"You don't believe me—right?"
Wei Feng asked, completely prepared to hear 'no' come out of Jiu Li's mouth.
"Umm…to be honest no but I have my doubts…"
Jiu Li responded, trying to sound honest. He recognized that Wei Feng had been a trustable ally so far, and it didn't make sense for him to lie.
"I mean, it does sound quite unbelievable, but I'm willing to trust you"
Jiu Li continued, he looked genuinely persuaded . The unspoken meaning behind his statement was, 'I'm placing my trust in you, so don't let me down.'
Did Wei Feng pick up the meaning? Jiu Li would never know.
"Oh, that's nice that you're willing to trust me and my story."
Wei Feng said, reassured. Then, Wei Feng returned the question that gave Wei Feng himself a hard time to respond to,
"What about you? How were things on your side?"
"…"
Jiu Li carefully chose his words before responding,
"Nothing special in particular, I only entered a escape room and had to gather elements."
"Oh…ok"
Wei Feng said skeptically. If he got sucked into a game, wouldn't something equally bizarre happen to Jiu Li?
"Ahem, moving on, let's prioritize figuring out the organization's scheme!"
Wei Feng paused for a moment beforing adding,
"And the sooner we finish, the better. This warehouse is definitely not your average warehouse."
"Mmm…definitely not your average warehouse.."
Jiu Li nodded in agreement. As Jiu Li nodded in agreement, his eyes ran the dimly lit warehouse filled with rows upon rows of stacked crates. The air was heavy with a musty scent, and the silence seemed to amplify the tension in the room. He couldn't help but wonder what secrets this peculiar place held within its walls.
Wei Feng, his brow furrowed, continued,
"I'm sure we've seen warehouses before, but none like this. The dreams, unusual events, everything about this warehouse is suspicious. I believe the purpose of the crest and the tattoo appearing in my dreams have a different meaning from our guess"
Jiu Li walked towards one of the crates, brushing his fingers along its rough surface.
"We can't afford to take the risk of staying longer, let's start taking action"
Wei Feng nodded, his determination shining through his eyes.
"You're absolutely right, we should taking action starting with inspecting this room."
"Alright, let's start!"
…
As they began their inspection, their senses heightened, attuned to every creaking floorboard and distant echo.
Each detail was important, even small ones. The pieces of the puzzle slowly started to come together, revealing a complex web of activities.
Sigh….
Jiu Li let out a sigh, rubbing his temples.
"I think we should take a break, my head is starting to throb."
"Of course, we can take a break and then finish inspecting this last row of crates."
Wei Feng gestured towards a row of crates, determination dripped im his voice.
…
As Jiu Li parted ways with Wei Feng, a sense of dread washed over him.
Despite changing his appearance, the presence of Zheng Hu in the academy remains unchanged.
…
Jiu Li hurried to school as there was an exam today. The early morning sun cast a warm glow over the bustling streets, adding a sense of urgency to his steps.
Arriving at the school gate, Jiu Li was greeted by the familiar buzz of students preparing for the day ahead. He made his way to his class, his heart pounding with nervousness due to the fact that his mind was wandering about the day before.
Taking his seat, Jiu Li glanced around at his classmates, their faces reflecting a similar mix of apprehension and focus. The teacher entered the room, carrying a stack of exams, and the atmosphere grew even more tense.
The room fell silent as the teacher began distributing the papers. As Jiu Li recieved his exam booklet, he glanced at the questions.
The questions looked challenging, he flipped open his exam booklet and started tackling the first question.
Time seemed to both crawl and fly as Jiu Li poured his knowledge onto the paper.
His pencil moved swiftly, guided by his hand. He carefully crafted his answers to showcase his understanding.
Occasionally, doubt would creep in, causing Jiu Li to pause and reconsider his response. But he pushed those thoughts aside, reminding himself that he had read about Zheng Hu taking and passing the exam. He had the advantage of the novel, all he needed to do is remember which answers did Zheng Hu choose.
As the minutes ticked by, Jiu Li approached closer to the final page in the booklet
The room was filled with the sound of pencils scratching against paper and the occasional sigh of relief or frustration.
Finally, the time allotted for the exam came to an end. Jiu Li glanced over his answers, making some last-minute adjustments where necessary. With a sigh, he handed in his completed exam. The room filled with a collective sense of relief as students submitted their papers one by one.
Leaving the classroom, Jiu Li couldn't help but feel a mix of exhaustion and accomplishment.
Regardless of the outcome, he knew that he atleast passed with his knowledge from the novel.