Chapter 86: The Hour of Noon Has Arrived

Wah—

The door to the Quiet Room was opened.

Zhou Lan and Qin Yifei walked in, carrying meals.

It had been over an hour since Xiong Lihui set off, and it was time for lunch.

After setting down the food, Qin Yifei watched Zhou Lan distribute it while asking:

"Zhu Dechang, where has Xiong Lihui reached? Has he walked out yet?"

Zhu Dechang took the lunch box, his expression turning solemn as he shook his head and said:

"Just like you were at the beginning, he is lost and cannot find his way out of that corridor no matter what."

Just as they were talking, Xiong Lihui was walking through the Lianlang, drenched in sweat, the light from the scarlet lanterns on both sides reflecting a panicked look in his eyes.

The Lianlang before him seemed to have no end; no matter if he turned left or right, he could not see the end.

Moreover, once he tried to climb over or leave the Lianlang directly, terrifying strange winds would whip up all around, making Xiong Lihui afraid to try again.

Fortunately, however, he was currently only lost and physically exhausted, with no immediate danger.

Ding Mo took his meal and sighed slightly.

They had already tried their best to think of ways for Xiong Lihui, but they were not at the scene and could only make inferences indirectly,

which inevitably had many limitations, making it impossible to find the key point.

By this time, Zhou Lan had finished distributing the food and had taken a few bites of her own boxed meal.

But beside Ding Mo, Jiang Liuxue frowned slightly.

The fragrance of food wafted through the Quiet Room, but her hands were empty.

Had Zhou Lan forgotten to bring her meal?

Jiang Liuxue tilted her head slightly, remaining silent, her jade-like arms simply wrapped around her waist.

But Ding Mo noticed this.

He put down his chopsticks, looked at Jiang Liuxue, then at Zhou Lan. He discovered that Zhou Lan's gaze drifted toward them from time to time, a hint of smugness showing in her eyes.

On purpose... Ding Mo frowned, but ultimately did not speak.

After a while, he picked up his lunch box and said to Jiang Liuxue:

"I'll share half of my meal with you."

Going to the canteen alone was too dangerous, but maintaining strength was equally important.

Jiang Liuxue was startled.

At this moment, Zhu Dechang also noticed the anomaly. He looked at Zhou Lan and said indifferently:

"I'll share some. Ding Mo, give her a little less."

"... Thank you." After a moment of silence, Jiang Liuxue whispered her thanks.

On the other side, Zhou Lan seemed not to have expected this and was suddenly so angry that she gritted her teeth!

But as soon as she looked up, she saw Zhu Dechang's gaze.

"Zhou Lan, let this be the last time." Zhu Dechang said coldly, his eyes devoid of their usual rare hint of a smile:

"We are a team, don't be like this, understand?"

Stared at by him like that, Zhou Lan's expression shifted slightly; she had wanted to lower her head, but caught sight of Ding Mo adding food to Jiang Liuxue's portion.

Jealousy rose in her heart, and coupled with Jiang Liuxue sitting gracefully in place—her well-developed body seemingly having undergone some kind of training, her posture as supple as if she had no bones—it was enviable.

She was instantly consumed by the fires of jealousy! In an instant, she slammed down her lunch box and stood up!

Her movement startled the slow-witted Qin Yifei, who finally stopped eating.

"What are you doing?" Zhu Dechang asked in an unhappy tone.

He looked at her with a frown.

This woman really knew how to cause trouble; perhaps he should just...

"What am I doing?!" Zhou Lan gritted her teeth and shouted angrily:

"Every one of you is protecting her!"

"Just because she's pretty?!" Amidst the frowning and even angry gazes of the others, she pointed at Jiang Liuxue and said:

"You are all a bunch of idiots who think with your lower halves! And you!"

"You bitch! Every day you dream of cursing us to death, and you still have the men bewitched!"

"I do not dream those things on purpose." Jiang Liuxue wrinkled her nose fiercely.

But Zhou Lan seemed to have lost her mind and wasn't listening at all:

"How did you do it?!"

"Huh? Tell me!!"

Perhaps because her psyche was already twisted, Zhou Lan didn't know where the resentment came from, but it all erupted at once!

"I know!" She glared at the bewildered Jiang Liuxue, stepped forward, raised her palm high, and prepared to slap her as she sat on the ground.

"Maybe if I kill you, the Curse will disappear!"

But the result was,

Jiang Liuxue did not stand up; she simply braced her hands on the floor and performed a "Whirlwind Sweeping Fallen Leaves," her powerful, long legs rotating to sweep straight across Zhou Lan's heels,

tripping her hard.

Bang!

Perhaps due to sheer bad luck, Zhou Lan screamed as she fell to the ground and actually knocked out her front teeth!

A white tooth stained with blood fell out, and Zhou Lan's mouth was full of blood!

"Ugh-ah-ah-ugh-ugh-ah-ugh—!!" This blow seemed to enrage her to the extreme, and she crawled into a corner like a cockroach, letting out angry, strange shrieks.

Reaching the corner, she stared at Jiang Liuxue with hateful eyes, yet she no longer dared to step forward—

It seemed she had finally realized she could not beat her.

But Jiang Liuxue felt a bit unnerved by the gaze, though she did not lose her composure on the surface, looking back at her coldly.

"Eh..." Zhu Dechang sighed, seemingly having a headache.

Ding Mo, meanwhile, looked at Zhou Lan in confusion.

Is this woman sick? Is it necessary to be this crazy?

But then again, including Zhu Jie, most of the Polluters in the Isolation Zone were psychologically abnormal.

In the last Task, it was the normal people who were the oddities.

Qin Yifei looked left and right, not knowing whether he should break up the fight or continue eating.

And just as the situation was becoming difficult to resolve, Zhu Dechang's expression suddenly changed, and he pinched his Ear Stud.

This action quickly attracted everyone's attention.

"Is it Xiong Lihui? Did something happen?" Ding Mo asked.

Compared to blaming Jiang Liuxue or fighting, which were meaningless, Xiong Lihui's matter was far more important.

This concerned whether they could break the Dream Curse—in every sense.

Zhu Dechang made a "hush" gesture, listened carefully for a while, and then his expression turned grim.

He raised his head and looked at the others: "Xiong Lihui says, it has turned dark!"

"H-how is this possible..." Xiong Lihui looked at the sky outside the Lianlang, which was gradually turning pitch black, and could not help but become even more nervous.

Although he was not wearing a watch, according to what Zhu Dechang and the others said, the time now was at most no later than one o'clock in the afternoon,

how could it be dark already?!

But Xiong Lihui had no time to ponder the reason; the scarlet lanterns all around, set against the now-nocturnal backdrop, became increasingly bright and blinding!

This change was likely not a good thing; he had to leave this place immediately!

Xiong Lihui quickened his pace, but although the sky had suddenly turned dark, the Lianlang remained endless, and even the scenery before his eyes seemed not to have changed much.

"What should I do?" Xiong Lihui moved forward anxiously while asking the Ear Stud worn on his right ear.

However, to onlookers, he was just talking to the air.

What to do?

This question was thrown to the people in the Quiet Room.

No matter which Task it was, night always meant danger—those unspeakable horrors loved to lie in wait in unknown environments!

The thoughts of Zhu Dechang, Ding Mo, and the others raced.

"Xiong Lihui, look carefully, besides the sky, what other changes are there on your end?"

"Nothing... a-at least I can't tell."

"..."

And Zhou Lan, she had gotten up at some point, huddled to the side, and was silently wiping away blood with paper and her clothes.

The look she gave Jiang Liuxue was filled with deep hatred, as if she attributed all the misfortunes of her life to her!

Jiang Liuxue felt this gaze like thorns on her back, and while lightly frowning, she spoke:

"If we cannot leave the Lianlang, can we find a place to hide for the time being?"

Her words proposed a line of thought.

Zhu Dechang immediately said:

"Xiong Lihui, see if there is any place around you where you can hide?"