Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!-Chapter 1898: The Endless Courtyard

Chapter 1898: Chapter 1898: The Endless Courtyard
The five people had vanished without a trace. Worried that the area outside the courtyard might also be affected, Xu Huo proactively put some distance between himself and it, ensuring his position was safe before he circled the residence halfway.
From the outside, these houses seemed utterly ordinary—a square courtyard with one building next to another, the overall shape also square. The interior was simply furnished; not old nor dusty, yet somehow it didn’t appear like a place frequently inhabited, nor did it match the architectural style of Zone 011. Even if a Super Player used this as a place to rest, they likely wouldn’t build such a house here deliberately.
So was this house a prop, or was it located in a special site between some sort of time-space anomaly?
After waiting outside for a while without spotting those five people, Xu Huo felt there was no need to stay longer, so he turned back.
But unexpectedly, as he passed by the pavilion he had seen earlier, a subtle force suddenly flowed from his body. He instinctively stopped and turned back, only to discover that the courtyard he just saw had disappeared, replaced by a dense grove.
Xu Huo did not go back to check, instead speeding towards the floral wall. The passageway on the wall had not completely vanished yet; once he passed through, he saw that the area which initially should have been a dense forest had transformed into a meadow, with a pavilion appearing on a nearby slope, while below the slope was the same courtyard from before.
His direction was correct, but the courtyard had moved to be right in front of him.
Suddenly, the forest began to gust with wind, and white mist emerged from an unknown source, gradually covering the entire grove. As the mist thickened and even the whole courtyard became faintly discernible, two lamps on the courtyard’s outer walls inexplicably lit up.
There were no people visible, yet the lamps naturally appeared and illuminated.
"Looks like they won’t let me leave just like that," Xu Huo said as he started walking towards the courtyard.
A previously sealed large gate appeared on the courtyard wall, and both its style and the wall lamps seemed to have aged over time. To any district, they would likely be considered ’retro’ decorations.
As he approached, the tightly shut gate opened on its own. The aged wood produced a heavy, hoarse "creaking" sound, slightly jarring to the ears.
No one was behind the door. As Xu Huo crossed over the threshold, several lights turned on in many places. Right in front of the gate was a small open garden; with walls on three sides, a small pool sat in the middle, although it was dry and the wildflowers and weeds were growing quite well actually.
Each side of the facing wall had a doorway. Xu Huo released a Combat Robot to separate paths.
Passing through one of the doorways, when Xu Huo looked back, he noticed that beyond the doorway was no longer the pool and gate as before, but four rooms and four doors, identical to the square courtyards.
In front of him were four rooms and four doors; other than the entrance passageway from which he came, the courtyard had no other passage except to return the way he came. Otherwise, he’d have to choose from one of the four doors.
Xu Huo pondered a moment at the doorway, lightly jumped onto the courtyard wall, knowing there was little surprise; space had already been sealed. He tried using the Spatial Ray to damage the barrier in front, but after a while of no success, he gave up.
Returning to the ground, he walked a couple of steps into the center of the courtyard. Without encountering any obstruction like those Noble Offspring before, he chose the room on the right and opened the door to enter.
Earlier, when he observed the interior layout from outside, everything seemed similar. Now within, he realized the rooms weren’t much different; the only distinction lay in the arrangement of tables and chairs.
Xu Huo reached out to touch the natural wood-colored tables and chairs. The texture felt coarse, not due to unrefined craftsmanship, but because the wood used seemed freshly polished without any varnish, very natural.
A single table, two chairs facing each other, tea sets placed atop the table, stands at four corners with flower pots, though the flowers were long gone and inside was some dried soil.
The walls were rather clean, without any decorations.
Having spent some time inside, Xu Huo returned to the entrance, intending to try retracing his steps. Surprisingly, though the door remained open, the path was blocked.
He tapped on the invisible barrier before turning to head towards the door opposite the room.
Beyond the second door was an identical room, completely symmetrical. Exiting through the opposite door, outside was yet another square courtyard, comprising four rooms with four doors; he hadn’t discovered any other passages.
Xu Huo probed the surroundings with psychic power, chose the door on the left, and after passing through this door and the next two rooms, he reckoned he’d reach a courtyard with a passage.
However, after swiftly passing through three doors, when he emerged, the doorway he "had seen" was missing.
Frowning slightly, he returned inside, testing that the previous courtyard hadn’t been sealed, he tried another door.
The room opposite this doorway was still a restricted courtyard, lacking direct access passageways to other courtyards.
But since the courtyard hadn’t closed up after he opened the door, Xu Huo decided to open all remaining doors. Every room was similar to the first; tables, chairs, and utensils were nearly identical.
Xu Huo glanced at the time and took a flower pot from one room before entering the next courtyard.
Opening every one of the three doors in the next courtyard, without taking anything, on his attempt to return being blocked, he noted the time and took a teacup from the room.
After this three times, the rooms he entered began to change; furniture started as tables and chairs and changed to beds and cabinets, noticeably more exquisite than prior, interior decorations increased; besides teapots and cups, there were flower vases and baskets for miscellaneous items.
Picking up the basket, Xu Huo casually discovered an engraved line on its base using a Little Knife.
"A mark?"
Placing the basket back, he inspected other furniture. Finding no signs of manipulation, he proceeded to check the other three rooms.
Those rooms similarly shifted from a tea room to a bedroom, yet no comparable "marks" were found inside them.
This time, he didn’t rush to leave, instead waiting a while inside a room before opening the opposite door. Returning, he noticed the courtyard he walked through had closed, so he took the teapot.
Continuing further, finally, he spotted traces inside a room — a broken bed and overturned table indicated that someone had been here recently.