Chapter 229 - 229 Eighty-six

Words : 1312 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

229: Eighty-six. Investigator Simulation Event Five 229: Eighty-six. Investigator Simulation Event Five “Your pockets are filled with stones, and they now find their purpose. With every distance you cover, you toss a stone behind you to attract any presence that might be there in the darkness...” Tesla didn’t say “next,” implying that it wasn’t yet Lu Li’s turn to act. But at this moment, Lu Li spoke up, “I’m throwing the stones so that her sister can hear.” “... As well as to let her sister hear. If she’s still alive, she hasn’t eaten for over a dozen days and would easily miss any rescue under the circumstances of weakness.” “You maintain the frequency of tossing stones as you make your way along the right wall in the dim ruins. The palm of your hand touching the wall is cold and numb, and the number of stones in your pocket begins to decrease. You’ve forgotten how many times you’ve turned, but thankfully, by always keeping to the right, you haven’t lost your way in the ruins. You can turn back anytime if you wish.” “Boundless darkness assaults your face, and even eyes accustomed to the dark see nothing. This absolute darkness and silence begin to panic you and you’re unable to keep calm; ‘a small amount of your inner strength disappears.’ Your thoughts run wild, perhaps you shouldn’t continue exploring. The investigator’s mission is almost complete, and you could return the way you came, just telling the villagers that his sister has disappeared. He’d understand, after all, nearly half a month has passed. Thinking this, you decide—” Lu Li: “To calm down.” “Your palm feels a protruding stone on the wall, causing a sharp pain. You suddenly come to your senses, recalling your recent thoughts—such cowardice doesn’t belong to you. You realize that your Sanity Value has dropped to a somewhat worrisome level because of exploring these ruins. You need to hurry.” “Just as before, you take out a stone from your pocket and toss it behind you. The sound of the stone bouncing echoes through the empty corridors. Just as you’re about to continue onward, a feeble voice arises from nowhere.” “‘Brother, is that you?’ It’s the voice of a young girl, echoed off the walls, making it impossible to locate its source. You startle and plan—” Lu Li: “To keep silent.” “The strange human voice makes you cautious, and you do not respond. ‘Brother?’ The voice calls out again, more anxious, but you still can’t discern the location of the sound. You wait quietly for a bit, and the voice does not sound again. All around returns to peace. Next, you plan to—” Lu Li: “Ask who she is.” “You can’t help but break the silence, feeling that the entity opposite is not a threat, and ask, ‘Who are you?'” “‘It’s me, Brother, I’m Raimy...’ The voice now contains a hint of surprise, and you plan—” Lu Li: “To tell her: Your great-grandmother has come with the villagers to rescue you.” “‘What are you talking about? Our great-grandmother has long since—’ The voice stops abruptly and doesn’t sound again. You’ve used this method to confirm her identity. Now, you plan—” Lu Li: “To tell her: I’m not your brother. I met your brother outside; he escaped the ruins. But when he wanted to take you out, he found that the entrance to the ruins was occupied by a monster again. He couldn’t find a chance to rescue you until I arrived. He proposed that he would distract the monster while I came to find you.” “Perhaps out of sympathy, or perhaps because it wasn’t the time for explanations, you didn’t tell Raimy about her brother’s fate, but made up some content instead. ‘Do you really know my brother...?’ The voice resounds again, tentative and cautious. Lu Li: “Answer yes, and then describe her brother’s appearance.” “In order to make Raimy believe, you described her brother’s appearance. This made Raimy confirm that you knew her brother, and she began to cough excitedly, ‘Can you take me away from here...'” Lu Li: “Reply: Yes, but I have a question before that. What have you been surviving on these past days?” “Your inquiry silenced Raimy for a moment. ‘...Insects,’ she answered after a dozen seconds. ‘There are insects in the cracks of the floor, I don’t know what they are, I was so hungry, I could only catch them and put them into my mouth... They were still moving, I was afraid they would bite through my belly, so I crushed them with my teeth before swallowing... Afterwards, I frantically licked the droplets on the wall to dilute the taste, please... don’t ask anymore...'” “Raimy’s voice was very pained, her sanity teetering on the brink of collapse. After all, she was just a girl, and she had been trapped in this eerie ruin for over ten days, maybe her Sanity Value had already dropped to a very terrifying level.” “‘Come in quickly!’ Suddenly, she urged you with an anxious tone, which made you feel a bit uneasy.” Lu Li: “Approach her.” “You suppressed your unease, asked for her location, discerned that her voice was distant from the wall, and moved toward the direction of the sound. ‘I hear your footsteps,’ Raimy’s frail voice arose in front of you. ‘Help me, I don’t have any strength left.’ Lu Li: “Lift her on your back and feel her body discreetly in the process.” Sitting aside, Old Pique, engrossed in the story, couldn’t help but raise his palm wanting to applaud. Tesla, not as coarse, guessed the intention behind Lu Li’s action and continued with the plot. “‘I’ll carry you,’ you said, approaching Raimy and pulling her up from leaning against the wall. Inevitably, your actions of lifting her caused contact with her body, and you, dubious at heart, deliberately touched her even more. Her soft body was cold with a slight hint of warmth; other than being very light, there was nothing unusual — she was indeed a human.” “The strange lightness in her weight was also understandable — after all, she had been here for over ten days, sustaining life only on insects; naturally, she would have lost at least a dozen pounds.” “‘Thank you...’ she said, her hands supporting your shoulders, close to your ear. ‘Don’t light any fire,’ she added, but you already knew that.” “You carried Raimy out of the side room and headed towards the opposite side, relying on your memory of the place. After a few steps, you began to feel uneasy, because by now, you should have touched the wall, but your outstretched arm touched nothing...” “You quickened your pace, but after walking more than a dozen meters, there still seemed to be no end in sight. You couldn’t help but move closer to the side until you finally touched a wall. Your unease grew thicker; you realized that you seemed to have lost your sense of direction...” “Raimy noticed your odd behavior and asked what was wrong, to which you replied—” Lu Li: “Tell the truth.” “You told the truth, and, surprisingly, Raimy seemed to already know and sighed. ‘Is it too late...’ she said, and you urgently asked her what was going on.” “She told you that the passages and rooms in the ruin shifted positions every so often. That was something she discovered the day after her brother left, when she couldn’t help but leave the side room. In fact, the side room you rescued her from was no longer the original room where she and her brother had taken refuge.”

Chapter 229 - 229 Eighty-six

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