What do you mean by “surviving”...? And what is a “Fangdu Mianju” for?
Hearing this, Tuziren pointed to the huge machine with a countdown: “In ten minutes, the machine behind us will continuously release high concentrations of Lü qi, causing you nine to die here.”
Although I didn’t understand what Tuziren was saying, the uncles and aunts seemed very afraid.
“You’re talking nonsense!” one of the uncles shouted. “If that machine really releases Lü qi, then you three would die along with us. Do you think we’re fools?”
“If you don’t believe it, I encourage you to try it out,” Tuziren nodded. “That would save us some trouble. Oh, and for the sake of procedure, I’ll mention this... This game comes with rewards—the more people who survive, the smaller the rewards.”
I was genuinely confused. What is a “game”? And what is a “reward”?
Isn’t this a prison? Why would we be playing a game in a prison?
Suddenly, I thought of Sima Guang.
At that moment, the only young woman spoke up: “But Lü qi is denser than air. If that machine is really releasing it, the gas would sink into the well, and we wouldn’t die.”
“So I said, if you don’t believe it, feel free to try it.”
Tuziren had no intention of persuading us; he just kept suggesting we test it out.
I was so scared that I don’t even remember how I got down from the ceiling. I only recall that all the adults were arguing, and in the end, they decided to send me down into the well.
I went over to the edge of the hole and looked in. This round hole really did look like a “well,” and there was nothing inside to hold onto.
If I had to go down, I’d probably need to use my hands and feet to brace against the walls and inch my way down. But how would I get back up?
Ever since we’d freed ourselves from the ropes, the three people with masks had just stood there motionless. I had no idea what they were planning.
In the end, the uncles and aunts decided to tie together all the elastic ropes that had been used to bind us, making one long rope.
They said I should first climb down slowly using my hands and feet until I reached the bottom, grab the key, and then they’d throw the rope down to pull me back up.
I thought that sounded fine and was about to agree, but the young woman was the first to object.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the young woman said. “This plan won’t work.”
She stepped in front of me, blocking my view, so I couldn’t see the expressions on the uncles’ and aunts’ faces.
Although the woman wasn’t very tall, she had a pleasant scent about her. She was slim, with a round face and short hair that reached her shoulders. Even from behind, she looked warm and comforting.
“How won’t it work, young lady?” one of the uncles asked. “This plan is perfect. We don’t have time to waste—move aside and let the kid go down.”
“Yeah, don’t waste time.”
“It’s fine for him to go down, but you need to tie the rope around his waist first,” the young woman insisted. “Otherwise, I won’t agree to it.”
“What difference does your agreement make?!” one of the uncles snapped, looking angry. “There are so many of us—do you think we’re scared of you?”
“No means no.”
“Oh, come on, why not?” one of the aunts asked. “Are you saying we wouldn’t pull him back up?”
“Yes, that’s exactly it. I sense something off about all of you,” the woman said. “You’re thinking about abandoning this child, and I even suspect you might decide to just pull up the key and leave him.”
I peeked out from behind the woman’s waist and looked at the uncles and aunts, only to see them rolling their eyes, as if they were scheming something.
They gave me the same feeling as my homeroom teacher, always looking at me with that strange gaze.
I felt a bit scared and reached out to hold the woman’s hand. That’s when I noticed she was trembling slightly.
Was the woman afraid too?
From her, I caught a scent that tugged at my heart—an odor that made two words flash in my mind: “anxious.”
“Fine... sigh...” the lead uncle said. “Young people these days are so sharp, assuming the worst right off the bat... All right, all right, we’ll tie it around the kid.”
That uncle had a foul smell about him.
Once everyone agreed, the woman took the rope they had tied and wrapped it around my waist. As she secured it, she whispered to me, “Little brother, remember this if you want to stay alive: never untie this rope. If it slips off by accident, you have to grab onto it yourself no matter what.”
I nodded slowly as I listened to her.
As she spoke, a very warm scent drifted from her, which felt strangely comforting. I’d never realized my nose could be so sensitive before.
When that scent entered my nose, two words appeared in my mind: “sincere.”
It was so strange... When did I start being able to distinguish so many different kinds of scents?
Could scents really include things like “anxious” and “sincere,” beyond just pleasant or unpleasant ones?
After she finished tying the rope securely around me, I followed everyone’s instructions and climbed down into the well. Luckily, I’m used to helping my parents with chores at home, so my hands and feet were nimble enough, and I didn’t make anyone angry.
The situation inside the well was just as Tuziren had described, but also a bit different.
After descending a short way, I first saw a ring of small holes along the wall. Going down further, I noticed a recessed area in the middle of the well, where there were a few Fangdu Mianju, but not enough for everyone.
So, I continued all the way to the bottom. It was much harder than I’d imagined—my hands were scraped raw.
This was even tougher than cleaning up the plates my dad had broken.
“Little brother!” the woman called down from the edge of the well, leaning over. “Is this well sealed?”
Her voice echoed inside the well, sounding lovely.
Following her words, I looked around and saw that at the bottom, there was only a tiny hole, not much bigger than a one-yuan coin, and it was covered by a strange little board.
I nodded: “Sister, the bottom is sealed tight—it doesn’t lead outside.”
Then, I caught her scent again—it was the smell of “worry.”
I started to feel troubled. Why are there so many strange scents in this world?
“Find the key and hold onto the rope!” she shouted.
I nodded, about to search the bottom of the well, when suddenly I saw the lead uncle appear behind her. His face was dark, and his scent was especially foul.
In less than a second, the words “Sister, watch out!” burst from my throat in a desperate shout, echoing up from the well and startling everyone above.
[14 minutes ago] Chapter 719: Rich Harvest
[16 minutes ago] Chapter 399: Reduce Refining Costs
[25 minutes ago] Chapter 718: Why Don't You Get Up First?
[33 minutes ago] Chapter 717: Why Seek Your Own Death?
[41 minutes ago] Chapter 716: Restraint Relationship
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