A rollback after death? Then let them offer their loyalty!

Chapter 75 Information

The kestrel walked to the only chair, sat down, took off the hood of its cloak, and let its chestnut ponytail hang down its back.

She first quickly scanned the interior of the shed, her gaze lingering briefly on the wall with the engraved symbols and the headboard, before abandoning all her probing intentions and looking at Lin Yu.

"The first door, codenamed the Hall of Mirrors." She began her narration, her pace steady:

"According to that madman's ramblings, the key words are 'symmetry,' 'reflection,' and 'reality and illusion.'"

The spatial structure could be an infinitely extending mirrored corridor; danger might come from attacks by the mirrored reflections, or... getting lost in the interplay of real and false reflections.

The inference based on conditions is related to finding asymmetrical mirror images or breaking specific mirror images.

The second door, codenamed Silent Town. Keywords: 'silence,' 'listening,' 'forgotten voices.'

It may be a seemingly deserted small town environment, but the danger may come from violating the rules of silence, or from some deadly presence that can only be detected by listening carefully.

The conditions for success may be related to finding a specific sound or surviving a time limit in absolute silence.

The third door contains the least information; the madman only screams repeatedly, "The pages are eating people," "The words are alive," and "I can neither see nor read them."

It is speculated that this is related to pollution or rules concerning knowledge, writing, and books.

After saying this, Red Falcon looked at Lin Yu and said, "This is the part that I can confirm as relatively reliable."

The other half involves some more ambiguous metaphors and my personal inferences; I'll tell you before dawn.

Lin Yu nodded. This information was already very valuable, at least giving him some initial psychological preparation and direction for defense against the first three doors.

"You seem quite determined to pass the trial and enter the protected area," Lin Yu asked a seemingly unrelated question.

The kestrel's eyes turned cold for a moment, though it quickly regained its composure, but that fleeting chill did not escape Lin Yu's notice.

"There's no future in the Ash Wasteland. You either die there or crawl out." Her voice was devoid of emotion.

"I need the resources of the protected area to confirm something and settle some causal issues."

She didn't elaborate, and Lin Yu didn't ask any further questions.

Everyone has a past they don't want to talk about and goals they must achieve.

"Half of the intelligence has been delivered. You can stay tonight, but this place..." Lin Yu looked around the cramped space where there was almost nowhere to step.

There is only one bed.

Red Falcon paused for two seconds, then said in a clear, calm voice, "I can sit in a chair or rest against the wall."

"Whatever you want." Lin Yu didn't insist and went straight to the bedside to sit down.

Red Falcon didn't say anything more, took off his cloak and draped it over the back of the chair, revealing the leather armor underneath.

She sat in that uncomfortable-looking chair, her back instinctively straight, adjusted the two short knives to the most comfortable position, and then entered a state of rest.

But Lin Yu could sense that she hadn't completely relaxed and was still alert to both the internal and external environments.

Turning his gaze away, Lin Yu lay down on the metal bed and closed his eyes.

He didn't fall into a deep sleep, but maintained a light meditation, which allowed him to both rejuvenate and remain aware of his surroundings.

The shed fell silent, with only the soft, rhythmic breathing of the two people and the faint sound of the wind outside.

At midnight, a sudden change occurred.

First, a short, terrified scream came from the center of the square in the distance, but it stopped abruptly.

Immediately afterwards, a heavy, dragging sound of footsteps began to rise rhythmically, approaching from afar, seemingly walking slowly around the perimeter of the shantytown.

Along with the footsteps came a low, chaotic noise, like countless incoherent murmurs piled together, making one feel irritable and mentally disoriented.

Red Falcon immediately opened its eyes wide, placed its hand on the hilt of its knife, and looked at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu had already sat up, his eyes clear and he was not sleepy at all.

Both of them realized that the footsteps and murmurs were not from humans.

"Looks like the punishment for sleeping in the square has arrived," Lin Yu said in a low voice.

The delirious murmurs grew louder, interspersed with painful groans and manic laughter, indicating that the effects of the mental pollution were intensifying.

One can imagine the torment those people in the square, without shelter, are enduring at this moment.

Lin Yu glanced at the engraved symbol on the wall above the bed.

This symbol might have served a purpose of warding off or warning people, perhaps to protect the shacks from attacks.

Without thinking too much about it, the house was safe anyway...

As night deepened, the temperature outside the shed dropped noticeably.

The metal-panel shed offered almost no insulation, and the chill seeped in through the walls and floor.

The eerie sounds and occasional short, shrill screams that faintly emanated from the direction of the square added to the sinister atmosphere.

The falcon shifted slightly in the chair, seemingly trying to adjust its stiff posture, but the chair was really not suitable for sitting for a long time.

She glanced at Lin Yu, who seemed to be resting with his eyes closed on the bed, then looked away and gently moved her somewhat cold fingertips.

As heavy footsteps and incoherent murmurs began to echo around the outskirts of the shacks, the temperature inside seemed to drop several degrees.

It's not just the physical cold, but also the discomfort and chill on a mental level caused by the intrusion of those delirious words.

Although the crisis is none of my business, the night is still long.

The chill inside the shed grew more pronounced, and faint white mist could be seen rising from the kestrels' breaths.

Lin Yu looked again at Hong Jun, who was sitting in the chair, his face pale in the dim light, and said:

"Chairs cannot solve the problem of keeping warm. If you lose your temperature or your hands and feet become stiff in the middle of the night, your reaction time will be slower in case of an emergency."

Red Falcon looked up at Lin Yu without saying a word, but its eyes showed a question.

"The bed is small, but if we squeeze in, the heat won't dissipate too quickly." Lin Yu's tone was very calm:

"It's your choice: whether to risk a decline in performance by staying seated, or to temporarily set aside unnecessary pride and ensure basic rest and body temperature."

Lin Yu's words were direct, but they hit the nail on the head regarding maintaining peak condition on the eve of the trial.

The kestrel is not a pretentious person; survival and efficiency always come first.

She glanced at the cold chair, then felt the chill on her fingertips and the increasingly intense cold in the air.

"...Okay." A few seconds later, the red falcon gave a brief reply and stood up.

She walked to the bedside, but did not lie down immediately. Instead, she first took off the short knife from her waist and several leather armor buckles that might be uncomfortable, and placed them within easy reach of the bedside.

Then he turned his back to Lin Yu and lay down on the outside of the bed, keeping his body as close to the edge as possible, occupying only a small part of the space, leaving a noticeable gap in the middle.

She didn't even take off her leather armor, clearly remaining extremely vigilant.

Lin Yu didn't say anything, and lay down again, taking up the inner side.