Imagining the Story Behind "Highway Terror"

Under the other three's subtly probing gazes, Xu Xi kept his expression unchanged, though he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

Wait, why was everyone staring straight at him?!

Had he said something?

He hadn't said anything, though.

"Bro, you're the best!" Li Kang discreetly gave Xu Xi a thumbs-up.

Xu Xi: "..." Huh?

All he'd done was ask for a bundle of incense.

Tan Xingyun and Xu Xiuman exchanged a glance. Then Xu Xiuman turned sideways, away from the old man across from them, and asked softly, "Xu, how did you know the incense would be useful?"

"..." Xu Xi shot the woman in the denim skirt beside him a complicated glance.

Okay, now he understood why they were looking at him like that.

Was it possible that he hadn't known buying a bundle of incense would come with a clue either?

Xu Xi was so embarrassed that he didn't know what expression to make or how to answer. He couldn't very well tell them he'd genuinely just wanted to buy some incense, could he?

He had a feeling they were starting to misunderstand him in some way.

"...I just saw it." In the end, Xu Xi managed to squeeze out that answer.

He gave up trying.

In any case, the fact was that they'd gotten some information.

There was no need to worry about how it had happened.

[I'm dying. Beer-belly uncle failed once and knew he probably wouldn't get an answer the second time either, so he switched to the denim-skirt girl]

[But who knew the denim-skirt girl would fail too]

[Did you see that look Xu Xi gave her? He looked so surprised, like he was saying, "How could you not see it?" Hahaha]

[Sure enough, Xu Xi just can't be bothered to explain]

[It's so simple there's no need to explain]

[Oh? What did you see, commenter above?]

[Nothing. I was just imitating him (doge)]

[It's simple for him, but we really can't make heads or tails of it. I'm begging the big shots in this chat to analyze it]

Ever since Xu Xi's rebirth, the comments' attitude had changed rapidly. Most people had gradually begun to believe that he really did have some ability, and that his quiet, low-key behavior before had merely been an act.

The fact that Xu Xi had stumbled upon a deeper clue only took the netizens' conviction to a new level.

The less Xu Xi could explain, the more the netizens would fill in the blanks for him.

Xu Xiuman's expression froze. Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of him, she could only nod helplessly.

She casually gave Tan Xingyun a slight shake of her head.

Li Kang stood at the far side and had watched the exchange clearly, but he merely scratched his head and pretended not to have seen it.

For a team that needed to cooperate to clear a dungeon, sharing clues was practically essential. If someone wanted their teammates to follow their advice, offering an explanation or a reason was likewise standard practice.

After all, they had all been strangers before forming a team. No one would believe a stranger's baseless advice for no reason; casually following it would be the real sign that they didn't value their life.

Yet Tan Xingyun and the other two had chosen to follow Xu Xi's advice despite his vague explanation, which was as good as no explanation at all.

That didn't mean the three of them took their lives lightly.

For one thing, it was thanks to Xu Xi's distinctive aura.

To put it plainly, the three of them had been taken in by the aura of a big shot who seemed to be hiding his true abilities.

In a dungeon, aside from staying cautious at all times, certain decisions also required the resolve to act decisively.

To put it bluntly, it was a gamble.

And they had chosen to take that gamble.

For another, even after buying a large quantity of spirit money and offering incense, they still had money to spare, enough to deal with any situations later on where they might need it.

The first time, they hadn't received a clearer clue and couldn't be certain what the spirit money did, so they had chosen a more conservative approach.

This time, everyone knew that the spirit money and offering incense would play an important role later in the journey, so of course they wouldn't be stingy again.

After settling the bill, the old man didn't immediately stroll back into his room this time. Instead, he stood at the shop entrance, smiling as he watched them leave, and said nothing about looking forward to their next visit.

"This old man wishes you all a safe journey."

Xu Xi glanced at him before getting into the car.

He didn't know whether it was an optical illusion caused by the refraction of the air or something else, but a moment before he turned away, he seemed to glimpse the old man's body and the funeral shop behind him growing slightly indistinct.

But when he looked back again, it seemed that the haziness had merely been his imagination.

...Forget it. There are plenty of secrets in the dungeons. I can't even guarantee that I fully figured out the last one.

As long as they don't affect clearing the dungeon, they're none of my business. There's no need to dig into them.

Xu Xi thought silently.

As the car moved forward, scenery identical to what they had seen the first time continued to pass by the windows.

This time, however, Xu Xi had learned his lesson and didn't stare at the white fog out of boredom again.

After driving for a little over ten minutes, the car arrived at the road sign without incident.

"Up ahead... that's Daoji Highway, right?"

Hearing Xu Xiuman's voice again, Xu Xi couldn't help immediately straightening his posture.

Xu Xi's movement was obvious, and he made no attempt to hide it, successfully drawing the covert attention of his three teammates.

Everyone was nervous, but none of them behaved as unusually as Xu Xi.

[Why did Xu Xi suddenly look so solemn?]

[He looks like he's facing a formidable enemy. Did he notice something again?]

[Hard to say. I'm guessing he spotted something up ahead]

[How on earth did he see it? I can't see a thing]

"...Looks like it. Get ready, we're about to drive onto it." Perhaps influenced by Xu Xi's actions, Tan Xingyun sounded more grave this time, with a trace of resolve.

"..." Xu Xiuman took a deep breath and prepared herself for something as well.

Clutching her bag of snacks, Li Kang involuntarily moved closer to Xu Xi, hoping to draw a little sense of security from him.

Xu Xi, who had caused all this, clenched his hands tightly and prayed that Tan Xingyun would drive more smoothly.

Yes, all he had been worried about from beginning to end was how bumpy the highway was.

It was so hard. It wasn't his fault he got carsick, Xu Xi remarked sorrowfully.

As before, nothing had changed. They encountered countless burial mounds just as expected, and those eerie figures appeared in dense clusters as soon as the car entered the area of the mounds, as though they had agreed on it beforehand.

Before anyone could react, Xu Xi made the first move.

He rolled down the window and tossed out a handful of the spirit money they had just bought.

The eerie figures visibly froze in place.

Tan Xingyun paused for a moment, then immediately said, "Let's scatter the spirit money we just bought, a little at a time."

Xu Xiuman and Li Kang were also momentarily stunned. Hearing Tan Xingyun, they quickly rolled down their windows and followed Xu Xi's example, scattering spirit money outside.