Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

Lin Ze widened his eyes, unable to believe what he saw.

This cave looks unremarkable from the outside, but when he stepped into it, he was surprised to find that it was such a different world!

The walls around seemed to have been eroded by time, covered with dense holes and cracks of various sizes, as if telling the hard work of the miners in the past and the hardships and dangers they experienced.

There were some old and worn-out tools scattered on the ground, which were already rusted and had lost their original luster. There were also some mineral residues scattered everywhere, giving off a faint and old smell.

All these signs indicate that this place must have been a mine that had been abandoned for a long time.

Lin Ze swallowed, carefully stretched out his right hand, and gently touched the icy stone wall.

The chill from his fingertips instantly spread throughout his body, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

But he didn't dare to delay. After taking a deep breath, he slowly groped forward.

With every small step he took, his heart, which was in his throat, rose a little higher. He was so nervous that he could almost hear the sound of his own heartbeat like a drum.

Because no one knows whether there are hidden secrets under this seemingly peaceful road. Maybe a fatal trap will be triggered inadvertently; or in that dark corner, there are dangerous creatures lurking that can kill people, waiting to pounce on him if he is not careful.

At the same time, Lin Ze prayed silently in his heart, hoping to find a safe and reliable hiding place in this mysterious place so that he could temporarily avoid the group of brutal enemies who were chasing him.

Just as he was concentrating on the road ahead, he didn't notice at all that in the deepest part of the dark corner, a pair of eyes flashing with eerie cold light quietly emerged like a ghost, staring at his every move quietly.

Those eyes were creepy, like evil spirits from the depths of hell.

It followed Lin Ze silently like a ghost.

Lin Ze was standing there quietly, when suddenly, a cool breeze blew from his back without warning.

The cool breeze sent a chill down his spine and his heart suddenly tightened.

Almost subconsciously, he turned around quickly, his eyes anxiously scanning the space behind him.

However, what shocked him was that there was not a single person behind him except for the endless, bottomless darkness.

He stared blankly at the darkness in front of him, and it took him a long time to slowly come back to his senses.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner tension, while secretly laughing at his own oversensitivity and nervousness.

Just when Lin Ze thought it was just a false alarm, when he turned his head back again, he caught a glimpse of a black shadow flashing by like lightning out of the corner of his eye.

This sudden scene made his heart feel like it was hit hard by a heavy hammer. In an instant, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated like a wild horse breaking free from its reins.

Lin Ze's hands involuntarily clenched the weapon in his hands tightly, and his palms were slightly sweaty due to the force.

He opened his eyes wide and looked around with high alert, not missing any corner where danger might be hidden.

However, the black shadow seemed to be deliberately teasing him, sometimes flashing a vague outline in a corner, and sometimes disappearing without a trace like a ghost.

Faced with such a strange and unpredictable situation, Lin Ze gritted his teeth and made a bold decision - to take the initiative.

He moved cautiously in the direction where the shadow had last disappeared, being extremely careful with every step, for fear of falling into a trap.

But just as he was moving forward with full concentration, he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet become empty. He lost his support and his body fell rapidly.

"Ah!" Lin Ze screamed in horror, his voice echoing in the darkness.

He waved his arms desperately, trying to grab anything around him that could save his life, but it was all in vain.

Just when he felt despair, a strong hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his falling body tightly.

Lin Ze looked carefully and found that the person who grabbed him was the mysterious black shadow from before. Before he could react, the other party pulled him to the ground.

"Thank you for saving me." Lin Ze said with lingering fear, his voice still trembling slightly, as if he had just experienced a terrible nightmare. At this moment, his eyes were fixed on the mysterious black shadow in front of him, with gratitude, but also deep fear and doubt in his eyes.

The shadow did not respond to Lin Ze's thanks, and did not even make a sound. It just silently raised one hand, and its slender fingers pointed straight ahead. Seeing this, Lin Ze could not help but look in the direction the shadow pointed. Not far away, a tightly closed door stood there abruptly. The door looked a bit old, and the wooden surface was covered with traces left by the years, but what was more eye-catching was that the door was engraved with some strange and obscure symbols.

"This is..." Lin Ze asked doubtfully. However, in the face of his question, the black shadow remained silent, like a lifeless sculpture. Just as Lin Ze was getting more and more confused, the black shadow suddenly moved. It walked towards the door with light and steady steps, and pushed it open without hesitation.

Lin Ze looked at the back of the black shadow as he walked into the door, and he couldn't help but feel conflicted. On the one hand, he was extremely afraid of this strange and unknown place; on the other hand, out of trust in the black shadow's life-saving grace and strong curiosity, after a brief hesitation, he finally took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to follow him in.

When Lin Ze stepped into the room, he was completely stunned by what he saw. The space behind the door turned out to be an extremely large laboratory! Various advanced instruments were neatly arranged around, some flashing faint light, and some emitting low humming sounds. Between these instruments, there were many unknown specimens placed in transparent containers, exuding a strange atmosphere.

Lin Ze stared at it all with eyes wide open, in disbelief.

He had never seen such a large and well-equipped laboratory, and curiosity in his heart surged like a tide.

Just as he was immersed in shock, the black shadow had already walked silently to a huge control console.

It stretched out its hand skillfully and gently pressed a button on the console.