Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Before long, Meiya finished cleaning upstairs and returned to the first floor, heading into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone.
As the time drew close to 7:00, the others began arriving at the dining room one after another.
Lin Ze saw this and had no desire to get involved in their discussion, so he quietly switched to another table.
“Sister Sen, what was Xia Susu losing her mind about in the group chat this early in the morning?” Lin Xiaoxue and Guo Lan walked over from the front.
Xu You and Chen Lin followed behind them.
“Those two sisters were probably killed by an Eerie Entity, right?” Chen Lin asked worriedly.
Wei Sen’s expression remained calm. “We don’t know yet. Huang Xinze and that guy surnamed Wang went to investigate. If you want the results, you can ask them.”
The group sat down around the table. He Xu and Zhou Jie arrived late.
“What happened last night?” He Xu asked, her expression extremely grim. “How is Xia Susu still alive?”
Guo Lan shot Zhou Jie a contemptuous look. “Didn’t someone give her a Life-Saving Anomalous Artifact last night?”
At that, both He Xu’s and Zhou Jie’s faces turned even uglier.
“Explain the murder, then!” Zhou Jie turned his spearhead toward Wei Sen. “Was it you? Killing people to steal their artifacts?”
“How could it be Sister Sen!?” Lin Xiaoxue was the first to jump in and refute him. “You actually believe what Xia Susu said?”
“Exactly. This definitely has nothing to do with Sister Sen,” Chen Lin said as well. “Once Huang Xinze figures it out, he’ll tell us the truth.”
Wei Sen looked at them. After this incident, whether it was Huang Xinze or the others, they all believed her without exception. Even though all the evidence was unfavorable to her, they still did not show the slightest suspicion.
Xu You rolled her neck and said, “People dying in the Eerie World is as normal as passing gas. What’s there to discuss? We should hurry up and figure out what to do next.”
Wei Sen cast Xu You an approving look. She had said everything Wei Sen had wanted to say first.
Guo Lan nodded and took charge of the discussion. “Right now, there are three paths. First, wait another five days. Once the time is up, we can clear the Instance.
“Second, search for the Divine Gift and obtain it to achieve Perfect Clearance.
“Third, wait for the Red Door to descend, race the Faceless Woman, and leave through the Red Door for an early clearance.”
Everyone knew perfectly well that the first path was the safest. If they chose the first path, they no longer needed to take risks everywhere looking for clues.
But if they wanted Perfect Clearance, then to a certain extent, everyone would become competitors. After all, no one knew what the Divine Gift actually was, or how many people could obtain it.
That meant everyone had to do everything possible to gather clues and strive to be the first to uncover the secret of the Instance. Only then could they guarantee that they would be the one to achieve Perfect Clearance.
As for the Red Door’s descent, certain conditions had to be met. The number of Red Doors that descended was also uncertain, so it could not be their only option.
The group fell silent, each of them considering their own plans from here on out.
“The Red Door will descend on Aurora Night. It’ll be in the southern part of the forest,” Wei Sen said, sharing the information from last night.
Xu You was surprised. “So what the village doctor said was true!”
“Mm.”
Chen Lin adjusted her glasses and thought for a moment. “So the man and woman who went out last night did it because they had also heard what the village doctor said.”
“No wonder the Faceless Woman began hunting last night!” Lin Xiaoxue realized belatedly.
He Xu looked at Wei Sen suspiciously. “So you saw the Aurora?”
“Mm.”
“You made a wish?!” He Xu asked anxiously.
At that, everyone looked at Wei Sen curiously.
“No.”
He Xu clearly did not believe her. “How is it possible for someone to see the Aurora while clearly remembering the rules and not subconsciously make a wish?”
“That doesn’t matter.” Wei Sen looked at He Xu calmly.
“This concerns everyone’s safety! Who knows what kind of terrifying wish the Aurora might grant for you?!”
Wei Sen suddenly thought of something, and her peripheral vision swept toward the backyard.
The Aurora could grant wishes. Perhaps Xia Susu had used the Aurora too!
Guo Lan took a deep breath and said, “There’s no point talking about that now! Let’s get back to the main topic. Starting today, everyone investigates separately. If necessary, we can exchange clues with one another. How does that sound?”
Xu You, Chen Lin, and Lin Xiaoxue exchanged looks. After what happened last night, everyone had gained a new understanding of He Xu and Zhou Jie.
Those two really were a perfect match: the man had no morals, and the woman had no sense. If they were going to work with them, they really did need to be careful!
“I agree!” Xu You was the first to answer.
“I agree too.”
“Same here.”
Chen Lin and Lin Xiaoxue followed suit.
Once the three of them had answered, they all turned to look at Wei Sen in unison.
The moment Wei Sen saw the look in their eyes, she understood exactly what they were planning.
On the surface, they had all agreed to go their separate ways. In reality, the few of them could still share clues with one another. They were just excluding He Xu and Zhou Jie.
“I have no problem with it either,” Wei Sen replied calmly.
In the Eerie World, one could not make enemies lightly, or Xia Susu would serve as a warning of what could happen.
So even though everyone had their suspicions and wariness toward He Xu and Zhou Jie, they would not show it outright.
“Since you all agree, then that’s that,” He Xu said, clearly displeased.
These cannon fodder refused to collect clues for her, yet still wanted to trade clues with her?
In their dreams!
Even if she and Brother Jie found an important clue, they would never tell them!
Soon, it was seven in the morning, and Meiya pushed the breakfast cart out from the back kitchen right on time.
Huang Xinze and Lao Wang also came in from the direction of the backyard. Lao Wang was visibly dejected. He went straight upstairs, apparently in no mood to eat.
Huang Xinze sighed, then strode over to the group.
Xu You asked, “Did you figure out what happened?”
“We checked the scene carefully, but we didn’t find any clues. For now, there’s no way to identify the suspect.”
Xu You shook her head. “Tell your friend to take care. I’ll go perform a rite for those two sisters later.”
Huang Xinze was startled. “You can do that too?”
“Of course. If you ever need it in the future, I can perform one for you free of charge.”
“Absolutely not necessary!” Huang Xinze scratched his head, then turned to Wei Sen. “Sister Sen, don’t take what happened at the hot spring pool to heart. Lao Wang was just too anxious. We went over it again just now in the back, and he knows the killer couldn’t have been you.”
“It’s fine,” Wei Sen replied evenly, her gaze sweeping the dining hall.
At present, the only ones alive were their group, the three girls from the Red Team, Lin Ze, and Lao Wang.
Aside from Lao Wang and Xia Susu, everyone else was in the dining hall.
Meiya pushed the cart over to Wei Sen and the others. “Today’s breakfast is vegetable congee and century egg and lean pork congee. What would everyone like?”
Without exception, everyone chose the vegetable congee.
“Good thing we’re only staying in this Instance for seven days and not seven years. If I had to eat vegetarian food every day, I’d convert on the spot!”
As Xu You complained, she finished her bowl of vegetable congee and then had two more.
Jingle, jingle.
While everyone was eating breakfast, the bell decoration hanging on the inn’s front door rang. A young woman then pushed open the door and walked into the lobby.
Wei Sen looked over.
The woman appeared to be around twenty years old and roughly five foot seven. She wore a blue down jacket and a white knit hat, and she was strikingly beautiful at first glance.
Her face was rosy from the cold wind, and her bright, watery eyes looked harmless and innocent.
Her gaze swept around the inn, as though she were searching for something.
“Whoa.” Huang Xinze’s eyes went straight. “Where did this beauty come from?”
The young woman’s long lashes fluttered. Suddenly, her gaze locked onto the dining hall, and she raised her hand with a brilliant, sun-warm smile. “Ah Ze!”
Huang Xinze instantly stood up straight and asked in disbelief, “I-Is she calling me?!”
Xu You looked at Huang Xinze in disgust. “You’ve only been here a few days, and you’ve already lured a village girl over?”
“I’m innocent! I really didn’t!” Huang Xinze could not defend himself, but he was even more pleasantly surprised. He hurriedly straightened his collar and prepared to go over. “Allow me to find out what this is about!”
Only Wei Sen, after her surprise, turned her gaze toward Lin Ze.
Perhaps the “Ah Ze” this girl was calling was not Huang Xinze…
At that moment, Lin Ze slowly stood up and stared at the girl in the inn lobby in disbelief.
The girl opened her arms and ran over with a smile. Huang Xinze, overwhelmed by the honor, quickly spread his arms as well, ready to welcome her warmly.
But in the next second, the girl went right past him and threw herself hard into Lin Ze’s arms.