Everyone took paper and pens and went about thinking carefully about the clues in their minds. Since there weren't enough pens, each person had to share one, and whoever thought of something would write it down first.
Midway through, Tian Yang came out of the living room to fetch water boiled with willow bark, and Ke Xun boiled a pot of moss and vine juice. They then put the bird eggs they had collected into the water, cooked them, and ate a few to fill their stomachs, leaving some for Qin Ci, Tian Yang, and Xiao Kai.
It took about half an hour for everyone to finish writing.
"Let's take turns reading what we've written," Shao Ling said. "Those who haven't had a turn, please pay attention: if someone reads the same thing as you, cross it out. Don't repeat it, as this will make the clues confusing, disrupt our train of thought, and waste time. If your entry is more detailed or contains more clues than the person reading, you can add to it at any time. Now, I'll go first."
He picked up his paper and read aloud slowly and clearly: "I think the following could be clues: First, the bloodshed that occurred in each house in the residential area, let's call it a 'bloodbath.' What caused such a bloodbath to occur in every house?
Second, the issue of dates. Everything that displays the year has blurred the year in the date. I think this is a way for the 'painting' to cover up clues. If we can find out the year, we might make a breakthrough in the clues."
"Third, the issue of survival. After entering the painting, we face the most primal survival challenges of food, water, and illness. Could this also be a hint related to the clues?
" "These are the three points I'm particularly concerned about. Please feel free to add your suggestions."
"I'm particularly concerned about the climate," Zhu Haowen interjected. Perhaps Shao Ling's three points already covered most of the clues they had gathered so far, so Zhu Haowen only added one more point: "I feel that the presence of the climate in this painting is too strong. The heat might also be one of the clues."
"I thought of something, but I don't know if it can be considered a clue," Luo Jin rarely offered his own independent opinion: "I just feel that finding such a water-rich vine in the forest is a pleasant surprise. I had almost no hope. Of course, it's normal to find such a vine in the forest, but I just feel... how should I put it, it's just so lucky. I didn't expect the 'painting' to cooperate with us this time... That's all I have to say." "
What you're saying does have reason to be suspicious," Wei Dong said, pointing to Gu Qingqing who was writing something in her notebook. "There's a similar situation with finding the willow tree. Didn't this girl say that willow trees are almost never seen in subtropical or tropical regions? But we were incredibly lucky to find one. Such luck would have been unimaginable in the previous paintings. It's like the 'painting maker' has given us a cheat code for the first time ever. I also think this is very suspicious."
"In other words, the 'painting' provided us with a way out," Fang Fei said. "You've also said that the painting won't give us a foolproof path to death. Every painting is a life-or-death situation. Perhaps the vines and willow bark are what the painting provides as a 'life,' ensuring at least that we have water and food so we don't starve or die of thirst."
"But if you're going to say it's luck or a lucky break, I can't agree. If one of us hadn't known that we could get plenty of water from moss and vines, and that willow bark could be used as medicine to treat colds and fevers, then this path to survival would have been a dead end for us.
"So I don't think it's incredible luck or the 'painting' intentionally letting us through; it's something we achieved through our own individual abilities, so we don't need to consider the painting's intentions in that regard. What we should be considering is why this forest, like the residential area, is a major part of the painting's designated area."
"Very reasonable." Wei Dong gave her a thumbs up.
"You've said everything you can say," Wu You said. "I can't think of anything else, but the thing I find most puzzling is why there's no water or electricity here?
"If this residential area has its own independent water and electricity supply, then we haven't seen any power or water facilities. This means the power and water supply are elsewhere, not in this area.
"And if they're not in this area, then at least it means that the water and electricity supply facilities don't only supply this residential area, right?" It's highly likely that several areas share the same water and electricity supply. So why didn't other areas react when the water and electricity stopped? Were they just left to remain shut down?
"Although other areas aren't included in this painting, didn't you say that even within paintings—except for overly abstract works like 'Schrödinger's Cat'—there's usually a normal logical system? So, normally, there should be at least one place supplying water and electricity to this area and others. But now that the water and electricity are cut off, doesn't that prove…?"
"—that other places, like here, have also experienced a 'bloodbath'!" Wu You's words were a wake-up call, and everyone simultaneously voiced the same sentiment.
"That's terrifying…" Wei Dong and Luo Yi exchanged a chilling glance.
"Wu You's idea is indeed a new discovery," Shao Ling said, his expression turning serious. "If similar 'bloodshed' occurs in other parts of this world, then this event can no longer be described as a 'bloodshed'; it could very well be a large-scale mass incident."
"Could this world really be a zombie world?" Luo Yu asked, his heart pounding.
"I don't think it's likely," Ke Xun said. "If it were a zombie world, there would at least be corpses. Here, besides blood, there isn't even a single limb to be seen, unless everyone turned into zombies overnight. Since they don't eat each other, there are no corpses or limbs left behind. But that doesn't explain the bloodstains in each house. Would a zombie be covered in blood? I've never seen a movie depict that, unless the zombies in the painting are different from those on TV."
This new clue shocked everyone. After a period of silence, Shao Ling spoke up again: "Let's continue. Does anyone have any new clues or discoveries?"
Ke Xun, Mu Yiran, He Tang, and Gu Qingqing remained silent. Gu Qingqing kept her head down, writing on a piece of paper, while He Tang seemed somewhat nervous throughout, huddled in a corner of the sofa, occasionally listening intently.
Seeing that Ke Xun didn't intend to speak, Mu Yiran said, "The clues we've found so far are basically what we've already discussed. I don't have any more clues to offer, so I'll just mention something that's of particular concern to me.
"What I'm concerned about is Xiao Kai's illness. It came on so suddenly, and the onset was extremely severe. Tian Yang said he rarely gets this sick, which means his constitution is quite good and his resistance isn't low. So how was this illness triggered?
"If it's just the painting at work without any reason, then what are the rules for the painting's selection of people? Did Xiao Kai meet some condition that caused him to suddenly fall ill?
"If it's not the painting at work, but just a natural, normal trigger for a cold and fever, then what is that trigger? I think we need to figure this out to prevent more people from contracting this symptom. That's all for now."
Ke Xun continued, "You've already shared all the clues you could think of. I have no new clues to offer, so I'll just share my personal thoughts."
"I've always felt that the bloodshed clue and the primal dilemma clue have no intersection. But if we look at it in conjunction with the clues Wu You just mentioned, this problem becomes easier to explain."
"If the massacre was widespread, perhaps even occurring in other parts of the world, then all those engaged in production and resource provision must have died or ceased to exist. This would make our current primal predicament inevitable.
It is precisely because of the large-scale death or disappearance of humanity that we survivors are forced to face this primal predicament. Thus, these two threads converge into one: the massacre brought human society's production and resource provision to a standstill, forcing survivors to rely on primitive means to continue living.
Another question, as Fang Fei mentioned, is why the forest is included in the painting's main subject.
If the primary clue to deciphering the painting is the massacre, what does it have to do with the forest? Does the forest exist solely to provide a way out, preventing us from dying of thirst and hunger?"
"If that's the case, then this clue can be pieced together with the clue of the bloodbath and the primal predicament. It's because of the bloodbath that the primal predicament was created, and because of the primal predicament, we were given a forest, from which we can find a way out.
"After combining the three clues, the focus is only on one thing: the bloodbath.
"What were the consequences of this bloodbath? What were the circumstances at the time? What caused the bloodbath? I think as long as we can solve these questions, we can also decipher the meaning of the painting's theme, 'Reboot.'"
"Well summarized," Zhu Haowen said, "You've put together several seemingly fragmented clues. Now, only the most important questions remain: the bloodbath, the blurred date, the overly strong presence of the hot climate, and the cause of Xiao Kai's illness. Are there any others?"
Only He Tang and Gu Qingqing remained silent. Seeing everyone's attention on them, He Tang hesitated, biting her lip as if to speak, but then saw Gu Qingqing put down her pen and pick up her notebook to show everyone.