The boy with the flashlight spoke up next, offering a way to change the subject. “If these really are theatrical scenes, will there be clues inside? Where should we go to look for them now?”
“I can’t say for sure, but if there’s one place most likely to hold information, I think it would be the study. It has the most paper materials. If there was anything that needed to be recorded in writing, that would be the most convenient place,” Bai Ci analyzed.
She paused, then added, “But everyone must be careful. There was a trap in the banquet hall just now, and there are likely traps in the other scenes too. Once we go in, we should check for traps first and only act after confirming it’s safe.”
“Also, about the torture instrument we found in the banquet hall just now... I was thinking, this theater is trying to lure us into slaughtering one another, just like the demons in those stories. I don’t think killing is a good solution.”
After some thought, Bai Ci decided to voice her theory. Judging from the information revealed on Fu Liu I's panel, the so-called battle royale was more like a theatrical play performed for some higher being, with the players serving as offerings for the Feast of Sacrifice.
To survive, white and gray souls would slaughter one another in a closed space. Whether out of justice or selfishness, their emotions, reason, desires, and instincts would constantly tear at each other. In the end, only blood-colored, broken souls would survive.
From a theatrical perspective, this would be a fitting finale.
If pushed to the extreme—like the capped man’s suggestion of one person killing the other eleven—it might even result in a high-evaluation ending.
But Bai Ci preferred another outcome: one where everyone survived. By breaking through the core of the play and reaching its essence, she could fulfill her promise to Fu Liu—to liberate all the sacrificed souls.
Before that, she had to prevent the conflicts among them from escalating to an irreconcilable point.
This was also why, all this time, Bai Ci had only emphasized investigating clues rather than trying to identify who was a Madman and who was a Citizen.
“I agree with Bai Jiu,” Filament chimed in. “And once you kill someone, there's no turning back. Even if you manage to get out in the end, will you be able to live with yourselves? Can you really return to your peaceful daily lives with a clear conscience?”
“Me too. If I had to kill someone, especially one of you, I couldn't do it. Just thinking about it... I just can't...” The high-ponytail girl’s body trembled slightly, her voice shaking along with it.
“Well, if it were me, I could never do anything to hurt my baby either,” Fu Liu said firmly.
“This place is very bizarre. If we can crack it, maybe we won't even have to worry about that battle royale. Don't lose hope, everyone.” The boy with the flashlight hesitated for a moment before walking over to the high-ponytail girl to comfort her.
Once everyone’s emotions had calmed down a bit, Bai Ci took the lead and they walked toward the study.
Bai Ci turned the wooden doorknob and stepped inside first, with the others following closely behind.
The study was spacious. Tall bookshelves lined the walls, packed with all kinds of books. At a glance, there were play scripts, poetry collections, history books, and some ancient texts that looked quite old.
In the center of the study stood a wide desk, on which sat a fountain pen and an open book.
Following the plan they had agreed upon before entering, everyone dispersed and began checking for traps.
The bases of several bookshelves were highly unstable and would topple with a slight push; a sharp axe was hidden inside the desk drawer; a few metal ornaments on the high shelves were precariously loose; and several hollow floor tiles on the ground were loose, likely concealing mechanisms underneath...
“This is too dangerous. There are traps everywhere,” the high-ponytail girl couldn't help but say, her voice filled with lingering fear. “Thank goodness we checked first. If we had just walked around blindly, something terrible would have definitely happened.”
Filament held the axe, his tone solemn. “First a torture instrument, now an axe. This damn theater just wants us to slaughter one another in a fight to the death.”
Bai Ci had expected this, so her tone was calm. “Now is not the time to dwell on this. I just found a few bottles of ink. We can use them to mark the traps so no one accidentally triggers them later.”
“When you're checking the bookshelves and the desk, make sure to avoid the areas I mark. It would be great if we could find some useful information before the daytime phase ends.”
Dong—
Not long after they began inspecting the bookshelves, a deep chime suddenly rang out, echoing clearly throughout the entire theater. The sound was heavy and resonant.
Following the chime, the lights in the study began to flicker rhythmically, casting dim, unstable shadows of the bookshelves that clawed wildly against the walls.
“It's the chime. There's only one chime left before the nighttime phase begins. We have to get to the second-floor dormitories immediately, or we'll be in danger,” Bai Ci warned instantly, already bolting out the door.
Not daring to linger, the others quickly ran toward the study's exit.
As they stepped out of the study, the corridor lights were also flickering, and the echo of the first chime was about to fade.
There was no time for discussion or to organize the clues they had just gathered. They could only sprint toward the staircase, desperate to reach the second-floor dormitories as quickly as possible.
Soon, they reached the second floor. Just like the first floor, the second-floor corridor was lined with numerous wooden doors on both sides.
At the end of the corridor stood a massive grandfather clock. Its hands were spinning rapidly, moving from eight-thirty toward nine o'clock. The ticking sound felt like a countdown.
As for empty rooms, they weren't hard to find. Whether it was designed this way or someone had done a good deed, the rooms that were occupied had their doors tightly shut, while the unoccupied ones were left half-open.
Bai Ci let the others choose first, leaving her with the room closest to the grandfather clock. Seeing that it was almost nine o'clock, she had no time to set up any precautions and could only step inside.
The moment she closed the door, she clearly heard a soft click, like the sound of an automatic lock snapping into place.
Bai Ci tapped her head. She should have first figured out how to determine when the phases transitioned. That way, she wouldn't have had to rush like this, and she could have set some simple traps on the dormitory doors—like a strand of hair—to track the Madmen's movements.
One could never be too careful, after all.
Bai Ci stared at the door and pondered. In truth, a strand of hair wasn't that reliable anyway. Everyone would be opening their doors the next morning, and she couldn't guarantee she would be the first one up to check the state of the hairs before anyone else opened their doors.
However, there was a chewing gum item in the shop with a similar effect. It could be stuck to one side of the door, and once the door closed, it would adhere to the other side as well. The tear marks left by opening the door once versus opening it twice would be completely different.
More importantly, as a system item, it was much harder to detect than actual chewing gum, unless someone was staring intently at the door.
Although she couldn't buy these bizarre items, looking at them still helped her stay on guard. Who knew if a player might try to target her, an "NPC"?
Huh?
Speak of the devil, what was she looking at?
Rate on N.U.
