After gaining a basic understanding of the rules, Ren Yi looked up and scanned the twelve game participants, himself and his teammates included.
By now, many people seemed to have grasped the rules and were beginning to eye those around them with suspicion.
All the seats were arranged clockwise, and Ren Yi found himself in the position of Player 3.
Zhang Qiuqiu and Lu Zihan were not far to his left, occupying the spots for Player 7 and Player 8, respectively. Their outfits had changed slightly, but their physical appearances remained the same.
However, he didn’t see Lord Cha at first glance.
Of course he didn’t. In a game where participants were hunting for an Anomaly, a Cha could hardly go strolling about in its original form.
But that didn't matter; they had a cheat.
Once again, he was grateful for the services provided by the big shots of the Anomaly Web.
On the surface, Ren Yi appeared to be frowning in deep thought over the rules, but his consciousness quickly connected to the Anomaly Web.
As soon as he opened the “School Bombing Squad” group chat, he saw a notification: “WhatAreYouLookingAt has invited Don’tTouchMyTailAndMelons to the group chat.”
A message popped up immediately after.
“Yo, uh, haha! I like your group name.”
This was greeted by a “Death Stare” emoji sent by Zhang Qiuqiu.
“Lord Cha, you’re being a bit unsportsmanlike,” Lu Zihan followed up with a condemnation.
“My bad,” Lord Cha replied, virtually sliding into a groveling apology.
“As in ‘I’m sorry, but I’ll do it again next time’?” Ren Yi quickly joined the squad in condemning Lord Cha.
However, after each person had thrown in their jab, they quickly focused on the situation at hand.
“Lord Cha, where are you?” Ren Yi asked.
“I’m in the hat,” Lord Cha replied instantly. Ren Yi could almost sense a hint of fawning in his speed.
Wait, was that answer a bit of a non-sequitur?
“Ren Yi means, what number are you?” Zhang Qiuqiu explained with a hint of helplessness.
“Oh, oh! I’m Player 12.”
For a moment, Ren Yi felt a flicker of doubt.
Why did he get the vague feeling that Lord Cha didn't really know how to play?
He didn’t show any outward signs of his internal monologue, instead scanning the room again as if observing everyone’s expressions.
This time, he spotted a pot-bellied chef sitting in the Player 12 position, who indeed wore a very tall toque.
Lu Zihan and Zhang Qiuqiu also confirmed the locations of their teammates. Lu Zihan even offered a critique.
“Lord Cha, your puppet’s image is pretty mediocre.”
Lord Cha was indignant. “You don’t understand. In this game, being mediocre has its own advantages.”
“Someone as eye-catching as Ren Yi, on the other hand, is much more likely to run into trouble.”
Their conversation left Ren Yi stunned.
Because his perception was being suppressed, he didn’t know what kind of random disguise this Instance had given him.
But with this reminder, he realized that his nose felt a bit heavy.
He reached up to touch his nose; a round, gelatinous object was covering it.
He gave his hair a tug, and several strands of multi-colored, curly plastic wig came away in his hand.
Great. He could pretty much guess how “eye-catching” his current image was.
But he didn’t have time to dwell on it, because the surrounding lights suddenly dimmed. Only a single candle on the candelabra in front of Player 1 remained flickering, casting a somewhat terrifying glow on their face.
The speaking phase for the “Leader” election had begun.
Ren Yi felt the weight of a rule descend upon him, carrying the intent of “shutting one’s mouth.”
It seemed the rules this time didn't trust the players to actively follow the game’s structure, so they chose to use direct force.
Judging by his attire, Player 1 was a young man wearing a tie and a white shirt. In a word, he looked like a salesman.
He was clearly caught off guard and quickly sat up straight to begin his speaking phase.
“The preparation time was a bit too short. I haven't quite sorted everything out yet, so I’ll just speak as my thoughts come to me.”
“I don’t know if there are any newbies here this time. That little sister at Player 7 looks a bit like one, so as the first speaker, I’ll say a few more words.”
Player 1 spoke with a very serious expression.
“Everyone, this is a real death game. I want to emphasize that you really can die, just like you’ve seen in novels.”
“Infinite flow, Instances, God Space—call it whatever you want.”
“In here, your only reliance is your own brain and the game rules we just saw.”
Ren Yi touched his nose.
There was one advantage to this outfit: he didn’t have to hide the action of touching his nose.
Anyone dressed like this would want to touch their nose every now and then.
Player 1 had revealed a very important piece of information.
If the only things to rely on were brains and rules, did that mean there were no talents or items in this world?
It made sense. After all, the Restriction Rules this time were far more severe than in any previous Instance.
Rather than subtly hinting at the rules to the participants, this place didn't even bother writing the words “Restriction Rule”; it just directly stated “you are not allowed to do this or that” in the regulations.
Ren Yi thought of Wang Zhixin. He had left Wang Zhixin at home for this enrollment because he didn't know the specific situation of the school.
But thinking about Wang Zhixin’s talent—Lie Detection and Anomaly identification—he would have absolutely dominated this Instance.
Nevertheless, Ren Yi checked with Lord Cha for confirmation.
“Lord Cha, do these participants have talents?”
“Oh, oh, I forgot to mention. They’re all Ordinary Humans,” Lord Cha replied quickly.
“The world rules of this place have poured all their power into restricting us. They didn't choose to give their participants any enhancements.”
“That’s why a unique Instance like our Board Game Club could be born.”
“Cha Student Mentor,” Zhang Qiuqiu spoke up gloomily in the chat.
“Shouldn't you have explained this kind of important information to us from the start?”
“Ahem, sorry about that. Let me think if there’s anything else...”
Ignoring the unreliable Lord Cha, Ren Yi continued to focus on Player 1’s speech.
However, Player 1’s next sentence dropped a bombshell.
“Everyone, I have an idea.”
“What if we... don't let anyone go looking for keys during the day?”
The moment those words were spoken, even without his heightened perception, Ren Yi could feel the gazes of everyone around the table change.
They turned into the kind of look one gives a complete idiot.
Rate on N.U.
