Chapter 237: Chapter 237: Something Is Wrong

He felt a wave of frustration, but they were already here, and nothing could change that.

Still worried about Xu Qingsui’s safety, Lu Jingyu hesitated for a moment before firmly pulling her behind his back to hide.

"It’s too dangerous here. You must follow closely behind me from now on. No matter what you find, tell me immediately and let me check it out. If something goes wrong, run away at once!"

As he spoke, Lu Jingyu raised his vigilance to the maximum. Keeping one hand protectively in front of Xu Qingsui, he scanned their surroundings. He also made a point to look down at their feet, only relaxing slightly when he confirmed there was nothing unusual about their shadows.

Lu Jingyu’s worry was plainly written on his face, and Xu Qingsui could clearly feel his tension. Looking at his serious profile, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

"Alright, I was just being careless earlier. I’ll be much more careful from now on."

Xu Qingsui stepped out from behind Lu Jingyu with a lighthearted smile. Basking in his protective warmth for a moment was enough; she wasn’t the type to hide behind someone else’s back.

Lu Jingyu still didn’t dare lower his guard. He inspected the area once more, stepping aside to give Xu Qingsui room only after making absolutely sure everything was safe. Even so, his nerves remained taut, ready to deal with any sudden emergencies.

"I can’t believe I almost fell for that trap just now. I wonder how the others are doing?"

The thought of how she had completely forgotten about the task at hand when staring at that bizarre sight made her start worrying about the rest of the team. Lu Jingyu was already concerned about them, and her reminder only added to his anxiety.

Realizing she had misspoken, Xu Qingsui quickly tried to fix it. Lu Jingyu had finally relaxed his guard slightly, and she couldn’t afford to add to his psychological burden.

"Listen to me rambling. Just because I forgot about the rules doesn’t mean everyone else did. After all, they’re veterans who have entered dungeons many times. They definitely remember the rules much better than I do.

"Who knows, someone might have already figured out the trick behind those shadows and dealt with the things hiding in them once and for all."

Hearing Xu Qingsui’s words, the worry on Lu Jingyu’s face finally eased a little. He also realized he was still too tense and hadn’t completely let go of his anxieties.

In an effort to distract himself, he said, "They’ll have to worry about themselves. Let’s get back to what we need to do!"

Xu Qingsui nodded and immediately followed Lu Jingyu as they prepared to head up to the second floor. However, just as they were about to move, they both heard a faint noise coming from behind them. They stopped in their tracks simultaneously and looked toward the source of the sound.

They wondered if the entity from earlier had grown impatient after failing to get its way and was now ready for a direct confrontation.

Considering this possibility, Lu Jingyu silently took a half-step forward, once again shielding Xu Qingsui behind him. Under their watchful eyes, a few figures emerged from the direction of the noise. Only when they clearly saw the figures did their tense nerves finally relax.

It was one of the squads they had dispatched earlier!

They must have finished exploring their assigned area and, finding nothing, hurried back to regroup.

"Did you guys find anything?" Lu Jingyu asked out of habit, even though he already knew the answer.

The squad leader shook his head. "Captain, the path on our end led to a dining hall. We searched it thoroughly but didn’t find anything!"

Although he had expected this answer, Lu Jingyu couldn’t help but sigh upon hearing it straight from his team member’s mouth.

While the two were talking, the other squads also appeared. Two of the squads even came back together, and their reports were more or less the same as the first squad’s. They had assigned specific search areas for each sector, yet after a full sweep, they had all come up empty-handed.

With a silent sigh, Lu Jingyu regrouped the team and placed his hopes on the upper floors.

"Let’s head up to the second floor first. Once we’re up there, we’ll reorganize."

Following Lu Jingyu’s orders, the team members tacitly merged back into a single formation. Under his lead, the group made their way up the stairs.

During this time, Xu Qingsui remained silent, but her gaze constantly wandered over these people. Especially when noticing certain individuals, her eyes would linger for a moment. Ultimately, she didn’t say anything and silently followed Lu Jingyu up to the second floor.

Although she didn’t speak, all of her actions were completely taken in by Lu Jingyu.

"Still thinking about what feels off?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yeah! I still get that weird feeling when I look at them. Do you not feel anything at all when you look at them?"

Prompted by her question, Lu Jingyu subconsciously glanced back. He swept his gaze over everyone but couldn’t spot anything unusual. These people had joined the Heiyu Alliance a long time ago and were already familiar faces to him. He recognized every single one of them after looking around; there was nothing strange at all.

"I don’t see it. There haven’t been any changes to the personnel. We don’t have any extra people, and no one is missing."

Xu Qingsui was clearly dissatisfied with this answer. The nagging feeling of something being wrong continued to haunt her, leaving her itching with anxiety and desperate to figure it out. She had hoped Lu Jingyu would notice something, or at least give her a hint to help her realize what was off. But in the end, his answer failed to solve her problem.

"Forget it. Let’s just take it one step at a time. Maybe it’s just my imagination; let’s observe a bit more."

Xu Qingsui sounded a bit disappointed, which made Lu Jingyu feel somewhat conflicted. He glanced back once more at the team members following behind him, but unfortunately, he still didn’t notice anything out of place.

As they spoke, the group arrived at the second floor. The moment they stepped onto the landing, they were greeted by another living area. Several corridors branched out from it, and through them, they could faintly see various rooms.

"We’ll stick to the same formations as before. Each squad will search a designated sector. There’s something strange about this place, so everyone must be extra careful."

Influenced by Xu Qingsui’s unease, Lu Jingyu made sure to issue another warning before they split up to search again.

"Make sure to watch your step. If you notice anything strange about your shadow, absolutely do not make eye contact with it, lest you break the dungeon’s rules!"

Now that he understood the meaning of the second rule, Lu Jingyu specifically emphasized it in case anyone had forgotten. The crowd voiced their acknowledgment, reorganized into their squads, and headed into their respective corridors.

Lu Jingyu looked at Xu Qingsui, only to find her staring blankly at the retreating backs of the team members again.

Assuming she was still agonizing over what felt wrong, Lu Jingyu softly suggested, "Let’s search the living area first!"

Xu Qingsui furrowed her brow. "I think someone was just secretly laughing!"

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