The Last Mr. Dongguo

One year ago, late at night.

The torrential rain, accompanied by lightning, roared through the sky like a white dragon, its white tail flashing as the city was baptized by the downpour in a flickering light. Wenyang City was cut off by the rainy night; the streets were deserted, save for the occasional taxi trying to solicit business, its wheels washing away the accumulated rainwater. A gray, hazy atmosphere enveloped Wenyang City as the rare downpour washed over every corner, seemingly trying to cleanse the city of its dust overnight, but perhaps also unearthing unseen skeletons buried deep beneath the earth!

"Jack of Hearts, check the signal. Are you sure this is the place?" A flashlight beam swept across Jack of Hearts' slightly youthful face. The bright light caused Jack of Hearts to slightly close his eyes and turn his head to the side. The person at the front stopped, and the beams of light from the others began to slowly spread around them, plunging everything into darkness except where the flashlights passed.

"Something feels off to me."

Zeus surveyed his surroundings. The silence was profound; the occasional gust of wind, accompanied by the sound of dripping water, only amplified the stillness. The walls were covered with murals of varying colors but essentially the same, their patina growing ever more chilling with age, as if the strange creatures depicted in the murals were scrutinizing the uninvited guests before them with eerie eyes.

"Zeus, yes, this is the place."

From the moment he entered the corridor, Zeus found the murals on both sides and the winding passageway strange. Upon closer inspection, he could not discern anything unusual; it seemed as if he had been walking in circles for so long.

"Queen of Hearts, anything unusual?"

The Queen of Hearts operated her laptop for a moment, then looked up. "Everything is normal, danger level is zero." She confirmed again, confirming that everything was correct.

"How long have we been walking?" Zeus seemed a little uneasy, still carefully observing the murals on both sides.

"Fifty-two minutes, Zeus," the Jack of Hearts unfolded the map, quickly confirmed the location, and nodded affirmatively. "According to the map, this should be the right place. We've only covered less than a third of the underground corridor. Because it's dark and there are no landmarks, it feels like we've been walking for a long time. Fortunately, there are no forks in the road; we just need to keep going forward. The murals on both sides are probably interference signals; don't worry about them." The Jack of Hearts carefully explained, and seeing that Zeus didn't ask any further questions, she quickly walked to Zeus, unfolded the map, and used the light as a guide. "You see, the design here is relatively sophisticated, but there don't seem to be any traps or mechanisms. Besides this S-shaped corridor, there should be a strange stone door at the end of the corridor. Once we see the stone door, we'll be close to success."

Zeus's gaze didn't linger on the map before him; he simply nodded. Having found nothing in the murals, Zeus rubbed his aching shoulders and cast his beam of light into the dark corridor ahead, the light gradually being swallowed by the darkness.

"Red Ace, you keep watch from behind. No one has set foot here for years, so we must be extremely careful! If anything happens, activate Plan Two immediately."

"Yes! Understood!" A deep, powerful voice came from behind, followed by the sound of a gun being pulled back into its holster.

"Let's put on gas masks, just in case!" The Jack of Hearts took out gas masks from his backpack and distributed them to everyone.

Zeus took another step, and the five formed a battle formation, slowly advancing into the darkness.

At the end of the S-shaped corridor, a huge stone gate slowly came into view under the lights. No one let their guard down. Zeus raised his right hand, signaling everyone to stop. The Queen of Hearts placed her laptop on a nearby stone stool, and after a signal test, her fingers flew across the keyboard. Soon, a smile appeared on her tense face.

"Zeus, there are no traps nearby, and no toxic chemicals on the stone door. It's safe!" The Queen of Hearts' voice was clearly muffled by the gas masks, producing a buzzing sound. The Queen of Hearts then gave an OK sign, and everyone removed their masks one after another.

Zeus could not hide his joy. As he removed his gas mask, he quickly walked to the stone gate. With the help of the flashlights of the others, the entire face of the stone gate was revealed to him.

The stone gate was about ten feet high and eight feet wide. There were no handles or keyholes on the gate, and no gaps were visible between the doors. It was called a "gate" simply because it blocked everyone's view. The stone gate was covered with strange patterns, resembling dragons and oxen, in various shapes. Where there should have been handles, there was a small, identical mythical beast carved on each side.

"Such exquisite craftsmanship," K of Hearts said, reaching out to touch the stone carvings on the door. The whiskers, fur, and scales of the mythical beasts were incredibly lifelike, as if touching real animals. Despite years of erosion, they remained remarkably well-preserved. "But what kind of mythical beasts are these? Why is it only one type of beast carved? And look, I roughly counted, there are no fewer than twenty of these beasts, each with a different form and no two alike, all so lifelike." K of Hearts continued, touching the beast above her head that was gazing into the distance. "Especially those eyes, they seem to have an immense ability to penetrate and see through everything."

"This is Kui, a mythical beast from the Classic of Mountains and Seas," Zeus said, his hands trembling with excitement. "The Kui symbolizes a wise man. In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Kui also means to awe the world. To awe the world means to be reborn. Wenli is saved. He didn't lie to me. Yes, this is the place, this is the place, this is the place..."

"Long Kui?" The Queen of Hearts looked surprised. "Zeus, is this Long Kui?"

Zeus didn't answer the Queen of Hearts' question. His eyes were fixed on the stone door before him. His hands moved rapidly, touching the eyes of each dragon and kui, repeatedly meeting their gazes as if trying to see through them. His eagerness urged him to find the entrance as quickly as possible. Zeus's eyes gleamed, and he used both hands and feet to pound on the stone door. Unable to reach the topmost one, Zeus suddenly turned and, with all his might, moved the stone stool where the Queen of Hearts had placed her computer.

"Calm down, the situation is still uncertain, don't panic!" The Jack of Hearts stepped forward and grabbed the almost frantic Zeus. However, no one knew where Zeus got the strength from, and before anyone could see clearly, the Jack of Hearts was thrown several meters away by Zeus. The Ace of Hearts quickly helped the Jack of Hearts up, and looking at Zeus, his urgency was even more evident.

"Don't stop me. After all these years, what I want is right in front of me. Nothing can stop me. You all continue doing what you're supposed to do. If we detect anything unusual, we'll initiate the evacuation plan."

Zeus's commands were absolute. After a roar, no one dared to obstruct him. They simply did what they were supposed to do, hoping everything would go smoothly and that they would get what they wanted as soon as possible.

However, Zeus's unusual mood still made everyone feel uneasy, and the darkness, along with the eerie atmosphere, pounded on the hearts of everyone present.