Another Door?

Lin Xiao followed the blood trail, his heart pounding in his chest as the eerie wailing grew louder and louder.

Finally, he reached the source of the sound. He entered a chamber that looked like a makeshift operating room.

The walls were rough and damp, with patches of moss growing in the corners. The floor was uneven, and the air was thick with the smell of iron and something metallic. Flickering torches cast long shadows, giving the room a ghostly appearance.

In the center of the room, Lin Xiao saw strange, ethereal silhouettes. There were seven people: three girls and four guys.

Two guys and one girl wore lab coats, marking them as scientists. The others, except one girl in military attire, wore patient clothes that were torn and stained. Lin Xiao's eyes widened in shock when he recognized the girl in military clothes—Li Jing.

Li Jing appeared to be engaged in a conversation with the others, though Lin Xiao couldn't hear what they were saying.

He quickly approached her, his relief palpable. "Teacher!" he called out, rushing towards her.

But to his dismay, Li Jing and the others ignored him completely.

Desperate, Lin Xiao reached out to touch the person nearest to him, only to have his hand pass through the silhouette as if it were made of smoke.

The figures continued their silent, ghostly conversation, oblivious to his presence.

Realization hit Lin Xiao like a cold wave. "These are just projections," he muttered to himself, watching as the silhouettes repeated their actions in an endless loop. "But why? And what happened here?"

The scene was haunting. The scientists appeared to be arguing, the patients looked distressed, and Li Jing stood there with despair on her face.

It was as if this moment had been captured and replayed endlessly, a testament to some tragic event that had occurred in this room.

Lin Xiao took a step back, his mind racing. He needed to find out what had happened here and how to get out of this place.

Lin Xiao began to search the room for clues. He examined the walls, looking for any hidden passages or inscriptions that might give him more information.

He sifted through the scattered debris on the floor, hoping to find something—anything—that could explain the strange projections and the events that had transpired here.

Lin Xiao circled the room, examining the walls and the floor for any clues. The blood trail ended at the center of the chamber, pooling around the base of the projections.

He noticed faint markings on the ground, symbols and runes that looked like they had been hastily carved into the stone.

He knelt down to get a closer look, tracing the markings with his fingers. 

As his fingers brushed against the ancient symbols, a strange energy pulsed through the chamber. The projections behind him began to fast forward, speeding through their repetitive loop. Lin Xiao turned to watch in stunned silence.

The scene shifted rapidly. The once animated conversation among the scientists and patients turned into sheer panic.

Fear contorted their faces, and some of the patients fell to the ground, trembling.

Lin Xiao's heart pounded in his chest as he saw Li Jing and two others being pulled toward the wall next to him, their expressions filled with terror.

"What the...?" Lin Xiao whispered, frozen in place.

The air around him grew colder, and he watched in horror as Li Jing and the others were seemingly absorbed by the wall.

Their fingers clawed desperately at the ground, leaving deep scratches on the floor—scratches that Lin Xiao now realized were made by people's nails.

He could almost hear their screams echoing in his mind.

Lin Xiao's mind raced. "What pulled them in? What could be so terrifying that even Li Jing is scared of it?"

He took a step back, his eyes darting around the chamber. The once-quiet room now felt alive with a sinister energy.

He looked at the wall where the people had disappeared and noticed a faint, eerie glow emanating from the markings.

"What kind of dungeon is this?" Lin Xiao muttered to himself. "Who made this? Is it even human? Or are those monsters I saw in the prophecy behind this?"

Lin Xiao wondered if he made a mistake coming here, but after a while, he steeled himself. He knew if he was afraid now, what would he do in the future when those monsters attack?

He started to examine the wall more closely, looking for any clues or hidden mechanisms. The eerie glow of the markings seemed to beckon him, urging him to uncover their secrets.

Lin Xiao reached out and touched the wall, hoping to trigger whatever had taken Li Jing and the others.

The moment his fingers made contact, the wall seemed to ripple like water. Lin Xiao felt a powerful force pulling him in.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever lay on the other side. As he was drawn into the wall, he couldn't help but wonder if he was walking into a trap.

The chamber around him faded away, replaced by darkness and a feeling of being suspended in time and space.

His mind swirled with confusion and curiosity, grappling to make sense of what was happening.

In the pitch-black void, a faint outline of a door appeared, glowing softly.

Lin Xiao stared at it, a mix of shock and bewilderment on his face. "Another door?" he murmured to himself. "Is this dungeon obsessed with doors? Or does this mean I've passed another level?" He wasn't sure, but he knew there was only one way to find out.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiao walked towards the door, his steps echoing in the emptiness. He reached out and pushed it open, squinting as a blinding light spilled through.

The light gradually dimmed, revealing a vast library unlike anything Lin Xiao had ever seen.

The library was enormous, with towering shelves that seemed to stretch infinitely upwards, filled with books of all shapes and sizes. The ambiance was a strange blend of ancient and futuristic.

Every surface, from the shelves to the floor, had a sleek, metallic finish that glimmered under the soft, ambient lighting.

The tables and chairs were not just ordinary furniture—they were levitating, hovering a few inches above the ground, giving the room a surreal, sci-fi atmosphere.

Lin Xiao stepped further inside, his eyes wide with awe and curiosity. He noticed that even the bookcases, which seemed to be made of some kind of advanced alloy, were floating just above the ground, shifting smoothly along invisible tracks.

The air was filled with a faint hum, the sound of hidden machinery and advanced technology at work.

"What is this place?" he whispered, moving towards one of the floating tables. The table itself was a marvel, with a sleek, metallic surface that pulsed with a gentle blue light.

The chairs around it were equally impressive, with ergonomic designs and glowing edges that seemed to adjust their shape slightly as Lin Xiao approached.

He reached out to touch one of the books on the shelf. Unlike the rest of the library, the books appeared to be made of traditional materials—paper and leather.

He pulled a book off the shelf, noticing its surprising weight. The cover was embossed with strange symbols and intricate patterns.

As Lin Xiao flipped through the pages, he realized the text on the paper was written in Lantian, his country's language.

The title read, "How Super Powers Destroyed the World in 2025," authored by Chen Ming, Year 5998.

Lin Xiao's eyes widened in shock. "What? 2025, that's next year? Year 5998?" he muttered, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Desperately seeking answers, he started flipping through more pages. As soon as he did, a strange blue screen appeared over the book's surface, emitting a soft hum.

The screen displayed a message: "Not enough authority to read the book. Please register at City Hall to gain permission."

Lin Xiao stepped back, his mind racing. "What is happening? Is this really the future? Or is someone trying to trick me into thinking it's the future?" He glanced around the metallic, sci-fi library, feeling more unsettled by the second.