INSIDER Chapter 46

In the boundless white space, there was an overwhelming silence and stillness. A neatly arranged mattress lay on the ground, something Lu Chu had brought back from the last illusion. Not far from it, thirteen square screens floated motionlessly in midair.

Lu Chu sat cross-legged on the floor, unmoving, as if he had even stopped breathing. Time became insignificant here until a door appeared before him, causing him to look up somewhat bewilderedly. He brushed his face with his hand, feeling the cold chill where he touched.

The wristband on his wrist displayed the time: 74’59″—originally 69’59”, with ten minutes added for completing a single-player task, and five minutes deducted when the door to the illusion opened.

Lu Chu stood up, his hand, which had recently gripped a knife, stiffly hanging by his side, unable to shake off the sensation of plunging the blade into flesh.

He did not immediately enter the illusion but instead allowed his mind to go blank, standing still for a long time. After collecting his thoughts and regaining his composure, he stepped into the illusion.

As soon as Lu Chu stepped through the door into the illusion, he was enthusiastically embraced by someone before he could take in his surroundings.

Song Gui, with great force, hugged Lu Chu, patting him on the back while complaining with a mix of grievance and relief, “You rascal! Look how long it took you to come out. I waited here for so long, thinking something happened to you in the last round! I was worried sick!”

Hearing this, Lu Chu glanced at the countdown on his wristband, which showed 32’29”, indicating that the door to the illusion had been open for over half an hour.

“Sorry,” Lu Chu apologized, “I had some things to sort out in my mind and lost track of time.”

“It’s okay,” Song Gui sighed, “I knew it was just a single-player task. How could you mess up? You’re the best, Lu Xiaochu.” Lu Chu smiled politely, “You’re overpraising me, you’re the fatter one.”

“Wow,” Song Gui exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Lu Xiaochu, you’ve changed. You used to call me senior.”

Lu Chu calmly responded, “Did I?”

Song Gui became unusually serious, “Yes, you did.”

While they were talking, a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind them, “You’re blocking the exit.”

The two turned around to see a tall, burly man with a square face standing behind them.

Seeing the man, Song Gui immediately grinned, “Oh, it’s you, brother. Why the stern face again? Come on, learn from me, smile a bit, it makes you look younger.”

The man glanced at Song Gui and said, “Spare me your disgusting smile.” With that, he walked past them and went elsewhere.

Lu Chu watched the tall, sturdy figure walk away and asked Song Gui, “Who is he?”

“Qian Zhen,” Song Gui replied, “he’s a tough character. He once did a task with the violent little sister. The two of them were a real pair.”

Lu Chu was puzzled, “Violent little sister?”

“Luo Qi,” Song Gui said as a matter of course, “that ferocious little girl who carries an axe and a knife. Just a brat with a temper.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a pole came flying toward Song Gui’s head. Song Gui dodged with a shout, “Damn!” The pole stabbed into the spot where he had just been standing, embedding itself at least ten centimeters deep.

Looking in the direction the pole had come from, Song Gui was unsurprised to see the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl, Luo Qi, this time carrying a massive dumbbell on her shoulder. Beside her stood a short-haired young woman in her early twenties, speaking to her with her head down.

Only then did Lu Chu get a good look at this illusion.

The illusion appeared to be a massive stadium. Emerging from the “door” led them out of one of the passages in the stands.

The stadium covered a vast area with a spacious layout. Lu Chu and Song Gui walked out through another exit and found that the outside was also within their activity range. It had all the facilities for running, high jump, long jump, and various ball games. There were even vending machines on the field, and a well-stocked kiosk at the entrance of the stadium.

Passing by the kiosk, Song Gui casually grabbed two buckets of popcorn, handing one to Lu Chu.

Looking at the popcorn in his hand, Lu Chu was momentarily stunned. If it weren’t for the occasional player they saw, the eerie emptiness of the place, the fact that he knew there was an end to this space, or the lingering sensation in his hand from holding the knife, and the dull pain in his heart, he might have thought he was just an ordinary spectator at a sports event.

Lu Chu shook his head slightly, pushing away his chaotic thoughts.

He needed to stay alert and rational at all times, otherwise, how could he see 7 again?

As soon as Lu Chu ended his thoughts, Song Gui said, “Actually, I wouldn’t have been hurt even if I hadn’t dodged that pole. The ‘rules’ don’t allow us to die outside the ‘game.’ It would have just hurt—a lot—and been pretty bloody.”

Lu Chu took a bite of the popcorn, “Sounds interesting.”

Song Gui pulled a face, “Lu Xiaochu, you’re not cute anymore.”

Unnoticed, the time on Lu Chu’s wristband had dwindled to twelve minutes. He tossed the empty popcorn bucket into a trash can and said to Song Gui, “I should go now.”

Song Gui finally put away his playful demeanor and turned serious, asking, “Are you still planning to take on solo tasks?”

Thinking of 7, Lu Chu’s eyes momentarily grew distant. He nodded, “For now, yes.”

“Alright,” Song Gui said, “when you think it’s time, come find me. I’ve discovered a group task for five or more people, worth doing.”

“A group task for five or more people?”

If he remembered correctly, Song Gui had told him before about doing a multi-person task with Luo Qi, from which only the two of them had survived. Lu Chu had thought Song Gui wouldn’t easily try such tasks again.

“Whether it’s a solo task or a duo task, the time added to the wristband is too little. But for group tasks of five or more, there’s an extra bonus based on the completion level,” Song Gui explained, looking at Lu Chu, “I do have some trauma from multi-person tasks, but if it’s with you, Lu Chu, I think it’s worth trying.”

Lu Chu raised an eyebrow in surprise. Song Gui trusted him so much. If the reason was only because of his extraordinary five senses, it seemed a bit far-fetched.

Lu Chu felt that Song Gui was hiding something from him.

But as long as Song Gui genuinely wanted to continue cooperating with him, whatever Song Gui was hiding would eventually come to light. So Lu Chu wasn’t in a hurry to uncover his secret; he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Lu Chu replied, “I’ll think about it. The risks are significant.”

Song Gui nodded, “Yes, I’ll wait for your answer.”