Chapter 21: The Manor

After stepping inside, she found the interior pitch black, yet the space was much larger than she had imagined.

Once Chen Rui followed her in, the wooden door behind them closed automatically, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness.

At this moment, the two were enveloped in utter blackness, as if they had fallen into an endless abyss, unable to distinguish direction or distance.

This place didn’t feel like the inside of an ancient tree at all—rather, it was as if they had entered a strange and mysterious space.

Suddenly, a small white light appeared at the far end—a tiny, glowing point.

An Ling didn’t have to think to know that was the exit, so she walked straight toward it.

As they drew nearer, the light grew larger and larger, until it became clear that it was a door emitting a dazzling white radiance.

She slowly lifted her arm and gently touched the surface of the door with her fingertip.

There was no sensation; her finger passed straight through the door.

Without hesitation, An Ling stepped directly through it, her figure vanishing before Chen Rui’s eyes. “Wait for me…”

Blinding white light filled their vision, making them instinctively close their eyes.

A moment later, An Ling felt the white light recede through her eyelids, and slowly opened her eyes.

Before her stood a magnificent manor, built in a style combining both Chinese and Western elements, and the grounds were immense.

Clean doors and windows, smooth lawns, and walls white as new—everything looked completely refreshed and immaculate.

This was nothing like the old, dilapidated manor she had imagined; she’d even assumed it would be some relic from the 1980s.

But clearly, she was entirely wrong. This was a standard modern mansion, the kind even ordinary tycoons couldn’t afford. For a moment, An Ling nearly believed she’d returned to the real world.

“Sis, look behind you…” Chen Rui’s amazed voice sounded from behind, prompting An Ling to turn around.

But behind them, there was no door at all—just a wall made of iron bars, outside of which stretched a dense forest shrouded in thick mist, completely obscuring any view beyond.

On the other side, there was an iron-barred gate, but it was locked with a brand-new, pitch-black iron padlock—a completely different style from the one on the treasure chest.

At this point, she had no idea how they could return to the ancient tree.

Go back the way they came? But there was no path back!

“Let’s go inside and have a look.”

Since they’d come this far, they might as well see it through. In such a new manor, there must be plenty of food inside, and if the kitchen or appliances still worked, that would be absolutely perfect.

The manor’s main entrance was a pair of heavy gray embossed iron doors that looked quite imposing.

Creak—

The doors were unexpectedly light, opening easily with hardly any effort.

A gentle, warm light cast their shadows onto the doorway, and a wave of fragrance washed over them, refreshing and uplifting.

For a moment, everyone inside the house was drawn by the noise and turned curious eyes toward the entrance.

“Two more survivors have arrived.”

“And one of them is a beauty!”

But most people only glanced over before withdrawing their gazes, showing no further interest in the newcomers.

Inside was a spacious hall, the floor covered entirely in a warm-colored carpet. At the center stood a massive long table, flanked by dozens of chairs—at least thirty or so.

On the table was a mountain of all kinds of food: abalone, lobster, steak, and many things An Ling had never seen before, as well as wine and drinks.

The mingled aroma of the feast made An Ling swallow involuntarily.

Most people were huddled over the food, eating ravenously, with not a trace of manners.

After all, it wasn’t easy to get here, and the island was nearly devoid of supplies; these survivors had long been starving.

There were nearly twenty people in the hall, suggesting most had arrived in teams.

Chen Rui at her side could barely hold himself back, but when he saw An Ling wasn’t moving, he didn’t dare to join the unfamiliar group on his own.

Nearly half the food on the table had already been devoured, and all the survivors’ backpacks were stuffed to the brim.

An Ling found a seat with empty chairs on both sides and sat down; Chen Rui hurried over to sit beside her, immediately digging in with wild abandon.

Even in the real world, he’d never tasted such delicacies, let alone here on this godforsaken island.

The knives and forks on the table were just for show—everyone grabbed food with their hands, afraid someone else would snatch it if they hesitated.

An Ling frowned at the steak on her plate, not eating, instead looking at the other survivors.

“Who was the first to arrive here, and what’s the deal with this food?” she asked abruptly. Even Chen Rui was taken aback by her sudden question, staring at her in surprise.

“The first one here is upstairs. Go ask him yourself!” the man across from her replied impatiently.

“The food was already here when he arrived. Obviously the Light Screen prepared it for us.”

“That kid must be nuts—came here on the first day and just left all this food untouched. What an idiot.”

The others started mocking as well when he was mentioned.

An Ling paused, his actions reminding her of something. She had been wondering how all the food on the table was freshly cooked with such a short shelf life, just as they happened to arrive.

Which meant: either some stranger had prepared all this in advance for them, or there was something wrong with the food itself.

An Ling couldn’t think of a third possibility, so she decided not to eat any of it for now. After all, her own supplies were sufficient.

The goal was to survive ten days—better observe for a few days first. Everything here was still a complete unknown.

With this in mind, she stood up, ready to explore the rest of the manor.

Unexpectedly, a bald, burly man blocked her way, leering at her with a lascivious grin.

“Hey beauty, the night is long—how about you spend some time with me?” Faced with this sudden threat, An Ling stepped back, bumping into the edge of the table. Her right hand silently slipped into the pocket of her hoodie.

Chen Rui, beside her, was so frightened that he dropped his food, his whole body trembling as if he were the one being threatened.

The other survivors said nothing, continuing to eat, but occasionally glancing over as if watching a show.

There wasn’t a single other woman present; some of the men might even be hoping to get a piece of the action themselves.

The bald man was especially burly, with a savage scar across his scalp and a vicious face that no ordinary person would dare provoke.