When Li Xiu returned to the room, only seven people were left inside. Including him, there were just eight people. Just one trial, five people in their room had died.
The others looked at Li Xiu with eyes completely different from before, some with envy, but mostly with wariness and fear.
Afei glanced at Li Xiu, said nothing, and closed his eyes to continue resting.
Li Xiu also had nothing to say. He returned to his bed, lay down, and closed his eyes to rest, but his mind kept racing.
Old Gu is not someone to trust. The things he said might just be to keep Li Xiu here to continue adventuring and participating in trials, squeezing out his last bit of value.
This place is different from the outside world. Here, a few people dying isn't a big deal. Even if someone investigates in the future, Old Gu could say Li Xiu died the first time he entered the Trial Gate. That's not impossible.
Li Xiu didn't regret coming here alone. Even if Old Gu wouldn't let him leave, he would find a way to get out if he really wanted to.
Within the Abyss Base, there are two Magic Armor Masters. As long as he could seize a set of Demon Armor, no one could stop Li Xiu from leaving.
The Magic Armor Master is powerful, but only when wearing Demon Armor. The Master is just a person who also needs to eat, drink, and sleep, not wearing the armor 24/7. There will always be an opportunity, just need to wait for it.
Moreover, that old-style Demon Armor has inherent flaws. If utilized properly, it's not too hard to seize it.
No one would think that a top-tier Magic Armor Master would come here.
But Li Xiu wasn't in a rush to leave because he wanted to figure out where the ticket had taken him, what was going on with the demon spirit trapped in the Metal Coffin, and what the Blood Pattern Revolver was.
And to figure all this out, first, he needed to be able to pick up that Blood Pattern Revolver.
Li Xiu is the strongest Magic Armor Master, but not the strongest Trial Taker. His strength and physique were only slightly better than the average person, a result of years of training. But compared to Trial Takers who had undergone multiple enhancements, his body was still somewhat weak.
"Since that's the case, then I should strengthen my body first. Whether it's to pick up that strange Blood Pattern Revolver or to seize the Demon Armor, it's the best choice." Li Xiu mused to himself.
Old Gu valued his abilities and wanted him to continue entering the Trial Gate, which played right into Li Xiu's hands.
Perhaps because of the psychological pressure during the trials, the mental exhaustion was immense, and the people in the room quickly fell asleep.
Li Xiu also seized the opportunity to rest and likewise dozed off.
Suddenly, Li Xiu felt someone approaching his bedside. Now, Li Xiu had taken an entire bunk for himself; no one should need to approach him.
Li Xiu immediately opened his eyes and found a silhouette standing in front of his bed in the dark. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Afei.
Afei put her slender index finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.
Seeing that Li Xiu understood, made no noise, and caused no commotion, Afei glanced around. Seeing no disturbances in the darkness and everyone still asleep, she made a move that surprised Li Xiu a bit.
Afei, like a cat walking without a sound, slipped into Li Xiu's covers and lay down beside him.
Afei lay face to face with Li Xiu, with almost no gap between them, their faces nearly touching.
"Why didn't you leave?" Afei's voice was very soft, only audible to Li Xiu, who was very close, even a bit unclear.
Li Xiu looked at Afei without speaking; he didn't understand what Afei meant.
"Didn't Old Gu take you away because your contract was finished and you were supposed to be sent out?" Afei asked softly when she saw Li Xiu hadn't understood.
"Yes," Li Xiu replied in a low voice.
"Then why did you come back?" Afei stared at Li Xiu and asked again.
"Old Gu said there are demon spirits outside that caused the collapse of the passage. It's impossible to get out now, and we must wait for a rescue team to clear out the demon spirits and the collapsed passage," Li Xiu repeated what Old Gu had told him.
"Do you believe him?" Afei stared at Li Xiu and asked.
"What if I don't?" Li Xiu retorted.
Afei looked deeply at Li Xiu, said nothing further, and, like a ghostly cat, slipped out of Li Xiu's covers silently, returning to her own bed.
Li Xiu knew Afei didn't completely trust him, perhaps even suspected he was a spy sent by Old Gu.
Li Xiu didn't really trust Afei either. He had heard that Afei had been here for nearly three years. How much debt did she owe that she hadn't paid off in three years?
Even a criminal guilty of serious murder would have been out by now, but Afei was still here.
Moreover, given three years, if she entered the Trial Gate once a week, Afei's body enhancements should have been much stronger than they currently were.
In Li Xiu's view, it could only mean Afei hadn't been through as many Trial Gates, either she was an undercover piece placed by Old Gu, or there was some special reason.
Until he figured out Afei's background, Li Xiu didn't want too much contact with her.
In this place, there is no concept of day and night, and even the concept of time is blurred.
Before entering the Abyss Base, except for clothes and daily necessities, everything else had been taken from them, so there wasn't anything like a watch to tell time.
Who knows how long they slept; people started getting up gradually and moving around, even using a makeshift restroom in the corner, walled off by thin boards, barely accommodating one person.
The smell was unpleasant, preventing Li Xiu from sleeping. As he was about to sit up, he heard that jarring alarm again.
"What's going on? The Trial Gate was just opened yesterday, and now it's opening again so soon?" A middle-aged man who had been here for over a month said uneasily, "Wasn't it supposed to open once a week? What's happening?"
"Who cares what's happening? The sooner we finish, the sooner we're free. The sooner I finish my contract, the sooner I leave this hellhole. I've had enough," replied someone nearby, grumbling as he got dressed.
"We just got out not even a day ago and they're sending us back to risk our lives. Do they consider us not human?"
"Once you're here, you'd better not think of yourself as human."
Amidst curses and complaints, the crowd was once again driven into the huge underground cavern where the Blue Stone Gate stood.
"I have some very bad news for you all. We don't know where these demon spirits came from, but they found our base..." Old Gu stood on the platform, repeating what he had told Li Xiu yesterday.
"Currently, the Gemstones in the base can barely open the trial six more times. From now on, every twelve hours a trial will be opened. Whether you've completed your contract or not, you must participate in these six trials."
Old Gu's words immediately sparked discussion, with many people expressing dissatisfaction.