Hi everyone, I’m finally back!! 🧡🧡
Because of its age and the fact that the fire inside the wooden house had apparently burned for a long time, everything inside had been burned to the ground.
But as the old saying goes, even if it’s burned completely, it will still leave ashes.
Although it was impossible to restore the exact structure of the wooden house, it was still possible to piece together what was once inside.
The thick bone ash on the walls and floor indicated that many people had died here.
In the corner of the room was a hard and irregularly shaped clump. On closer inspection, it turned out to be soil that had been fired at a high temperature and turned into a hard ceramic-like material.
Located beside the wall, and sticking to the wall, was a long clay product.
If Bai Lixin guessed correctly, it should be an earthen kang.
In the corner was something shiny. Bai Lixin looked closely and saw it was some metal scraps made of copper.
Copper is an important conductor for electrical wires, so these copper scraps should be the result of burned electrical wires.
On the pitch-black wall was a spot that looked slightly different from the rest.
It was a square outline a bit lighter in color than the surrounding area. Bai Lixin measured its size and deduced that there had probably been a frame hanging here. As for whether the frame held a painting or a photograph, it was hard to tell.
A more detailed observation revealed that although the space was now empty, a faint line extending across three walls could still be seen.
It seemed like there was a partition there before, dividing the hall into two sections.
Bai Lixin walked around the hall, gradually forming a preliminary model of the wooden house in his mind.
The door led into a living room, and beyond the living room was a bedroom, which had a large earthen kang against the wall.
The sound of impact from above pulled Bai Lixin back to reality.
Then he heard Green Down Jacket’s impatient voice, “It’s just a small monster. Haven’t you caught it yet?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
The noise suddenly became louder, then several black shadows fell from the beams and hit the ground heavily.
The black ash on the floor was stirred up. Bai Lixin looked up and saw the black shadow moving like a nimble water snake, disappearing after a few movements.
Green Down Jacket’s voice was cold, “Why are you so useless.”
[Brother.] Xia Chi sent a private message, [How come Green Down Jacket’s personality has changed so much? Did Pink Hair do something to him?]
Bai Lixin: […]
Compared to what Pink Hair did to Green Down Jacket, he was more curious about why Green Down Jacket was so obsessed with this monster.
“Ka la.”
“Ka la.”
Just when the scene fell into a deadlock, a rhythmic and strange muffled sound reached everyone’s ears.
The sound was very familiar, but they couldn’t recall what it was.
Bai Lixin recalled for a second before realizing that it seemed to be the sound of a rattle.
The sound of the rattle came one after another. Bai Lixin looked at the scene in front of him which seemed to come in waves.
Like ripples on the water, the air and the scene before him undulated with the sound.
His vision gradually blurred, and before losing consciousness, he instinctively held Xia Chi’s hand with one hand and tightly clenched his other hand into a fist.
It felt like just a moment of daze before Bai Lixin’s awareness snapped back to reality.
Surrounding him was a vast expanse of white; the wooden house was nowhere to be seen.
At his feet lay several people in disarray, all with various wounds, looking as though they had experienced a fierce battle.
Only he and Xia Chi were unharmed, though he wasn’t sure why.
Bai Lixin glanced at the time display in the top right corner of the system panel.
What he thought was just a blink of an eye had actually been ten minutes.
*Just to clarify: it originally said “an hour,” but I came back and changed it to “ten minutes” because a few chapters later, the author made it “ten minutes”.
They had lost a whole ten minutes of memories and were left with injuries.
Among the eight people, Bai Lixin and Xia Chi only had some dirt on them, while Green Down Jacket was only slightly injured with a shallow scratch.
The other five players were heavily injured.
One player was even unconscious.
Everyone was wearing down jackets, so Bai Lixin couldn’t see their expressions.
However, it seemed no one was criticizing Green Down Jacket’s poor command. Green Down Jacket stood still, staring at the wound on his arm in silence for a while, before he said flatly, “It’s getting late. Let’s go back.”
[Brother, do you remember what happened just now?] Xia Chi sent a private message while walking.
Bai Lixin clenched his fist, felt the hard edges in his palm, then slowly relaxed his hand: [No.]
Not only the two of them, but the others also seemed to have forgotten what had happened earlier.
To conserve their strength, they helped each other back, with almost no conversation on the way.
By the time the sun was about to set, they finally returned to the vicinity of the safe house.
The five heavily injured players lay weakly on plush blankets, and death notifications from the system came one after another.
[Ding! Player death X1.]
[Player death X1.]
[Player death X1.]
[Player death X1.]
In ten minutes, four players had died.
There were 81 players remaining.
The atmosphere was somber. A few players dug pits behind the safe house to bury the deceased players.
This patrol had cost the lives of four players and yielded very little.
It could be called an unprofitable expedition.
The sun set, the moon rose, and the cold night fell again.
The safe house was no longer the safe house from the first day; it was empty and desolate, with only three players inside.
By the third day, no one dared to stay in the safe house.
Contrary to the harsh snowy environment, the survival rate of players inside the safe house was even lower, which was
unexpected.
So now everyone preferred to huddle together rather than stay in the safe house.
Of course, there were exceptions.
When no one wants to go to the safe house, it becomes the safest place instead.
There were enough spots.
As long as one could endure the 30-second cooldown before entering again, they could stay in the safe house seamlessly.
Bai Lixin obviously could.
Four out of the eight members in the expedition team had died, but the survivor had fortunately survived.
Although the safe house wasn’t a great choice, it had simple medical treatment options, so the survivor entered the safe house.
The third person who entered the safe house was Green Down Jacket.
Probably because Green Down Jacket entered the safe house, the players outside came to a realization and gradually more people went into the safe house.
In half an hour, ten people had entered the safe house.
Bai Lixin, Lin Jue, the survivor, Green Down Jacket, Black-Framed Glasses, and several other players.
Everyone took off their heavy down jackets. This time, no one went upstairs; all ten stayed in the hall.
Bai Lixin finally saw the true face of Green Down Jacket.
He was a mature man, about the same age as Zhou Guang. His lips were slightly pursed, and his brows had noticeable wrinkles due to habitual frowning.
He had deep dark circles under his eyes and he looked somewhat haggard.
The survivor’s wounds had stopped bleeding. He looked at the drifting snow outside and spoke with a tone of reproach, “I told you the wooden house was dangerous. Why did you insist on going there?”
Green Down Jacket sat on the sofa, glanced at the survivor, and hesitated to speak.
He frowned habitually, as if he had difficulty explaining.
Unable to get an explanation, the survivor silently blamed Green Down Jacket with his eyes. Eventually, he sighed helplessly and went upstairs with his shaky body.
The heavy footsteps faded at the end of the stairs, and the hall on the first floor fell silent again.
The scene was very quiet.
Bai Lixin silently glanced at Green Down Jacket, whose eyes were filled with confusion.
“Hey, the one in the white shirt, you all went to the wooden house together. Why did they get injured, and you didn’t?”
Bai Lixin thought for a moment and opened his palm.
In his hand lay a small copper bell. Its surface was dim and worn, looking quite old.
Green Down Jacket stared at the bell in Bai Lixin’s hand. “What is this?”
Bai Lixin: “When we were enveloped by that snow, someone touched me and slipped this into my hand.”
Black-Framed Glasses: “You mean you are not injured because of this bell? Who gave it to you?”
Bai Lixin shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Ridiculous.” Black Framed Glasses clearly didn’t believe him. He pushed his glasses up and said, “It’s just a bell. I don’t believe it, unless you give it to me and I see how it works.”
Before Bai Lixin could say anything, Lin Jue next to him laughed. “Hmph, I think you’re the ridiculous one.”
“You dare to ask for anything, why not ask for the stars in the sky?”
Black-Framed Glasses’ cheeks turned slightly red.
“This isn’t an ordinary bell.” Bai Lixin lifted the copper bell with one hand and pointed to the inner side of the bell. “I found a character carved inside.”
Black-Framed Glasses urged, “What character?”
Bai Lixin: “The character ‘Chen’.”
Black-Framed Glasses: “What does that mean?”
Bai Lixin: “There are some totems that players engraved outside. If you look closely, you can notice some details that one would usually overlook.”
“For example, a little girl lost a shoe while running.”
“For example, an older brother carried his younger brother, and the younger brother had a thick book in his arms.”
“If you look more closely, you’ll see that the exposed corner of the book has the words: ‘Chen Family Genealogy’.”
The eyes of the players in the hall suddenly focused on the bell in Bai Lixin’s hand.
Black-Framed Glasses: “What does that tell us?”
Bai Lixin smiled. “It doesn’t tell us anything.”
“Our task for the first stage is to survive four days and nights on Goose Feather Mountain. These details probably won’t be needed in the first stage. But who can guarantee that these details won’t follow us into the second stage?”
Green Down Jacket finally snapped out of his long daze. “Are you saying that the first stage isn’t just about survival but also about preparing as much as possible for the second stage?”
Bai Lixin: “Maybe. At least for now, I don’t know what use this bell has, and I don’t know the significance of that mysterious wooden house.”
“Although it’s dangerous, as long as we don’t actively seek out that wooden house, it won’t pose any threat to us.”
“I think, perhaps, just perhaps, the wooden house might be our task for the second stage.”
The hall fell eerily quiet.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Bai Lixin, with curious and probing expressions.
Someone couldn’t help but urge, “Boss, continue. What else?”
“Why is Goose Feather Mountain so cold? Why can’t any fire be kindled on Goose Feather Mountain?”
“If it were a previous copy, these obviously suspicious questions would likely become tasks issued by the system. But after so many days, the system hasn’t given us any tasks, only telling us to persist for four days.”
“What else could it be?” Black-Framed Glasses pushed up his glasses. “Goose Feather Mountain wasn’t always a snowy mountain; it was just a normal forest. A great fire came, and the flames ravaged, burning the mountain and the people. Perhaps it was the resentful spirits of those who died unjustly that caused Goose Feather Mountain to never have any fire again.”
Bai Lixin pondered for a moment. “Who drew those totems?”
Black-Framed Glasses: “Who else could have drawn them but the survivors?”
Bai Lixin pinched his chin. “Then where are the survivors? Where did they go?”
Black-Framed Glasses became somewhat impatient. “Isn’t there an indigenous historical site? Where else could they have gone? It’s getting colder here; they must have moved away.”
“…” Bai Lixin was silent for a long time, murmuring softly as if speaking to himself, “Moved away.”
Black-Framed Glasses: “Nonsense. I thought you had some useful clue, but it turns out there’s nothing.”
Bai Lixin rubbed the bell in his hand thoughtfully and silently put it back in his backpack.
The conversation seemed to have come to an end.
The crowd didn’t get the answer they were hoping for, and it was disheartening.
“Did you figure out how the players who entered the wooden house died?” Just when everyone thought it was fruitless, Bai Lixin threw out another question.
The players became interested again. Green Down Jacket asked in a deep voice, “Do you know the identity of the monster that killed them?”
“I know, but it wasn’t a monster that killed them. It was themselves.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions froze.
They looked at each other as if they were listening to some Arabian Nights fairytale tale.
Bai Lixin: “I participated in the task of burying those four players. I carefully examined their wounds and discovered a fact that, though absurd, must be acknowledged.”
“Each of them had part of the same type of wound.”
The players in the hall looked confused.
Lin Jue reacted first. “According to the player protection rule, it is prohibited to attack players. If a player isn’t dead, the attacker will suffer the same damage as the attacked. If a player dies, the attacker will be punished with death.”
Black-Framed Glasses widened his eyes. “The same wounds… Fuck, that’s impossible!”
“I also noticed it,” the player in the red down jacket said. “But at the time, I thought those were wounds left by the monster. Since it was the same monster, the wounds must be the same, so I didn’t think much of it.”
Black-Framed Glasses was puzzled. “But how could they attack each other?”
Bai Lixin: “That’s what I want to know. Something happened during those ten minutes of lost memory that made the players harm each other.”
Black-Framed Glasses took a deep breath. “If the wooden house wasn’t supposed to be part of our first stage, then could it be the next stage we have to experience?”
The crowd fell into silence.
This feeling was strange. It was as if they were the chosen ones who had predicted the exam questions in advance, but they didn’t have the excitement of having guessed correctly.
Geniuses who guessed the questions would just shrug because they already know the answers.
Wastes who guessed the questions wouldn’t even know how to solve them, so what good would it do?
“Do you have any suggestions?” When the player in the red down jacket spoke to Bai Lixin again, his tone was much more respectful.
Bai Lixin silently glanced at Green Down Jacket. “I want to go to the wooden house again. As for suggestions, my suggestion is if you can’t figure it out, don’t think about it—things will work out in the end.”
Green down jacket: “…”
On the third day, the temperature outside didn’t drop much, remaining at -90 degrees.
Everyone thought that the temperature would only get lower as time went by, but it seemed there was a limit. Once this limit was reached, the temperature stopped falling.
Tonight’s snowstorm was also not as severe as last night’s.
They thought it was the final round, but it turned out to be just the regular season.
On the third night, no one died.
In the Goose Feather Mountain copy, 81 players survived.
……
After two days of exploring, there was nothing left to excavate at the supply sites. On the first day, they brought back most of the supplies; on the second day, there were only a few.
With limited food, excessive movement was actually a negative consumption.
The system hadn’t issued any new tasks for a day, so the players decided to stay put and conserve their strength after a vote.
However, among the majority who wanted to stay, a few still wanted to move around. The others allowed these players to go, as the legs were theirs to use after all.
Bai Lixin was among those who wanted to move.
He was accompanied by Lin Jue and Samael, while Song Yuantian and the others decided to stay behind.
The three of them prepared and set out.
After walking for a while, Lin Jue stopped and sneered through his mask. “Hey, Bai Lixin, we’ve picked up a few little tails behind us.”
Bai Lixin continued walking without turning around. “I noticed. Ignore them. We’ll keep going.”
About ten meters behind Bai Lixin’s group, three people led by the one in the pink down jacket followed closely.
They walked along the snow tracks left by Bai Lixin’s group, maintaining a distance of ten meters—neither too close nor too far.
After walking like this for two hours, the scenery ahead began to change.
Pink Hair who had been following behind quickened his pace and soon caught up with Bai Lixin.
“Brother.” Pink Hair’s voice was sweet and childish as soon as he came up. “This road seems to be the opposite direction to the wooden house.”
Bai Lixin said while walking, “Who said I’m going to the wooden house?”
Black-Framed Glasses immediately spoke up, “Didn’t you say last night at the safe house that you were going to the wooden house?”
Bai Lixin shrugged. “Plans change faster than circumstances. I changed my mind and am now heading to the indigenous historical site.”
Pink Hair: “…”
Black-Framed Glasses moved closer to Pink Hair and spoke in a low, humble voice. “Brother, I was also deceived. Please don’t be angry with me, okay?”
“Of course not.” Pink Hair’s voice carried a smile, and it was hard to tell whether he was angry or happy. “I love Brother the most. How could I be angry with you?”
“Brother.” Pink Hair came closer to Bai Lixin. “We’ve followed you this far. You won’t leave us behind, right~”
Bai Lixin laughed. “Then let’s go together, Brother.”
He followed for two hours before realizing that the direction was wrong. How could he not believe it?
With a thousand-year-old fox here, what kind of play would this Pink Hair put on for him?
The indigenous historical site was not far from the safe house.
It was probably a coincidence, but this place was also very close to the Glacier Graveyard.
