The silence in Verne Town was suffocating.
After waiting for a while, Lucas finally loosened his grip, letting Tao Yong's lifeless body—head and torso separated—fall coldly onto the empty street. The man's blood pooled beneath him, seeping into the cracks of the cobblestone road.
From every side of the street, shutters that had dared to peek open slammed shut again. Windows rattled as residents quickly bolted them. The air was so heavy that even whispers dared not escape. Not a single villager made a sound. Fear had strangled every throat in Verne Town.
Lucas turned and stepped into the courtyard. This time, the heavy iron door had been locked securely behind him. He pulled it once to confirm, and only then allowed himself to breathe.
"The town of Verne is indeed sealed now…" he muttered, his tone both confirmation and warning to himself.
Finally relieved, Lucas walked back toward the small room he had been using. Inside, the girl he had rescued remained curled beneath her quilt. Though she had not seen what had happened outside, she could guess. The silence, the stench of blood drifting faintly through the air, the firm sound of the door lock—all of it was enough.
Her tears streamed silently down her face as she whispered into the dimness:
"Thank you… You're really a good person."
Lucas accepted her gratitude calmly, though a flicker of unease crossed his eyes. "I've said it before," he replied evenly, "I'm always willing to help others—as long as it doesn't threaten my own safety."
The girl's nerves, so tightly stretched for hours, finally slackened at his words. Relief hit her like a tidal wave, and she collapsed back into the quilt like a rag doll. Lucas closed the bedroom door gently and walked into the living room. His eyes lingered for a long time on that same door, his mind calculating.
"Even if the prison guards come," he thought coldly, "I could kill the informer and hand her over. No one would ever know I hid the intruder…"
He lowered himself onto the sofa. The kitchen knife never left his hand, not for a single moment. Its cold steel glimmered faintly in the low lamplight.
"Dangerous warriors are not for me," he murmured, his grip tightening unconsciously.
---
The System's Voice
Suddenly, the silence broke.
[System prompt: Player Lucas helped the villagers of Alice Town, received sincere gratitude, and completed a hidden task.]
[Reward: Girl's Coin.]
[Item name: Girl's Coin.]
[Type: Plot-related.]
[Quality: Excellent.]
[Attack power: Unknown.]
[Attribute: None.]
[Remarks: This coin carries the girl's most sincere prayer. If you cannot make a decision, toss this coin. If a blank side appears, your luck will decrease. If the girl's avatar appears, your luck will randomly increase. Sometimes, increased luck may solve your problem.]
The prompt made the livestream chat explode into chaos.
"What did Lucas discover? Why go so far just to confirm something?" one player demanded.
Elliot, who had been silent, suddenly clapped his hands together, startling those around him. His eyes lit up.
"I get it!" he exclaimed. "Lucas suspected that Verne Town's surveillance mechanism had been shut down. That's why he deliberately provoked the villagers into informing! He wanted confirmation!"
Marco tilted his head, pacing back and forth as he spoke. "But when did he figure it out? Was it when the pipeline stopped working? Or when he checked the female prison guard's body? What did he find there?" He frowned deeply. "Whatever it was, it must have been crucial. It gave him the certainty to know that Verne's surveillance was offline."
Blue Kill folded her arms, her smirk carrying an edge of arrogance. "I told you before—you can't use common sense to judge Lucas. His thoughts run deeper than you can guess."
Jason, unimpressed, shot her a disdainful look. "You only say that because you suffered a loss against him."
Blue Kill's smirk froze, her silence heavier than any denial. Jason suddenly stiffened, realization dawning on him. He clutched his head, groaning dramatically.
"Damn it… I've suffered at his hands too!"
---
Waiting for the Night
As night fell, Verne Town remained eerily quiet. No prison guards appeared. Normally, this place buzzed with patrols, but this time the investigation dragged on sluggishly. Without functioning surveillance, every step had to be taken cautiously, every detail checked manually.
Click.
The soft creak of the bedroom door reached Lucas's ears. He raised his eyes.
The girl stepped out, timid and pale. Though her clothes were neat, they were old and threadbare. She looked at him, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and shyness.
"I…" She hesitated, her voice trembling. "I… Can I sit next to you? Alone… I'm too scared."
Lucas considered. For a long moment he weighed the risk. Finally, he nodded and pointed firmly at the floor near his feet.
"Sit here."
The girl's eyes lit up with relief. She bowed her head quickly, then obeyed, seating herself at his feet.
"Thank you so much!" she said softly.
Lucas subtly shifted his legs aside, careful to avoid her touch. His vigilance never waned.
Inside, he thought, "This is the trigger point for the next plot…"
His gaze drifted to the crown of her head, watching closely.
---
The Girl's Truth
The girl finally spoke, her voice soft but clear. "I haven't told you my name yet."
She lifted her face, looking up at him with a purity so striking it almost glowed.
"My name is Kerr. I'm a villager from Alice Town."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. Mentioning Alice Town brought no bitterness, no disgust to her tone. That alone piqued his curiosity.
"What exactly is Alice Town responsible for?" he asked carefully.
Kerr answered with surprising pride. "We, the villagers of Alice Town, are responsible for childbirth! Every villager chosen to live there—boy or girl—possesses the best genes."
Her sweet smile widened, showing two tiny tiger teeth.
"The machines let us conceive. If the children meet the required standards, they're allowed to live in the outside world. If not… they remain in the tower."
She lifted her small hand, spreading five delicate fingers.
"I've given birth to five children, and all five passed the standards. Isn't that amazing?"
Lucas stared at her, trying to reconcile the innocence of her expression with the weight of her words. He gave a small nod.
"You must have excellent genes," he said sincerely.
The praise made Kerr beam. She giggled, happiness radiating from her like sunlight. Then her expression turned thoughtful.
"You know," she said softly, "you're the first person who wasn't shocked to hear about men in Alice Town being able to give birth."
Lucas smiled faintly. "There's nothing surprising about men becoming pregnant."
Her eyes widened, filled with wonder. She studied him intently for a long time before murmuring, "You're… even better than I thought. They were right—the people at the top of the lighthouse are far stronger than those at the bottom."
Her words made Lucas's blood run cold. His hand closed tightly around the kitchen knife.
Slowly, carefully, he asked, "Alice Town… which level of the lighthouse is it on?"
The question hung in the air like a guillotine's blade.
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