I cultivate the Purple Mansion Golden Elixir Dao on Earth

The fog spread like dark clouds, engulfing the entire campus in an instant.

Everything that could be seen before our eyes had been swallowed up by the thick, almost murky fog.

Whether it's the distant stands, the teaching building, or the leader speaking on the podium.

It was still classmates and teachers from the neighborhood.

Or perhaps it's the lawn and flowerbeds right next door.

They were all brutally enveloped by the white mist.

Or rather... it was swallowed up.

In the face of such thick fog, everything seemed to disappear.

It's as if it never existed at all.

The only perceptual feedback we can get is sound.

"What happened? Why is there such a thick fog?!"

"Dear students, don't panic, listen to me—"

"Teachers of all classes, gather your students immediately!"

"Students of Class 30, come here!"

"Students of Class 35, come here!"

Upon hearing the last voice, Xu Xiu immediately recognized it.

That was Fang Hexiang's voice.

She instinctively wanted to walk towards the direction from which the voices came, but she had only taken half a step when her wrist was grabbed.

The force was so strong that it almost froze her in place.

"Do not move."

Su Xu's voice came from the mist.

"Su Xu, this isn't the time for flirting—"

Xu Xiu subconsciously wanted to make another sarcastic remark, but stopped halfway through her sentence.

Because Su Xu didn't respond to her as usual, and didn't even say a word of criticism to her.

He simply looked at her calmly, a hint of doubt and wariness hidden in his eyes.

"Don't wander off," he said. "Teacher Fang is going the wrong way."

"Wrong direction?"

Xu Xiu was stunned and stared blankly at Su Xu.

Although the boy was gripping her wrist tightly, his body remained firmly rooted to the spot, facing in another direction, simply grabbing her with his other hand.

"I didn't turn around when the fog rolled in."

Su Xu said in a low voice.

"I've been facing the podium the whole time. Logically, each class's homeroom teacher should be standing at the front of their respective line... but think about it carefully, from which direction did Teacher Fang's voice come just now?"

These words, like a thunderclap, suddenly exploded in Xu Xiu's heart.

"...from behind us."

Her lips trembled slightly.

"But we were clearly at the back of the line..."

In an instant, Xu Xiu's face turned pale.

At this moment, most of the boy's body was already surrounded by an increasingly dense white mist.

Apart from their still tightly clasped hands, everything else between the two was blurred and swallowed up by the fog.

They were like two isolated islands, their clasped hands forming the only remaining waterway.

"Su Xu..."

Xu Xiu's voice trembled slightly.

Her fingers were covered in sweat, and her palms were sticky and wet.

The damp sweat also clung to Su Xu's hands, causing the girl to feel a slight sense of embarrassment.

Even so, she didn't dare to let go of her hand.

On the other side of the fog, Su Xu's voice remained calm.

"I experienced something similar last night."

These words, meant to comfort her, also made Xu Xiu's eyes widen in surprise.

"Su Xu, your voice—"

"I know."

Su Xu immediately replied.

"Doesn't it sound like it didn't even originate from my hands?"

"...That's right."

"I've discovered... this white fog not only obscures our vision, but it also disrupts our hearing."

At this point, Su Xu suddenly raised his voice and shouted to the surroundings:

"Dear teachers and students, please pay attention! The direction from which we are hearing each other's voices may not be the correct direction!"

"So I suggest everyone stretch out their arms, one in front of the other, and slowly move forward. First, touch other people's hands, then shake hands. Don't run around! Only in this way can everyone stay in a line and avoid getting separated in the fog!"

This sentence immediately gave the previously panicked crowd, who were like headless flies, a little bit of support.

"Yes, yes! That's a good idea!"

"Who said that? Who said this?"

"It looks like Su Xu from Class 35 of Senior Year 3!"

"Su Xu? I know him, he's one of the top students in the grade!"

"That top student?!"

"That top student really has a sharp mind..."

In the distance, Fang Hexiang's voice could be faintly heard:

"Su is right! Don't panic! Everyone, stand firm and slowly contact those around you!"

Even the voices of school leaders, amplified through loudspeakers and microphones, drifted over from the podium, albeit faintly:

"This student remained calm and clear-headed under pressure. Excellent! After this incident, the school will definitely commend you for your composed response... I believe this fully demonstrates the comprehensive qualities of outstanding students from Minjiang No. 3 Middle School in the face of emergencies, and serves as a role model for high school students..."

Even at this point, the leader was still saying what a leader should say.

Even with a microphone and speakers, the sound was still extremely faint, as if it were being suppressed by the white mist through several layers of thick quilts.

...This white fog not only disrupts the direction of sound, but can even drown out the decibel level of sound.

"Su Xu, you're so smart."

Xu Xiu said in a low voice.

As she spoke, she followed Su Xu's method, stretching her other hand backward like a wooden pole.

But her outstretched hand didn't reach out horizontally as Su Xu had suggested; instead, it hung gently in front of her eyes.

Because that hand was tightly clasped with Su Xu's fingers.

In such a thick fog, those clasped hands were like the only small light still shining on the dark sea.

Even the slightest, visible connection... can be a reason for her to feel at ease.

She has to watch.

I can only feel at ease when I see those hands still clasped together.

Just then, Su Xu suddenly tugged at her.

"Walk."

Xu Xiu quickly followed.

So the two of them slowly made their way through the fog, talking quietly as they went.

"Speaking of which, Su Xu..."

Xu Xiu lowered her voice.

"What exactly was this 'thing like this' you mentioned last night? Did you really—"

"It's haunted."

Su Xu calmly continued.

"I did indeed witness something haunted... it was as strange as this white fog."

The boy's voice seemed to be coming from the side and behind him, but in the blink of an eye, it seemed to have moved to the side and front.

That eerie sound, sometimes near, sometimes far, was extremely uncomfortable to listen to.

Even so, Xu Xiu couldn't help but want to keep talking to him.

"How could this be...?"

Xu Xiu gasped.

"Could it be that I was right?"

Her voice trembled slightly.

Su Xu chuckled softly.

"What's wrong, Detective Xu?"

"Isn't this what you've been dreaming about? Real-life paranormal events, genuine supernatural phenomena... Why are you scared now that you've actually encountered one?"

As he spoke, he slowly added:

"There was once a man in the north of the city named Lord Ye, whose favorite animal was the dragon..."

"Damn it, stop talking!"

Xu Xiu blushed, and her voice suddenly rose, interrupting Su Xu.

But after he teased her like that, her tense emotions inexplicably relaxed a lot.

Xu Xiu knew perfectly well that this was Su Xu's way of calming herself down.

Even in such a terrifying moment...

He still cares about himself...

Xu Xiu bit her lip.

"Oh……"

The boy seemed to see through her thoughts and chuckled softly.

This time, the laughter seemed to come right behind her ear.

Even though she knew it was just an illusion caused by the white mist interfering with her hearing, Xu Xiu still couldn't help but feel a tremor in her heart, and even a strange thought inexplicably arose in her mind—

If Su Xu were really standing right next to her ear at this moment, so close that his breath could brush against her neck...

...How wonderful that would be.

Even though she was still trapped in this eerie white mist, Xu Xiu began to have wild thoughts.

Suddenly, a faint, indistinct sound came from the fog directly ahead.

"Which class are you two from?"

The voice was clearly that of an adult, like a teacher at a school, and even sounded somewhat familiar to Xu Xiu.

At the same time, Xu Xiu felt something gently touching the back of her outstretched hand.

Upon hearing the voice, Xu Xiu was delighted and instinctively wanted to reply.

"high……"

But as soon as she uttered a single word, she immediately remembered a fact—

The fog is so thick that you can't even see a person's face right up close.

The person who was holding her hand...

How would I know...?

Are these two classmates?!

In an instant, Xu Xiuru felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

She jerked back, trying to pull the hand that was reaching out behind her back, but at the same time, the touch on the back of her hand suddenly tightened!

Those hands didn't look like human hands at all.

The feeling of the object resting on her hand was dry and brittle, like a withered branch, or... a dried-up corpse!

That "person"...

...The surface of his palm was frighteningly rough, with a cracked and peeling texture. A light touch made Xu Xiu's scalp tingle!

"I--!"

Xu Xiu tried her best to pull it out but couldn't, and she almost burst into tears on the spot.

But at that very moment, the boy who had been tightly gripping her other hand seemed to understand what she had gone through, as if by telepathy, without needing Xu Xiu's explanation.

then--

The next second, Su Xu grabbed her hand hard without hesitation!

"run!"

A loud shout suddenly pierced through the white mist!

The force from Su Xu's hand was unprecedented, and Xu Xiu did not hesitate at all. Taking advantage of the force Su Xu was pulling, she ran forward!

In an instant, the hand gripped tightly by the monster behind...

Finally, I pulled back at this moment!

The moment she pulled back, Xu Xiu glanced at the back of her hand, where there was a charred, yellowish-brown mark and a faint, fishy smell.

As Xu Xiu ran, she frantically wiped the hand with her school uniform sleeve, panting as she recounted her ordeal to Su Xu in the fewest words possible:

"Just now... something tried to hold my hand!"

"I knew it!"

Su Xu answered immediately.

As he dragged Xu Xiu along, he shouted wildly in all directions:

"Watch out, everyone! There's something in that white fog—"

The sound stopped abruptly.

The two of them gradually slowed down at this moment.

Because it was only then that they suddenly discovered something extremely strange.

For some reason, the once bustling playground has now become completely silent.

The students and teachers who had been crying, shouting, talking, and running around in a panic all seemed to have vanished in that short period of time.

Amidst the vast expanse of white mist, there was no other sound except for their rapid breathing and heartbeats.

"How far...did we just run?"

Xu Xiu swallowed hard, her voice dry.

"have no idea."

Su Xu said in a low voice.

"But they definitely didn't run off the track."

This time, his voice came precisely from the front, without the slightest deviation.

But Xu Xiu's heart did not relax; instead, it tightened even more.

"Then...why is everyone..."

She stopped herself halfway through her sentence.

Because some terrifying thoughts suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Why did the noise on the playground decrease after Su Xu reminded everyone to hold hands?

Why didn't she hear anyone scream like she did when their hands were grabbed by that thing?

Why is it that, despite running for so long, they didn't bump into or encounter a single person along the way?

...and why, even though there are thousands of senior high school students on this playground.

But now, it seems like only the two of them are left?!

"..."

Xu Xiu bit her lip, unwilling to voice her guess.

But her silence alone could not influence another person's perception.

Su Xu's voice rang out in front of her.

"Xu Xiu..."

The boy's voice was cold and hard, yet it was also tinged with pain and self-blame.

"...My suggestion just now may have harmed everyone."

Xu Xiu's heart skipped a beat.

Su Xu continued:

"No wonder...no wonder even the school leaders on the platform could hear my voice. Logically speaking, this should be impossible in such thick fog."

"It's this white mist."

"It deliberately made my voice heard by everyone."

"It is conscious."

"It wants to use my mouth to get everyone trapped in the fog to reach out their hands, and then—"

He stopped there.

But there's no need to say anything more.

Once you're grabbed by that monster's hand...

...There are many possibilities for what will happen next, but every possibility will only lead to a cruel and dark ending.

"No...it's not your problem."

Xu Xiu's voice was already trembling with sobs.

But at this moment, even she herself didn't know how much power those words of comfort actually had.

Within the white mist, the boy remained silent for a moment, not responding immediately.

Only the sound of their footsteps echoing on the lawn remained, one after another, resounding emptily.

The whole world was enveloped in this white mist.

Even their clasped hands were no longer visible; they could only confirm by touch that the other was still beside them.

But just then, the fog ahead suddenly rippled slightly.

A boy's face suddenly emerged from the fog.

It's Su Xu.

He had turned around without her noticing, and the distance between them was now almost inches.

The white mist flowed slowly around his face, making his features exceptionally clear.

The next second, he raised his hands and gripped Xu Xiu's shoulders tightly.

"I will definitely protect you."

"I will definitely find a way to get you out of this fog."

His voice was low and steady, like a vow forged in iron.

Xu Xiu stared at him blankly, her eyes instantly reddening.

"……Um."

She responded softly, her eyes slightly moist, and her body involuntarily leaned forward.

Xu Xiu involuntarily raised her hands.

In that instant, she couldn't resist the urge to hug him.

...this boy.

...childhood sweethearts.

...Su Xu, who has always comforted and accepted himself, from childhood to adulthood.

But just as she raised her hands—

The mist surrounding the two suddenly dissipated.

It was as if some invisible force had erected a barrier around them, forcibly repelling the white mist within a radius of several meters, clearing a space.

"I……"

Xu Xiu was taken aback.

But Su Xu's expression changed abruptly at that moment.

He quickly turned his head and looked around warily, finally fixing his gaze on the very center of the open space.

There, a pit had appeared out of nowhere.

The pit was dark and gloomy, as if it had been forcibly cut open in the middle of the playground.

"...What is that?"

Su Xu's gaze sharpened, and before Xu Xiu could speak, he walked over.

He stood at the edge of the pit, peered down, then his expression changed, and he immediately turned to look at Xu Xiu.

"Xu Xiu... there are steps inside!"

"...We want to go inside and see—by the way, what kind of gesture is that?!"

The boy looked over with bright eyes, but Xu Xiu had mixed feelings.

Her facial muscles twitched, she took a few deep breaths, and then lowered her hands, which were still held at her sides and slightly raised as if she wanted to hold the other person.

"A platform, steps? Haha..."

Xu Xiuqian chuckled, pretending not to have heard Su Xu's last question.

She jogged over to Su Xu's side, looked down, and then her eyes widened:

"Wow, it really is! There really are steps! And they're spiral-shaped!"

"..."

As a result, Su Xu didn't look into the cave at all, but stared straight at her.

"affectation."

"...Haha, I was just too excited...okay, I'll calm down."

Xu Xiu raised her head without changing her expression, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and calmly met Su Xu's gaze.

After a long while, Su Xu seemed unwilling to dwell on the issue any longer, shook his head, and turned his gaze back to the pit.

"I want to see what's inside; this fog makes it seem like we can't get out at all."

Su Xu said quietly.

Hearing this, Xu Xiu took a deep breath and pretended to be cheerful, saying:

"Alright then, let's go down together."

"But……"

Su Xu's gaze immediately returned to her.

He frowned slightly, as if he had intended to offer a different opinion.

But the next second, Su Xu seemed to change his mind and nodded.

"...Okay, let's go down together."

Having made their decision, the two no longer hesitated.

Su Xu was in front, and Xu Xiu was behind. The two of them touched the edge of the steps and the side walls, and walked down the spiral staircase step by step.

One turn.

Two turns.

Three turns.

They held each other's hands tightly, just as they had in the white mist.

This time, however, Xu Xiu felt much more at ease than before in the fog, because she could finally vaguely see the other person's back.

Moreover, for some reason, there was always a faint light inside this pit.

The light source seemed to have no origin, neither like a lamp nor like fire, yet it permeated the surroundings, allowing one to barely see the steps beneath one's feet and the walls beside one's body.

Finally, the two reached the very bottom.

What appeared before them...

...is a huge platform.

The walls were covered with old, yellowed and brownish wallpaper, and the floor was covered with a long, old carpet that was damp, dark, and covered with a thin layer of dust.

The entire space has no doors or windows; it is as if it has been cut into huge, empty areas by walls with standard geometric shapes.

These areas are separated by wide openings, allowing people to move freely between them.

Looking out, rows of bright fluorescent lights lined the ceiling, illuminating this boundless platform.

However, because the wallpaper and carpet had that old, moldy, yellowish-brown hue, even the lights were dim and yellowish, making one feel depressed.

"Where is this place?"

Su Xu frowned, a puzzled look on his face.

The huge platform in front of me, despite its obvious man-made style, inexplicably exudes a sense of natural desolation and barbarity.

But behind him, Xu Xiu's expression had completely changed.

The girl's suppressed gasp drew Su Xu's attention, but she was too preoccupied to notice the boy's gaze.

Xu Xiu stared wide-eyed in disbelief, her teeth chattering slightly.

"This place... [Level 0]..."

"【lobby】……"

Her voice trembled, as if it were being forced out of her throat.

"Su Xu, this...this is the [back room]!!!"

"But how could there possibly be a 'back room' under the playground?"

"[The back room]...How did it end up here?!"

……

"...How did the back room end up here?"

The surging white fog had completely enveloped the entire Minjiang No. 3 Middle School and was still rolling upwards, eventually reaching hundreds of meters into the sky.

At the very top of that white mist, a middle-aged man stood silently, suspended in mid-air.

His gaze swept downwards, as if he could easily see through the entire white mist and all the realms beneath it.

Lin Yu looked at the white mist and smiled:

"It is self-evident that the 'back room' would be here."