Chapter 39

Lin Xiaoxiao is a smart and lively person, yet she does not have a deep sense of scheming.

When the other party returned to the restaurant and refused to discuss the results of the interrogation, Qingchen already had an answer in his heart.

Because there was nothing that could not be said about that information; the inner world would eventually know everything about the穿越者 (穿越者 refers to people who have traveled through time or dimensions, but in this context, it can be translated as "newcomers" or "outsiders").

Unless... the interrogation results involved a secret related to someone present.

Qingchen wondered how the people of the inner world would view the outer world.

Not to mention others, Uncle Li is a very powerful and controlling superior. How could such a person allow things to spiral out of control?

No matter how much goodwill had been accumulated before, it was insignificant in front of a superior.

Qingchen was not certain that Uncle Li would kill him, but he was prepared for the worst.

However, Uncle Li is also an extremely intelligent person. Lin Xiaoxiao didn't need to say anything; he understood.

"Xiaoxiao, take our Spade friend to another place," Uncle Li instructed.

"I'm not going anywhere," Guo Huzhan suddenly realized that there might be a big secret here.

However, Ye Wan suddenly opened a transparent force field, enveloping Uncle Li and Qingchen.

Guo Huzhan, who was trying to eavesdrop, was caught off guard and was pushed back by the force field.

When the bald man tried to rush back, he found that Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao were already blocking his way.

Lin Xiaoxiao said with a smile, "If you want to stay here to find the forbidden item ACE-005, don't move forward."

"Fine, I won't listen!" Guo Huzhan said angrily.

At this moment, Uncle Li calmly looked at Qingchen and asked, "So, these past few days, you had Lu Guangyi interrogate the new prisoners to find them, right?"

"That's correct," Qingchen said after some thought.

"You're more composed than I imagined," Uncle Li sighed. "When I was your age, I wasn't as good as you."

"It's not composure, but rather that panic is useless," Qingchen said.

"Although Xiaoxiao hasn't told me the results of the interrogation, I know it must be a big secret," Uncle Li said. "I am always ruthless when faced with uncontrollable situations. Have you thought about whether you might not live to see tomorrow?"

"I have," Qingchen looked around.

The novel steel dome, the glossy black metal storm, the mechanical prison guards standing still with their guns.

And the prisoners with their playful smiles, the new arrivals limping and grimacing.

Qingchen was not sure if he would see all this again, so he wanted to take a few more looks.

He suddenly lowered his head and smiled at Uncle Li, "These past few days have been quite pleasant. If possible, I hope we can get to know each other again."

"You won the chess game on the first day, so I actually owe you a favor. You can ask for anything now," Uncle Li said.

Qingchen thought for a moment, "Can you play the farewell tune again?"

"Wouldn't you rather trade for your life?" Uncle Li laughed.

"My life, I don't need to trade, and it can't be traded," Qingchen said.

"Alright, I've always liked your courage. This tune is a gift from me. You can ask for that favor anytime," Uncle Li had Ye Wan fetch the harmonica.

The farewell tune seemed to be played for Qingchen himself. The melodious tune made the prison atmosphere more serene.

"Thank you," Qingchen said.

After saying that, he returned to his cell alone, lying on the cold bed and waiting quietly.

Time passed slowly.

From day to night.

Qingchen heard the prison broadcast reminding all prisoners to line up and return to their cells, then one by one, the alloy gates closed, the hydraulic sound ending the noisy day at Prison 18.

Everything was isolated.

The next moment, the entire prison suddenly fell into complete darkness.

Then, the alloy gate of Qingchen's cell opened again.

In the darkness, someone put a black hood on him and carried him to an unknown place.

A few minutes later, the two people carrying him placed him somewhere and left.

The hydraulic sound rang again, as if closing something and isolating something.

Qingchen lay silently in the darkness, he didn't even get up to see where he was.

Here, only his breathing could be heard, and the only thing that was lit was the countdown on his arm, which couldn't illuminate anything.

Time was slow and heavy.

Qingchen knew that when a person was in a closed, dark environment, they would have a certain reaction.

You don't know where you are, can't talk to anyone, and at this time, loneliness and fear will completely engulf a person.

And lose the concept of time.

Without time, it is the most terrifying.

Many people can't even last 24 hours. There was an experiment offering 1 million to have someone stay inside for five days, but no one could get that million.

Money is indeed tempting, but 99% of people fall before 72 hours.

However.

Uncle Li and others probably didn't think that Qingchen was never afraid of loneliness.

Since his parents divorced, he has been with loneliness.

Qingchen clearly realized that the lack of water would be his biggest enemy.

Return countdown: 146:09:02.

The countdown on his arm could help him calculate time.

The first day.

Qingchen slowed his breathing rate, he began to recall movies in his mind. He watched "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Papillon," both about prison breaks and faith.

These were movies he had memorized, but he didn't need any equipment to replay them.

Because of the lack of water, his neurons confused the need for food and water, and he began to feel tired.

Return countdown: 122:09:02.

The second day.

Qingchen slept and rewatched eight movies in his mind.

He lay silently on the floor with his eyes closed, enjoying the darkness.

Hunger and thirst began to invade, but he seemed to have abandoned his external senses, remaining unmoved.

Return countdown: 98:09:02.

The third day.

Hunger began to burn his will, eroding his spirit.

Qingchen watched 12 movies this time, not sleeping for a minute.

The loss of water in his body made him suffer, and due to the lack of water, his body began to feel cold and hot, and his skin began to dry.

His memory began to decline, and the movies in his mind became intermittent slides.

Memories of the past began to intertwine.

Qingchen couldn't sleep.

Return countdown: 74:09:02.

The fourth day.

Qingchen's hunger began to subside, he opened his eyes and looked at the endless void and darkness, not knowing what he was thinking.

He hadn't checked the time for a long time, and it seemed that checking the time had become meaningless.

However, from beginning to end, Qingchen never said a word, never made a sound.

In the darkness, the world remained silent.

He didn't calculate how long he hadn't slept, but it didn't seem to matter.

Qingchen used his silence to resist the silence and darkness of the world.

...

Prison 18 was already in a dim night, the lights inside the fortress turned into a dim glow.

Even the drones on the hive seemed to have fallen asleep.

Uncle Li sat at the end of a long table in the dim reading area, eyes closed, resting. Lin Xiaoxiao looked at the time, "Boss, four days."

"Hmm," Uncle Li nodded.

At this moment, a weak knocking sound came from a distance, and Lu Guangyi, in a cell, was cursing and saying intermittently, "Li Shutong, where did you put my boss? I, Lu Guangyi, won't let you off, and the Qing family won't let you off."

From the first day Qingchen disappeared, Lu Guangyi noticed something was wrong and caused a commotion in Prison 18, almost triggering a second metal storm.

So, Qingchen disappeared for four days, and Lu Guangyi was also locked in a cell for four days.

It wasn't until the fourth day that Lu Guangyi finally calmed down a bit.

Lin Xiaoxiao ignored Lu Guangyi's cursing and continued, "Boss, Qingchen has been in there for four days, and he hasn't said a word, showing no signs of breaking down."

"He is an extremely intelligent person. From the first day, he slowed his breathing rate to avoid rapid water loss. Surviving four days is not surprising," Uncle Li said.

"Even so, being able to endure four days without a sound is rare. He doesn't seem to be suffering, but rather waiting. He hasn't had water for four days, and if he doesn't drink water, he will die," Lin Xiaoxiao said anxiously, "Boss, you value talent, let him go."

Lin Xiaoxiao, who originally didn't like Qingchen's pride, was now pleading for the young man.

Because he also knew what Qingchen was going through.

Ye Wan suddenly said, "Boss, the black room can't do anything to him, let him out."

But Uncle Li thought for a moment and said, "Water torture."

"Boss, he is extremely dehydrated. He will drink water instinctively when he sees it, and he will die," Lin Xiaoxiao was anxious.

Water torture involves placing a towel over the face of the person being tortured and pouring water on the towel.

Water torture is like a one-way valve. Water keeps flowing in, and the towel prevents you from spitting it out, so you can only exhale once. Even if you hold your breath, it feels like the air is being sucked away, like a vacuum cleaner.

Lin Xiaoxiao knew that a normal person couldn't withstand water torture, let alone someone who had been thirsty for four days.

When the water torture began, an extremely dehydrated person would drink greedily.

But the water that seeped through the towel would not only quench their thirst but also fill their lungs, destroying their last chance of survival.

However, Uncle Li seemed to have made up his mind.

"Life and death are his own choice. Without seeing true death, how can one walk my path?" Uncle Li asked calmly.

...

Countdown: 50:09:02.