Chapter 669: The Door Opened

Arriving at the first floor, they still saw the paper figures.

The paper figures sensed their presence and slowly turned toward the group.

"Hello, please present your order, and we will help you check in!"

The exact same words, the exact same tone.

It was just like the first time they had seen these paper figures, as if they had never changed at all.

They... had been waiting all along, waiting for the group to arrive.

But this time, everyone was mentally prepared. Apart from the new Silent Council members who were here for the first time, no one else showed any sign of panic on their faces.

"These paper figures... does the Silent Council have any records about them?"

Chen Ye asked Song Wei.

After all, with such a large organization, it was only natural they might know things that others didn't.

Perhaps they had some information to share.

Song Wei shook his head. "There are far too many types of anomalies in this world. Even for us, the information we currently possess is extremely limited!"

"Perhaps this is something generated by the rules here, or maybe there's some secret hidden within. Who knows!"

Song Wei's square face was extremely serious, and even while answering Chen Ye's question, he was rigid and methodical!

A member of the Silent Council wearing black clothes pulled out a camera.

"Click! Click!"

The black-clothed man took several photos of the paper figures.

The paper figures also slightly turned their heads to look at the Silent Council staff member in black.

It was enough to make the staff member's scalp tingle.

"We collect and archive information on every anomaly we encounter!"

"Perhaps once we've gathered enough information, we'll be able to find the weaknesses of these things!"

"It's just that... we're severely understaffed right now!"

Song Wei briefly explained, and Chen Ye gave a slight nod without saying much more.

Chen Ye led the group to the elevator lobby and pushed open the fire door of the fire escape.

They had expected the group to split up like before.

But this time, that strange rule force did not appear.

Originally, Song Wei had suggested the two groups split up, with the Fair Convoy going from the bottom up and the Silent Council going from the top down.

But Chen Ye rejected that.

Having so many people stay together was better than scattering one by one and being picked off by the anomalies.

That's how it always played out in horror movies.

Song Wei only hesitated briefly before agreeing.

It was Xiong Baochun, that simpleton, who wore a look of contempt, seemingly mocking Chen Ye's cowardice.

Chen Ye didn't give a damn about that guy.

Cowardice was fine, as long as everyone stayed alive!

And so, the group made their way up to the seventh floor.

The seventh floor was where Chen Ye had stayed before.

Aside from Room 23 still being intact, every other room had basically been reduced to construction rubble.

Looking at this ruin, one could clearly sense how ferocious the battle here had been.

It was as if this place had never been renovated at all.

Shattered furniture was everywhere, with only a few concrete load-bearing columns holding up the space.

Several of those load-bearing columns had been smashed to pieces, their rebar exposed.

If this weren't a Rule Zone, the place would have collapsed long ago.

"This time, we'll have to trouble Mr. Cha and Mr. Wang!"

Song Wei said politely to Cha Wu and Old Wang.

Cha Wu had spoken very little from start to finish, simply following silently behind the group.

This silent old man seemed to have a faint aura of death swirling around him.

He didn't initiate conversation, and others didn't particularly want to get close to him either.

"No problem, it's our duty!"

Compared to Cha Wu's silence, Old Wang was much more diplomatic.

Facing this senior observer of the Silent Council, Old Wang's smile was visibly more sincere than when he was with Chen Ye and the others.

Cha Wu said nothing, walking with his hands behind his back toward the door of Room 23.

The mere thought of what lay behind that door, an endless sea of corpses hanging in midair, made everyone's skin crawl.

Even Iron Lion, the most simple-minded of them all, wore a grave expression.

As for Gong Yong, forget it. The guy simply hid himself in the crowd, head down, not daring to look in that direction.

The Silent Council member following behind Cha Wu had legs that were trembling.

Cha Wu, however, showed no reaction. Holding several talisman papers in his hand, he walked up to the door of Room 23.

Just as he approached the door of Room 23.

"Creaaak~~~"

That unsettling sound appeared once again.

The door to Room 23 had opened on its own.

As if that door had been waiting for a long time.

Waiting for those who had escaped from here to return!

Everyone's expressions changed simultaneously. Chen Ye even reached behind him to grab the Hatred.

Iron Lion's other head, the Mad Lion, was awakening.

Sun Xixi's eyes were as sharp as swords.

Even Xiong Baochun had a piece of black armor appear on his chest.

The opened door of Room 23 simply hung there.

The room inside was pitch black.

No, it wasn't completely pitch black.

Chen Ye and the others could see, inside the doorway, a hanging corpse. Only the lower half of the body was visible.

It swayed slightly at the entrance...

As if... as if there were a mischievous child inside, gently nudging the corpse.

Old Wang was so frightened his whole body trembled. He had been the one to speak so politely earlier.

But he hadn't taken a single step forward.

And now, the door to Room 23 had been opened.

Old Wang even looked like he wanted to back away.

Everyone was on high alert.

Only Cha Wu remained indifferent, as if the door to Room 23 opening meant absolutely nothing to him.

Cha Wu walked over, under everyone's watchful gaze.

And gently closed the door.

The scene inside the room, Cha Wu seemed to have never seen it at all.

Then, Cha Wu pressed the talisman papers in his hand onto the door.

The moment the talisman papers touched the door, it seemed as if something was changing.

This time, Cha Wu didn't just stick one talisman paper. He stuck seven in total, arranged on the door according to the positions of the Big Dipper constellation.

After sticking them, Cha Wu muttered incantations under his breath, his hand seals far more practiced and far more complex than Old Wang's.

The entire process lasted about ten minutes.

During this time, no one dared to say a single superfluous word.

Everyone was on guard, all watching their surroundings with vigilance.

When the incantation was finished, the seven talisman papers on the door were instantly connected by a glow of yellow light, forming a chain of stars in the shape of the Big Dipper.

At that moment, Chen Ye felt as if the door to Room 23, even the entire Room 23 itself, had been cast from solid brass.

"Alright, your turn!"

Cha Wu finally spoke, but when he did, his voice sounded hoarse, as if the effort had drained a great deal of his energy and spirit.

"Thank you, City Lord Cha!"

Song Wei signaled to an observer behind him.

That observer also wore a silver badge, clearly a senior observer as well, yet he obeyed Song Wei's orders without question.

The man walked to the door of Room 23 and lightly raised a hand.

The scattered construction materials moved on their own without any wind, as if countless invisible construction machines were at work on site.

The windows of the entire floor were sealed off by these discarded building materials.

The whole space became dim, not a single ray of sunlight visible.

Instantly, over a dozen flashlights clicked on around them, illuminating the dim space brightly.

But sealing the windows wasn't the end of it. A new wall appeared outside of Room 23, directly enclosing it.

Indeed, the Silent Council did things thoroughly.

They not only sealed Room 23 from the supernatural angle, but also from the physical angle.

After the new wall appeared.

Old Wang made his move as well.

Several talisman papers landed on the new wall.

Once again, a fresh combination of physical and supernatural sealing was applied to Room 23.

This went on for several rounds, until all the discarded construction materials on site were used up.

Clearly, the Silent Council's attention to Building One far exceeded what the Fair Convoy had anticipated.

When leaving the seventh floor.

That Architect Sequence superhuman even directly blocked off the elevator and fire escape on the seventh floor.

Clearly intending to seal the place off completely.

Next was the sixth floor.

Nothing unusual happened on the sixth floor.

The door to Room 23 didn't open on its own either.

The same process was repeated.

City Lord Cha seemed somewhat weary.

Fifth floor, fourth floor, third floor...

Many hands make light work. With so many people helping, even though the main workers were Cha Wu, Old Wang, and that Architect Sequence superhuman.

The pace was still very fast.

Apart from the door to Room 23 suddenly opening on the seventh floor, nothing else happened.

The group's tension eased somewhat.

Even Dantai Bie, that chatterbox, tried telling a couple of lame jokes.

Finally, they arrived at the first floor.

The group had just finished sealing off the stairwell leading to the second floor.

All they needed to do was walk past this corner, and they would see Room 23 on the first floor.

Just then, Xiong Baochun, who was walking at the very front of the group, shuddered the moment he turned the corner.

As if struck by a paralysis curse, he stood there like a wooden stake, frozen in place.

That burly Guardian Sequence superhuman seemed to have seen something absolutely terrifying.

The group's footsteps halted slightly.

Their hearts grew wary.

Chen Ye quietly slowed his pace, hiding himself behind the Silent Council members.

The Pink-haired Girl and Xu Lina followed suit.

And Dantai Bie, now influenced by Chen Ye, also began to shield himself behind the others.

Only Iron Lion, the fool, pressed forward curiously.

Soon, the second person to turn the corner also stood frozen in place.

That person was Song Wei!

The moment Song Wei turned the corner, his entire body tensed up, as if he had seen something of immense horror. His breathing became rapid.

As a senior observer of the Silent Council, what exactly had he seen?

Chen Ye had a bad feeling.

The sound of breathing around him gradually grew heavier.

Everyone who turned the corner stood there in shock.

Not a single person made a sound.

Chen Ye wanted to turn and leave, but things had already reached this point. If he turned and ran, it might trigger a chain reaction.

Taking a look, seeing what was happening, was better than knowing nothing at all.

Besides, Song Wei and the others didn't seem to be in any danger.

At least no battle had broken out.

Finally, it was Chen Ye's turn to reach the corner.

The first floor looked much as he had imagined, but...

But that Room 23...

It hadn't disappeared, nor had it been opened, but... it was there...