Lin Dong was startled, nearly dropping the iron chain in his hand.

"What do you mean? This iron chain... isn't it just a random one we grabbed when we jumped into the Blood Pool? Could it have some other use?"

Although he could no longer see, Lin Dong could hear the sound of iron chains dragging on the ground as Li Si approached...

He couldn't help but voice his confusion: "How are you guys using your iron chains?"

"Could our eye problem be caused by improper use of the chains?"

As soon as the words left his mouth.

"Boom—boom—boom…"

This time, the tremendous noise rang out six times.

While the booming sounds continued, it seemed as if all other sounds would be drowned out, making conversation naturally impossible.

They could only wait for the booming sounds to completely fade away… 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Only then did Lin Dong speak up again: "You must have heard the booming sounds too, right? It shouldn't be that our ears are malfunctioning?"

"You… do you know something about this?"

"The crystal palace, the giant pillar, the iron chains… and the water sounds and the booming… what do all these things actually mean?"

"Drip—drip—drip—"

The sound of dripping water continued, never ceasing.

Li Si remained silent for the duration of four or five water drips before slowly speaking:

"Since you come from the same civilization, you should have heard the myth of Sisyphus."

Sisyphus…

Among this batch of players led by Lin Dong, not everyone had actually heard of him.

However, with the "Prometheus Doll" as a precedent, these veteran players probably had some understanding.

As the Student Council president, Lin Dong naturally understood it perfectly clearly.

Listening to Li Si's words, the first thought that popped into his mind was:

"The thunderous noise we heard, like a giant rock falling… could that be equivalent to the boulder Sisyphus pushes up the hill and then falls back down?!"

"But that doesn't seem right either… If it really were Sisyphus's boulder falling… there should only be one boom each time. Yet what we heard were one boom, two booms, three booms, increasing sequentially like that…"

As Lin Dong spoke, he fell into deep thought.

Utterly unable to figure it out, he turned towards the direction of Li Si's voice just now.

The loss of his vision made him feel very insecure.

He had no certainty at all about what Li Si and Li Ku were doing.

Fortunately, Li Si seemed to have only given him a moment to think before saying in a low voice:

"What I want to talk about is not the part in the myth where Sisyphus pushes the boulder."

"Rather… do you know why Sisyphus was punished?"

Lin Dong naturally knew.

He was just about to speak when another series of "boom boom" thunderous noises erupted.

This time, there were seven booms.

Lin Dong vaguely sensed that Li Si might be stalling for time.

Was he waiting for a specific number of booms?

After a moment of silence, Lin Dong didn't expose this point either and instead continued with the previous question:

"Sisyphus's punishment was because he kidnapped Death, making death cease to exist in the mortal world."

This time, Li Si didn't use his thinking time to stall but directly countered with a question: "Then what do you think…"

"Did Sisyphus succeed? Does… death still exist in the mortal world?"

This question made Lin Dong freeze in shock.

Even Jiang Ye, sealed within the pillar and unable to move, suddenly felt his mind stirred by this statement, involuntarily sinking into contemplation.

Death…

From the result, Sisyphus certainly failed.

Because death still exists in the mortal world.

But…

What about in the context of the apartment?

Does "death" exist within this Doomsday Apartment?

The first instinct, of course, is that it does.

Because players can die.

Even if some deaths can be resurrected…

Even if Xiao Hei explained to him the so-called "death levels"…

The phenomenon of death seems to genuinely exist.

But if you think deeper…

The first thing Jiang Ye thought of was—monsters!

According to the situation of the future Doomsday Apartment, those who died in reality were also drawn into the apartment.

However, the dead who entered the apartment didn't become players.

Instead, they became… monsters!

Of course, Jiang Ye himself had never died in reality.

So he couldn't be one hundred percent certain whether those monsters were truly transformed from the dead.

It's just that other players seemed to have accepted this point.

Among the twins, Zhou Yuling and the White-Robed Woman Zhou Yinsu, the White-Robed Woman was someone who had died in reality.

Later, they recognized each other within the apartment, confirming their identities.

Also, within Wu Ying's memories, there were parts about death.

And more supporting evidence led players in the future apartment to generally believe—

Those monsters were transformed from the dead!

So from this perspective…

In the context of this Doomsday Apartment, "death" in reality seems to have been erased?

If…

Jiang Ye formed a hypothesis—

Suppose the essence of the "Doomsday Apartment" is that an existence similar to Sisyphus, in order to erase death from the mortal world…

So all creatures that died in reality came back to life in this world in the form of monsters.

And the price for erasing death was the punishment Sisyphus received—Reincarnation.

Then…

Actually, from this angle…

Perhaps "Reincarnation" itself has already erased death?

Standing within a single reincarnation cycle, experiencing it firsthand…

Then all players within that cycle would indeed die.

Just like how both monsters and players within the apartment can still die.

But if one could jump out of a certain reincarnation cycle and look down upon everything from an outsider's perspective…

Seeing the transition between reincarnation cycles…

Then, the concept of "death" would be overwritten by the succession of reincarnations!

Those who died within a single reincarnation cycle…

Would be reborn anew in a new cycle!

It's just that those within the cycle are unaware of it…

While Jiang Ye was pondering this, Lin Dong was also clearly plunged into deep thought by Li Si's statement.

During this time, the 8th thunderous noise arrived as scheduled.

"Boom—boom—"

When even this thunderous noise became something predictable and regular.

Jiang Ye, and even Lin Dong and the others who heard this sound for the 8th time, no longer felt it vibrating their eardrums.

Instead, they developed a sense of adaptation.

Just like the dripping water sound that had become background noise.

Under such intense noise, Jiang Ye's consciousness inexplicably felt a trace of peace.

Whether it was this trace of peace that caused a slight shift in his mindset or not.

This time, he actually felt the thunderous noise was infinitely close to the sound of a bell he had heard before.

A heavy, deep, slow, and distant sound, as if possessing a power that could penetrate time itself.

At this moment, Jiang Ye subconsciously let his mind go blank.

In his vision, which originally only saw a blurry sense of light but couldn't actually discern anything, it seemed as if some vague images flashed by.

This time, perhaps also due to the change in mindset.

He didn't fixate on those images, nor did he generate even a shred of desire to see them clearly.

He simply maintained this state, his consciousness vaguely emptied.

And yet, precisely in such a state…

Amidst the thunderous noise that seemed to drown out all other sounds, he also vaguely heard another sound.

It sounded like…

The ambient noise of hell.

All kinds of wailing ghosts, howling wolves, arguments, cries, discussions…

As if all the evil spirits were unconsciously venting their desires.

A normal person hearing such background noise might feel fear, panic, or irritation.

However, Jiang Ye, with his emptied consciousness, merely heard the sounds objectively, without generating any emotions.

It was as if his consciousness and emotions had been completely separated.

For a moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating.

Because he had read online before about an experiment called "sensory deprivation."

Those experimental subjects deprived of their senses indeed experienced hallucinations in both vision and hearing.

However, those hallucinations actually intensified the subjects' emotions, making them feel extreme fear, pushing their minds towards breakdown.

So sensory deprivation was said to have become a form of mental torture used against undercover agents.

Yet Jiang Ye's visual and auditory hallucinations didn't accelerate his mental breakdown; instead, they made his consciousness clearer…

So…

Not hallucinations?

Actually, his emptied consciousness wasn't thinking that much.

It's just that, as the 8th thunderous noise was nearing its end.

He seemed to vaguely hear a complete phrase from the hellish background noise of wailing ghosts and howling wolves.

Mixed within the wailing and howling, it should have been hard to detect.

So Jiang Ye couldn't help but doubt again whether what he heard was a hallucination?

And what he heard was actually just four words—

May—fly—peep—ing—at—heaven.

Real? Or hallucination?

He couldn't tell.

Just as the 8th thunderous noise ended.

He heard an even more monumental thunderous sound.

No longer the "boom" of a giant rock falling.

Nor the heavy, ancient sound of a bell being struck.

It was more like the sound of Gong Gong crashing into and breaking Mount Buzhou, the sound of Mount Buzhou collapsing!

Placed in this unique environment…

Then this seemed to be… the sound of that giant pillar collapsing?!

Accompanied by this earth-shattering, sky-rending tremendous noise.

Jiang Ye also heard Li Si shouting with all his might, using his loudest voice:

"Now! Connect the chains!"

This shout sounded exceptionally stern.

Even Jiang Ye was abruptly startled, his emptied consciousness instantly snapping back.

This time, he was absolutely certain it wasn't a hallucination—

Right around him, all kinds of wailing ghosts and howling wolves' sounds were indeed flooding the space!

But soon, these sounds turned into eerie laughter, roars, hysterical emotional venting…

As if the evil ghosts sealed in hell were all pouring out at this moment, swarming forth!

"Holy, holy shit?! What the hell?!"

"Ah—ah—who's grabbing my hair?! Boss! Help!"

"Ahhhh what's climbing on my back?! Get off! Go away!"

"Calm down! Stay calm! Everyone stay calm! Don't let go of the chains!"

"Li Ku? Li Si?! Are you still there?"

For a moment, the sounds of wailing ghosts and howling wolves, the eerie laughter of emotional venting, and the chaotic shouts of Lin Dong's group of players…

The scene descended into chaos.

And it was at this moment Jiang Ye discovered…

His body could move!

His vision and hearing were returning to normal!

He… was as if suddenly released from a seal!

However, this state of being unsealed was far too chaotic…

All around him, it seemed a large number of creatures were crowding together.

White, black, red, green, a riot of colors, a complete mess!

When his liquid form, convenient for movement, finally struggled its way out from the most crowded and chaotic center…

His vision finally cleared enough to see—

The environment they were in now indeed appeared to be an extremely vast crystal palace.

Or rather… an ice crystal palace?!

The entire palace was extraordinarily empty. As far as the eye could see, there were only six-sided walls, nothing else.

There were no pillars at all, nor any remnants left by a collapsing pillar…

Only Lin Dong's group of players, holding iron chains, had formed a giant circle.

Within that circle was precisely where Jiang Ye had felt the most crowded earlier.

There, red, white, green, black, multicolored rays of light were clumped together, colliding with each other.

Those chaotic sounds were clearly also emanating from those multicolored lights…

And Li Si and Li Ku were standing conspicuously outside the giant circle, seemingly watching this scene with extreme shock.

And this scene didn't last long either.

From within the giant circle formed by the chains, Lin Dong's heart-wrenching shout suddenly erupted.

Simultaneously, the other players holding the chains also began screaming in succession.

Finally, the circle they formed with the chains completely broke apart!

The bizarre, multicolored rays of light scattered and flew out from within the chain circle!

In that instant, all the wailing ghosts and howling wolves completely turned into roars and eerie laughter…

As if countless demons had been released, flying freely towards the mortal world!

This hexagonal ice crystal palace initially kept refracting those scattered rays of light.

However, soon, they seemed to fly directly out of the palace, disappearing.

Only Witch Gui Jiang Ye remained in the space outside the giant circle, deeply shocked for a long time.

What the hell??

What is going on?!

He belatedly realized…

Those multicolored, chaotic mess…

Could they all be… sealed monsters?

Witch Gui is essentially a type of monster too.

So after arriving in this space, he was also sealed?

But just now, all the monsters in this world were released?

But what was the trigger for the release?

The bell ringing for the 8th time?

Then what was the trigger for the bell ringing?

Jiang Ye strongly suspected…

Could it be that the intervention of him, this "Witch Gui," awakened that "bell sound"?

He was filled with doubts and confusion.

And in an extremely short time, Lin Dong and the others, tormented by the monsters, were now even more frightened and unsettled.

Lin Dong almost had to grope on the ground to find the two scattered ends of the iron chain, reconnecting them.

But it was utterly useless…

Those monsters had long since scattered to who-knows-where!

Lin Dong's hoarse voice trembled as he shouted: "Li Si?! What the hell happened?!"

"Were you waiting for that 8th thunderous noise?!"

"What… what just happened?!"

At this moment, Witch Gui Jiang Ye's vision was normal.

In his perception, Li Si, wearing Du Yuheng's right eye, had once again become his clone.

Li Si indeed had iron chains forged into shackles on his feet.

In his one-eyed state, his expression couldn't hide its gravity. After a long while, he murmured with building emotion:

"As expected… the curse…"

"This is the curse of the Cursed Doll!"

"This curse is called… the dead can live!"