The sound was as faint as a mosquito buzzing by the ear, barely noticeable unless one listened carefully.
Dr. Garner gulped, lowered his voice and asked in a small voice, “Is that another monster you released?”
‘Yes, right? Please say yes.’
The fantasy was rich, but reality was stark.
The young man didn’t speak, but Dr. Garner read the answer from his eyes.
—No.
Dr. Garner: “…”
‘I really hate my lack of understanding at this moment.’
Lin Xiao: “It doesn’t sound like the movement of a statue. The sound is too light.”
Dr. Garner nodded hastily. “It’s very light, but why did it come out? Is it related to the theft of the Kiss of the sun?”
Bai Lixin wasn’t sure if there was a connection.
The reason he caused such a scene was simply because Lin Xiao’s investigation had hit a dead end with no progress. So, he decided to act out of line, hoping for a breakthrough. Things couldn’t get any worse than they already were, and perhaps there would be unexpected surprises.
The sound above was one such surprise.
That sound was like a crack forming on solid ice—it might be an inconspicuous sound, but it shattered the current situation.
Both Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao knew the truth behind the matter, but Dr. Garner, as an NPC, didn’t know.
They had no intention of scaring the poor NPC with the truth. If they told Dr. Garner the truth, it might drive him insane.
Bai Lixin could only fabricate a lie: “Well, it’s very relevant.”
Dr. Garner: “Then why are we just standing here? Let’s go.”
After saying this, he stood still, looking at Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao eagerly.
At this moment, Dr. Garner could no longer see Bai Lixin as someone who needed protection. He felt he should face certain facts he had ignored—that is, he, Dr. Garner, was the most delicate flower among them!
The Warden thought too highly of him, Mr. X didn’t need his protection!
As he contemplated, he suddenly felt something heavy in his arms. It was warm and fluffy, like a mink blanket by the fireplace at home—warm and comforting.
Dr. Garner initially wanted to see what was in his arms, but then he was captivated by the beautiful face that suddenly came close to his.
Bai Lixin whispered patiently, “Stay here, don’t go up. It’s dangerous upstairs. With it here, you’ll be safe.”
With that, he and Lin Xiao didn’t hesitate and walked side by side up the stairs to the third floor.
Dr. Garner watched their gradually disappearing figures blending into the darkness, suddenly feeling their figures had never been so tall and steadfast.
Just as he was touched, he suddenly realized something.
Wasn’t Bai Lixin still holding that terrifying little monster just now?
Why was the little monster gone when they went upstairs?
The soft blanket in his hands moved.
Dr. Garner was startled, and slowly lowered his head.
A pair of watery eyes abruptly met his gaze.
“Hi, stupid human.”
Dr. Garner: “…”
‘I’m, not too good.’
…
As Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao reached the third floor, the “click-click” sound they heard earlier disappeared.
Lin Xiao immediately looked towards the queen statue standing in the center area.
On the pale statue, the queen’s expression was solemn and dignified, standing steadily without any signs of movement.
The sound they heard earlier wasn’t from the queen statue moving; it was from something else.
But what was it?
Bai Lixin took out a flashlight from his backpack.
The guards had already been driven out of the museum by the scarecrows. They would most likely seek help after leaving, which would take about an hour. After that, the museum would be even more heavily guarded, leaving them little time to search.
Bai Lixin turned on the flashlight, and the bright light immediately pierced the silent darkness.
Like a sharp knife, it cut through the heavy darkness.
The flashlight’s beam fell on the queen statue, and her pale eyes seemed to flicker under the flashlight’s light.
Bai Lixin squinted and looked again. The statue’s eyss had returned to normal, and the earlier light probably just reflected off the smooth glaze on the statue’s surface.
He held up the flashlight and roughly scanned the third floor up and down, left and right, but found nothing unusual.
Then, he pointed the flashlight at the floor— there were some mottled marks where they heard the sound.
Bai Lixin called Lin Xiao over and crouched down in front of the mottled marks.
It wasn’t clear in the darkness, but now after lowering his head, he could see that it was a small amount of grayish powder. The powder was very fine, scattered in place bit by bit. It must have been accidentally spilled on the ground.
It seemed that something had brushed over it, leaving a fine line in the middle of the powder, which had also been carried away for some distance.
A pale hand entered Bai Lixin’s field of vision, picking up some powder from the ground and then retracting.
Bai Lixin looked up at the owner of that hand, and saw Lin Xiao rubbing his index, thumb, and middle fingers back and forth, then sniffing under his nose.
Lin Xiao: “There’s a smell of rust.”
He paused for a moment, then continued, “And a bit of a musty smell.”
“It feels like the powder left behind after some metal has rusted.”
“Click.”
“Click.”
“Click.”
The sound that disappeared earlier rang out again.
Only this time, the sound was much louder, and its location had moved to the end of the “concave” shaped corridor.
Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao looked at each other, stood up from the ground, and calmly walked towards the corridor where the sound came from.
——————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[… How should I put it, they look bored.]
[If there were a timid player here, or even just that Garner earlier, I could feel a bit of empathy.]
[In the pitch-black night, with eerie sounds and mysterious powder. Who wouldn’t be startled? These two ancestors are both so calm I feel numb.]
[If God Xin had brought Xia Chi along, it would be a different sensory experience.]
[Xia Chi: ??? Are you polite?]
——————————
The “concave” architectural style resulted in each floor having two curved corridors, one closed at the end, the other connecting through.
Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao were now walking along one of these corridors. There were a total of five exhibition halls, and Exhibition Hall 35 was on this side of the corridor.
But the sound wasn’t coming from Exhibition Hall 35; it was coming from the end of the corridor.
The flashlight couldn’t reach the end of the corridor, so they could only hear something scraping and rubbing against the ground, but they couldn’t see what it was.
Sometimes fear is just an extra emotion. When two brave souls come together, there’s nothing to fear.
They didn’t hesitate at all, walking calmly as if it were their own corridor.
Just as their flashlight was about to illuminate the end of the corridor, the sound abruptly stopped.
Then, the familiar “click click” sounds rang out again from behind them.
It was as if the sound was playing hide and seek with them, leading them on a wild chase. Every time they were about to catch it, it disappeared.
Bai Lixin ignored the “click click” sound behind him and walked to the end of the corridor to illuminate the ground.
Once again, there were traces of fine grayish powder on the ground.
It was still a small amount, with marks left from something passing over it.
There was only one trail of marks, extending outward from the center of the powder.
From this perspective, these should be the marks left when it left, not when it arrived.
But just now, they were standing in front of this semi-enclosed corridor and didn’t see anything passing by at all.
If it could teleport, there wouldn’t be such a trail of marks.
If it wasn’t teleportation, how could it pass right by him and Lin Xiao unnoticed.
What kind of monster was it?
“Click.”
“Click.”
“Click.”
The sound rang out again, this time coming from the exhibition hall closest to them.
Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao exchanged a glance, then followed the sound into the hall.
This exhibition hall displayed some ancient armor, spears, and shields. The metal was coated to prevent corrosion, making the armor and weapons shimmer in the darkness of the night.
As soon as they entered the hall, the previously attention-grabbing “click-click” sound disappeared again.
Bai Lixin swung the flashlight back and forth in the hall. The flashlight fell on the thick silver armor, and a bright white light reflected on it.
The glare made Bai Lixin squint, prompting him to quickly move the flashlight away.
The armor standing in the corner looked normal. There were also some metal totems and vessels quietly displayed in the glass cases.
The wall clock ticked quietly, and there seemed to be nothing unusual in this exhibition hall.
Bai Lixin found the irregular movement patterns of the “click-click” sound strange.
It seemed to move randomly without any pattern, yet it seemed to have some sort of guidance.
As if deliberately leading them here.
Just as Bai Lixin was puzzled, the abrupt sound resurfaced again.
But this time, it wasn’t the “click-click” sound; it had changed tone.
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
The heavy, scraping sound of metal echoed loudly and unabashedly from all directions in the exhibition hall.
By now, Bai Lixin realized what was happening, even without using the flashlight. He finally understood why the “click-click” monster had lured them here.
The armor that was standing quietly in the corner earlier was now infused with life, swarming towards them from all corners.
Bai Lixin felt disdainful and casually drew out his scythe.
With this little strength, he could easily crush them into pieces in no time, right?
But just as he was about to make a move, Lin Xiao beside him pressed his wrist. “What are you doing? These are cultural relics, artifacts of civilization and history. We can’t damage them.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Did I just say I could crush them into pieces in no time? Oh, I’m the idiot.’
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
As if possessed by ancient war spirits, the armor moved from stiffness to a gradually imposing manner. They raised their spears and shields uniformly.
Advancing step by step towards them.
Since they couldn’t fight, their only option was to flee.
Bai Lixin reluctantly put away his scythe and gestured to Lin Xiao, “Let’s go!”
The armor was not as agile as them after all. The two of them slipped past the increasingly dense armor like loaches, and rushed to the corridor.
The armor behind them also accelerated to chase, the sound of metal pounding on the ground resounding loudly.
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
The metallic trembling was exceptionally loud, covering the other small sounds in the museum.
Bai Lixin looked at the armor that kept following them and looked at Lin Xiao’s eyes. “This won’t work. Let’s split them up. I’ll go upstairs, shake them off, and we’ll meet on the third floor.”
The stairs were right ahead. Bai Lixin quickened his pace and ran up three steps at a time.
The metallic pounding behind them grew more urgent. Bai Lixin glanced back, and a swear word slipped out of his mouth: “Fuck!”
‘Why are they all chasing me? What happened to splitting up?!’
Lin Xiao at the staircase looked up and met Bai Lixin’s eyes. Bai Lixin saw his mouth opening and closing continuously, as if he were saying something.
The overlapping metallic sounds drowned out Lin Xiao’s voice, and the darkness blurred his lip movements.
Bai Lixin could barely make out the keywords “monsters won’t chase me” from Lin Xiao’s lip movements.
Memories flooded Bai Lixin’s mind, and he suddenly remembered when those monsters in the mermaid laboratory didn’t chase Lin Xiao either.
He originally thought it was just an anomaly of that copy, but it turned out to be Lin Xiao’s character.
Damn it, a true Gua Ye!
The sound was as faint as a mosquito buzzing by the ear, barely noticeable unless one listened carefully.
Dr. Garner gulped, lowered his voice and asked in a small voice, “Is that another monster you released?”
‘Yes, right? Please say yes.’
The fantasy was rich, but reality was stark.
The young man didn’t speak, but Dr. Garner read the answer from his eyes.
—No.
Dr. Garner: “…”
‘I really hate my lack of understanding at this moment.’
Lin Xiao: “It doesn’t sound like the movement of a statue. The sound is too light.”
Dr. Garner nodded hastily. “It’s very light, but why did it come out? Is it related to the theft of the Kiss of the sun?”
Bai Lixin wasn’t sure if there was a connection.
The reason he caused such a scene was simply because Lin Xiao’s investigation had hit a dead end with no progress. So, he decided to act out of line, hoping for a breakthrough. Things couldn’t get any worse than they already were, and perhaps there would be unexpected surprises.
The sound above was one such surprise.
That sound was like a crack forming on solid ice—it might be an inconspicuous sound, but it shattered the current situation.
Both Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao knew the truth behind the matter, but Dr. Garner, as an NPC, didn’t know.
They had no intention of scaring the poor NPC with the truth. If they told Dr. Garner the truth, it might drive him insane.
Bai Lixin could only fabricate a lie: “Well, it’s very relevant.”
Dr. Garner: “Then why are we just standing here? Let’s go.”
After saying this, he stood still, looking at Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao eagerly.
At this moment, Dr. Garner could no longer see Bai Lixin as someone who needed protection. He felt he should face certain facts he had ignored—that is, he, Dr. Garner, was the most delicate flower among them!
The Warden thought too highly of him, Mr. X didn’t need his protection!
As he contemplated, he suddenly felt something heavy in his arms. It was warm and fluffy, like a mink blanket by the fireplace at home—warm and comforting.
Dr. Garner initially wanted to see what was in his arms, but then he was captivated by the beautiful face that suddenly came close to his.
Bai Lixin whispered patiently, “Stay here, don’t go up. It’s dangerous upstairs. With it here, you’ll be safe.”
With that, he and Lin Xiao didn’t hesitate and walked side by side up the stairs to the third floor.
Dr. Garner watched their gradually disappearing figures blending into the darkness, suddenly feeling their figures had never been so tall and steadfast.
Just as he was touched, he suddenly realized something.
Wasn’t Bai Lixin still holding that terrifying little monster just now?
Why was the little monster gone when they went upstairs?
The soft blanket in his hands moved.
Dr. Garner was startled, and slowly lowered his head.
A pair of watery eyes abruptly met his gaze.
“Hi, stupid human.”
Dr. Garner: “…”
‘I’m, not too good.’
…
As Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao reached the third floor, the “click-click” sound they heard earlier disappeared.
Lin Xiao immediately looked towards the queen statue standing in the center area.
On the pale statue, the queen’s expression was solemn and dignified, standing steadily without any signs of movement.
The sound they heard earlier wasn’t from the queen statue moving; it was from something else.
But what was it?
Bai Lixin took out a flashlight from his backpack.
The guards had already been driven out of the museum by the scarecrows. They would most likely seek help after leaving, which would take about an hour. After that, the museum would be even more heavily guarded, leaving them little time to search.
Bai Lixin turned on the flashlight, and the bright light immediately pierced the silent darkness.
Like a sharp knife, it cut through the heavy darkness.
The flashlight’s beam fell on the queen statue, and her pale eyes seemed to flicker under the flashlight’s light.
Bai Lixin squinted and looked again. The statue’s eyss had returned to normal, and the earlier light probably just reflected off the smooth glaze on the statue’s surface.
He held up the flashlight and roughly scanned the third floor up and down, left and right, but found nothing unusual.
Then, he pointed the flashlight at the floor— there were some mottled marks where they heard the sound.
Bai Lixin called Lin Xiao over and crouched down in front of the mottled marks.
It wasn’t clear in the darkness, but now after lowering his head, he could see that it was a small amount of grayish powder. The powder was very fine, scattered in place bit by bit. It must have been accidentally spilled on the ground.
It seemed that something had brushed over it, leaving a fine line in the middle of the powder, which had also been carried away for some distance.
A pale hand entered Bai Lixin’s field of vision, picking up some powder from the ground and then retracting.
Bai Lixin looked up at the owner of that hand, and saw Lin Xiao rubbing his index, thumb, and middle fingers back and forth, then sniffing under his nose.
Lin Xiao: “There’s a smell of rust.”
He paused for a moment, then continued, “And a bit of a musty smell.”
“It feels like the powder left behind after some metal has rusted.”
“Click.”
“Click.”
“Click.”
The sound that disappeared earlier rang out again.
Only this time, the sound was much louder, and its location had moved to the end of the “concave” shaped corridor.
Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao looked at each other, stood up from the ground, and calmly walked towards the corridor where the sound came from.
——————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[… How should I put it, they look bored.]
[If there were a timid player here, or even just that Garner earlier, I could feel a bit of empathy.]
[In the pitch-black night, with eerie sounds and mysterious powder. Who wouldn’t be startled? These two ancestors are both so calm I feel numb.]
[If God Xin had brought Xia Chi along, it would be a different sensory experience.]
[Xia Chi: ??? Are you polite?]
——————————
The “concave” architectural style resulted in each floor having two curved corridors, one closed at the end, the other connecting through.
Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao were now walking along one of these corridors. There were a total of five exhibition halls, and Exhibition Hall 35 was on this side of the corridor.
But the sound wasn’t coming from Exhibition Hall 35; it was coming from the end of the corridor.
The flashlight couldn’t reach the end of the corridor, so they could only hear something scraping and rubbing against the ground, but they couldn’t see what it was.
Sometimes fear is just an extra emotion. When two brave souls come together, there’s nothing to fear.
They didn’t hesitate at all, walking calmly as if it were their own corridor.
Just as their flashlight was about to illuminate the end of the corridor, the sound abruptly stopped.
Then, the familiar “click click” sounds rang out again from behind them.
It was as if the sound was playing hide and seek with them, leading them on a wild chase. Every time they were about to catch it, it disappeared.
Bai Lixin ignored the “click click” sound behind him and walked to the end of the corridor to illuminate the ground.
Once again, there were traces of fine grayish powder on the ground.
It was still a small amount, with marks left from something passing over it.
There was only one trail of marks, extending outward from the center of the powder.
From this perspective, these should be the marks left when it left, not when it arrived.
But just now, they were standing in front of this semi-enclosed corridor and didn’t see anything passing by at all.
If it could teleport, there wouldn’t be such a trail of marks.
If it wasn’t teleportation, how could it pass right by him and Lin Xiao unnoticed.
What kind of monster was it?
“Click.”
“Click.”
“Click.”
The sound rang out again, this time coming from the exhibition hall closest to them.
Bai Lixin and Lin Xiao exchanged a glance, then followed the sound into the hall.
This exhibition hall displayed some ancient armor, spears, and shields. The metal was coated to prevent corrosion, making the armor and weapons shimmer in the darkness of the night.
As soon as they entered the hall, the previously attention-grabbing “click-click” sound disappeared again.
Bai Lixin swung the flashlight back and forth in the hall. The flashlight fell on the thick silver armor, and a bright white light reflected on it.
The glare made Bai Lixin squint, prompting him to quickly move the flashlight away.
The armor standing in the corner looked normal. There were also some metal totems and vessels quietly displayed in the glass cases.
The wall clock ticked quietly, and there seemed to be nothing unusual in this exhibition hall.
Bai Lixin found the irregular movement patterns of the “click-click” sound strange.
It seemed to move randomly without any pattern, yet it seemed to have some sort of guidance.
As if deliberately leading them here.
Just as Bai Lixin was puzzled, the abrupt sound resurfaced again.
But this time, it wasn’t the “click-click” sound; it had changed tone.
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
The heavy, scraping sound of metal echoed loudly and unabashedly from all directions in the exhibition hall.
By now, Bai Lixin realized what was happening, even without using the flashlight. He finally understood why the “click-click” monster had lured them here.
The armor that was standing quietly in the corner earlier was now infused with life, swarming towards them from all corners.
Bai Lixin felt disdainful and casually drew out his scythe.
With this little strength, he could easily crush them into pieces in no time, right?
But just as he was about to make a move, Lin Xiao beside him pressed his wrist. “What are you doing? These are cultural relics, artifacts of civilization and history. We can’t damage them.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Did I just say I could crush them into pieces in no time? Oh, I’m the idiot.’
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
As if possessed by ancient war spirits, the armor moved from stiffness to a gradually imposing manner. They raised their spears and shields uniformly.
Advancing step by step towards them.
Since they couldn’t fight, their only option was to flee.
Bai Lixin reluctantly put away his scythe and gestured to Lin Xiao, “Let’s go!”
The armor was not as agile as them after all. The two of them slipped past the increasingly dense armor like loaches, and rushed to the corridor.
The armor behind them also accelerated to chase, the sound of metal pounding on the ground resounding loudly.
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
The metallic trembling was exceptionally loud, covering the other small sounds in the museum.
Bai Lixin looked at the armor that kept following them and looked at Lin Xiao’s eyes. “This won’t work. Let’s split them up. I’ll go upstairs, shake them off, and we’ll meet on the third floor.”
The stairs were right ahead. Bai Lixin quickened his pace and ran up three steps at a time.
The metallic pounding behind them grew more urgent. Bai Lixin glanced back, and a swear word slipped out of his mouth: “Fuck!”
‘Why are they all chasing me? What happened to splitting up?!’
Lin Xiao at the staircase looked up and met Bai Lixin’s eyes. Bai Lixin saw his mouth opening and closing continuously, as if he were saying something.
The overlapping metallic sounds drowned out Lin Xiao’s voice, and the darkness blurred his lip movements.
Bai Lixin could barely make out the keywords “monsters won’t chase me” from Lin Xiao’s lip movements.
Memories flooded Bai Lixin’s mind, and he suddenly remembered when those monsters in the mermaid laboratory didn’t chase Lin Xiao either.
He originally thought it was just an anomaly of that copy, but it turned out to be Lin Xiao’s character.
Damn it, a true Gua Ye!
