Chapter 974: Double Vortex

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Shen Nan's figure shattered before Chen Ling, who, suffocated by the pressure, felt his vision blur as he plummeted rapidly into an endless abyss!

Thump—!!

Chen Ling jolted upright in bed, like a drowning man surfacing at the last possible moment. His chest heaved violently, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead... He looked as if he had just woken from a nightmare, his face ashen.

Rumble.

Faint thunder rumbled outside the window, like the inescapable nightmare that haunted him across eras; rain pattered against the pane, as if a demon was tapping on Chen Ling's heartstrings.

Audience Expectation: 3Current Expectation: 39

Chen Ling sat in a daze for a long time before finally looking down at his own body, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

“This is impossible…” Chen Ling's parched lips parted slightly. “Something must have gone wrong… How could I possibly…”

Shen Nan’s last words echoed in his ears like a nightmare. Chen Ling gritted his teeth, got out of bed without putting on shoes, and stumbled toward the full-length mirror. Perhaps due to his body being too tense, Chen Ling knocked over a nearby wooden cabinet, sending decorative art pieces clattering to the floor. But Chen Ling paid no attention to it. He steadied himself by placing his hands on the mirror frame, staring intently at his reflection!

Sweat trickled down his hair, and a stark white face stared back at him.

No…Looking at the face was meaningless.

This body originally belonged to Chen Yan; his transmigration was merely a soul transfer. He was Chen Ling, an intern director at the Imperial Capital Theater, who had been killed by a stage chandelier when the Red Star streaked across the sky, then transmigrated here… Chen Ling had never doubted this; the script's opening also stated it. His era was three hundred years ago. His family, friends, and past were all buried there—that was the reason supporting Chen Ling's journey to this day. If even those were false, what did he have left?

Chen Ling had believed he understood everything: who he was, whose body this was, the existence of Chen Yan, and Yao… He had been tormented by that deep-seated fear and pain several times, thinking it was all over. But he never expected that the suffering, like an inescapable nightmare, would return.

Chen Ling stopped thinking further; deep down, he instinctively rejected Shen Nan’s assertion…

“Shen Nan must have mistaken the theater… Or perhaps, the archives of that era aren't real… That wasn’t my history, but merely a parallel timeline…”

Chen Ling tried his best to convince himself. Just as his mind was in a jumble, a knock suddenly sounded at the door!

Knock, knock, knock—

“Mr. Chen, are you alright?” the maid’s voice called from outside the door. “I heard some noise from your room just now… Are you okay?”

That single question immediately pulled Chen Ling back to reality. He suddenly realized he was still in Wuji Realm's stronghold, trapped in another perilous vortex; one wrong step meant plunging into an abyss.

There was no time for pain, no way to rest.

Chen Ling looked at his ashen reflection in the mirror, his index fingers stiffly rising to force a smile onto his lips…

Click—

The door in front of the maid was gently opened.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry!” Chen Ling said with an awkward smile, his hair disheveled. “I was organizing medical documents all last night and must have fallen asleep at my desk without realizing it… When I woke up, both my legs were completely numb… I almost fell when I stood up just now.”

As he spoke, Chen Ling dragged his numb legs and leaned against the wall, a grimace of discomfort from the pins and needles on his face. Behind him, scattered across the floor, were survey questionnaires.

The maid was somewhat speechless. She glanced inside the room, then opened the door further and stepped in. “You should rest. I’ll clean up for you.”

“Alright, alright…”

He said yes, but as Chen Ling tried to move, he froze again at the doorway, his face contorted with discomfort from the pins and needles, a truly remarkable expression.

The maid found it somewhat amusing and her doubts were entirely dispelled. She quickly helped Chen Ling organize his desk, then asked: “You woke up quite late today. Would you still like breakfast?”

“Yes, I’ll be there in a moment.”

“Very well.”

Once the maid had departed, Chen Ling slowly moved to close the door again… He tiredly rubbed the corners of his eyes, which were bloodshot.

Regardless, Chen Ling could not accept Shen Nan’s assertion. Now that he was back in this era, proving Shen Nan wrong would undoubtedly be extremely difficult, as both the Imperial Capital Theater and the list of Red Star casualties were records from three hundred years ago. But the fear of the unknown was the most tormenting. Chen Ling couldn’t bear to wait a month to investigate the truth; it would drive him mad.

“There must be a way to investigate…” Chen Ling murmured to himself.

He glanced at the cloud-shrouded Wuji Realm outside the window, then, as if having made up his mind, grabbed the survey questionnaires and headed out the door.

“What did you say?”

Chi Tong had just finished brewing himself a cup of coffee when he heard his subordinate’s report and sharply looked up.

“We’ve found traces of the Rat Party.” The Usurper spoke gravely. “After those mages abducted Fang Liangye last time, we’ve been searching the area where they vanished. By comparing their previous escape routes, we've uncovered some clues… They seem to be using Wuji Realm’s underground drainage system to hide.”

Chi Tong's brow furrowed tightly. “Are you saying… they’re hiding in the sewers?”

“Highly likely.”

“Hmph, rats indeed.”

“Lord Chi Tong, what should we do next? Should we conduct a thorough search of the underground drainage system?”

“…” Chi Tong pondered for a moment, his expression grave. “Wuji Realm experiences constant rain, and its underground drainage system is incredibly intricate. Furthermore, due to its ancient construction, some area maps are incomplete… We’ve only recently arrived in Wuji Realm, but most of the Rat Party members are native mages of Wuji Realm. They are too familiar with the terrain, and a rash search would likely only alert them.”

“Damn it, if only we had a local who knew the Rat Party well…”

Just as Chi Tong was fretting, a maid approached his desk. “Lord Chi Tong, that person says he wants to see you again…”

“Who?” Chi Tong's thoughts were interrupted, his tone a little impatient.

“Chen Ling. He says he wants to report on the medical situation. Didn’t you secretly slip away last night… oh no, didn’t you retire early?” the maid asked tentatively. “Do you need me to put him off again?”

Chen Ling…

A flicker of light passed through Chi Tong’s eyes.

“No… let him in.”