Chapter 399

Leroy had warned us about the dangers lurking in the attic, so naturally, everyone was on edge. Some folks couldn't help but grumble, while others just stayed quiet, unsure of what to do.

Take Daniel, for example.

But it's understandable—who isn't afraid of dying?

I'm scared, too. Knowing there's danger and still going, isn't that just not valuing your own life?

But I have no choice. Emily is still being held captive in Leroy's territory, so I have to go.

Daniel stammered, "Alex, it's not that I don't want to go, but I don't have any skills. If I go, I'll just hold you back, so you shouldn't pick me. I won't be of any use."

"If you know you're useless, then why go?" Andy looked at me. "Alex, I'll go with you. I'm actually quite interested in the attic."

To lighten the mood, I teased Andy, "What's with your weird hobby? Knowing there's danger and still wanting to go? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Andy laughed heartily and shrugged. "I never planned on coming back alive. I'd rather die a glorious death than live a dull life. Isn't that more meaningful?"

Joseph glanced at Susan, who had her lips tightly pressed together, and was about to speak when Susan covered his mouth.

He quickly freed himself from Susan's hand and stepped forward. "Alex, I want to go too."

"You idiot!" Susan kicked Joseph. "What am I supposed to do if you go?"

William said, "Let me go instead. Joseph, you're not alone anymore. You can't be reckless."

Lily looked up and exchanged a glance with William but said nothing.

Andrew muttered softly, "William, maybe if you tried a little harder, you wouldn't be alone either. I should go. I'm the one who's alone. If I die, no one will care."

I smacked Andrew on the head. "What do you mean no one will care if you die? We all care. Say that again, and I'll smack you harder!"

Andrew gave a bitter smile. "So fierce. Should I not go then?"

"I'll go." It was Carl who spoke up. "I can take care of myself. Even if the others die, I won't."

Lisa stayed silent, just listening to everyone argue.

Soon, the two people who would accompany me were decided: Andy and Carl.

Before we left, Carl bent down and hugged Lisa, gently patting her shoulder. "I'll come back alive. Until then, you can't be with that guy or even look at him."

Lisa hugged Carl back. "Don't be so overbearing. Go on, be safe."

After saying our goodbyes, the three of us were blindfolded by Leroy and were led to the attic.

With our vision blocked, we naturally became more alert and sensitive.

I strained my ears, listening to the surroundings, and couldn't help but ask, "Leroy, why the blindfolds? We can't see anything outside without your permission anyway. Isn't this a bit much?"

"The king's orders. I'm just following them," Leroy replied. "Bear with it a little longer. We're almost there."

Indeed, we arrived quickly. With our vision still blocked, we were led forward by the guards.

When our sight was restored, we found ourselves inside the attic.

Leroy handed us three bundles and pointed to the dark interior of the attic. "This is a man-eating attic. I hope you return safely."

With that, Leroy and his men left, locking the door behind them as if afraid we might try to escape.

A man-eating attic?

What does that mean?

Is the attic alive?

I didn't dwell on it; instead, I looked at the dark passage ahead, feeling a sense of dread.

It was natural for people to fear the dark.

Fortunately, we had candles to provide some light.

"Should we start now?" Andy asked for my opinion.

I shook my head. "No rush. Let's see what they gave us and check out our surroundings. Grab anything that might be useful."

Andy nodded and opened the bundles.

The contents were basic: food, water, candles, rope, and daggers.

Andy grumbled, "Is this all they gave us to solve the attic's mystery? They must think we're miracle workers."

Carl chimed in. "They probably didn't know what to pack, so they gave us the essentials. After all, they couldn't solve the problem themselves and had no clue what we'd need."

"True." I looked around the large attic and voiced my doubts. "Did you notice that Leroy and the guards didn't step inside? They spoke to us from outside."

Andy thought for a moment and replied, "Now that you mention it, they really didn't come in. Is there some kind of monster in here?"

"Not necessarily. If there was a monster, it would have attacked us when the door opened." I walked to the closed door and examined it. "Did you hear any unlocking sounds or mechanisms?"

Carl thought for a moment and shook his head. "Nope."

"Me neither," Andy said, joining me. "When our vision is blocked, our hearing should be more sensitive. We should have heard something when the door opened. It's strange."

"A man-eating attic." I touched the textured stone door. "What does that mean?"

Carl speculated, "Maybe it's a one-way door? We didn't hear any unlocking sounds, so maybe the door isn't under their control, and we can't get out."

"Is that so?" Andy held the candle and was about to explore when he stepped on something that snapped.

The sudden noise made us hold our breath. We shone the light down and saw a broken arm bone.

Andy stepped back and glanced at me. "It really is a man-eating attic. This person was eaten down to the bones."

His humorous remark made Carl and me laugh.

I followed the source of the sound and saw piles of white bones, making my heart race. "It really is a man-eating attic. There are bones everywhere. Many people must have come here before us and couldn't get out, so they died here."

Carl's voice came from the other side. "There are bones here too, in various states of decay, indicating different times of death."

Andy seemed fascinated by the bones, examining them closely and even handling them.

I laughed. "Andy, what are you doing?"

Andy pointed to a small skeleton, his eyes full of curiosity. "Doesn't this look like a dwarf's skeleton?"

I looked closely. At first, I thought it was a child's skeleton, but now I saw it was larger and had a bigger skull than a child's.

"Come look at this!" Andy called from the other side. "This skeleton is strange."

Andy and I exchanged a glance and hurried over. We saw a tall skeleton with two extra bones behind it.

The skull and limbs were different from a human's, resembling a bird's.

Andy made a bold guess. "Could this be a real human sacrifice? Maybe the outsiders captured by the Atlanteans ended up here?"

I swallowed hard, unable to refute him, as I had the same thought.

Carl stood up slowly. "So we're not here to help the Atlanteans solve a mystery but to be human sacrifices?"

"Not necessarily." I clung to a sliver of hope. "Maybe these people came voluntarily to help the Atlanteans but couldn't escape."

"Alex, do you believe what you're saying?" Andy asked.

"I don't," I sighed, standing up. "But I have to believe it, or fear will consume me. I don't want to die, so let's get to work. Check for anything unusual, and if there's nothing, we'll start exploring deeper."