INSIDER Chapter 85

At the end of the day, when they re-entered the tower, the six were in excellent spirits.

So far, each of the six had rolled the dice once. The results were three, five, six, four, one, and five points, totaling twenty-four. With fifty-two squares in total, they hadn’t even covered half the distance.

Lu Chu looked at the Monopoly-like board in front of him—the squares, each with different images floating above, connected and winding towards the endpoint.

What would usually seem like a playful game now served as a deadly gauntlet.

.

Sitting at the table, Yuan Kejie pointed to a specific area on the board, her tone excited, “Look, another heart square!”

Luo Qi had already noticed the heart, and now she turned to the group, “So, who’s rolling this time?”

The others looked at the board, seeing the next six squares were: “Eyes,” “Blank,” “Beast Claw,” “Blank,” “Blank,” “Heart.”

Qian Zhen was the first to wave his hand, “Count me out.”

After all, he was the one who had rolled a one and unlocked a new difficulty.

Song Gui stroked his chin, “The difficulty is low, I’m fine with any of the first three.”

Luo Qi glanced sideways at Song Gui and scoffed, “Is that all you aim for?”

Song Gui, used to Luo Qi’s frequent sarcasm, paid no mind and turned to Lu Chu, “Lu Xiao Chu, I think it’s best if you roll.”

Yuan Kejie immediately clapped in agreement, her eyes bright, “Good luck charm, do your thing!”

Lu Chu hesitated, “Last time might have been a fluke. The probability of rolling any number from one to six is the same. You shouldn’t have too high expectations.”

“No worries, no worries,” Yuan Kejie quickly added, “We’ve already rolled a double skeleton difficulty and a one point, to be honest, I’m not scared anymore.”

Song Gui said, “Everyone has rolled once already, and judging by the results, if we were to choose one person to roll the dice consistently, it would have to be you, Lu Xiao Chu. But don’t feel pressured. If luck isn’t on your side this time, we can always switch.”

Lu Chu was more concerned about their high expectations leading to disappointment if his luck failed. Hearing their reassurances, he relaxed, took the dice, and rolled it.

Under their watchful eyes, the dice rolled and stopped at six.

“……”

Lu Chu couldn’t help but smile.

Song Gui, who had been preparing to console Lu Chu in case of a low roll, fell silent; and Yuan Kejie, now standing in the perfectly safe environment of the tower, thought to herself that perhaps this was Lu Chu’s true power…

.

This time, knowing that the heart square was relatively safe, they found a house to rest in and passed the night—despite the safety, they still took turns keeping watch.

At daybreak, they began exploring the desolate town, replenishing their supplies and checking their surroundings.

After walking for a few hours, Yuan Kejie couldn’t help but comment, “This place really has no signs of life…”

Lu Chu adjusted his backpack, which was now packed full of potentially useful items. Seeing him struggle, 7 supported the bottom of the backpack and asked, “Is it heavy?”

Lu Chu shook his head, “Not heavy, just trying to find a comfortable position.”

7 helped him adjust the backpack, and Lu Chu smiled warmly at him, “Thanks.”

Yuan Kejie, looking around as she walked, asked, “How far does this town stretch? If we keep walking in one direction, where will we end up?”

Lu Chu’s mind wandered to the image of his hometown and the void beyond the small town, and he replied, “The edge.”

Yuan Kejie was puzzled, “The edge?”

“Yes,” Lu Chu returned from his thoughts, explaining, “We will reach the edge, the boundary of this game.”

Yuan Kejie was surprised, “You’ve been to the edge?”

Lu Chu evaded the question, “In a previous game.”

Song Gui, listening, quietly glanced at Lu Chu.

As Song Gui continued to watch, 7 moved to block his view, meeting his eyes with a probing gaze.

Song Gui quickly looked away, smiling nonchalantly, “So, it’s like the illusion in the ‘rules’.”

“Maybe, but the playing area here is larger,” Lu Chu paused before continuing, “It’s more like a complete world.”

Thinking about it, Lu Chu still didn’t know what a complete world was supposed to look like.

As a person born in the “game,” his understanding of the word “world” was inherently incomplete.

Luo Qi scoffed at Lu Chu’s words, “No matter how realistic, these games can’t be a complete world, just fake illusions.”

Lu Chu smiled in agreement, “Yes, it’s not a real world.”

Indeed, it was incomplete.

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They continued walking, hoping to reach the edge that Lu Chu mentioned. If the game’s area was too large, they would treat the walk as a warm-up. If they were lucky enough to reach the boundary, all the better.

However, as dusk fell, they had not yet reached the edge.

The tower reappeared silently before them.

Yuan Kejie was visibly disappointed, and Luo Qi glanced at her, saying, “As long as you live long enough, you’ll see the world’s edge.”

She then carried her shovel and walked into the tower first.

Yuan Kejie laughed, “You’re right, you’re right.”

The others followed her into the tower.

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By this point, they had progressed to the thirtieth square out of fifty-two.

The group turned their attention to the board.

The next six squares were: “Blank,” “Double Eyes,” “Skeleton,” “Blank,” “Blank,” “Double Beast Claw.”

This time, they didn’t ask “who will roll the dice” and instead turned their gaze towards Lu Chu.

Lu Chu: “……”

“Go ahead!” Yuan Kejie encouraged him with a fist pump.

Lu Chu smiled wryly, picked up the dice, and rolled it.

Five points—another blank square.

Yuan Kejie couldn’t help but smile contentedly.

Song Gui praised, “Lu Xiao Chu, you’re amazing.”

.

From then on, it was assumed Lu Chu would roll the dice each time, and he didn’t disappoint, consistently rolling five, four, and six points, each time landing on a blank square, as if blessed by fortune.

Yuan Kejie and the others went from excitement to numbness.

Lu Chu himself didn’t feel much different, though he couldn’t help but glance at 7—he had thought all his luck had been used up meeting 7.

Adding the thirty points from before with the twenty Lu Chu rolled, they had reached the fiftieth square.

The last two squares were: “Blank” and “Heart.”

This heart square was the last of three in the game, right before the endpoint. This meant they only needed to roll a three or higher to finish the game. Even rolling a two wasn’t bad, as it would just mean another restful stop. Rolling a one, while not ideal, would be manageable since they were well-prepared.

Looking at the short distance, Song Gui suddenly spoke, “How about I roll this time?”

Luo Qi scoffed, “You? I refuse.”

“Forget it, man…” Yuan Kejie sighed.

Song Gui smiled, his tone regretful, “I thought it was my time to shine.”

Qian Zhen hesitated to speak.

Lu Chu said, “As long as it’s three or higher, it’s good. The probability is two-thirds, quite high.”

Song Gui added, “Two points land on a heart, so it’s like a vacation difficulty.”

Yuan Kejie tilted her head, “Even if it’s one point, it’s no big deal, right?”

“True,” Song Gui nodded, “but I don’t think my luck is that bad.”

It was clear Song Gui wanted another chance to roll the dice, but he wasn’t the type to prioritize personal reasons over the group’s welfare. If even one teammate disagreed, he would drop the idea.

Luo Qi glanced at him, “Go ahead.”

Qian Zhen said, “I don’t mind.”

Lu Chu smiled, “Luck isn’t absolute, you can try. Maybe last time was just an exception.”

7 had no objections because Lu Chu was right.

Yuan Kejie thought for a moment and nodded, “Alright, go for it. Worst case, we stay a couple more days and might see the edge of this ‘game’.”

“It’s as if you expect me to roll less than three,” Song Gui said, looking at everyone, “but thanks.”

He picked up the dice, shook it, and rolled it.

The dice rolled across the table, producing a soft clattering sound, finally landing on one.

Song Gui raised his hands in surrender, speaking regretfully, “Alright, I give up.”

Yuan Kejie lamented, “I must have lost my mind to agree to let you roll again…”