After dinner, the setting sun slowly sank into the horizon from the distant sky.
The trainees got up from the long table and walked past the golden utensils with stacks of unleavened bread and wine, as well as the tearful candlesticks placed on the white tablecloths. They walked to the side door of the cathedral and looked out into the night.
The heavy wooden door of the main entrance had long been closed and bolted with a wooden latch thicker than a dictionary.
The sky and earth darkened.
The City of Kindness at night was different from the City of Kindness during the day. During the day, the city seemed to be bathed in holy light, and everywhere was soaked in warm sunlight. At night, the doors of every household in the city were tightly shut, and even the windows were locked. Looking out into the distance, there were only rows of dimly lit street lamps on the streets. It looked bleak and desolate.
Soon, the night sky began to darken even more.
Wisps of rain fell from the sky. At first, it was a drizzle, but in the end, it pitter-pattered and fell to the ground.
In the deeper dark clouds, faint flashes of lightning could be seen. Through the darkness, one could clearly see the electric arcs stirring up electric sparks in the heavy rain.
"I'm sorry, guests. Please go to the side hall to rest for a while."
The nuns' faces were filled with panic. They quickly closed the side door of the cathedral and apologetically guided the trainees to the cathedral's reception hall to sit down.
Everyone had a vague premonition in their hearts. They obediently followed behind, and no one said a word.
The side hall was not big. It was at the back of the cathedral, near the clergy's resting area. There was a circle of comfortable sofas with furry pillows on them.
The fireplace burned tirelessly in the middle of the side hall. The high-quality firewood made a pleasant creaking sound, and the air was filled with a warm aura.
What was different was the solemn atmosphere of everyone.
Because the main system had removed the blurry memories, and because of the bizarre encounter in this instance dungeon, no one spoke for a while.
Xu Su sat by the fireplace, staring at the rising flames in the middle of the firewood in a daze.
He did not know what was wrong with him. He was clearly in a horror instance dungeon and had no time to think about other things. However, the emotions in his heart were still in turmoil, and it was difficult to calm down.
When Xu Su came to Infinite Loop, he was still in university and preparing to take the postgraduate entrance exam. Because he was studying abroad, he did not return home for an entire semester.
It happened to be a school holiday that day. As soon as he packed his luggage and got home, he had a big argument with his family.
Xu Su himself had forgotten what the quarrel was about. Humans were always like this. They were cautious when facing strangers and reserved their temper for the people closest to them.
In a fit of anger, he locked himself in his room and played games for a few hours.
He had always been a hot-tempered person, and his temper came and went quickly. It was inevitable that he would feel some regret in his heart.
Therefore, Xu Su got up and turned off the computer. He wanted to go out to admit defeat and have a meal while he was at it. However, he didn't expect that in such a short time, he would be caught by the main system and put into an infinite loop, unable to return.
After thinking about all this, Xu Su regretted it all the way. He regretted that he had quarreled with his family.
If his family found out that he had disappeared from his room for no reason, they would be anxious, nervous, and upset. If he couldn't go back, who would be able to take care of his parents in the future?
Back in the square, when the NPC who looked exactly like his mother called out to him, Xu Su almost burst into tears.
Because he knew that if it was really his mother standing there, she would definitely say those words.
But because of this, Xu Su didn't indulge in it like the others.
The more sincere the NPCs were, the more he thought of his family in the real world waiting for him to go back.
Live, I have to live.
He clenched his fists.
Not only for himself, but also for …
Xu Su took a deep breath and thought of his confession in the confession room.
He didn't choose the sacrament of confession because confession had to be accompanied by the person's own actions and remorse. If it wasn't a sincere confession, it was meaningless to simply perform this sacrament.
Xu Su didn't think that there was anything wrong with liking someone.
But that person … was the same as him.
Thinking of this, Xu Su felt conflicted and distressed.
He was insensitive and only thought that he cared about Xu Sen like a good brother. It wasn't until the Halloween event at the Rainbow Amusement Park that he suddenly realized it.
But he was a straight man. Not to mention other things, he really didn't think that he would have such feelings for a man. So in the beginning, he deliberately classified this feeling as the suspension bridge effect. He thought that he subconsciously relied on another person in an extremely dangerous situation.
Now that he came to the Judgment Day dungeon and saw his former family, Xu Su finally faced his inner thoughts.
Even if he could complete the main mission of this S-Level dungeon, he wouldn't choose to stay here.
This dream-like world was fake after all. It was a coward's act to insist on staying despite knowing that it was fake.
Xu Su didn't want to be a coward. Because there was someone he wanted to work hard for, he also wanted to be brave.
Survive this Instance Dungeon, survive the Infinite Loop.
Thinking of Xu Sen who led the team into another dungeon with Master Zhuge, Xu Su was a little worried.
He clenched his fists and made a decision in his heart.
After surviving this dungeon and returning to the studio, he must tell Xu Sen his true thoughts.
No matter what the future was, at least he had a clear conscience and didn't have to worry about gains and losses.
.....
After everyone rested for a while, they took the Purifying Lance and decided to form a group to explore the outside world.
Xu Su was the only trainee in a team of thirty people. Although most of the other trainees found it hard to say, they were more inclined to stay in this S-Level dungeon.
After all, this was a rare opportunity to withdraw from the competition. They knew their own strength very well. Returning to the competition at this time was tantamount to suicide. Moreover, Magician Zong Jiu once revealed that the next dungeon was very likely to be a Super S-Level dungeon. A dungeon would determine the final hundred contestants.
A mere B-Level trainee, who would dare to pat their chest and guarantee that they would survive a Super S-Level dungeon?
Right now, this was the best opportunity for him.
Unfortunately, Magician won in this dungeon by lying down. He didn't need to consider how to pass Judgment Day.
Therefore, the other trainees who wanted to stay in this dungeon huddled together and planned to form a group to explore the outside world. After all, there were only six days until Judgment Day. The City of Evil would only appear at night. This meant that they only had five nights to get rid of the Seven Deadly Sin Black Lines on their hands.
After confessing, everyone had gotten rid of one line. There were six left. They had to work harder.
Only Anthony hesitated after listening to their discussion. He took the initiative to take on the leadership role.
He didn't forget what Zong Jiu told him. He knew in his heart that he probably wouldn't be able to pass Judgment Day like the NPC said. Because after he confessed, the seven black lines on Anthony's arm were still there. There were no signs of them getting rid of.
This was where the troublesome problem occurred.
Main Mission 2 and Main Mission 1 conflicted.
If the dungeon was destroyed, it would inevitably harm the interests of the trainees who wanted to stay in this dungeon. In addition, this was a matter of great interest. In the end, it was very likely to develop into a situation of internal strife or killing each other.
The main system's calculations were simply too good.
Who said that teamwork was necessary in a team dungeon? When a team came in, they would kill each other because of different interests. This was also the favorite drama of the main system that didn't abide by martial ethics.
Anthony had to be careful not to expose his intentions. Even if he would be hated by these people when he returned to the trainees' dormitory, he didn't care. It was obvious that death was in front of him. It was only right to fight for his right to live.
"Okay, then let senior Anthony be the temporary team leader."
Fortunately, he was a high-level Level A. He was the most powerful trainee in this team other than Magician. The others didn't even think twice before agreeing to his request to be the temporary team leader.
Just then, the young pope's tender voice came from the door of the side hall.
"The City of Good and the City of Evil are connected at night. Are you sure you want to go out?"
Zong Jiu, who had promised to play with the naughty child, was also with him.
"Yes." The trainees all nodded.
After looking around, Zong Jiu silently exchanged a look with Anthony. It wasn't surprising that he confirmed his previous guess.
The white-haired youth paused. "I'll go with you."
Although he didn't have to think of ways to get rid of the black lines on his hands like the other trainees, he was still the team leader after all. He had to fulfill his responsibility. He couldn't just leave it to others when he had nothing to do.
"You have to do it yourself to get rid of evil. There's no way to get rid of evil with the help of others."
The little devil standing at the side kindly reminded him. She lowered her voice. "Brother, you should go later. Tonight is the first day. You have to give them some leeway."
Zong Jiu's intuition told him that something was wrong.
Especially when the little devil stood at the side hall and waved at him with a smile. The bad feeling in his heart grew stronger and stronger.
"You guys go first. I'll come after I change."
So he purposely stayed behind for a while. As expected, there was a sudden clap of thunder outside the heavy curtain of rain.
"Boom boom boom boom —"
After the thunder, noisy shouts and screams appeared in the curtain of rain. The trainees who had just gone out for less than ten minutes threw away their umbrellas one by one and ran towards the church in the heavy rain. Their expressions were panicked and full of fear.
In the middle of them was a trainee who was completely drenched. His limbs were twitching and his eyelids were turning white. They rushed into the side hall and placed him beside the warm fireplace. They surrounded him nervously.
"What's going on?"
The white-haired Magician who had just changed into a windbreaker and rainboots was about to open an umbrella to take a look. He frowned deeply. He lifted the hem of his windbreaker and squatted down. He used his finger to check the trainee's breathing.
"Outside, there's someone outside …"
The other trainees had fear on their faces. They looked like they hadn't recovered from the shock. Because of the rush, they couldn't even speak clearly.
Zong Jiu didn't rush them. He let them take a breather before continuing his investigation.
Although it was weak, at least it wasn't life-threatening.
But in the next second, Magician narrowed his eyes.
Under the flickering light of the fireplace, a faint shadow was stretched infinitely from the unconscious trainee's feet to the opposite wall. It flickered on and off.
"Why is his shadow back?"