Chapter 260: Elevator Horror

This was originally a sealed trap tile, but Jing Shu managed to pry it open bit by bit through sheer brute force! Whoever designed the trap probably never expected that someone would try to open it this way without using the switch.

Sure enough, beneath the tile was a normal push-pull mechanism with a clear gap! Jing Shu hammered at it with the drill, making the gap widen little by little.

As she kept exerting force, her oxygen-deprived body started to blur her consciousness. Despite feeling lightheaded, she persisted. Her body was crying out for fresh air, breathing deeply like a furnace trying to pull in as much oxygen as possible. Jing Shu began to experience the same sensations she did during her previous death, which only made her hit harder. At this critical moment, she sensed something strange in her dimensional space, but there was no time to focus on that.

Finally, with the help of the two bodyguards who also joined in, the panel was violently pried off with a loud crash.

The path to the lower level was open!

Jing Shu greedily inhaled the fresh air, feeling like her entire body was renewed. Her pores opened wide, and an overwhelming sense of relief washed over her. However, her head still spun, making her feel as if she were floating. It was like having a high fever—everything seemed surreal, and walking felt like the world was swirling around her. Voices seemed distant and dreamlike.

"Jing Shu? Jing Shu?"

"Come on, we're heading down. Wang Chuang and Da Mao have already gone. Jing Shu, are you okay? Don’t scare me!" Su Mali shook Jing Shu, trying to wake her. After a nap, Su Mali herself felt fine, but Jing Shu, having exerted herself in such a low-oxygen environment, was experiencing severe disorientation.

"Yeah... okay." Jing Shu felt like she was in a dream, nothing seemed real. She didn't even remember how she climbed down; all she recalled was Su Mali telling her to grab a rope, and so she did.

Jing Shu knew she couldn’t go on like this. She needed to save herself. She drank half a drop of undiluted spring water from her spatial space.

The usual side effect of extreme hunger didn’t hit her, but her head still spun. Jing Shu realized the spring water might be working in some other part of her body. Desperate, she gulped down another drop.

"We need to find an exit fast," Wang Chuang said. "We’re in a maintenance shaft without an elevator, but if it starts operating and comes crashing down, we’ll be crushed."

The presence of two steel cables indicated that the fat man had likely "ridden" the elevator down. Jing Shu, still in a daze, hadn't noticed how large this underground facility was, with multiple exits leading to who knows where.

Today, it felt like Jing Shu had pried open a closed elevator door with brute force—except there was no elevator inside. So, the group continued downward, following the elevator cables, unsure if they’d end up on the second or third floor.

“I just hope the other exits don’t have similar sealed doors, or we’ll be stuck breaking through them again. No matter what, we need to find an exit. Da Mao, as soon as you find one, contact Mr. Su. If anything goes wrong, I’ll cover the rear,” Wang Chuang instructed.

"Brother..." Da Mao started.

"You have a family waiting for you—remember that."

The passage was long, with a few intersections and turns, but all of them had heavy, sealed doors with no visible way to open them. They tried everything but had no choice but to keep going forward.

At the end of the passage was the top of the elevator shaft, and they would have to climb down further to reach an exit.

Jing Shu’s mind still hadn’t cleared. She felt as though she were dreaming, unable to feel pain or control her actions. It was like being a trapped consciousness, fully aware but unable to act.

At that moment, Jing Shu realized something terrifying—she couldn’t feel pain anymore. She tried to pinch herself but couldn’t tell if she had done it or not.

She drank another drop of spring water, still confused as to why it wasn’t working. The liquid, renowned for curing all ailments, seemed to have no effect on her now. She had always wondered what it was like for someone in a coma, and now she knew—it was like being fully aware but powerless to move or respond.

Previously strong and capable, Jing Shu now had to lean on Su Mali just to walk.

"Jing Shu, hang in there! We’re almost out. I’ll get you a doctor as soon as we’re outside!" Su Mali, initially thinking Jing Shu was just suffering from a bit of oxygen deprivation, realized how serious it had become when even water and rest didn’t help. Jing Shu's condition was worsening by the minute.

"Jing... Shu..." Jing Shu could faintly hear her name being called, but it sounded distorted, like someone was dragging out every syllable. It felt like she was slipping further into unconsciousness.

"We’re close! There’s a platform—climb down and we’ll reach the exit!" Wang Chuang’s excited voice echoed.

But just as he finished speaking, a loud creaking noise came from behind them. The two cables began to move rapidly, indicating the elevator was rushing down toward them at high speed.

"Run!"

"Run for it!"

Wang Chuang's urgent voice pushed them into action. Su Mali pulled Jing Shu along as they raced toward the lowest point in the passage. Da Mao and Wang Chuang were right behind them.

"Just another hundred meters! Jump when you reach the platform!"

Jing Shu instinctively started running. Despite her disoriented state, her body moved quickly, even faster than Su Mali’s, and she ended up pulling her along.

But with four people crowded in the narrow shaft, their speed was limited. That hundred meters felt endless, as if they were running for their lives for an eternity. And this elevator—it was moving far too fast, not like a normal elevator at all. It felt like it was plummeting straight down at a terrifying speed.

The cables were moving so quickly that it felt as though death itself was chasing them.

Finally, they reached the illuminated platform—the exit!

"Jump!"

Jing Shu was the first to leap, with Su Mali right behind her. But just as they made it out, the elevator came crashing down from above.

When something falls from such a great height, it drops faster than the eye can track. In less than two seconds, it hit the ground with a deafening crash.

Author's Note:

I owe one extra chapter to Zihang for his reward, a 10,000-word bonus chapter to *Piaowang Hidden Spirit*, and another chapter for 19B. I also owe one more chapter for a monthly vote bonus. Wow, how did I end up owing so much without realizing it?