Chapter 271: No Real Choice

In Lin Yifan's view, even if this world is extremely real, all the rules still gravitate toward a game.

And in games, Instances often contain special mechanisms—search mechanisms, rule‑finding mechanisms—and that is one of the pleasures for players tackling an Instance.

Precisely because of that, Lin Yifan asked this question.

Erilia looked at him in surprise, then nodded and said:

"You're right; breaking the core isn't easy, you must fulfill the prerequisite conditions first."

"However, this is actually my first time encountering a corrupted Hall of Heroes Tower, so I haven't seen its core with my own eyes."

"But according to records, the core of the Hall of Heroes Tower constantly shifts, and may even disguise itself as other objects; it's extremely hard to locate, and this thing has tremendous destructive power, so we must be careful."

"Thanks for the information."

Lin Yifan nodded, turned his head, scanned the crowd, and, with a heavy expression, spoke:

"Everyone, you now understand the whole situation. I don't know whether I should trust this elven Princess, but at present I truly can't think of any other way to resolve this dire predicament, and I don't want to die, so I must take a gamble."

"But this is my choice; I won't choose for you. The strength of that six‑tier beast is evident to all of you, and after entering the Hall of Heroes Tower, the beasts inside will likely be even more terrifying than the six‑tier beast we just faced."

"That means, if you follow me into the group, you may unintentionally become cannon fodder; if you stay out, you might survive a while in this world, though ultimately death is still likely."

"Now the choice is yours; please decide quickly!"

Faced with life and death, Lin Yifan does not wish to make the decision for anyone.

After a moment of silence, someone finally gritted their teeth and said:

"What's there to hesitate about? Either way it's death; better to gamble, otherwise dying would be unsatisfying!"

"Right! Instead of sitting and waiting to be killed, better to bet— even if we die, at least we die with some dignity!"

"Makes sense; even if we scrape by for a few hours, what does that achieve? A gamble might still offer a way out; not gambling makes us complete waste. Regardless of your choice, I will definitely go in and try."

"What do we choose? Of course we choose to go in!"

……

Lin Yifan looked at his increasingly resolute companions, felt his fighting spirit ignite, and solemnly said:

"Fine, since everyone is so bold, this time we'll step beyond death's bounds and truly go in!"

"If we die this way, at least we won't betray ourselves!"

After saying that, he turned to Erilia: "Princess, what about you? What do you choose?"

"I can't enter the Hall of Heroes Tower..." Erilia instinctively tried to refuse.

However, Lin Yifan waved his hand, expression indifferent, and said:

"Princess, such grandiose words are unnecessary, right? Earlier we all saw with our own eyes that mysterious silver‑masked entered the Hall of Heroes Tower."

"Since he could get in, I don't believe you can't. At worst it's just a small price to pay. We're all grasshoppers on the same rope now; I think, Princess, you needn't hide it any longer."

Erilia's expression stiffened; after a while she gave a wry smile and, helplessly, said:

"Fine, fine, you're right; this conflict arose because of our Intermediate Domain's involvement. Now everyone is trapped here, and we truly cannot stand by."

"But as you said, we're not Initial Domain Survivors; entering this place does require a hefty price. I've already calculated that the price we can afford only allows a small fraction to go in."

"I don't care about the others; I just hope you, Princess, can go in with us," Lin Yifan exhaled lightly and whispered.

"Since none of us are familiar with the Hall of Heroes Tower, we need someone who knows it to guide us, perhaps even to command us."

"Guiding is fine; as for command, let's not decide yet," Erilia waved her hand and said.

"No one knows how the rules inside this corrupted Hall of Heroes Tower will warp; we'll only know after we enter."

"Then let's not waste time," Lin Yifan inhaled deeply, stepped toward the tower and said:

"That silver‑masked and the earlier entrants have been inside for quite a while; we must catch up quickly. If we can meet them, perhaps we'll gain extra odds."

At this moment, those who chose to enter the tower were essentially ready.

According to Ruan Qingtan's count, over 3,000 human Survivors have gathered here, and several hundred have already entered.

It can be said this batch are the District's elite; if they truly fall inside, the entire District would essentially be doomed.

However, before Lin Yifan and his group stepped through the gate, the entire Hall of Heroes Tower suddenly shook violently; the massive stone door at the base, which had only a crack—the spot where the sixth‑tier Nightmare Wolf emerged—widened.

At that moment, the stone door swung fully open, revealing a pitch‑black aperture, and a foul, rotting flesh odor assaulted them.

Immediately, countless crimson eyes glimmered in the darkness, and a deep roar emanated from the tower, as if innumerable hungry beasts awaited prey to fall into their snare.

"It seems… those things inside can't wait to 'eat' us," Erilia squinted, a long sword ablaze with eerie blue flame suddenly appearing in her hand.

Lin Yifan drew his weapon, his gaze steady: "Then let it see who the true prey is!"

The next moment, the group roared and charged into the tower; darkness instantly swallowed their silhouettes.

At the tower's apex, a pair of massive blood‑red eyes slowly opened, emitting a silent, snarling laugh.

Inside, the darkness enveloped them like viscous liquid, and the air reeked of decay and blood.

Lin Yifan's pupils, after a brief adjustment, finally discerned the scene before him.

It was a twisted corridor, walls covered with pulsating flesh tumors, as if the entire tower were a living organism. The floor was slick and sticky, emitting an unsettling "gurgle" with each step.

"Careful!" Erilia shouted low, swinging her long sword sharply to the left.

"Pfft!" A misshapen claw protruding from the flesh wall was sliced off at the root, black blood splattering. The severed claw twitched on the ground, its tip scratching the floor like an insect.