CH 64

(You firmly pinch your thigh.)

(You: I wasn't dreaming. There really are strange people outside.)

(Father: This...)

(You hear footsteps from outside.)

(You know that the cat bride has come out from the third floor.)

(You try to hide under your parents' bed and not go out.)

(Suddenly, you feel a warm liquid on the floor, and the cat bride's head emerges from beneath the floorboards, revealing a creepy smile.)

(Your heart stops, and pupils dilate.)

(You die.)

(Backtracking ends!)

"Damn... is there no one in this whole family I can rely on?"

Gu Yi opened his eyes and bit his lip.

If no one else can be relied upon, then he can only rely on himself!

"Backtrack!"

(Backtracking begins!)

(You hear the sound of suona from outside.)

(You take out a forged key and head straight to the third floor.)

(You unlock the door and enter the attic on the third floor.)

(Your father hears the commotion and shouts at you from the second floor, but you pretend not to hear.)

(You listen to the sound of suona outside, getting closer and closer.)

(You hear a rustling sound coming from the unlocked room on the third floor, and you stand by the door and look inside.)

(The cat bride gradually appears on a chair in the room, slowly turning her head to look at you.)

(You feel a palpitation and tightness in your chest.)

(The cat bride starts walking towards you, gently lifting her veil, revealing whiskers on her chin.)

(You endure the discomfort and open another locked room.)

(You rush into the room and grab the black box.)

(The black box starts vibrating incessantly, and you forcefully throw the box at the cat bride.)

(A large python emerges from the box and engages in a struggle with the cat bride.)

(You take the opportunity to escape through the window.)

(The wedding procession remains in the yard in front of the old mansion, not leaving for a long time.)

(You hear a cry of pain from the cat bride, and the python emerges as the victor.)

(There is a series of crashing sounds from the house, followed by the screams of your parents and sister.)

(You descend into an endless void.)

(Your consciousness gradually fades away.)

(You die.)

(Deduction ends!)

Engaging in risky actions not only endangers oneself but also harms one's parents and sister.

It seems there's another hidden rule in this dungeon: you cannot let harm come to your family, or else you'll be consumed by the void.

Using your family as cannon fodder is not acceptable.

"Stay calm..."

The sound of the suona was getting closer, and Gu Yi could even see the whiskers on the rat groom's face.

He calmly sat on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes.

(Deduction begins!)

(You sit on the edge of the bed, deep in thought.)

(The crisis with the wedding procession cannot be overcome by brute force alone.)

(There must be some crucial information or hint that the system has left for you, but you overlooked it.)

(You take out your phone and diary, flipping back and forth to the entry for May 12th.)

(You finally spot the issue.)

(Both your sister's diary and your own diary mention a character named "the clown.")

(However, there is no clown in the wedding procession.)

(Moreover, the wedding procession clearly has a traditional Chinese classical style, while a clown has a more modern look. Having a clown follow behind the grand sedan chair would definitely be out of place.)

(Then, where is the clown mentioned in the diary?)

(The sound of the suona grows closer.)

(You push open the door and happen to see your parents and sister sitting at the dining table.)

(They all look at you with strange expressions.)

(Mother: Why did you just wake up?)

(You hear footsteps from upstairs, knowing that the cat bride has appeared.)

(A bead of cold sweat drips down your forehead; the rat groom is already mounted on a horse in the yard of the old house.)

(Father: Sit down and have your meal.)

(You nod, pick up your chopsticks and bowl, and you feel a gust of cold wind behind you.)

(Since there is no clown, why not pretend there is one?)

(You clench your teeth and use your chopsticks to point outside the house.)

(You: Why is there a clown out there blowing balloons?)

(Sister: Huh? There really is a clown!)

(Mother: Don't be silly.)

(Sister: I want the clown to make me a puppy balloon.)

(Mother: You're too old for balloons.)

(The sound of the suona abruptly stops outside the house.)

(You look outside, and the wedding procession has disappeared, leaving only a clown and a group of schoolchildren.)

(You terminate the deduction!)

Gu Yi opened his eyes and felt relaxed all over.

Cracking the puzzle was just the beginning; the remaining task was to figure out why.

After getting dressed, Gu Yi walked out of the room.

His parents and younger sister were already sitting at the dining table, waiting to eat.

Gu Yi casually took his seat and pointed outside, saying, "Why is there a clown out there?"

"Clown? Where is there a clown?"

His sister craned her neck to look outside.

Impatiently, their mother pulled the sister and knocked on the table, saying, "Sit properly and eat."

"Mom, the clown is blowing balloons. I want a puppy-shaped balloon..."

"You're already a big kid, why do you still want balloons? Eat your meal first."

"Oh..."

The sister nodded and picked up her chopsticks, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Gu Yi let out a sigh of relief.

The clown was busy playing games with the children outside and paid no attention to their family.

While eating, Gu Yi pondered.

The diary on the first day mentioned "I" getting into a car accident, which is why he triggered the death flag that made him get hit by a truck when he was picking up his sister yesterday.

The diary on the second day described the strange wedding procession and the clown, which is why he encountered these bizarre creatures during breakfast today.

Following this logic...

On the seventh day, his birthday, would he see his sister turning into a monster and killing him?

Could it be that the diary is some kind of prophetic item?

Perhaps it's not a diary from the past but rather a diary from the present?

There seems to be no clock in this world, so he can only estimate the time based on the countdown.

There's a 2022 calendar in the room. Could it be a trap set in the dungeon to mislead his sense of time?

No!

That contradicts the background information in the dungeon. "A family of three" had moved into the old house a year ago, so the 2022 calendar shouldn't be misleading.

Gu Yi bit his lip, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation for now.

--Well, since I can't figure it out for the time being, I'll set it aside.

Gu Yi relaxed his brows and looked at his mother.

"Mom, how have you been feeling lately?"

"Me?" His mother looked at Gu Yi somewhat surprised. "Why are you suddenly concerned about me?"

"Because it seems like your complexion hasn't been good lately."

Yesterday, when Gu Yi was searching his parents' room, he found cancer treatment medication hidden under his mother's dressing table, which was why he was testing her like this.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm perfectly fine."

"Yeah." His father nodded and said, "You're about to take the college entrance exam. Don't worry about things at home."

"Okay."

Gu Yi nodded.

From what he could see, his parents should be on his side.

To prevent their child from being distracted, his mother had always concealed her illness.

When their child encountered the strange wedding procession, they would also do their best to delay the arrival of danger.

Therefore, as long as Gu Yi didn't upset them and tried to listen to them as much as possible, he could still communicate with his parents.

"Dad, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"What's on the third floor?"