"Sure enough, you are right down there, meow! Five hundred and fifty-fourth floor, meow!" Zhupa was the first to jump down the narrow and long stairs.
Hayata followed closely, "I counted five hundred and fifty-six floors."
"Meow meow meow? Are humans and Elu different cats?"
Pig Chop looked back at the stairs suspiciously, "Gordon counted five hundred and fifty-six levels of meow at that time. How many levels of meow did you count, Xianglan?"
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Under the gazes of Hayata and Zhupa, Pandan trembled her beard and her eyes wandered, "Five, five hundred, five hundred and fifty-five levels, meow!"
"Tell the truth, meow."
"...The even numbers are messed up, meow."
"Good-for-nothing meow!"
"I'll count meow one more time!" Xianglan was unconvinced and wanted to run back, but was pulled back by Hayata.
Counting the stairs was just to distract Pandan, which seemed to be too much.
"Cheer up, we're almost there." Hayata reminded her, rubbing Pandan's furry head.
Xianglan stiffened when she heard this.
Once he realized this, the suffocating sense of oppression suddenly hit him like a tide from all directions.
If it felt like being stared at by some kind of terrifying monster before, now it felt like it had been taken into its mouth by that monster.
"Meow!" Xianglan shrank again.
Pig Chop's expression became serious, "To be honest, Meow, Xianglan, you'd better stop here, Meow. I irritated you before, but if you have reached your limit, you will really go crazy if you continue to move forward, Meow."
After thinking about it, he added, "If I had come alone instead of traveling with Gordon, I might have gone crazy, meow."
Hayata also nodded, "You don't have to force yourself."
Xianglan scratched her ears frantically, and then suddenly grabbed the reply flute on her chest, blowing hard as if to blow away her fear.
"Didou——."
"Although, although I won't be of much use this time, I am Hayata's hunting partner, meow! As long as Hayata can continue to move forward, I can do it too, meow!"
"I'm so enlightened, meow! Then let's rush over in one go, meow!"
Pig Chop pointed at the dark area ahead that could not be illuminated by light, "We are not here to face it with fear, we are here to blow it up!"
"Blow it up, meow!"
"Chong Meow!"
"Meow meow meow!"
Pork Chop and Pandan rushed out on all fours.
Hayata was stunned for a moment. Seeing the two Ellu meowing and charging forward excitedly, the uneasiness in her heart also dissipated a little.
"Huh~." She breathed lightly, took steps, and chased the Elu in front.
"As Senior Gordon said, in the final analysis, it is just a head that was chopped off countless years ago."
Different from the cautious approach when they came last time, under the leadership of Pig Chop running at full speed, the huge black stone tower soon appeared in front of them.
"The head is right up there, meow."
Pig Chop pointed to the top of the Black Stone Tower and said to Hayata and the others: "I can finish it alone next time, meow. You can wait here for a while, meow."
I've faced it directly, no problem, meow. "
Xianglan said dissatisfiedly: "There's so much nonsense, meow, it's all here, meow!"
"Don't worry about us, Pork Chop, you..." Hayata suddenly frowned mid-sentence.
She noticed something unusual.
"Pork chop, although you have indeed faced it, it does not mean that there will be no risk when you face it again. The plan for joint action throughout the process was formulated from the beginning.
Accompanying each other, supervising each other, and reminding each other, this is the real reason why we entered the ruins together, have you forgotten? "
"Meow?"
Pig Chop held his head and thought for a while, "I haven't forgotten these things, it's just that the final part of mixing and placing the explosives is all I need."
I understand what you mean, meow, but Hayata, is it possible that your thinking has been confused, meow, why do you have to face that head in person, meow? "
"..."
Hayata didn't know how to answer.
Xianglan blinked at the side, "Pork chop is so annoying, meow. If you think we shouldn't go up there, why do you still want to annoy meow?"
He even took us to the foot of the Black Stone Tower and asked us to stop at the stairs, okay? "
Pork Chop was also stunned when he heard this.
It was only then that they truly experienced what the professor called "a sense of confusion."
From their respective perspectives, these choices and judgments seemed logical, but from another perspective, something seemed wrong. In the end, they could not tell who had the problem.
Or maybe there is something wrong with everyone.
Patting his cheek hard, Hayata said in a deep voice: "It is unreasonable for us to spend time discussing these things now.
Although I am a bit arbitrary, from now on, everything will be done as I say. "
"Good!" Xianglan agreed without hesitation.
Pig Chop also nodded, "This is more efficient, meow."
"We have already determined the plan before departure, so we will strictly follow the plan."
Hayata glanced at the Black Stone Tower, "I will repeat the plan. Pork Chop will go with me, and Pandan will lie behind me and close her eyes for a few seconds.
After facing the head, if I didn't react within half a minute, Pig Chop would scratch me awake and make a sound. If neither I nor Pork Chop moved, Pandan, whose eyes were always closed, would wake me up by scratching me. "
"Good meow!"
"I understand, meow."
"No time to delay, Pandan, climb up."
"Meow!" Xianglan jumped up and grabbed the backpack behind Hayata.
"Everyone, be mentally prepared. Let's go up the stairs now." Hayata held up the wind lantern and walked step by step to the top of the Black Stone Tower.
As he continued to climb higher, Hayata could feel his heart beating faster and faster.
If you give yourself a knife at this time, the blood will be very high.
No, what am I thinking?
Even though she had undergone psychological construction countless times, she still felt that her mind was in a mess.
It's just a head that has been chopped off long ago. It's just a head. It's just a head...
Hayata kept saying to herself in her heart.
Unknowingly, the platform at the top of the Black Stone Tower was already in sight.
"Xianglan, start counting seconds and make your voice louder."
"...Okay, good meow!"
Xianglan closed her eyes tightly, her voice trembling, "One! Two..."
"Pork chop, let's go up."
"Good meow."
Hayata and Pork Chop took a deep breath at the same time and stepped up the last few steps.
Dark golden hole.
The blood, breath, thoughts, and even the ethereal soul all froze at the moment they looked at this child's hole.
The sound of fragrant orchid, which was so close behind my ears for a few seconds, seemed as far away as the horizon and unclear.
"Five, five, five..."
Why does it keep shouting five? What number is after five?
What is in front of me, what do I see? Hayata felt that her thoughts were extremely chaotic, and her soul and heart seemed to be torn into two parts.
"It's just a head, it's just a head..."
What is this sound? It feels very familiar, ah, this is my own voice, the voice I have been chanting in my heart.
It's just a head.
Hayata suddenly woke up with a start.
She gasped for breath, cold sweat soaked her shirt, and Pandan's voice in her ears returned to normal for a few seconds, "Six! Seven! Eight..."
Did only a moment pass?
Hayata turned to look at Pig Chop, and just in time, Pig Chop shivered twice and regained consciousness.
"No matter how many times I watch it, I still find it scary..."
Pig Chop's voice was trembling, and it also looked at Hayata, "Meow? Hayata has woken up, meow, it's really awesome, meow is faster than Gordon!"
Hayata patted Pandan's little head, which was lying behind her, "It's okay, we're fine."
"Are you really okay? Meow?" Xianglan still didn't dare to open her eyes.
"Um."
Hayata looked at the rotten head again. The sharp teeth and horns were still as ferocious as ever, and the child with only one dark golden eye was always emitting an ominous light.
But that's all.
"As Senior Gordon said, it's just a head."
