nagpurpolice Chapter 561 The Depths of Darkness
Chapter 561 The Depths of Darkness
photo.
Countless photos.
Or rather... countless exquisite paintings that resemble "photographs".
Su Tianqing looked at the image closer to the door, trying to discern its specific details, but all she saw was a vast and boundless starry sky.
The image of the starry sky extended inward along the floor, ceiling, and walls on both sides. The interior space was surprisingly large, not at all like what it looked like from the outside as just a base. Su Tianqing even felt that it was at least as big as a square.
"Click."
Chi Xue stepped forward and turned on the light on the rifle rail.
The lights temporarily dispelled the thick darkness, allowing more images and a deeper glimpse of the environment to be seen.
By the light, Su Tianqing could see the interior clearly and realized that the interior space was a little different from what she had imagined: it was not a square, but a wide corridor that stretched out inwards, and all she could see were countless pictures.
"Is this a photograph... or does it look like a drawing? Why are there so many?"
Hyacinth, who was always at the forefront, sensed something was wrong and didn't dare to move forward. Instead, she squatted down to examine the pictures on the ground by the door and even tried to pick one up.
She stared at the starry sky for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so she silently put it back where it was.
All four of them were somewhat undecided at this point.
Chi Xue and Su Tianqing were well aware of their purpose in entering the world of mental images—to find and rescue Hyacinth and Marigold. However, after witnessing this bizarre situation, "in-depth investigation" became the most important issue at present.
"Shall we go in and take a look?" Akashi asked.
"I don't have any objections. I can sense that this is still within the realm of mental images, and I can leave at any time," Su Tianqing replied.
"Moreover, the layout inside is really intriguing; we might actually be able to uncover some important clues."
"Hmm... then I'll join you!"
Seeing that both Xin Yuehu and Chi Xue had made their statements, Fengxinzi was not to be outdone and cheered loudly.
With a ratio of three to one, even if Marigold was terrified, there was no other way to choose but to follow behind their seniors and grit their teeth and push forward.
As I passed through the doorway, the door slammed shut as usual.
No matter how many times you experience this scene, it will send chills down your spine. Fortunately, everyone has a flashlight and tactical light in hand. When they are all lit up together, the light is enough to illuminate this wide and deep corridor.
After walking a few meters, the surrounding scenery changed from an endless starry sky to a dense forest.
It looked like some kind of rainforest. None of the people present knew anything about forest distribution, so they could only memorize the images.
Ten meters. The surrounding images gradually transition from a starry sky to a forest.
Twenty meters. The picture gradually transforms from a forest into a small town.
Thirty meters. The town gradually expanded, transforming from a few scattered wooden houses into brick and cement buildings.
How deep is this corridor?
After walking more than fifty meters, they looked back and could no longer see the way they had come from. Ahead was still the endless dark corridor, and the unease in the hearts of the four had reached its peak.
The marigold clung tightly to the hyacinth's arm, trembling.
Hyacinth tried to remain calm, but in reality, she was drenched in cold sweat. The feeling of having nowhere to go forward and nowhere to return made her heart pound. She had never experienced such a bizarre scene before.
"Clatter".
Chi Xue stopped in her tracks.
The walls, floors, and ceilings still bear countless pictures, but the pattern has changed from a forest town to a large rural village. What does this change represent?
"Should we... continue on...?" Marigold leaned close to Akashi and asked the petite senior.
At this moment, Chi Xue was also a little undecided.
There's no end in sight, but I don't want to give up on the clues I've worked so hard to obtain here. What should I do...?
"...The previous image has changed."
"!!"
Xin Yuehu raised her flashlight and pointed it forward. The light pierced the darkness and shone into the distance. Even from this distance, it was clear that the content of the picture in front of them was different from the village and town beneath their feet.
Driven by this motivation, the four of them quickly sped up and ran towards the new pictures.
Approaching close enough to make out the contents of the picture, when the lead hyacinth recognized what was depicted in the image, she could no longer contain her fear and horror, and exclaimed in astonishment:
"Whoa!"
"Look, look! In these pictures... it, it, it, it..."
Hyacinth was so frightened that she stammered, and after babbling for a long time, she still couldn't make sense of it.
Su Tianqing raised her flashlight, pointing it at the countless photos on the wall, and stared at the contents of the pictures:
It was a silhouette of a young girl.
She wore a crimson hood, and a scarlet cloak covered most of her back and petite body. Her eyes shone with the brilliance of stars, and her body was surrounded by a vibrant aura of magic sketched with a few simple strokes.
At a glance, Su Tianqing recognized the person in the picture, and all three of them turned their gaze to the crimson-clad girl in the group, who also had a look of astonishment and surprise on her face—
"Akayuki, senpai... this picture looks like it's you...?" Marigold murmured incredulously, her eyes wide.
Chi Xue was also stunned by the bizarre scene. She bent down and picked up the picture on the ground that depicted the silhouette of a girl. She stared at the girl's eyes, which were as bright as stars, for a long time. Her expression changed from surprise to confusion, and finally to inexplicable fear.
"This...this is indeed me...and it can only be me."
Chi Xue spoke softly, releasing the picture of herself from her hand. She looked up at the densely packed silhouette images on the ceiling and the walls on both sides, her breathing gradually becoming heavy and deep.
She tried to suppress her anxiety and fear, but the fear lingered.
The silhouette depicts the crimson-clad girl: a fiery red hooded cloak covering her black and white formal attire, her wand transforming into a one-handed sword and a hunting rifle... coupled with her signature starry eyes, only one person in the world could wear such an outfit.
Magical Girl Crimson Snow☆Shadows of the Stars
The painting is so skillful that every detail is depicted so vividly that it's as if the person who painted it had seen it up close.
"But why...?" Akashi murmured to herself.
"Who painted this picture, and why did they paste it into the deepest part of this dreamlike mind?"
"What does this really mean?"
Before Su Tianqing could answer, a loud clicking sound suddenly rang in everyone's ears:
"Click".
The sudden loud noise startled the four men, who almost immediately stood back to back, raising their weapons, guns, flashlights, and other lights, pointing them at the seemingly endless, thick darkness in the corridor.
"Did you hear that sound?"
"I heard it, a 'click,' like something..."
"Click".
Another sound came.
As the sound echoed and dissipated in the corridor, all the gun lights and flashlights went out in an instant, plunging the corridor into near-absolute darkness.
"babble--!"
Marigold was startled by the scene, but before she could react, the gun lamp and flashlight suddenly turned on again, and the light once more enveloped the surroundings.
But the surrounding images have changed: the silhouettes of the stars in the red snow have disappeared and been replaced by the ruins of rural villages and towns.
"Click".
The flashlight went out and then came back on.
The ruins of the village have been transformed into a modern metropolis.
"Click".
Night view of a metropolis.
"Click".
When the lights came back on, the content of the picture made Su Tianqing gasp:
The Gate of the Fox, and that towering mage tower.
"Click".
In the blink of an eye, the Gate of Fox Virtue was reduced to ruins, and monsters formed from shadows surged within the building's shadows.
The pure white-clad young mage cast spells on the ground, and the raging flames suppressed the surging shadow monsters.
The changing scenes in these pictures... could they be hinting at something...?
Su Tianqing suddenly realized something, decisively abandoned the flashlight in her hand, turned around and grabbed Hyacinth and Marigold's wrists, while shouting loudly at Chi Xue:
"Chixue! Grab my hand! If you don't leave now, it'll all be over!"
"!..."
Chi Xue didn't hesitate for long. She threw away the automatic rifle in her hand, turned around and grabbed the golden-haired fox girl's wrist.
"Click".
The flashlight and railgun fell to the ground, their light illuminating the changed image content once again.
The complete city of Foxkov.
Explosions, smoke, and ruined city walls.
A dark spire ablaze with golden-red flames.
"Click".
"Squeak—"
The final sound was accompanied by the sharp creak of the gate bearings opening.
The flashlight turned off and then on for the last time.
The picture shows a pitch-black corridor, its ceiling and walls covered with countless images, resembling both photographs and intricate paintings. However, several luminous objects are scattered throughout the corridor within the pictures:
A flashlight, three automatic rifles, and a bright gun light on the rail.
"Click".
The lights went out and never came back on.