Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Yi Tiantian hadn't expected the Radiant Underground City to be so engaging, and that it would actually trigger the main storyline!

The other four men, seeing how much fun Yi Tiantian was having, couldn't help but follow him and act according to the plot.

The old man, hiding behind the clothing racks in the clothing store, began to explain with excitement.

"Those are the thugs from the Lower District! They can't stand seeing others do well!"

Old Li, the clothing store owner, muttered under his breath, and it seemed as though this wasn't part of the plot but rather something actually happening in this world!

It created a surreal, almost magical atmosphere, as if reality itself had fractured!

Yi Tiantian, watching Doctor Old Li's superb acting, couldn't help but mentally applaud him.

"Really great! Working here requires top-notch acting skills!"

When the other four men heard Yi Tiantian praise Doctor Old Li, they all turned their gazes toward Old Li.

Feeling four piercing gazes upon him, Old Li suddenly forgot his next line.

"Uh... erm... ahem, those thugs from the Lower District, I'll make sure to bring them all before the mechanical court!"

As soon as Old Li finished speaking, the door to the clothing store was kicked open with a loud bang.

Several men with metal limbs rushed in from outside. They were dressed in ragged denim, which perfectly matched their identity as Lower District residents.

These thugs also had various tattoos, but the most striking one was the letter "T" inked on the inside of their arms.

"T... right, I remember now. This should be a civilian resistance organization in the underground city's setting."

"Due to the corrupt rule of the Upper District, the people were suffering and could not be swayed, so a resistance organization arose among the civilians."

"This organization is called Twilight, with 'T' being its initial."

Yi Tiantian was glad he had thoroughly studied the background of the underground city, so he felt fully immersed rather than lost during the experience!

Just as Yi Tiantian thought to himself, the thugs immediately revealed their identities and continued the storyline.

"You Upper District lackeys! You don't deserve to live here! Get out of the underground city!"

The leader of the thugs, wearing a tattered smock and bearing numerous gruesome wounds, spat on the ground and shouted.

Doctor Old Li quickly followed up with his lines: "I, I'm just an ordinary clothing store owner, I'm not from the Upper District!"

"Actually, this clothing store, located between the Upper and Lower Districts, is just a front. Doctor Old Li is actually a spy from the Upper District planted in the Lower District!"

"Now he has been discovered by the Lower District organization! The main storyline begins here!"

Yi Tiantian watched with great interest, but at this moment, the Lower District thugs suddenly turned their attention to the tourists watching the scene.

"Don't think I don't know—every last one of you is a spy!"

The leader of the thugs waved his hand, pointing a dark gun muzzle at Yi Tiantian and the others.

"Take them all to jail!"

"No, no! I can't continue with the plot—I still need to meet the boss of the Dusk Society!"

"If we keep following the storyline, we definitely won’t get to see it!"

Yi Tiantian thought.

There were several modes available for tourists to choose from in Dungeon City.

The first mode was the storyline mode, where tourists would be assigned exclusive main quests, and NPCs would fully cooperate with the performance throughout.

The second mode was the exploration mode, where tourists could freely explore Dungeon City without following the storyline, though they could still see many other tourists and NPCs who were in the midst of their storylines.

The third mode, according to the official setting, was the mystery mode, which was waiting for tourists to discover on their own.

Yi Tiantian felt that the storyline had progressed to the point where tourists could choose their game mode.

So, Yi Tiantian mustered up the courage, stood up, and raised his hand to ask the group of fierce-looking gangsters, "Um, excuse me, can we choose our modes now?"

The gangsters were clearly stunned.

Dr. Lao Li frowned slightly because he had been notified that these tourists had chosen the storyline mode when he received them, which was why he had been following the storyline.

But why were the tourists suddenly standing up and asking to choose modes?!

Dr. Lao Li couldn’t help but look at Fu Chongye, but the latter remained expressionless as if he hadn’t seen the gaze.

So, Dr. Lao Li stood up and addressed Yi Tiantian, "Yes, you can freely choose your desired mode now."

"Everyone, what do you say? Do you prefer exploration mode or storyline mode?"

Once Yi Tiantian saw that Dr. Lao Li had agreed, he turned to ask the other four behind him.

"Guys, let’s choose exploration mode! I really want to find some clues about the Dusk Society!"

"I want to see who the big boss of the Dusk Society is. An organization like this must have been created by someone extraordinary!"

"Maybe someone missing limbs or even a brain stem, an extreme psychopath!"

Fu Chongye raised an eyebrow slightly after hearing Yi Tiantian’s thoughts.

The three men behind him had always respected and accommodated Yi Tiantian’s wishes, and after hearing his thoughts, they unanimously chose the exploration mode.

"I’ll choose the exploration mode," said Fei Cheng, his voice softening as he looked at Yi Tiantian.

"I’m choosing the exploration mode too! I want to explore and enjoy the scenery of this Dungeon City!"

Gang Fengxing raised his hand next and announced.

"Exploration mode sounds interesting, so I’ll choose this mode as well," Xie Yi agreed.

However, when Fu Chongye saw that the other three had all chosen the exploration mode, he raised an eyebrow and said, "I don’t mind which mode, as long as I’m with Tiantian."

"What?! Fu Chongye, are you serious right now?!"

Yi Tiantian was shocked.

The other three were clenching their teeth in frustration upon hearing Fu Chongye’s words.

He’s really showing off, isn’t he?!

But Fu Chongye didn’t care about everyone's expressions at all. He stood up confidently and then said loudly, "Shall we go now?"

The actors nearby were taken aback because the instructions they received earlier were that this group of tourists would choose the story mode.

But why was Fu Chongye leading the way and getting ready to leave?!

The five of them left the costume shop, leaving the actors behind in astonishment.

"Why did they look so surprised when we came out just now?"

"Oh my God!"

"So everything was already set up for us before we went in!"

"The Dusk Society assumed we didn’t know the rules of the Underground City, so they arranged the story mode for us. The purpose was to..."

"Huh? What was the purpose? Why is it not mentioned after that?!"

As they walked, Yi Tiantian reviewed the rumor system in his mind but found that the purpose section seemed deliberately hidden.

This must be related to the Dusk Society!

They already knew we had arrived in the Underground City. Though the system didn’t explicitly state the purpose, Yi Tiantian guessed that the Dusk Society members wanted to conceal their identities.

If Yi Tiantian and the others were caught up in the story, they wouldn’t have time to investigate the Dusk Society!

"What a devious organization! But I’m going to investigate today!"

Yi Tiantian was determined because this organization was truly evil and couldn’t be allowed to continue harming people!

After leaving the costume shop, the five of them reached the streets of the Underground City.

Since they were now at the boundary between the upper and lower districts, Yi Tiantian considered where to start his investigation.

The upper district was a place of opulence and decadence, similar to the Dusk Society’s background.

In Yi Tiantian’s mind, the Dusk Society members were definitely wealthy psychopaths.

So he decided to start investigating there.

"Shall we head upstairs and check it out?"

After making his decision, Yi Tiantian asked for the opinions of those around him.

The others agreed, but one person objected.

That person was Fu Chongye.

"Let’s save the fun spots for later. How about we check out the lower district first?"

Although Yi Tiantian wanted to go to the upper district, considering Fu Chongye’s special status and connections to the Dusk Society, he had to be cautious.

"If I oppose him now, Fu Chongye might notice something is off."

So, for safety, I’ll agree to his idea for now!

The group headed towards the Lower District, and the buildings around them were run-down, with a few door frames crooked. The neon signs of the shops here were not consistently lit but flickered intermittently, and it seemed there were some issues with the power supply in the Lower District.

Moreover, each NPC in the Lower District bore a look of despair.

It didn’t look like it was fake at all!

Their lives seemed genuinely miserable!

Yi Tiantian also noticed something was amiss.

"These NPCs were actually captives of the Dusk Society!"

"They all had normal families but were lured by the Dusk Society with false promises of high salaries and forced into labor!"

"They desired to escape, but the Dusk Society had brainwashed them using special methods..."

"Oh my God, which tourist walking here would ever suspect these NPCs have such backgrounds!"

The other three men were outraged by the inhumane practices of the Dusk Society, but Fu Chongye merely smiled.

At that moment, the group arrived in front of a neon-lit, gaudy hostel.

In front of the hostel stood several men dressed in revealing clothing, each clad in high heels and wearing a signature smile.

As Yi Tiantian approached them, the men extended their arms like octopuses, attempting to pull him in.

"Come and play, sir!"

"Handsome young man!"

Yi Tiantian glanced up at the neon sign of the hostel and saw, inscribed in flowing script, a few bold characters.

"Male Hostel!"