Congratulations on Your Successful Escape

Chapter 24

T/N: Hangman clarification from last chapter

Mo Yi’s pursed lips tightened, and his somewhat cold complexion was tense. “If I didn’t hear wrong, that should be the orphanage’s dining bell.”

He turned to look at everyone and asked, “Do any of you know where the dining room is?”

The woman who had collapsed at the sight of the corpse cowered for a moment, and then weakly said, “… I, I saw it just now. It’s at the end of the corridor over there.”

Mo Yi nodded and turned to walk in the direction the woman had pointed to.

Perhaps due to his calm and reassuring composure, everyone hesitated for a moment, but nevertheless followed behind him.

As they went deeper and deeper towards the serene and hidden depths of the corridor, the wall lamps hesitantly flickered unpredictably, and the narrow walls on both sides tightly pressed close, making people feel almost suffocated.

At the end of the corridor was a slight glimmer of light, illuminating a small area of the front of the room.

Standing there were two vague shadowy figures, and they seemed to be talking about something.

Mo Yi narrowed his eyes and stepped forward.

The facial features of the two gradually became clearer: It was Zhao Yicheng and the senior woman who had spoken before.

They appeared to be arguing about something in a low voice, and their faces looked extremely displeased. Seeing someone arrive, they stopped talking and simultaneously turned towards Mo Yi.

After listening to Mo Yi’s explanation of the causes and effects, Zhao Yicheng nodded and chimed in, “Yes, that’s right. We also woke up in the room and found exactly the same note.”

The senior woman also let out a low “En,” and from her pocket, fished out the note with the opened drawing of the gallows.

Mo Yi lowered his eyes in thought. The topic of conversation abruptly changed. Pointing a finger at the dining room behind them, he asked, “By the way, did you go inside?”

Zhao Yicheng’s complexion turned ugly in a flash. He leaned his body to one side, indicating for Mo Yi to go and look inside.

Mo Yi had some misgivings and strode forward a step, looking inside the dining room.

It was not very spacious inside. The light inside was a bit brighter than that in the corridor. The walls were crooked and stained with grease, looking very shabby. There were several low and long tables and benches in the room. This should be the place where the orphans dined together.

It appeared simple and crude, but altogether, nothing was off about it.

But for some unknown reason, Mo Yi’s heart always sensed that there was a bit of disharmony originating from somewhere.

He shifted his gaze towards the opposite wall and couldn’t help but stare blankly.

There was a drawing in simple and rough strokes, not big, however the drawing happened to be located in the middle of the wall, looking extremely eye catching.

Indeed, it was a small hanging man.

It happened to match the note with the gallows on it, completely filling in the whole drawing.

Zhao Yicheng’s low voice came from beside him, “That one newcomer outside who was hanged, the last time the others saw him alive was when he was about to enter this room.”

A slight bursting chill ran down everyone’s back in a flash.

The dilapidated and simple and crude dining room looked even more sinister now, as if there was a terrible monster hiding, waiting for the bugle horn before starting its massacre.

A few people instinctively retreated several steps in succession, hoping to stay as far away from the dining room as possible.

Mo Yi’s gaze was heavy.

He attentively pondered for a second, his sharp eyes wandering around the dining room.

His gaze suddenly paused for an instant somewhere in the dining room, and his face relaxed slightly.

Mo Yi turned his head and said to Zhao Yicheng, “It’s okay. We should be able to enter here.”

He pointed to the end of the dining room where there was a dusty and stained dining table. On top of it was an arrangement of black bread and clean water.

Zhao Yicheng looked in the direction he was pointing at and stared blankly. Then, he instantly came to a realization.

The other people were stull confused and looked at Mo Yi.

Zhao Yicheng explained, “For copies that are carried out in this kind of confined space for more than 24 hours, the game will provide players with food and water to preserve their lives. Generally speaking, the time and location for eating are usually safe.”

Mo Yi added, “The bell a moment ago should be to remind us that it’s time to have a meal.”

Everyone relaxed a little, and one by one went inside.

The smell of dust pervaded the air, and the temperature was a great many times lower than in the corridor. The clammy humidity almost penetrated the surface of their skin.

The ceiling of the dining room was very low, with traces of mildew and rust on the surface, and the surrounding walls were covered in oil, soaking and staining it.

Everybody went to the dining table with their hearts in their hands. They each took some black bread and used the cup on the side to pour a glass of water. Then, they sat down on the low bench in twos and threes, ready for their meal.

Mo Yi was unaccustomed to curling up his long legs as he sat on the bench which was too low for his height.

He lowered his eyes and took a bite of the black bread in his hand. The cheap and dried out bread had a coarse texture, painfully scratching his throat. It was dry and hard like chewing on grains of sand.

Everyone’s face was ugly, slowly chewing the tasteless bread in their mouth.

Someone raised a cup and tried to wash the bread down with water, but as soon as the water entered his mouth, his face changed.? The water had an extremely odd and greasy taste, like dirty water that had been left out for several months. It was almost half rancid, causing them to feel nauseous.

Mo Yi had his head bowed in a trance, as if he hadn’t realized that the food was of inferior quality. His face didn’t change as he indifferently nibbled the bread.

Just then, a hand appeared before his eyes.

The five fingers were slender and fair, and the joints were well proportioned, beautiful like a work of art. In the hollows of the palm lay a chocolate bar.

Mo Yi stared blankly and began to raise his head.

Song Qi’s chin was propped up on one hand, looking neither left nor right, but straight ahead, as if the chocolate bar being passed over was not by him.

Mo Yi blinked, lowered his voice, and said in a deep voice, “You eat. I’m alright.”

He really was telling the truth. He really didn’t care how delicious his food was. For Mo Yi, it was enough as long as the food could maintain his normal existence of life, and whether it was delicious or not was nothing but a worthless wrapping outside the food.

Song Qi quickly shot him a glance, and then immediately withdrew the emotions in his eyes. The lines of his cold and firm lips appeared to be pressed into a straight line, “I don’t like sweets.”

Mo Yi, “… ???”

Then why on earth did you still bring a chocolate bar into this copy?

However, since the reason had been said, Mo Yi couldn’t refuse anymore, so he reached out and took the wrapped chocolate bar from Song Qi’s palm.

Ice-cold fingertips unconsciously brushed the hollow of his palms.

Song Qi’s palm trembled, and with an extremely quick motion, withdrew his right hand, clenching it under the table, his face as composed as before.

Mo Yi didn’t notice Song Qi’s little action at all. His slender fingers numbly pulled open the wrapping of the chocolate bar, and then stuffed it into his mouth before others could notice.

The mellow and rich outer layer of the chocolate melted in the mouth, and the faint aroma of wheat mixed with the unique bitter and astringent taste of chocolate. The small and rounded sensation of the nuts rolled between the gaps of his teeth, comfortably warm from the tip of his tongue, and sweet to the depths of his throat.

Mo Yi’s eyes narrowed subconsciously, his eyelashes trembling, casting a deep shadow on his face.

He smiled, raised his eyes to look at Song Qi, and said with a low voice, “Thank you. It was delicious.”