Lin Xinghe gained enough evidence from this trip to prove her hunch.
The illusion created by Xiao Xue Ji actually happened.
And in the illusion created by Xiao Xue Ji, Sister Meng’s husband was already dead. But neither the staff in the rescue center nor Sister Meng said a word about his death. On the contrary, they concealed the fact.
……Why?
By the time Lin Xinghe got back to the rescue center, the sky was already dark. When the lanterns were supposed to come on, the whole town was even more deserted and desolate. None of the houses lit their lights. Only the street lamps that lit up one after another illuminated the whole town.
And under the dim street lights, the white-paper red-clothed door gods on every household door looked even more terrifying.
Obviously, the door god icon had no facial features, but every woman in red seemed to stare at her back with a laser-like focus.
When Lin Xinghe returned to the rescue center, she finally saw the other four candidates.
They were bloodless from the cold, shivering all over and huddled in the heater drinking hot water. A few of them looked tired and haggard, and the girl in the corner was bruised.
Chai Yong and the others were also very surprised to see Lin Xinghe, especially when they saw Lin Xinghe walking actively, carrying a backpack, wearing a thin down jacket, and looking like she had just eaten a meal. The expressions on the faces of the students were wonderful.
“You didn’t come down from the snow mountain?” The person who asked this was Chai Yong.
He went down the mountain with three burdens, crawling and rolling along the way. He almost lost his life by stepping on empty ground several times. He was finally able to go down the mountain safely and find the rescue center. He was finally content, but when he saw the safe and healthy Lin Xinghe, his mood soured again .
Lin Xinghe then said: “Yes, I got down. I met a rescue team and came down by helicopter. By the way, there are free meals in the back kitchen of the cafeteria.”
In contrast, Chai Yong’s inner smugness disappeared instantly.
The staff of the rescue center came over and asked Lin Xinghe, “Is this your lost partner?”
Lin Xinghe confirmed it.
The staff member continued, “It’s not easy to walk down the snow-capped mountains. We still have extra rooms here, so you can have a good night’s rest. Right now, it’s off-season in our town and the hotels are closed, so if you can’t find a hotel to rest tomorrow, you can continue to stay with us.” After a while, she suddenly smiled subtly: “No one else will come here for a while, and our center will be empty anyways.”
The staff then distributed the room keys to them: one room per person.
After the staff left, Chai Yong looked at Lin Xinghe.
Lin Xinghe’s appearance was deceptive—she looked like a silly, delicate, sweet little girl who was ignorant of the world. Chai Yong immediately divided Lin Xinghe and Tang Xin into the same group of people and naturally wanted to control the right to speak. He blustered, “There is no elimination system in the freshman examination room. We are not enemies, so we have a win-win relationship. The test question is to kill the Snow Maiden, but we can only do this if the five of us can work together and listen to my instructions to survive. I used to be an outdoor enthusiast—I participated in many outdoor survival competitions, and I once killed a tiger with my bare hands. No one doubts that I have the advantage in this exam room, right?”
“No, no, we will all listen to Brother Chai.” “Yes, Brother Chai has the advantage in our examination room!” Fang Ziyue and Li Chengyan agreed.
Tang Xin didn’t say a word until Fang Ziyue glared at her. She whispered, “…Yes.”
Chai Yong said satisfiedly, “As long as you listen to me, I guarantee that you will survive. In this examination room, you cannot walk out alive without luck. I have killed more beasts than you have eaten. Little girl, listening to me will be your best bet.”
Lin Xinghe replied slowly, “Although there is no elimination system in the examination room, excellent performance can give you extra points. From this aspect, we are also competitors. I appreciate your kindness.” Waving to them, she said, “Goodbye, I’ll go rest first.”
Chai Yong sneered, “She doesn’t know how to appreciate help and really thinks she can survive off of her luck.”
Fang Ziyue agreed, “Brother Chai, don’t stoop to her level. When she meets the Snow Maiden, she will ask Brother Chai for help. We will ask her for a lot of points. Doesn’t she still have a magic broom? We’ll take that too.”
Tang Xin’s eyes flickered, and her eyes followed Lin Xinghe’s back.
Chai Yong realized and scolded Tang Xin, “Look, could you have gotten down the mountain safely without me? You are ungrateful. Follow her and see if you can survive tonight.”
Tang Xin said timidly, “I… I’m sorry.”
Chai Yong cursed again, and Fang Ziyue and Li Chengyan flattered Chai Yongcai with many compliments until he stopped grumbling.