When Yan Yueming woke up again, her first reaction was pain.
The back of his head hurt so much. When he reached out and touched it, there was still blood. There wasn't a lot of blood, just enough for his fingertips to get a little, but the moment he saw it, Yan Yueming's breath froze and his face turned pale.
But the more this happened, the calmer he became.
Looking around, I saw that this place was no longer Urashaza.
Under him was a neatly manicured lawn. In front of the lawn was an asphalt road, about as wide as two cars could pass by. Behind him was a two-story building, with a warm yellow light vaguely visible in the building.
The street lights were still on, but it was no longer night, more like early morning when day and night alternated.
It was foggy in the morning and there was dew on the grass blades on the ground. Looking out, I don't know where this asphalt road leads or where it starts. It's shrouded in mist both front and back, making it hard to see clearly. There is a house at regular intervals along the road, with different shapes. Some have lights on, some don't.
Where is this?
Although Yan Yueming didn't want to admit it, he could guess that he was most likely knocked unconscious and then thrown into the gap. Because before he fainted, he clearly heard someone say "bad boy", probably in revenge for him knocking down the candle.
This is too bad, this is not a normal world at all.
The worst part is that his flashlight, cell phone, and emergency kit are no longer on him. Yan Yueming searched all over his body and only found a few candies and compressed biscuits that he had stuffed into himself at home out of caution in his pocket.
Oh yes, there are also light-emitting bracelets and a sports watch.
The watch showed that it was only 2:36, but it was already dawn here. Time seems to have lost its meaning here.
Fortunately, Yan Yueming changed into sportswear early in the morning. The material is similar to a jacket, so he was lying on the dew-filled grass just now, and the clothes were not wet inside.
He was also wearing sneakers that were easy for running, and there seemed to be no one around him. He calmed down and turned towards the house behind him.
If the lights are on in the room, there may be someone there, but if this is really in the gap, maybe someone is the scariest thing. He cautiously leaned closer and did not shout rashly. He waited until he reached the window before quietly peeking in.
There was no one inside either.
To put it more accurately, he didn't see anyone, but he wasn't sure if there was anyone inside.
Yan Yueming didn't know whether to be worried or relieved. The only thing he knew was that he couldn't let down his guard. Soon, he walked around the wall again and came to the main entrance of the house.
The door is white, just like the wall. Two pillars supported a porch, and there were flower boxes under the porch, planted with blue and pink hydrangeas. Yan Yueming does not grow flowers, but he also knows that it is not yet the flowering period of hydrangeas.
The beautiful flowers made people wary. He looked up and saw that there were many geraniums planted on the small balcony of the room on the second floor. The flowers of geraniums are richer in color and decorate the balcony. They are still beautiful even in the mist.
Yan Yueming had no time to appreciate it, so he bravely explored the area and finally saw a piece of paper taped to the porch.
[No. 9 Access Instructions]
1: The house has only two floors, no basement and no attic.
2: If you see any hydrangeas and geraniums in the house, throw them into the fireplace and burn them immediately. They are only found outside houses and balconies.
3: Guests are only allowed to stay in guest rooms.
4: Change your shoes when entering the house.
5: Don't use any red cups.
6: Whatever you see in the mirror, ignore it.
7: Don't enter locked rooms.
Yan Yueming looked at the familiar pen calligraphy and almost cried with joy, because he recognized it! He recognized that this beautiful calligraphy was made by senior Li Zheng.
He almost immediately thought of the scene when Li Zheng came out of the non-existent door on the day they first met. And he happened to be in Pu Xia Zi Lane when his accident occurred, so he most likely entered the door like Li Zheng did.
Regardless of how he got in, there are traces of Li Zheng here, which is the greatest comfort to Yan Yueming. He looked at the house number, which was No. 9.
In other words, Li Zheng most likely went in, and then summarized these rules and wrote them down to warn future generations.
"Huh..." Yan Yueming breathed a long sigh of relief.
It's good to have ready-made rules. The senior said that there is a more terrifying and deeper world of rules in the gap. It is easy to get in and difficult to get out. Yan Yueming was not so arrogant and thought he could break out on his own, but he could survive until the search and rescue team showed up.
He believed that as long as someone discovered that he was missing, they would definitely call the police.
Now that there are ready-made rules, at least the house on No. 9 is not completely unknown to Yan Yueming and can be regarded as "safe" for the time being. However, Yan Yueming did not rush in, but decided to walk around the area to see if there were any other hints left behind.
Looking around, the houses on both sides of the asphalt road are not close together, at least ten meters apart, separated from each other by low fences or cobblestone paths.
Yan Yueming first went to take a look next door. The next door was No. 7. There were no lights on No. 7, and there were no entry and exit instructions posted in front of the door. Yan Yueming looked in through the window in the half-lit sky, but the light in the room was dim and he couldn't see clearly.
A dark environment is always daunting. He was about to leave, but when he passed the door, he suddenly noticed a black horizontal bar on the door frame.
The horizontal bar is about 1cm long and positioned at the same level as Yan Yueming's knees. Originally, Yan Yueming couldn't detect it, but he walked cautiously with his waist down, his eyes lowered, and he was too cautious. Everything looked suspicious, so he discovered it naturally.
Yan Yueming didn't dare to touch it. He squinted his eyes to examine it carefully and found that it looked like it was written with charcoal. If it is written with charcoal, it is unlikely that it was accidentally scratched. This kind of mark left in front of the house... makes people inevitably think of some criminals, such as thieves who stepped on the spot. Anyway, it doesn’t look like Senior Li’s handiwork.
Wait, is there one in front of Gate 9 just now?
Yan Yueming immediately turned back, and sure enough, he found a cat drawn with charcoal on the door frame of No. 9, a simple cat with no facial features but a very similar shape.
What does this mean?
It is impossible to make inferences based on just two patterns. Yan Yueming emboldened himself again and went to the other side of No. 9 and found that the house number here was 11.
7, 9, 11, the houses here all have odd numbers.
Yan Yueming looked across the asphalt road. Are there even numbers on the other side? If odd and even numbers are assigned, are there certain rules? It's hard not to make Yan Yueming think about the number restriction. If the number is restricted, then he can't just walk around.
He calmed down and continued to look at the door frame of No. 11.
There is no light on No. 11 either. There is a horizontal Ω on the door frame, with the opening of the circle facing to the right.
This logo looks familiar, probably some kind of text. But three marks, three styles, nothing in common, what do they mean?
Do you want to go to the other side and take another look?
Yan Yueming was a little hesitant, but in the end he decided to be on the safe side and entered Room 9 first. At least he made sure that House No. 9 was safe and could have a temporary refuge.
Everything looks like business as usual in House No. 9.
But Yan Yueming probably squatted for too long while thinking. His feet were numb and it was difficult to even stand up. Those who didn't know thought he was giving some kind of grand gift to the owner of the house, and almost knelt down at the entrance as soon as he entered.
Auntie, I want to go home.
My aunt couldn't hear her, and she didn't answer.
Yan Yueming endured the pain, tears welling up in her eyes - because the back of her head also hurt. It hurts so much. Who the hell hit him? It's too much to throw him here even after beating him.
Although it hurts, Yan Yueming has not forgotten the entry and exit instructions at the door. He grinned and took off his shoes, neatly arranged them on the shoe cabinet, and selected a pair of indoor slippers that fit his feet. There is only one pair of slippers with beautiful patterned knitted uppers in adult women's sizes. The others are brown slippers of similar styles, available in various sizes, stored in simple storage bags, and they look like they are prepared for customers.
After changing his shoes and the pain eased slightly, Yan Yueming finally stood up and looked at the situation in the room.
This is a very lively residence with a pastoral style. The sofa is covered with a knitted blanket, and there are white or floral tablecloths on the coffee table and table.
The lights were on in the living room, and the fire was still burning in the fireplace. Everything looked like the owner was still there. This person should be sitting in front of the floor lamp in the living room, lying in the rocking chair, holding a book in his hand and a cup of tea in his hand, enjoying himself.
But there was no one on the rocking chair at this time, only a small square knitted blanket scattered around. There was no tea on the coffee table, just a blue hydrangea in a vase.
Yan Yueming's heart rang with alarm bells. Regardless of the fact that her legs had just recovered, she rushed over, grabbed the hydrangea, and threw it into the fireplace. The flames instantly jumped up and engulfed the hydrangea.
In the firelight, Yan Yueming could vaguely see the burning firewood, glowing as white as human bones.
bone!
It's bones!
Yan Yueming took a step back in fright, but when she looked again, she saw that the flames had wrapped around the hydrangeas that had burned into powder and had regained their composure. The wood is burning quietly, where are the bones?
Did I see it wrong?
Yan Yueming's back felt a little cold, and even when he was standing in front of the fireplace, he couldn't feel the slightest warmth. He looked around with vigilant eyes, but there was silence all around, except for the sound of his own breathing.
It's okay, it's okay. Yan Yueming comforted herself like this.
At 3:30, Yan Yueming carefully checked the entire house. Unfortunately, he did not find any more clues. He could only infer the owner's preference for knitted items from the ubiquitous knitted blankets and cushions, and infer that she was an elderly woman from the furnishings and shoe cabinet in the master bedroom. , living alone.
Of course, he didn't go directly into the master bedroom. Given the rule that [guests are only allowed to stay in guest rooms], he felt that entering the master's bedroom rashly would not be a pleasant behavior.
The strange thing is that there are no traces of cats in the room, so what does the cat-shaped pattern on the door frame mean?
Yan Yueming returned to the first floor with doubts, and entered the kitchen after thinking about it. The world is big and food is the biggest thing. No matter where you are, it is very important to ensure that you are not hungry.
There is a refrigerator in the kitchen, a small single-door refrigerator that is not too big and is the pea green color that Yan Yueming likes. The refrigerator is fully stocked with vegetables and meat, and the spice cabinet is fully stocked. Based on this stock, Yan Yueming can survive here for at least half a month.
But Yan Yueming knew that he could never eat the food here unless absolutely necessary.
Thinking of this, he took out a hard candy from his pocket, peeled off the candy wrapper, and stuffed it into his mouth with great care. The back of his head didn't hurt as much as it did at first, but he began to feel dizzy. After the sweet taste of the candy spread in his mouth, he finally felt better, and his eyes fell on the shelves on the wall of the living room.
There is a monocular there.
The telescope has a metal body with intricate patterns carved on it. At first glance, you might think it is a piece of art. Yan Yueming took it off slowly. Very good, no problem. This action is very safe.
Holding the telescope, Yan Yueming walked to the window and looked outside. He quickly discovered a problem, a problem that he had just ignored - there was no wind.
The mist barely moves because there is no wind coming from elsewhere. The firewood in the fireplace has been burning for so long. The flames are not very big, but they have not been extinguished. It seems that there is no need to add more firewood.
Everything here seems to be still.
Yan Yueming's sports watch is still running, and it is now 3:57 in the morning.
