Chapter 1662: Chapter 1657: The Path That Halts

Narrow, closed, muddy.

The metaphor about the sewer ahead is clearly very apt, as this tunnel leading deeper has not brightened with progress.

On the contrary, in many places it has become even narrower, almost allowing only one person to pass, and the tunnel itself is nothing but ruinous and ancient, without any special traces to be seen.

In such a survival environment, a group of people is forced to form a true single-file snake formation, silently moving forward in silence.

The only consolation might be that although this seemingly hell-bound passage is winding, it does not have any branch paths.

Eliminating the difficulty of decision-making, they can proceed numbly all the way.

And Fu Qian naturally still walks at the back.

Of course, he wouldn’t refuse Sha Ming’s invitation.

Although he’s not entirely trusting Sha Ming’s statement about Huang Zhixun, this unpleasant depth clearly seems closer to the source of everything.

The triumph of the expedition is right ahead, not something to be missed lightly.

Even all the way to now, the oppressively narrow passage for others has yielded subtle returns for Fu Qian.

At first glance, the layout of the passage is undeniably quite abnormal.

Even if it fully embodies the air of ancient ruins seeing the light of day, it’s hard to imagine any passage or sewer built in such a convoluted way.

By comparison, walking within, Fu Qian thinks of those special space entrances he’s encountered more than once.

Like the Mermaid’s hiding place, like the Workshop.

The passage before him subtly gives that feeling; its path seems to represent the essence of a certain world.

With this awareness, as he follows deeper, it undeniably feels more like a path with no return.

"How much longer will we walk?"

Of course, even if team members don’t have this feeling, in such an environment, it’s impossible to demand them to maintain a good mindset.

Old Master Huang’s encouragement didn’t last long, and soon someone began to be overwhelmed by this endless torment, refusing to continue.

The one he questioned was precisely Sha Ming, who seemed to know more.

Perhaps to complement Elder Huang Leji’s previous statements, Sha Ming intentionally walked in the middle of the team, assuming a position to assist pioneer members at any time.

Although so far, he hasn’t done anything.

"Not much longer, turn the corner ahead and continue downward, we’ll arrive."

This time, facing the stopped team, Sha Ming expressed no apparent dissatisfaction, but patiently explained while observing the surroundings.

"Really?"

No one expected to receive such a definitive answer, and even Old Master Huang couldn’t completely conceal his emotions.

"Of course, if you don’t believe me, you can ask Cycle Enforcer."

Sha Ming smiled eerily, gesturing toward Fu Qian as he spoke.

"Alright."

Unexpectedly, the one to respond first was the subject himself.

With a slight nod, Fu Qian naturally turned, looking at the wall beside him.

"SAN Points decrease by 1."

Facing the sound from Brother Sanxun on the wall, Fu Qian nodded slightly in greeting.

"Do we arrive after turning the corner?"

...

It’s hard to say whether it’s purely coincidental or deliberate, as Brother Sanxun’s appearance timing was very clever.

It just happened to make Fu Qian accept Sha Ming’s suggestion and seek advice from the real Cycle Enforcer.

Facing this bizarre development, not only the team led by Huang Leji but even the bona fide Third Follower were momentarily stunned.

"You can indeed think so."

"When you arrive there, you indeed won’t need to continue."

But perhaps unwilling to lose Momentum before Fu Qian, Brother Sanxun quickly responded, even providing an answer astonishingly consistent with Sha Ming’s.

"Seems indeed to be the case."

Following the principle of trusting those employed, Fu Qian turned back and naturally conveyed this statement.

"...Let’s go."

Facing Sha Ming and Fu Qian’s increasingly unpredictable behavior, Elder Huang Leji struggled intensely internally.

Unfortunately, even with his seasoned experience, besides continuing the previous strategy of coercion through numbers, he couldn’t think of a better plan for a while.

The final result was after a brief hesitation, he gritted his teeth fiercely, signaling everyone to follow him forward, ignoring whether Fu Qian and Sha Ming kept up, striving to portray an unyielding attitude.

"Thank you."

But Fu Qian clearly showed no interest in this gesture, instead nodding again at Brother Sanxun, who hadn’t vanished, thanking politely.

"SAN Points decrease by 1."

"SAN Points decrease by 1."

His response came as two crisp affirmations, leading to Brother Sanxun’s disappearance again.

...

"You’re indeed an unusual character."

And until then, Sha Ming still hadn’t caught up, even after watching Fu Qian’s thorough inquiry, he made a comment that sounded loaded with meaning.

"Even I can’t figure out why you’re here."

"But one thing is clear, you simply don’t know what the term ’Cycle Enforcer’ represents."

Possibly affected by Fu Qian’s audacious actions, Sha Ming’s words increasingly pushed boundaries.

"Oh? So what does it represent?"

Still in the guise of an outsider, Fu Qian was unfazed by such comments.

"Haha... let them tell you themselves, don’t keep Huang Leji and the others waiting now."

Regrettably, at the critical moment, Sha Ming again played coy, smirking coldly before finally following along.

Them? It seems Brother Sha Ming not only understands what Cycle Enforcers are but is not part of the group himself.

Contemplating Sha Ming’s wording, Fu Qian still refrained from blame.

Because what he said was completely reasonable, and in just this moment, Old Master Huang’s team was already quite impatient.

"What’s going on—"

"Impossible—"

"Don’t move, everyone stay where you are—"

In a chorus of exclamations, Fu Qian looked down at the rapidly appearing multiple wounds on his body, once more as the last one to catch up.

...

The last stretch mentioned by Sha Ming and Fu Qian was even more steeply exaggerated than the initial descent, and much longer.

But precisely in this manner, there’s a sense of the journey’s end, creating less doubt.

By now, under Elder Huang Leji’s leadership, the team had already darted out quite a distance.

Meanwhile, the final rallying clearly took effect, everyone stood still as though their feet grew roots.

Even as Sha Ming and Fu Qian arrived one after the other, they merely turned their gaze.

"What’s going on here? Why would merely walking and heading downward cause injuries?"

Staring fiercely at Sha Ming, Huang Leji’s tone was already infused with grief and anger.

"Is there a problem? You guys don’t need to walk anymore, do you?"

Sadly, as he followed step by step, Sha Ming merely chuckled while countering.

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