Chapter 62

Chapter 62

The eerie sound made everyone instinctively hold their breath.

No one needed to be reminded-no one would dare speak again at a moment like this. But they also couldn’t keep standing there, waiting for danger to close in.

At times like this, it all came down to individual awareness-or rather, tacit understanding.

Jian Fan reached out and nudged Qian Xing. Qian Xing had followed Jian Fan for a while; he understood at once, turned around, and gently pushed the person behind him.

Amid the eerie “ka-cha” sounds, the group filed to the stairwell entrance and began backing down the Stairs one after another.

Qin Nan and Lu Jing were at the very end.

Qin Nan quickly caught Jian Fan’s signal. Lu Jing was still frozen for a beat, but Qin Nan had already grabbed him and started moving. The stairwell entrance was cramped; once Qin Nan and Lu Jing-who were at the tail end-started backing down, the others above could finally follow in order.

All of it happened within a dozen seconds.

No one dared make a sound. They moved fast, but they also had to be careful not to create noise. Everyone held a single breath, feeling their way in the darkness, stepping down as steadily as they could-one stair at a time.

Maybe luck was still on their side.

No one missed a step or suddenly fell. With the “ka-cha” sounds drawing closer behind them, they pushed forward through the dark. Before whatever it was could catch up, they finally saw a sliver of light ahead.

Lu Jing hadn’t understood at first, but once Qin Nan dragged him into motion, it clicked.

He immediately grabbed Qin Nan with one hand, then reached the other hand back. Qin Weiyi and he had long since developed a wordless coordination; Qin Weiyi was already prepared. With one in each hand, Lu Jing practically yanked both of them off their feet.

Lu Jing hauled the two of them along the whole way. Qin Nan stumbled most of the time, but relying on Lu Jing’s brute strength, they tore through that pitch-black stretch of the Stairs and burst into the light.

Even with brightness all around them, Lu Jing kept charging forward.

It was Qin Nan’s first time dealing with something like this. He was about to speak when he stumbled again. Qin Weiyi, on the other hand, had clearly been through plenty of similar situations-once they were out of danger, he immediately reached out and patted Lu Jing.

Lu Jing stopped short.

Qin Nan wasn’t ready for it and slammed into him. Lu Jing happened to loosen his grip, and Qin Nan fell hard onto the floor.

Qin Weiyi fared much better-at the last second, Lu Jing steadied him.

*We’re both Qins-how come the treatment’s so different?* Qin Nan thought gloomily. Still, he had to admit Lu Jing was absurdly strong; being dragged along was faster than Qin Nan running on his own.

The only downside was that Qin Nan’s legs were going soft.

He braced his hands on his thighs and pushed himself up.

Only after he stood steady did the others finally catch up.

It had to be said-Lu Jing really was strong.

“Xiao Qin, we’re not running anymore? Are we safe?” Lu Jing asked Qin Weiyi.

Qin Weiyi turned to look at the pitch-black stairwell entrance. “The sounds are gone.”

Jian Fan was bent over with his hands on his knees, panting nonstop. His IQ might be higher than the average person’s, but when it came to stamina, he perfectly lived up to their team name: The Infirm and Disabled.

He wasn’t the only one. The others weren’t much better. Most young people sat in offices these days and didn’t get much exercise-after that sprint, they were genuinely winded. Aside from Lu Jing, the one in the best condition among them was probably the elderly woman, Qi Shuping.

“Looks like there’s a very good chance the top of these Stairs is the Vampire’s Lair,” Qi Shuping said, her eyes darkening. “And inside their Lair, there’s no time limit on their hunting.”
Qin Nan had just regained his composure when he heard this, and for a moment, his expression was difficult to describe.

So, should he have spoken up to warn them earlier?

“However, it seems they can’t leave their Lair during the day,” Qin Weiyi added, picking up where Qi Shuping left off.

This was good news for them. Otherwise, given their reckless actions just now, the entire group would have been wiped out right then and there.

Jian Fan finally stood up straight. “I was too impulsive this time.”

Qi Shuping smiled. “We all were.”

Qin Weiyi shrugged as well. “We took too much for granted. None of us questioned your theory.” He paused slightly before asking, “What’s your next move?”

Jian Fan shook his head.

They had already scouted most of the Bar, but the Stairs were clearly problematic and currently off-limits. By extension, the entire area surrounding the Stairs was likely a hidden hazard zone.

For a moment, even Jian Fan was at a loss for where to begin.

“When we weren’t making any noise earlier, they didn’t react. Does that mean we won’t be discovered as long as we stay quiet?” Qin Nan asked tentatively.

Qi Shuping nodded. “The logic is sound, but the difficulty lies in actually pulling it off.”

“Then how about we go at night?” Qin Nan proposed another idea.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Under the collective gaze of the group, Qin Nan felt his heart sink a little. But remembering their recent experience, he cleared his throat and continued, “Once it’s time to hunt, they’ll come downstairs into the Bar to find prey. Won’t that mean there will be fewer of them-or none at all-left on the Stairs? Since they can hunt in their Lair at any time anyway, it should be relatively safer for us to investigate at night, right?”

There didn’t seem to be any flaws in that logic.

“So what do we do now?” Mu Xin asked, effectively accepting Qin Nan’s suggestion.

It was currently only about one o’clock in the afternoon in this game world. There were still six hours until the Bar opened for the night, and nine hours until the Bartender started his shift.

Were they supposed to just wait here?

Or should they search the Bar again to see if they had missed any clues?

Qian Xing looked back and forth, a look of hesitation crossing his face.

He was debating whether or not to reveal what he had found. Before he could reach a decision, Jian Fan caught his expression.

“What are you hiding?” Jian Fan asked bluntly.

His voice drew everyone’s attention. Immediately, all eyes followed Jian Fan’s gaze and landed on Qian Xing.

Qian Xing was the one who had discovered the Stairs. This was an area they hadn’t visited before, which meant Qian Xing had likely already scouted the surroundings.

This implied that Qian Xing might be withholding a discovery. At the same time, it suggested that the immediate vicinity wasn’t overly dangerous and was an area they could explore.

Qian Xing was taken aback.

“Well… I also found a Surveillance Room, but the door has a keypad lock. I couldn’t get it open,” Qian Xing chose to disclose his find.

It wasn’t that he had suddenly decided to be generous; it was that Jian Fan had already seen through him. Even if he didn’t speak up, Jian Fan and the others would eventually find it themselves.

If they found it anyway, his secrecy would be pointless.

It was better to share it now and save some time.