Chapter 207: Battle Royale
As she drew closer, Li Zhi realized this wasn’t just a single burial chamber—there were two. The doorways on either side faced each other, likely a pair of flanking side chambers.
These side chambers were much smaller than the one she had woken up in, with no coffins inside. Instead, the floors were haphazardly strewn with bronze artifacts and burial goods. A lone candlestick flickered on the stone wall.
After searching both chambers, Li Zhi found a bronze implement about the length of her forearm. Wrapping its sharp end with fabric from the burial offerings and coating it with melted candle wax, she fashioned a makeshift torch.
At least this way, the flame wouldn’t easily extinguish during a frantic escape.
The torchlight improved visibility, but the end of the long, dark passage remained unseen. The walls here lacked the murals she’d seen earlier, covered only in a thin layer of dust.
Moving closer, Li Zhi noticed the stone blocks lining the passage weren’t tightly fitted. Gaps as wide as a pinky finger separated them, though the dust made them hard to spot.
She recalled the tide of insects that had pursued her earlier—silent in their approach, vanishing without a trace. They had likely crawled through these very gaps.
Li Zhi quickened her pace.
The entire passage was riddled with such crevices. Those insects could emerge at any moment.
The tomb’s pathways branched unpredictably, some leading to dead ends that forced her to backtrack. But as she pressed forward, the tunnels widened, the walls and ceiling growing jagged, transforming into formations resembling limestone caves.
Raising the torch, Li Zhi studied the uneven holes above—dark voids like watching eyes, hiding unknown horrors that lurked in the shadows.
Faced with three diverging paths, she hesitated. Then, from the depths of the tunnels, came the unmistakable sound of dragging chains.
The metallic clinks mingled with heavy, rhythmic thuds, echoing from all directions. Li Zhi suddenly remembered the mural she’d seen earlier—the procession of prisoners, shackled at the ankles, leaping into the burial pit.
Those sacrificial victims were long dead. Whatever approached now couldn’t be human.
With the sounds growing nearer and no way to pinpoint their origin, choosing the wrong path risked a direct confrontation. Acting decisively, Li Zhi scaled the rough left wall, climbing toward the largest opening above.
My physical training has paid off. My muscles and strength are solid.
The thought flashed through her mind as she easily reached the ledge. She swept the torchlight inside—nothing but dust. The hollow was sealed, its walls free of gaps that might hide threats.
Li Zhi slipped inside, extinguishing the torch and settling into a defensive crouch.
Darkness swallowed her again. Holding her breath, she waited. Two minutes passed before the chain sounds grew distinct—then, another noise: rapid footsteps sprinting toward her hiding place.
Blind in the blackness, she heard the runner pause below before scrambling up toward her perch.
Li Zhi tightened her grip on the bronze weapon. As soon as a ragged breath signaled the intruder’s arrival, she struck—one hand lashing high, the other low.
Her ambush met unexpected resistance. The newcomer reacted swiftly, dodging the initial blow before countering in the pitch dark.
Then, simultaneously, both froze.
Clink—
Clink—
The chained creatures shuffled below, hunting.
Li Zhi’s arm snaked around, covering the stranger’s mouth and nose. In turn, a scorching palm sealed her own lips.
They became statues, breath stilled.
Minutes crawled by before the dragging chains faded. Warm exhales ghosted over Li Zhi’s fingers as she slowly withdrew her hand.
"Human?" she whispered.
The hand over her mouth released. "Yeah," came a low, icy reply.
Though invisible, their living status was confirmed—only the living breathed so steadily, burned so warm.
Li Zhi shifted back, tension easing. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Fabric rustled as the stranger settled opposite her. His voice, close to her age, carried an aloof edge. "Don’t know. Woke up here."
Li Zhi’s pulse jumped. "In a coffin?"
A pause. "Yes." Another beat. "I remember nothing else."
She exhaled slowly. "Same. Only my name—Li Zhi. Yours?"
"...Xie Qiong."
Nodding, Li Zhi asked, "Got a light source?"
"Here." He produced a firestarter—more reliable than candles. Li Zhi reignited her torch, illuminating the cramped space and her unexpected ally.
Xie Qiong matched her age estimate, his half-tied black hair lending a disheveled sharpness. A makeshift cloth satchel bulged at his side, stuffed with scavenged items.
"Supplies," he explained tersely.
Li Zhi jumped down first. "Talk while we move."
With companionship, both moved with renewed purpose. Meanwhile, the live audience’s confusion erupted:
[Holy shit! Amnesia arc! No wonder they seemed off—they’ve lost their memories!]
[Last amnesia run I saw, only one survivor made it out, and they ranked last in popularity. Total wipeout.]
[Li Zhi and Xie Qiong meeting like this?! WAKE UP! You’re rivals!]
[Watching these two bond is hilarious. Can’t wait for their post-memory-recovery faces.]
[Amnesia + battle royale? This dungeon’s brutal. Praying for Li Zhi’s teammates.]
[ZhiZhi! Your poor Chi Yi’s about to break!]
—
Xie Qiong landed soundlessly beside her. His trained movements mirrored her own—two professionals, memory-wiped, trapped in an elaborate game.
"If this is a test, why erase memories? Feels more like twisted entertainment," Xie Qiong muttered, scanning the dark ahead. "We’re not the only players."
Li Zhi agreed. More participants meant higher stakes.
They pressed on, navigating dead ends before finding another chamber—four unlit bronze candlesticks framing a skeletal corpse sprawled across fresh wood shavings.
Xie Qiong lifted a blood-darkened splinter. "Recent death."
But how had flesh stripped so fast?
Li Zhi’s torch revealed minced meat amid the debris. "Something gnawed them alive."
The candle wicks were blackened—burned, then bitten through.
"Something deliberately extinguished these," Xie Qiong noted.
Li Zhi suddenly asked, "When you left your coffin—did you smell something strange?"
Xie Qiong frowned. "A scent. I trusted my instincts and ran."
Li Zhi stared at the remains. "This was our teammate."
She pieced it together:
"The scent came from inside the coffins—activated by light. It repels those insects."
The swarm had retreated when she emerged but pursued once the scent faded.
"Others might’ve hesitated too long in their coffins. By the time the candles were eaten..."
She didn’t need to finish. The bones said enough.