Chapter 11

The melody of the harmonica was very beautiful.

And it seemed to contain an inexplicable rhythm, surpassing ordinary music.

It was just like the feeling brought by the nightmare last night to Qingchen.

However, when all the prisoners were immersed in the beautiful music, Qingchen could not suppress the surprise and shock in his heart.

Because he had heard this song before... "Farewell."

Beyond the long pavilion, by the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the sky.

Qingchen's pupils gradually narrowed. Wasn't this the world after crossing over? Why would there be a song like "Farewell" here?

He had once thought that this place had no connection with Earth when he saw the mechanical civilization.

But now it seemed he was wrong. Could this be the future of Earth?

Qingchen began to search his memory, trying to find clues from the books he read in the reading area yesterday.

But the results disappointed him again. Those self-help and philosophical books could not help him.

The harmonica music stopped, and the 18th prison was filled with noise again.

At one moment, Qingchen suddenly felt that this prison was like an arena.

Behind each alloy gate were steel monsters representing various desires.

When the gates opened, he no longer felt as awkward and cautious as on the first day. Instead, he directly walked past the lined-up prisoners and headed straight for the square downstairs.

His擅自行动 did not attract the drones in the sky or the attention of the robot guards.

Just as he reached the outside of the dining hall, Lin Xiaoxiao greeted him with a smile: "Good morning... Didn't you sleep well?"

Qingchen, with dark circles under his eyes, looked at Lin Xiaoxiao coldly, thinking to himself, "Do you not know if I can sleep well?"

Some say a dream can last no more than eight minutes, extremely short compared to a whole life.

However, after the nightmare ended yesterday, Qingchen counted his countdown and found that the nightmare had trapped him for over two hours. He had not felt the passage of time in the nightmare.

Moreover, after escaping the nightmare, he lay in bed and thought for a long time, not falling asleep until midnight.

Although Qingchen had a photographic memory, he was still essentially an ordinary person, unlike Lin Xiaoxiao and others. He couldn't stay energetic after staying up all night.

Uncle Li looked at Qingchen's face and said, "Most people are greatly weakened after coming out of a nightmare, feeling listless for half a day. But you are special. You managed to break free from Xiaoxiao's control and pick up the dagger in the nightmare. It's already quite remarkable that you can stand today."

Qingchen sat down opposite him and asked straightforwardly, "How can I become like him?"

Uncle Li laughed, "You are straightforward, but you can't follow his path. You are more suited to follow mine."

Upon hearing this, Qingchen clearly felt that Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao's expressions changed.

For some reason, he suddenly felt the atmosphere become more serious, even the cat that was dozing off lifted its head to look at him.

He wanted to ask what Uncle Li's path was.

However, from the way Lu Guangyi treated Uncle Li, it seemed that Uncle Li was a very famous person outside. Many people probably knew what Uncle Li's path was.

As a穿越者, he could ramble without much consequence, but asking a question that showed a lack of common knowledge could be fatal.

Qingchen skipped over his doubts and asked again, "How can I follow your path?"

"Don't misunderstand," Uncle Li laughed.

When Uncle Li laughed, the traces of time around his eyes made Qingchen realize that he might be older than he imagined.

Uncle Li continued, "Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao met me too late to follow my path. And although I appreciate you now, it's not enough."

"I understand," Qingchen nodded.

This made sense.

He felt that if someone treated him like an old friend and shared everything, that person might have a problem.

What he faced might not be an opportunity but a danger.

However, for Qingchen, being able to touch the edge of that mysterious world was enough.

It was something he had only dreamed of on Earth.

Now, he was very close to it.

"How about it, shall we play chess today?" Uncle Li looked at Qingchen, "I see your mental state is not good. Why don't you rest for a day? Chess is all about meeting a worthy opponent. If I win when you are not in good shape, it won't be meaningful."

As the prisoners lined up for food and ate, more and more prisoners were freely walking around in the dining hall.

Today was different. Many prisoners were eating while paying attention to the situation on Qingchen's side.

Some even stood up with their trays, their eyes fixed on the chessboard.

Actually, not many prisoners understood chess. It was an outdated form of entertainment.

But since Uncle Li liked it, everyone had to pay attention.

What if they had a talent for chess and were noticed by Uncle Li?

Of course, this was just a fantasy. More people were interested in the chess game because they were bored.

In the past, when Uncle Li looked at the endgame alone, no one dared to stare. Now, with Qingchen playing, the atmosphere seemed much more relaxed, and Ye Wan no longer glared at people.

Beside them, even Lu Guangyi watched with great interest, followed by a group of people like a cluster of stars.

Lu Guangyi enjoyed this very much.

On both sides of the chessboard, Uncle Li waited for Qingchen's response, while Qingchen stood up calmly and said, "No need to rest. For the 'Touqu Diting' endgame, move the chariot to 2-5, advance the chariot 5-7, move the cannon to 2-8, move the chariot to 5-6, and advance the soldier 4-1."

Chess is a game of give and take, but Qingchen directly stated each of his moves, as if he had already predicted that Uncle Li would cooperate with him, pushing the game to its conclusion.

Qingchen's red chariot sacrificed itself to attract the black general, which resonated with the final move of advancing the soldier 4-1, forming a checkmate.

This was a brilliant move that few could think of.

Others might not understand what Qingchen was saying, but Uncle Li certainly did.

To break the 'Touqu Diting' endgame, there was only one way!

Uncle Li looked at Qingchen and then overturned his black general on the chessboard: "I thought you were in poor condition, and winning would be taking advantage of you. I didn't expect to overthink it."

In the crowd, Lu Guangyi's subordinate heard him mutter, "He won again, how cool is that? Regardless of what he won, winning against someone like Uncle Li once in a lifetime is worth it. I want to learn chess too!"

The newly gathered subordinates didn't understand why Lu Guangyi was interested in chess.

After all, although Lu Guangyi's combat skills were outstanding in the 18th prison, his cultural level was definitely at the bottom.

At this moment, Qingchen looked at Uncle Li and asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

...

Thank you to Li Dongze, Dancing Sword, and Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian Dian for becoming the book's patrons. You are generous, and may you have a life as vast as the sea and as long as the mountains!