INSIDER Chapter 69

Song Gui clicked his tongue, “I’m embarrassed too.”

As everyone was sighing, the little paper man representing their number moved five spaces forward from the third square, stopping directly under the two skeletons. The skeleton images began to emit an eerie black light. At this moment, a line of text appeared again above the table: “In 24 hours, the game board will reappear. Enjoy your game.”

Lu Chu noticed that the number of paper people had increased from five to six.

Knowing the game had started, they immediately stood up, shouldered their backpacks, and prepared to set off.

The game board and chairs disappeared, and the pitch-black tower walls began to fade, gradually becoming transparent until they vanished. The outside scenery became clear, and countless flourishing trees slowly came into view, completely different from before. Before entering the tower, the sun had already set. They had spent some time talking, throwing dice, and using some time inside the tower, so it was already dusk outside.

It seemed that the time in the fifty-two squares was interconnected, but the locations were different.

The tower was gone without a trace, and the surroundings were filled with restless energy. Lu Chu looked up and saw an endless forest. The depths of the forest were dark and eerie, like the entrance to hell, twisting and clawing at them. The howls of wild beasts echoed around them, intertwining from near and far, making it hard to distinguish.

“There is no place to hide around here,” Lu Chu said, looking around.

Everyone tensed up. This was a hell-level difficulty scenario, with no place to hide and trees everywhere, making it inconvenient and highly disadvantageous for them. They didn’t know if they would encounter the same kind of monsters as in the previous square. If they did, these monsters, though taller than humans, had amazing jumping power and agility. Though they hadn’t seen them climb much, Lu Chu felt this terrain would be perfect for them.

7 placed his weapon in front of him, subtly protecting Lu Chu by his side, and said with a frown, “It’s getting dark. We need to find a place to settle down.”

In this situation, 7 could handle any danger and retreat safely. He could protect Lu Chu, but with four others around, he couldn’t guarantee Lu Chu wouldn’t get hurt in case of danger.

He couldn’t tolerate the possibility of Lu Chu getting hurt.

Hearing this, Lu Chu also picked up his weapon and looked around. The strange smells and sounds in the forest affected his judgment. After a long while, he pointed in a direction and said, “Let’s go that way.”

The others trusted his abilities. Hearing his instructions, they immediately moved in the direction he pointed.

They adopted the formation they had used to avoid the monsters earlier—small and agile Luo Qi led the way, moving quickly through obstacles. Lu Chu followed behind, directing, with 7 guarding him. Song Gui and Yuan Kejie followed, and tall and strong Qian Zhen brought up the rear.

The night grew darker, and the howls of beasts grew louder, echoing more frequently.

After a while, Lu Chu said, “Here should be good.”

Everyone stopped and observed the surroundings.

Luo Qi, carrying a shovel, looked at the trees around, “We’re still in the forest. There’s not even a thatched hut around?”

Song Gui said, “We’ve run for so long, and we’re still in the forest. Looks like houses don’t exist here.”

Luo Qi rolled her eyes, “Which idiot threw the dice?”

Yuan Kejie nodded in agreement, “This luck is unparalleled.”

Song Gui had to admit he was indeed unlucky, and because of him, the whole team was in a relatively dangerous situation. Many unpredictable things could happen next. Thinking of this, he sincerely apologized, “Sorry, it’s my bad luck.”

Blaming each other was useless now. They calmed down and observed their surroundings.

Qian Zhen asked Lu Chu, “Why did you choose this place?”

Lu Chu explained, “The sounds and smells of beasts are weaker in this direction, making it less likely to encounter danger. As for why I stopped here—” Lu Chu paused, pointing in a direction, “Look there.”

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, seeing only a vague outline of a huge tree in the dim light.

They hadn’t found any usable flashlights among the supplies, most batteries were dead, so they only had some candles and matches. The wind in the forest and the small illumination range of candles made them unsuitable for lighting. Yuan Kejie asked, “What’s that?”

Lu Chu replied, “A giant tree with branches at least five meters above the ground, and quite sturdy. We might rest on them. Getting there is tricky due to the slope, so I had everyone stop.”

Yuan Kejie squinted but couldn’t see the giant tree clearly and admired, “Lu Chu, you have good eyes. You can see clearly in this darkness.”

Lu Chu paused, then smiled without saying anything.

“No,” Yuan Kejie suddenly said, “I’ll make a torch. Essential for lighting and scaring away beasts!”

Lu Chu looked at her and smiled, “You have many skills.”

Their backpacks contained a variety of things, especially Yuan Kejie’s. Besides essentials like food and medicine, she had many items that others couldn’t see the use for but were handy. Now, these items were useful. Yuan Kejie took out some thin wires and a lighter, then pulled out a cloth strip, tearing it into several pieces.

Song Gui was curious, “How do you make a torch without gasoline?”

Yuan Kejie didn’t look up, “Watch and learn.”

She confirmed the tools and materials, then took out a bottle of floral water.

Lu Chu couldn’t help but say, “You really have everything in your bag.”

Yuan Kejie, a bit embarrassed, said, “Not that much, just things that might be useful.”

To make a torch without gasoline, floral water could be used as a substitute. Yuan Kejie picked up a wooden stick for the torch handle, soaked the cloth strips in floral water, and secured them with wire, making a simple torch. Seeing it successfully lit, Lu Chu stepped in to help. Soon, they had made three more torches.

“Only this many,” Yuan Kejie said regretfully, “Not enough cloth or floral water.”

7 said, “I have good night vision, no need for a torch.”

Luo Qi shook her head, “No need for me either. I’ll keep watch and fight; you lead the way.”

Without further words, they moved toward the giant tree.

After climbing a precarious slope, they finally reached the tree. Lu Chu and the others built two bonfires for warmth and to keep beasts away. The fires were burning brightly when Qian Zhen’s stomach growled loudly, echoing clearly in the forest.

Qian Zhen said straightforwardly, “I’m hungry.”

Song Gui rubbed his chin, “We’ve had a long day. Time for a meal.”

Lu Chu looked around the forest and at the food in his backpack, “Our food is limited, and there’s no place to gather supplies here. We should eat sparingly, as who knows what we’ll face in the next square.”

7 looked at Lu Chu’s hair and said, “I’ll go hunting.”

Unlike the previous square, this place showed signs of wildlife, making hunting a good option for food.

Lu Chu, knowing his strength, still cautioned, “Be careful.”

7 looked at him, “I will.”

Luo Qi and Qian Zhen also went out to hunt.

When they returned, they had quite a haul. 7 brought back a roe deer and two rabbits, Luo Qi and Qian Zhen had caught two pheasants.

Lu Chu and Yuan Kejie worked together to kill and clean the food, preparing it for roasting. Yuan Kejie looked content. At that moment, Lu Chu smelled a familiar stench.

He immediately shouted, “Move!”

At his shout, everyone reflexively jumped away from their spot. At the same time, they heard something landing quickly behind them, accompanied by a gust of wind.

Turning around, they saw two monsters standing where they had been, foul-smelling saliva dripping from their ugly mouths.

The prepared food was trampled underfoot.

Yuan Kejie, instantly furious, shouted, “Damn it! That was our dinner!”

She charged with her knife, instantly decapitating one monster. She then turned to the other, eyes blazing with anger, “Who said you could touch my dinner, bastard!”

In the next moment, the monster’s arm was neatly severed. Yuan Kejie didn’t pause, swinging her knife again. In extreme anger, people can perform exceptionally well. She deftly dodged the monster’s claws, cutting its other arm. Amidst her dodging, she struck repeatedly, each blow filled with fury and ferocity.

The others were stunned by her sudden rampage. By the time they reacted, the monster’s limbs were already severed.

After the battle, Yuan Kejie wiped her face with her arm and pouted, “What do we eat now…”

Song Gui stood up and applauded, “That’s the power of food.”

Lu Chu looked at the monster’s still-twitching body, approached, and decapitated it. He then smiled warmly at Yuan Kejie, “Let’s eat the food we gathered earlier. We’ll find more supplies.”

At that moment, a skeletal hand burst from the ground, grabbing Lu Chu’s leg.