"Hoo… ah… hoo…"
In labored breaths, Chika Fujiwara lay ungracefully on a protruding rock in the Great Slide, utterly exhausted, her body completely limp, barely able to muster the strength to gasp for air.
Beside her, Gao Hai wasn't in much better shape, panting heavily as well. However, compared to Chika's total physical depletion, Gao Hai still had enough energy to tend to his wounds. Though the loss of his backpack limited him to merely clearing away some gravel and mud from his body.
His eyes were somewhat swollen and painful, likely from forcibly keeping them open while fighting in the muddy water. After a moment's consideration, Gao Hai put on the Rescue Team Badge. Without summoning the full rescue suit, he allowed it to slightly heal his injuries. Then, he placed the badge on Chika, letting her wounds recover somewhat, before finally removing the Obsession Item and storing it back in the watch on his left hand.
Rumble—
The torrent of water continued rushing downward.
At this moment, the upper section of the Great Cliff was also beginning to pool with water. Clearly, the interior of the Red Nut Gray Hole had been completely flooded.
"Thanks for earlier."
Gao Hai turned to the woman beside him.
"You're welcome."
Susan nodded lightly, her face showing no particular expression.
This woman, who had previously vanished from the fire station corridor by donning a security uniform, had now appeared here. Gao Hai was very curious: the area she and that player named Lixer had entered via the security uniform was the closest to both survival and doom. Given the opening scenario of "two security guards," which violated the rules from the start, how had these two players survived?
"Where's your teammate?"
After confirming her goodwill and malice through his Blessing, Gao Hai shifted to a more relaxed sitting position and asked.
"Lixer is ahead. His physical condition is much stronger than mine. He planned to scout the situation above first, so he left me here and gave me this pistol."
Susan had no intention of hiding anything and calmly explained the situation to Gao Hai.
"That bullet just now was unusual. It repelled that guy who was almost fully anomalized. It wasn't an ordinary bullet, right?"
Gao Hai thought for a moment and asked again.
"I'm not sure about that. It's Lixer's item. But he did mention it's called something like [Black Blood Bullets]. They can briefly repel anomalies, but only once per anomaly. The second time you encounter the same one, they won't work."
Susan explained once more, showing no signs of holding back.
Black Blood Bullets? Why not just call them silver bullets? Putting blood in bullets feels a bit like Bloodborne. Come to think of it, he'd heard of similar items before. They were consumables that players could craft, like bone ash or purple talismans. However, only players from America and Europe knew the recipe for Black Blood Bullets, so they weren't available in Japan. Even smuggling them over cost an exorbitant price, so Gao Hai's group hadn't acquired any.
Would a veteran player like Lixer so easily hand an important item to a newbie?
Gao Hai felt something was off, but since she had just saved his and Chika's lives, and Susan harbored no malice toward them, he chose to hold steady and not probe further.
They had rested enough.
Gao Hai flexed his wrists and ankles.
Though Chika Fujiwara still looked utterly drained, Gao Hai had recovered his mobility thanks to his S-rank physique. He stood up, turned toward the turbulent, rising floodwaters, and decided to press on.
"We can't stay here any longer. Let's go."
As he spoke, Gao Hai grabbed Chika Fujiwara's small hand and hoisted her entirely onto his back.
"Eh?"
The girl let out a cute yelp of surprise, but her body obediently settled onto his back.
"You haven't recovered your strength yet, right? I'll carry you up from here. I can manage that much. Consider it repayment for your help earlier."
Turning his head, Gao Hai smiled at the girl on his back.
"Oh… oh, um, thanks, Gao-kun…"
Chika Fujiwara's mind stuttered for a moment before she whispered her response.
Truth be told, her head was still a bit muddled even now. The life-and-death moment at the base of the cliff kept replaying in her mind. And now Gao Hai's sudden action had only made her thoughts even more chaotic.
But there was no helping it—her body was completely out of strength…
With her heartbeat quickening slightly, Chika Fujiwara obediently lay on Gao Hai's back.
"Heading up at a time like this? No choice, the safety rope is over there."
Susan clearly didn't think climbing up now was a good idea, but seeing Gao Hai's resolve, she pointed toward a thick yellow safety rope in the water flow—taut and easy to overlook.
Advancing up this over 100-meter slope against the raging flood without a safety rope was impossible. Of course, Gao Hai clearly remembered the rule for using the Great Slide's safety rope: it must be stationary. If it starts shaking, release it immediately and wait for it to stabilize before continuing.
Speaking of which, he had wondered how the rope could stay still in such a flood, but it truly didn't budge.
Despite the fierce muddy water battering it, the rope showed no movement in Gao Hai's view—not even wet. It was like those crude early-game models where nothing left traces no matter what the player did.
Jump, land, grab the rope.
Gao Hai steadied himself on the rope amid the water and slowly advanced.
Chika crossed her arms around Gao Hai's shoulders, using her own strength to secure herself on his back, freeing his hands for a better grip on the rope.
Susan jumped over after Gao Hai and grabbed the rope. Lacking his ability to stand firm against the current, she followed behind, using him as a shield to reduce the pressure.
"OK, the rope isn't shaking. This thing really is stable."
Gao Hai tested the rope's sturdiness—it was beyond imagination—and began inching forward.
The churning muddy water slammed into them with rumbling force, creating immense pressure.
Bracing against the torrent, Gao Hai advanced step by step. In his peripheral vision, he glimpsed figures around them.
Firefighters?
People in firefighter uniforms slowly heading deeper into the Great Slide.
The violent current seemed to have no effect on their movement, nor did the steep slope hinder them. Amid the flood, those figures had reached deeper into the Great Slide and vanished from Gao Hai's sight.
Had firefighters and rescue teams entered the Great Slide during the flood back then?
According to the Rescue Team rules, any rescue team returning from the Great Slide was untrustworthy. That meant none who crossed the Great Slide survived. What anomalous force had held them back?
Gao Hai wanted to stop and ask Susan behind him—he suspected she knew some inside information.
But now wasn't the time. Better to escape this danger zone first, at least reach the Plains area.
Rumble—
The water grew even more turbulent.
Gao Hai pressed on against the flood, ten meters, twenty, thirty… gradually nearing the space above.
As long as he kept this pace…
Suddenly, Gao Hai felt a faint shake in the rope.
Subtle, hard to notice amid his full resistance to the current.
But once aware, he knew he had to act immediately.
"The rope's shaking! Let go!"
Without hesitation, Gao Hai released the rope. Shouting to warn Susan behind, he drew the large iron nail he'd pulled earlier—used once climbing the Great Cliff—and slammed it into the rock to anchor himself.
Whether Susan released didn't matter now.
He bent low, lowering his center of gravity, and glanced at the rope beside him.
Shaking.
Gently at first.
Then increasingly violently, continuously.
In Gao Hai's eyes, the rope—immovable no matter how he'd gripped it before—was now swaying lightly.
As if someone were climbing it.
As if many people were desperately pulling themselves up.
Then, Gao Hai saw a hand.
Pale, gripping the rope tightly, right beside him.
A swollen figure clutched the rope, silently ascending.
Behind it, more bloated, rotting figures in tourist clothes followed one after another, all pulling on the rope, slowly advancing upward.
Ahead, a swollen firefighter led them.
Creak—creak—
The rope shook harder.
More "people" grabbed it.
Emerging from the water, appearing from nowhere—long-dead, rotting figures seized the rope.
The rope trembled like a scream.
Then, Gao Hai heard a roar from above.
Rumble—
The rope snapped silently amid the rapids.
Those gripping it, desperate to escape hell, the long-rotted things—all plummeted together into the cavern depths, battered by the torrent into the mud.
But they were mere phantoms.
Standing motionless, Gao Hai was brushed—and even passed through—by them multiple times.
He felt nothing, just a slight chill.
Perhaps only those still gripping the rope when they appeared could touch them; otherwise, they were intangible?
Pondering this, Gao Hai's gaze followed the vanished rope downward.
He saw it.
The rope had been cut.
With his enhanced dynamic vision, Gao Hai was certain: someone had severed it.
At the moment survivors desperately sought escape, someone above cut the rope, severing their path to life.
Then.
In a blink.
The rope reappeared—sturdy as ever, unmoving in the flood, untouched by water.
"G-Gao-kun, what were those just now…"
Chika whispered in shock.
"Don't worry, it's fine. Let's keep going."
Gao Hai took a deep breath, yanked the nail free, gripped the rope again, and resumed the grueling climb.
________________________________________
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