Deadly Game: Almighty Boss’s Guide to Making Money

Chapter 1356. Exploring the Old House (3)

Wen Yang breathed a sigh of relief and slowly reduced the car's speed: "The fog has cleared, and the road conditions ahead have improved."

Su Xiaoqing glanced back; the thick fog behind her had completely dissipated, and the road was smooth again. She gently patted her chest.

"That was terrifying. The weather and road conditions in this forest area are so strange."

The red SUV drove steadily on the gradually smoothing dirt road. Sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves and dappled light and shadow on the vehicle, constantly changing as it moved.

Wen Yang gripped the steering wheel, his face still showing the excitement of breaking through the thick fog. He glanced at the navigation on the central control screen from time to time to confirm that he was getting closer and closer to the old house.

"We'll be there in three minutes." Wen Yang raised his chin, his tone full of anticipation.

Bai leaned back in the passenger seat, his eyes scanning the outside of the window warily.

The trees along the roadside gradually gave way to low shrubs, and occasionally a few unknown wild grasses could be seen stubbornly sprouting from the cracks in the rocks. The air was filled with the smell of damp earth, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible, rotten odor.

"It looks like the entrance to the old house is just ahead," Lin Xi said, pointing to a shadowy area at the end of the road.

Looking in the direction she pointed, the outline of an old, quaint house gradually became clear.

As the SUV approached, everyone got out and stood in front of the Moon Hidden Residence, stopping in their tracks, captivated by the sight before them.

The front yard was paved with neat blue bricks, some of which were worn, and a few weeds grew in the gaps, indicating that it had been neglected for a long time.

On either side of the blue brick path, there was a pot of withered orchids. The pots were made of dark blue clay with fine cracks on the surface. The withered orchid stems were curled up, presenting a deathly brown color, which was out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.

Directly in front was a vermilion wooden door. The door panel was heavy, and the red paint on the surface had peeled off, revealing the dark brown wood grain underneath, with dark green moss crawling in some places.

Above the wooden door hangs a black plaque with gold lettering, bearing the three powerful characters "Moon Hidden Residence." However, the gold lettering has faded and the edges are worn.

Below the plaque is a fist-sized groove, next to which is engraved a line of delicate characters: "Open the gate before the Dog's Hour; etiquette must not be neglected."

Is this the old house?
—It looks so vintage!
—The red-lacquered door and the bluestone slabs are exactly as described on the clue card!
"Opening the gate before 7 PM is an essential ritual." 7 PM is the hour of Xu. What time is it now?
—The electronic voice didn't mention the time, but there's usually a time indicator in the dungeon, right?

Wen Yang pointed to the corner on the left side of the front courtyard.

"Look, there's a wall clock over there!"

The others looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw an old-fashioned brass clock hanging on a pillar in the corner.

The clock face was slightly yellowed, and the hands were black, pointing to 5:45.

“5:45 PM,” Su Xiaoqing said softly, as she had some knowledge of ancient time conversions. “The hour of Xu (戌) begins at 7 PM. We have one hour and fifteen minutes to find a way to open the gate.”

Lu Ke walked up to the wall clock and examined it carefully.

The clock's casing was covered in patina, and the pendulum hung silently without swaying, clearly indicating that it did not keep time automatically.

"This wall clock is probably a time indicator in the dungeon. If it reaches seven o'clock and we haven't opened the gate yet, there might be some kind of punishment."

“The clues are in ‘Door Opening Before the Dog’ and this groove.” Lin Xi walked to the vermilion wooden door, his fingers gently tracing the inscription on the edge of the groove. “The groove looks like it’s used to embed something; we need to find the corresponding tool.”

Bai nodded, his gaze sweeping across the entire front courtyard.

“Let’s split up and search, focusing on the blue brick pavement and the surrounding corners, especially those places that look different.” Everyone responded in unison, immediately spreading out to begin searching the front courtyard.

Wen Yang was full of energy. He squatted on the blue brick road, examining each brick one by one, and occasionally tapping the surface of the bricks to listen for any hollow sounds.

"Could some bricks be loose? Maybe the props are hidden under them!"

—They're just young!

—All five of them are very young, okay!
—But Wenyang is the youngest.

But he likes his older sister.

—Huh? Why did Wen Yang come with 123 and Xiaobai? Where's Yu Chen?
—Wen Yang's approach makes sense; many escape rooms hide things under the floor.

—I think the orchid pot might also be the cause. Even though it's withered, there might be a mechanism underneath.
—Su Xiaoqing went to check on the orchid pots, quickly see if you've found any!
Su Xiaoqing did indeed walk to the orchid pot on the left. She carefully held the pot and gently shook it. The pot was heavy and showed no signs of loosening.

She squatted down again to check the bottom of the flowerpot where it touched the ground, and found nothing but some soil.

"Nothing unusual was found in the orchid pots here," she called out to the others.

If the path is feasible, then examine the walls and pillars around the clock.

The pillar on which the clock stands is cylindrical, with some blurry patterns engraved on its surface, which look like some kind of family totem.

He touched the grooves of the pattern with his hand, his fingertips covered in dust, but he didn't feel any special protrusions or buttons.

No clues were found around the clock.

Bai walked slowly along the wall of the front courtyard. The wall was made of blue bricks and was covered with weeds.

He stopped every now and then to check the wall for cracks or hidden compartments, but the wall was perfectly smooth and showed no signs of weathering.

Lin Xi did not rush to search, but stood still and examined the layout of the front courtyard again.

Blue brick road, withered orchids, vermilion gate, wall clock... these elements all seem to be hinting at something.

“‘Open the door before Xu’”, the earthly branch corresponding to Xu hour is dog, could it be related to dogs?

She secretly guessed what was going on, but looking around, she didn't see any dog-related items.

--dog?

——Hahahahahaha 123 is so funny.

—That's unlikely, right? You can't expect them to find a dog in the dungeon, can you?
—Maybe it's a homophone?
— "戌" and "须"?
What is needed to open the door?
Lin Xi walked to the groove again and gestured with his hand to indicate its size; it was roughly a rectangular space about the width of a palm and half a finger thick.

“The prop should be flat, about the same size as this groove,” she said to the others.

Wen Yang's eyes lit up when he heard this.

"Then I'll search more carefully in the cracks between the blue bricks; maybe there's a small sign or something!"

(End of this chapter)