Chapter 20: Red Shoes (5)

Chapter 20: Red Shoes (5)

◎Ducts◎

"There are pipes above the cubicles?"

As Shi Youqing pondered, a noisy commotion erupted from inside the bathroom.

"It's you! You both have the surname Yu, you must know the victim, Yu Jiatian!"

"Please don't... I really don't know who that is…"

"Enough talk, tie him up too!"

"…No... let me go, please!"

By the time they rushed in, the middle-aged man named Yu Xiyong had already been restrained by Ren Tianyu and Chen Jian, his arms twisted behind him. Qiao Mingcheng, who claimed to be a doctor, hurried forward to intervene but was quickly shouted down by Ren Tianyu.

"What's happening?" Chang Fangxing asked.

"Yu Xiyong! His name is Yu Xiyong! He was so inconspicuous before, I almost forgot about him. I only remembered because I saw him pacing in front of the cubicle!" Chen Jian's voice rang out, "The victim's name was Yu Jiatian, remember? They both share the surname Yu!"

"I was just looking for a safer cubicle to stay in! So what if we share a surname? There are so many people with the same name in the world, what does it prove?" Yu Xiyong looked distressed, "It's all a coincidence, what can I do..."

"Stop your excuses!" Ren Tianyu shoved him, "After we vote for He Chi, you're next!"

"No! You can't be serious? I'm the oldest one here, already unlucky to be brought to this place, and now without any evidence... You can't do this!"

Seeing the commotion, Duan Dong stepped forward to mediate, "Let's all calm down. I think what this gentleman said makes sense. Without evidence, just sharing a surname with the victim doesn't prove anything. Besides, we've already found one person, there's no need to rush. Let's discuss Yu Xiyong's case later. If we start suspecting each other without reason, it will only make the murderer happy… Let's all stay calm."

His tone was even and non-confrontational, almost soothing. The two men holding Yu Xiyong, feeling obligated to show respect, reluctantly let him go.

"Anyway, he's a prime suspect!"

“……”

Yu Xiyong rubbed his shoulders, giving Duan Dong a grateful but wry smile.

Duan Dong waved his hand dismissively, his gaze shifting to Feng Bin, who was inspecting the red shoes in each compartment, "Brother, are you searching for a mechanism inside?"

Feng Bin paid him no mind.

Not bothered by Feng Bin's lack of response, Duan Dong casually chatted with Liu Yu nearby, then turned to Shi Youqing, "By the way, thanks for last round, but it was quite risky for you."

Shi Youqing understood his meaning, "Had to take a risk at least once."

After Zhu Chenghai's deception, the other NPCs would naturally not fall for the same trick again, even becoming wary of anyone trying to help them.

Duan Dong nodded, then casually conversed with others about the victim's information before randomly picking a compartment to enter.

Liu Yu quickly followed, entering the compartment next to his.

Hao Tianshuo, hindered by his injured leg, had already been sitting on the toilet lid in his compartment, watching the drama unfold during the dispute over Yu Xiyong. Noticing Shi Youqing, he waved eagerly, "Qingqing Bro!"

"...I'm twenty years old."

"Wow! I thought we were the same age, but you’re four years younger… No wonder you're not as tall as me. Don’t worry, you’re still young, you’ll grow!"

“……”

"Qingqing Bro, you three..."

Shi Youqing frowned, "I'm twenty years old."

"I know you're twenty! But here, you're my big brother! If it weren’t for you last round, that old schemer would have had me… When we get out, whatever sickness or condition you have, I’ll pay for your treatment, even if it costs me everything! Don’t worry, there’s nothing money can’t solve! Leave it all to me!"

“……”

Ignoring the disdainful glances from all around, Hao Tianshuo continued, propping up his injured leg, "But that caretaker of yours, sigh, you should consider changing him. Bad facial features. My great-grandma used to say, being around someone with a malevolent aura for too long can lead to no offspring, and she also said something about..."

Before he could finish, the wooden door in front of him was abruptly shut.

"...Why are you blocking my door?! Open it up!"

Having firmly closed the door, Bo Huai expressionlessly glanced at the half-broken mirror on the wall.

His brows were deeply furrowed.

Shi Youqing: "..."

The time between power outages wasn’t long; everyone had barely settled in their compartments for less than five minutes before the restroom plunged into darkness again.

Having experienced this once already, most people quickly adapted and quieted down.

In the confined space of his compartment, Shi Youqing turned on his phone's flashlight, watching as a square exit slowly appeared overhead.

The exit led into darkness.

He removed the seat cushion, stood on the toilet, and peered into the opening.

It was a duct-like space, seemingly just big enough to accommodate an adult of average build.

Shi Youqing stooped back down, jotting a note on his phone about his impending actions, then slid the device through the gap at the bottom of the wall to Bo Huai in the next compartment.

After handing off the phone, he didn’t wait for a response. Stepping on the toilet, he leaped up and struggled to climb into the opening.

In a ‘Black World’, Shi Youqing might have hesitated more, but in this ‘White World’ replica, where ghosts and ghouls were improbable, the fear was less paralyzing.

Shi Youqing climbed slowly. The duct was enclosed on three sides, while the bottom side had thumb-sized holes near each compartment. There was a hidden latch near each hole, allowing direct access to the secret doors.

Shi Youqing remembered the location of most people’s compartments. For instance, the one below him now was previously occupied by the couple, avoided by others.

Peering down, it was pitch black and eerily quiet, with no one inside.

Moving forward, he approached the compartments of Miss Xing Ruyue and her bodyguard Gao Fei.

Shi Youqing was now directly above Xing Ruyue.

Out of respect for the opposite sex, Shi Youqing refrained from looking down, instead listening closely.

The two were whispering.

Xing Ruyue: "Do you think the couple really weren't killed by a murderer?"

Gao Fei: "Unlikely, it's probably just the rules."

Xing Ruyue: "This is so annoying. If only we could vote more, I'd vote for all those suspects. One of them has to be the murderer!"

Gao Fei: "Calm down."

"How can I be calm when our lives are at stake?" she retorted, her voice breaking into a sob, followed by Gao Fei's comforting words.

It all sounded normal.

Shi Youqing continued crawling forward. Before climbing up, he had taken off his shoes, and his clothes were soft, without any metallic buttons or accessories, making almost no noise as he moved.

Soon, he reached Chang Fangxing's compartment. Chang was silently watching the gaps on either side of him, seemingly distrustful of his neighbors.

His neighbors were Ren Tianyu and Yu Xiyong.

Shi Youqing had already observed Ren Tianyu's compartment. The young man was extremely nervous, constantly shining his phone's light around as if afraid of triggering some mechanism.

Moving forward, he reached Yu Xiyong.

The middle-aged man was curled up on the floor, muttering prayers in a language Shi Youqing could barely understand.

Over Feng Bin's compartment, Shi Youqing remained silent. He hadn’t informed Feng Bin about his ability to observe others through the ducts during the power outage. Communicating now might startle Feng Bin and attract unwanted attention.

Feng Bin was still examining the red shoes in his compartment.

Next was Duan Dong.

Duan Dong's compartment was very dark, but some light spilled in from Liu Yu's phone light next door.

Duan Dong's voice was moderate, gently answering Liu Yu's queries about what to do next.

Xia Shitong's compartment was pitch dark. She was humming a song to herself, not engaging in the others' discussions about voting strategies for the next round.

Hao Tianshuo was massaging his ankle.

Chen Jian was loudly questioning He Chi in the next compartment about the victim.

He Chi had completely broken down, alternating between raging and cursing, resting only when exhausted.

Qiao Mingcheng, apparently afraid of the dark, had smashed a few mirror pieces near the washbasin beforehand. He placed them in his compartment and used his phone's light to create reflections, making his compartment the brightest in the restroom.

He clutched his phone in one hand and a sharp stone in the other, shoulders trembling as he stared intently at the wooden door in front of him.

Exhausted from the climb, Shi Youqing finally reached the area above Bo Huai's compartment, the closest to his own.

Earlier, to observe more carefully, aside from Feng Bin and the confirmed NPC He Chi, Shi Youqing had spent several minutes above each of the other eleven occupied compartments, depending on the situation. Now, there were only about ten minutes left until the power was restored.

He was ready to head back.

As he passed over Feng Bin’s compartment, he didn’t stop.

However, just as he was about to crawl past, the wooden board under him emitted a faint vibration.

Shi Youqing paused, cautiously shifting his eyes to the hole.

Inside the compartment, a faint light was on, and a pair of sharp, pitch-black eyes were staring intently into the hole, just inches away.

“……”

Shi Youqing pressed the hidden latch, and the wooden board with the hole slowly opened downward.

It had been confirmed earlier that during a blackout, two people could not stay in the same compartment. Therefore, Shi Youqing had no intention of going down. He lay there, staring at the pair of eyes with puzzlement.

The amber pupils, reflecting the light from the mobile phone, shone brightly like little lamps.

Feng Bin, caught off guard, then stepped onto the toilet, leaning halfway into the duct.

Shi Youqing: “?”

His face was warm with fine sweat. Before he could react, the beads of sweat had been wiped away by Feng Bin with a cool, damp cloth.

In the cramped space, they were very close, their foreheads almost touching.

Shi Youqing whispered, “What are you doing?”

Feng Bin: “You need to drink water.”

Shi Youqing, indeed feeling thirsty, spoke in a breathy voice, “My thermos is in my compartment, I’ll be back there soon.”

Feng Bin: “I have mineral water here.”

After saying this, he reached down, grabbed a bottle, unscrewed it, and offered it to him.

Shi Youqing, unable to move freely to take the water, tilted his head back to drink from the bottle Feng Bin held for him. After a few sips, his dry lips and throat felt much better.

He clenched his fist to adjust his position and said, "Thank you."

The other person silently tore open something else.

Shi Youqing quietly asked, "What's that?"

"Chocolate," the young man replied, bringing it to his lips, "It's sweet."

After an acknowledging hum, Shi Youqing opened his mouth to eat it.

It was very sweet, and perhaps it was psychological, but he felt a bit more energized after eating it. He said, "I need to go now."

After that statement, Shi Youqing felt Feng Bin seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he just nodded at him.

Outside, there was a constant murmur of speculation and discussion among the others.

Between them, half in darkness and half in dim light, Shi Youqing shrank back, retreating into the shadows. Just as he was about to disappear into the darkness, Feng Bin suddenly leaned in close.

His eyes widened, only seeing a bead of sweat sliding past his eyelashes, gently wiped away.

Before the wooden board closed, Feng Bin swiftly jumped down.

[Author’s Note]

Thanks to the little angels for nourishing with nutrient solutions: 'Enjoying the World with You' 10 bottles; 'Ji Shan' 5 bottles;

"Thank you all for your support. I will continue to work hard!"