Sun Hao snapped out of his daze as well. Anyone who played games often knew that whether a decision was right or wrong didn't matter as much as everyone acting together.
“Fu Yan is right. The clues have all been burned by Zheng Ba, so there's no point in us continuing to search. Right now, protecting Bai Jiu is our only task.”
Looking at the resolute expressions of the three, Bai Ci pretended to be flattered, her eyes turning slightly red. “Thank you. I'll work hard too and make sure I don't hold everyone back.”
With that, the four reached a consensus. They stopped heading to the various scenes to look for clues and instead gathered together in Bai Ci's dormitory room.
The entire daytime phase was extraordinarily peaceful.
There were no sneak attacks from a third party, no traps triggered, and not even a single abnormal sound.
This peace only made everyone feel more uneasy. It was like the calm before a storm, suffocatingly oppressive.
They sat in silence, no one speaking, waiting second by second for the arrival of the night.
Clang—
The first bell signaling the transition to the nighttime phase chimed. According to the rules, everyone was supposed to prepare to return to their own rooms, but not a single person budged.
Clang—
The second bell chimed.
“You guys should hurry and—” Bai Ci intended to urge them to take advantage of the tail end of the second chime to return to their rooms.
But before the sound of the bell could fade, their surroundings suddenly began to warp and blur.
Bai Ci felt the world spin around her. A sound resembling shattering glass echoed in her ears as the original scene slowly dissipated into the air.
In just a few seconds, the warped visuals settled, and everything before her underwent an earth-shattering transformation.
The dormitory and corridor vanished, replaced by the grand stage of the Magnolia Theater.
This was not the desolate, dilapidated theater from when they had sought shelter from the rain, nor was it the bustling yet silent theater where they had been forced into the battle royale. It was a noisy theater, filled with sound.
The lighting on the stage was dim, with only a few faint spotlights barely illuminating a single corner.
Bai Ci discovered that her body was pinned down by an invisible force, rendering her unable to move or make a sound.
She could only roll her eyes to scan her surroundings. In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of Cheng Xi and Sun Hao on either side of her. Fu Yan was likely there too, just out of her field of view.
They seemed to be in the exact same state as her, their eyes darting around as they observed their surroundings out of the corners of their eyes.
Sun Hao, however, was still capable of rolling his eyes. When Bai Ci first glanced over and saw nothing but the whites of his eyes, she was nearly frightened out of her wits.
Only then did she belatedly realize that the man was rolling his eyes to express his attitude toward their current situation.
Below the stage was a fully packed auditorium.
Due to the lighting and her limited field of view, Bai Ci could only make out numerous shadows seated in the audience. She couldn't even be sure if they were human.
Right opposite them, on the other side of the stage, stood five figures wearing white clown masks. They wore exaggerated performance costumes and had varying builds.
Looking closely, Bai Ci was the first to recognize Fu Liu.
It wasn't because Fu Liu's posture had left a deep impression on her, nor was it because she possessed extraordinary observation and memory skills. It was mainly because the Rain's Message panel had popped up on its own.
【Rain's Message NPC: Fu Liu III
Appearance: Black short hair, tear mole
Identity: Executioner of the Theater
Relationship with Player: The executioner will conduct an indiscriminate hunt against the survivors. The survivors must either kill the executioner or be killed by him.
Skill Levels: Strength 13, Mind 7, Agility 13
Special Skill: Feast (Come, join the carnival. Every chase must be enjoyed to the fullest, every scar must be flaunted, and every drop of blood must run scalding hot.)
Life Status: Special physical entity form, under the influence of bloodlust】
It was already known that Fu Liu II and Fu Liu I did not share memories or states, so what about Fu Liu III?
This status was not good at all. Looking at the Rain's Message interface, Bai Ci felt a wave of disgust, wishing it hadn't even popped up.
Using Fu Liu as an anchor, Bai Ci identified the others.
The five people standing on the other side of the stage were precisely the four who had died during the nighttime phases in this game, plus the first to die, the long-haired woman, Li Yi.
Just then, a bright spotlight suddenly beamed down right in the center of the stage, dispelling the darkness there.
A scholarly man dressed in a cyan long gown appeared under the light.
He had a gentle face with a faint smile on his lips. Holding a scroll of a script in his hand, he spoke slowly. His tone carried a hint of apology, yet concealed an unquestionable arrogance.
“Dear audience, the first half of this play has come to an end.”
A few scattered claps rang out, mixed with some jeers.
“Boring.”
“So dull.”
“Lame. I want to see rivers of blood.”
There were occasional voices where the words couldn't be made out, but the tone was identically filled with impatience and disdain.
Those mocking words drifted clearly into Bai Ci's ears.
Those bloody records, those crimson deaths and struggles, were actually nothing more than a play in the eyes of these unknown spectators—a farce meant for their entertainment.
A trace of anger welled up in her heart, but she forced it down with logic. She had known this game was a farce, but she never expected they would be treated like clowns put on display for others' amusement.
“My deepest apologies for failing to satisfy your interest.” The man's voice was calm, carrying a self-satisfied tone of someone in complete control. “Next, please move to the audience seats for the second half in an order-based manner. After some brief preparations, the second half's game of tag will begin.”
“I assure you all that this performance will be even more thrilling. I absolutely will not disappoint you.”
Having said his piece, he bowed slightly to the audience. His figure then gradually became translucent, eventually vanishing completely beneath the spotlight.
Simultaneously, the spectators in the audience dissipated like smoke. In the blink of an eye, the previously packed auditorium became empty once more.
The five figures on the other side of the stage also grew increasingly faint, clearly about to dissipate completely.
“My dear, in the second half, please die by my hand.” Fu Liu bowed slightly. His voice carried a sweet, cloying tone, yet in this setting, it felt bizarrely chilling.
The spotlight gradually went out, plunging the entire stage into a brief darkness.
Just as the four of them thought they would remain bound, the invisible restriction on their bodies suddenly vanished.
They each stretched their stiff bodies and rubbed their numb limbs, their faces finally able to show the shock and anger they felt.
“Just now... what was that about?” Sun Hao was the first to speak, his voice still tinged with lingering panic. “What on earth were those spectators? And that man in the long gown—who exactly is he?”
He intentionally omitted the awkward topic of Fu Liu.
Rate on N.U.
