“What do you mean ‘survive’…? What are those ‘gas masks’ for?”

After hearing this, the Rabbit-Man pointed at the massive machine with a countdown timer: “In ten minutes, the machine behind us will continuously release high-concentration chlorine gas, killing all nine of you here.”

Although I didn’t understand what the Rabbit-Man was saying, those uncles and aunties all seemed very frightened.

“Bullshit!” that uncle continued shouting. “If it can really release chlorine gas, then you three will have to die along with us. Do you think we’re stupid?”

“If you don’t believe it, I strongly encourage you to try it out,” the Rabbit-Man nodded. “That would save us some trouble. Oh, just to follow protocol, I should mention… this game has rewards. The more people who survive, the smaller the reward.”

I really didn’t understand—what was a “game”? What were “rewards”?

Wasn’t this a prison? Why could people play games in a prison?

I suddenly thought of Sima Guang.

At this moment, the only young lady spoke up: “But chlorine gas is denser than air. If what that machine releases is really chlorine gas, then the gas will continuously fall into the well, and we won’t die.”

“That’s why I said, if you don’t believe it, feel free to try.”

The Rabbit-Man had absolutely no intention of persuading us—he just kept telling us to try it.

Because I was so frightened, I don’t remember at all how I came down from the ceiling. I only remember that all the adults were arguing, and finally they decided to have me go down into the well.

I went to the edge of the opening and looked down. This circular hole really did look like a “well,” and there was nothing inside to grab onto.

If I wanted to go down, I would probably need to use both my hands and feet to brace against the well walls, then slowly inch my way down. But how would I get back up?

Ever since we had broken free from the ropes, those three masked people had just been standing there motionless. I didn’t know what they were planning to do.

They said to have me use my hands and feet to brace against the well’s edge and slowly descend to the bottom. After I retrieved the key, they would throw the rope down to pull me back up.

I thought there was nothing wrong with this plan and was about to agree with the uncles and aunties, but that young lady was the first to come out and stop them.

“I don’t think that will work,” the young lady said. “This method isn’t good.”

She blocked me behind her, so I couldn’t see the expressions of those uncles and aunties anymore.

Although this lady wasn’t tall, she smelled very nice. She was thin, with a round face and short hair that reached her shoulders. Her back looked very warm too.

“Why won’t it work, young lady?” an uncle asked. “Our plan is so good. There’s no time now, so hurry up and let the child go down.”

“That’s right, don’t waste time.”

“Having him go down is fine, but the rope needs to be tied around his waist first,” the young lady argued forcefully. “Otherwise I won’t agree to it.”

“What does it matter whether you agree or not?!” one uncle seemed to get a bit angry. “With so many of us here, should we be afraid of you?”

“If it’s not okay, then it’s not okay.”

“Oh my, why?” an auntie asked. “You don’t think we won’t pull him up, do you?”

“Yes, I feel that your state of mind isn’t quite right,” that lady said. “You’re considering how to abandon this child. I even suspect that in the end, you’ll decide to only pull the key up.”

I peeked out from around the lady’s waist and looked at those aunties and uncles, only to find that they were all shifting their eyes around, as if calculating something.

The feeling they gave me was very similar to my homeroom teacher—always looking at me with a very strange gaze.

I felt a bit scared and reached out to hold the hand of the lady in front of me. At this moment, I realized she was also trembling slightly.

Was the lady scared too?

I actually smelled a very distressing scent coming from her body. When this scent entered my nose, two words floated up in my mind—”unease.”

“Fine… sigh…” the leading uncle said. “Young ladies these days are really something, thinking the worst of people right from the start… Alright, alright, we’ll tie it on the child.”

This uncle smelled very unpleasant.

Seeing that everyone had agreed to her request, the lady took the rope they had already tied and wrapped it around my waist. As she tightened the rope around me, she whispered to me: “Little brother, you must remember this—if you want to stay alive, you absolutely cannot untie this rope. If the rope accidentally comes loose, you must find a way to hold onto it yourself.”

Hearing her words, I slowly nodded.

When she spoke these words, a very warm scent wafted from her body. I felt it was really strange—my nose had never been this sensitive before.

And when this scent entered my nose, two words also floated up in my mind—”sincerity.”

It really was very strange… when did I become able to distinguish so many different scents?

So besides fragrant smells and foul smells, there were also scents of “unease” and “sincerity”?

After she finished tying the rope tightly around me, I followed everyone’s instructions and went down into the well. Fortunately, I usually helped my parents with housework at home, so my hands and feet were fairly nimble, and I didn’t make them angry.

The situation inside the well was just as the Rabbit-Man had described, but also seemed somewhat different.

After descending a short distance, I first saw several small holes. These holes formed a circle around the well wall. Descending further, I saw a recessed cavity in the middle of the well. Inside that cavity were several masks, but not enough for all of us.

So I continued all the way down to the bottom. This was much more difficult than I had imagined—both my hands were rubbed raw.

This was even harder than cleaning up the plates that Father had broken.

“Little brother!” the lady peered down from the edge of the well. “Is this well sealed?”

Her voice echoed continuously in the well—it sounded very pleasant.

Listening to the lady’s words, I surveyed my surroundings and discovered that there was only a very small hole at the bottom, not much bigger than a one-yuan coin. Right now it was sealed by a strange little plate.

I nodded: “Sister, it’s blocked down here. There’s no way to get outside.”

Then I smelled the scent coming from her body—it was the scent of “worry.”

I began to feel somewhat troubled. Why were there so many strange scents in this world?

“Look for the key, and hold tight to the rope!” the lady called out again.

I nodded. Just as I was about to search for the key at the bottom of the well, I suddenly noticed that the leading uncle had appeared behind the lady. His face was gloomy, and the smell coming from his body was particularly foul.

In less than a second, the four words “Sister, watch out!” had already torn out from my mouth with heart-wrenching intensity. This sound traveled from the bottom of the well to the outside, startling all of them.