Chapter 116 The Second
Twenty minutes, in the current situation, is just a blink of an eye.
Many thoughts raced through Lin Qiushi's mind, but he found that none of them could save Ruan Nanzhu. The only thing capable of killing the box girl, Bai Muchun, was still in Ruan Nanzhu's possession. He didn't know if Bai Muchun's ability would be enough to kill the box girl, or if the gasoline passed through the door would be effective... Everything was unknown, and the price of that uncertainty might be Ruan Nanzhu's life.
Lin Qiushi felt indescribably weak. Before the sect's rules, he was so weak, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. He could only be crushed and watch Ruan Nanzhu die.
"Yu Linlin." A voice suddenly rang out beside him. Xiao Ji, who had been standing in the distance, had walked up to him and asked, "Are you okay, Yu Linlin?"
Lin Qiushi glanced at him, his eyes so cold that Xiao Ji's expression froze slightly.
"Is the key from the safe we opened earlier... still on her?" Xiao Ji bluntly pointed out the key point. "If the box girl takes this item, we'll be at a huge disadvantage, so..."
Lin Qiushi said coldly, "What do you want?"
Xiao Ji said: "I mean, you can't let her put the key through the crack of the door..."
Before he could say anything, Lin Qiushi interrupted him, saying, "No."
Xiao Ji was so abruptly interrupted by Lin Qiushi's words that she laughed awkwardly and said, "Okay, I can't... forget it."
Although he said forget it, the expressions of the others in the crowd who heard this conversation turned sour. After all, this was the key to the door. If the box girl buried it directly, their chances of leaving would be even smaller. As a result, the eyes of the crowd looking at Lin Qiushi changed subtly, and there was something else in their sympathy.
Lin Qiushi also sensed this change, but he didn't react. In fact, at this moment, a very crazy idea emerged in his mind.
The door had its rules. If only one person remained, that person would be protected by the door's rules, and the ghosts within would no longer be able to harm them. And now, only Ruan Nanzhu was left inside the room... Lin Qiushi forced himself to shake the thought off, but the fear of losing Ruan Nanzhu was like a snake, tightly wrapping around him.
"What do you want to say?" Lin Qiushi himself didn't realize that when he said this, the others looked at him with a timid look in their eyes, obviously frightened by his expression and tone.
"Linlin." Sun Yuanzhou seemed to want to say something, but in the end he said nothing. He just sighed and said, "Forget it... Don't force it."
"Why don't you force it?" A sharp voice suddenly erupted from the crowd. Lin Qiushi looked over and saw Xuan Zihui, who had been targeting Ruan Nanzhu, shouting loudly, "If she dies, we'll lose our key! Yu Linlin, you have to understand, if she loves you, she'll voluntarily hand over the key! She won't let you die here like this!"
Lin Qiushi stared at her, his eyes as cold as a frozen lake.
Xuan Zihui had originally been furious, but under Lin Qiushi's gloomy gaze, her tone inexplicably became somewhat guilty. She even took two steps back involuntarily and swallowed, "I... I'm just giving you a suggestion."
Lin Qiushi said, "Well, then I also have the right to refuse advice, right?"
Xuan Zihui had nothing to say and bit her lower lip unwillingly.
Lin Qiushi spoke softly and calmly, "If something truly happens to him and we can't find the culprit, we'll all die here together." His lips curled upward, his eyes like the dark waters before a storm. "I won't let the person who killed him leave this door alive."
Everyone knew that Lin Qiushi was serious. They no longer dared to say anything to persuade him and could only watch time pass by bit by bit.
Lin Qiushi said, "Zhu Meng..." He pressed his face against the door and said, "You're so smart. Think about it. Is there any other way..."
Ruan Nanzhu was inside the room. He also sensed Lin Qiushi's impending collapse and said, "Linlin, don't worry. Let me think about it. Maybe... there's a solution. Don't worry."
Lin Qiushi gritted his teeth and said, "You lied to me, you fucking lied to me!" Now that he thought about it, Ruan Nanzhu must have anticipated all this.
He was not in a good state during the day, and Lin Qiushi thought at the time that he was recalling the past. Now, it seems that Ruan Nanzhu not only recalled the past, but also noticed the existence of a second accomplice.
But what else could he do? He could only isolate himself from the others. Otherwise, if the box girl used that skill, he might not be the only one to die.
As the target of the Box Girl's constant surveillance, Ruan Nanzhu tried his best. At least he made the Box Girl waste one of her ultimate moves, so that Lin Qiushi and he would not fall into danger together.
There was no movement in the room. Lin Qiushi didn't want to waste any more time here, so he got up, went downstairs, and started unpacking.
If the most useful item in the game could be released again, Ruan Nanzhu might still have a chance of survival.
Liang Miye obviously guessed what Lin Qiushi wanted to do. She watched Lin Qiushi open two boxes, but both boxes were empty. Then Lin Qiushi walked to the third box and raised his hand to open it.
"Linlin, wake up." Liang Miye knew it was best not to provoke Lin Qiushi right now, but seeing his actions, she still gritted her teeth and said, "Don't open a third one. There's no guarantee for the third one. If anything happens to you, Ruan... Zhu Meng will be heartbroken!"
Lin Qiushi ignored him and directly lifted the lid of the box. His last hope was shattered when he opened the third box. There was nothing inside, no human props, no skills, no box people - nothing.
At this moment, Lin Qiushi even had a dark thought in his mind. He hoped that a box man would come out from inside so that he could walk ahead of Ruan Nanzhu and avoid having to endure what was going to happen next.
With only a dozen minutes left, he returned to the room where Ruan Nanzhu was locked up, leaned against the door and buried his face in his knees.
Ruan Nanzhu seemed to have noticed the movement outside from inside the door and said, "Linlin, is that you?"
Lin Qiushi said, "I don't know what to do." He said, "I'm too weak. I can't save you." He covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking slightly, and his emotions were on the verge of exploding.
His desperate voice made Ruan Nanzhu's heart sink inside the door. He knelt by the door, put his face against it, and comforted his lover. He said, "Linlin, don't worry, don't cry..." After he said this, he smiled bitterly, feeling that his persuasion was so powerless.
"Who is it? Who is the accomplice? Have you guessed it?" Lin Qiushi asked, "Is it him?" He said a name, and then Ruan Nanzhu in the door nodded and said, "He is the most likely one, but it still needs to be confirmed... I have a way... You do as I say." He began to explain the rest of the things to Lin Qiushi.
Lin Qiushi listened for a while without saying anything. Just when Ruan Nanzhu thought he had calmed down a bit, he suddenly said, "If they all died, would you be able to survive?"
"No," Ruan Nanzhu said, "If you were among them, I wouldn't be able to survive."
Lin Qiushi said, "No, you won't. This is an opportunity I bought with my life. You must cherish it."
Ruan Nanzhu said, "You can't kill everyone. There is still one in my room." Tian Guxue was in the same room with him, but Tian Guxue had a mental breakdown when she found the door was locked. Ruan Nanzhu thought she was troublesome, so he simply tied her up with a bed sheet and stuffed her mouth. He was not at all soft-hearted towards traitors.
"Then what exactly do you want from me?!" Hearing this, Lin Qiushi roared. He was extremely angry and mad, and he slammed the door in front of him with his fist. "I don't need your sacrifice. I fucking want to be with you! Even if it means death, I want to be with you! Ruan Nanzhu, can't you please consider my feelings?!"
Ruan Nanzhu didn't say anything.
Lin Qiushi roared for a while, then quieted down. He muttered to himself, "I thought we still had plenty of time..."
Now thinking about it, he was too naive.
No matter how strong Ruan Nanzhu is, he is just an ordinary person facing the targeted attacks of the monsters inside the door. Even if he discovers something, the only thing he can do is not to involve others.
Ruan Nanzhu, who was inside the door, suddenly whispered, "Yu Linlin, I love you."
Lin Qiushi was silent for a moment after hearing this, then he said in a hoarse voice, "I love you too. Please, can you please stay alive?"
Ruan Nanzhu seemed to be about to say something, but a shrill howl came from inside the door. Lin Qiushi was very familiar with this cry, it was the voice of the Box Girl. Lin Qiushi glanced at the watch on his wrist, and the hour hand fell to twelve o'clock - the Box Girl could use her skills again.
After the howling, there was silence. No matter how much Lin Qiushi called out, there was no response from inside.
Lin Qiushi stood up shakily and staggered away. At this moment, he still had something to do - to avenge Ruan Nanzhu.
Others were still looking for the fire extinguisher, but no one had found it until after twelve o'clock.
Lin Qiushi returned to his room and sat in his chair for a long time without moving.
Liang Miye was very worried about his mental state, but she didn't dare to persuade him, so she had to sit next to Lin Qiushi and accompany him.
It was almost three in the morning when she cautiously said, "Linlin, do you want to go to sleep for a while?"
Lin Qiushi raised his eyes and looked at her. Liang Miye felt a little uneasy under his gaze and quickly said, "Oh... It's okay if you don't want to sleep..." Thinking about it carefully, if she encountered such a thing, she would probably be more fragile than Lin Qiushi.
Lin Qiushi said, "Okay, let's get some sleep then."
After he said this, he actually got on the bed and fell asleep.
Liang Miye was even more frightened. She had actually seen many cases of people losing their loved ones. It was better to cry on the spot. If she kept it in her heart like Lin Qiushi, it would be more likely to cause trouble.
But Liang Miye didn't dare to say anything else and turned around and went to her bed.
As a result, Lin Qiushi fell asleep, but she tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. She didn't sleep much the whole night until around five in the morning, when she closed her eyes in a daze.
The next morning, when Liang Miye woke up, Lin Qiushi was gone. She hurried downstairs without even washing her face, only to find Lin Qiushi already sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast.
He didn't look like he was about to collapse, but rather unusually calm.
Liang Miye's hair was messy, and she was still in her pajamas. Facing the looks from the others, she awkwardly greeted Lin Qiushi and said, "Linlin, good morning."
"Good morning." Lin Qiushi said.
Because Lin Qiushi opened three boxes in one go yesterday, Liang Miye had no food to eat today. However, this was a small matter. The most important thing was that Ruan Nanzhu was gone.
Liang Miye turned around and went back to her room. When she passed by Ruan Nanzhu's room, she tried to open it. Not surprisingly, she found that the door was still locked and could not be opened from the outside.
There was no movement in the house...
Liang Miye thought of Ruan Nanzhu's appearance and sighed secretly in his heart. Things like separation from life and death are sad no matter when it happens.
Ruan Nanzhu's death and the buried key irritated the remaining people.
The worst thing was that this morning, when everyone was opening the boxes, bad luck was overwhelming. Three people were found in the boxes, and the number of people dropped sharply. Together with Tian Guxue and Ruan Nanzhu who died last night, there were only thirteen people left in the villa, only half of the number when they first came here.
After Liang Miye changed her clothes and arrived at the restaurant, she heard someone crying. She looked at the situation and found that the crying person had also lost a companion, and her situation was similar to Lin Qiushi.
"Why don't you take out the key? If you take it out, maybe we can get out!" Xiao Ji was still eating when he suddenly spoke. He was always impolite in his words, and today was no exception. He immediately pointed the finger at Lin Qiushi.
Because he took the lead, the looks others gave Lin Qiushi also became ominous.
Lin Qiushi sneered, "How could you be so incompetent? Why didn't you come out when the safe was opened? Why are you waiting now to talk nonsense?"
Xiao Ji said: "Are you still reasonable——"
Lin Qiushi: "So what if you don't tell me?" He asked bluntly, "Do you really want to kill me?"
Xiao Ji threw the bowl he was holding down, rolled up his sleeves, and walked towards Lin Qiushi. Xiao Mei, who was sitting next to him, quickly stopped him and said, "Xiao Ji, forget it. Things have already come to this. Why make things so awkward?" She deliberately lowered her voice again, "Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. His girlfriend just died. It's not worth it to get into a fight with him."
Only then did the little thistle stop burning.
When he was making a fuss, Lin Qiushi just watched coldly. He was not afraid of fighting with Xiao Ji at all. In fact, he was eager to fight with someone to vent the anger in his heart.
Ruan Nanzhu's death completely shattered the once cohesive team. The culprit behind Ruan Nanzhu's death hadn't been found, and everyone was afraid to share information as they had before. Most people quickly left the restaurant after finishing their meals.
Faced with this situation, Sun Yuanzhou wanted to salvage the situation, but he was powerless. He tried to persuade everyone to unite, but was met with cold water. He was told that even Zhu Meng had never engaged in internal spies, so how could their unity be effective? Moreover, if he revealed what he knew, who knew if he would become the next target of an internal spies' attack?
Sun Yuanzhou had no choice but to ask Lin Qiushi if he had any ideas.
Lin Qiushi said bluntly, "Ideas? Find the fire extinguisher you threw away first, then ask me for my opinion."
Sun Yuanzhou: "..." He was indeed at fault in this matter. If his fire extinguisher hadn't been stolen, this wouldn't have happened, and Zhu Meng wouldn't have died...
Looking at Lin Qiushi's receding back, Sun Yuanzhou could only sigh.
Zhu Meng's death completely destroyed the alliance, which was not very close to begin with, and everyone in the room began to act on their own.
Liang Miye didn't eat anything all day and didn't see Lin Qiushi until the evening when Lin Qiushi returned to the room.
"Linlin, where are you going?" Liang Miye asked him.
"Something." Lin Qiushi answered vaguely.
Liang Miye knew that he was in a bad mood, so she didn't dare to ask him any further questions, and the room fell silent.
Both of them were weighed down. Liang Miye pessimistically wondered if they were all going to die here. Lin Qiushi seemed much calmer than yesterday. It was unclear how he had managed to manage this. Liang Miye had to admit that the Obsidian organization was truly well-organized. If she and Lin Qiushi had swapped places, she'd probably have collapsed.
The day was dull and hopeless. The whole house seemed to have become a cemetery, and they were the people buried alive inside.
The next morning, Lin Qiushi and Liang Miye went to open the box. It was still empty, and both of them were somewhat disappointed when they opened it.
When they gathered at the restaurant, they saw that two of the thirteen people were missing. At this time, the total number of box men and box women in the entire villa was thirteen, which had completely occupied an overwhelming advantage.
Faced with the threat of death, the food became boring. Liang Miye ate in a disjointed manner when he saw Xiao Ji and Xiao Mei walking in from outside the house. They were talking and laughing, and seemed to be in a very good mood.
What surprised Liang Miye was that she found that after Xiaomei sat down, her eyes seemed to fall on Lin Qiushi. Although the eye contact between the two was relatively private, Liang Miye's attention was on the two of them, so she noticed it at the first time. She looked suspicious and wondered in her heart, what is the relationship between Lin Qiushi and Xiaomei?
While she was thinking about this, Lin Qiushi, who was sitting next to her, suddenly put down his chopsticks and said lightly: "Now that everyone is here, I have something to tell you." Lin Qiushi said.
"What's the matter?" Sun Yuanzhou asked.
Lin Qiushi said, "I've found the insider."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar, and everyone looked stunned, obviously shocked by Lin Qiushi's words.
He found an insider? It had only been a day, how on earth had he found one?
"Is this true?" Liang Miye was also shocked. She hadn't seen Lin Qiushi for just one day, and he had actually gotten information about the insider?!
"Of course it's true." Lin Qiushi sneered.
"Who is that?" Sun Yuanzhou asked excitedly.
Lin Qiushi didn't say anything, but just cast his eyes on someone. When that person noticed that Lin Qiushi was staring at him, he instantly exploded and shouted: "Who the hell are you looking at? Am I an insider? Aren't you just annoyed that I asked you to hand over the key? Why do you slander me like this?" - The person who spoke was Xiao Ji, who had always been at odds with Lin Qiushi.
"Is it really Xiao Ji?" The others also showed doubtful expressions, because everyone had witnessed the conflict between Xiao Ji and Lin Qiushi. If Lin Qiushi did not have evidence, it would be difficult to convince the public.
"Of course it's him." Lin Qiushi sneered, "He's the only one among us who can open the box safely without arousing suspicion."
"What? You think you're using this to prove I'm the insider?" Xiao Ji said, "I'm just lucky I was able to get it out. What can I do if I don't accept it?"
"Did you really create that item?" Lin Qiushi asked, "Everyone has read the rulebook, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"This rulebook is roughly the same as the one outside," Lin Qiushi said. "It's an improved version."
In the early days of the release of the Box Girl, it was more difficult because players had no props to use. However, after improvements, the difficulty of the Box Girl was reduced. One of the most important manifestations is that players can choose several tools before entering the door, including the stethoscope on Xiao Ji and the pen that Lin Qiushi opened that can be used for the Pen Fairy.
Lin Qiushi initially thought that the rules inside the sect were different from those outside, but now he thinks that is not the case.
The stethoscope in Xiaoji's hand was not opened at all. It was most likely a tool placed together with the rule book for players to use. It was just hidden in the box by Xiaoji and then opened in front of everyone.
"Haha." Facing Lin Qiushi's questioning, Xiao Ji seemed relaxed. He said, "Words are not enough. Everyone knows that you and I have a grudge. Just these two sentences are like sentencing me to death? Yu Linlin, are you too naive?"
Lin Qiushi spread his hands and said calmly, "That was just my inference. Of course, I won't speak of this without solid evidence."
Xiao Ji's expression darkened upon hearing this. He sneered, "Okay, tell me, where's the evidence? Let me be clear, I hate being wrongly accused. If you can't come up with convincing evidence..."
Lin Qiushi looked at him with disdain: "Don't be so harsh. Your evidence is hanging around your neck."
Everyone looked towards Xiao Ji's neck and saw that hanging around his neck was the stethoscope used to determine whether there was a person in the box.
The author has something to say:
Ruan Nanzhu must do this to consume the most powerful skill of the Box Girl. If it is just interrupted, the Box Girl can use it a second time. The settings of the Box Girl have been modified. The rules of the real board game are actually more unfriendly.
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