Volume One, Chapter Eight: The Calamity Inn – Seeking Fortune
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The skinless fat man moved swiftly, vanishing before everyone’s eyes in the blink of an eye, and soon reappeared behind the counter carrying two plates.
The continuous clinking of bottles echoed around them, drawing all eyes to Lin Xi, who was sitting with his legs crossed on a chair, wearing an unusual expression.
Noticing their gaze, Lin Xi smiled and asked, “Why are you all staring at me? If you want something to eat, just order it yourself from the fat man.”
Li Yu thought for a moment before speaking, “Mu Bei, have you discovered any clues? We all want to survive, so I hope you’re not hiding anything.”
Zhao Zechen snorted coldly. “You trust him? It’s quite possible that Sun Kai was killed because of him.”
Li Yu replied, “The Purgatory Rules clearly forbid travelers from killing each other inside the purgatory. And no matter whether what Mu Bei said is true or not, his attitude toward you was relatively honest. If it were me, I wouldn’t risk my life to save a stranger—who knows if I’d even make it out alive.”
Lin Xi knew that Li Yu’s words were partly an attempt to gain favor, but given the unfamiliar environment, he didn’t want to worsen relations with them. Previously, he had refrained from explaining too much to avoid falling into a trap of self-incrimination. He had said all he needed to say; those who were smart would figure it out, and those who weren’t, he didn’t need their approval.
Qian Baobao, listening to Li Yu’s words, thought it over and found them quite reasonable. If Lin Xi had wanted to harm them, he wouldn’t have needed to save them in the hallway just now. Without Lin Xi’s warning, she felt at least half of them would have died in that corridor.
The skinless fat man placed food, several bottles of wine, and a delicate glass before Lin Xi. After confirming Lin Xi had no other requests, he returned behind the counter.
Lin Xi bit into the fresh sandwich on his plate before speaking. “That fat man just called me ‘sir.’ If he’s been lying all along, how do you explain that form of address?”
Pouring himself a glass of wine, Lin Xi took a sip and immediately felt refreshed. The tension and exhaustion from his frantic dash downstairs melted away.
“Whether it’s on the bus, from that fat man’s mouth, or in that booklet we saw earlier, this place is called the Disaster Inn. So what’s this about the Fortune Inn the boss mentioned? If the boss wasn’t lying, then this place is the Fortune Inn, but I can’t be sure if he was telling the truth or not.”
The others, watching Lin Xi devour his food, fell into deep thought. What Lin Xi said was important—the Easter egg the boss mentioned might be crucial for their survival here. But if the boss was lying, they could be doomed.
After finishing his meal, Lin Xi savored the wine in his glass.
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“In a place of disaster, hunger and death are normal. But how could a place called Fortune have no food or drink?”
“So why did you ask the skinless fat man for the water of life and a lighter? That doesn’t quite match what you said earlier,” Li Yu said, her face full of confusion.
“First, I wanted to test if he would give me wine. Second, I wanted to make a weapon for self-defense. But I didn’t expect open flames to be forbidden here.” Lin Xi tilted his head back, finished the wine, and smiled at Li Yu.
“I think I know why open flames are forbidden here,” Li Yu said slowly, exchanging a glance with Lin Xi.
“Oh?” Lin Xi’s eyes showed curiosity.
Li Yu didn’t rush to answer but instead mimicked Lin Xi by ordering some food.
Lin Xi swirled his wine glass. “I suggest you drink some nourishing wine.”
Li Yu considered Lin Xi’s gesture before telling the skinless fat man she wanted a nourishing drink too—but no alcohol.
A steaming bowl of thick soup was placed before Li Yu. After tasting it, she looked deeply at Lin Xi.
“I hate riddlers.”
Without waiting for Lin Xi’s reaction, she began eating the sandwich on her plate.
Seeing the two enjoying their meal, Zheng Daqian, whose stomach had been growling, could no longer hold back. Nervously, he called the skinless fat man and ordered the same wine as Lin Xi but no sandwich—instead, a bowl of steaming vegetarian noodles.
The other three followed suit, ordering food and drinks as well. Even Zhao Zechen, who had always been suspicious of Lin Xi, succumbed to his own appetite and reluctantly ordered the same soup and sandwich as Li Yu.
After everyone finished eating, they finally understood why Li Yu had abruptly said she hated riddlers—the drinks here restored their energy and calmed their nerves.
After finishing the last sip of soup, Li Yu looked into Lin Xi’s eyes and said, “Earlier, in the hallway, we were tricked by a woman disguised as you. She led us for a long time without going downstairs. Her upper body and face looked as if they had been burned black by fire.”
Lin Xi pondered for a moment and then blurted out something that surprised Li Yu.
“Is she the woman in red high heels who was shouting about finding fortune?”
Li Yu nodded, still surprised but confirming it was indeed her.
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Having eaten and drunk his fill, Lin Xi picked up the two remaining bottles of wine from the floor and stood.
He looked at the others and asked, “So, what do you say? Do you want to go look for that so-called fortune together?”
Li Yu was the first to stand, expressing her willingness to join Lin Xi. Qian Baobao hesitated briefly but agreed as well. Zheng Daqian, carefree as ever, also stood up, saying he’d follow Lin Xi.
The remaining three exchanged glances. Zhao Zechen said that although some of his doubts about Lin Xi had lessened, he still didn’t want to take the risk of following him. The other two agreed with Zhao Zechen’s stance, so the seven split into two groups and began exploring the inn in different directions.
...
With previous experience, Lin Xi and his two companions walked in a line up the stairs. Lin Xi asked the three beside him, “Did you notice which floors the two women took the elevator to, or which floor the boss went to?”
Li Yu thought for a moment and answered, “The boss went to the third floor; I don’t remember about the two women.”
“Fourth floor,” Qian Baobao called out from behind them.
“During the day, the fat man said there were four empty rooms: two on the fourth floor, one on the third, and one on the second. Do you think there’s any connection?” Lin Xi suddenly asked.
Li Yu replied, “But whose room is the one on the second floor?”
Qian Baobao slightly rubbed her forehead, and Zheng Daqian looked utterly confused as he stared at the two walking ahead.
Lin Xi said, “Have we seen a fifth person here?”
Li Yu asked, “On the second floor?”
Lin Xi nodded, confirming Li Yu’s guess.
Qian Baobao sighed deeply behind them.
“Ugh~ I hate riddlers, especially when there are two of them.”
Zheng Daqian was still baffled—he hadn’t heard their conversation and didn’t even understand why Qian Baobao suddenly sighed.