Chapter 14: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?

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Cui Cui grabbed her hand and dashed all the way until they reached the village chief’s backyard.

There stood a well.

This well was extraordinary: during the day, it was a spring of clear water; but when night fell, it would turn into a dry well.

“Sister, hide underneath here. Once dawn comes, everything will be safe,” Cui Cui said, her eyes dark and eerie, lips stained a vivid red.

Tears of blood welled at the corners of the little girl’s eyes. Under the moonlight, there was no shadow behind her.

Lu Xi had been pretending all along, but now, seeing this obedient little sister, her heart softened. She instinctively raised her hand to wipe the blood from the girl’s face.

Unexpectedly, Cui Cui turned her head away, “Sister, don’t dirty your clothes.”

“And this axe is for you.” Cui Cui hesitated, then stepped forward to hug her briefly. “Actually, sister, you can leave if you want. Second Uncle said Cui Cui is not a likable child, so none of you like me.”

“Mom doesn’t like me, and neither do you… but none of that really matters.”

Just like her mother, this village could not hold them.

Lu Xi looked into those eyes filled with untold stories and clenched her fists.

Every alternate world had its tale; here, she thought, she already had a guess.

*Creak.*

The sound of footsteps crunching in the snow rang distinctly in the quiet night.

Lu Xi glanced back. A crowd of villagers suddenly appeared not far away, teleporting forward every few meters.

In no time, they were nearly upon her.

She looked once more at the ancient well behind her. The situation was urgent—should she trust Cui Cui’s words?

She bent down and peered into the well; it was pitch black inside, nothing visible.

Suddenly,

An enlarged ghostly face loomed close.

It was the village chief.

Cui Cui’s mouth gaped in shock as well; clearly, even as a ghostly NPC, she hadn’t expected this.

Startled, Lu Xi instinctively swung the axe wildly.

She closed her eyes, hacking blindly as warm liquid splattered across her face and neck, carrying a nauseating metallic stench.

The axe struck something hard; startled, her hand trembled and she loosened her grip.

“Sister, thank you for the candy,” Cui Cui pushed her from behind, “Take your things and run!”

“Run!”

Off balance, Lu Xi fell directly into the well.

With a sharp sting, a burning pain seared her neck.

As she fell in, the village chief, crouched at the well’s mouth, had delivered a stab.

It hurt... it hurt terribly.

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The dry well was deeper than she had imagined; the sensation of weightlessness left her mind in a haze. Breathing was labored, her heartbeat felt as if it skipped and was gripped tightly, dragged out harshly from her throat.

In panic, Lu Xi hugged her head, instinctively shielding the back of her neck and her face.

Falling with her was half of the village chief’s head and the black backpack left behind by Ji Chenling.

The cold moon hung silently in the sky, watching everything unfold.

Pain—agonizing pain.

She wasn’t sure how long she fell before the weightlessness finally ceased.

She landed on solid ground.

Mid-air, Lu Xi had spun comically several times.

The prolonged spinning brought a wave of nausea, the world spinning wildly, making her unable to stand.

*Thud!*

*Pat.*

The black backpack landed by her feet.

Her arms suddenly felt heavy.

“Hm?” Lu Xi, puzzled, slowly looked down.

In her arms was half the village chief’s face, bloodied, one hollow eye staring blankly at her.

“Ahhh!!!”

A heart-wrenching scream echoed from the depths of the well.

After hoarse yelling for a while, Lu Xi realized that aside from being frightening, the half-head was otherwise harmless.

Moreover... it seemed she had accidentally chopped it off herself.

Silently, Lu Xi wiped her hands.

She shakily pulled out a flashlight from the backpack and cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

This was definitely not the interior structure of an ordinary well.

What was this place?

“Whatever, being alive is already a gain.” Lu Xi brushed dust off her clothes, her hair messy, and carefully moved forward guided by the flashlight’s beam.

It was too quiet. Every step, every breath, echoed clearly.

The temperature kept dropping. Having just fallen through the well in a dire situation, Lu Xi’s mind was singularly focused on survival, leaving no room for other thoughts.

Only now, after narrowly escaping death, did she realize how cold it was.

The chill seeped bone-deep.

Lu Xi trembled as she moved forward, hunched over, rubbing her hands and breathing on them for warmth.

In the darkness, pairs of blood-red eyes fixed themselves on her.

Unaware, Lu Xi pulled a black cloak from the backpack and wrapped it around herself. Instantly, the chilling cold vanished without a trace.

“Is this really a tool?” Lu Xi murmured in surprise, touching the fabric. It looked light and thin but felt thick, soft, and pleasant to the touch.

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From what she knew of this world, skills automatically bonded to their players.

What about this tool?

Was there anything that could bind the connection between the two?

Otherwise, if some reckless player just casually took her cloak...

The blood-red eyes in the darkness had been ready to rush in and tear her apart, but as soon as she donned the black cloak, they shivered and all retreated.

Lu Xi walked slowly.

She dared not run, fearing that making noise might attract all sorts of dangerous things. With her timid nature, she might be scared into a fit.

*Tap-tap-tap.*

Strange footsteps echoed nearby. Lu Xi raised her flashlight and saw a white rabbit dressed in a floral dress ahead.

The rabbit was over half a meter tall, plump to an absurd degree, yet rather cute.

Seeing her, the rabbit turned and ran.

Lu Xi stayed rooted to the spot.

Two seconds later, the rabbit stopped and looked back at her, seemingly deliberately waiting for her to follow.

The rabbit didn’t move, and Lu Xi didn’t move either. When the rabbit moved, she still stood firm.

“Hello there,” the rabbit in the floral dress suddenly spoke in human language.

Lu Xi: “...”

This was bad, very bad.

Was this rabbit playing “Alice in Wonderland” with her?

Both were rabbits, both deliberately leading her into unknown places.

Lu Xi snorted and turned to sit down in a corner.

“Don’t you want to find your companions?” another rabbit appeared suddenly.

This time it was a gray rabbit, wearing overalls and a bow tie.

“Oh, a gentleman rabbit,” Lu Xi raised an eyebrow and smiled.

The two rabbits hopped hand in hand toward Lu Xi.

They looked just like characters from a children’s animated show, adorable enough that Lu Xi wasn’t so scared.

She even reached out and tugged the white rabbit’s ear.

“Ouch!” the white rabbit cried.

The gray rabbit immediately approached with concern, using its paw to rub the white rabbit’s ear.

“You two are a married couple, huh?” Lu Xi said casually.

“You two are the married couple!” The rabbits instantly fluffed up their fur and shouted at the girl in unison.