Hidden Dead Ends-Chapter 54

He looked up and saw Sima Gui grinning wickedly.

"See? This is the Tower of Despair. Everyone here gets along great," Sima Gui said with a chuckle.

"Getting along? Really?" Li Chengyi replied incredulously.

"Oh, you mean Rainbow Candy and Ade? That’s pretty standard here. Everyone in the group is under a lot of stress, knowing that dead-ends can claim them at any moment. People get edgy, afraid of slipping up and vanishing forever. So yeah, some go a little crazy," Sima Gui explained.

"Rainbow Candy has actually taken out several newcomers who planned to go on revenge sprees. That girl’s strong, comes from a well-off family, and has good values."

Sima Gui started the car, easing them out of the villa. As he turned the steering wheel, he continued, speaking in a low tone.

"To join the Tower of Despair, you need to have survived a dead-end at least once. None of the members here are ordinary. Take you, for example. You made it through one, so you definitely have secrets of your own."

"Fair point," Li Chengyi nodded.

"So, to us, companies like the one run by Boss Zhang Sinda are just income sources. His is reliable and trustworthy, but if you’re looking to make money, there are others in the group who could give you jobs. Earning isn’t limited to just Hongjin,” Sima Gui explained with a smile.

“Understood!” Li Chengyi continued to scroll through the group’s announcements and found several job postings from other members.

‘Fourth dead-end, second time entering. Need two people with high-frequency flash abilities to explore the interior environment and assess danger levels. — Compensation: Five million.’

‘Seventh dead-end, third entry. Family’s safety cannot be guaranteed after last time’s feud. Need bodyguard for three days. — Compensation: One million per day.’

‘Urgent! Seawater dead-end, second entry. Need five people to flash in and explore the interior environment for five days. — Compensation: Eighty thousand per person per day.’

Seeing these offers made Li Chengyi realize that Zhang Sinda’s company was just one of many ways to earn money. For those with real skills, earning in a group like this was far too easy.

"So, Sima, you’re not technically one of Zhang Sinda’s employees?” Li Chengyi asked, looking up from his phone.

“Exactly. I was here before Boss Zhang showed up, and he doesn’t plan to stay here permanently. Hongjin is just a temporary outpost for him. He’s following his son’s trail, trying to catch up,” Sima Gui confirmed.

Li Chengyi nodded in understanding.

It made sense. Zhang Sinda was, after all, an outsider. Many in the Tower of Despair group seemed to be locals of Yiguo and had probably known each other for a long time.

Thus, their view of Zhang Sinda was different from his own, since Li Chengyi’s first connection in this world was through Zhang Sinda.

"Boss Zhang is interested in dead-enders along his son’s path. He doesn’t have the time or energy to recruit everyone. Anyway, we’re here," Sima Gui said, parking the car.

They got out and found a hotpot restaurant nearby.

The two followed the hostess to a private room, closed the door, and took their seats.

"Every so often, the Tower of Despair holds group events. Feel free to join if you’re interested, or ignore them if you’re not. Even if you stay silent in the group, it’s fine. My main reason for creating this group is so that we can share information about our experiences in dead-ends, increasing our odds of survival," Sima Gui said as he poured tea for them.

"Are dead-ends permanent?" Li Chengyi asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Some exist for a set time, and very few are permanent. Dead-ends generally change and distort over time, eventually disappearing entirely. Where they go, nobody knows," Sima Gui replied.

"What happens to the group if you, as the founder, die?" Li Chengyi posed a sensitive question.

"Then someone else takes over. You don’t think I’m the only one who brought people into this group, right?" Sima Gui laughed. “There used to be several founders. Now only three of us remain. The group hasn’t been around that long, and there are plenty of other similar groups out there. If this one dissolves, so be it. As long as I’m around, I’ll help where I can. The rest? Not my problem."

He embodied an attitude of "I am the only one."

During their meal, Li Chengyi asked many questions, especially about the possibility of escaping dead-ends for good.

At this, Sima Gui laughed heartily.

"That legend does exist," he said as the server brought in the hotpot and side dishes.

After the server left, he continued, "Long ago, dead-ends weren’t as serious. They were just small gaps, cracks that people might notice occasionally.

"Like the dark corner of a wardrobe at night, or the blind spots at the edges of your vision, or perhaps hidden areas in secluded places. They were fleeting, unnoticed by most. But things got worse after Baixing declared independence, splitting into two countries. That’s when dead-ends started becoming a real problem."

“Of course, dead-ends have been around since ancient times. There’s even a legend about the ‘First Dead-End’—the origin of it all. It’s said that if someone can find the exit to that place and make it out, they’ll escape dead-ends forever, free from their influence.”

He went on, sharing stories of people he’d helped who had died tragically, tales of a girlfriend who cheated him out of money and ran off, how he got his revenge, and how he was saving money for his younger sister in college.

With the hotpot bubbling and drinks flowing, the two men grew closer.

By the end of the meal, Li Chengyi had learned a lot and committed the idea of breaking free from dead-ends to memory.

If he could free himself from dead-ends, perhaps he could forge an unimaginable path with the Flower of Evil.

But for now, he had no choice but to keep adapting, chasing leads in the relentless pursuit of survival.

After a satisfying meal, they returned to the villa.

Two days later, Zhang Sinda and Song Ran were discharged and returned to the villa.

"Time is running short. We need to resume our investigation of Fog Street. Zhong Ying has only half a month before her third entry, so we must act quickly," Zhang Sinda announced with a serious expression in the first-floor living room.

"What about those attackers?" Zhong Ying raised her hand to ask.

"Three were killed, the rest scattered. The authorities are handling it," Zhang Sinda replied. "As for Fog Street, we’ve gathered a complete map of the area. To find a way out, we need to focus on several things."

"First, our analysts suggested the slot machine is the key. We looked into its model, appearance, and game mechanics, but found no matches. For now, that’s on hold."

"Second, the shop with the slot machine. It appears to be an old convenience store primarily selling toys, snacks, and school supplies. Comparing it with local records, the best match is an establishment on Xuezhong Road near Candy Bar, a shop named Wu Ji that existed 172 years ago."

"172 years ago!?" The group was stunned.

"That’s a long time ago," Song Ran said, shaking his head. “Dead-ends usually don’t go that far back.”

"Not much has changed in over a hundred years," Zhang Sinda said. "Aside from small nations altering, the world has always been dominated by Earth and Moon and the two superpowers, Yiguo and Baixing."

"Back then, Baixing wasn’t as powerful. Yiguo had the upper hand," Song Ran added.

"Exactly. Using

the replication method, we’ll split up to locate Xuezhong Road as it was 172 years ago and find out more about the Wu Ji convenience store. Analysts believe that spinning the slot machine is crucial to safety. The slot machine’s rules seem to be the core restraint on dead-enders," Zhang Sinda said, gravely. "If we can find the last person who safely left after using that machine, replicating their actions might be the key to escape."

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After finalizing their plans, the group quickly boarded vehicles and headed toward Xuezhong Road.

Throughout the drive, Li Chengyi found his mind drifting back to that mysterious flower.

The little white flower that had bloomed so quietly on Fog Street.

He wondered if its flower language was real. If he absorbed it, could he really cultivate that mysterious-sounding technique?

As for the Fog Street investigation, his initial eagerness to make money had faded. Well, not disappeared—just dimmed a bit.

"Oh, Boss," Li Chengyi suddenly remembered something and looked at Zhang Sinda in the front passenger seat.

"What is it?" Zhang Sinda, holding a bright yellow notebook with a picture of a chubby duck on the cover, glanced back.

"It’s about my sister. You must know about my family situation. She’s been having some issues recently. Since you have strong resources in gathering information, could you help me find out what’s going on with her?"