Quadruple split.

Chapter 2779 Three Paths

The secluded labyrinth, the origin

"Ah ha ha--"

Although he already knew about the existence of the 'underground' world, it was still the first time that Yi Dong had taken on such a heavy responsibility and dealt with supernatural phenomena. He swallowed nervously and chuckled dryly, "I feel like after this is over, it will be harder for everyone to be ordinary people. Should I be happy about this?"

After chuckling self-deprecatingly a few times, Idon, completely free of fear and apprehension, and without any psychological burden except for worrying that he wouldn't be able to handle a certain guy, shrugged and walked towards the 'maze' in front of him.

"But then again..."

Standing at the crossroads, Yi Dong scratched his head, looking around at the three straight roads in front of him with a suspicious expression. He then said with a forced smile, "The 'maze' those two women were talking about, is this what it is? A 'maze' with only three forks and then all the way to the end?"

Unfortunately, since those inside the spiritual world of Mo Tan cannot contact the outside world and can only confirm the safety of the 'infiltrators' through the protection of the Rice brothers, Yi Dong had no way to contact the outside world. Otherwise, Xue Yin and Gu Xiaole would have been furious and said that they were not exaggerating, but that Dongzi, who only had three straight roads in front of him, was simply cheating.

In short, after a brief moment of hesitation, Yi Dong chose to turn left, stepping briskly onto the road on the left, and then began to walk...

It crossed the path of "the end of reason".

It has crossed the path of the "break in mercy".

They crossed the path where hope was extinguished.

They have crossed the path of "dissolution of will".

It has crossed the path of memory dissociation.

finally--

We have arrived at the Path of Sorrow and Lamentation.

"Hey."

Yi Dong walked cheerfully into the enormous and magnificent cage in front of him, and said to his friend in a lighthearted tone, "You didn't tell me about such a big thing as moving?"

“Idon…”

Mo paused for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Why are you here too?"

"I'm afraid you'll lose yourself and someone will rip your kidneys out."

Yi Dong shrugged, then looked at the servant spirit nestled behind Mo: "Leave the rest to me, you go back first, my sister is very worried about you."

Samurai looked coldly at Idon: "What are you worried about? Are you worried that I can make Mobe happy and then steal him away?"

"silent?"

Yi Dong blinked, then waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, what nonsense are you talking about? We're not in the [Innocent Realm]. This guy is the real Mo Tan."

"Varied--"

Just as Samurai was about to speak, he felt an irresistible repulsive force coming from behind him. Before he could say anything, he was directly taken away from the place by the protection of the Rice brothers.

"Oh haha."

Yi Dong sighed, then looked at Mo Tan with a half-smile: "You kid shouldn't blame me for driving away our sister's... uh, clone, right? Honestly, I didn't do anything, she just disappeared for some reason."

"Do not blame you."

Mo Tan smiled, then stretched and walked slowly to Yi Dong's side, nodding slightly and saying, "Let's go. This place is really not suitable for staying for long. I feel like my head is full of mush, like I've been asleep for over ten years."

"It's not that exaggerated."

Yi Dong chuckled and shook his head, saying, "I only couldn't contact you for one morning. According to what we agreed on, we should only worry if we haven't heard from each other for more than three days."

Mo Tan nodded slightly and asked curiously, "So it was Sister Xiao Le and the others who asked you to come?"

"Gu Xiaole, Xueyin, and two foreign brothers I've never met before."

As Yi Dong turned right without hesitation, he said without turning his head, "Now it seems that those two girls rushed over immediately after your accident. Very good, they value women over friends."

Mo Tan rolled her eyes, covered her head, and said, "Listen, I can't refute you right now, not because I admit it, but because my head is a bit messed up right now, and I can't quite remember what I did back then."

"Then you should take this time to clear your head."

Ignoring the suddenly collapsing cage behind him, Yi Dong stepped onto the right-hand fork in the road, casually remarking, "We're a bit pressed for time right now."

"..."

Mo Tan twitched the corners of his mouth and said with a wry smile, "I can tell."

And so, Iton continued walking forward as if on flat ground, and the road indeed stretched out beneath his feet—

It has crossed the path of stripping away desire.

It has crossed the path of silent assimilation.

It has crossed the path of "decision suspension".

It has crossed the [Path of Necrosis].

It has crossed the path of cognitive internalization.

finally--

We have arrived at the [Path of Corruption and Sin].

"call."

Yi Dong rubbed his hands vigorously, hugged his arms, and breathed on them. He then cursed at the man sitting in the chair reading the wordless book with great dissatisfaction, "I'm going to freeze to death!"

"..."

Tan Mo reluctantly looked up from his book and glanced at Yi Dong with his blank and indifferent eyes: "Can you please leave me alone?"

"No."

Yi Dong rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Let's go, Mo Tan."

"Ugh."

Mo Tan casually tossed aside the 'book' that looked empty and was essentially empty as well, lazily stood up, and gave Yi Dong the middle finger: "You're really annoying."

Without hesitation, Yi Dong returned the favor by giving Mo Tan the middle finger: "Likewise."

Thus, Mo Tan left the cage, and the cold, birdcage-like spectacle instantly collapsed after he left.

"I feel much better."

Mo Tan stretched his limbs, then pointed to his head in a serious manner and said, "Although it hurts like hell here."

"Well, anyway, try your best not to die."

Yi Dong shrugged, then turned to look at the straight, one-way road behind him and complained to Mo Tan beside him, "Seriously, do you ever get lost on a one-way street?"

Mo Tan honestly replied, "It's hard to say."

"You're actually quite modest."

Yi Dong sighed and laughed, "Alright, I'll go first, you follow closely."

"Good servant, quickly lead the way for the master."

"I'm just fulfilling my duties as a doting father."

"what."

"Ah."

"Damn it, hurry up and lead the way."

"Shut up and stay close."

...a moment later
The secluded labyrinth, the mirror named the Path of Sin

"To be honest, I originally thought this place would be a cage too."

Yi Dong slowly walked to Hei Fan's side and stood beside him. Looking at the mirror in front of them that seemed to divide the world in two, he smacked his lips and sighed while fixing his hair, "Tsk, we're both men, so why am I so handsome and dashing, while you would be impossible to pick out of a crowd?"

Are you referring to 'me'?

Hei Fan turned to look at Yi Dong, and casually asked as if they were having a casual chat, "Me again?"

"Is there a difference?"

Yi Dong shrugged and said in a more relaxed tone, "Aren't they all just black sandalwood?"

"call……"

Mo Tan took a deep breath, closed his eyes to rest for a full two minutes before turning back to Yi Dong, his face ashen, and said, "To be honest, my head hurts so badly I feel like I'm going to die."

Yi Dong glanced at his friend, who had returned to normal, and asked helplessly, "So what exactly happened?"

"You do not know?"

Mo Tan frowned, puzzled, and asked, "You came here without even knowing what happened?"

"Yes, Xiao Le called me and said that the situation on your end was not good. Then he didn't say anything else, just gave me an address."

Yi Dong nodded and said succinctly, "After confirming that it wasn't that woman's prank, I drove straight to the store called 'Strange and Weird.' As soon as I got out of the car and walked in, I lost my balance and fell. When I got up, Xiao Le, Xue Yin, and the two foreign twin store managers were already standing in front of me."

"I see. Sister Xiaole must have discovered that I was not in a good condition through some supernatural means. Xueyin rushed over as soon as she received my message. After that, because of that rat demon, they should have contacted the [Chuunibyou Club] immediately."

While rubbing his chin, Mo Tan casually deduced, "But according to what you just said, the people who helped solve the problem in the end were the brothers Ferry Rice and Joe Rice, so most likely that kid didn't want to get involved in this mess, and since he knew I knew the twins, he just sent Sister Xiao Le and Xue Yin to take me to [Strange and Wonderful], hmm."

"Uh……"

Yi Dong picked at his ear and asked curiously, "So what does this have to do with me? Why did they end up bringing me here?"

“I don’t know the specifics, but I vaguely remember… Xueyin and Sister Xiaole made a mistake, they both made the same mistake.”

Mo Tan raised her hand to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. Despite her gradually subsiding headache, she said softly, "They... unintentionally denied my integrity, which is a big problem. Fortunately, no matter the circumstances, I decided to temporarily 'expel' them at that time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Yi Dong's expression hardened slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "So, Xiao Le and Xue Yin have indeed opened your box?"

"Yes, and even in terms of in-game identities, they should have already matched me with both of them."

Mo Tan gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "There's nothing I can do. Although I consider myself a cautious and vigilant person... it seems that hiding the fact that I have a mental problem is much harder than I imagined."

Yi Dong sneered, adding insult to injury, "Don't forget Yu Chen. Based on your previous synchronization with me, she most likely noticed that something was wrong with you. It's just that she's very understanding."

"I didn't forget."

Mo Tan sighed and said in a dry voice, "So there's no need for you to remind me."

"Heh, I think it would be better if I gave you a heads-up."

Yi Dong shook his head, then stared at Mo Tan with a gloomy expression and said in a deep voice, "So your current situation is... serious?"

"I do not know."

Mo Tan shook his head honestly and said seriously, "Last night was actually no different from usual, but my head just exploded after I logged out of the game this morning."

"It exploded!?"

Yi Dong was shocked and asked in a trembling voice, "How did it explode?!"

"It's just an analogy; it hurts terribly, but it doesn't actually explode."

Mo Tan waved her hand weakly and said, "Anyway, I was in a really bad state at the time. Although I tried some simple self-help and relief methods, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse and I eventually lost consciousness. Before that, because I was in a mental state that allowed me to match 'Tan Mo' in the game, I contacted Xue Yin directly. Although I only had time to send a string of '1's, she obviously realized the seriousness of the situation."

Yi Dong rolled his eyes and demanded, "Why don't you come to your father?"

"Because although you know about the world 'behind the scenes,' you don't have truly effective channels of communication."

Mo Tan spread his hands and said calmly, "If there had been enough time, I could have told you to take me to someone, like the Rice Brothers or some kid from a club. But at that time, I would have fainted within seconds. So instead of letting you run around like a headless fly in a panic, wasting any possible golden treatment time, it was better to go directly to Xue Yin. At least she has a knowledgeable rat demon by her side."

"A very good reason."

Yi Dong nodded slightly and casually said, "But next time, if you get into trouble again, I can just contact the two store managers directly, right?"

While pressing his temples, Mo Tan replied, "That's right. Besides that, I have another friend who might be quite knowledgeable in this area. Although he's an unreliable kid, you can trust him in a pinch. I'll give you his contact information later."

"Um……"

Yi Dong grinned, then suddenly opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated.

"Let the fart go."

Mo Tan chuckled and said, "Don't suffocate yourself."

"I was just thinking..."

Yi Dong scratched his head, and finally made up his mind to say, "If this happens again, can I tell my parents that they... uh... aren't they also involved in those messy 'under-the-table' things?"

"So here's the question, buddy."

Mo Tan, who had already thought of this question, pinched the bridge of her nose and asked, "You should know very well that Sister Xiao Le is probably just as extraordinary as your parents. So, if they really can solve the problem, why didn't Sister Xiao Le take me to find Uncle Yinan and Aunt Gu?"

"This……"

"Either they can't solve it, or they're not suited to help, right?"

"Uh...that's true."

"If that's the case, why should we let them worry?"

"You really care about them."

"Because they're very good to me."

"but……"

"There's no 'but' about it. All this nonsense we're talking about now is pointless. We'd be better off going back and seeing what the professionals have to say."

"Yeah, that's okay."

"Then retreat?"

"Do you know how to get back?"

"I don't know, but right now I feel like I'm having a lucid dream, and I know exactly how I should 'wake up.' What about you?"

"I just need to trigger Blessing, I guess."

"Okay, see you later."

"Well, see you later."

hum-

The next instant, accompanied by a burst of light reminiscent of the offline effects of the [Innocent Realm], Mo Tan vanished without a trace.

"Eh?"

However, after Yidong triggered the blessing on himself, he did not leave as expected, but inexplicably remained in the same place.

Then, he suddenly realized—