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When Lian Qiao said this, Xu RenDong and Yuan XueMing cast surprised glances at him at the same time.
Lian Qiao continued: “There were no markings around this doll in the snow, otherwise I would have seen it. The trees next to the doll are also very common and have no special characteristics. That is to say, the doll was completely randomly distributed and it’s also hidden inside the snow. We were really lucky to find it. But this kind of luck cannot be duplicated. If the other dolls are like this, even if there is only one other, then we may never find it. Do you understand what I mean?”
Xu RenDong nodded and Yuan XueMing was silent. Lian Qiao said, “Also, there are ghosts inside the matryoshka which we have never encountered before.”
Yuan XueMing said, “Then let’s not open them.”
Lian Qiao shook his head, “No, have you forgotten how we got the compass? If we didn’t get the compass, we wouldn’t have been able to find the church. Even if we find it, it’s easy to get lost in the snow. So there is a probability that there will be props that are helpful to us inside the matryoshka. However, it is also possible to open a trap. But before opening the matryoshka, we won’t know which one it is and whether or not to avoid it.”
Xu RenDong suddenly thought of something: “Lian Qiao, do you still remember Brother Sledgehammer who guards the smallest doll? If we prepare in advance then we may be able to avoid the trap.”
In this reincarnation, it was another person in the team who picked up the smallest doll. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao did not directly encounter Brother Sledgehammer but they learned from the statements of other teammates that Brother Sledgehammer was the same as last time.
Lian Qiao understood and said: “I know what you mean. Brother Sledgehammer is a treasure guard. He has a defensive range so even if the treasure is stolen, as long as you leave his defensive range, he won’t keep chasing you.” He paused, and sighed helplessly, “But this time is different. This ghost killed as soon as it came out. It belongs to the “kill at first sight” type. You can’t hide from this type, even if it was me…”
Lian Qiao has the best physical fitness and the fastest on-the-spot reaction in the entire team. He witnessed the killing process of black graffiti and knew how terrifying the traps in the dolls were. Since even he can’t avoid it, it’s impossible for anyone else in the team to do it.
The game terminology in his remarks was a bit too much. Xu RenDong can only roughly understand it and Yuan XueMing was at a loss. When Lian Qiao explained to Yuan XueMing, Xu RenDong had an idea in his heart: Since they couldn’t hide from the “kill at first sight” monsters, then shouldn’t he be the one to open the dolls in the future?
Anyway, after he died he could be reborn and every time the world was reset. However the things that came out of the dolls were fixed. He really wasn’t a Holy Mother and didn’t want to sacrifice himself to protect others but he also wanted to leave this ghost world as soon as possible.
He has been trapped here for too long. After so many deaths and resets, he has experienced more horror and pain than anyone else. He was afraid his psyche would collapse if he continued it much longer. So he put forward his ideas frankly.
As soon as Xu RenDong finished speaking, the faces of Yuan XueMing and Lian Qiao changed.
Lian Qiao said immediately: “No!” The tone was decisive and there was no room for negotiation.
Xu RenDong said calmly: “Now that everyone knows that there will be ghosts in the matryoshka then probably no one will dare to open them. But someone has to do it, we can’t sit around and wait.”
Lian Qiao said: “Then it can’t always be you. It’s not fair.”
Xu RenDong: “It doesn’t matter, I don’t mind.”
Lian Qiao was very agitated: “I care!”
Xu RenDong gave Lian Qiao a surprised look. He found that even though Lian Qiao had a tough attitude this time around, his eyes still showed strong anxiety. He thought for a while and felt that there was only one reason why Lian Qiao’s reaction was so intense. He was afraid that if Xu RenDong died, there would be no one to protect him. So he soothed him by saying: “Don’t worry, if something happens to me, Brother Yuan will take care of you.” He turned to look at Yuan XueMing, “Right, Brother Yuan?”
Yuan XueMing nodded, “You can rest assured about this. But I don’t understand why you want to do this?”
Xu RenDong hadn’t replied when Lian Qiao grabbed his hand that Xu RenDong had put on his face and said angrily: “I’m not worried about that! It’s unfair, you know? Everyone wants to get out. Why should you be the one to take a risk and sacrifice yourself? What makes you so great?”
Lian Qiao became more excited as he spoke.. Even his eyes became slightly red. He was obviously angry but because of this slightly fragile look, he also seemed to be aggrieved to the point of crying.
Xu RenDong suddenly felt very confused. He didn’t understand why Lian Qiao was feeling wronged? What was he angry about?
Wasn’t there no previous memory? To Lian Qiao, he should be just a stranger he met by chance. Why was he reacting so much?
Lian Qiao grasped his hand hard, pinched his wrist so that he was forced to look at him and said: “If you have to do this, then I’ll do it with you and we will take turns.”
Xu RenDong sighed: “Why bother? I have my own reasons.”
Lian Qiao’s eyes were red but his eyes were firm: “I also have my reasons.”
Xu RenDong said, “Believe me, I have a way to save my life. I won’t have an accident.”
Lian Qiao “I won’t agree!”
Xu RenDong felt helpless.
Yuan XueMing watched these two people silently and suddenly laughed: “I really don’t understand you. Now there are 13 people left in our team but there are only six matryoshka dolls found. Since the condition for the rabbit to kill is that you don’t have a doll, then the remaining seven people should be rushing to open the doll, otherwise why should it be given to them? So why are you two rushing ahead?”
Lian Qiao sighed, “I have considered this situation like you’ve said too. But if that’s the case, do you think the others would be more willing to take the risk to open a new doll or be more willing to take advantage of their teammates’ lack of attention?” {ie, they’d probably rather try to steal/snatch an existing doll off someone else rather than find a new one and have to open it.}
Xu RenDong frowned and touched his neck subconsciously. He again thought of Jiang Li who had killed him.
Yuan XueMing spread his hands and said: “It’s about the same. Anyway, there are still four days left within the time limit. If we don’t find a complete set of dolls, everyone will die in the end. It’s only a matter of dying earlier or dying later, it depends on your ability.”
This discussion had no results and it is up to everyone to decide their own fate in the end. So the three of them returned to the team in silence and talked about the content of the discussion just now. Everyone went silent after listening and the already depressed atmosphere became more solemn at this time. The seven people who did not have a doll so far all stared at Yuan XueMing.
Yuan XueMing said: “I know what you are thinking. I don’t think anyone is thinking about finding any new matryoshka anymore so let’s go back for today.”
It started to snow again on the way back but fortunately it wasn’t a storm this time but only light snow. The fine snowflakes floated over the face and quickly melted. When everyone returned to the hunter’s lodge, a thin layer of ice had formed on their eyebrows.
But everyone’s heart is colder than their bodies.
After lighting the fireplace, Yuan XueMing generously took out four matryoshka dolls. He took out the one he found and gave the other two to their respective discoverers. Since the discoverer of the fourth doll has been twisted into shreds, he let the remaining seven people play ‘guess the box’ to determine the winner and the person who won kept the doll.
Later Yuan XueMing announced: If you find a doll in the future, it will belong to the discoverer. But the discoverer has the right to give the matryoshka to another person.
Everyone has no opinion on this, just tacit understanding of each other. When they looked at each other, their guards were up.
Yuan XueMing did not mention the two dolls that Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao kept privately, which greatly reduced the threat of their teammates to them. Xu RenDong was very grateful for this but still dared not regard Yuan XueMing as a partner.
After a day of trekking, everyone was tired. Xu RenDong returned to his room, feeling his muscles were sore. He sat on the edge of the bed and kneaded his calves to relax his body.
Lian Qiao went to the kitchen and boiled two cups of hot milk to give him and appeared as though he wanted to have a long conversation with him. But seeing Xu RenDong’s tired face, he dismissed the idea and lay down to sleep with him .
After going to bed, he kept tossing and turning, and couldn’t sleep even after the sleeping time on his body clock passed. Xu RenDong fell asleep very early. He slept until at midnight when he was awakened by a piteous scream. The two people jumped off the bed at almost the exact same time.
“Is it Jiang Li?” Lian Qiao looked at the door of the room with a hint of pity.
“Yeah.” Xu RenDong said. “The two of them still don’t have a doll.”
Lian Qiao was silent. Sitting side by side on the bed, the two heard a woman’s scream, a man’s low growl then chaotic footsteps and the sound of tables and chairs falling over from a room not far away. The series of noises seemed particularly harsh in the silent night. No one proposed going over to save them. After all, the two of them knew better than anyone else how helpless they were in front of the ghosts.
Lian Qiao listened for a while with his ears upright and suddenly called out in a low voice: “Brother RenDong.”
Xu RenDong said, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Lian Qiao said, “I’m not afraid, I’m thinking about what you said during the day. Your words made it seem like you were ready to die. Isn’t there anything in your world worthy of living for? I’m not talking about this place, I’m talking about the real world outside.”
Xu RenDong was silent. He suddenly realized that what Lian Qiao said might not be wrong.
He was an orphan and grew up in an orphanage. Because of his excellent grades, he completed his studies on a scholarship. After graduating from university, he successfully entered a financial company. On the surface, his life was beautiful and smooth but when he came home every day and faced an empty apartment, he always felt empty in his heart.
No one was waiting for him to go back. Perhaps even if he died here quietly, no one would care.
Although he has a stoic character, he has been alone for so many years and his heart still felt loneliness.
Lian Qiao said suddenly: “But I don’t want you to die.”
Xu RenDong was taken aback and Lian Qiao said: “It might be weird for me to say it since we have only known each other for two or three days, but I think you are very familiar… Where could we have met before? Is it just that we both forgot?”
He turned his head and stared at Xu RenDong with a confused, questioning and expectant look.
Xu RenDong looked at him and thought: You forgot, I didn’t.
“But if we see each other often, maybe we will remember it one day?” Lian Qiao looked at him seriously, “It’s just like a toy that I hid away when I was a child. When I grow up, I can’t remember it at all but there’s always a chance I’ll find it again. Then I’ll look at it and think; hey back then I really liked playing with this. Eventually I’ll remember it. And isn’t the feeling of discovering something you’ve forgotten before pretty great?”
Xu RenDong smiled. The little bit of sorrow and grief inside his heart suddenly disappeared. He pulled on the quilt: “Let’s talk about this when we get out.”
Lian Qiao curved his eyes: “Yeah.”
When Xu RenDong closed his eyes, he felt something big and warm very close to him.
That night, he slept exceptionally peacefully.
The author has something to say:
I really want to sleep in the blanket with a large dog x
Jinjiang Literature and the author wish my dear readers and friends: Peace and happiness during the Spring Festival holiday! At the same time, we warmly remind everyone to wash hands frequently, wear masks, ventilate more and gather less!
Don’t go out and read novels at home! Love you guys!