Among the four, Riske and Mark shared the closest bond. Seeing Mark in peril, he could not possibly abandon him. He rushed forward to tug at the filaments growing out of Mark’s body, all the while shouting for Hans and the others to come and help bandage the wounds and staunch the bleeding.

Hans had initially intended not to leave Mark behind, and upon seeing the scene, he too prepared to offer aid. Who knew that the situation would suddenly shift so drastically; the filaments sprouting from Mark suddenly coiled toward Riske. He hadn't anticipated such a turn of events and had no time to dodge, getting securely entangled by several strands.

Everyone gasped in shock, just as they were about to rush forward to rescue him. Meanwhile, Mark, who had been lying prone on the ground, suddenly sat bolt upright, staring blankly at the group, as the snow-white filaments rapidly wrapped around his upper body, not forgetting in his frenzy to continue spinning threads around Riske.

Hans and the others froze, dumbfounded, unsure what to make of the situation. They frantically tried to tear away the threads binding Riske; fortunately, Riske was wearing thick clothing, so the filaments did not pierce his flesh, though they did penetrate several layers of fabric. Hans and the others freed Riske, but unexpectedly incurred trouble themselves—more filaments from Mark wrapped around him and Stafa. This way, everyone was too preoccupied dealing with their own struggles to spare any thought for Mark’s fate.

Just as Hans and the others were about to be tightly enveloped by countless strands, a most peculiar herbal fragrance suddenly drifted through the air. Those immensely powerful filaments instantly went limp. Immediately after, as Hans refocused his gaze, Mark was lying stiffly on the ground, though the silken cocoon had already wrapped around his chest.

Riske, having been saved by Hans and the others, had not yet caught his breath when he spun around, saw Mark’s condition, and flew into a frenzy, drawing his knife to slash away the cocoon on Mark. At that very moment, a voice spoke, uttering words in Tibetan. Having spent decades immersed in Tibet, they naturally understood the language. They heard the voice from the darkness say, “Your companion is beyond saving. If you do not leave quickly now, you will certainly meet his fate.” The person spoke such a bizarre, abrupt sentence that Hans and the others failed to grasp its meaning. They stood there dumbfounded, at a loss.

The person wasted no more words, touching some other herb, perhaps. Mark, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly stood up, making a motion as if to pounce and bite his companions. Riske, overwhelmed by rage and distress, his eyes turning red, rushed straight to Mark’s side, shouting, “Mark, you’re mad! If you want to kill, kill me first.” He had been clinging to the hope that their friendship might allow him to awaken Mark’s conscience by some miracle, but Mark was entirely unresponsive. He seized Riske by both shoulders, intending to tear him apart alive! Unable to bear the pain, Riske cried out for help repeatedly. Hans drew his gun, aiming at Mark, but hesitated to fire, fearing collateral damage to Riske, and equally fearing that one shot might kill Mark—he was caught in a dilemma.

It was then that the person began to speak slowly, as if musing aloud, suggesting that it was better not to take these people’s lives just yet. He decided against it, saying it wasn’t necessary to be harsh; they still had a use. Then, the same strange herbal scent permeated the air again, and Mark slowly released his grip on Riske’s shoulders, leaning backward as he fell.

This display of power was immense; the three, Hans, were frozen in fear.

“You have seen it. To kill or to save you is but a thought in my mind,” the voice in the darkness stated coldly. “However… I have pressing matters now and cannot spare the time to help a friend. I will trouble you instead. His name is Luo Lian.” He paused, his tone becoming sharply severe. “Even if you lose an arm or a leg, you absolutely must ensure he remains unharmed. Otherwise, not a single one of you will live to see the fourth level, or any place else. If you do not believe me, you are free not to go.” After speaking, he waited quietly for Hans and the others to reply. Hans and the others looked at Mark lying on the ground, clearly hesitant.

The person grew impatient. “One word: yes or no. If no, you can immediately become Mark’s companion right now.” By this point, Hans, already nearly broken by the chaotic spacetime shifts, coupled with Mark’s sudden drastic transformation and the ensuing threats, had completely collapsed. He immediately raised his gun and came over to rescue me—this was the reason they fought so desperately to repel the cocooned men for me.

After hearing their story, I was almost certain that the person intimidating and coercing Hans and the others must be my friend, yet I still couldn’t place him. The sunless depths of the earth were no place for deep thought. I gave up racking my brain and told Old Li to lead us out of here first.

Before Old Li could move, Riske interrupted, “Look at the map, it’s marked somewhere, at such and such a location.” Old Li immediately responded coldly, “I know.” Riske promptly shut up, realizing his place.

Old Li pulled me aside and whispered anxiously, “The compass seems to have malfunctioned; it can’t determine direction at all.”

This sent a jolt of panic through me. My entire reliance for orientation was on the compass; it could point in the completely wrong direction, but how could it simply fail to give any indication? I truly felt like weeping without tears. “Is there absolutely no way?”

“At least the compass is useless now… I suspect the spacetime distortion earlier might have cancelled out the magnetic field,” Old Li murmured, leaning so close to my ear that the Germans couldn't hear.

“Then…” I stammered, “What do we do next?”

Old Li didn’t answer immediately. He looked around first, then said, “Perhaps we can try our luck. This place seems to have a circular structure, similar to the one above. Maybe I can find our way using instinct alone.”

It appeared Old Li was also out of ideas. I felt utterly redundant at that moment, completely useless, unable to help with anything. Everything required asking others for assistance.

Old Li noticed my anxiety and patted my shoulder gently. “It’s fine, we’ll think of something slowly.”

But what was there to think of? Apart from two military daggers, a map, and a flashlight whose battery life was questionable, we had nothing. We were completely unarmed, with no option but desperate flight against the Germans here or any monsters that might suddenly appear. Never mind that the Germans were acting deferential now; it was only because someone was holding them back. If that person didn’t reappear, they would surely demand double repayment for my recent show of borrowed authority.

“Forget it, let’s assess the situation first,” Old Li suggested. “We must at least walk a full circle and get a feel for the terrain. Since we came down, we haven’t had a chance to observe the conditions here. Perhaps… maybe there’s a direct route out? You mentioned you had powerful friends who managed to get in here, didn’t you?”

When I thought about it, this was the only path forward. Perhaps, as Old Li suggested, the self-proclaimed friend of mine could enter and leave this place freely. With our capabilities, Old Li and I should be able to find some clues. So, I conferred with Old Li, then turned to Mayatis and the three others, Riske. “Old Li and I are going out now to look for an exit—whether it leads to the fourth level or anywhere else, we must leave here. Are you willing to wait here for news from us, or will you join us in the search?” After saying this, I surveyed the four of them.

Mayatis spoke first, “I will naturally follow you.”

Hans shot him a scornful glance, then looked at Riske and Stafa, hesitating for a moment before choosing his words carefully, “Then… we will naturally do our utmost to assist you.” This was, of course, translated by Riske.

I had actually hoped they would wait here for our news and we’d discuss other matters once an exit was found. My fear was that they might see through our facade, realize that Old Li and I were no longer useful, and turn against us. But clearly, I had overestimated things; Hans and the others obstinately insisted on coming along.

Old Li wore a look of resignation, reluctantly saying, “Alright then…”

The Germans, still cunningly, stayed discreetly at the rear, letting Old Li and me take the lead. Mayatis, however, was quick to shift allegiance, sticking close to us and not speaking with his compatriots.

This was fine; at least Mayatis wouldn't immediately turn hostile toward us; he still needed us to deal with the Germans who were ready to eliminate him at any moment.

After walking a short distance, Old Li still had no leads, and I couldn't think of a way to neutralize the Germans. I was inwardly anxious but had to conceal it, maintaining an air of confidence and casually glancing around.

Hans and the others were patient, keeping close behind us without speaking. All three had bullets chambered, ready to shoot at any moment. Of course, that wasn’t what they said. Riske’s original words were: “If we encounter a monster, how much time would be wasted chambering a round, so it’s better to be prepared early.”

The truth was their gun muzzles had never left me and Old Li, a fact we all knew, but nobody broke the silence.

As I was contemplating, my eyes suddenly swept over something slightly off to the left, not far away—a vaguely visible, wide, whitish band. I nudged Old Li and motioned for him to look.

Old Li subtly turned his head as if casually glancing over, then whispered, “It looks like a path, not a wide band.”

I squinted again, still seeing something like a white ribbon. So I asked Old Li to shine the flashlight over. As the beam hit it, the area turned a hazy gray, becoming even less distinct.

My damned curiosity, and a sliver of hope that this might be an exit, resurfaced. “Let’s go take a look,” I told Old Li.

Old Li looked back at the Germans behind us, some worry in his voice: “What if that’s a monster? What if they refuse to help?”

I recalled what they had told me earlier and figured they wouldn’t dare leave us to die, at worst they would be slow to react and let us suffer a little.

“They won’t dare,” I said, already lifting my foot and walking toward it. Old Li had no choice but to follow. The Germans immediately adjusted their positions, aiming their guns at our backs.

We crept forward quietly, and the hazy thing truly turned out to be a rugged, uneven path. It was genuinely… leading into unknown darkness.