Lu Yunfei downloaded the map from the system. His gaze was firm, and after a moment of silence, he said slowly, "Before heading to the core of the world, we need to stop by the Red-Top Manor and bring Cheng Haoran with us."
Li Yecheng glanced at him. Although he didn't fully understand, he knew Lu Yunfei must have a plan. Mike, the newly awakened farmer, stood beside them and asked in a low voice, "Red-Top Manor? I know that place."
Mike nodded slightly. "If you're going there, I'll come too. I've already grown tired of staying on this farm. Going out with you might bring something interesting. Besides, the result will be the same. Whether I stay here or go outside, I'll still be hunted." He sighed. "I've already been reset once. If it happens again, I won't be afraid."
Lu Yunfei and Li Yecheng exchanged a glance. Clearly, they weren't surprised by Mike's decision; instead, they felt reassured. They packed their bags and headed deeper into the forest.
After walking for a while, they arrived at the Red-Top Manor. The house still looked the same: its eerie, sinister exterior seemed to have remained unchanged forever. The red roof, dilapidated walls, and overgrown yard all exuded an atmosphere of deathly stillness. Without hesitation, Lu Yunfei led the group inside.
They reached Cheng Haoran's room. The door was locked. Lu Yunfei said nothing and gently pushed it open. The room was still filled with an oppressive aura. Cheng Haoran was curled up in a corner of the bed, his expression vacant, his eyes hollow, as if he couldn't see anything in the outside world. His spirit appeared completely shattered, and he was muttering something under his breath.
"Cheng Haoran!" Lu Yunfei stepped up to him and lightly patted his shoulder.
Cheng Haoran slowly raised his head, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes. His lips moved, but no words came out.
Lu Yunfei looked at him, his tone turning both gentle and firm. "I know you can't accept the fact that you're dead, but it's the truth. You're already gone. That's a fact." He paused. "Now, do you want to stay trapped in madness, or come with us to find a way out?"
Cheng Haoran's gaze suddenly grew more chaotic as he muttered, "No way out… no way out…"
Li Yecheng looked at Cheng Haoran, his heart stirred. "Why is he locked in here while we were confined to ordinary wards? Are we different types of test subjects? What's so special about him?"
Lu Yunfei frowned and quickly surveyed the room. After searching for a moment, he found a folder containing Cheng Haoran's information. As Lu Yunfei flipped through its pages, his expression grew heavier.
It turned out Cheng Haoran had originally been an experimenter for the project. According to the documents, he had died accidentally during an experiment but was then inserted back into the virtual world as a test subject. Perhaps because he knew the truth, his spirit had collapsed. What shocked Lu Yunfei even more was that the Red-Top Manor had been specially designed by his colleagues as a place to isolate him from other test subjects. One could imagine the despair Cheng Haoran must have felt upon learning his fate, leading to his current state of mental breakdown.
"He's known the truth all along," Lu Yunfei said softly. "That's why he's like this."
"If that's the case, we can't leave him here anymore," Li Yecheng said. "He needs redemption, not confinement."
"We'll take him with us," Lu Yunfei decided. "Fortunately, he's no longer aggressive or trying to trap us."
The three approached Cheng Haoran and gently helped him up. Though his eyes remained vacant, they knew that taking him along might help him regain some awareness and hope. Lu Yunfei patted his shoulder. "We'll go together. There might still be a way out."
Cheng Haoran's lips trembled slightly as he murmured, "A way out… a way out…" He seemed to finally begin accepting the reality before him, and his emotions stabilized slightly.
The four of them left the Red-Top Manor together and returned to the farm. The car was ready, and they decided to drive further away. Lu Yunfei opened the map and studied it carefully.
The map showed not only the places they had already visited but also many unexplored areas, including some mines and quarries. Lu Yunfei's eyes focused, and he felt a vague premonition. "The logic of this virtual world might be similar to a game. Perhaps we need to keep leveling up, facing challenges, and defeating enemies to reach a certain threshold and obtain the real reward—or, in other words, the true way out."
Li Yecheng thought for a moment before speaking. "I get it. The rules of this virtual world might work like that. We have to keep advancing until we break through some barrier to find the key to freedom."
Mike nodded as well, his tone somewhat relaxed. "If that's the case, then we'll play this game. As long as we can escape, nothing else matters."
Lu Yunfei put away the map, his gaze growing even more determined. "No matter what the rules of this world are, we'll find our own way out."
The car sped along the farm's dirt road, and the four shared the same resolve: no matter what unknown dangers lay ahead, they would face them together and find a future of their own.