After that, the four of them sat at the dining table. They began to try enjoying the dishes that Yixiong had prepared. Unlike usual, that time they ate in silence. Shanquan, Yixiong, and Yiren seemed busy with their own thoughts.

"How do we get down to that hole?" Suddenly Yingyue's voice broke the silence at the dining table.

Shanquan stopped feeding rice into his mouth. He looked at Yingyue. "There is an iron ladder embedded in the hole's wall. If we open the metal plate that covers the hole, we will be able to see the ladder clearly. At that time, we went down using the ladder."

Yingyue seemed still not satisfied. "Regarding the air in the room, there might be ventilation ducts connecting the room to other places. But will the oxygen content in the room be sufficient for all of us if we have to hide there for a few days?"

"I don't think we're going to hide out there for days." Yiren preceded Shanquan in commenting on Yingyue's question. "That's even if it's true that after this we really have to hide there."

Yixiong grabbed Yiren's arm. Yiren turned to Shanquan. "Sorry, Dage."

"It's okay," said Shanquan. "I agree with what you said." He looked at Yingyue. "The old owner of this house passed away more than a month ago. He owned a lot of property in this city, so it's not just this house. His health condition for the past few years hadn't been very good. So in all the properties he owned, including in this house, he kept a lot of equipment that is closely related to his health condition, so in the warehouse next to the kitchen, there are items such as wheelchairs, infusion poles, oxygen cylinders, and even a portable heart shock device. We can bring some of those oxygen cylinders down if needed."

Yingyue nodded at the explanation Shanquan had just said. Shanquan didn't know if that explanation satisfied Yingyue enough.

I know what I'm saying here may sound ridiculous. I hope my words will not frighten her!

After finishing eating, Shanquan briefly went into his bedroom. When he came out of the bedroom again, he asked Yingyue to follow him into the room.

"What's wrong Uncle" Yingyue looked at Shanquan after they were inside the bedroom. Shanquan was relieved that the girl looked relaxed.

"Xiaotian, I have something important to tell you." Shanquan then sat on the bed. On the bed lay the things he would take with them if they had to go somewhere safe.

Yingyue then sat on the chair next to Shanquan's bed. "Let me help Uncle with these things."

"No need," said Shanquan. "I want you to just listen to what I have to say."

Yingyue nodded. But her face looked doubtful.

"Given the current situation, we probably won't be going to Dafeisi Tower tomorrow."

Yingyue nodded. She didn't interrupt Shanquan's words.

Shanquan stopped talking. Looking up at the ceiling, he sighed. The middle-aged man got up and walked over to the wardrobe. He opened the cupboard and took out some clothes. Returning to the bed, he continued his speech. "Are you sure you don't want to go to your family's place right away?"

"Don't I still have three days?"

"True, but under these circumstances..."

"If I went to their place now, I don't think it would solve the problem either. What if the bad guys followed me there? I'm worried that my arrival will cause problems not only for me but also for my family." Yingyue persisted in not wanting to be with her family.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Realizing this, Shanquan could only shake his head.

This girl is really stubborn!

"Okay then. But you must obey what I say. I want you to always stay by my side. Don't go anywhere. We don't know what will happen next."

Yingyue nodded several times.

Shanquan pointed to Yingyue's backpack, which was propped up in one corner of the room. "Is that all your stuff?"

"Of course not only that. I still have a lot of stuff that I put in one room in my relative's house. All that stuff, I can't possibly take it with me."

"I mean, is that backpack the only thing you will bring to live with your family in this town? Is there anything else?" Shanquan clarified his question.

"Of course it's not just the bag. There are some things that will be sent to my relatives' place here. They will be packaged into this city. But they will not be here in a week or so."

"Oh," Shanquan replied curtly.

"Then what should I do now?"

Shanquan had already finished packing his things. He said softly. "You'd better get some sleep now. I don't know when we should leave yet. I want you to be in good shape when we have to leave this place."

Yingyue looked like she wanted to say something. But Shanquan didn't give her a chance to say more. "Well, please just do as I say. Didn't you promise me earlier? Now you just sleep in this bed. Tonight, I still have a lot of things to do."

Fortunately, Yingyue then actually obeyed Shanquan's words. The girl didn't argue anymore.

Shanquan left the room and walked towards the living room. Yiren and Yixiong were also sitting on the sofa there. At that time, they were waiting for Xinxiu and Zhengyi to return. They didn't know what time Zhengyi would be home, but they could predict that Xinxiu would arrive home before Zhengyi.

To pass the time, they watched television. In this gigantic city, there were many television channels. So many choices of shows that they could enjoy. But at that time, they were not in the mood to watch television. They stared at the program presented on television with a blank stare. Shanquan looked around him. Just like at dinner last night, at that moment, they all, including himself, were busy thinking in their own minds.

About an hour later, Xinxiu arrived home. As soon as the door opened, Xinxiu rushed in. He looked pale. His body moved shakily. He quickly threw himself onto the sofa in the living room. Yiren stood up and walked towards the kitchen. In an instant, he was walking back into the living room with a glass of water in his hand. He handed the glass of water to Xinxiu, who immediately gulped down the water in the glass. Xinxiu then looked at his left palm. Shanquan could clearly see that part of Xinxiu's left palm was darker. There seemed to be a liquid that had now dried up, smearing the palm of the hand. Still silent, he stood up and walked to the bathroom.

Shanquan, Yiren, and Yixiong looked at each other. They realized that something extraordinary had happened to Xinxiu. They left Xinxiu alone to give him time to cool off. Five minutes later, Xinxiu came out of the bathroom and directly went into the bedroom. Not long after, he came out again. This time he was carrying clean clothes. He then went back into the bathroom. It turned out that Xinxiu decided to take a shower first before saying anything to his friends.

The three people then waited patiently in the living room. About fifteen minutes later, Xinxiu had finished bathing. He briefly entered the bedroom. A moment later, he came out. He walked into the living room right away to gather with his three friends.

Xinxiu sat on the sofa. He looked at the faces of his friends one by one. Then slowly, he began to tell what he had experienced since he left the house with Zhengyi this afternoon. The three friends listened to Xinxiu's story with serious faces. Shanquan saw that Yiren and Yixiong were wide-eyed when Xinxiu recounted in detail what had happened to him.

"Then who hurt that person?" Yiren jumped while half screaming.

Xinxiu shook his head. He looked so tired and worried.

The person wearing the reversible jacket chose to follow Zhengyi. So who had hurt the people who followed Xinxiu?

Shanquan scratched his head, which didn't really itch.

How many parties were actually involved in this series of events?