novelraw Chapter 170: Simulated Event 4
Chapter 170: Simulated Event 4
"He'll do it for his sister, of course, even if it means being torn apart by the horde. He's asking what you'll do," Tesla continued.
"I'll challenge the monsters to a fight or draw their attention away from the entrance to the ruins. That's when I'll slip inside. I don't need you dead—or rather, I need you alive until your sister and I are out. Hide somewhere nearby and keep an eye on the entrance. If you see us, create another distraction so we can escape. Can you handle that?" Lu Li asked.
"Of course! I already made a mistake... I can't let it happen again. Please, you have to find my sister!" he replied resolutely, directing the massive shadow of the monster toward the ruins. You followed, staying vigilant and keeping your distance as you studied the creature's form.
"It had a massive torso and comparatively weak legs. This build likely gave it explosive power at the cost of endurance. That might give you a chance to escape if you were to face it at medium or long range. As you observed the monster, your Mission Progress updated: (65/100)."
"We're almost there," the brother said when they were about thirty or forty meters from the entrance. He proposed a plan: he would create a diversion on the left, drawing the monsters away from the entrance, while you slipped into the ruins from the right. "What do you do?" asked Tesla.
"I'll do as he says. And on the way, I'll gather some small stones and put them in my pocket," Lu Li replied.
"I don't know who you are or why you're here, but... thank you for believing in me, for helping me." The monster's eyes and the brother's eyes met yours at the same time. Their gazes lingered for a moment before the creature lumbered toward the towering stone forest.
"You followed the plan, running toward the right side of the stone forest, scooping up stones from the black earth as you watched the village chief's son. You saw him attack the monsters prowling among the tall stone pillars, luring both them and the guards at the entrance away in the opposite direction. The roaring gradually faded, leaving the path to the ruins clear. What do you do?" asked Tesla.
"I run for the entrance. I'll put on my gloves, hold my breath, tear a piece of meat from the fire, wrap it in something, and put it in my pack. Assuming there's any meat on the fire, that is," Lu Li replied.
Lu Li was incredibly cautious, moving like a man who feared death.Then again, those who fear death tend to live longer.
"While he was creating the diversion, you sprinted to the clearing before the entrance. Your eyes were drawn to the roasting meat on the bonfire. You recalled that the village chief's son's transformation was likely linked to consuming this very meat. As a novice investigator, you hadn't forgotten your objective. You refused to touch the flesh with your bare hands, not even wanting to breathe in its scent. So, you tore a few pages from your notebook, held your breath, approached the fire, took a small piece of the meat, wrapped it carefully, and placed it in your pack. Your Mission Progress updated: (75/100). It seemed you were close to completing the mission, or at least its minimum requirements."
"Just as you finished, you heard sounds approaching from the stone forest—the monsters were returning. Wasting no time, you spun around and dashed into the shadows of the ruins' entrance."
"A thick darkness enveloped you. In the cold, damp gloom, you thought you heard a faint rustle, but perhaps it was just your imagination. Your heart hammered in your chest, its frantic beat drowning out all other sounds. Maybe you should light a torch and get your bearings. What do you do?" asked Tesla.
Unlike before, Lu Li didn't answer right away. He frowned, lost in thought, and muttered to himself, "Why is the ground black? Why would monsters eat roasted meat? How could two ordinary people survive in these ruins for days...?"
Tesla, of course, offered no answers. He was merely the narrator, the one posing the questions.
"Why is the ground black? Why would monsters eat roasted meat? How could two ordinary people survive in these ruins for days...? you whispered into the darkness."
"I'll back away, to the threshold where light and shadow meet at the entrance," Lu Li said.
"You'd pieced something together and, refusing to take any chances, you backed up to the entrance. You could just barely make out the dark passage ahead. Behind you stretched an all-consuming blackness; before you lay the clearing. The monsters had returned and were now gathered around the bonfire. They hadn't noticed you standing at the mouth of the ruins, and this brought another village tale to mind."
"The madman had claimed to have run into a monster one night. He'd been terrified and had fled, but strangely, the creature hadn't given chase. Perhaps their sight and hearing are poor. You lost 'Information Fragments (3/3)' and your Mission Progress updated: (85/100). What do you do now?" asked Tesla.
"I'll step four or five meters into the darkness, strike a match, toss it to the ground, and then back away," Lu Li replied.
"You were keenly aware that you only had one life to lose, and in the eyes of these strange, terrifying creatures, you were no more than an insect to be crushed at a whim. You stepped cautiously into the darkness, struck a match, tossed it to the ground, and retreated. One second... two... three... You were back in the gloom. The tiny flame flickering in the dark seemed fragile and faint, as if it could be snuffed out at any moment. The instant that thought crossed your mind, the match abruptly went out. That was definitely not normal."
"A chill ran down your spine. 'Minor loss of mental fortitude.' You were beginning to understand how the siblings had survived for days in the dark ruins. The reason was the darkness itself. You lost 'Information of Medium Importance' and your Mission Progress updated: (95/100). What do you do?" asked Tesla.
The Information Fragments had required three uses to be fully spent, but the Information of Medium Importance was consumed all at once.
Clues like this, almost like a narrator's commentary, often held the most crucial information. It was like a game: if you were lost, you just had to find where the monsters were, and you'd be back on the right path.
Losing all of the "Information of Medium Importance" at once meant the clue was both true and vital.
"I'll place my hand on the right wall and enter the dark ruins. No torch. I'll be as quiet as possible," Lu Li stated.
"You now understood how to complete the mission. Taking a deep breath, you stepped into the ruins. Darkness swallowed you whole. Keeping one hand on the cold, damp wall, you moved forward in silence. You passed the spot where the match had died, and the light from the entrance behind you slowly faded to nothing. An overwhelming fear gripped you in the blackness. 'Minor loss of mental fortitude.' But you knew that lighting a torch would almost certainly put you in grave danger. Musing on this, you arrived at the first intersection."
"I'll keep going, following the right wall," Lu Li said.
Even the most tangled thread can be unraveled by following it from one end to the other.
By following the wall, Lu Li knew he couldn't get lost in the ruins or fail to find his way back out.
"The village chief's son hadn't lied—it was indeed safe in the dark. Several times you sensed something brush past, paying you no attention. In that unsettling, eerie silence, you reached another intersection. What do you do?" asked Tesla.
"I'll keep following the right wall. Every few steps, I'll drop a small stone behind me," Lu Li replied.