613: 10.8 Is That You?

10.8 Is That You?

The content of the song was exactly the same too. Without him realizing, Lu Yizhou had propped himself up until he was leaning against the damp brick wall. He turned his head toward the direction of the voice as though he could hear it better this way.  2

For some inexplicable reason, he knew it deep inside his heart. This was Pandora, his lover's voice.

The birds are singing…

The flowers are blooming…

But it's such a pity…

Everyone is already deceased…

Different from the serene voice he used to sing earlier, this time Lu Yizhou could somehow sense a tinge of melancholy in it, as if he was mourning for those who had perished in this place. The voice traveled through the stagnant air, the suffocating cell and the hard brick wall until it gently caressed Lu Yizhou's ears. It drowned out every miniscule sound around, making it as if Lu Yizhou was the only person left in this world. He could not even hear any the signs of Christian's breathing and heartbeat from the lower bunk.

—No. Lu Yizhou's pupils dilated when he discovered that something was off. He truly could not sense Christian's presence anymore!

With a swish, he held onto the metal rail and hung his head upside down to look. He sucked in a surprised air. The bed was empty! Christian was nowhere to be seen! How…?! The cell's door had never been opened, and the whole space was so cramped that they could even see each other without turning their heads. So how could it be possible for such a huge man like Christian to vanish into thin air?!

Lu Yizhou called out tentatively, [666?]

He had expected it, but when he did not hear 666's usual response in his mind, Lu Yizhou's heart lightly sank nonetheless.

Exactly what was going on here…?

Was this the 'strange happenings' that the warden was talking about?

Lu Yizhou was not the kind of person who would sit still and wait when something happened around him. First thing first, he should check the other cells to see whether it was only Christian who disappeared or everyone here. He made a small leap and his feet landed soundlessly on the ground. After a while, his eyes had started to adjust to the darkness around, enabling him to have a glimpse of the situation outside through the metal bars on the door panel. 

It was utterly silent outside, and only Pandora's voice could be heard hazily drifting in the air.

The door issued a soft click and swung open with a noisy screech. Lu Yizhou waited for five seconds, but no warning came from the speaker. Only then did he slip out of the cell to the hallway. 

First, he moved to the opposite cell and squinted his eyes to glance inside. His heart skipped a beat when he found not a single soul. If his memory had not failed him, then there should be two veteran prisoners who were staying in this cell. And now, both of them had disappeared mysteriously just like Christian. Lu Yizhou withdrew his gaze and examined the next cells one by one.

Empty. It's empty everywhere.

Fortunately, Lu Yizhou's mental fortitude was as solid as a fortress. He was able to stop in the empty hallway and pondered on his thoughts. It was unimaginable what the outcome would be if Lu Yizhou's position was exchanged with another prisoner, for example Percy. To have everyone suddenly vanish into thin air and be left alone in this dark prison with only the mysterious creepy singing in the air, it was expected that Percy might go crazy sooner or later.

A faint conjecture popped up in Lu Yizhou's mind.

—It was not everyone who disappeared, but him. 

It was him who had been brought into this separate space that rendered him unable to contact anyone else. If that was the case, then the mystery around him could be explained. Lu Yizhou accepted this supernatural's phenomenon with ease. After all, he was someone who had been a God and a near immortal zombie.

Then, came the most important questions. Was this Pandora's doing? What was his purpose?

Just as he was ruminating on this matter, the song which had been continuously on the loop abruptly changed. 

Traveler with a brave heart…

Come here if you'd like…

To indulge in this world's delight…

And bring me to see the light…

Lu Yizhou pursed his lips. After careful consideration, he suddenly asked into the air, "Pandora… is that you?" Lu Yizhou could not help but assume that Pandora was trying to talk to him through songs. Although Lu Yizhou had no idea how or why he chose to do this, it did not deter him in responding.

As he expected, the voice paused slightly before it continued again, still with the same song.

Come here if you'd like…

And bring me to see the light…

"Who are you?" Lu Yizhou asked. "How do I get to you?"

Come here if you'd like…

At the end of the hallway, the elevator, which could only operate based on iris identification, suddenly issued a soft ding and the metal door slid open. Pale and warm yellow light spilled over Lu Yizhou's body, dispelling the intense darkness around. For a split second, Lu Yizhou had an impression that it was not an ordinary elevator he was looking at, but the whirlpool gate of the simulator that would bring him out of this world. The light seemed to contain a bewitching power that beckoned him over, and he found himself helplessly being drawn into it.

Lu Yizhou's breath hitched on his throat. His guess was correct! Pandora indeed had some kind of unique power in this world!

Taking a deep steadying breath, Lu Yizhou walked forward with large, measured strides and entered the elevator.

"Have you been trying to talk to me?" Lu Yizhou murmured in a low voice despite nobody being there. "I'm sorry, it took me so long to notice. Don't worry, I will bring you out of here. I will definitely bring you out…"

The button on the Z-level lit up and the door slowly slid close. Then the elevator descended smoothly, carrying him to the bottommost level of the prison where all the mysteries in this world lay. Lu Yizhou saw his own appearance on the metallic door; cool-headed, calm and determined.

"I am coming for you," the corner of his lips curled into a gentle smile. "Wait for me, sweetheart."

In the next moment, the metal door slid open to reveal a long passage that was even darker than anything Lu Yizhou had ever seen before. The pale light from the elevator was not even enough to illuminate more than one meter in front of him. Humid, compressed air assailed his nose as soon as he took a breath. Lu Yizhou could not help but frown. The original plot was right. This was not a place where someone could survive for more than a decade.

Steeling himself for whatever might come, Lu Yizhou stepped out without any hesitation and let his figure be swallowed by the darkness.

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