reduced?

He set aside this question.

The scene continued to replay:

Soft, cautious discussion voices sounded:

("Where is the special item?")

The twenty-second countdown ended.

Just as Lin An frowned, unable to obtain the desired information from the scene.

A faint ripple slowly spread from the Light Dusk.

Faint, coming from the stone coffin.

With his full attention, Lin An keenly noticed this.

Twenty seconds, is it a critical point?

Under that barely perceptible ripple, what happened?

Seconds later.

A startled cry came from the scene:

("What is that?!")

("Captain, look!")

Almost simultaneously, all gazes drawn to the stone coffin stared straight at the stone carving in the corner.

Seeing this from a bystander's perspective, Lin An suddenly felt a chill down his back.

Could it be that, when he entered the secret chamber, he didn't actually notice the stone carving but was forced to turn his head?

He dared not be certain.

But in the scene, everyone's instantaneous head-turning was truly eerie beyond compare.

The scene continued to play.

After everyone simultaneously looked at the stone carving and noticed the anomaly.

The crowd then turned their heads again toward the stone coffin.

At this very moment.

Only one Awakened One, ordered to inspect, went over to check on his own.

Struggling to move it.

("Captain, this stone carving looks like a man...")

("The workmanship is very rough...")

The Awakened One emanating a faint green spiritual energy from his whole body seemed to have lost his soul, wanting to turn the stone carving around.

Lin An's heart sank.

Perhaps at the time, these first batch of Awakened Ones who entered did not feel anything was wrong with themselves.

But in the scene he saw, everything was filled with unreasonableness.

Who, as a normal person, would notice the stone carving, know it's abnormal, and still not care?

Even turning their heads away without a word, they let a teammate touch it alone.

Their thoughts... were clearly affected.

No...

Actually, were our thoughts also affected?

The few people Lin An brought, after entering the secret chamber, behaved almost exactly like this group of the dead.

Except, his super strong sixth sense kept issuing warnings.

It prevented contact with the stone carving.

Continue watching.

As the 30-second mark drew nearer, Lin An also held his breath, adjusting his state to peak as much as possible.

It is obvious that, in the replayed scene, this group's time of death was at least thirty seconds later.

And he now is about to face the monster's attack.

29...

30...

In the replayed scene, that Awakened One was still struggling to move the stone carving.

And in reality, a faint cracking sound suddenly rang out.