Free Web NovelChapter 172: Chapter 172: Yes, We’re Free Now
No one would help you without any personal connection, and no one would go so far for you.
If someone did, there would only be one answer.
Jiang Che followed behind her, dispersing all the white Spirit Bodies in an instant.
Rules? Jiang Che could only say, his territory, his rules.
He wanted to hold Ding Ning, but she was moving fast and was clearly focused, rushing out of the small building, through the hospital’s little garden, heading straight towards the iron gate.
Jiang Che tried to stop her, but suddenly Tuantuan’s voice rang in his mind.
Tuantuan and Hua had always been watching Ding Ning, and now seeing Jiang Che about to intervene, Tuantuan immediately spoke up.
"Daddy, don’t." Tuantuan successfully stopped Jiang Che.
"Ning..." Jiang Che’s voice choked; his mind was trembling, he’d just shared that pain with Ding Ning, and it felt as if the entire Dungeon was twisting.
The Dungeon automatically helped Jiang Che share the pain; only then could he continue as normal.
"Mom’s okay, this is just an energy projection." Tuantuan continued to connect with Jiang Che.
Jiang Che saw Ding Ning’s movements becoming mechanical, she was struggling toward the exit, her steps faltering, on the verge of collapse at any moment.
"Don’t be afraid, I’ll take you away, don’t be afraid..." Ding Ning kept repeating those words in her mouth.
Jiang Che quietly followed behind, running alongside her, "Alright, we’ll leave together."
The exit was not far; in the instant she rushed out, Ding Ning stopped.
She fell forward, and Jiang Che caught her in his arms.
Jiang Che looked up at the sky—the world of Red Pearl Mental Hospital he’d seen countless times, the air here he’d breathed so many times.
This was no longer the confines of the hospital he constructed, but the real Red Pearl Mental Hospital.
The exit was also the hospital’s actual exit.
He held Ding Ning; the two of them sat on the ground at the doorway.
Not far off, the forest had transformed into the Dark Forest, tree trunks covered in fierce human faces.
This was already the edge of Jiang Che’s territory, right up against the Dark Forest.
The black forest showed no signs of life; most of the sky had gone dark, no birds chirping, no insects in the grass.
The last time, he and Xiong Jie left through the front gate, but he hadn’t felt any freedom then.
"Yeah, we’ve left." Ding Ning in Jiang Che’s arms was already unconscious; her energy body was collapsing, slowly dissolving into bubbles.
Jiang Che stared at the sealed path ahead; the Dark Forest had completely enveloped the hospital’s outer boundary.
Clearly there was no way forward, yet Jiang Che could feel freedom.
"Yeah, we’re free now." Jiang Che held Ding Ning, gazing at the sky above, the air outside truly fresh.
"It’s so good; I’ve led you out." Ding Ning’s voice came from Jiang Che’s arms, only to turn to a phantom foam the next second and disappear.
"Mom’s okay, we’re back." Tuantuan watched Ding Ning beside him open her eyes, mouth something at him, then close her eyes again.
Tuantuan knew what she wanted to say, and immediately connected with Jiang Che to report the situation.
Jiang Che’s arms went empty; he sat on the ground, staring for a long time at the hospital behind him.
This time, he was truly free.
The aura around him began to change; his entire presence started rising.
The Dark Forest not far away began to wither and shrink, apparently intimidated by his newfound freedom.
When Jiang Che returned to where Xiong Jie and the others were, they were watching the livestream, seeing two other people attempting the challenge.
Seeing him come back, they abruptly turned their gazes toward him.
"You..." Zhou Ang hesitated, only feeling Jiang Che had changed, though he couldn’t say exactly how.
"What happened..." Flying Tiger paused.
Ever since Jiang Che left, they hadn’t been able to see the little red dot representing the first Survivor, only watched the other two Survivors’ livestreams.
"Are you okay?" Xiong Jie roughly knew what had happened.
Jiang Che looked at him and nodded, "I’m fine."
Jiang Che glanced at the table; the dots belonging to the other two Survivors were wildly fleeing.
Xiong Jie noticed Jiang Che’s gaze was clearer now—before, whenever he looked at the challengers, his eyes always held a glint of hope, hoping they’d escape, hoping they could carry off all the Blood-colored Crystals and survive.
But now, his eyes held determination, and also freedom and relief.
The current Survivors were just Survivors, simple challengers—he no longer projected his own thoughts onto them.
On the phone’s livestream, the voices of the two Survivors continued.
[Brothers, this Dungeon has a massive margin for error; I’ve taken damage three times now, and I can tell everyone for sure: the pain doubles every time.]
[The damage isn’t lethal, but the pain is unbearable, again and again.]
The two of them frantically shared their feelings with the viewers, constantly offering their own insights.
The chat barrage was blowing up—they’d never seen a Dungeon like this.
It wasn’t deadly in one hit; it gave you plenty of chances.
[Holy shit, feels like the point of this Dungeon is to encourage people to escape?]
[If you don’t take damage, can you pass easily?]
[Doesn’t seem too hard, guys. I kinda want to try it myself.]
[But it can’t be this easy, right? This Dungeon’s area is way too big, running the map is similar everywhere.]
[For normal people, running the map is exhausting; by the time you’re at tier three, it’s easy.]
[You have to be tier three to challenge it? That’s a high requirement.]
[High? Bro, this is an ss-level Dungeon; running the map easily at tier three boosts your survival rate, it’s already pretty sweet.]
...
The viewers watching the livestream chatted about the Dungeon’s details in all sorts of ways.
[Wait, this Dungeon isn’t just ss-level! Just now, its energy signature started skyrocketing, almost reaching sss-level.]
[Yeah, Flying Tiger Group detected it too, only a sliver away from sss-level.] Flying Tiger’s dad sent a message in the chat as well.
[What happened? Why is it suddenly about to upgrade?]
[Damn, growth rate is insane. We need to hurry—finish before it hits sss-level, or who knows how the rules will change; the difficulty is bound to go up.]
...
Jiang Che watched the chat, listening to them discuss the Dungeon’s energy changes.
Thinking back to the moment he felt freedom, he did sense something else. At that time his body suddenly felt much lighter, his mind freed from pressure.
"That talent really is powerful; breakthrough just like that?" Hua stared at Xiong Jie’s projection, eyes wide.
She had no idea how much she’d sacrificed just to grow a single fruit, waiting for her turn—yet Jiang Che just stepped up and reached her current position?
