Chapter 242 - 242 Ninety-nine

Words : 1296 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

242: Ninety-nine. Physical Transport 242: Ninety-nine. Physical Transport Before making contact with the investigator, they had never heard of this always mysterious organization. And now, a transmission spell had lifted a corner of the veil covering this mysterious organization. Filled with excitement, one after another they sat down on the cold floor as per the Alliance Personnel’s instructions, with Lu Li among them. Whispering voices began to emanate from beneath the black robes, followed by a fog-like eerie vapor. It seeped out of the sealed walls, twisting and drifting toward Lu Li and the others. The fog carried an indescribable scent that provocatively unsettled the soul, yet it was not overpowering. This scent evoked in Lu Li a sense of déjà vu, as if he had encountered it not long ago. Shadow Swamp? Not that far back. Yesterday? Perhaps thereabouts. It was Anna’s food, imbued with... affection. Lu Li’s dark eyes narrowed slightly, holding his breath silently. Transportation...? The mist enveloped the entire room, obstructing sight and causing discomfort, but it was not suffocating. The newcomers’ figures became hazy and ethereal under the mist, as if they were both present and simultaneously not there. While Lu Li held his breath and observed, the fog thickened to a certain extent and then ceased to increase. Frank and others began to sway like drunkards and thudded onto the floor. In the midst of the fog, shadowy figures in black robes pulled out filtering masks from behind and secured them under the cloak’s shadows. “...?” Lu Li cast his gaze around, the four newcomers, powerless to resist, fell one after the other, losing consciousness. After pondering for a few seconds, Lu Li fell just like they had. He leaned forward, resting face-down on the floor to avoid detection for his feigned unconsciousness due to subpar acting. The fog persisted for a while, and with a strange wind passing through the room, the fog that filled the room dissipated, revealing five shapes lying on the floor. Seven or eight Alliance Personnel entered from the room’s entrance, lifting up the unconscious Frank and others along with Lu Li, who pretended to be unconscious. Transportation...? ... Transportation, typically referring to moving swiftly from one place to another. Here, it meant knocking people out and having others carry them to the assessment location, then waking them up. From the perspective of the individuals involved, it truly was “an instant” before they appeared in an unfamiliar place. “This is incredible... Are we still in the investigator’s branch?” Frank said, touching the back of his head; he felt a lump had formed there. Was it from a careless bump during transportation? The room was equally spartan. Red bricks laid bare to the air. The room was square in shape with equal-length walls on each side, and each wall featured a door. “We must be, it’s so austere,” Owen deduced. Lu Li, like an Observer, knew the truth. This was still part of the investigator’s branch, and it wasn’t far from the “transported” room. It was for this reason that Lu Li couldn’t understand the purpose behind the investigator’s actions. To cast the investigators in a shadow of mystery and enigma? Or was it merely a perverse sense of humor? [This is the starting point, the very beginning of the assessment] A voice from nowhere imprinted itself in everyone’s minds. Frank and the others, surprised, turned their heads, looking for the source of the voice. Lu Li’s gaze imperceptibly swept over the corner’s ventilation. He had inhaled only a small amount of the fog and hadn’t been overly hypnotized by that power. Unlike the other four who couldn’t pinpoint the direction of the voice, he could capture where it was coming from. [Here, relying on courage, resilience, unity, caution, and acuity, you will go through numerous trials, and stand before the final exit] Tristan’s deep voice echoed in everyone’s ears. [Pass the trials, or showcase yourselves, to prove that you have the strength to join the investigators] [Welcome to—] The storytelling suddenly came to a halt, and Tristan’s voice was no longer artificially low, as if asking the others beside him, “Why is it called Tesla’s Big Adventure?” Tesla’s voice rose, “I created the story, and it’s always been called that.” “How come I didn’t know that.” A woman’s voice said with sarcasm, “Because it’s your first time assessing newcomers, you idiot.” The four newcomers in the assessment’s starting room looked at each other, bewildered. Were the people in charge... arguing? “Bang!” Something was knocked over, and Tristan growled, “But I am the storyteller for this assessment, and I think it should be called Stan Giant’s Big Adventure.” “Pick up the chair.” “Oh.” A short sound of moving heavy objects followed. The woman’s voice spoke up again, “Stop arguing already, it can be called Beautiful Rachel’s Big Adventure.” “May I say something?” A gentle voice arose. “I’m quite interested, and since I’m a guest, let’s call it Dylan’s Big Adventure.” The talking paused for several seconds. Two voices, almost overlapping, chimed in at once, “Let’s call it Tesla (Stan Giant) and Stan Giant (Tesla)’s Big Adventure.” The people in charge, hidden somewhere, finally agreed on the name of the assessment. “Do these idiotic managers not realize we can hear their conversation...” Owen muttered next to Lu Li. The sense of mystery that had built up due to the “teleportation” was almost completely depleted. [Welcome to—Stan Giant and Tesla’s Big Adventure] [In the starting room, you can see four doors each facing one direction, with symbols on each door representing the challenges behind them. Please choose a door to enter first] Frank and the others began to observe the doors. Each wooden door had a symbol painted right in the center. The one facing them bore a mouth, starting from the left door, there were eyes, ears, and a nose, respectively. “Just facial organs? What does that represent?” “I choose the mouth!” “Seems like they’re all more or less the same.” “...” Owen looked at Doma, “Why choose the mouth?” “Since we can’t figure anything out anyway, we might as well pick one randomly!” Doma spoke the truth and took the lead towards the door with the mouth in front of them. “She’s got a point,” Owen shrugged and followed. Frank and the reticent Daniel caught up, with Lu Li following at the back. All five people fully entered through the door with the mouth, and Lu Li, who was last, closed the door behind them. A narrative voice echoed in their ears. [You see doors on both the left and right sides, with two strange little dwarves blocking your path. One of them always tells the truth while the other always lies. You need to discern their words to find the correct path.] Two crudely made little dwarves stood in front of the two doors, with Alliance Personnel providing the voice-over. “I’m called Dolter!” said the dwarf on the left. “The door on the left is the correct one.” “I’m called Terdo!” said the dwarf on the right. “The door on the right is the correct one.” “This is easy,” said Owen, stepping forward. Doma was quicker than him. She strode forward, grabbed the dwarf by the left exit, her arms outlined with muscle contours, and twisted the fragile wooden neck of the little dwarf. With a fierce glare, she shouted at the other dwarf, “Tell me, is he dead!” “...He’s not dead,” the dwarf on the right hesitated to say. Doma smiled with satisfaction. “Looks like the door is on the left.”

Chapter 242 - 242 Ninety-nine

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