I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 161

The man held up the ring and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha~”

His laughter was particularly loud, drawing the attention of people around.

Li Luo and Li Xiangyi happened to be standing nearby, and this irrepressible laughter quickly caught their attention.

“What’s wrong with him?” Li Xiangyi asked.

“I don’t know.” Looking at the increasingly wrong man, Li Luo carefully stepped back.

But the man quickly returned to normal. He seemed puzzled about why he had lost composure just now.

As if suddenly awakening, the man carefully put the ring in his pocket, then pulled the little boy to leave the plaza.

Just then, a cloaked figure suddenly rushed out from the side and punched the man in the face.

The two instantly wrestled on the ground, and the cloak fell away.

Under the cloak was actually an old man with half-gray hair. Although he looked very thin, his skills were very good, and he soon had the man subdued with his hands behind his back.

“Speak quickly! What Relic did you have your child ask for?”

“What are its function and cost?”

The old man’s voice was full of vigor as he pressed down on the man and angrily questioned him.

The man pinned underneath had lost his initial elegance and kept shouting, “Someone’s causing trouble in Oasis City! Soldiers!”

The soldiers in the plaza had noticed the situation here early on. Several soldiers quickly came over, pulled the old man away, and helped the man up.

The man’s refined demeanor was gone as he cursed while being escorted away from the scene by soldiers.

The old man was still struggling constantly, held by two soldiers as they carried him through the crowd toward the small alleys behind the plaza.

Li Luo and Li Xiangyi watched this scene with interest, exchanged glances, then quietly followed.

The soldiers seemed to know this old man and treated him well. As soon as they left the plaza, they released him and kept helping dust off his clothes.

They didn’t avoid being seen either. After bringing the old man near the alley entrance, they began chatting.

Li Luo and the other pretended to look at a map at the alley entrance, eavesdropping on the conversation between the soldiers and the old man.

“Old Xu, don’t come cause trouble every time. Others got their Relics just fine, what are you interfering for?” the soldier earnestly advised.

“I’ve told you, that fountain has problems! You’ve all been in the Abyss for so many years—which wishing-type Relic isn’t a huge trap? How can you not understand?” the old man said urgently, complaining to the soldier.

“We know, but this is how Oasis City’s higher-ups decided. What can we do? Old Xu, just don’t worry about it. Wouldn’t enjoying your retirement be nice?” The soldier patted the old man’s shoulder comfortingly.

“You need to use your brains! How can you only follow orders in the Abyss!” the old man stubbornly continued persuading. “Report to your superiors again, this fountain can’t be opened anymore! There will definitely be some harm!”

He kept persuading, while the soldier beside him could only sigh helplessly and ask back, “Where’s the harm?”

Hearing this, the old man finally stopped pressing and stood in the alley with nothing to say.

The soldier looked at the time and said to the old man, “It’s almost over. We need to go back and maintain order. Old Xu, don’t keep causing trouble either. Go back and rest well. We’ll find you for tea another day.”

The old man could only nod helplessly and watch the soldier leave the alley.

“Stop sneaking around. If you want to know something, just ask.” After the soldier had gone far, the old man slowly walked to the alley entrance and said to the two who were eavesdropping.

Seeing their shocked expressions, the old man glanced at them twice and continued, “You two are outsiders, right?”

Li Luo nodded.

“I remember everyone in Oasis City, and your Relic is so conspicuous, it’s hard not to notice.” The old man pointed at the Cube floating behind Li Luo and explained. “I noticed you when you started following me.”

So they’d been discovered long ago.

“Just call me Old Xu. Do you have anything you want to ask?” Old Xu seemed not to mind their eavesdropping at all.

“What’s really going on with that fountain?” Li Luo asked straightforwardly.

“That’s a Relic with self-consciousness. It already existed when Oasis City was first established.” Old Xu explained while looking toward the plaza.

The crowd had gradually dispersed, and the fountain had slowly settled, becoming an ordinary water surface. Official personnel were dispersing the crowd and surrounding the spring water with barriers.

Old Xu’s gaze toward the plaza was somewhat melancholy as he murmured, “Continuing to use it like this, who knows what consequences it will have.”

He turned around and waved, “Come sit at my place. It’s just behind this alley, not far. I’ll explain it to you in detail.”

After saying this, he walked into the alley.

Li Luo and Li Xiangyi hesitated for a moment, then followed Old Xu inside.

Sure enough, after passing through the alley, the view opened up.

An open space appeared before everyone.

This open space was surrounded by a circle of towering buildings, with a small tin house properly built in the middle of the clearing.

Outside the house were clean and tidy flower beds and tables. The tables didn’t have a speck of dust, showing the owner loved cleanliness very much.

Although the place wasn’t large, wooden fencing still enclosed the yard, and the small path outside was swept clean.

Sunlight fell from between the gaps of the tall buildings, making this small yard appear lush and full of life.

Who would have thought there was such a place in the core area of Oasis City filled with high-rises everywhere.

Old Xu pushed open the fence gate and invited Li Luo and Li Xiangyi into his yard.

Inside the yard, hundreds of flowers bloomed. These flowers were all well cared for, and the flower beds were arranged neatly.

“The sunlight here isn’t good, so I can only grow some shade-loving flowers,” Old Xu explained, seeing Li Xiangyi staring blankly at the flowers.

Li Xiangyi quickly waved her hands, “It’s nothing. I think these flowers are very beautiful, but why build the house here? With so many tall buildings around, wouldn’t it be depressing?”

“Because I was here from the beginning. The tall buildings outside were built later. They wanted to ask me to move away, but I wasn’t willing, so I stayed.” Old Xu’s expression was somewhat nostalgic.

“Sit first. I’ll make you some flower tea.” He brought the two to the table, had them sit down first, while he went to boil water and pick flowers.

His careful appearance when picking flowers was completely different from when he attacked someone in the plaza just now—very gentle.

Old Xu also brought out tea leaves and cups from the house and began brewing.

“Where are you from?” he asked casually.

“Black Tower,” Li Luo answered.

“Oh, I’ve been to Black Tower. Back then it wasn’t built as a monitoring station yet. I felt that place wasn’t quite right, many areas weren’t explored clearly. Too many people shouldn’t have been stationed there.” He recalled while commenting.

Li Luo was already very surprised listening to this and told him what had happened at Black Tower.

After hearing it, Old Xu sighed.

“Sigh, I knew it. My intuition is never wrong.”