Chapter 96
Chapter 96
But it was precisely because Lu Yuanshi had touched the mechanism that they discovered the secret room beneath the basement.
A faint smell of food drifted from the darkness.
The players immediately realized that Xiao Huai had been telling the truth.
Their respect for him deepened despite themselves.
“Should we go down and look?” Cheng Shan suggested quietly.
Everyone feared the unknown, and no one wanted to be the first to act.
After all, the one who stood out was always the first to suffer.
Without saying a word, Xiao Huai followed the flashlight beam and became the first to descend. Lu Yuanshi followed close behind.
The others breathed sighs of relief and hurried after them.
When they all reached the underground space, they could not help marveling inwardly.
Wasn’t this place far too large?
Even their voices echoed.
The surrounding walls showed no damage from the passage of time. Even a hard punch would certainly leave no dent.
Numerous mattresses and quilts lay throughout the space, while food and water were piled in one corner.
When the players approached, they discovered that the food had been vacuum-sealed. There were even compressed biscuits with extremely long shelf lives.
Why was there a space like this underground?
Xiao Huai calmly surveyed the area. He picked up a filthy doll from the floor and lightly dusted it off.
Sun Xingye noticed and asked, “A-Zhuolang, did you find something?”
Sun Xingye still regarded Xiao Huai with awe, but after spending the past two days with him, he increasingly believed that Xiao Huai was the key to completing the mission.
As an NPC, Xiao Huai viewed things from a different perspective than the players.
Yet those differences always seemed to connect him to the truth.
Sun Xingye’s flashlight illuminated the battered doll in Xiao Huai’s hand.
It resembled a warrior with light brown hair. The fabric of its face had been damaged, but the dimples and smile on its cheeks remained visible.
“What do you think? What was this place used for?” Xiao Huai asked, lowering his gaze as he stroked the doll’s cheek.
With that question, he tossed the problem directly back to Sun Xingye.
Sun Xingye immediately felt countless gazes turn toward him.
With so many people watching, he could only voice his first thought.
“I don’t think there’s much to see. This is obviously a storage room. The basement was too small, so they built a larger space for storage.”
The pimple-faced man thought that sounded reasonable and agreed.
“It’s possible. Maybe there was a mistake when the inn was built and the basement turned out poorly, so the owner asked for a bigger room to store miscellaneous items, like these mattresses.”
At the very least, the basement above could not hold many large objects, while this underground space could store a great deal.
Xiao Huai said nothing. Whenever he remained silent, everyone found themselves waiting for him to speak.
Lu Zhi spoke first. He was considering Xiao Huai’s question very seriously, light shining in his eyes.
“I don’t think it’s that simple. Why would a storage room contain food, especially vacuum-sealed food? Doesn’t the inn already have a dining hall? This clearly isn’t just a place for storing objects. The presence of food and water proves one thing…”
“Someone lived here,” Xiao Huai and Lu Zhi said simultaneously.
At last, Lu Zhi saw a faint smile on Xiao Huai’s face. It felt as though Xiao Huai had affirmed him.
A brilliant smile spread over his face.
Lu Zhi waited for Xiao Huai to speak, but Xiao Huai merely signaled with his eyes for him to continue.
He grew even more excited as he spoke, the light in his eyes almost leaping free.
“Don’t you think this place resembles a shelter? It’s large, underground, and stocked with food and water. Doesn’t it perfectly meet every requirement for a shelter?”
It would have been built underground to protect against bombs and other threats from the air.
Lu Zhi excitedly poured out all his thoughts. The moment he finished, the underground space abruptly fell silent.
Lu Zhi could hear nothing but his own rapid breathing.
Just as he began to think he had said something wrong or offered an idiotic theory, he heard applause.
He looked toward the sound.
Xiao Huai was smiling lightly and clapping. His voice was clear. “Excellent reasoning.”
In that moment, it seemed to Lu Zhi that Xiao Huai’s words, “Excellent reasoning,” echoed throughout his entire world.
He had rarely been encouraged or affirmed.
Ever since childhood, he had approached everything timidly. Sometimes, he was afraid to show what he could do or make himself stand out, because those who drew attention never came to a good end. So he did not dare to think or act.
His brother had told him that if he wanted to survive, he had to be cautious and live carefully.
His brother had also promised to become strong enough to protect him.
Later, his brother fulfilled that promise, and Lu Zhi had always rested in the shade of the great tree that was his brother.
Yet his heart always ached.
Whenever he saw his brother shoulder everything alone, he felt completely useless, as though he could not help at all.
That was why he had entered this game instance alone.
He wanted to see whether he could survive a game by himself.
Even if he died… at least he would no longer be a burden to his brother.
But now someone had affirmed him, and that person was strong…
The world fell silent again. Apart from his uncontrollable heartbeat, nothing seemed to remain. Even his eyes reddened.
Xiao Huai walked over and lightly patted his shoulder, then repeated himself.
“Excellent reasoning.”
Lu Zhi raised his damp eyes. No sound would come from his throat because he feared that if he spoke, a weak sob would escape.
Xiao Huai seemed to notice. He reached out and thoroughly mussed Lu Zhi’s hair until the tangled strands covered his eyes.
That way, no one could see how red they had become.
Xiao Huai looked at the others. “What do all of you think? How was his reasoning?”
The others had been silent only because they were still processing his idea.
The game had restricted their perspective. Even after seeing the mattresses and food, they had assumed this was simply a place to pile miscellaneous objects.
The possibility of a shelter had never occurred to them.
Yet with the slightest change in perspective, was the space around them not the perfect shelter?
They had never expected this quiet, skinny boy to think so quickly or produce such a valuable idea.
“Not bad, kid. Who knew you were so smart?” Cheng Shan had just stepped forward to pat Lu Zhi’s shoulder encouragingly when Xiao Huai glared at him.
Lu Zhi stood there trembling faintly as the players’ praise sounded continuously around him.
“Small body, big brain! I’m betting on you from now on!”
“Right, I see it now. This really is perfect for a shelter. That also explains why they stored mattresses, food, and everything else here.”
Lu Zhi clenched his fists, desperately restraining the urge to cry.
He truly hated his weak body and the way his tears always escaped beyond his control. But this time, he did not want to cry because he was hurting.
It was because, for the first time, he had been affirmed.
Affirmed by so many people.
He wanted to cry so badly… because…
he was truly happy.