INSIDER Chapter 67

In this world, there will always be someone who thinks you are the only one.

7’s gaze was so intense that it made Lu Chu feel a sense of nostalgic melancholy, an indescribable, deep emotion that only he could understand.

Lu Chu’s eyes softened as he looked at 7 and said with a smile, “You are too.”

The unique person who appeared in the once small and ordinary life of Lu Chu.

——————

Not long after, Song Gui and Yuan Kejie returned to the villa one after another.

Qian Zhen came back a bit later.

Luo Qi was the last to return because she couldn’t control herself and ended up stirring up several monster nests before finally coming back, satisfied.

Despite this, everyone had managed to gather a substantial amount of supplies. Even Yuan Kejie, who had the lowest combat ability, brought back two large bags full of items. When they dumped everything out on the floor, it was a chaotic assortment of goods, making it look like they were about to open a thrift shop.

“Alright,” Song Gui said with a laugh, “this should be enough. We need to sort through this stuff; we can’t carry everything. If we take too much, it’ll be a burden when we need to run for our lives.”

Luo Qi patted her shovel and gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re the one who needs to run for your life.”

Song Gui shrugged in a surrendering gesture. “Yes, you goddesses don’t need to run.”

.

Lu Chu and 7 had already sorted through part of the supplies. At this moment, Lu Chu picked up some medications and bandages he had found that were still usable and asked, “How useful do you think these will be?”

Song Gui’s eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs-up. “As expected of Lu Xiao Chu, these are very useful.”

Yuan Kejie also came over to look and smiled. “For emergency wound treatment, these are indeed very useful. As long as we can stay alive until the end of each ‘game,’ even if our hearts are ripped out or we’re cut in half, we’ll return to the ‘rules’ and be restored.”

Hearing this, Lu Chu distributed the medications and bandages among everyone.

In the ensuing battles, if someone were gravely injured, they could temporarily bandage the wound, preventing pain from becoming a hindrance, and cling to life by sheer willpower. This gave them a chance to survive.

They couldn’t afford to miss any small chance of survival.

.

Everyone shared the supplies they had gathered, then organized their personal backpacks, discarding unnecessary items. Once they were ready, Yuan Kejie looked out the window at the sun and said, “It’s about time.”

Everyone understood.

Lu Chu said, “Let’s go.”

They put on their backpacks, picked up their weapons, and headed toward where the tower had disappeared.

At this time of day, it was safe. The bright sun still hung in the southwestern sky, casting light everywhere.

Looking out, the world outside seemed desolate. Apart from their group, there was no sign of life in the deserted town—no humans, no animals, not even insects. It was barren and desolate.

So far, apart from the monsters, the only living things they had seen were the scattered human corpses from the previous night.

The group walked to the location where the tower had vanished without encountering any danger.

However, they knew that just because the monsters were afraid of light didn’t mean they only came out after dark. For instance, when they first encountered the monsters, it was at dusk, when the sky was just a bit dim. This meant that even if the tower reappeared during daylight, the approaching twilight might still allow the monsters to come out.

They needed to be prepared for this.

The area around where the tower had disappeared was relatively open, with no cover.

They had discussed their plan before setting out. Lu Chu remembered a Gothic-style house not far from there, with three floors. Although the defenses were not strong, the third floor had a large, open balcony, and there were tall weeds below, making it a good vantage point. They decided to use this house as a temporary fortress.

When they arrived, Lu Chu confirmed that there were no monsters inside. The group quickly entered, locking the doors and windows on the first and second floors and barricading them with furniture. They also set up small traps on the lower floors to delay any monsters, giving them more time to react.

Once everything was secure, they moved to the third floor and stood on the balcony.

Yuan Kejie found some ropes inside and excitedly showed them. “Look what I found! This will save us several ropes.”

Lu Chu smiled and praised her. Then, he and the others tied the ropes to the third-floor railing.

Even with the monsters’ incredible jumping ability, they couldn’t reach the third floor. Their plan was to use the ropes to quickly descend to the ground and then sprint to the tower as soon as it appeared. This was the fastest and safest method they could think of.

Of course, this plan assumed the monsters would come out once the tower reappeared. If the monsters didn’t emerge immediately, they could simply walk out the front door.

With everything ready, they stood on the balcony, watching the spot where the tower had vanished.

Time passed slowly.

Without a clock, they couldn’t tell the exact time and could only wait patiently.

They waited for a long time. The sun gradually set, painting the western sky a brilliant orange-red. Just as the sun was about to disappear, the tower had yet to reappear.

Luo Qi, bored, asked, “Where’s the tower?”

Song Gui glanced at Lu Chu. “Where’s the tower?”

Lu Chu was about to pass the question along when he suddenly stopped and looked southward, realizing something.

Song Gui followed his gaze and froze.

“What are you looking at…” Yuan Kejie turned her head and widened her eyes, unable to help but curse. “Damn…”

The others also looked over.

Luo Qi muttered, “We got tricked.”

Looking at the towering black tower far to the south, Lu Chu realized they had been misled.

The tower’s disappearance had come with a message: “The game board will reappear in twenty-four hours. Enjoy your game.” But it hadn’t said the game board would reappear in the same spot.

So they had planned the time, the safe location, even their escape route—all in vain.

The tower hadn’t reappeared in the same place.

“Do you think,” Yuan Kejie asked blankly, “it will stay there for long?”

Qian Zhen shook his head, indicating he hadn’t thought about that.

For a moment, the group fell into an eerie silence.

“What do we do?” Song Gui suddenly became particularly calm, breaking the silence first.

Lu Chu pressed his index finger to his lips and softly said, “Shh,” and everyone quieted down. Lu Chu kept his finger on his lips, listening intently.

Song Gui and the others watched Lu Chu tensely, while 7 focused on the finger Lu Chu had pressed to his lips.

After a moment, Lu Chu said, “Let’s go down.”

The third floor had a wide view, but it was too open. Occasionally, a breeze would blow, dispersing the monsters’ scent and making their sounds harder to catch.

Following his command, they quickly slid down the ropes, reaching the ground in seconds.

Once on the ground, Lu Chu’s senses became more acute, and he could hear and feel the monsters’ movements around them.

“Thump—thump—”

Their rhythmic heartbeats mixed together.

Lu Chu could sense the nearby monsters, poised to strike, their claws emerging from the darkness, hungry and growling.

Luo Qi tightly secured her oversized backpack, holding her shovel ready. Seeing her, the others did the same.

Lu Chu shook his head, noting the monsters’ movements around them. He pointed in a direction and clearly said, “One, two, three—run!”

The six of them immediately dashed toward the direction Lu Chu had indicated, where the monsters’ attacks were weakest and the tower was easiest to reach.

As they moved, countless shadows followed them.

Lu Chu gave clear directions as they ran.

With Lu Chu at the center, Luo Qi, the fastest, sprinted ahead, occasionally clearing a path with her shovel without engaging the monsters. Qian Zhen covered the rear, constantly kicking away pursuers. Song Gui protected Yuan Kejie, who had the lowest combat ability, fighting side by side with her.

7 stayed by Lu Chu’s side, blocking monster attacks to give him space to lead.

As they ran and fought, Song Gui suddenly laughed. “Hey, I have to say, this feels kind of thrilling.”

Lu Chu glanced at him during a momentary lull and objectively commented, “It’s quite a striking scene.”

In every possible way.