Death Spiral [Infinite Flow]

The two turned and went downstairs.The company has already called twice, and if it drags on, I don't know if something more terrible will happen, so the two of them quickened their pace and hurried downstairs.

Lian Qiao was afraid that something would happen on the stairs, so he walked ahead immediately.Xu Rendong followed closely behind.

However, just after turning the corner, Xu Rendong lost his feet inexplicably, and fell straight forward.

Lian Qiao sensed something was wrong, she just turned her head, but she didn't have time to react, only heard a blunt "dong", Xu Rendong had already fallen heavily to the ground.

The physical reflex of falling down the stairs propped both arms on the ground.The head was not hit, but the nerves in both arms were numb from the shock, and the knee was also hit hard on the ground, excruciatingly painful.

Lian Qiao was startled, and hurried to help him, he was worried and blamed at the same time: "Why are you so careless?!" But when his eyes accidentally swept across the stairs, his expression changed again.

At this time Xu Rendong had already endured the pain, got up from the ground, and said in a low voice: "I'm sorry, I was in a hurry."

Lian Qiao shook his head: "No, it's not your problem, the stairs are missing a piece."

Xu Rendong was taken aback for a moment, and looked back, only to realize that it was not because of carelessness that he stepped into the air just now, but because there was really a gap in that flight of stairs.

Two whole steps just disappeared inexplicably.It looked extremely abrupt, as if it had been bitten hard by some hungry glutton.

But when Lian Qiao came down a second ago, the stairs were obviously in good condition, but they disappeared when Xu Rendong came down.Obviously, this mutation was launched against Xu Rendong.

If he hadn't been vigilant in his heart, he might have hit his head directly on the wall with this fall. The bleeding from his head is relatively light, and he might be killed on the spot.

Xu Rendong sighed: "It's probably the same as that time on the subway."

Lian Qiao: "Well. The environment is changing. Don't delay any longer, let's go." He stretched out his hand to Lonicera, "Come up, I'll carry you."

Xu Rendong pushed his hand away: "No need. Don't waste your energy, I can do it myself."

Lian Qiao glanced at him, didn't say anything, just nodded.

The two continued to walk down the stairs.This time, the two of them were no longer in a hurry, and both were careful with their steps.Fortunately, nothing changed in the stairs behind.

The two arrived at the bottom of the stairs smoothly.Xu Rendong's car was parked at the door, and the two stood in front of the car, hesitating.

Drive or walk?

Just now Xu Ren fell down the stairs and got hurt a little.Although it will not hurt muscles and bones, walking will inevitably be affected.

But if you drive, the dangers you may encounter on the road will be even more deadly.If the brakes suddenly failed, or the steering wheel turned without following instructions, they would have nowhere to escape.

To be on the safe side, the two decided to walk to work.

It takes about half an hour to walk from their apartment to the company.There are also other public transportation facilities such as subways and buses along the way.With the lessons learned from the past, they certainly dare not sit on it.

It was nearly 09:30 at this time, and the community was quiet, with no one around.

It stands to reason that although this is not the rush hour for work, it is not so empty.

The two walked cautiously on the road in the community, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

"Not even birdsong," said Joe Lian.

"Hmm. The world seems to be at a standstill." Xu Rendong took out his phone and looked at the time, confirming that the second hand is still turning, and the time in this world is indeed still passing slowly.

But he just had the feeling that...the whole world stopped and waited for him.

It feels weird.

When the two came to the gate of the community, they saw an even weirder scene.

The road is also quiet.But unlike the community, the road was full of people at this time.Those who go to work, those who go to school, those who walk the dog and those who walk the baby, there are everyone.

However, all the pedestrians on the road stopped and looked here as if they had received some kind of instructions.They are obviously living people of flesh and blood, but at this moment they are like logs, with stiff expressions and dull eyes.

All eyes were on one point, which was Xu Rendong.

This scene reminded him of the beautiful maid he saw in Jiulianhuan.But this time is not the same as then.At that time, he was alone in a dark and strange earthen building. He knew clearly that he was in a world of ghosts and ghosts, so he had a subtle sense of distance.

However, at this time he was standing at the gate of his own community, on the main road of the city that he had to pass every day to and from get off work.As far as the eyes can see are extremely familiar scenes in reality, but everything is different from reality.

Those passers-by and the drivers in those vehicles have all turned into sculptures in the wax museum, lifelike but full of lifelessness.

What's even more frightening is that there are many familiar faces among these people.The old dog walker he often met when he went downstairs for a walk, the aunt who took the baby out for a walk every day, and the young student who overslept...

They just stared at him.Like staring at someone who shouldn't be here, who doesn't belong here.

Xu Rendong felt a strong sense of resistance in his heart.He took a deep breath and forced himself to take a step forward.The moment he was walking, everyone's eyes followed him, making his back suddenly covered in white sweat.

He hated the feeling of being watched by so many people, let alone being stared at by these things who didn't know whether they were people or ghosts.

Lian Qiao sighed and interlocked his fingers: "Is your leg okay? Let's go faster."

Xu Rendong nodded and quickened his pace.

As he walked, everything around him seemed to come alive again.Those clay sculpture-like passers-by not only followed him with their eyes, but even their bodies began to move stiffly.

Honeysuckle Joe clenched his weapon subconsciously.Fortunately, they did not gather towards the two of them, but still followed their original route.Those who should go to work go to work, and those who should go for a walk.

...It seems that these people have no intention of attacking for the time being.

While keeping an eye on their surroundings, the two continued to walk towards the company.

Even though they were outside, the two of them felt extremely depressed, so they didn't speak on the way, but just hurried on their way.

Along this main road, you can reach Xu Rendong's company by walking straight down.As they walked, the two suddenly noticed a large group of people on the sidewalk in front of them, looking at something, blocking the sidewalk tightly.

Whatever they're doing, curiosity killed the cat.Xu Rendong said: "Let's bypass."

Lian Qiao said "hmm", and the two of them crossed the road and came to the sidewalk on the other side.

Just about to continue walking, Liandong suddenly noticed something strange.At the same time, Lian Qiao exclaimed, "Lonicera!"

Xu Rendong's heart tightened, and he felt that Lian Qiao pulled him back suddenly.He staggered a few times, and before he could stand still, he felt a gust of wind above his head.Then there was a loud bang, and a huge cement block fell from the sky and hit the stone road in front of it.

In an instant, the dust was flying.Xu Rendong felt something wet and warm splash on his pants.

He took two steps back subconsciously, and looked down—the pants were spattered with blood and pieces of meat, and they were smelling hot.

"..." There was a sudden desire to vomit in my stomach.Xu Rendong's throat twitched, and when the dust in front of him fell to the ground, he saw clearly that there was still a person under the huge cement block.

Most of the man's body was crushed, leaving only a head and two arms outside.A large pool of blood gradually fainted under his body.

"Are you okay?" Lian Qiao asked.

Xu Rendong pursed his lips and shook his head.He looked up, and sure enough, there was a huge crane above their heads.The traction rope under the crane was empty, shaking slightly in mid-air. It was obvious that the cement block fell from the crane.

They were so focused on avoiding the crowd just now that they didn't notice that there was a construction site around them.Fortunately, Lian Qiao reacted quickly, otherwise it would be Xu Rendong lying under the concrete block at this moment.

"..." Xu Rendong felt lingering fear, pursed his lips, and said, "Let's go."

Lian Qiao showed a worried expression, but said nothing, just nodded.

Most of the unlucky passerby's body was crushed under the concrete block, and there was no doubt that he was hopeless.However, when passing by the unlucky passerby, Xu Rendong clearly saw that the passerby raised his head, with a strange smile on his face, and then stretched out his bloody hand towards him, making an invitation gesture.

...Where is he going to invite me?

Xu Rendong's heart trembled, and he told Lian Qiao about this in a low voice.Even Qiao didn't turn his head, stared straight ahead, and said lightly: "Don't pay attention to him. I'm afraid the whole world's malice will gather on you today. You must be firm in your heart and don't be influenced by them."

Xu Rendong couldn't help smiling bitterly.

Of course he knew that on this day in 2020, all unforeseen dangers would come to him.He himself is the danger itself.

If we were separated from him, would Lian Qiao be safer?

There was no need to say this, and he knew that even Joe would not approve of it.Up to now, he and Lian Qiao have been the driving force for each other to live.The idea of ​​letting Lian Qiao leave him alone is hurting Lian Qiao.

So Xu Rendong didn't say anything, but just held Lian Qiao's hand tightly.

The rest of the journey can be said to be without any danger.There are psychopaths who suddenly emerge from the crowd holding sharp knives, inspection manhole covers that disappear inexplicably in the middle of the sidewalk, and even shop window glass that bursts suddenly when there is a disagreement.

Danger is danger, but for the two who are on high alert, it is nothing.It's just that these things are all aimed at Lonicera, and Lonicera is sometimes unavoidable, and in the end, he still has a lot of color on his body.

After going through all kinds of hardships, the two finally came downstairs to the company.

Xu Rendong breathed a sigh of relief, Lian Qiao stared at the entrance of the office building, and suddenly said, "I didn't meet any ghosts along the way."

Xu Rendong frowned.Indeed, what they have encountered along the way are all kinds of dangers that can occur in real life.It was more of an accident than a danger.As for those teammates who died and turned into ghosts before, none of them have appeared yet.

Xu Rendong sighed: "I'm afraid they are all waiting for me in the company."

Lian Qiao raised his head, looked at the dozens of-storey office building, and said, "This building is so tall, if there is a fire or something, you can't escape if you want to."

Xu Rendong laughed: "Don't set up FLAG."

Lian Qiao stuck out his tongue and smiled at him.So the two entered the office building side by side.

The company is located on the 15th floor.The two pushed open the glass door and were surprised to find that everything in the company seemed to be as usual.

Everyone sat at their desks and worked hard. Even though the two of them rushed here, they just glanced up, and then immersed themselves in their work again, as if they didn't care about them.

There was a huge contrast between the colleague's reaction and those strange pedestrians outside.This moved Xu Rendong a little.

"It's changed." Xu Rendong said.

Lian Qiao walked side by side with him to the desks that belonged to them, thinking in his heart: Today is 2020, and the colleagues around him have indeed been replaced by the group of Lonicera in reality.

Lian Qiao couldn't help sighing.

Xu Rendong has a normal relationship with these colleagues, and he doesn't have much contact with them, so it can be said that he has no relationship.What's more, this is a ghost dungeon, Liandong knows it well.Even the colleagues who get along with each other day and night, if they really want to attack them, Liandong should kill them immediately, and will never soften their hearts.

Even Joe sighed, and even he didn't know why he sighed.He just felt a little distressed.

The two came to the desk.Xu Rendong turned on the computer to check the time, it was almost noon now.There are several documents on the table with sticky notes on them, which are the work that Xu Rendong will do today.

Liandong glanced at it and said, "I don't know what will happen if you passively sabotage work."

Even Qiao said with emotion: "It's the end of the world and you have to go to work, can you be more miserable?"

Liandong thought about it seriously, and said: "It is possible. That is to work overtime at the end of the world."

Lian Qiao: "..." You make a lot of sense.

The two looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

Along the way, the nerves of the two of them were always tense.At this time, I was finally able to relax a little.

However, it is impossible to completely relax our vigilance.Xu Rendong started to deal with work matters, and Lian Qiao stayed by his side every step of the way, vigilant about his surroundings.

Just as Liandong finished processing a report, his colleagues suddenly pulled away their chairs with a "crash" and stood up at the same time.

The two drew out their weapons reflexively, never thinking that their colleagues didn't do anything strange, they just gathered together with smiles.

"Everyone, come and try, and see if the rice balls I made are delicious?" A young female colleague held a small lunch box in her hand, which contained various rice balls.Lian Qiao remembered that her name was Liu Xiaoqi.

All the colleagues cheered and reached for the rice balls in the lunch box. After eating, they were all full of praise.

Liu Xiaoqi greeted the two of Lonicera: "You guys come too, you're welcome."

Liandong and Lian Qiao looked at each other, Lian Qiao shook his head slightly.Of course, Lonicera couldn't easily eat what the dungeon NPC gave him at the end of the world, so he said politely: "Let's just forget about the two of us. We have a bad stomach, so we can't eat cold things."

Liu Xiaoqi curled her lips in disappointment: "Oh, that's it. Then what do you guys have for lunch?"

Lian Qiao continued: "Let's go out and find something to eat." He and Lian Dong got up and walked towards the gate.

Colleagues laughed and praised Liu Xiaoqi's craftsmanship, but they didn't respond to the departure of the two.When the two reached the door, someone shouted: "Xu Rendong, don't go too far. The lunch break is only half an hour. You have been absent from work for so long before. If you are late again in the afternoon, the boss will definitely remember that you have been absent for the whole day." .”

Lian Dong responded, and walked out of the office with Lian Qiao.

The company is located on the 15th floor.It is impossible to take the elevator. They climbed the stairs before and were so tired that they really didn't want to climb the stairs again just for lunch.Fortunately, there were still some compressed biscuits left in the backpack, so Lian Dong took Lian Qiao to the stairwell, sat on the stairs, and ate biscuits with mineral water.

Seeing his familiarity, Lian Qiao said with a smile, "Did you always hide here to eat?"

"Yeah." Lonicera said calmly while unpacking the biscuits, "The office is a bit noisy during the lunch break. So I often hide here to rest."

It was noon at this moment, and the sun was abundant, shining on the two of them through the floor-to-ceiling windows.Warm and lazy.

There was no one in the corridor, it was quiet, but because of the bright sunshine, there was no ghost at all.

Lian Qiao relaxed slightly, and asked with a smile: "Is the usual atmosphere in your company so good?"

Liandong said: "Probably. I don't care much."

Lian Qiao: "Then if you were outside, would you eat her rice balls?"

Liandong shook her head: "That's not the case. Because I really have a bad stomach, I will have diarrhea after eating that. But things like rice balls are unpalatable after being heated in a microwave."

Lian Qiao said: "Then what if she made something else? For example, heart cookies... small cakes or something..."

Liandong could not help feeling a little surprised when he heard the smell: "Are you jealous?"

Lian Qiao raised his hand with a smile and wiped the biscuit crumbs from the corner of his mouth.His eyes lingered on his lips fascinatedly, and there was a trace of jealousy and infatuation in his voice: "A person like you will be missed wherever you go. I have long found out that the little girl in your company likes you. It's just you... ..." He paused, then shook his head amusedly, "Forget it, just pretend I didn't say anything. Otherwise, you'll blame me for being jealous again."

Liandong said helplessly: "It's such a time, why are you still thinking about this..."

Lian Qiao turned his head and looked out the window, but his fingers were still intertwined with his.The sun fell on his soft smiling face, which was so warm that it made people feel a little trance.

"I just suddenly felt that, like now, sitting quietly with you is as happy as a dream."

"This is not a dream." Xu Rendong said, "Although it is in the dungeon, for the two of us, we are sitting together, holding hands, this is what really happened. We have been together for a long, long time As he spoke, his face blushed slightly, but he still held back his shyness and continued, "We belong to each other, and it has been a long, long time."

I don't know which sentence touched Lian Qiao, he turned his head and looked at Lian Dong in a daze.Some inexplicable emotion flashed in his eyes, which was fleeting and difficult to capture.

The next second, he smiled again.Leaning over, he pressed a light kiss on Lonicera's lips.

"Well. We've belonged to each other for a long, long time."

After eating the biscuits, the two of them went back home after a short rest.As soon as he walked out of the stairwell, he bumped into Liu Xiaoqi who was throwing garbage.

When Liu Xiaoqi saw the compressed biscuit packaging bag in the hands of the two of them, her face suddenly became a little ugly.

Xu Rendong didn't quite understand what her expression meant, so he casually asked her what was wrong while throwing the trash into the trash can.

Liu Xiaoqi curled her lips: "You guys eat this at noon?"

Xu Rendong said: "Just eat casually at noon, isn't this a short lunch break?"

Liu Xiaoqi: "Then why don't you eat..." Without saying a word, her eyes darkened, she shook her head and said, "Forget it, it's nothing." Then she turned and went back to the company.

Xu Rendong was puzzled, turned around and asked Lian Qiao: "What's wrong with her?"

Lian Qiao: "Let me just say, you are sometimes so infuriatingly dull. I don't know if you are really stupid or pretending to be stupid..."

Xu Rendong thought about it for a moment, and suddenly realized.His expression suddenly became awkward.

The two returned to the office door.Xu Rendong stretched out his hand to push the door, just put his hand on it, but retracted with a "hiss", and blurted out: "It's so cold!"

Lian Qiao frowned, took out a portable stick from his backpack, and pushed open the glass door with the stick.

As soon as the door was opened, a strong cold wind blew out from inside.Both of them shivered, and the hairs all over their bodies stood on end.

"What's going on, why is the air conditioner suddenly turned on so it's so cold?" Xu Rendong rubbed his arms.

Lian Qiao raised his head, wiped his face lightly, and said with a smile: "This is not an air conditioner, it's just a refrigerator."

Xu Rendong was taken aback.Because he saw melting snow on Lian Qiao's hands.

It was just that gust of cold wind just now, which made his eyebrows instantly covered with frost.

A layer of white fog in front of the eyes obscured the scene inside the office, making it hard to see clearly.I am afraid that some kind of abnormality has occurred in the office at this time.However, you still have to go in to see it. After all, before they left, their colleagues reminded them that "the lunch break is only half an hour."

The two took out their jackets from their backpacks, put them on, tightened the zipper, and walked in with their weapons in hand.

Passing through the white mist, a completely different scene appeared in front of my eyes.

The whole office really turned into an ultra-low temperature freezer, and everything was covered with a white layer of frost.Although the fluorescent lights were on, the office area was gray and there was a sense of icy chill.

Several colleagues are still sitting at their desks, clacking and typing on the keyboard.Their hair and clothes were all covered with icicles, but they didn't seem to be stubbled at all, except that their keyboard movements were a little stiff.There were even dry cuts on the fingers.

The two raised their vigilance and walked past their colleagues cautiously. They found that these people had become like frozen meat in a freezer, with dull expressions and cloudy eyeballs.Like a group of numb zombies.

It's really commendable that they have turned into zombies and are still working.

Xu Rendong was inexplicably amused, and tried to say hello to his colleagues.The colleagues turned their heads slowly, and the corners of their mouths twitched, as if they had talked to him.

This is the exact opposite of the enthusiasm a moment ago.But they have all changed from living people to zombies, and the attitude change is also reasonable.

Xu Rendong wrapped his jacket tightly, but still felt cold, turned to Lian Qiao and said, "The temperature in this place is too low."

"It's a pity that we can't get out anymore." Lian Qiao Nu pouted.Liandong looked in the direction he pointed, only to realize that the glass door they just walked in had disappeared at this moment.

Instead, there was a solid, thick wall of ice.

Xu Rendong frowned, went back to the ice wall, and knocked on it with a crowbar.There was a heavy muffled sound on the ice wall, and just by hearing the sound, one could tell that the wall could not be broken by brute force.

It's over, it's locked in the freezer.

He folded his arms, feeling a little helpless in his heart, but he didn't regret it.After all, those who should come can't hide, if they don't follow the idea of ​​the dungeon, the dungeon will only give them a heavier punishment.Xu Rendong knows this better than anyone else.

There is no escape.Can only face.

"Then here comes the problem." Lian Qiao looked around and pondered, "How do I get out from here?"

Xu Rendong thought for a while, pointed to the leader's office and said, "Shall I ask for a leave?"

Lian Qiao: "?"