Free Web NovelChapter 111: Chapter 111: An Interesting or Terrifying Manor
An area outside of the tower without Evil Fallen?
Bai Wu’s interest was instantly piqued.
The rules of the world outside the tower were many and strange, but at first glance, seeing no Evil Fallen and no four-hour negative attributes, this gave Bai Wu a feeling... could this place be the Land of Bliss?
"Presumably, idling here... the growth rate of Innate Force would be insignificant?"
"These things remain to be verified, and it must also be clarified whether there are no Evil Fallen here or if Evil Fallen simply cannot survive. Even Cain isn’t absolutely sure he can walk out of the Manor—does this mean the Manor has some sort of closure mechanism?"
Just like Wu Jiu said, experience can make one more efficient, but one should not overly rely on it.
At least Bai Wu wouldn’t underestimate this place just because of its blue area, especially since the opponent was Cain. This indicated that the difficulty of survival wouldn’t be a matter of life and death in nine out of ten cases, but it definitely wouldn’t be smooth sailing either.
Bai Wu stood still at the doorway for a long time, then after some thought, he turned to Qin Lin:
"Liang Yu’s ability is perception, your ability shouldn’t be of the perception type, right?"
"Reporting to my lord! I specialize in speed and life recovery!"
"Since we are teammates, don’t call me lord, just Bai Wu will do."
"Understood, my lord!" Qin Lin replied spiritedly.
Clearly, being able to join the Investigation Corps was much more appealing to him than following Yang Zhen and their wild ways. Especially since his teammates happened to be Constantine and the famous Wu Jiu.
Bai Wu didn’t say anything, but specializing in speed and life recovery... it always felt like a growth system for someone who greatly feared death.
"What about you?" He turned to Bai Xiaoyu.
"I’m about speed and perception."
Bai Xiaoyu was markedly different from the strength-perception type like Shang Xiaoyi. When Shang Xiaoyi perceived monsters, he would drool with excitement, whereas Bai Xiaoyu was more likely to run away swiftly.
At third tier, ninth stage, and nearing the fourth, Bai Wu decided to test Bai Xiaoyu:
"Can you perceive anything within the Manor’s range?"
Bai Xiaoyu nodded and said:
"People. There seem to be nineteen people. The temperature is 26°, constant. It’s not just people, there are also animals... seems like dogs."
Lin Wurou, Yin Shuang, and Wu Jiu had actually never seen dogs, as the High Tower left almost no space for pets’ survival. The third level, however, did have an ancient animal museum.
Unlike the museums from Bai Wu’s previous life, which showcased prehistoric creatures such as mammoths and dinosaurs, the museum on the third level of the High Tower displayed creatures that were very common in Bai Wu’s previous life.
"People?"
Lin Wurou, Yin Shuang, and Wu Jiu were all startled. How could he so calmly assume that there were people outside the tower?
Bai Wu was not surprised, after all, Bai Xiaoyu’s mind often conjured up people. During the seven hundred years that Bai Xiaoyu was imprisoned, he believed that there were many people outside as well as inside the tower.
It’s just that none could see him.
"Are you certain?" Bai Wu inquired.
"Certain... There are no Evil Fallen here, but I can sense the presence of people."
Bai Wu naturally knew this already, but what did Cain intend to do with these people?
He summarized:
"The exterior of this place, or the overall choice of its location, can be aptly described as ’birdsong and fragrant flowers,’ and you’ve seen the scale of the Manor. Even on the third level, the most luxurious manor is probably comparable to this one. Six individual four-story villas, along with a hotel-like building comparable to a cruise ship. Looking at the exterior decor and the scenery, this place must have been the residence of some ultra-rich tycoon before the era of the High Tower began."
"But why are there no Evil Fallen? And why are we standing here instead of going inside to check?" Lin Wurou said.
Bai Wu furrowed his brow; Lin’s mind seemed to work best when she was busy scolding someone.
"The people inside haven’t come out. Nearly twenty people, yet not one has perceived us. It seems they have lived here for quite a while. According to the High Tower’s teleportation rules, this is impossible unless they have been living here for three days or more without returning."
The others hadn’t quite thought of that.
Bai Wu continued:
"If they truly have lived here for a very long time, then their Innate Force would frighteningly high. It’s not possible that we perceived them but they didn’t perceive us. If they did perceive us, at the very least someone should have come to check on us, right?"
Wu Jiu’s expression also grew serious, and under Bai Wu’s guidance, he said:
"Could it be that this place is not affected by certain rules?"
"Yes, it’s possible that people living here wouldn’t attract Evil Fallen due to fear. As for whether they could turn into Evil Fallen, that’s still unclear. Also, it seems that there are no four-hour negative attributes here; otherwise, ordinary people would likely have died within a few days, especially since they haven’t perceived us. This indicates their power is not strong. The increase in Innate Force might not apply here either."
Yin Shuang found it hard to imagine that Bai Wu could deduce so much just from observation.
In truth, these were not difficult deductions; even without Prayle’s Eye, as long as one could confirm people lived here regularly, some conclusions could be reached.
Because surviving outside the tower was too hard.
Qin Lin exclaimed in surprise:
"Could there really be a shelter?"
"Shelter?" Bai Wu was puzzled.
"It’s from the novels and publications passed down from the second level. In some of the stories, there are shelters outside the tower that provide for human survival, not just the High Tower. There’s even a new world, but the door to this new world is hidden in the most dangerous depths."
Bai Wu understood. Stories.
In his previous life, he had read many tales as well. Stories from peaceful times often included all sorts of bizarre worlds to satisfy people’s curiosity.
In the era of apocalypse, on the other hand, the stories would mostly offer hope.
The shelter was but a thing nestled in people’s hopes. The High Tower was the ultimate shelter.
As for a new world, if it truly existed, Cain wouldn’t be lingering indecisively in the tower for seven hundred years.
"This is definitely not a shelter. This is an area with at least a blue danger level. The safer it appears on the surface, the more dangerous it implies somewhere. Captain, shall we go in and take a look?"
Bai Wu decided to follow his instinct for once.
He could enter purple or red areas without hesitation, but faced with this sinister Manor, he always felt something was off.
Wu Jiu said:
"What do you think is the greatest danger outside the tower?" freewёbnoνel.com
"Evil Fallen and the environment."
"Then let’s go in. After all, this situation is different from the random areas we’ve experienced. Its existence is simply a question. I have some confidence in your problem-solving skills."
The captain’s decisiveness was somewhat surprising to Bai Wu, who also admired the captain’s angle of thinking through the problem.
Since people were living inside, at least there wasn’t an immediate threat to life. At most, they could be in some sort of predicament, but solving predicaments was Bai Wu’s forte.
Yin Shuang sensed something unsettling in the captain’s words:
"Why does it seem like you two know something we don’t?"
Cain’s matter hadn’t been mentioned to others by Bai Wu and Wu Jiu. Therefore, the danger of this area was secondary, but it might hide some kind of puzzle concerning human nature.
Wu Jiu rang the manor’s doorbell.
The moment the doorbell chimed, everyone heard screams.
The screams were filled with excitement and questioning, and soon someone peeked out from a distant villa.
The distance was too far for Bai Wu to see clearly, and Prayle’s Eye had not provided any feedback yet.
But Bai Wu always felt that the reactions of these people were strange.
Very quickly, all nineteen people dashed out, their expressions strikingly frenzied.
The scene resembled nineteen people who had been starving for a long time, who suddenly found food and began a frantic hundred-meter sprint towards it.
However, as they drew closer, they started to noticeably restrain their expressions, as if afraid of frightening Bai Wu and the others at the door.
When they were still about twenty meters away, the young man who came fourth in the hundred-meter dash became furious:
"What are you running for? Damn it, get back! If you don’t go back, I’ll die right here! You should know what will happen if I die, we have to go in order! And now it’s my turn, it’s my turn to receive the guests!! We agreed on this before, you can’t break the rules! If you break the rules, don’t blame me for dragging you down with me!"
A young man, looking to be around eighteen or nineteen, with a crazed expression, drove the others back.
His voice was hysterical, and the rest of the people stopped in their tracks because of his words, their expressions then turned somber.
Then all nineteen people stood in place, sizing up Bai Wu and the others.
"Wait, there are actually six of them! Six people! Rong, bring your husband and child over! Quick! No one else come over! Follow the rules, and we’re still good neighbors, if you don’t, damn it!"
After these words fell, the group of people began to slowly retreat, their expressions shifting from frenzied to ashen, except for the family of three called out by the young man, who were excited, and the young girl known as Rong even shed tears.
This bizarre scene left the others completely baffled.
But Bai Wu felt that the game was becoming more and more interesting.
When his gaze swept over the people, the feedback he received was this:
[The guests trapped in the manor began a life of mutual affection.]
And when it rested on the young man at the front who had driven the others back, the feedback was:
[The head of the household, the father in the family of three. You can call him Mr. Wang, he is the most familiar with the manor, so he’s also the most hospitable, yes, genuinely hospitable, as the honest eyes, I absolutely have no hidden implications.]
Mr. Wang, at first glance the title suggested the person was a thirty-year-old middle-aged man, but in Bai Wu’s eyes, this young man who had driven the others back was not even twenty, the same age as himself.
And that Rong was even younger than Mr. Wang.
[Every family needs a virtuous mother, and although she appears young, everyone calls her Sister Rong. She was pampered before, but now she is better than anyone at all the household chores, her understanding of the manor is second only to Wang.]
The notes provided seemed to be more or less the same, merely introducing their familiarity with the place and the roles they played within the family.
The strangeness didn’t stop there, Mr. Wang’s child... looked much older than Mr. Wang.
He wore children’s clothing, which looked extremely awkward, especially the beard on his face, and the innocence that showed in his expression, which gave Bai Wu a feeling akin to watching a muscular Barbie in a stage play.
And Mr. Wang’s wife was a forty-year-old woman...
Six people facing six people.
Outside the door stood Wu Jiu, Bai Wu, and their team, while inside were two families of three.
Mr. Wang adjusted the expression on his face; each of them wore expensive custom-made clothes. Bai Wu couldn’t identify the brand of the watch on his wrist, but merely from the craftsmanship, he knew it was worth six figures.
In terms of temperament, the group and those who can afford such a manor seemed quite different. Yet they indeed looked as if they had been living there for a long time.
Bai Wu was certain of one thing, the manor was not theirs, they had moved in halfway through. As for how long, that remained to be investigated.
"Hello, sorry, it’s been a long time since we’ve had guests, and everyone is a bit excited. I hope we didn’t scare you."
Mr. Wang was very enthusiastic.
But the scene just now had indeed frightened everyone besides Bai Wu. What was even more terrifying was yet to come.
A man in his thirties or forties, with a face full of beard, suddenly hugged Mr. Wang’s arm and said:
"Daddy, daddy, does that mean someone can play with me now?"
Mr. Wang’s expression was slightly unnatural, but he quickly adjusted and said kindly:
"Good boy, let’s settle the guests first."
He then turned his head and smiled, "Please excuse us, this is my eight-year-old son."
For some reason, seeing Mr. Wang and the others maintaining a calm demeanor as usual, Yin Shuang felt a chill run down her spine...
Lin Wurou directly expressed her skepticism:
"Is this guy really eight years old?"
Mr. Wang explained, somewhat embarrassed:
"Haha... No one believes it, but that’s just how the child is. He was as tall as his mother at three, as tall as me at five, and he grew into this by eight."
Lin Wurou’s expression was like that of an old man checking his phone on the metro, full of disbelief. No one believed that story.
Mr. Wang opened the food box he was holding, which was filled with exquisite pastries:
"It’s just the right time for afternoon tea, why don’t you come in and join us?"
Those who grew up eating nutritional meals were tempted by the smell of pastries the likes of which Bai Wu had only smelled in his previous life, and they were made by a top patissier.
Especially Bai Wu.
Six families lived in the manor, each in one of the six villas, while the central building, resembling a luxurious cruise ship, was probably for office or entertainment purposes.
All six families were very strange.
A son might be older than his father, and the age gap between parents could be immense.
Bai Wu even noticed... some families had no men, some had no women...
Was this for the sake of political correctness, or did the manor hide some other secret?
Regardless, with the temptation of food, Bai Wu thought Cain had left behind a very interesting puzzle. At least he liked the decoding environment.
Since everyone was already planning to explore the manor, Bai Wu didn’t think much about it and took the first step inside.
Yin Shuang was somewhat resistant, particularly after seeing a child with the face of a thirty or forty-year-old man clinging to a man half his age and calling him daddy; though the scene was comical, Yin Shuang felt a strange sense of fear.
The manor was very creepy.
But as everyone else entered, she followed suit.
As the doors of the manor closed, Bai Wu subconsciously looked back and was startled to see the memo had changed.
[The interesting game has already begun, and you are still unaware, but perhaps ignorance and anticipation are the best friends? My old pal, now you cannot leave this manor. The one who can open the manor’s doors is preparing delicious food and drinks for you, please enjoy the feast and the life you will inevitably confront.]
