"Hmm? Why is everyone looking at me?"
Qi Xu's question immediately diverted several gazes.
"Whirlwind Boss, is this really for eating? Are there any clues? Tell us about it."
Xie Shaoning stared blankly at the delicacies before him. He hadn't eaten anything since he woke up this morning, and his inventory bag was sealed, so he couldn't even replenish his energy if he wanted to.
Although he hadn't engaged in much physical combat, using his brain all morning had left him starving, especially with that greasy braised pork joint and stewed pig trotters sitting right on the table... So, he couldn't be bothered to pretend and just spoke his mind.
He was about to pick up his chopsticks to grab some food, but his wrist was tightly gripped by Master Huixin beside him.
"Benefactor, you must know that all external environments are like reflections in a mirror or the moon in the water. They appear to exist, but in reality, they possess no true nature. Do not lose the greater picture for a small gain."
Xie Shaoning frowned slightly and pulled his hand back. "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't get handsy."
Then, out of habit, he looked at Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar, waiting for a translation.
Cheese Milk Cap gave a sweet smile. "He means... you big glutton, stop it right now. All of this is fake."
Xie Shaoning instantly became unhappy. It was unclear whether it was because of the big glutton comment or because he couldn't eat, but he instantly transformed into Unlucky Bro.
Qi Xu stood up, walked around in a circle, and roughly guessed the reason for the change in their surroundings.
"It's an escape room, right? There are no doors, and all four sides are floor-to-ceiling windows. Whether it's the ceiling above or the floor below, there are no gaps anywhere. Come on, let's look for clues to get out together."
Qi Xu was very certain by now. In the previous round of the Great God Gathering, there was absolutely no such segment. As for whether they had eaten back then, several years had passed, so it was possible he had forgotten.
But now, it was clearly a new challenge. It couldn't be a problem with his memory; it was definitely Qiuqiu increasing the difficulty.
As soon as Qi Xu finished speaking, everyone scattered in all directions, searching for a way out. Their footsteps echoed throughout the empty space.
Ash Kiss Starry Moon pressed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, repeatedly rubbing the glass. Her fingertips traced the cold, mirror-like surface, and she even picked at the seams of the window frames with her nails over and over. Even when the pads of her fingers turned red from the friction, she refused to stop. She had a strong intuition in her heart that the problem must lie with the glass.
Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar, on the other hand, paced back and forth staring at the ceiling. With a hand resting on her forehead to block the light, she tried to find traces of a mechanism within the patterns of the overhead lights.
Shadowkill crouched on the floor, his fingertips tapping the smooth surface. He pressed his ear against it to listen, hoping to find a hollow floor tile that would produce a faint echoing sound.
Master Huixin was focused on studying the dining table...
Everyone was searching in completely different directions, but the one thing they had in common was... they all harbored a strong intuition, believing that the final mechanism to get out must be within the area they were currently searching.
Wang Buyu was the first to notice this, because everyone's inner thoughts... were all roughly the same. They all genuinely believed from the bottom of their hearts that their own judgment was correct, which was... very bizarre.
He wanted to warn everyone, but he didn't know how to express it. No one present could understand sign language.
Before long, his forehead was covered in cold sweat. Finally... he went straight to Qi Xu.
Just by gently patting Qi Xu's sleeve, his breathing became so rapid that he felt like he was suffocating.
"What's wrong, Bao'er?"
Wang Buyu tried to simplify his sign language as much as possible. He quickly pointed at everyone, then pointed to the position of his heart, slowing down his hand gestures more and more.
Just a moment ago, Qi Xu had also felt a surge of irritability welling up inside him. It was as if all his concerns had been completely magnified. He had inspected the potted plant in front of him inside and out countless times, repeatedly digging it up and burying it again...
Now, seeing Wang Buyu gesturing so frantically and tremblingly, his heart inexplicably softened.
Although he didn't understand the exact meaning, the irritability in his heart had mostly subsided.
Seeing that Invincible Black Whirlwind didn't understand what he meant, Wang Buyu also became anxious and irritable. But right at that moment...
Qi Xu took the initiative to reach out and grabbed Wang Buyu's hand.
"Don't rush. I have super good comprehension skills, but my attention might have been a bit unfocused just now, which is why I didn't get what you meant. Could I trouble you to explain it to me one more time?"
Qi Xu's voice was soft and gentle. What he said and what he thought in his heart were exactly the same. This discovery really made one want to cry... It also instantly relaxed Wang Buyu, who nodded vigorously.
After tossing about for nearly an hour, everyone's movements gradually slowed down. There were absolutely no clues whatsoever.
"This glass is like it's welded shut. There isn't even a single scratch. Disgusting."
Although Ash Kiss Starry Moon complained, she was still somewhat reluctant to give up searching. Seeing HandsomeBoyMe188 blocking her way, she said impatiently, "Oh please, can you move out of the way?"
HandsomeBoyMe188 wanted to curse out loud, but he felt a bit cowardly. He turned around viciously and walked over to Master Huixin.
But whether it was because he felt he had lost face or was truly unwilling to accept it, he directly slammed his fist into the glass.
Subway Line 5, the one they had first encountered in the Treasure Map Realm, suddenly spoke up, "Are you stupid? We're all ability users. If this was just ordinary glass, how could it possibly trap us?"
Instant Noodle Hair Flower Fairy followed with a cold snort, "Retarded thing."
"If you have the guts, come and kill me then! Anyway, all of you find me an eyesore; everything I do is wrong!"
HandsomeBoyMe188's furious roar instantly ignited everyone's anger.
"You think I don't dare to kill you? You piece of trash."
Xie Shaoning executed a spinning back kick, landing squarely on HandsomeBoyMe188's chest with a muffled thud.
HandsomeBoyMe188's chest quickly caved in, but his entire body seemed to have no bones or flesh, like a rubber man. The blow didn't affect him at all.
The concave curve of his chest even slowly bounced back to its original shape as Xie Shaoning retracted his foot, leaving not a single mark behind. Only his face flushed slightly red.
Shadowkill sneered and blurted out, "Two useless trashes."
After speaking, Shadowkill himself was slightly taken aback, not understanding why he had spoken his inner thoughts out loud. He felt inexplicably irritable.
When he met Xie Shaoning's gaze, which was so angry it looked ready to breathe fire, he felt that there was absolutely no need to suppress this emotion. Was there any need to be afraid of offending him?
Xie Shaoning was just like that HandsomeBoyMe188, a brainless idiot. How did this kind of person survive until today? Could it be that no one in their region was competent?
"Today, I'll let you see how you get beaten to the ground by a piece of trash!"
...........
