Deep Within the Living-Chapter 8: Selection

The thirty-minute object search period had entered its final ten minutes.
Using the shared location feature, the four quickly regrouped. Just as Anna was about to boast, she realized that everyone had found a potential [object] to activate the exercise.
From their brief descriptions, it seemed that locating the objects wasn’t difficult. Once near the objects, they could clearly feel environmental changes and even a distinct pull toward them.
The four objects were:
The "redwood and gold inlaid box" found by Luo Di,
The "metal box with a goat’s head and six-pointed star" found by Anna,
The "ancient book bound in bone" found by Gao Yuxuan,
The "red umbrella tied with chalk line" found by Wu Wen.
When the four objects were placed together, the research facility’s monitoring screens immediately focused on them.
The employees who had bet on these objects were visibly excited. However, there could only be one grand prize winner, depending on the choice these young participants made.
Director Qin’s bet was among them, but her focus wasn’t on the wager. Instead, she wore a rare expression of concern, as though one of the objects carried considerable danger.
Wu Wen’s father had close ties with the research facility and was a significant financial backer. Director Qin had to ensure nothing went wrong with this exercise.
“I hope they don’t pick that one… Otherwise, I’ll need to notify the city’s medical team to be on standby in advance.”
The four objects were placed on a flat stone.
With eight minutes remaining, the group had to choose one to activate the corresponding event.
“Should we vote on this?” asked Wu Wen, the class leader, seeking the group’s opinion.
Gao Yuxuan, the vice class leader, offered a suggestion. “I think we should quickly analyze these objects based on what we know.
I’d recommend picking an [object] with moderate difficulty. This is our first practical exercise, and it’s also our first time working together.
Personally, I feel the red umbrella might correspond to an anomaly that cannot be killed, potentially something spectral in nature—definitely not ideal.
The ancient book might relate to a summoning ritual or a curse-type anomaly, which would also be challenging to handle.
I’d suggest choosing between the two boxes.”
“Don’t pick the metal box! Something feels off about it…”
The typically fearless Anna recounted her experience finding the metal box, especially the “clicking tongue sound.” Even in hindsight, it sent chills down her spine.
Luo Di, however, found Anna’s story intriguing and shared his thoughts.
“A goat’s head and a six-pointed star might point to something demonic—classic Western exorcism material. If we choose this object, it could lead to possession or similar events. Definitely not advisable.”
Though Luo Di was a fan of B-grade horror films, his experience with Western horror movies gave him some insight.
The class leader looked at everyone with a satisfied expression, especially pleased to see the typically quiet boys actively participating in the discussion.
“Based on everyone’s input, we’ve ruled out three objects, leaving only the wooden box Luo Di found as our choice. By the way, Luo Di, did you encounter anything unusual or unsettling like Anna did when you found it?”
“There was just a bit of cold wind. I’d guess the anomaly simulated by the wooden box is moderate in difficulty,” Luo Di replied.
The class leader glanced at the dwindling time. “Then it’s settled! Who’s going to try activating the wooden box?”
“Wenwen, you seem to know a bit about these kinds of things,” Anna teased.
“Tch~ Anna, I was just trying to encourage the gentlemen to take more initiative. Fine, I’ll do it,” Wu Wen replied, exasperated.
She pulled out a Swiss army knife, pressed her ear against the wooden box, and, with practiced hands, set to work.
Click!
The locked wooden box opened.
Inside was an old brass key.
At the same time, a broadcast echoed through the forest:
Anomaly Event Activated. Please proceed to the mountaintop area as quickly as possible §
At the research facility.
Three employees, having bet on the correct object, were grinning ear to ear as they split their winnings.
Director Qin, though having bet incorrectly, was visibly relieved. The four participants hadn’t chosen the troublesome and dangerous object.
However, unnoticed by the rest, an unremarkable employee silently watched everything unfold. He muttered under his breath, “They had it… Why didn’t they choose it? Why didn’t they choose?”
In the forest.
Anna stared at the unselected objects still lying on the stone surface. “What do we do with these? Leaving them here doesn’t feel right.”
The class leader nodded. “Agreed. Let’s return them to their original spots along the way to the mountaintop. It won’t take much time.”
“Alright.”
The red umbrella was returned to its location beneath a boulder marked with vermillion symbols painted in cinnabar.
The ancient book was found in an abandoned, moss-covered tent, its surroundings marked with claw-like scratches left by fingers.
Finally, only the metal box Anna had found remained. The group trekked along a steep path until they reached the barren clearing again.
The spot was devoid of vegetation, and the air carried an unexplainable heat, several degrees warmer than the surroundings.
Anna slowed her pace, carefully approaching the crevice. Just as she bent down to return the eerie object to its original position…
Clack—
The strange clicking tongue sound echoed again, this time resonating within her skull.
It was sharp, sudden, and deeply unsettling.
Startled, Anna’s grip on the metal box slipped.
The box fell into the crevice, dropping about half a meter before hitting the bottom with a thud!
Terrified, Anna immediately grabbed her flashlight to inspect the situation below. Luckily, the metal box hadn’t cracked or deformed—the material’s quality was exceptional.
Of course, a metal box meant to house anomaly-related objects would undoubtedly be specially crafted, not easily damaged.
Still uneasy, Anna crouched down, intending to move the box back to its original position.
Just as Anna was about to reach across the crevice, a figure suddenly appeared and grabbed her arm.
It was Luo Di.
Noticing Anna’s unease earlier, he had decided to intervene for safety. He handed her a branch.
“Don’t use your hands.”
“Oh.”
Anna took the branch and used it to move the metal box back to its original position. The unsettling clicking sound didn’t occur again.
As she turned to thank Luo Di for his help, a pair of hands abruptly shoved her from behind, propelling her forward.
It was the class leader, urging her on. “Stop wasting time. Let’s get moving up the mountain!”
As the four left the barren clearing where even weeds couldn’t grow, the branch Anna had used was left behind. Not long after, the branch withered completely, carbonized, and disintegrated into ash that scattered in the wind.
[Object Activated]
The two girls, walking side by side, were chatting about the realistic nature of the simulated anomalies.
“Wenwen, how do you think the research facility creates such lifelike [anomaly events]? Some kind of cutting-edge biotechnology?”
“Maybe… corpses?”
“Corpses? You mean the research facility repurposes the bodies of those killed simulated beings to create controllable exercise units?”
“Exactly~ That’s how they make it so realistic.”
“Eww~ That’s kind of gross if true. But I guess it’s good for us to get used to these scenarios now, considering we’ll face real anomalies and those fake beings in the future once we graduate.
If these exercises become widespread, people’s survival rates might improve significantly in the long run.”
Climbing the hundred-meter hill was taking longer than expected.
The closer they got to the summit, the colder the air became.
Occasional gusts of chilling wind swept through the forest, and the once-bright sun was now hidden behind thick, gathering clouds.
Finally, the group emerged from the last circle of trees before the mountaintop, where an old, traditional Chinese mansion came into view.
It consisted of front and back courtyards, perimeter walls, and a two-story main building.
Directly ahead was the mansion’s main gate, adorned with prominent white lanterns.
The single "奠" —
to settle,
character written on the lanterns immediately unsettled the three with Chinese heritage, stirring an instinctive discomfort.
Anna, having learned about the related culture in her textbooks, understood it had to do with the dead, though she felt no particular emotional reaction.
The redwood doors,
embellished with gold accents,
were secured with a large brass lock.
Wu Wen pulled out the brass key she had retrieved earlier from the box.
Click!
The key fit perfectly, and the lock unlatched.
This signaled the official start of their outdoor exercise.