Chapter 154 A Sense of Deja Vu

At that very moment, a voice suddenly rang out from behind me: "How truly magnificent to stumble upon this legendary corpse-fragrance flower. It is said that the pistils of this flower are priceless, invaluable medicinal components."

The voice was entirely unfamiliar. I whipped my head around to see two figures fully clad in tactical gear, holding firearms in their hands. Weren't these the exact same two people I had previously seen emerging from the tomb door? Yet, Li Ling had insisted at the time that no such individuals existed, claiming it was all a hallucination of mine. So what was happening now? Furthermore, if my eyes hadn't deceived me then, where had these two gone in the meantime?

My mind instantly plunged into chaos. I turned to look at Li Ling, who wore an expression of utter perplexity. I recounted what had happened earlier, but she replied, "I genuinely did not see anyone coming out from inside the tomb gate back then. To be honest, I have no idea what is going on either."

Those two were standing quite a distance away from us. Because we were crouched behind a naturally formed boulder, they hadn't noticed our presence yet. At that moment, Li Ling whispered softly, "This could be a classic case of déjà-vu."

"Déjà-vu?"

Seeing my confusion, Li Ling explained in a low voice:

"Déjà-vu, a French term, literally translates to 'already seen.' Simply put, it is the eerie sensation of having already experienced a current situation or scene that one has never actually lived through.

"Déjà-vu is a manifestation of subconscious mental conflict, though it doesn't necessarily stem solely from deep-seated subconscious clashes. People are particularly prone to this sensation when fatigued or under stress. Furthermore, it can sometimes be accompanied by *jamaisvu*, the uncanny feeling of failing to recognize something familiar, like a known object or word, for a fleeting moment. This sense of familiarity can stem from various channels—some real, and some entirely illusory. Sometimes, the brain can manufacture a feeling of familiarity all on its own without needing any genuine memory of the event.

"Generally speaking, emotional experiences are retained much more firmly. Therefore, if a person is in an unstable emotional state, the probability of experiencing déjà-vu increases significantly. When drastic biochemical changes occur within the body, throwing someone into emotional instability, memory becomes exceptionally active, making the phenomenon of déjà-vu much more likely to happen.

"Déjà-vu primarily occurs during the perception of a scene, because every sensory experience takes place within a specific context. This context often acts as a broad background that slips into the mind without requiring special attention, forming an unconscious memory. At times, this unconscious memory abruptly pops up in a specific setting, blending with current perceptions. In an instance of déjà-vu, it is predominantly unconscious memory that gets summoned; once projected into conscious awareness, it generates that unmistakable feeling of having 'already seen' it."

Li Ling whispered this lengthy explanation to me, which could be summarized as follows: the earlier incident might have been triggered by specific environmental factors or the bio-magnetoelectric fields of unknown creatures, inducing this so-called déjà-vu phenomenon within me, creating an experience that felt both like a hallucination and yet entirely real.

Although I only half-understood her explanation, my own interpretation was that it felt akin to precognition—a deeply peculiar sensation. Could the scene I witnessed earlier actually be an event from a short time into the future?

Yet, I vividly remembered those two individuals shouting "Don't move!" at me back then. How did that fit in? For the moment, however, Li Ling could not provide any more concrete explanation.

The situation had grown rather complicated. These two men were completely unfamiliar to us, and Li Ling was certain they did not belong to the Southern Gate faction. Aside from the Southern Gate people, who else could possibly be down here? Considering that our own group had managed to enter mostly due to sheer luck, how on earth had these two made their way inside?

Besides, even if they had entered through the path opened by the Southern Gate, what about the three corpse-controlling fiends? How could they possibly have dealt with those monsters? Ordinary firearms were useless against such things.

Before long, the two figures began walking briskly in our direction. At this point, it was impossible to tell whether they were friend or foe, but one thing was certain: a third party had now entered this subterranean mausoleum alongside us.

It seemed evasion was no longer an option. To be safe, I decided to strike first. As the two men drew close, I sprang to my feet in a single fluid motion and raised the pistol in my hand. With perfect tacit coordination, Li Ling stood up beside me and raised her own firearm as well. Both of our guns were now leveled squarely at their heads.

"Don't move!"

The two men were clearly startled, likely never expecting to encounter anyone else down here, and froze in their tracks. The moment they instinctively started to raise their weapons, my sharp shout halted them. One of them demanded:

"Don't do anything rash. Do you have any idea who we are?"

Not a trace of panic colored his tone, as if he felt entirely immune to the threat of my gun. With an arrogant smirk, he added, "You'd better be careful not to let that gun go off by accident. We are heavyweights you cannot afford to cross."

Heavyweights? Upon hearing those three words, I almost laughed out loud. Were these two absolute fools? In a place like this, I cared nothing for their intimidating titles. In fact, even outside these walls, I had no fear of status or background.

A cold smirk plastered across my face, I said, "I'll say it one more time: don't move. Move even an inch, and I'll blow your brains out. Talk—who the hell are you?!"

Realizing I was not joking, the men lowered their hands from their weapons. One of them finally accepted the reality of the situation and changed his tone, conceding that while they were not members of the Southern Gate, they had indeed entered through the Southern Gate's construction site.

By now, I pieced together the truth: the surface engineering efforts had finally broken through, clearing a secure passage, and the rest of the Southern Gate forces had poured in behind them. These two men truly were outsiders to the faction. As for their exact identities, they remained tight-lipped, only hinting to Li Ling and me that their standing was vastly superior to that of the Southern Gate—far beyond anything we were permitted to know. Knowing their identities, they warned, would only spell danger for us. With a cryptic smile, one of them vaguely gestured upward toward the ceiling and added with a knowing smirk:

"Put down your guns right now, and we'll pretend none of this ever happened. Your people in the Southern Gate at least understand etiquette, so we'll overlook the fact that we were just staring down the barrels of your guns. Don't do anything foolish now—we are people you simply cannot afford to offend."