Chapter 247: Brothers (Iii)
Chapter 247: Brothers (Iii)
After pressing the button, the candle was shot into the hollow support bar by the Catapult's force. In that instant, a sharp chi echoed from within the iron bar, followed by a metallic ding-dang, and the Key truly fell out of the support structure.
Feng Bu Jue retracted the Catapult and peered into the hollow support bar's opening. He discovered the iron bar was now blocked midway—no light could pass through. This was likely because the candle had become lodged in the position where the Key had previously been.
He bent down to pick up the Key, then opened his menu to check the item description:
[Name: Cellblock Zero Key]
[Type: Plot-Related]
[Quality: Common]
[Function: Disappears immediately upon use. Afterward, the door to the zero-numbered cell can be freely opened or closed.]
[Can Be Taken Out of Scenario]
[Background: Why wasn't this item classified as consumable? I think you know the answer.]
"These background notes are getting bolder these days", Feng Bu Jue muttered, staring at the Key. "Just because the player knows, you don't need to write anything? Will there be a future prompt saying 'You get it' and expect me to figure it out myself?"
Grumbling, he walked to the door and inserted the Key into the lock. Turning it clockwise, he heard a click. The iron door slid inward by an inch, allowing him to pull it open smoothly.
He glanced back at the room, scanning for anything else useful. His gaze settled on the hollow support bar. Even after the fifteen-minute skill duration expired—returning it to its original rusty state—it would still be as sturdy as a pipe wrench, a conclusion backed by experimentation. Thus, Feng Bu Jue decided to take the candle-blocked iron bar with him.
[Name: Hollow Support Bar]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Common]
[Attack Power: Weaker]
[Attribute: None]
[Special Effect: None]
[Background: An iron bar removed from a bedframe.]
Checking his game menu, he noticed a restriction frame on the item. Hovering over it for seconds triggered a text box: [This item is under skill effects. Quality will change upon expiration. System Prompt: Understand this item's status before trading.]
"Hmph... Thoughtful indeed", Feng Bu Jue remarked, instantly grasping the warning's purpose.
In a game like Terrifying Paradise, skills altering item properties were inevitable. Beyond quality, skills modifying attributes, appearances, or special effects likely existed. To prevent fraud—players temporarily altering items before selling—the system added alerts for items prone to unexpected changes.
"A two-meter iron bar will surely come in handy somewhere—hooking objects, pole-vaulting..." Feng Bu Jue mused. "Even if useless, it makes a decent weapon. As the saying goes: 'An inch longer, an inch stronger.'" While true, his real motive was obvious—he wanted to mimic a certain monkey's flair with a staff.
Stepping out of the cell, a system prompt chimed: [Current task completed. Main quest updated.]
The [Escape the Room] task vanished, replaced by: [Explore Basement Level 2F. Open the door to the upper floor.]
"So this is Basement Level 2F..." Feng Bu Jue mused. "Heck, just escaping the starting room was already exhausting. Now I have to clear an entire floor? The puzzle-solving must be..." A grin spread across his face. "Absolutely deadly!"
His tone and expression betrayed his excitement, though his words suggested otherwise.
Leaving the cell, he twirled the bar while striding down the corridor, whooping playfully. He moved like a carefree child on a spring outing, utterly relaxed.
Beyond the door, the corridor stretched empty—no side doors, no objects save the illumination devices overhead. Feng Bu Jue had already confirmed this earlier.
After fifty meters, he spotted other cells. Six in total—three on each side. Their iron doors bore painted numbers absent on the zero-numbered cell. Left: 1, 3, 5; Right: 2, 4, 6. Between cells 2 and 4 stood a plastic trash bin under a meter tall, its top open. No foul odor emanated from it, though its contents remained unknown.
Further ahead lay a staircase leading upward.
Feng Bu Jue halted his playful antics, tilting the iron bar to avoid touching the ground. He crouched, stealthily passing the doors. Peering through iron bars might trigger unknown flags, so he prioritized scouting the staircase first.
He slipped past the six cells, ascended the stone staircase, and reached a classic black iron-barred gate. Through the bars, the Basement Level 1F corridor mirrored the lower floor. The staircase leading to Ground Level 1F should be at the opposite end—above the zero-numbered cell.
Testing the gate yielded no results. An idea struck him: he retrieved the [Endless Grenade Magazine] from his satchel.
Though classified as a "tool", the Grenade Magazine differed from items like the flashlight. It generated consumables rather than relying on them, so the system permitted its use.
He attempted to fix a grenade at the lock, aiming to blast it. However, the grenade refused to detach.
"The Magazine works, but not its contents?" Feng Bu Jue muttered.
He deduced correctly—the Grenade Magazine itself wasn't restricted, but its generated grenades fell under "Consumable", thus blocked by the system.
"Fine..." Shrugging, he left the gate.
Violence had never been his primary strategy. Even in the zero-numbered cell, he'd dismissed using grenades—Mark II grenades in confined spaces would reduce his 26% vitality to ash.
"Then the method to open this gate and reach Basement Level 1F must lie within these six cells", he declared, descending the staircase to face the puzzle zone.
He leaned the iron bar against the wall, interlaced his fingers, and stretched his arms overhead—a warm-up for physical exertion.
"Where to start..." At cell six, he cautiously approached, halting a step from the iron bars to peer inside.
The corridor's light revealed the cell's interior—identical to the zero-numbered cell: a bed, a plastic bucket. A small wooden cabinet remained uncertain, hidden in the door's shadow.
"No one inside..." Feng Bu Jue pushed the door. Locked.
He repeated this through cells 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1—all empty.
At the trash bin, he unfolded the [Eighteen Bronze Warriors' Foldable Stool (No.5)] and sat, preparing to inspect the bin.
His gloves, part of his attire like his face, could be toggled on/off. Since the scenario began, he'd kept his hands bare.
The bin contained bloodied bandages, food-stained plastic plates, and others smeared with feces—a grim testament to prisoners repurposing plates.
He initially considered rummaging by hand but opted to dump the contents instead.
Grabbing the iron bar, he emptied the bin. Sitting on the stool, he used the bar's end to sift through trash—no need to dirty his equipment.
"Strange... Each cell's bucket reeks, and these stains look fresh. Why are the cells empty?" He paused. "Were they all taken recently?"
After sifting through, only soiled bandages and plates remained. The bin held less sludge than expected—less odor, but still revolting.
Suddenly, he spotted something unique in the trash—a single item:
[Name: Engraved Dentures]
[Type: Plot-Related]
[Quality: Common]
[Function: Unknown]
[Can Be Taken Out of Scenario: Yes]
[Background: Information is etched on the inner teeth.]
Feng Bu Jue picked up the false teeth, wiped them with a relatively clean bandage, and examined the inner side. Sure enough, he found a puzzle-solving clue.
(End of Chapter)
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