“What else did you expect?” the capped man said casually. “She was the one who wouldn't listen. She insisted on kicking the door and testing the waters. She got what she deserved. Are we supposed to die with her just because of her stupidity?”
Bai Ci pulled Fu Liu’s hand down. Only hearing the voices without seeing what was happening would hinder her information gathering.
The capped man's words angered many, especially the college students, whose faces clearly showed their indignation.
The boy with the flashlight frowned, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction, but his naturally reserved nature kept him from speaking up.
Filament was not about to indulge the capped man. Helping up the high-ponytail girl, who had collapsed, she glared coldly at him, her tone sharp with rebuke.
“You’ve gone too far. Even if she made a mistake, she didn't deserve to die. How can you be so heartless?”
“Heartless?” The capped man sneered. “In a game of life and death like this, do you expect to win through sympathy? Stop dreaming. If you don't want to die, you'd better wake up.”
“P-Please, let’s not fight. Arguing won’t help anything,” Bai Ci stepped forward, attempting to defuse the situation with clumsy mediation. Her face was a mask of anxiety and awkward helplessness.
“My baby is right. Stop arguing,” Fu Liu chimed in, echoing her words.
Whether they could actually convince anyone didn't matter. The important thing was to interrupt the explosive conversation and give both sides an out. Naturally, the argument fizzled out.
“With eloquence like yours, you're actually trying to play peacemaker?” The capped man rolled his eyes, a habit he had already developed whenever he looked at Bai Ci. “Whatever. There's no point in arguing with a bunch of naive kids who haven't even entered the real world yet.”
Although the bickering had stopped, the already tense and uneasy atmosphere grew even more stifling. There was no reversing this.
At that moment, Fu Yan spoke up again, successfully drawing everyone's attention. “Stop arguing. No amount of fighting will change anything. Her death has already proven that this game is real. The doors cannot be touched lightly, and the rules cannot be tested recklessly.”
“Right now, our priority isn't arguing, but exploring this theater to find useful clues. We can't just sit here and wait, or we'll be left entirely at the mercy of the game—and that goes for both the Madmen and the Citizens.”
“Why should we listen to you?” Fu Yan's unquestionable tone triggered the overalls man's rebellious streak, and he immediately snapped back.
“Who do you think you are? Why should we follow your orders? I'm not letting anyone boss me around. Do whatever you want, but leave me out of it.”
Fu Yan glanced at him. He didn't seem offended or angry at all—or rather, he had never spared a thought for the overalls man in the first place.
“I am not ordering you. I am merely making a suggestion.”
“Believe it or not, that's up to you. You can act on your own, but you will bear the consequences of your actions. I simply do not want anyone's reckless behavior to drag the rest of us down.”
Bai Ci actually agreed with Fu Yan, but given her persona, she couldn't say such things out loud.
“I think this big brother makes sense,” she chimed in to persuade them, choosing softer words that would be easier for people to accept. “In a theater this large, there must be something here. If we explore first and find useful items, we might understand the theater better. Who knows? We might even find a peaceful way to resolve this.”
Ignoring the overalls man's mood, Fu Yan turned to Cheng Xi and extended a calm invitation. “Want to go together?”
Cheng Xi nodded and put away her card. “Let's go,” she said straightforwardly. “Staying here is useless anyway. We might as well take a look. Even if we don't find any clues, it's better than sitting around waiting to die.”
With that, the two stepped off the stage and headed down the corridor to the right.
Seeing that Fu Yan completely ignored him, the overalls man had nowhere to vent his anger. He turned his frustration onto Bai Ci. “Are you in league with him? You say whatever he wants you to say! I think both of you are suspicious. Maybe you're the Madmen!”
“Don't make false accusations!” Fu Liu immediately stepped forward, shielding Bai Ci behind him. He glared coldly at Wang Er, his tone laced with anger. “My baby was just sharing her thoughts. What right do you have to accuse her? Besides, we came in together. I know what kind of person she is far better than you do.”
Fu Liu's fierce protective stance caught the overalls man off guard, causing him to instinctively take a step back.
Seeing this, the man in the suit quickly stepped in to play peacemaker. A smile plastered on his face, he spoke in a chatty, warm tone, “Brother Wang Er, don't be rash. This is all a misunderstanding. Brother Fu Yan meant well. His suggestion was for everyone's sake; he just doesn't want anyone to lose their lives for nothing.”
“If you're worried about accidents and don't trust them, why don't you team up with me? That way, we can look out for each other. What do you think?”
Although the overalls man was angry, he hadn't completely lost his head. He knew that acting alone was indeed too dangerous. While Fu Yan's suggestion irritated him, it was indeed the safest course of action right now.
Thus, he let out a cold snort, his tone still thick with impatience. “Fine, let's go. I'd like to see what you can find. But if you try to pull any tricks, I won't let you off easy.”
“Of course not, of course not. We're all just trying to survive. Why would we play tricks? Come on, let's go check out the second floor.” The man in the suit smiled, though his smile carried a distinct trace of exhaustion.
The two of them headed toward the stairs on one side of the stage, making their way toward the dormitories on the second floor.
Bai Ci gave the man in the suit a grateful smile, then turned to her classmates, proposing gently,
“We should stick together too. People have already gone to the second floor and the right corridor, so how about we check out the left side? That way, we can cover more ground and increase our chances of finding clues.”
According to their established roles, they were all classmates who knew each other well, so naturally, no one objected to Bai Ci's suggestion.
Having reached an agreement, the group slowly stepped off the stage and headed in the opposite direction of Fu Yan's team.
The remaining two, the muscular man and the capped man, exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of wariness in their eyes.
“Together?” the muscular man asked, his tone somewhat probing.
The capped man raised an eyebrow, sizing Zheng Ba up. “Sure, but let me make one thing clear first: don't play any tricks, or I won't go easy on you.”
The muscular man smiled, unfazed by the capped man's warning. “Don't worry, I just want to survive. I won't go looking for trouble.”
“Let's check out the second floor too. We might find something useful. Since the dormitories are up there, we might even find clues about other people's identities.”
The capped man nodded. “Fine by me.”
Having formed a temporary alliance, they said no more and made their way toward the second floor.
Just like that, the twelve people who had originally gathered on the stage—now down to eleven after one death—split into four groups and began exploring in different directions.
Rate on N.U.
