Lost in the Otherworld

White Rabbit and Wu Dahai led Gao Yang and the others to the hilltop of Gujia Village.

Outside the ancestral hall, the mourning canopy had been dismantled, leaving only fragments of fireworks and wreaths scattered on the ground. They pushed open the hall doors and gathered before an ancient well in the courtyard.

“This should be the place,” White Rabbit said, not entirely certain. She pulled down her mask and extended her hand toward Electric Mouse. “Give me the rune circuit.”

As White Rabbit spoke, Fat Jun hurried over, sneaking a glance at her. His face flushed immediately—indeed, she was an adorable girl with little fangs, just his type. If only she dressed less like a rebellious delinquent and more like a sweet, demure girl from Japan, she’d be perfect.

As Fat Jun's thoughts wandered, Electric Mouse took out a round object from his pocket, about the size of a compact, thin, roughly 1 cm thick.

The group couldn’t help but be captivated by the exquisite item. Made of silvery-white metal, it was etched with delicate grooves resembling integrated circuits, through which glowing light constantly flowed. In the center of the patterns lay an "eye" totem, exuding a mysterious blend of ancient lore and advanced technology, as if from a forgotten civilization where magic and science coexisted.

“What is this?” Gao Yang’s curiosity was piqued.

“We call it a rune circuit,” White Rabbit replied, holding it up. “It’s extremely rare and highly valuable. Thanks to the five of you, we managed to secure it.”

“Hmph, with this, our organization now possesses two rune circuits,” Wu Dahai boasted proudly.

“What does it do?” Gao Yang pressed.

“We’ll get to that later. Let’s head out first.” White Rabbit held the rune circuit over the well’s mouth. A faint hum echoed through the air, and a beam of light shot up from the bottom of the well.

Retracting the rune circuit, White Rabbit smiled knowingly. “As expected, it’s the same as the previous underground realm.”

She turned to the others. “One at a time, no rush. Electric Mouse, you go first, I’ll bring up the rear.”

“No problem.” Wu Dahai struck a cool pose and leaped toward the well. Instead of falling in, he defied gravity, suspended within the orange-yellow beam of light emanating from the well.

After a brief pause, there was a whoosh, and Wu Dahai shot up along the light beam, vanishing from sight.

Gao Yang realized this was some sort of high-tech "elevator."

“Next,” White Rabbit said.

“I’ll go!” Wang Zikai, eager, jumped into the beam and was swiftly "elevated."

Then it was Officer Huang, Fat Jun, Qing Ling, and finally Gao Yang’s turn.

Leaping into the beam, Gao Yang immediately felt weightless. A powerful yet gentle magnetic field enveloped him, propelling him upward at a tremendous speed. His vision filled with swiftly moving particle energy, leaving him momentarily dazed. He soared through the sky's "edge" and then through a long underground tunnel before emerging into bright light.

Regaining his senses, Gao Yang found himself back in the front courtyard of the ancestral hall. If not for the collapsed ancient well beneath his feet, he might have doubted he had moved at all.

He drifted out of the light beam just as White Rabbit followed, closing the beam and sealing the passage with a quick rune command.

“Welcome back,” White Rabbit smiled.

“We were underground the whole time?” Officer Huang asked.

“Yes, you could say we were in a sealed space about a thousand meters below the surface. But it’s far more complicated than that. We’ll discuss it later.” White Rabbit pulled her mask back on. “By the way, are you all hungry?”

The five of them exchanged glances, then answered in unison.