Alice's Hell (15) - Exhibits

Almost the instant she caught sight of the red light, Yu Xing retreated behind the door with a speed that was hard for others to comprehend, pressing her back against the wall and shoving the mask hanging from her waist against her face.

Zeng Lai and the others didn't react in time; they only felt a gust of wind on their faces, and then Yu Xing moved from the doorway to the outside, even putting on a mask.

A collective sigh of admiration arose in the hearts of those present.

Wow, so fast!

Was this guy really that fast?

The researchers, who constantly navigated dangerous situations, immediately wondered: if someone were to use that speed to launch a surprise attack—could they dodge it?

Or perhaps, will they even have time to use the offerings?

Although they were reluctant to believe it, they all had to admit that unless it was a defensive offering that was always left outside and could take effect automatically, they wouldn't have time to grab anything.

The surprise and vague apprehension were quickly masked by the three of them. Huang Bai nervously gripped his mask, as if ready to put it on at any moment. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Yu Xing chuckled lightly.

He thought back for a moment, wondering if his eyes would be interpreted as "seeing" him, given his reaction speed. He had been careless and hadn't expected his gaze to suddenly appear here.

These are the same eyes Alice.

He had already been warned by the deduction system not to let Alice recognize him, or the consequences would be dire. There was a giant eye in the sky outside the castle, and inside the castle, apart from Alice herself, Yu Xing had not seen anything similar, so he couldn't help but relax his guard.

Alice then surprised him in the showroom!

Huai glanced inside. "Those eyes look familiar, is that Alice?"

A thread in his mind was touched, and he said again, "Hmm, it can't be said to be Alice."

Because Alice's eyes don't glow.

These eyes glowed red, as if burning silently, and had a mechanical stiffness that made them look fake, yet they were just as frightening as the real ones.

Especially that subtle, almost imperceptible gaze—it really makes one wonder if Alice is sitting in some undiscovered room, watching everyone through those fake eyes.

But it's not even 10 o'clock yet, and Alice isn't on the ghost side, so why is Sachi wearing a mask?

As Huai's thoughts raced, Yu Xing had already put on her mask and went back inside.

A one-minute countdown appeared on his system panel, but otherwise everything was peaceful. The eyes didn't do anything, and Yu Xing didn't sense any malice from them.

"He must have dodged it," Yu Xing thought to himself.

He had just unleashed the fastest reaction speed this body could currently utilize; in other words, his face disappeared before it could even be "imaged" in the crimson eyes.

In this way, Alice wasn't sure if seeing the "thief" she had been longing for would prevent her from coming to cause trouble.

Seeing Yu Xing go back in, the other three followed. Huai skillfully touched the crystal chandelier switch on the wall, and with a "click," the showroom was plunged into a dark purple light.

The showroom was quite spacious, with individual glass cases displaying the collection on both sides. Behind the collection were shelves displaying some old objects that were not as valuable as the main pieces, such as rusty small bells, bronze kettles, pipes, and ancient coins from an unknown dynasty, with tinderboxes mixed in among them.

Those glowing eyes were one of the artifacts, placed on a cushion and covered with a square glass panel, facing the door so that anyone who came could see them clearly.

Yu Xing stepped forward and met his eyes.

"Oh dear, what exactly happened?" Zeng Lai asked as he searched the shelf for the tinderbox.

The fact that they suddenly put on masks must mean they discovered something. Fortunately, they weren't reminded to wear them too, which means the matter wasn't directed at them.

Zeng Lai had a vague guess in her mind, but to be on the safe side, she decided to ask for clarification.

Yu Xing did not answer for the time being, but silently lifted the glass cover, grabbed the two mechanical eyes, wrapped them in soft padding, and threw them into the corner.

After doing all this, he said, "Alice's eyes might exist somewhere. If you see them, it's best to destroy them, otherwise after 10 p. m., they will become the coordinates for Alice to catch us."

"It's not just that, is it?" Huai seemed thoughtful. He had the same thought as Zeng Lai, but Zeng Lai couldn't say it directly, while Huai, who was always aloof, was different. He asked, "Are you avoiding Alice's gaze? Could it be... you're the convener?"

Although he used a question, his tone was very confident.

The eight deducers entered Alice's Castle together. If there was anyone special who had a connection with Alice, it could only be the convener who had experienced Alice's Park version 1.0.

Everyone has been speculating about whether the convener survived the previous version or simply entered the new Alice's Hell by chance.

Zeng Lai looked at Yu Xing and found that Yu Xing did not deny it.

"Well, so it was you who gathered them!"

Within their group, the convener must possess the most information. If the convener were willing to step forward and explain the details, it would significantly contribute to the survival rate of the group.

But this is of course just an ideal outcome. There are too many reasons why the convener went into hiding. Unexpectedly, the convener now seems to be standing right in front of them, and even shares the same position as them.

More pleasant surprises than astonishment.

Yu Xing thought about it and realized there was nothing to hide.

Anyway, Han Xinyi and Han Zhiyong both know that he was the one who made the prediction, so telling these few people who have no ill intentions won't hurt.

He replied, "Yes, it's me. But the layout and gameplay of Alice's Hell and Alice's Park are completely different, so I don't have much of an advantage. And for some reason... Alice doesn't want to see me. So I need a mask where she can see me."

Zeng Lai found the tinderbox on the shelf, weighed it in his hand, and said, "Since that's the case, there's nothing to say for now. We can talk about it later, but for now... we've found the lighting equipment, let's go to the fifth floor."

Perhaps worried that Yu Xing have something he couldn't tell others, he very considerately changed the subject.

Huai paused for a moment, realizing now wasn't the best time to ask these questions, then coughed and said, "Alright, I've got the tinder for you. Let's split up here. Huang Bai and I will go find the stairs, and you can go get the keys."

"Okay." Zeng Lai glanced around the shelves and agreed.

Huang Bai straightened her ponytail and followed Huai out. Before leaving, she glanced at Yu Xing with great interest in her large eyes.

Yu Xing also glanced at her, and saw a strong interest in her eyes.

Yu Xing: "..." It seems I've received extra attention?

Although the exhibition hall was empty, Yu Xing and Zeng Lai did not leave immediately.

After all, it's a place that requires a key to enter, as certified by the system... Although they didn't listen to the system, there were clearly some clues left here.

Even Alice left a pair of eyes here to keep watch, which shows how important the exhibition hall is.

So they wanted to look for any unusual items left behind.

Yu Xing looked through each pane of glass and found that they contained items from eras he couldn't recognize, likely not belonging to any dynasty or region in reality.

Several of these are tattered book pages, the writing so blurred and illegible that it is completely unrecognizable. The following is a description in Chinese characters:

[This is a record from the notes of a wizard named xxx, detailing the foolish mistake of his descendants failing to absorb human souls. It's unclear why he wrote it down; was it to mock his descendants?]

He raised an eyebrow, sensing a hint of familiarity in it.

The contents of the next glass case were similar, except that there was a trace of scorch marks on the footer of the pages.

[From the diary of a surviving little girl: After being rescued, she cried and said she saw her older sister still wandering upstairs, but the adults were all looking at her with pity. Strange, didn't anyone else see her sister?]

In the glass cabinet next to this tattered page, there was a broken small stone sculpture.

Yu Xing approached and squinted as he examined the inscription beneath the stone carving.

[This is a damaged mermaid stone sculpture; a large piece of its tail is missing, rendering it unusable as an art piece. Wouldn't it feel resentful to see other exquisite stone sculptures displayed and sold while it's discarded as trash?]

Stone carvings... Yu Xing thought of the sculptures that appeared very frequently in this ancient castle.

Moreover, the first torn page reminded him of the wizard who imprisoned Angel in "Nightmare in a Cage," and the second torn page also reminded him of the Crying One.

His associative thinking was quite good; he immediately turned to look for exhibits such as lenses, and sure enough, he found one.

[The shattered glass will never return to its former glory as a beautiful dressing mirror. My oh master, looking at the person in the mirror, don't you feel any remorse?]

"As expected," Yu Xing murmured softly.

Zeng Lai's attention was on the shelf, but when she heard his voice, she turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yu Xing casually pointed and said, "The things in the glass case should be related to the eight of us tourists, hinting at our past experiences, not limited to deduction or reality, and there's no limit to the number."

While searching for the lens, he also saw a familiar empty syringe, just like the one that had been inserted into his skin in the research institute.

Zeng Lai rushed over and looked at them one by one.

Human skin mask, throat-slitting diary, blood-stained brush, etc., each seems to have a corresponding counterpart.

"It seems to be true."

In addition, sculpture and dream elements are also very prominent.

"We've encountered the Crying Ones, the Corpse Researcher, the Abyssal Blood Array, and the Headless Man. We've also heard about our good friend and the ghost in the closet. We're still missing two." Zeng Lai's eyes lit up. "Look at the things in the closet. I guess the remaining two are related to sculptures and dreams, right?"

Yu Xing echoed, "That makes sense."

Han Zhiyong is known as the Nightmare Ghost. Qu Xuanqing once said that his abilities are related to dreams, which fits perfectly.

However, if Zeng Lai said that... it means that his corresponding ghost has already appeared.

What is your corresponding ghost?

Zeng Lai hadn't expected Yu Xing to ask so directly, but then she realized that if they were to cooperate in the future, she would have to find out sooner or later.

He smiled. "The one who cries out."

Yu Xing was somewhat surprised by this answer. Didn't that mean that Zeng Lai's corresponding ghost was the first ghost everyone encountered?

After the wailing figures knocked on each door and left, Zeng Lai acted perfectly normal, showing no signs of having just survived a ghost she couldn't fight back against.

Yu Xing expressed great admiration. "As expected of a big shot."

Zeng Lai waved his hand, looking proud. "It's nothing, it's nothing."

After a pause, Zeng Lai asked in return, "And you?"

"Corpse Researcher."

Zeng Lai:... Wow, your acting is pretty good too. I didn't see a single trace of fear in you towards that giant zombie.

After exchanging information, Yu Xing glanced at the items on the shelf.

The shelves covered one wall, but they weren't as meaningful as the exhibits in the glass cases. He looked at them for a while but couldn't find anything special.

"Here, take a look."

On the other side, Zeng Lai pulled something out from the corner.

Yu Xing walked over, and suddenly a burnt smell filled the air.

He looked down and saw that Zeng Lai was holding something that looked like charcoal, with a layer of black ash smeared off when he wiped it.

"It's burnt?" He squatted down and poked it with his finger, immediately understanding why Zeng Lai had taken it out separately.

When the scene transitions from reality to the Absurd World, what flies in the sky is all ashes. And the clouds in the sky are also burning. No matter how you look at it, Alice's Hell and fire are inextricably linked.

Fearing his lack of experience, Zeng Lai twirled the object in her hand, reminding him, "This thing shows signs of being burned. In the Differentiation Tier deduction, useless anomalies rarely appear. Once you find one, you must carefully consider its meaning."

This thing is unrecognizable; it's been burned beyond recognition.

Yu Xing glanced at the shelf again and calmly said, "Perhaps it's reminding us not to forget the connection between the Burning and Alice's Hell. This, along with the previous transition hints, is already clearly telling the deducer some kind of information."

They got up, searched again, and after confirming that this was the only charred item, Zeng Lai put it in his pocket, took a tinderbox, and walked out of the exhibition hall.

It's about time to go to the fifth floor.

Yu Xing had already received a notification that he had successfully occupied the room. Standing by the door of the exhibition hall, he rested his hand on the door and looked back.

Actually, this wasn't the first time he had entered a place like an exhibition hall.

Under the bright lights, Yu Xing felt as if she had entered a museum in reality, and was being pushed forward with the crowd, mechanically walking, going through the process of sleeping on the bus and not being allowed to take pictures when getting off, pausing for a moment in front of each piece of glass, and then being pushed forward again.

Occasionally, he would notice the guide's endless chatter, but he couldn't remember what exactly was being said; he only remembered the antique exhibits passing by.

I vaguely remember that he was in a bad mood at the time, but he still walked the whole way and came out with a dark face.

Then someone next to him laughed, saying something like...

"So, did you enjoy watching it?"

"Xing, what are you thinking about?" Zeng Lai waved his hand in front of Yu Xing's eyes, startling Yu Xing from her sudden stop.

Yu Xing took off her mask, rubbed her temples, and replied, "It's nothing."