"Zheng Zhuliu?" Fang Ming stared at the figure slowly emerging from the white mist, his voice laced with confusion.
"It's me, it's me." Zheng Zhuliu replied timidly, also stepping out of the mist.
Fang Ming scrutinized Zheng Zhuliu again, confirming it was indeed him, but why did this Zheng Zhuliu seem so cowardly? He took a step and looked back three or four times, his gaze shifting, a stark contrast to the Zheng Zhuliu he remembered.
"Ah!" Zheng Zhuliu suddenly screamed and quickly retreated several steps, "You… you… you killed someone!"
He had seen another "Zheng Zhuliu" lying in the corner and immediately assumed Fang Ming had committed murder.
Fang Ming rubbed his forehead. Compared to this Zheng Zhuliu, he would rather believe the first one was the real person.
"Take a closer look at who he is," Fang Ming said.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhuliu cautiously approached the corpse and finally recognized its features.
"He… he… how does he look exactly like me?" Zheng Zhuliu stammered.
"I was hoping you could tell me that. He also claimed to be Zheng Zhuliu, and you also claim to be Zheng Zhuliu. However, both of you have such a different impression from the Zheng Zhuliu I remember," Fang Ming spread his hands.
"Since you say you are also Zheng Zhuliu, then provide proof of your identity."
"Proof…" Zheng Zhuliu quickly reached into his pocket, only to find it empty. He immediately panicked and searched his other pockets, but they were also empty.
"I… I lost all my things," Zheng Zhuliu said mournfully.
"Then tell me what you experienced on the ninth floor."
The first Zheng Zhuliu was extremely secretive about this question. Fang Ming wanted to see what attitude this second Zheng Zhuliu would have.
Fang Ming subtly signaled to Qingmian, who understood and disappeared. If this Zheng Zhuliu was the same as the first, then he would have to resort to killing.
Fang Ming was not one to hesitate when facing danger. He would rather kill the wrong person than let any potential threat to his safety escape.
"The ninth floor?" Zheng Zhuliu's expression froze. A flood of memories surged from the depths of his mind, and he clutched his head, writhing on the ground. "It hurts, my head hurts so much!"
In his memory, the silent world had almost driven him mad. To distract himself, he tried every possible method. After an unknown period, his emotions began to break down, and he started to curse the organization, blaming Fang Ming for not coming to save him, and lamenting his fate.
Until finally, he began to talk to himself, playing both roles, becoming split. Sometimes he believed sacrificing himself for the country was an honor, and other times he felt everything that happened was the organization's fault…
In the last second of his memory, he only saw a figure separate from him, taking all his belongings. When he awoke again, he was on the tenth floor.
With his memories restored, Zheng Zhuliu stood up, panting, and rubbed his forehead in pain.
"What's wrong?" Fang Ming asked.
Zheng Zhuliu gave a bitter smile. "My memories of the ninth floor have returned. After we were accidentally separated…"
Zheng Zhuliu began to explain what he saw and heard on the ninth floor. In truth, there wasn't much to say. That space seemed to be designed solely to imprison people, with no danger at all.
"You said you saw a white mist world in the mysterious space on the ninth floor?" Fang Ming exclaimed in surprise.
Zheng Zhuliu nodded. Fang Ming's joy was undisguised. After being in this eighteenth-floor building for so long, he finally had news of the white mist world! He was certain his direction was correct!
However, despite his happiness, Fang Ming did not overlook the latter part of Zheng Zhuliu's account.
"You said you felt like you spent countless years in that space, and in that environment, you developed a split personality, and even a second you appeared in the end?" Fang Ming stroked his chin, his gaze shifting between the two Zheng Zhulius.
Zheng Zhuliu nodded timidly.
Fang Ming felt that things couldn't be that simple. The Professor wouldn't conduct such a pointless experiment, merely trapping people in a confined space to drive them mad. What was the point?
"What's your strength now?" Fang Ming remembered the first Zheng Zhuliu's absurd power and wanted to assess this one's strength.
"Me?" Zheng Zhuliu scratched his head. "I'm just an ordinary person now. I can't even use the secret techniques anymore."
"Is that so?" Fang Ming sensed Zheng Zhuliu's strength and indeed found no other power within him.
He seemed to vaguely grasp the purpose of the ninth and tenth floors.
"Qingmian, what do you think?"
Qingmian's figure appeared beside Zheng Zhuliu and swung a saber towards his head. The blade stopped a few millimeters above Zheng Zhuliu's head, and a few strands of hair fluttered down. Zheng Zhuliu, however, didn't react at all until he saw Qingmian's figure, after which he belatedly scrambled away.
"His strength is indeed very ordinary, not even reaching his original level. This is impossible on the tenth floor," Qingmian said, sheathing his saber with a cold expression.
"For some reason, his growth potential on the tenth floor was taken by the first Zheng Zhuliu."
Fang Ming felt this conjecture was close to the truth. Normally, one's strength would surge on the tenth floor due to some reason, but Zheng Zhuliu's strength had not only failed to increase but had regressed to that of an ordinary person, while the first Zheng Zhuliu's strength had risen to an unbelievable level.
If this were the case, wouldn't it be possible to create an endless stream of malevolent spirits?
Fang Ming realized the seriousness of the situation. What exactly were the Professor and the Principal trying to achieve? A single malevolent spirit appearing in the real world would be a disaster, let alone a group of them.
"Let's go, we'll check the ninth floor again!" Fang Ming temporarily abandoned his exploration of the tenth floor and ran downstairs. Qingmian and Zheng Zhuliu exchanged glances and quickly followed.
The three soon returned to the ninth floor.
"We'll split up, but we must stay within each other's sight. If anyone disappears, immediately call out," Fang Ming instructed calmly.
"Do we… have to go into that space again?" Zheng Zhuliu was a bit scared and reluctant.
Fang Ming nodded solemnly. "We must understand the principle of this Yin-Yang layer. Otherwise, we might face tens of thousands of malevolent spirits next!"
"Then… alright." Zheng Zhuliu had no choice but to accept the reality.
"Let's go!" The three began to meticulously search every corner of the ninth floor in a triangular formation, determined to find the entrance to that space again!
Suddenly, Zheng Zhuliu's figure vanished in a section of the corridor.
Qingmian quickly warned, "Fang Ming, he's here!"
Fang Ming rushed over upon hearing the shout. "Where?"
"There!" Qingmian pointed to a spot, the exact place where Zheng Zhuliu had disappeared.
"Let's go!" Fang Ming didn't hesitate and charged forward. As expected, the moment he reached the spot, his vision went black. When he could see again, everything around him had turned black and white.
Zheng Zhuliu was standing there dejectedly. Upon seeing Fang Ming, he exclaimed with joy, "You're finally here!"
"Mmm, everyone be careful."
Qingmian's figure also appeared here at the same time. All three of them were now in this space.
"Qingmian, do you know this place?" Fang Ming asked.
Qingmian shook his head. Such a secret place, the Professor certainly wouldn't let an experimental subject like him know so much.
"Sixth Master, first take us to the place where you saw that giant monster."
"Mmm, follow me." Zheng Zhuliu knew the way here as if he had his eyes closed. He led Fang Ming to a room and pushed open the door.
Fang Ming entered the room and went straight to the window, pulling back the curtain.
"It is indeed the white mist world…" Fang Ming smiled faintly.
"Jiji ji~" A few煞种 (sha zhong) floated over from the white mist and perched on the window, staring at Fang Ming. Their blood-red mouths began to gnaw at the glass, but it was clearly futile.
"Bang bang bang…" The attacks of the煞种 seemed to trigger some defense mechanism, and they were instantly attacked, turning into mist of blood in an instant.
"Is the outside the white mist world?" Qingmian walked over at this moment, looking out the window in surprise. "Such dense resentment."
Fang Ming attempted to attack the window a few times, but as expected, they were completely undamaged.
"Qingmian, try using your abilities to see if you can sneak into the white mist world."
"Okay." Qingmian's figure disappeared and reappeared moments later, shaking his head.
"It seems we can't reach the white mist world from here," Fang Ming sighed. However, at least he had a clue to the white mist world, which was much better than being completely in the dark.
"Let's go, we'll check other places." Fang Ming turned to leave the room. Qingmian and Zheng Zhuliu followed. Fang Ming began searching the floor.
"There's nothing on this floor. I've searched thousands of times," Zheng Zhuliu said, seeing Fang Ming about to repeat his old routine, and warned him.
Fang Ming stopped his actions upon hearing this and said to the two, "You two go and look for any special places elsewhere. There must be a way to leave this floor. Sixth Master is human and will overlook many things."
"Then what about you…" Zheng Zhuliu asked.
"I suddenly remembered something about the white mist world. I need to go back to the room we were just in to take another look," Fang Ming said, making up an excuse.
"Alright, be careful then," Zheng Zhuliu said with concern.
After sending them away, Fang Ming went back to the room alone. He took out his diary from his backpack and began to examine it. For safety's sake, it was not the time to let them know about the diary.
"I entered the mysterious space Zheng Zhuliu described. It is indeed as he described. I couldn't find any way out. After trying various methods, I suddenly thought about how I entered. Combining that with his unconscious arrival on the tenth floor, I speculated that there is a constantly moving exit on this floor. Indeed, after the three of us stood still in one spot for an unknown amount of time, I was the first to be teleported to the tenth floor."
"So that's how it is…" Fang Ming realized. No wonder Zheng Zhuliu had searched the entire floor and couldn't leave. The exit was constantly changing, and he had been searching everywhere alone, missing the exit countless times.
"There doesn't seem to be anything of value here. We should go to the tenth floor to see."
Having made up his mind, Fang Ming walked out of the room and found the other two who were searching the surroundings. He told them the method of leaving.
"What?!" Zheng Zhuliu was thunderstruck upon hearing the method. Such a simple method, and he had never figured it out, even driving himself mad and causing another Zheng Zhuliu to appear.
Fang Ming cast a sympathetic glance at him, then said, "We'll just stand here and wait. Once someone disappears, immediately go to their location."
"Okay." The two nodded, but Zheng Zhuliu's face was filled with bitterness.
Time ticked by. This space had no concept of time. Otherwise, the diary wouldn't have predicted the method of leaving. After an unknown period, Fang Ming suddenly disappeared. Qingmian and Zheng Zhuliu rushed to Fang Ming's location upon seeing this, and they also vanished.