INSIDER Chapter 77

Song Gui nodded, “Makes sense.”

Yuan Kejie asked, confused, “If that’s the case, the tower won’t appear near those monsters, right?”

Thinking about those creatures with their densely packed, disgusting arms, Yuan Kejie felt a chill and her scalp tingled.

Lu Chu looked at her, “We can’t rule out that possibility. In fact, it’s probably the most likely scenario.”

Ro Qi, looking disdainful, interjected, “We’ve escaped death so many times, the ‘rules’ always keep their twisted sense of humor intact.”

Lu Chu wasn’t sure if she was referring to the current “Monopoly” game or all her past life-and-death experiences, but he didn’t ask further.

The very existence of hope might just be to make people more desperate, but Lu Chu had long decided to turn hope into reality. That’s all there was to it.

Because of the river crossing, everyone’s clothes were soaked, clinging tightly to their bodies. In the moonlit night, the breeze made them all shiver.

Yuan Kejie sneezed loudly. Seeing this, Lu Chu said, “Let’s start a fire. We don’t want to catch a cold.”

Song Gui looked around, “We’ve abandoned our tools. To start a fire, we’ll have to use the friction method.”

Yuan Kejie’s eyes lit up, and she raised her hand enthusiastically, “I’m good at this!”

Ro Qi agreed, “You’re definitely handy with this sort of thing.”

“Well, I am indeed essential for home and travel.” Yuan Kejie picked up some suitable dry wood, while complimenting herself.

Lu Chu approached, wanting to learn how she started the fire. It seemed like a useful survival skill.

Yuan Kejie squatted down and started preparing. “Comrades, please gather some small dry twigs for me.”

Upon hearing this, everyone spread out and gathered a pile of twigs. Yuan Kejie looked at them and praised, “Good job.”

Yuan Kejie placed a curved piece of wood on a dry leaf, then fitted a straighter stick into the curve and began rubbing them together. Soon, a burning smell emerged, and tiny black particles fell onto the dry leaves. When Yuan Kejie thought there were enough particles, she found a cotton-like plant nearby, pulled out the cotton, and fluffed it up.

Carefully pouring the black particles onto the cotton, she wrapped them like dumplings, held the outer part, and smiled, “Now, let’s witness a miracle!”

As soon as she finished speaking, she shook the cotton, which caught fire instantly. Yuan Kejie quickly tossed the burning cotton into the prepared pile of wood and fanned it with her hands. The woodpile slowly started to burn.

“Bravo!” Song Gui clapped, “Perfect.”

Lu Chu also applauded, feeling that this skill was worth learning.

Yuan Kejie smiled proudly, “Thanks for the applause, everyone!”

Ro Qi, sitting casually on the ground, asked Yuan Kejie, “I’m curious, where did you learn these skills? Starting a fire, picking locks…”

Yuan Kejie scratched her head shyly, “I like watching survival shows.”

Qian Zhen rarely spoke but now praised, “Impressive.” He meant remembering and successfully applying the skills learned from watching shows.

While they chatted, 7 had already started a few more fires and guided Lu Chu to sit by one. After Lu Chu sat down, 7 stood upwind, blocking the breeze.

Noticing this, Lu Chu tugged at 7’s clothes and looked up at him with moist eyes, “You sit too.”

Seeing Lu Chu’s eyes, 7 felt a softening in his heart.

Over countless years, 7 had mastered survival skills, and starting a fire was basic. But since Yuan Kejie could do it, he didn’t see the need to intervene.

This situation reminded him that he still had much to teach Lu Chu. Every little thing needed careful attention.

He admired Lu Chu’s soft and gentle nature but also hoped he could become sharp.

If one day he couldn’t protect Lu Chu anymore, he wanted Lu Chu to be invincible and unbeatable.

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After drying their clothes, they took turns keeping watch and sleeping.

The night passed uneventfully.

It seemed the river had indeed posed a significant obstacle to the monsters, allowing them this long rest.

Of course, they couldn’t be sure if the multi-armed monsters in the water were dead or if there were other dangers around. So even while resting, they remained vigilant.

By now, the sun was high, and they had eaten compressed biscuits and drank clean dew collected in large leaves, replenishing their energy.

“Which way now?” Yuan Kejie asked Lu Chu.

The tower would appear near dusk, in an unpredictable location. With dangers all around, staying put was not a good option.

Since the tower would appear in a visible but dangerous spot, they should move further away from the river trapping the monsters. Otherwise, the tower might appear in a place they had to pass through the monsters to reach.

Lu Chu shared his thoughts, and everyone agreed.

“Alright,” Lu Chu said, “Let’s keep moving away from those creatures.”

He pointed behind him.

This time, they didn’t need to run. It was daytime, and the danger was significantly lower.

Yuan Kejie looked at the clearer outline of the forest in daylight and said softly, “The air is nice.”

Song Gui agreed, “Very refreshing.”

Qian Zhen remained silent. Ro Qi, carrying her shovel, gave Song Gui a dirty look, resisting the urge to swing her shovel at him.

Song Gui shrugged, “I didn’t start it, right, Lu Xiao Chu?”

Lu Chu sensed Ro Qi’s targeting of Song Gui but didn’t feel it was genuine hostility. So, he just smiled and nodded.

7 walked beside Lu Chu, hand on his Japanese sword at his waist.