Chapter 250 Escape Room 2.0

Next to the side room was a staircase, only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.

A nearly extinguished lamp hung at the top of the stairs, candle wax dripping down its sides.

Wen Yan stood at the top of the stairs and glanced down, then shrank back and swallowed hard.

"It's so dark."

Chen Kai leaned half his body out from behind, holding a lantern and shining it down.

There was also paper money on the steps, pasted into the cracks in the wooden planks.

"I'll go down first," Chen Kai said, lifting his robe as he stepped onto the first step.

The wooden plank creaked as it echoed down the quiet stairwell.

Wen Yan whispered a reminder, "Slow down."

Chen Kai took a few steps, but suddenly stopped, turned his head, and listened intently to something.

Wen Yan held her breath, and Su Wuli stopped breathing as well.

My heartbeat was unusually clear in the quiet darkness.

Chen Kai slowly turned his head, his expression serious.

"This staircase... needs oiling."

【Chen Kai, that's enough!】

【I was so nervous and you told me this.】

[Did the production team hear that? Apply oil to the stairs.]

[This constant jump stunts are making me laugh myself to death by Chen Kai sooner or later, hahaha.]

Wen Yan angrily punched him on the back, causing Chen Kai to stagger forward a step.

He stepped on the paper money, and the paper money stuck to the sole of his shoe.

She walks with a swaying motion.

The staircase turned out to be an even narrower corridor.

There were no windows on either side, and moisture seeped from the cracks in the walls, making them feel cool to the touch.

"There's a door on the side," Su Wuli whispered a reminder.

The door was vermilion, and cracks spread outwards from the middle of the door panel like a spider web.

Wen Yan buried her face in Su Wuli's shoulder and glanced at Chen Kai.

Seeing this, Chen Kai stood to the side and rolled up his sleeves.

"I'll do it."

He stepped forward, grasped the door knocker, and pulled it.

The door didn't move, so he pulled on it again.

Still nothing.

He couldn't help but bend down and peer through the crack in the door, looking inside for a long time before straightening up.

"Locked."

The first clue is behind the door.

"Aren't you named Chen Kai? You should at least think of something."

[Hahahaha, Chen, open the door!]

Su Wuli held up a lantern and shone it above the door frame.

No.

Then I looked at the walls on both sides of the door, but still nothing.

He then squatted down and lowered the lantern, letting the light shine on the threshold.

There was a piece of paper under the threshold, with a yellow corner peeking out and the edges rolled up.

She pulled out the paper and unfolded it; there was a single word written on it.

"What is that?" Wen Yan leaned closer to take a look.

Chen Kai also came over for a look and touched his chin.

"I recognize this character," he paused, "it's pronounced 'diàn'."

[Nonsense! Everyone knows how to pronounce "奠" (diàn).]

I'm impressed. I thought he was going to say something after that pause.

"Who doesn't know him?" Wen Yan couldn't help but complain.

"Let's lighten the mood a bit. You're just too nervous," Chen Kai said. "I'm a veteran player, I'll just enjoy myself, I'm not afraid."

Su Wuli turned the paper over and saw a circle drawn on the back, with several winding lines drawn inside the circle.

It looks like some kind of symbol, or some kind of pattern.

I don't quite understand.

She folded the paper and tucked it into her sleeve.

Chen Kai squatted down to examine the door lock.

The lock is an old-fashioned brass lock with patterns engraved on it.

He studied it for a while, then stood up and dusted off his knees.

"I don't know how to open this lock."

Upon hearing this, Su Wuli looked at him and met his regretful expression.

Unable to resist, she said, "Brother."

"Um?"

"Were you a locksmith before?" Su Wuli asked earnestly.

After speaking, Chen Kai paused slightly, "No, that's not it."

The comments section burst into laughter.

[You're not a locksmith, how did you come to this conclusion after all that research?]

Everyone knows you need a key to open it.

Kiriri's expression is hilarious, hahaha.

[This must be the first time I've met someone so abstract, hahaha.]

Suddenly, a slight noise was heard.

All three of them were taken aback.

Su Wuli held up a lantern and shone it through the crack in the door; a faint light shone through.

She tilted her head and put her ear close to the crack in the door. "It sounds like... someone's inside."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Yan's face turned pale, and Chen Kai's expression also changed.

Chen Kai stood by the door and reached out to pat the door panel.

bang bang bang...

The noise inside stopped.

After a while, the light coming through the crack in the door went out.

Wen Yan's throat bobbed, and Su Wuli subconsciously took half a step back.

Chen Kai knocked on the door. "Is anyone home?"

No one answered.

The comments section also became tense.

The NPC is about to appear, right?

【Chen Kai, please stop filming, I'm scared.】

Chen Kai pressed his ear against the door panel and listened for a while before raising his head with a serious expression.

"The person inside might be deaf."

Wen Yan was so angry that she kicked him, but missed.

She kicked the door frame, wincing in pain.

The comments section was filled with laughter.

Chen Kai, you're truly the best at ruining the mood.

Wen Yan played well.

I was so nervous, but now my mind is completely blank.

Looking at Chen Kai's serious face, Su Wuli couldn't hold back any longer.

"Brother, this is a horror book."

"Don't be afraid," Chen Kai comforted him like an older brother. "With me here, it won't be scary."

Su Wuli's lips, which had been clenched, couldn't help but curl upwards. "I can tell."

[Hahahaha, the director is cursing in the control room.]

[I'm impressed, hahaha.]

Unable to open the door, they had no choice but to keep walking forward.

Chen Kai walked at the front, muttering to himself, "I should have brought a megaphone."

"Why are you bringing that thing?" Wen Yan asked.

"Don't tour guides all wear them?" Chen Kai retorted. "Do I look like a tour guide now?"

Wen Yan, "..."

The three of them continued walking for a while.

Wen Yan followed behind Su Wuli, muttering, "Why are there no lights at all? Even the production team can't be this ruthless when they're trying to save electricity."

"You caught it from your brother too?" Su Wuli asked.

"Great!" Chen Kai said cheerfully. "From now on, we'll be the 'Daredevil Trio'."

[This trio is so audacious; I'd rather just applaud them. Speechless.]

【Hahaha, sure!】

[Chen Kai, don't worry about the two beauties leading you astray.]

[Exactly, pretty girls can rely on their looks; they don't need to be funny.]

[What does the person above mean? Are they implying something about our Kaiye?]

To be frank.

Hahahaha.

At the end of the corridor is a corner; after turning the corner...

There was a painting hanging on the wall, taking up the entire wall.

The painting depicts a general on horseback, with a long spear across his back, and thousands of soldiers behind him.

The general's face was indistinct; the paint had faded, leaving only an outline.

Su Wuli held up a lantern and shone it on the bottom of the painting, where there was a small bronze plaque.

There are words engraved on it.

General Chen Chongyuan, the Guardian of the Nation

Below that is a line of smaller characters, which lists the birth and death dates.

"This must be the general who wiped out the entire family," Chen Kai said, leaning closer.

He pointed to the tip of the general's spear, "Why is the spearhead pointing downwards?"

Wen Yan glanced at him. "What's wrong with pointing downwards?"

"In general, in portraits of generals, the spearhead is always pointing upwards or forwards; pointing downwards is considered unlucky."

After Chen Kai finished speaking, he shut his mouth.

Wen Yan's face paled slightly upon hearing this.