Timeline Player

Chi Que gave a gentle smile: "Everyone must be hungry, right? Come on, let's eat together."

The three looked at each other, wondering what he was up to. Logically speaking, they had abandoned each other not long ago, yet Chi Que was sharing his food without holding a grudge. They knew they couldn't do that.

They waited for the other party to make their demands, but Chi Que remained calm and composed. He casually picked up a piece of bread and sat down by the stove to warm himself.

They hadn't eaten all day, and seeing that Chi Que didn't seem to care, the burly man was the first to pick up the food and thank him.

The student hesitated for a moment before picking up a piece of bread, while the woman was more cautious, taking a can and prying it open with her shoe heel.

Chi Que held the bread, but didn't eat it.

The firelight flickered on his face, concealing the coldness in his eyes.

Twenty years ago, the expedition team had only three days' worth of food left, and they all died in the end. Theoretically, the food should have been completely plundered long ago.

So, what kind of food is in the girl's room?

An illusion? A trap? Or something more dangerous?

Rather than taking risks, it's better to let these three temporary teammates be guinea pigs. Even if they die, at least they'll have died with a full stomach.

If they have nothing else to do, he can eat later.

Besides, he's not hungry right now.

Chi Que touched his stomach and felt a sense of fullness.

In that dream, he enjoyed a delicious meal of stew and hot drinks from the expedition team, and now he feels neither cold nor hungry.

If he could continue entering that dream, he wouldn't need this food at all; in fact, it could serve as a reserve.

He observed the mice discreetly, but even as dawn broke, the three of them showed no unusual reaction.

That's strange. Could it be that there's really nothing wrong with the food?

Apart from the burly man nearly choking on his food because he ate too fast, he showed no other abnormalities.

He guessed that perhaps the problem with the food lay elsewhere, such as the fact that once you ate it, you could never leave the resort—

It shouldn't be that bad; how could a beginner dungeon be that ridiculous?

"I'll go out and see if I can hunt some game." The burly man stood up, looking at the icy plain with an eager expression. "Such a large pack of wolves must have a source of food, right? We can't just starve."

"I...I can't just wait around." The student seemed to be inspired by the strong man's courage. "I saw some birds flying outside. I'll see if I can set a simple trap to catch some birds to eat."

The woman thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll search the manor to see if there are any supplies we can still use."

Chi Que watched them get started, raising an eyebrow. What was this all about? "He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's money is bound to him."

However, he also needs to take action.

He planned to go to the warehouse to take a look.

Although theoretically the expedition team had plundered all the food, there would always be some other supplies left.

He wanted to see if he could find a bullet.

Leaving aside Chekhov's gun, he was also carrying an ordinary pistol and was in dire need of ammunition.

Chi Que was preparing to leave quietly when his gaze habitually swept across the hall, only to discover that the girl was gone.

Chi Que's heart sank slightly.

However, this was just a minor incident. He quickly composed himself and quietly went to the underground of the manor.

He opened the warehouse door with his key. The interior was spacious. He picked up the flashlight and then froze.

He saw the emergency food rations.

"No way?" he muttered, picked up the crowbar next to him, and forcefully lifted the lid of the box, dust falling down in a flurry.

What appeared before them were compressed biscuits and canned goods neatly wrapped in oil paper, enough for five people for a day.

There are three such boxes in total, but one of them is empty, probably taken by previous explorers.

But that's not right.

How could there be... so many?

A chill ran through Chi Que; his mood was even worse than if he hadn't found any food or bullets at all.

If there are still such ample reserves in the warehouse, then how exactly did that trapped expedition team die twenty years ago?

He died from hunger and cold, which was a logical conclusion.

But the supplies in front of them shattered this assumption.

In a situation where food is plentiful, what causes death?

Chi Que frowned deeply. Could it be that the expedition team had internal strife? Even so, they shouldn't have been wiped out, right? Surely someone would have survived.

He shone his flashlight and discovered a detail he hadn't noticed before: footprints on the ground, well preserved thanks to the low temperature.

He followed the footprints to the dark door, where the footprints were most concentrated, as if someone had lingered there for a long time.

Its location was well hidden, between two shelves, and he would never have noticed it if he hadn't followed the footprints.

But his key wouldn't open it.

Chi Que held the flashlight close to the crack in the door, trying to look inside, but he couldn't see anything. The crack was blocked from the inside by something. He could only smell a musty, damp smell mixed with a faint rusty smell.

He was silent for a moment, then felt around the door frame again. His fingers touched something foreign, and after pulling it out, he was stunned.

nail.

It wasn't an ordinary fingernail; it was mixed with fragments of flesh and bone, as if someone had forcefully squeezed it out from under a door.

Chi Que suddenly remembered the words he had spoken before entering the instance—their corpses still remain in that wasteland.

All in all, he only saw two bodies.

What about the rest?

Could the answer be hidden behind this door?

"Let's find bullets first." He took a deep breath, feeling his rationality was unstable, and decided to get down to business first.

After searching through the warehouse, Chi Que finally found two magazines, totaling twelve bullets, in a rusted iron box.

He checked the specifications of the bullets and confirmed that they matched the model of his existing handgun and could be used for self-defense.

However, when he tried to load it into Chekhov's gun, he failed, as it seemed to require the original bullet.

"What a pity." Chi Que carefully put away the magazine, but with these bullets, he felt more confident.

Just then, a loud crash came from the ceiling above, followed by a scream.

problem occurs!

Chi Que quickly tidied up the warehouse and rushed upstairs.

He went to the room where the noise had come from. The room was in complete disarray, with furniture overturned and a woman pale and breathing heavily.

"What happened?" He glanced around and finally focused his gaze on the shattered glass.

"I..." The woman hesitated for a moment before saying, "I was collecting supplies in this room when that dark figure suddenly appeared outside the window, and it was it that broke the window."

"You're lying," Chi Que said, staring at her.

Her face stiffened: "What did you say—"

She was unable to speak.

Chi Que pulled out his gun and pointed it at her: "Left pocket, don't make any moves, take the thing out."