Lords of the Old Ones? I thought it was a speed bump.

Chapter 21 Reverse Intrusion. Paradoxical Dimension

At this moment, the bus, full of students, was traveling on a secluded mountain road.

Drivers passing by dislike driving on this road.

Because the road is not wide enough, only allowing two cars to barely pass each other, collisions are very likely to occur.

But at this moment, the bus driver was surprised to find that he had not encountered a single oncoming vehicle along the way.

"...What's going on? Nobody has to go to work today? It's so relaxing."

The driver muttered something under his breath, but didn't really take it to heart.

But after driving for a while longer, things seemed to get even stranger.

Although he hadn't counted them carefully before, the driver vaguely remembered that this road only required seven or eight turns uphill before reaching the downhill section.

Because the downhill section of this mountain road is narrow and winding, local drivers have nicknamed it the "Nine Deadly Bends".

He has now skillfully made at least a dozen turns on the deserted road, but still hasn't seen a downhill slope.

Am I remembering it wrong? I guess I've been too tired lately, and my memory isn't concentrating.

The driver sighed, and listening to the energetic voices coming from behind, he couldn't help but feel envious.

Once upon a time, I was a handsome and dashing young man.

I also had such close classmates and a girl I had a crush on. Ah, that time was truly wonderful.

As he smiled and reminisced about those long-forgotten stories, he skillfully turned another uphill bend.

As the car turned, it spun a sharp arc, and the road stretched out in front of it like a gray-white ribbon, making one's heart pound with fear.

The driver had been smiling the whole time, but gradually, he couldn't keep up the smile.

After he realized that he seemed to have been driving on this uphill mountain road for too long.

At least another ten minutes have passed, and we've gone through several more bends.

Logically speaking, this uphill road shouldn't have lasted this long under any circumstances.

Sensing something was wrong, the driver began to sweat slightly and then couldn't help but speed up.

But it was no use at all; the bus kept creeping uphill along the road, as if there was no end in sight.

The driver only started to get really anxious five minutes later.

As the middle-aged man, driven to the brink of madness, slammed on the gas pedal.

The vehicle sped up and faster, so fast that even the students and teachers on board sensed something was wrong.

"Driver?" Soon, Duan Hong, the homeroom teacher of Class 2, Grade 3, came over and reminded him with a smile:

"Aren't you driving a bit too fast? We're not in a hurry, and driving this fast on these mountain roads isn't very safe, is it?"

Duan Hong originally thought the driver meant well and wanted to drive faster so they wouldn't be late for their event.

To everyone's surprise, when they came closer, they found that the middle-aged man was covered in sweat.

He gasped for breath, glanced at Duan Hong with his bloodshot eyes, and whispered:

"Something's not right... This road isn't right, we think we're in trouble."

"Something's not right? What do you mean?"

"Didn't you notice? We've been driving uphill for half an hour and haven't even reached the downhill section yet. How can this road be so long? And there isn't a single car on it!"

Based on the time, they must have driven at least several dozen kilometers uphill.

But how could there be such a long uphill road in White Harbor City? Where does it lead? Up in the sky?

Upon hearing this, Duan Hong realized what was happening and his brows furrowed deeply.

What's going on? Why is this completely illogical situation happening?

Wait, this doesn't make sense? Could it be...?

The moment I thought of that worst-case scenario.

Duan Hong felt a chill run down his spine and almost collapsed to the ground.

Just as Teacher Duan was thinking about that most terrifying possibility.

A robust figure then walked steadily up behind the two of them.

"Teacher Duan, given the current situation, it seems we've encountered what's known as 'reverse intrusion'?"

Duan Hong suddenly turned his head and saw that Lin Jue was looking at him calmly.

The vehicle was traveling at extremely high speed, making it difficult for most students to maintain their balance even while holding onto the handrail.

But Lin Jue stood casually in the corridor with his hands in his pockets, his body not swaying at all due to the bumpy ride.

But when the young student casually gave the answer...

Duan Hong and the driver's faces immediately turned deathly pale.

They had also vaguely thought of this, but none of them were willing to say it aloud.

Because what Lin Jue called "reverse invasion" is almost no different from the death penalty in the eyes of most people.

Since the appearance of the Gate of the Ancients, researchers have discovered that there seems to be an unknown paradoxical dimension inside the gate.

Moreover, this mysterious dimension seems to possess its own consciousness and is constantly attempting to invade the real world.

The first type of invasion is called "dimensional invasion," where paradoxical demons or gate beasts within the gate tear through space, appear in the real world in physical form, and cause massive destruction.

The second type of intrusion is called "reverse intrusion," where a certain area is sucked into the door from the opposite direction and can only leave when certain specific conditions are met.

To date, the probability of "reverse intrusion" is much lower than that of "dimensional intrusion," and the underlying principles have not been explored.

But the only certainty is that the vast majority of people sucked into the paradoxical dimension cannot get out alive; it is truly a matter of life and death.

Moreover, according to survivors who experienced the "reverse intrusion," the world inside the door was both familiar and strange.

Familiarity means that the scene they are in is almost exactly the same as the real world, and there is no difference between them.

However, the rules and logic of this world are completely different from those of the real world, which is why it is called a "paradoxical plane".

The most distinctive feature of the "paradoxical plane" is that everything inside is unpredictable.

In other words, those who are swallowed up may encounter all sorts of illogical things inside.

For example... driving a bus up an endless uphill road.

After realizing this, Duan Hong couldn't help but cover his face with his hands, his whole body trembling violently.

A few seconds later, he broke into a smile that looked more like a grimace and laughed loudly:

"It's over... We're all going to die here! None of us will get out! Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!"

Having been suddenly subjected to such a huge shock, Duan Hong had clearly fallen into a state of mental breakdown.

He knew that in the past, some people had survived the desperate situation of "reverse invasion".

But that's because there happened to be superhumans among the people who were sucked in.

There are no superhumans on this bus right now; they are all ordinary students.

In this situation, the mortality rate of the people in this vehicle could be said to be very close to 100%!

The homeroom teacher's maniacal laughter quickly attracted the attention of the group of students behind him.

They all craned their necks to look into the cockpit, wanting to see what was happening there.

"What's going on? Why is Teacher Duan crying?"

"What did he just say? We're all going to die here? What does that mean?"

"Wait! Is Teacher Duan under too much pressure and about to have a flare-up of daydreaming syndrome?"

As everyone watched with trepidation this usually steady and composed Chinese language teacher...

Seeing that his expression was becoming increasingly frantic, Lin Jue also realized the risk.

Oh no... He's under too much pressure; if we leave him unattended, he might really have a breakdown.

Moreover, if utopian syndrome is triggered under these circumstances, it can easily lead to a chain reaction.

It was clear that they couldn't keep the fact that they and their group were likely in a paradoxical dimension forever.

After all, the scenery of the surrounding mountain road has not changed at all for a long time.

Moreover, the road was always uphill, and Lin Jue had just noticed this, which is why he took the initiative to walk to the front of the car.

Everyone knows that for ordinary people, encountering a "reverse intrusion" is basically a death sentence.

If they were to witness Duan Hong triggering delusional syndrome and die in front of them in an extremely tragic manner...

I'm afraid most of the students on this bus will suffer mental breakdowns one after another, and this bus will become the eighteenth level of hell.

After realizing this, Lin Jue decided to do something, at least to calm Duan Hong down.

He slowly approached Duan Hong, helped the dazed middle-aged man to his feet, and whispered in his ear:

"Teacher Duan, don't be afraid, we still have a chance to escape. Please cheer up first."

Escape? Although Lin Jue's calm and collected voice made Duan Hong feel a little better, he still shook his head dejectedly and said:

"There's no chance anymore. There are no superhumans in the car. How can we ordinary people possibly escape from the paradoxical plane alive?"

Seeing that he had indeed brought it up, Lin Jue pointed to himself with his thumb and said confidently:

"Who says there aren't any superhumans in the car? Isn't that right in front of you?"