Chapter 474: Downfall

It wasn't a fall; it was more like being torn away from the theater's collapse by some invisible force.

Cheng Shuili's vision before her eyes was like an oil painting soaked in water, everything rapidly blurring.

The collapsed pillars, flying shards, pervasive dust, and even the last glimmer of the Blood Ring's light all turned into flowing chaotic color blocks, eventually becoming pure white.

Qin Wen's figure flickered beside her, as if she wanted to say something, but her outline quickly merged into the white light and vanished.

The weightlessness continued, with no direction, no reference point, only a void of white.

Cheng Shuili could feel that she was still falling; she began expressionless, but after realizing too much time had passed, she finally belatedly realized something was wrong.

Everything around was white, nothing at all, as if the entire world had glitched.

Her Bug Physique…could it really be that strong? To glitch the entire highway world?

That seems unlikely, right?

Cheng Shuili didn't rush to a conclusion, furrowed her brows, and waited quietly for a while.

To reassure herself, Cheng Shuili drew her Night Hunt.

The Abyssal Ring's function was still normal, indicating she was still inside the highway world.

The icy metal feel of the hilt kept her awake, but this expanse of white lasted too long, as if something had gone wrong when exiting the Instance, leaving her stuck in this scene-transition space.

Just as she grew a bit anxious, the white ahead finally changed.

A blotch of ink-like black suddenly bloomed, rapidly expanded, then slowly stretched, ultimately forming a tall, narrow door.

Beyond the door was no longer white, but a surging, indescribable deep gray, like stagnant mist.

There was no choice.

In this void, there was only this one anomaly; besides here, she had nowhere else to go.

Cheng Shuili lifted her foot and stepped in; the moment she entered the door, the weightlessness vanished.

She stepped onto something solid… or rather, something akin to solid ground.

Beneath her feet was a featureless deep-gray plane extending in all directions, meeting walls and ceiling of the same hue to form a vast, empty cubic space.

Light came from unknown sources, evenly bathing the whole space, and…

Cheng Shuili noticed that her body cast no shadow beneath her.

It was eerily silent here; even her own breathing and heartbeat sounded jarring.

In the center of the space, ten black wooden chairs were arranged in a circle, and the whole area was empty of people.

Cheng Shuili felt a bit dazed, turning to look at where she had entered.

The door had disappeared; even if she wanted to leave, there was no way back.

What on earth is going on?

Cheng Shuili was thinking when she caught a flicker; the place she had entered suddenly rippled.

She immediately gripped Night Hunt, turned her body slightly, and fixed her gaze on that rippling space.

The next second, a figure stumbled out, almost falling.

After steadying herself, she patted her chest, still shaken, breathing heavily: 'Mom, you scared me to death—I thought I'd fall forever… Huh? Wuya Lao Da? What kind of creepy place is this?'

The one who came…

It was Qin Wen.

Cheng Shuili's brow twitched imperceptibly; Qin Wen had also arrived.

This meant… those who arrived here were probably just people who had exited that Instance?

And… this suggested her arrival here had nothing to do with her Bug Physique.

"How are you also here?" Cheng Shuili didn't relax her guard, her eyes sweeping over Qin Wen's whole body to make sure she was fine.

"I don't know either!" Qin Wen spread her hands, innocent yet excited, completely unfazed by this strange space, instead stepping close to Cheng Shuili: 'I just saw a flash of white, then kept falling and falling, almost dozing off, when a black door suddenly appeared ahead—I dove right in! Boss, could this be a hidden reward stage? If so, the rewards would be greater, right?'

Her eyes lit up again as she scanned the ten empty chairs around, cracking her knuckles: 'Is this for a meeting? Or a lottery? Shall we start when the numbers are full?'

Cheng Shuili ignored her nonsense, her gaze returning to the chairs.

Ten.

A rather subtle number.

The maximum squad size for a team Instance is ten people.

In other words… this place is meant to receive an entire team? Her team consists only of herself and Qin Wen.

Cheng Shuili stared at the black wooden chairs in silence for a moment, then lifted her eyes to Qin Wen, asking seriously: 'Should we sit down?'

She asked sincerely; Qin Wen immediately dropped her unserious demeanor, likewise furrowed her brows, stared at the chairs for a moment, then said: 'Ten chairs, exactly the maximum squad size—meaning players are supposed to sit down.'

But…' Qin Wen raised her hand to rest on the chair back, fingertips lightly rubbing it, 'The quality of this chair is really good, this color is natural. So… is it made of ebony?'

She said, bending down to lean in and sniff, then nodded: 'It is ebony.'

Qin Wen pursed her lips, seeming a bit disdainful; seeing Cheng Shuili's puzzled look, she explained: 'My family's furniture is all made of this wood. I'm also sensitive to smells, having been exposed to it since childhood.'

Cheng Shuili was indeed asking that, but not about this.

She kept a blank expression and repeated: 'Should we sit down?'

Qin Wen nodded: 'Given the situation, if we don't sit, we probably won't trigger the next step.'

The two exchanged a glance, no further hesitation, each picking an adjacent chair and sitting down.

The feel of the ebony was warm and slightly cool, matching the space's steady tone.

Just as they settled, the space directly opposite them rippled like water.

Just as when Qin Wen emerged, a door stretched out there, and under their watch, it was pushed open from outside.

Those who entered were two men and two women.

The two women: one wore professional attire, looking mature and capable, the fine lines at her eyes revealing calm and experience.

The other wore a comfortable linen long dress, her demeanor gentle, with long hair flowing loose; she seemed utterly out of place, as if she had never been surviving on the highway.

And the two men, one was tall and sturdy, wearing the kind of ancient armor often seen in film and television; his gaze was sharp as he scanned the space, and on his back he also carried a huge sword only slightly shorter than himself, making him look as if he had stepped out of ancient times.

The other appeared much more frail and scholarly, wearing rimless glasses and tightly gripping a notebook with a leather cover.

This person's clothes were in utter disarray; compared to the other three, he looked as if he had been hastily pulled together to form a team.

From the moment they entered, the four of them fixed their gazes on Cheng Shuili and another.

Especially that disheveled young man, his look at Cheng Shuili held a hint of concealed gritted teeth…?