Chapter 71: Voluntary participation only ensures their temporary safety.

The lights in the central hall, as warm as the sun, remained bright, but Jiang Chunhua and his entourage had completely disappeared.

After everyone left, Gu Keke began to ponder the clues left by Tang Cailei.

She rested her hands on the bench, tilted her head, and glanced back and forth between the group of people.

"An invisible wall..."

Gu Keke muttered to herself, "Is the invisible wall that Tang Cailei mentioned real? Have any of you noticed it?"

Before Luo Chuange and Lao Ren could answer her question, Liang Jun, leaning back in her chair, spoke first.

"I've seen it."

Amidst the astonished expressions of the crowd, Liang Jun briefly recounted the entire process of how she discovered the invisible wall.

Old Ren sighed softly, "I didn't expect you to move all those things by yourself. If you had told me earlier, Xiao Luo and I could have helped you out."

Luo Chuange, who was mentioned, looked full of regret.

"I never expected that the clue we got in return would be one we already knew... If only we had made him choose one we didn't know about back then..."

Leung Yung could understand what everyone was thinking at that moment.

However, as night falls and the night progresses, it is not advisable for them to continue wasting any more unnecessary time in the current environment.

I won't go into any more details about the invisible wall.

Liang Jun reached behind her waist with her right hand and took out the half-empty bottle of mineral water and the unopened bread, waving them in front of everyone.

"I mainly want to talk to you about some clues regarding vending machines."

"The 24-hour vending machine is located in the northeast corner of the emergency aid station. I've checked all the other places, and there's only that one machine."

Liang Jun pointed in a direction completely different from the invisible wall, "The vending machine doesn't have a very complete selection of items, only the most basic food and drinking water, and the inventory isn't very large either."

She then casually mentioned the unit price of the goods, "but compared with other traded items in the instance, their prices are indeed a bit high."

After a brief moment of thought, Luo Chuange blurted out, "Sister Jun, your treatment cost 200 points each, and it only cost 400 points in total."

Having obtained the new information, Liang Jun quickly digested the knowledge in her mind, becoming even more certain of her own thoughts.

“Things are valued for their scarcity, and this principle likely applies even in rule-based worlds. The reason food is priced so high is probably because it is an extremely rare resource in dungeons, and we didn’t have any need for it before, so we didn’t put much effort into it.”

After Liang Jun reminded them, the others began to ponder and carefully recall the relevant details from their previous two challenges.

Liang Jun then got up again and walked to the window.

The rich aroma of chocolate filled my nostrils, and the crescent moon had unknowingly crossed the mountain peak and climbed higher.

Liang Jun casually placed her hand on the window frame and turned to look at the people sitting on the bench.

"Actually, our current action plan is already very clear - we need to find a way to get through the invisible wall before 3:30 a.m. and successfully reach the infusion room area on the second floor to get through the night safely."

"That makes sense, but we still haven't found a way to break through the invisible wall, have we?"

Old Ren simply crossed his legs and sat cross-legged on the gingerbread bench, enjoying himself as if he were in his own home.

"If you ask me, we should go and meet up with Tang Cailei and the others right now. Even if they haven't come up with a solution yet, it's better to have someone with us than to wait here all alone."

"Who said we have to wait forever?"

Liang Jun chuckled and shook her head, her gaze returning to the speaker.

"Old Ren, you're the only player here who's both drunk water and eaten bread. Are you feeling any discomfort right now?"

Old Ren almost choked on his own saliva, seemingly not expecting the topic to change so quickly.

He coughed violently for a long time, then let out a loud burp.

Old Ren chuckled and said, "Aside from feeling a little full, I don't feel anything else."

Leung Chung successfully confirmed the last point—

The food sold in vending machines can indeed fill the player's stomach.

"Take your own food with you."

Liang Xun quickly returned to her original position, tidied everything up first, and stood at the entrance of another corridor. "While we have some time, I'll take you to the vending machine area. Everyone, try to buy all the food you might need later."

Apart from them, there was no other living person in the emergency aid station; the overall atmosphere was eerily desolate.

But everywhere you look, there are warm-toned lights. Even this vending machine, which is barely as tall as a person, is equipped with orange-red light strips that blink under the yellow light.

Dangerous yet alluring.

Apart from Liang Jun, the rest of them huddled together in front of the vending machine's glass, staring intently at it.

After all, this kind of thing is quite rare in games.

The vending machine has beverages on the upper shelf and food on the lower shelf.

At first glance, it seems to be a dazzling array of products, but upon closer inspection, it turns out to be nothing more than bottled water and bread with different brand stickers.

There are now obvious gaps in the supply that Liang Jun previously purchased.

Gu Keke seemed to be engrossed in the space, staring intently at it, her brows gradually furrowing.

“Sister Jun,” she turned to look at Liang Jun outside the crowd, “don’t you think this looks a lot like the vending machines at Wilson College?”

A single word awakened me from my dream.

Luo Chuange, also a player from Wilson Academy, suddenly realized what was happening. Amidst the still puzzled looks of the others, his expression immediately turned grim. He tentatively asked, "Sister Jun, does the library's rules also apply here...?"

Listening to their incoherent conversation, the other three players were completely baffled.

Qi Zhixia, sitting in her wheelchair, shrank back. "What library? What rules? What are you talking about..."

“Summer,” Liang Jun interrupted Qi Zhixia’s question, “reach out and touch the glass of the vending machine, and see if you can trigger any hidden rules.”

Qi Zhixia was puzzled, but she did as instructed.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Qi Zhixia's system remained quiet, without any abnormal reactions.

Their gazes met after passing through the crowd, and Liang Yan's lips parted slightly.

"The machine may occasionally malfunction. Please do not shake the machine and wait quietly for your refund..."

After repeating the relevant rules of the library, Liang Jun waited a few more seconds.

Qi Zhixia also tacitly knew what the other party wanted to do, but her system remained silent, falling into a deep silence.

She could only shake her head. "No hidden rules have emerged."

Looking into Qi Zhixia's gradually clearing eyes, Liang Xun then answered Luo Chuange's question.

"At first, I thought the same as you. I always felt that because I had previously mastered this known rule, the system wouldn't give me any prompts when I touched it again."

“But you just saw it too,” Liang Junchao and Qi Zhixia gave each other a look, “Summer has never been in contact with Wilson Academy, yet she also couldn’t trigger the hidden rules.”

Luo Chuange pondered for a few seconds, "So, the similar rules across different instances are actually not universally applicable?"

Liang Jun nodded, but then immediately shook her head.

"That's true, but it seems that the system is starting to keep some unknown rules secret from players, so we still can't let our guard down."

She glanced at Lao Ren's eager expression, then turned her gaze back to the constantly flashing vending machine.

"Based on the progress of the clearance, we still need to complete at least six more amusement rides. But we are not sure how many days it will take to complete the next game. If we continue at today's pace, we will probably need to prepare supplies for another six days."

However, the vending machine had already been ransacked by Liang Jun, and now there were not many items left to buy.

Liang Xun's temples were throbbing slightly. "Everyone should buy all the supplies they need, according to the plan of one bottle of water and one bag of bread per day."

Upon hearing this, everyone tacitly formed a queue in front of the vending machine.

At the head of the line were Qi Zhixia and Wang Jianping, who was pushing a wheelchair. Just as Qi Zhixia was about to raise her hand to press the button, Liang Xun's voice reminded her from the back of the line.

Just in case, everyone must remember—

Liang Jun recalled her previous memories, "If the goods do not fall out after the payment is successful, do not shake the machine or try to open the dispensing slot yourself. Just wait patiently for the machine to refund the points, and do not do anything else."

Her tone was tinged with coldness. Even the usually unserious Lao Ren felt that this matter seemed rather serious, and his hands unconsciously pressed tightly against the seams of his trousers.

The procurement of supplies proceeded smoothly, and before long, everyone was carrying bags full of goods.

They didn't usually carry backpacks before entering this instance. So, they had to awkwardly clutch the six bottles of mineral water and six bags of bread to their chests.

The others were fine, but Luo Chuange was clearly in more trouble.

His left hand seemed normal, and he hadn't felt any discomfort while holding the unconscious Gu Keke earlier; but now, when he made the arm-circling motion, his left hand seemed to have been suddenly numb, and he lost all strength.

The bread bags on top of the mineral water bottle were falling down with a clatter. Luo Chuange instinctively tried to reach out and stop them, but the water bottle in his arms slipped and fell to the ground like cannonballs.

Fortunately, the height wasn't high enough to break the water bottle. Luo Chuange could only awkwardly crouch down and pick up the supplies from the ground one by one.

A bottle of water, acting out of turn, rolled to Qi Zhixia's feet. Seeing Luo Chuange's hand about to reach out, Qi Zhixia pulled her foot back.

She pursed her lips slightly, turned her head and whispered something to Wang Jianping behind her.

Luo Chuange, who had finished collecting the supplies, was about to get up when Lao Ren, who was standing nearby, couldn't bear to see him suffer from clumsiness at such a young age. So, he kindly offered to help him.

Unexpectedly, this action resulted in twelve bottles of water rolling all over the floor.

Qi Zhixia turned her head away, unable to bear looking at her.

"I just discussed it with Director Wang, and we think we should put all the supplies in the wheelchairs."

"ah?"

Luo Chuange, who was crawling on the ground, glanced at her—but only for a moment—before quickly shifting his gaze to the little space left behind her.

"This isn't quite right..."

This time, instead of immediately picking them up, he first neatly arranged the supplies on the ground. "There's not much space left behind you. Including your and Director Wang's supplies, plus Sister Jun and Coco's supplies, it'll be difficult to fit just twenty-four bottles of water."

Qi Zhixia seemed to have considered this issue long ago, and she gave a slight smile.

"It's alright, there's a small storage bag at the back of the wheelchair, which can also be used to store some supplies."

Her grey-blue eyes swept over Luo Chuange again, neither too lightly nor too heavily, "It's more convenient to be in a wheelchair than to be carried by someone."

That makes sense, but Luo Chuange felt a burning sensation behind his ears.

"Actually, it's not just that."

Wang Jianping glanced down at the hands that were still tightly gripping the wheelchair. "Most importantly, the supplies placed on the wheelchair can withstand all physical damage. Since these are scarce resources, there is an inevitable possibility that players will try to steal the food—so in this sense, we can help everyone protect these supplies."

That's true, but there's only so much space left in the wheelchair. Even the small storage bag that Qi Zhixia mentioned is only big enough to hold a few bags of bread before it's bulging.

"or……"

"Director Wang, the self-protecting cart can be used in conjunction with other props, right?"

Liang Jun stood in the corner holding the supplies, and although she hadn't said much, she suddenly asked a question.

Although Wang Jianping didn't know her true thoughts, he still answered the captain's question.

"Yes, this item is mentioned separately in the prop instructions," Wang Jianping replied truthfully.

"Then there's no problem."

Liang Jun breathed a sigh of relief, then steadied herself and slowly squatted down, placing all the supplies in her arms steadily on the ground without any rolling off.

After doing all this, she ignored the gazes of everyone present and immersed herself in the system.

"What is Sister Jun doing?"

Luo Chuange moved aside quietly, whispering to Gu Keke, "Is she going to the mall to buy something? But does the mall have any containers to hold things...?"

Gu Keke tugged at the supplies in her arms a couple more times, her eyes fixed on Liang Xuan's currently empty palm.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Sister Jun will probably buy it..."

"Shaping clay".

Liang Jun and Gu Keke said in unison.

The familiar red clay flashed in Liang Xun's palm. She didn't say anything, but walked straight to Wang Jianping's side.

As Liang Xun patted the clay onto the wheelchair, Gu Keke took on the role of the guide.

"This prop is called 'Shaping Clay,' worth 250,000, and it's a one-time use item. It can change the shape and size of any object. My sister and I used it in the second level."

Following Gu Keke's explanation, Liang Xun began to operate the equipment as if she were demonstrating a movement.

Since Qi Zhixia is still in a wheelchair, the front half of the wheelchair cannot be adjusted for the time being, so we have to change our approach and expand the corresponding rear half.

"You grab that side."

As soon as Liang Jun finished speaking to Wang Jianping, she grabbed the carbon fiber support on the right rear side of the wheelchair.

Wang Jianping quickly caught up with Liang Xuan's train of thought. To make it easier to operate, he quickly rolled up his sleeves and gripped the other side of the wheelchair support.

The two people pulled backward in sync, trying to keep the back of the wheelchair level and prevent the surface from tilting.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone, Liang Yan used props to expand the wheelchair seat, which was originally only big enough for one person, to a size that could easily accommodate two people.

Not only that, Liang Jun also expanded the storage bag's capacity. The carbon fiber, after being processed by lamination, is much harder than steel, so even if Liang Jun stretched the storage bag to several times its original size, it wouldn't wobble at all.

Liang Jun squeezed and adjusted the self-protective stroller from left to right until she was finally satisfied with the result.

"So, is this size convenient for you?"

As the person pushing the stroller, Wang Jianping's experience with it is definitely among the best.

Wang Jianping tried it out. Although the wheelchair was much larger, the materials used were still the same, and the weight remained unchanged, so it wasn't too troublesome.

Seeing that Wang Jianping had no suggestions for revision, Liang Jun asked Qi Zhixia, who was sitting in the front row.

Qi Zhixia only said that her space was more spacious now, so she could store more supplies, and she was already very satisfied.

Seeing this, Liang Jun reached out and touched the piece of red clay stuck to the wheelchair.

Just like before, the clay vanished into thin air the instant her fingers touched its softness.

"alright."

After finishing everything, Liang Jun clapped her hands lightly, walked back to her original position with a sigh of relief, and picked up the pile of supplies on the ground again.

"The wheelchairs have now been modified, so everyone can put the supplies evenly on them."

Qi Zhixia and Wang Jianping took the initiative to protect the supplies. They distributed the supplies that everyone handed them to them in the front seats and the storage bags in the back.

Considering the issues of counterweight and easier implementation, Wang Jianping stored two-thirds of the supplies in storage bags, leaving only some bread that was not easy to roll onto Qi Zhixia's seat.

One of the major problems within the instance has been temporarily resolved.

Next, they will have to face the most difficult hurdle of the night: life or death.

On the way back from the vending machine to the central hall, everyone unusually became somber.

Everyone carries a vague and unclear abacus in their heart. As time becomes more and more urgent, the frequency of the abacus beads being moved gradually increases. Each sound of the beads striking is a deafening heartbeat for them.

The sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes still lingered in the central hall, and the warm scent of roasted chestnuts continued to waft through the empty space.

Where are they?

Old Ren quickened his pace and rushed to the front of the line. "They've been at the end of the corridor for so long, why haven't they come back yet?"

Gu Keke also began to have doubts.

She walked to the bench where Jiang Chunhua and others had sat, spread her fingers, and laid her sensitive palm flat on the seat made of ginger candy.

After sensing for a while, Gu Keke shook her head in the direction of the main force.

"The bench was cold; they must have left a long time ago, or perhaps they never came back."

Liang Jun didn't say anything, but walked to the last row of the bench and casually sat down.

There are only two reasons why the four of them disappeared—

They either left the emergency aid station early to find a more suitable place to spend the night, or they found a way to open the invisible wall and have already made their way to the second-floor infusion room.

But a hypothesis is just a hypothesis; for them, the first point is simply impossible.

Firstly, the two teams had already reached a cooperative agreement, which Jiang Chunhua had negotiated. If they were to leave now, it would mean the breakdown of the cooperation, and they would likely not make such a choice.

Furthermore, it's already late at night. If they abandon the known overnight areas and insist on seeking thrills in the unknown, desolate mountains at night, Liang Jun thinks that with such a mindset, they won't survive to the third level.

Therefore, they are only safe for the time being.

"Captain? Captain?"

Liang Jun came to her senses and noticed Lao Ren waving his hand in front of her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Old Ren scratched his head. "I really have a bad feeling about this. Could you go down the hallway and check what's going on?"

That's good, at least it confirms my suspicions.

Liang Jun tacitly agreed, saying, "Remember, don't alert them."

Having received approval, Lao Ren jogged quickly into the southeast corridor, and soon his dark figure hurriedly reappeared.

"They're gone! They've been gone for ages!"

Old Ren stood there, panting heavily. "That curtain has long been completely lifted, and all that's left at the end of the corridor is a lonely staircase!"

"What about the invisible wall?"

Qi Zhixia keenly grasped the key information.

At this point, Lao Ren's breath hitched, and he tugged at his clothes somewhat embarrassedly.

"Oh dear, I'm a little hesitant to go over there... You all know how invisible walls are, you can't see them with the naked eye. I only got a rough idea before rushing over to find you guys. Let's all go take a look together!"

Qi Zhixia pursed her lips speechlessly, then turned her head to look at Liang Xuan sitting in the back row.

The other party, however, had already gotten up.

"Let's go, let's go too."

Perhaps some players wanted to make things easier, so the tattered curtain was fixed high above the door frame.

The immense pulling force nearly tore the already tattered fabric to pieces.

Liang Jun kicked aside the messy debris on the road, squinted, and moved closer to where the invisible wall should be.

Old Ren is right. It is indeed difficult to tell whether an invisible wall exists with the naked eye; the only way to test it is to touch it with an object.

Without a word, Liang Xun casually picked up a piece of cardboard and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, slowly pushed it inside—

The cardboard passed smoothly through the area where the air wall originally existed, without any obstruction.

Liang Jun suddenly felt a sense of relief throughout her body.

She casually tossed the cardboard into the stairwell, but perhaps she used a little too much force. Liang Jun didn't notice that her hand was about to enter the invisible wall's range.

"Wait a moment!"

Wang Jianping swiftly pulled Liang Jun back. Liang Jun loosened her grip, and the cardboard piece was thrown to the edge of the area.

"Your hand was almost in there."

Wang Jianping took two deep breaths. "I know that right now you can only test that the invisible wall no longer exists, but whether players can safely enter is still unknown."

Just as Liang Jun was about to speak, Wang Jianping spoke first again.

"In the future, if there is any need for players to conduct experiments within the team, I will volunteer to participate."

After saying that, he stretched out his right hand and reached towards the invisible wall.

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Author's Note: This is now a paid chapter! I never thought Mint would be someone who goes on a paid chapter!

Huge progress, keep up the good work! =v=