Chapter 75

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Zhao Zixun took out a flashlight and led the way into the void.

As soon as Bai Zhi stepped inside the enclosed space, a damp, musky smell assailed her senses. The clear sound of dripping water cut through the quiet darkness. She could see several shallow puddles of water on the ground.

“The pipes are old and in need of repair…” Xiang Chen noted disappointedly, “This is probably just another dead end.”

Zhao Zixun did not respond. He methodically scanned over every nook and cranny with his flashlight. Water seeped from the ceiling and flowed in small trickles down the walls. It reflected the pale yellow glow of the flashlight.

A drop of water suddenly landed on Bai Zhi’s neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

After a while, they arrived at the end of the wide square-shaped room. A mottled, stone bed occupied one corner.

“Why is there a bed here?” Bai Zhi was puzzled.

She had a hard time imagining anyone living here. The room had no windows, no light source. If it weren’t for the flashlight, they would be left in total darkness.

“This place is used for confinement,” Zhao Zixun explained. “Either they suffocate and die, or they go crazy from the long-term isolation in the darkness.”

“Perhaps in the game from ten years ago… this room was used to punish people who broke the rules?” Bai Zhi speculated.

“… Ten years ago?” Xiang Chen was stunned. He was only eight years old then!

“Let’s get out of here and check out the other gates,” Zhao Zixun said.

After they left East Gate 1, they continued along the wall to East Gate 2 and East Gate 3. They carefully inspected each gate, and little by little, they uncovered the rules of the previous game.

East Gate 1 turned out to be a dark enclosed room. East Gate 2 contained a large, rusty sickle and a small platform big enough to fit a prone man. East Gate 3 held an enormous iron cage. The hair-raising claw-marks and large food trough indicated that some kind of beast—maybe a lion or tiger—had once been held there.

Three hidden gates, three different penalties.

Perhaps the cliff on the other side was the most benevolent of these gates.

Bai Zhi’s face was pale as a ghost. She clutched at the hem of Zhao Zixun’s clothes until her knuckles turned white. Her stomach churned, and she had to fight the urge to spill her guts all over the floor.

Zhao Zixun turned around. His big hand caressed her face soothingly. Then he pressed his warm lips against her cold, clammy forehead. “Hey, it’s okay. Those are all relics of the past. Don’t worry, you have me now.”

Bai Zhi continued to shake uncontrollably. Her teeth chattered loudly as she tried to suppress the fear inside her heart, “L-l-let’s go check the remaining gates…”

“Fine,” Zhao Zixun nodded, stroking her hair.

Xiang Chen watched the two of them glumly.

As if sensing his mood, Bai Zhi turned around to look at Xiang Chen. His intense gaze full of tumultuous emotions shook her to the core. Nervously, she chewed her bottom lip.

“Xiang Chen… Let’s go,” she said softly.

He was silent for a while before finally nodding.

The final hidden gate was on the central axis in the latitudinal direction—directly opposite the entrance of the prison.

Instead of taking the shorter route to get to the southern-most end of the prison, they opted to follow the perimeter. They wanted to check if there were any other peculiarities in the walls of the prison. But by the time they reached the gate, they realized that they had arrived a step too late—

The concealed gate had already been opened, and there was a faint light roving within the darkness.

There was someone inside.

Zhao Zixun and Xiang Chen exchanged a solemn look.

“Should we go onto the next gate and come back, or…” Bai Zhi asked hesitantly.

“We have to see what is inside this gate. The gates on the eastern and western sides of the prison are symmetrical and probably similar in content. This gate stands out from the rest, AND it directly faces the main entrance. There will definitely be important clues inside. They may tamper with those clues to mislead us if we don’t go in now,” Xiang Ye calmly assessed. The lazy teenager was nowhere to be seen.

Zhao Zixun agreed. “The mantis stalks the cicada unaware of the oriole behind. We are the oriole behind. Safety won’t be an issue.”

Bai Zhi was still nervous. She had a bad premonition…

The person inside should be Xiao Yang, but who else was with him?

“I don’t know what’s behind this gate. Stay close to me, and don’t get lost,” Zhao Zixun said pointedly. He turned off the flashlight. Using the faint light inside, he carefully made his way past the concealed gate.

Bai Zhi and Xiang Chen glanced at each other. They could see a mutual understanding in the other’s eyes. Without a delay, they too rushed into the enclosure that someone else had unlocked for them.

TL Woes:

Huge thanks to my roommate, supermanatee, for letting me use her laptop to translate this.

I mentioned it in the updates page (which no one reads), but my screen flickering problem is back and here to stay. I have put in the order for a new laptop, but it won’t arrive until the 19th. Chapters will probably be even more sporadic for the time being.

XX Umi Yuki

Other resources: Character List

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