Chapter 542 Misgivings

Chapter 542: Estrangement

In the end, caution won out over curiosity, and after a moment's hesitation, everyone gave up on the idea of going to the fifteenth floor.

Just as Su Bai had said, whether the fifteenth floor was dangerous or safe, this survival game would ultimately lead them there. The secrets potentially hidden on the fifteenth floor were merely postponed for now.

"Let's keep moving," Chi Yan's voice came from ahead as he took the lead, stepping onto the downward stairs with steady and decisive strides.

The group followed.

The staircase was wide enough that even with Xiang Feiyu carrying Xu Rui on his back and holding the wheelchair, it didn't feel crowded.

"Brother, Sister Xie walked to the very back by herself and keeps looking towards the fifteenth floor."

Le Shiya's voice appeared in Su Bai's mind like a feather. Her ability seemed to be more than just conveying information; it also conveyed an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

"Is she particularly interested in the fifteenth floor? And just now, after she noticed me looking at her, she averted her gaze."

Su Bai gave Le Shiya's small hand a gentle squeeze in response, then filed this detail away in the mental puzzle he was piecing together about Jie Ying.

The atmosphere in the stairwell was completely different from the corridor. The walls and steps were unfinished, raw concrete, exposing a rough texture that made it feel like an abandoned, incomplete building. The light overhead was dim and yellowish, much duller than the harsh fluorescent lights in the corridor, casting blurry shadows on the walls.

In previous nightmare game scenarios, this typical environment would likely have felt oppressive, even chilling. But after the ordeal of the corridor's irritatingly intense light, the stairwell's illumination felt comparatively gentle. At least here, there were no glaring fluorescent lights uncomfortably illuminating every corner, no feeling of being watched by some invisible presence.

The group even relaxed a little because of it.

"I don't even want to leave this place."

Xiang Feiyu looked up at the harsh white light outside the stairwell and sighed softly. His words carried a hint of helplessness, as if even after finding a brief respite, the fatigue of stepping back into the unknown was unavoidable.

However, the next second, something unexpected happened.

Whether due to a momentary lapse or something else, Xiang Feiyu, who had been walking steadily, misjudged the last step. He lost his balance and pitched forward violently!

"Watch out!"

Danger erupted in an instant.

Chi Yan instinctively reached out, grabbing Xiang Feiyu's arm with force. Tian Yue, standing on the other side, reacted almost simultaneously. Together, they managed to pull back Xiang Feiyu just as he was about to fall.

But even so, they were nearly dragged down with him.

Xiang Feiyu was carrying Xu Rui on his back and holding the wheelchair, his weight nearly triple that of a normal person. The sudden force of the fall was so great that it made the muscles in Chi Yan and Tian Yue's arms tense up, their palms going slightly numb from the abrupt strain.

Once steady again, Xiang Feiyu's chest rose and fell slightly, a cold sweat beading on his temples. He was clearly shaken by the sudden incident.

His fingers unconsciously tightened, gripping Xu Rui's legs firmly. His gaze wavered slightly, showing clear apprehension.

"What a shame," Tian Yue said, rubbing her wrist, her tone sounding rather blunt. "You almost became the first one among us to break a rule."

She moved her shoulder slightly, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. Although players' bodies were somewhat enhanced in the nightmare world, that sudden, forceful pull had nearly dislocated her shoulder joint.

"If you fall next time, I definitely won't stop you," Tian Yue said with dissatisfaction. "Might as well see what the mysterious punishment for breaking the rules actually is."

"Second, do not have all four limbs touch the ground simultaneously in the Newborn Department."

The words of the rule surfaced in the players' minds, carrying an undeniable sense of danger.

Undoubtedly, if things had gone just a little worse, Xiang Feiyu might very well have been the first to trigger a rule.

"Sorry, it's my fault."

However, before Xiang Feiyu could speak, Xu Rui's voice came first, filled with obvious guilt and self-blame. His face was paler than before, and his tone held a hint of barely suppressed tension.

Tian Yue glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

From the start of the game until now, Xu Rui had remained remarkably calm. He hadn't complained or shown any obvious distress, even maintaining the rationality to analyze the situation. But upon closer thought, among all the players affected by No. 666 Hospital, Xu Rui was probably bearing the heaviest burden.

Jie Ying couldn't hear, but at least so far, her mobility hadn't been greatly affected; she could still walk and communicate freely.

Su Bai couldn't see, but he always had the little one with him. To outsiders, he didn't even seem significantly restricted in movement and hadn't fallen behind at all.

Tian Yue's own "delusional disorder" and Le Shiya's "narcolepsy" might sound troublesome, but no specific symptoms had manifested yet at this stage. No one knew how bad they might become.

But Xu Rui was different. He genuinely couldn't walk.

He had to rely on a wheelchair, on Xiang Feiyu's help, to move normally. And in this survival game, that was undoubtedly a huge disadvantage. The game's rules had already hinted that they were very likely to experience intense chase sequences in the latter half.

When that time came, even if Xu Rui's ability could enhance others, he himself would remain an undeniable burden.

Worse still, the one person he could rely on—Xiang Feiyu—had lost his memory.

Tian Yue tried to put herself in his shoes, imagining if she had started with such a terrible hand...

She probably would have broken down long ago.

No, not just broken down—she likely would have given up struggling entirely. Just losing the ability to walk would be maddening enough, but to have even the most trustworthy friend lose their memory, potentially unable to offer any support at critical moments... That utter sense of powerlessness wasn't something just anyone could bear.

Thinking this, she couldn't help but sigh, pulling her thoughts back. Her gaze swept slightly, landing on the others in the group.

Tian Yue was actually quite satisfied with the current team composition.

Although they weren't very familiar with each other yet, judging from their performance so far, everyone's mobility, judgment, and ability to cooperate weren't bad. At least in the current situation, they could barely maintain a reasonable order.

But thinking of Feng Xuelan made Tian Yue somewhat irritable.

She and Feng Xuelan had met during a novice game. After returning to the real world, they gradually kept in touch more. Living nearby and entering the nightmare world at the same time, they, like Xu Rui and Xiang Feiyu, often ended up in the same nightmare games.

They were true sisters who had shared hardships and faced life and death together.

So no matter what happened, she couldn't truly cut ties with Feng Xuelan.

But she never expected Feng Xuelan to put on an act in front of *her*.

It wasn't that she couldn't accept a white lie. In fact, she herself didn't always tell the complete truth to family and friends. The problem was, Feng Xuelan's "disguise" had left her feeling utterly bewildered.

Right now, Tian Yue keeping her distance from Feng Xuelan wasn't just about being angry. The main reason was... she also didn't know what else might be hidden beneath Feng Xuelan's mask.

Actually, what Tian Yue wanted was simple. She didn't need Feng Xuelan to bow her head and apologize or anything like that. She just wanted her to take the initiative to walk over, stand in front of her, and properly explain: Why did she do this? What exactly was she hiding?

Her fingertips tightened slightly. Finally, she sighed, suppressing this wave of irritation.

She turned her head, looking towards the others in the group. Her gaze settled on Su Bai and Le Shiya.

This brother-sister pair was also strange.

Although one was surnamed Su and the other Le, whether in their attitude when introducing each other or their usual way of interacting, they genuinely seemed like siblings. There even seemed to be an indescribable, subtle rapport between them.

And yet...

Le Shiya was in a sorry state.

Her ponytail was loose and messy, hastily tied by her own hand, and had become a tangled mess as she walked.

The dress she wore was clearly ill-fitting. The fabric looked ordinary, with clearly hand-sewn stitches that could even be described as "clumsy." Even with Le Shiya's slender frame, the dress seemed too short in places, and some spots were patched with crooked, uneven stitching that looked like a child's handiwork.

Yet, standing beside her, Su Bai was impeccably neat and clean, looking *too* well-put-together, so much so that it struck Tian Yue as excessive.

The contrast between the two siblings was so stark that the more Tian Yue looked at them, the more uncomfortable she grew.

Something about their relationship felt off, no matter how she looked at it.

Tian Yue knew there might be hidden reasons or untold stories behind it.

But until she learned the truth, she couldn't shake her unease.

Her instinct was to keep her distance from Su Bai. At least, until she figured out what secrets lay between this "brother and sister," she would maintain that space.

After all, she hated people who wore masks the most.

With these thoughts in her head, the group had already reached the thirteenth floor of the Newborn Department.

Just as Chi Yan was about to lead everyone out of the stairwell...

"Bzzz—"

The lights went out.