Ji Xun quickly scanned his surroundings. They were in a mechanical-themed chamber.
Besides their cage, there were two other iron cages.
Each cage held two people.
In one cage were familiar faces: the bald-headed captain of the Blackwater mercenaries and one of his subordinates who had escaped earlier.
In the other cage were two strangers, an old man and a young man, both dressed in black suits.
They weren't even wearing gas masks, allowing their expressions to be clearly seen—the young man looked arrogant, while the old man appeared humble.
Chujio recognized them and whispered, "The fourth young master of the Cao family from Innocence City."
"Oh?"
Ji Xun raised an eyebrow, mumbling to himself, "It looks like these two triggered the hidden storyline in the alternate dimension earlier."
Unlike the confused mercenaries, the master and servant duo seemed prepared, their expressions calm, as if they were expecting something.
Moreover, they hadn't been seen on the way, so they must have arrived through some special means.
It was easy to deduce that these two were the reason for the sudden increase in the space's difficulty.
Seeing Ji Xun and Chujio, the bald mercenary and his subordinate were shocked: these two were still alive?
The fourth young master of the Cao family and his servant were also surprised. In such a difficult space, having two survivors was already remarkable, and now there were two more.
But they quickly lost interest, focusing on something else instead of the newcomers.
...
It seemed like a game was about to be played.
With everyone present, the game began.
Just then, the sound of gears grinding echoed, and all six people looked over.
In the center of the three cages, a hole opened in the iron floor, and a rusty mechanical clown rose from the ground.
With a clown hat, a comical red nose, and a curved smile, the red and blue paint had faded, revealing patches of rust, bearing the marks of time.
"A clown, huh..."
Seeing this strange mechanical clown, Ji Xun felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
It had been here for many, many years, waiting in lonely silence for someone to arrive.
It was like looking in a mirror; Ji Xun saw himself and felt a deep sense of empathy for the clown's loneliness.
The clown's feet were springs, causing it to sway grotesquely as it moved.
As everyone examined this bizarre mechanical clown, it suddenly came to life, laughing wickedly, "Welcome to the 'Clown's Fearful Feast.' The game for the final level begins now. If you pass, you can leave alive."
Its mechanical voice was full of mocking eeriness.
Hearing that they could leave, the six people in the cages had varied reactions.
No one believed this final level would be easy.
At that moment, the fourth young master of the Cao family, eager to confirm something, asked, "I want to know, is the 'Calamity Source' here?"
He had prepared for so long specifically for that item. Now that they were almost out, he hadn't seen any sign of it and naturally wanted to ask.
Hearing this, Ji Xun and Chujio turned their attention to him.
The young master spoke cryptically.
If Ji Xun and Chujio hadn't read those files, they wouldn't have known what he was referring to by "Calamity Source."
Ji Xun clearly remembered a passage in the files: "On May 3, 1141 of the Imperial Calendar, the 'S-class Calamity Source' was unsealed, and research began."
The source of the entire bunker's disaster was that "Calamity Source."
Unexpectedly, the mechanical clown actually responded, "Of course. Whoever clears the final level will naturally obtain the Epic Source Card."
The clown directly revealed what the Calamity Source was.
Ji Xun wasn't surprised that there was a final level, but this clown seemed like a sentient NPC?
So, this final boss didn't need to be killed.
Yet he instinctively felt this level would be harder.
The clown's expression was full of unspeakable malice and mockery, "However, only those who survive have the right to know the truth~"
Hearing this, the fourth young master of the Cao family looked intrigued, clearly expecting this outcome.
Ji Xun didn't know what an "Epic Source Card" was.
The two mercenaries seemed clueless as well, looking confused.
But Chujio obviously knew; she murmured in shock, "It actually exists..."
...
Since Ji Xun had no idea what a Source Card was, he wasn't particularly interested in it for the moment.
Ji Xun wasn't particularly interested.
He carefully examined the layout before him.
The three iron cages formed a triangular shape. Glancing upwards, he noticed that the moment the clown appeared, rows of iron spikes also became visible.
The iron cages were completely locked, making it impossible to break out by force.
In other words, if the spikes fell, everyone inside the cages would die.
This final level wasn't going to be easy.
The mechanical clown had barely finished speaking when a platform slowly rose inside each of the three cages, each one holding a colorful toy-like revolver.
The clown's creepy voice echoed again.
"The final game is called... the Wheel of Fate."
"Please listen carefully to the rules of the game."
"1. The revolver before you contains one bullet. This is your only way out; you must fire it to leave. 2. Each turn, you may only fire one shot at your opponent, then pass the gun. This continues until someone dies, allowing the survivor to leave. 3. The spikes above will descend by one meter every fifteen seconds. If no decision is made within a minute, you will all be skewered."
"Please adhere to the rules, or you will all die."
"Now, let the game begin!"
...
Only by killing your teammate could you get out alive?
Indeed, the final level was the toughest.
Ji Xun carefully pondered the rules, his eyes reflecting a mix of thoughts.
This level tested humanity.
As soon as the clown finished speaking, the bald mercenary in Ji Xun's cage swiftly grabbed the revolver.
Instinct told him it was best to keep control in his own hands.
In the other cages, Ji Xun, Chu Jiu, the young master of the Cao family, and his servant did not move.
They all seemed to believe this challenge wasn't as simple as it appeared.
They were waiting.
Waiting to find another way to break the game.
And they were also waiting for the bald mercenary to test the rules first.
But as the clown announced the start of the game, a harsh metallic sound rang out, and the spikes above them dropped significantly, reminding them to make a decision quickly or face certain death.
With the threat of death hanging over his head, the bald mercenary began to sweat profusely.
Holding the revolver, he couldn't resist the fear of death any longer. He roared, "Brother, sorry!"
Then, he pulled the trigger decisively.
"Click."
The hammer clicked with a crisp sound, and the other mercenary flinched violently.
However, no bullet was fired.
It was a blank shot!
But it wasn't over.
The bald mercenary, his first shot empty, looked fierce and immediately tried to pull the trigger for a second shot.
Ji Xun watched the scene of teammates killing each other with interest.
He already knew about the bald man's ruthlessness and cunning from before. The other mercenary had never expected his supposed brother to try to kill him.
But strangely, no matter how hard the bald man tried, the trigger wouldn't budge.
At that moment, the colorful revolver disappeared from his hand and reappeared on the platform.
The other mercenary grabbed it and pointed it at the bald man, determined.
He pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Click."
Fate seemed to be playing a trick; another empty shot.
The revolver switched hands again.
The bald mercenary, hearing the sound, shivered as if his soul had been shaken.
Realizing he wasn't dead, he was overjoyed. He quickly grabbed the revolver again.
As if racing against death, he didn't give his partner a chance to react and pulled the trigger decisively for the second time.
This time, "Bang!" A flash of fire erupted from the gun, and the other mercenary fell dead.
A distorted light gate appeared over the corpse, signaling the bald man could leave.
He saw the notification. He could finally escape this cursed place.
He was ecstatic.
After surviving under the constant threat of death, the end of this nightmare space was finally in sight.
But human nature is complicated.
With his life no longer in immediate danger, he started thinking about other things.
The mechanical clown had mentioned the "Catastrophe Source" and the "Source Card."
Various signs indicated that this space was hiding some treasure.
The seed of greed sprouted, and he felt it would be a waste to leave empty-handed after coming so far.
But just as he hesitated, a cold, disdainful voice interrupted, "What, you want to stay here?"
The young master of the Cao family had seen through the bald man's thoughts and coldly warned, "If you hesitate for even a second, I guarantee my family will wipe out your Blackwater Mercenary Group from Sin City."
...
The threat felt even more dangerous than the revolver, and the bald man flinched in fear.
He immediately understood what "Cao family" meant.
This young master was their employer, the "boss behind the scenes."
Though he hadn't known the young master's identity before, his captain had always bowed when speaking to this boss, so it had to be the Cao family from the governor's mansion.
If the young master died, the threat wouldn't be a concern.
But with one survivor from their cage, the young master or the butler, one would definitely survive.
Even if he got the treasure, he wouldn't live to enjoy it.
The bald man, ever the pragmatist, quickly weighed his options and smiled obsequiously, "Young master, I meant no harm. Just wanted to ask if you needed anything..."
The young master cut him off, sneering, "Scram!"
"Yes."
The bald mercenary, trying to ingratiate himself, could only smile sheepishly and turn to leave.
He walked to the twisted light gate and disappeared.
...
Killing a teammate really could get you out.
The remaining four had witnessed this betrayal.
They understood that following the rules could indeed save their lives.
But just as they pondered, the spikes dropped again with a clang.
They had about thirty seconds left. If they didn't act, they'd all die.
Ji Xun wasn't in a hurry. He watched the master and servant duo with interest, waiting to see their choice.
Chu Jiu didn't move either, seemingly deep in thought.
The master and servant remained still.
Everyone guessed there must be another way to beat this level.
After a few moments, the young master finally picked up the revolver to examine it.
The gun seemed fine, but something felt off.
The servant had no intention of grabbing it, standing quietly.
But the young master didn't fire. He kept observing, occasionally glancing at the mechanical clown, deep in thought.
After a few more seconds, the spikes dropped again.
The old servant finally urged, "Young master, you must shoot now, or it'll be too late. If this doesn't work, we can try again next time."
The descending spikes, like a countdown to their lives, pushed them to decide quickly.
As a servant of the Cao family, he was prepared to die.
Was this the only way...
The young master knew this method was likely wrong, but he had no choice.
As his servant said, if it didn't work, they could try again.
They'd already explored most of this space. They could figure it out later.
Making up his mind, the young master decisively raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
"Click!"
Another empty shot.
The rule was that only one shot could be fired at a time.
The servant then took the revolver.
Ji Xun and Chu Jiu watched, curious to see if the servant would turn on his master.
But to their surprise, the old man pointed the gun at his own head and pulled the trigger.
"Click," another empty shot.
The servant placed the gun on the platform, urging, "Young master, please hurry."
Suicide?
Seeing this, Ji Xun and Chu Jiu's expressions turned solemn.
Whether out of loyalty or something else, such dedication was worthy of respect.
This old man had chosen this path, ensuring his master would survive.
It complied with the rules of the game.
Without much emotion, the young master took the revolver and pulled the trigger again.
"Bang!"
The bullet pierced the old man's forehead, and he fell dead.
A twisted light gate appeared over the corpse.
The young master showed little reaction to the death.
He didn't look long at the body or leave. Instead, he turned to Ji Xun and Chu Jiu's cage.
Now, it was their turn.