clue
At the dinner table, Chu Yiran's gaze fell subtly on Su Jing's hands.
He accepted the rice bowl handed to him with his right hand; when picking up food, he used his right hand to hold the chopsticks, his movements fluid and natural, without the slightest hesitation. Even when drinking soup, he habitually held the spoon with his right hand, gently blew on it to cool it down, and then put it in his mouth.
—Too skilled.
Chu Yiran lowered her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the rim of the bowl.
In his previous life, Su Jing was a complete left-hander. He used his left hand for everything, from writing calligraphy and wielding a sword to pouring tea. He had personally witnessed Su Jing writing military dispatches with his left hand; the characters were sharp as knives, and every stroke exuded a murderous aura.
But the person in front of me uses his right hand so skillfully, as if it were a natural habit.
How can those innate habits, formed overnight, be changed?
Chu Yiran chuckled to himself. Fate was truly playing tricks on him, making him remember everything, yet then forcing him to confront a seemingly real but ultimately unrecognizable "Su Jing."
Perhaps, he was just too fixated on the past, seeing everyone as an old friend.
As the lunch break was about to end, staff came over to remind everyone that the live stream would continue later.
Not long after, the loudspeaker in the room announced, "Welcome back to the game, Escape Squad!" The live stream resumed, and the chat exploded with comments.
"Two years have finally passed! I've waited so long!"
"Let's get started! I'm so curious whether Hongxiu is dead or not!"
"I've minimized the screen; it's so satisfying to watch while slacking off at work!"
...
“Everyone’s almost finished eating, right?” Lin Wanxing stood up. “How about we review the current situation?”
A whiteboard hung conspicuously on the uneven wall, clearly left by the production team for them to record clues. Lin Wanxing walked around the dining table to the whiteboard and wrote down the key points with a marker:
1. In order to revive his son Zhao Tian, the village chief forced the living Hong Xiu to undergo a ghost marriage.
2. Shortly after the ghost marriage, the village chief's family died mysteriously, and the villagers fled one after another.
3. Hongxiu has gone missing, and strange things are happening frequently in the village.
"There are three main points of doubt now—" Lin Wanxing circled the key points:
1. What exactly happened on the night of the ghost wedding?
2. Is Hongxiu really dead? Where is she?
3. Who killed the village chief's family? Who was playing tricks on the village?
Finally, she pointed to the task card they had received at the beginning: "And our ultimate goal is to find Hongxiu and complete the ghost marriage ceremony."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly stood up and protested: "Isn't this inhumane? Hongxiu is a victim, and we still want to find her to complete the ghost marriage?"
Zhao Lingyi shrugged: "It's just game settings, don't take it too seriously."
Cheng Zixuan frowned: "But if Hongxiu really isn't dead, wouldn't we be helping the village chief do evil?"
Everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere became heavy.
At this moment, Su Jing stood up, picked up a marker, and added, "Actually, the situation is quite clear now. If Hongxiu is not dead, then she is most likely the one who did all of this: killing the village chief's family, playing tricks on everyone in the village, and scaring them away. After doing all this, will she still stay in the village?"
Zhou Xiaoxiao hesitated and said, "Now that you've taken your revenge, why don't you leave this unlucky place? Are you going to stay here for another 20 years?"
Everyone fell into deep thought, except for Chu Yiran, who silently clenched his fist as he looked at the words "Assuming Hongxiu is not dead" that Su Jing had written on the whiteboard.
In his previous life, Su Jing had practiced calligraphy since childhood. He admired the fluidity and ease of running script, yet his strokes carried a sharpness and decisiveness. But the Su Jing before him wrote neat and clear characters...
“Another possibility is that Hongxiu is already dead,” Su Jing wrote on the whiteboard. “The old lady just mentioned that Hongxiu was nailed into the coffin alive by the village chief on her wedding day. Teacher Chu also mentioned before that there were uneven marks on the inner wall of the coffin and bloodstains. Given the village chief’s prestige and the difference in physical strength, Hongxiu probably couldn’t have resisted. But if Hongxiu really is dead, where did her body go? And who is playing tricks on her in the village?”
“If Hongxiu is already dead…” Shen Zheyu pondered, “then the person who did all this must be someone connected to Hongxiu, someone who wants to avenge her.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a blinding electronic light suddenly shone outside the window!
"boom--"
The firelight illuminated the windows in a bright red glow, and crackling sounds blared from the loudspeaker, making it seem as if a real fire had broken out.
"You are all accomplices of the village chief!" the old woman's shrill cry came from outside the house. "I'm going to kill you all!"
The production team's voice rang out at the opportune moment: "Warning! The escape team must evacuate the fire within twenty minutes, or the game will be considered lost!"
"Is this show for real?" Zhao Lingyi jumped up.
"Stop talking nonsense, everyone quickly look for clues and get out of here," Lin Wanxing quickly gave instructions.
Chu Yiran opened the drawer and took out a yellowed photo. It was a picture of an old woman and a young woman. The old woman in the photo looked much younger than she does now, and the young woman next to her had a pretty face. The two of them were wearing cotton-padded coats and standing in front of the door, their smiles carrying a hint of shyness.
Zhao Lingyi leaned closer and pointed at the young woman, saying, "This...could this be Hongxiu?"
“Very likely,” Chu Yiran nodded. “That grandmother and Hongxiu are definitely related; they might be mother and daughter.”
"Look everyone, there's a lot of tea here." Shen Zheyu found many sacks of tea in the back kitchen, and a merchant's voucher was hidden in the corner. "So this grandma came from the neighboring Baitu Village to sell tea in Yuhe Village..."
"Wait—" Something flashed through Chu Yiran's mind, "I remember the marriage certificate mentioned that Hongxiu was also from [Baitu Village]."
Zhao Lingyi clapped his hands: "Then they must be mother and daughter, no doubt about it!"
"Stop looking at those useless things! Let's figure out how to get out of here. It's been five minutes already." Cheng Zixuan pushed the window forcefully. "The doors and windows in the room are all sealed shut, and there's no password. How are we supposed to get out?"
Su Jing pointed to the chimney on the roof: "It seems that this is the only way out for now."
Directly above the stove is a round chimney from which a patch of light can be seen. The inside of the chimney is black and covered with years of coal ash.
Cheng Zixuan looked up: "How can we climb up something this high?"
“Yes, it’s possible,” Su Jing pointed to a corner where the view was obstructed by coal dust, “There are steel bars climbing up there.”
Everyone looked up and saw that there were indeed layers of steel bars climbing upwards from the inside of the chimney to the top.
Zhao Lingyi swallowed hard: "Is this safe...?"
"Safe!" Lin Wanxing answered loudly, "The production team has thought of everything for us."
As they spoke, Lin Wanxing and Zhou Xiaoxiao walked over carrying a bunch of safety ropes and helmets.
Seven complete sets of safety equipment were found by Lin Wanxing and Zhou Xiaoxiao in the cabinet. The two of them gave each person a set. Su Jing was very quick and put them on and jumped onto the stove in no time.
Su Jing shook the steel bar. It was very sturdy, and he had to fasten the safety buckle on every step he climbed to prevent falling. In addition, he was wearing gloves, knee pads, elbow pads, and a helmet. The overall safety measures were quite adequate.
Su Jing volunteered: "I'll lead the way."
Shen Zheyu also spoke up, "Then I'll stay behind you. If we go up first, we can help the others behind us."
Zhao Lingyi nudged Chu Yiran: "Brother Ran, aren't you going to join us? You worked so hard at the gym on set, aren't you going to show off your skills?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Chu Yiran.
This segment was clearly designed to test the guests' physical strength. Zhao Lingyi had originally thought that Chu Yiran, who had practiced so well before, could show off her skills in this segment. Chu Yiran, of course, understood his good intentions, but after glancing at Su Jing standing at the front, Chu Yiran laughed it off and said, "I can't do it. I'll stay back for everyone."
Su Jing glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to start climbing.
The chimney is very small, just big enough for one person to climb. The distance between each steel bar is quite far, which really tests the climber's arm strength.
Seeing how skillfully Su Jing climbed, the comments section started flooding the screen again—
"Maya, Su Jing's physique and muscle definition are absolutely amazing!"
"Brother Su Jing is so amazing! He doesn't even blush or pant!"
"Our little Jing has started going to the gym every day! This simple routine is a piece of cake for her!"
...
After Su Jing went up, Shen Zheyu followed closely behind, and then Zhou Xiaoxiao also struggled to climb up. Cheng Zixuan glanced at Lin Wanxing and said, "Sister Xing, you go first."
"Zixuan, you go first," Lin Wanxing patted Zhao Lingyi on the shoulder, "I'll follow behind him."
"W-what are you doing!" Zhao Lingyi stammered. "Why don't you girls go up first? What are you doing following behind me?"
"Stop pretending, kid," Lin Wanxing nudged his chest, her face full of disgust. "I wonder who's been afraid of heights since they were little. What if I'm not watching you and you make everyone run over the time limit?"
Zhao Lingyi exploded: "I didn't!"
Lin Wanxing ignored him and let Cheng Zixuan go up first. Then she said to Chu Yiran, "Brother Ran, you go up too. I'll cover the rear. If I'm not here, Zhao Lingyi will definitely dawdle to death."
Chu Yiran nodded, put on his protective gear, and followed him up.
When they reached the top of the chimney, the ceiling was an indoor set with a "fake sky." Climbing up, they found themselves on a roof made of bricks and tiles. Su Jing and Shen Zheyu stood guard beside the chimney to receive their companions who were coming up.
Seeing Chu Yiran climb up, Su Jing and Shen Zheyu simultaneously reached out their hands to him.
Without hesitation, Chu Yiran bypassed Su Jing, who was closest to him, and grabbed Shen Zheyu's outstretched hand.
Everyone else went up, leaving only Lin Wanxing and Zhao Lingyi. Lin Wanxing followed behind Zhao Lingyi, urging him on. He took one step, and Lin Wanxing followed.
Zhao Lingyi broke out in a cold sweat, grabbed the steel bar and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to look down, Lin Wanxing pinched his calf.
"Ah—" Zhao Lingyi shouted, forgetting his fear, "Lin Wanxing, how come you're so strong?"
Lin Wanxing slapped him again: "Stop dawdling, there are only five minutes left, get up and get down!"
"You fierce woman..." Zhao Lingyi muttered to herself as she carefully climbed up.
He has been afraid of heights since he was a child, and he has never dared to play those dangerous rides in amusement parks.
Suddenly, Zhao Lingyi's foot slipped, and he stepped into a steel bar. Just as his foot was about to fall, Lin Wanxing reached out and grabbed his ankle.
"Are you...are you alright?" Zhao Lingyi didn't dare to look down and asked Lin Wanxing with his eyes closed.
At this moment, Shen Zheyu shouted from above, "Hurry, there are only three minutes left."
"Don't just stand there, move your left foot up and to the left." Zhao Lingyi lifted his foot with his eyes closed, and Lin Wanxing gritted her teeth and put his foot back on the steel bar with the help of the force. "Don't be afraid, keep going up."
Zhao Lingyi's movements slowed noticeably. They had only climbed halfway up the stairs when the loudspeaker inside the room blared a warning: [Escape team, please evacuate the room immediately! The house will burn down in 1 minute and 40 seconds!]
Seeing this, Su Jing fastened his safety buckle and climbed down a few steps, then reached out to Zhao Lingyi: "Lingyi, grab me."
Zhao Lingyi clenched his fist, struggled to overcome his fear, grabbed Su Jing's hand, and successfully escaped the room in the last 30 seconds.
After reaching the rooftop, they climbed down a ladder set up nearby, and the electronic lights disappeared, returning the surroundings to silence.
"Come and see!"
Cheng Zixuan called out to everyone. He and Zhou Xiaoxiao had come down earlier and were looking around the old woman's yard. Besides some miscellaneous items, there was a well covered by a stone slab in the corner.
Cheng Zixuan and Zhou Xiaoxiao worked together to push the stone slab aside, revealing three doll-like corpses lying at the bottom of the well, which was about two meters deep.
"They seem to have a sign hanging from their waists," Chu Yiran said, narrowing his eyes.
As he spoke, Shen Zheyu found a flashlight from somewhere and turned it on to illuminate the bottom of the well.
"Village Chief Zhao Qing, Village Chief's Wife Cuixia, and Fortune Teller Granny Liu..."
"Were all three of them killed by that old lady...?" Zhou Xiaoxiao asked incredulously. "How could such a weak old lady kill them all...?"
Su Jing looked in the direction they had come from: "The answer to this question can only be found at the village chief's house."
After leaving the village chief's house, they went to the old lady's house. Now, after leaving the old lady's house, there are no new secret rooms, so they can only go back to see if there are any clues they missed.
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