“This place looks a bit strange, yet not entirely so.”
Yuan Yuan was eager to touch the things around him, but due to not knowing the rules of this place, he dared not touch anything. His apprehension made him look like an embarrassed ostrich.
Yuan Qingqing knew her brother's temperament too well. Upon hearing his words, she turned her head sharply and glared at him.
“If you think it’s strange, fine, but absolutely do not touch anything, or you’ll get a good beating.”
Yuan Yuan’s face immediately fell.
He awkwardly scratched his scalp.
“I know, Sis. You don’t have to embarrass me in front of so many people.”
Despite his words, Yuan Yuan wasn’t angry; instead, he wore a smile.
He looked at his surroundings with curiosity, his eyes exceptionally bright.
“But I’ve never seen anything so peculiar. It looks just like a low-rent apartment.”
And indeed, it did resemble a low-rent apartment.
The others nodded in agreement.
If they hadn’t found this room in such a dilapidated place, they might have truly believed it was a peculiarly designed low-rent apartment.
“This thing looks rather odd, but I don’t see any 'guǐyì' with intelligence, as you described.”
The meaning of 'guǐyì' was not uniform.
Duan Chen even activated his True Sight, but…
“Don’t touch anything. Everyone, step back a little.”
His tone was somewhat serious, and also tinged with dread.
To say dread wasn't entirely accurate, but in that moment, Duan Chen felt a genuine fear of this place, an emotion humans couldn't avoid.
When people encounter things they cannot understand, they invariably feel fear.
“Is there a problem!?”
Upon hearing Duan Chen’s words, everyone quickly gathered together, scanning their surroundings with vigilance and caution, fearing something might leap out and attack them.
Duan Chen rubbed his eyes wearily, then deactivated his True Sight.
“Things here are not as simple as they appear on the surface.”
Because under his True Sight, the true nature of all things was laid bare.
However, what he saw in his eyes was precisely their original appearance.
No, that wasn't right. It shouldn't be called their original appearance, because beyond the original facade, there were other things.
Initially, Duan Chen had assumed these things were their true forms, without any abnormality. But after carefully scanning them twice, he discovered something amiss.
He harbored doubts and suspicions, and then he cautioned those behind him.
“You all stay put. Do not touch any furniture here, I mean absolutely anything, be it books, potted plants, or even bedsheets.”
Everyone knew how powerful Duan Chen’s eyes were. Upon hearing this, they all became alert, each one standing straighter than a soldier during attention, even more so than when standing at attention.
After giving his warning, Duan Chen strode forward, approaching the small bookshelf.
Qin Nan Yuan watched his steps with concern from behind him.
Jun Ci, keenly sensing his childhood friend’s worry, spoke to comfort her.
“Don’t overthink it, don’t dwell on it. Our captain isn’t someone who acts recklessly. Since he dares to go forward, it means he likely has a plan.”
Qin Nan Yuan reluctantly accepted his words.
However, she couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of unease.
As Duan Chen approached the bookshelf hanging on the wall, he activated his True Sight again. The closer he got, the clearer he could see.
The texture of the bookshelf on the wall appeared somewhat soft. In his eyes, it exuded faint wisps of heat.
Including the books placed on the shelf, they too gave off faint heat.
He couldn’t resist reaching out to pick up a book. Surprisingly, and yet predictably, the book did not immediately extend its mouth to bite him.
There was no abnormality; it seemed like just an ordinary book.
But from Duan Chen’s perspective, and through his touch, he felt as if he were stroking the skin of a beautiful maiden.
He had a feeling, and a shiver of disgust ran down his spine.
However, Duan Chen did not immediately throw the book away.
Instead, Duan Chen carefully examined the book in his hand before placing it back on the shelf. He then skirted around items that appeared dangerous in his sight and returned to his teammates.
The others couldn’t help but ask.
“Did you find anything amiss?”
Amiss? There were plenty of things amiss.
Duan Chen shook his head.
“Don’t touch anything here…”
The reason he dared to touch it was because he had his True Sight and other trump cards for survival.
It was also to verify his own hypothesis.
Now that his hypothesis had been verified, he felt it was indeed so.
“My eyes cannot be mistaken, so if my prediction is correct, the things here should be alive.”
“Living things?”
Shier’s eyes lit up instantly.
With a burst of energy, she stepped forward to the group, her posture one of impatient eagerness to touch the carpet on the floor.
Duan Chen immediately reached out and grabbed her hand, his expression stern.
“Don’t be reckless. Don’t touch anything. Do you know what kind of things are here!”
Duan Chen’s tone was serious. Shier flinched, and her eyes quickly welled up with tears.
She pouted.
“Since they are living things, they must be detectable. We should be able to ascertain how they are living.”
As she spoke, Shier’s eyes seemed to glow.
“Fortunately, I was prepared. I anticipated various possibilities and brought along a mechanical device that can perform detections anytime, anywhere.”
She even looked proud as she waved her hand to dislodge Duan Chen’s grip, then retrieved a pile of items from her spatial ring. She was careful, however, to avoid touching the carpet on the floor.
Shier appeared very professional, and the others did not disturb her.
“Can’t we sit on this?” Yuan Yuan asked regretfully, stroking his arm.
After a long journey, one was indeed tired, and with a bed placed before them, who wouldn’t want to sit on it?
“Of course you can’t sit…”
Before Duan Chen could finish his sentence, an unexpected event occurred.