Chapter 88: The Shattering Truth [2]
"You still say it's not a lie despite direct proof?"
Max cocked his head with disapproval.
"That's right. What did you see there? What was there?"
Gwenn's question.
All the residents' eyes focused on Max's mouth at that question.
It was the most curious answer for them.
All they could imagine outside was a place filled with images of monstrous reapers.
"Nothing, just the outside. If I had to say, it felt like the middle of a forest."
"Nothing? Absolutely nothing?"
Gwenn asked back, unbelieving.
"That's what I said. What, you thought there'd be monsters? Could I have come back so unscathed if there were?"
Max answered calmly.
Gwenn stared intently into Max's eyes, as if trying to detect any sign of lying.
But in the end, not finding any such tell, he relaxed his gaze.
However, he seemed not to have completely let go of his suspicion.
Perhaps that was only natural.
To the residents here, the notion that the exit was safe was as absurd as saying the sun wouldn't rise tomorrow.
"Really? You're really saying that?"
"Ha, people really can't trust what they hear. How about this then?"
Max leaned back his head.
Max leaned back his head.
"Hey, Annette."
"Yes?"
"You go up top for a bit."
"Me... me? Me?"
Annette was flustered.
Kamian intervened as if it was ridiculous.
"No, why are you sending Annette? Have you lost your mind?"
"It's safe, I tell you."
"How can you be so sure? How do you know it's not just a fluke that the senior came back alive?"
"Oh, come on. Can't you even trust what people say? What's important is Annette's own will."
"Yes, yes."
"In order to move forward fromn this deadlock, isn't it necessary? How about you go and come back once?"
"No, no. Why keep asking.."
"Stay out of it if it's not about you."
Max cut off Camian's words lightly and asked Annette again.
"How about it? Do you trust me?"
"I, I trust you."
"Then I'm sorry to ask, but as I said, the situation is like this."
"Ah, okay. If it helps..."
Annette nodded her head. She had a personality that couldn't easily refuse anyone's request.
Moreover, it was even harder to refuse the request of a senior who had risked their life to save her in the dungeon.
She felt a debt of gratitude.
"Wait just a moment. If that's the case, I'll go too!"
Kamian said hastily.
But Max firmly grabbed his arm.
"You just stay put. Do you want to leave me alone?"
"No, but this thing..."
"Annette, you go comfortably, and just in case, come down immediately.'"
Kamian's expression turned odd for a moment.
It was as if the word 'immediately' was emphasized strangely.
"Yes, yes."
Annette took a deep breath as if she had made up her mind and entered the elevator.
"There's a moving mechanism inside, too."
Max explained kindly.
Annette blinked deeply and activated the device.
Click!
Vrrrr!
The elevator shot up in an instant. The elevator growing distant.
Gwen and the other residents watched the elevator with tense eyes.
One person could be a coincidence.
But not two.
It was impossible for two people to return alive from this deadly exit by mere chance.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed their anxious saliva.
That was the sentiment of all the residents.
Camian was also tense.
For a different reason,
One two three four five
Time seemed to pass much slower than usual.
After about 10 seconds,
Vrrrr!
The elevator came back down. The residents' hearts raced wildly. Some were trembling with excitement.
Thud.
The elevator finally reached the basement.
But no one dared to open the door.
They just held their breath and watched.
"Come out."
Max's voice broke the tension.
"Ah, yes."
Clank.
The door opened.
Annette walked out unharmed.
"Ph, phew..."
Kamian sighed a sigh of relief, stroking his chest.
At that moment.
"Move, move aside!"
One of the residents, his eyes crazed with excitement, hurried into the elevator.
"Ah!"
He bumped into Annette but didn't care and pushed through roughly.
"Hey, Hannes!"
Gwen frowned and shouted.
"Hehehehe! I'll go first, boss! Goodbye to this rotten place!"
Clank!
Click
Vrrr
The elevator quickly rose again.
"Next is me!"
"It's my turn, you bastard!"
"Move back, you bastard!"
Residents, desperate to breathe the air above ground first, scuffled fiercely.
Gwen's face twisted at the ugly scene.
"What are you all doing? What's with that look? I understand you're excited, but we're comrades! Let's go in an orderly fashion, starting with the oldest..."
"Don't bother, boss, it's not like we'll see each other again anyway."
"Keke, exactly, there's no point in seeing these faces and being reminded of this crazy place and feeling like vomiting."
The residents openly ignored even Gwen, their leader.
It was as if they had seen enough.
In the meantime.
10 seconds passed and the elevator came down again.
The scuffle among the residents to get in first intensified.
Finally, one of the residents got into the elevator first.
"Hehe, I'm going too, you bastards. It was disgusting being with you, let's never meet again."
Thud.
The resident flung open the door.
And then
"...Huh?"
A head rolled out onto the floor.
Blood followed the motion, staining the ground red.
The head, with eyes wide open in agony.
It was...
Hannes.
"Heheheeeek?!"
Thump!
The resident who was about to get on the elevator fell backwards in horror.
The resident's behind pressed down on the cut part of Hannes's neck.
With that force, Hannes's head popped up and fell among the residents.
Thump!
Not even a breath could be heard.
Perfect silence.
Everyone was frozen in shock.
But that cold silence was soon broken by someone's words.
"Huh? Why did this person come back dead? Was it really not a lie?"
Max muttered to himself as if it were absurd.
Then he opened his mouth again.
"Wait, what? Can only we go out? You all can't?"
'But how can that be?'
In that moment everyone were silence and then he'll broke out!