"Thump, thump, thump..." The heavy footsteps struck against Lu Yao's heart like the beating of the Grim Reaper's drum.
A fierce tug-of-war was playing out in her chest. On one side, a cowardly voice urged her to make a run for it; on the other, an intensely curious daredevil spirit wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was happening.
These two opposing voices fought wildly in her mind, leaving her rooted to the spot like a wooden stake, completely torn between advancing and retreating.
The surrounding darkness was like a giant octopus, writhing and wrapping its tentacles around her, intensifying the heavy sense of struggle within her heart.
Right at that moment, a dark figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
Lu Yao and Suyi instantly tensed up, like cats with their fur on end, keeping a wary watch on the hazy silhouette.
The dark figure launched a few probing attacks unhurriedly, toying with them like a cat playing with a mouse.
Though the attacks were not overwhelmingly powerful, every single move was sinister, leaving Lu Yao and Suyi barely able to fend them off.
Panic gripped Lu Yao's heart. She felt like absolute dead weight and worried that her useless self would only drag Suyi down with her.
A wave of guilt washed over her, suffocating her, while the tension of the battle wrapped around them like a thick, viscous liquid.
Yet, just when Lu Yao expected a grueling battle to begin, the dark figure abruptly stopped attacking.
Lu Yao and Suyi stared in utter bewilderment, completely unable to fathom their opponent's strategy. This unexpected turn of events completely baffled them.
Before they could react, the dark figure turned directly on its heel and sauntered away, leaving the two of them standing there in total confusion.
The surrounding tension instantly turned bizarre, and the air seemed charged with an unusual atmosphere.
Suyi was just about to open his mouth to break this eerie quiet when he noticed Lu Yao's gaze had shifted forward.
"Huh? There seems to be something glowing up ahead!" Lu Yao said as she cautiously walked forward.
Lu Yao approached the light source with great care and discovered that it was actually a treasure chest!
The chest emitted a pale golden glow, making it exceptionally conspicuous in the dim surroundings, almost as if it were beckoning to her: "Come on and open me!" Lu Yao rubbed her hands together, a look of excitement on her face. Could this be the legendary protagonist's special perk?
Before she could even reach out, a transparent protective barrier suddenly materialized around the treasure chest, blocking her path.
Lu Yao was dumbfounded. This plot development was all wrong!
What happened to the protagonist's halo?
What happened to easily acquiring treasures?
Just as she was feeling down, her unique perceptive ability awakened!
Lu Yao closed her eyes, carefully sensing the flow of energy around her, and an energy distribution map of the protective barrier formed in her mind.
She discovered that the barrier's energy was not evenly distributed—at the back of the treasure chest, the energy was at its weakest!
A surge of joy welled up in Lu Yao's heart. She immediately hurried around to the back of the chest, gave it a gentle push, and the protective barrier shattered instantly with a crisp sound!
She threw the chest open, and an archaic manual lay quietly inside.
"No way! I've struck it rich!" Lu Yao felt a burst of wild joy. She snatched up the manual, flipped to the first page, and three striking characters were written plainly across it: Wind Control Formula.
Everything around them seemed to brighten, as if cheering for Lu Yao's good fortune.
Immersed in her joy, Lu Yao began to study the contents of the manual intently.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze fixed on her back, like needles prickling her skin.
She whipped her head around, but saw nothing at all.
Was it just her imagination?
Doubt lingered in Lu Yao's heart. She had a persistent feeling that a mysterious aura was flowing through the surroundings, making her somewhat uneasy.
Before she could dwell on it, danger struck again!
A fierce attack came hurtling toward her, leaving Lu Yao with zero time to react.
At that critical juncture, a powerful force stepped right in front of her, dissolving the attack into nothingness.
Lu Yao raised her head in astonishment and saw a familiar figure—Ma Lin!
He still wore a blank expression, his stern face looking even more mysterious in the dim light.
Lu Yao's heart pounded uncontrollably, and the surrounding danger suddenly felt like a romantic backdrop.
After blocking the attack for her, Ma Lin vanished like a ghost, leaving not a single trace behind.
Lu Yao stared blankly in the direction where he had disappeared, a storm of mixed emotions churning in her chest.
By then, Suyi had also snapped out of his daze and hurriedly asked, "Lu Yao, are you alright?"
Lu Yao shook her head, suppressing the flutter in her heart, and pressed forward with Suyi.
Up ahead, a massive door appeared, covered from top to bottom in strange runes and radiating an ancient, mysterious aura.
"Behind this door... what could possibly be there?" Lu Yao muttered to herself, extending a hand, but stopped mid-air.