Chapter 28 Panic

Everyone looked towards the small door. It was not even as tall as a person and was more like a dog hole than a door.

Gu Beiming was surprised. "Why is the door so small? This is a dog hole! Are we going to climb through this?"

Gu Nansheng glanced at him and said, "Did you see the combination lock on the door? We have to find the combination before we can climb up. Stop talking nonsense and find it quickly."

After saying that, she started walking around the room again.

The password information must be hidden somewhere with words, but there is nothing with words anywhere in the lobby.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Nansheng said to everyone, "Let's search the house to see if there's anything written on it. The password must be hidden there."

Knowing that they had no experience in playing in an escape room, Song Shuyi and his mother did not act on their own. Instead, they listened carefully to Gu Nansheng and began to search.

As for Gu Beiming, although he was still afraid of this dark and gloomy environment, he didn't want to continue to hold his sister back and started looking.

Finally, Gu Beiming found a letter under a table covered with a red cloth.

The letter was written by a woman named "Ji Xuan" to her lover——

Gu Lang, this marriage is not my wish. It was Dad who forced me. I've figured it out. Compared to being with you, the Ji family's wealth and splendor are nothing. If you're willing, I'll escape the Ji Mansion through a secret passage at midnight today. We'll meet at our usual place then. - Ji Xuan

Then they turned over the back of the letter and found a Sudoku game!

Just fill in these few numbers and the password should appear.

This naturally did not pose a problem for Gu Nansheng. He filled in the password and opened the door in two or three strokes, and then a dark and eerie secret passage appeared before them.

The next secret room naturally did not pose any difficulty for Gu Nansheng. Apart from the scary NPCs played by the staff appearing from time to time and scaring the others so that they dared not move forward, their journey through the secret room went very smoothly overall.

They quickly cracked one secret room after another, and Gu Nansheng didn't even use his points to exchange for hints.

Soon they arrived at the last secret room, and at this time they roughly knew the whole story.

A rich young lady named Ji Xuan falls in love with Gu Lan, a young scholar from a wealthy family, but her father wants her to marry someone else.

So on the eve of her wedding, she planned to elope with the scholar and leave home.

However, on the way to elope, they were caught by Ji's father.

Ji's father wanted to take Ji Xuan back, but Ji Xuan gave up and said that she had already had an affair with the scholar.

Ji's father was very angry, but he had to compromise and could only marry his daughter to the scholar.

Although the scholar was poor, he was quite talented. He swore to Ji Xuan that he would one day pass the imperial examination, become a high-ranking official, bring honor to his family, and no longer let her suffer from Ji's father's dislike.

So a year after they got married, the scholar set out for Beijing to take the imperial examination, while Ji Xuan waited for his return with trust in her lover.

However, spring passed and autumn came, and three years passed, but Ji Xuan still hadn't waited for her scholar.

She asked around among her fellow townspeople who were taking the imperial examination, but all she got was a shake of the head and a sigh, saying they didn't know the scholar's whereabouts.

It was not until a scholar who was friends with the scholar returned home that Ji Xuan learned that the scholar had won the third place in the imperial examination in his first year and was chosen as a son-in-law by the prime minister.

Ji Xuan was devastated, but still held on to the hope that the scholar had made a mistake, and she wanted to go to Beijing to find her husband!

Ji's father laughed at her for being wishful thinking and told her to accept her fate, and he would find a new husband for her.

However, Ji Xuan refused to listen and secretly went to the capital with her dowry. Then she saw the happy scene of her scholar and the daughter of the prime minister living in harmony with each other.

She was devastated and stopped the scholar's sedan chair in the street to question him. However, the scholar just said indifferently that he didn't know her.

Ji Xuan was completely heartbroken and decided to go home. However, the moment she walked out of the capital city gate, she was ambushed by bandits.

At the moment of her death, she reluctantly asked the bandits who ordered them, and then she heard the name from the bandits that she had never dreamed of - Gu Lan.

Her body lay exposed in the wilderness for several months before a kind fellow villager took her back.

Because of her resentment, her ghost could not dissipate for a long time, waiting for Gu Lan to return home and take revenge.

Ten years after her death, Gu Lan brought the prime minister's daughter back to her hometown in rich clothes to pay homage to her ancestors.

That night, a strong wind blew in Gu Lan's newly built mansion. The gate was closed tightly and no one could leave the house. It was not until the next morning that everyone discovered that everyone in the Gu family was dead.

After that, the house became a famous haunted house, and only brave people like them dared to enter.

After reading this story, everyone in the live broadcast room immediately started cursing the scumbag.

[A Xuan is so pitiful. Now I don’t think the female ghosts before are so scary anymore.]

What a utter scumbag Gu Lan is! He relied on A Xuan's dowry to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination, and if he passed, he would climb up to a bigger power.

[Sisters, have you seen this? Don't help the poor. Not only will men not be grateful, but once they become rich, they'll want to dump you, and maybe even kill you.]

Song Shuyi, who was always sentimental, sighed, "It's really another story of a heartless man and a lovelorn woman. A man's infatuation can still be overcome, but a woman's infatuation is unspeakable."

Gu Beiming, who always had a strong sense of justice, also cursed, "This Gu Lan is such a scumbag. Not only did he betray Ji Xuan, he even murdered her. It was so satisfying that Ji Xuan killed their entire family in the end!"

Gu Nansheng did not agree with them. She intuitively felt that the story presented at the last moment was not the final version.

She could only smile and say, "Since Miss Ji Xuan is so nice, why did you run away when you saw her just now?"

Gu Beiming was stunned. He thought of the time when he was chased around by the ghost girl Ji Xuan, played by an NPC. After a while, he stammered, "This ghost is different from a human. Besides, didn't I know that Miss Ji Xuan was a good person at the time? If I had known, I wouldn't have been so afraid of it."

Seeing Gu Beiming's stubborn look, Gu Nansheng felt amused and didn't argue with him. He turned his attention to the last secret room.

This secret room is underground. The walls are smooth without any gaps, and a coffin is placed in the center.

Obviously, the key to this secret room lies in the coffin in front of you.

Gu Nansheng has always been bold in thinking and acting, and never procrastinates. She plans to open the coffin directly.

She winked at Gu Beiming and said, "Go over there and we'll open the coffin together."

However, Gu Beiming hesitated again, "Sister, this might not be a good idea. The dead are the greatest."

Gu Nansheng knew that Gu Beiming was scared again, so she didn't force him. She turned to look at Luo Qingyu beside her and said, "Xiaoyu, are you okay with this?"

Luo Qingyu immediately nodded and agreed, "Sister Gu, don't worry, I'm very strong."

As he said that, he walked to the other side, gathering his strength to lift the coffin lid together with Gu Nansheng.

Gu Beiming was immediately anxious when he saw this. This brat was stealing his job again! He was really good at competing with him for his sister's attention. He was determined not to be outdone.

He immediately said to Gu Nansheng, "Sister, I didn't say I wouldn't do it. I just think we should pay our respects before opening the coffin."

Gu Nansheng knew what he was thinking and found it funny, but now that someone was eager to do the job, she naturally wouldn't refuse.

She nodded and said, "Oh, so, then you can worship her on our behalf."

Gu Beiming could only bite the bullet and bow to the coffin.

When he finished praying and thought he could finally replace Luo Qingyu and open the coffin with Gu Nansheng, he heard Gu Nansheng say, "Come to me. This kind of physical work is of course best done by young men like you."

Gu Beiming was dumbfounded when he saw Gu Nansheng giving up his seat.

However, it was impossible for him to regret at this time, so he could only lift the coffin lid with Luo Qingyu with a lot of resentment.

[Hahaha, this is hilarious! Xiao Ming originally wanted to work hard on the mission with his sister, but he didn't expect to end up working on it with his old rival.]

[But Xiao Ming still completed the task with tears in her eyes. After all, she couldn't let her sister do the task with the enemy.]

There was a lot of laughter in the live broadcast room mocking Gu Beiming, but soon they no longer had the heart to laugh at Gu Beiming.

As the coffin lid opened, a "woman (doll)" wearing a complicated red wedding dress lay quietly inside the coffin, and underneath the coffin was a piece of "thousand-year-old black ice" that was still emitting cold air.

There is no need to think too much about the woman's identity, it is obviously Ji Xuan.

But wasn't she brutally murdered by bandits, and then brought back to her hometown by fellow villagers months later? Why was her body in such good condition?

Logically speaking, she should be a pile of bones, but now this corpse seems to have been deliberately preserved intact and even dressed in a wedding dress.

Who did this?

Question marks popped up in Gu Nansheng's mind. She intuitively felt that there must be a reversal.

She reached out and began to search the coffin, and soon found a letter behind the female corpse, and the letter was signed by the unfaithful man Gu Lan!

A-Xuan:

Unconsciously, you have been away from me for ten years. What I regret most in these thirteen years is that I left you and went to the capital for the so-called future.

I thought our happy life would begin after high school, but it was not until I was brought into the Prime Minister's residence and forced to marry the Prime Minister's daughter that I realized that all that was just wishful thinking.

I admit that I was a coward. When the prime minister threatened my family's and your lives, I had no choice but to agree.

During those three years, I worked hard to climb the ladder, hoping to reach a high position and escape the control of the prime minister.

However, I didn't expect that you would come to the capital before I was ready. I could only pretend that I didn't know you and that I was a heartless man, so that you would give up looking for me and go home.

However, even so, they did not let you go. They hired people to pretend to be bandits and kill you on your way home, and even used my name to make you hate me.

I was so angry that I even wanted to die with you. But then I thought, if I die like this, who will avenge you?

So during these ten years, I formed cliques and engaged in intrigues, and finally ascended to a high position, while the Prime Minister also retired due to old age and was no longer valued by Your Majesty.

I knew my chance had come.

So I went back to my hometown on the pretext of worshipping my ancestors and brought back the prime minister and his daughter.

Then that night I ordered the gates to be sealed and a hallucinogenic incense to be lit, causing the prime minister's men to kill each other. Then I took advantage of the chaos and killed the prime minister and his daughter with my own hands.

At the same time, I had already arranged for people to spread the news about the female ghost to confuse everyone.

The vengeance has been taken, and my worries have been resolved. Axuan, I am here to accompany you now.

Looking at such a letter, everyone fell silent again.

They were just cursing the scumbag, but now the situation has reversed, and many people find it hard to accept for a while.

After a while, barrage of comments appeared again in the live broadcast room.

So this Gu Lang is actually a good person? He was forced to marry the prime minister's daughter, and in the end he took revenge and died for love.

I actually cried after reading this letter. Damn, why does this challenge variety show have such a heartbreaking and sentimental plot?

[This young couple is really miserable. I apologize for cursing the scumbag just now.]

The atmosphere among the guests inside was somewhat stagnant, and several people looked somewhat depressed.

Gu Beiming even grabbed her hand and said sadly, "Sister, I misunderstood Gu Lan before. I didn't expect that he was the one with the most extraordinary love."

Gu Nansheng sighed. This crappy program crew was really good at making up stories. They had actually tricked his stupid brother into tears again.

She wasn't heartless, but she knew clearly that it was all fake.

Since it was fake, she naturally wouldn't invest too much emotion in it.

Seeing that everyone had been silent for nearly five minutes and time was urgent, she decided to speak up to break the current atmosphere.

"Actually, regardless of the former or latter version of the truth, it's all a fabricated story made up by the production team. We've been stuck here doing nothing for five minutes. If we continue to grieve like this, the real pain will come when we lose the game and face punishment."

[Hahaha, Sister Gu is indeed a career-oriented person. She is determined to find clues to get out of the secret room.]

[Great! Sister Gu successfully brought me out of that emo mood. This is the show's script. Let's get high and continue watching Sister Gu hold the whole place.]

[We're already in the last chamber. Whichever group exits first wins. I agree with Sister Gu. No matter how touching the plot is, it's not as important as the mission I have to complete.]

Thinking of the various punishment methods used by the program team, everyone immediately pulled themselves out of their sad mood and decided to work together to find clues to escape.

After a careful search, Gu Nansheng and his team finally found a secret passage under the female corpse.

The story has been fully revealed at this point. Logically speaking, after walking out of this secret passage, they have completed all the challenges.

The happiest person was Gu Beiming. He said happily, "Finally, I don't have to be scared by ghosts popping out from time to time."

Song Shuyi was also very happy. "I'm already 40 years old, and the production team still made me do this. Luckily, my heart is still good. If I were older, I would really have a heart attack."

Then Gu Beiming said to everyone, "I'll lead the way for everyone!"

Gu Nansheng had a hunch that this secret passage might not be as peaceful as she had imagined. However, before she could say anything, Gu Beiming rushed into the secret passage, looking very impatient.

Seeing this, Gu Nansheng's words to remind him to be careful were stuck on his lips. Forget it, if there really was something in the secret passage, it would be a lesson for him.

Gu Beiming took the lead and climbed in front, looking back at Gu Nansheng from time to time, "Sis, don't worry, I'm here to block the way ahead, no problem."

Gu Nansheng found it a little funny, but also heartwarming.

Just as Gu Beiming saw that the secret passage was getting brighter and brighter and they were about to walk out of the secret passage, suddenly a cold wind blew up in the entire secret passage and countless hands stretched out from both sides of the secret passage.

Gu Beiming was immediately shocked, "Ahhh! What the hell is this! Why did so many hands suddenly appear?!"

He was terrified, but he still remembered his duty as a path-breaker. He frantically swatted away the hands that stretched out from both sides and warned the people behind him, "Everyone, be careful. There are so many ghost hands. Let's rush forward and get out of this damn place."

[Hahaha, I was so confident just now, but now I'm scared like this.]

【It only takes a moment to get slapped in the face.】

[But the production team is really sick. They are about to leave and still do this.]

Xiao Ming still remembered to remind everyone to be careful at this time. I was really crying.

After half a minute of rapid crawling, they finally reached the exit of the secret passage.

The terrifying screams and waving arms in the secret passage were gone, and all that was left was the vibrant garden in the sun.

Xu Bo stood there, smiling at everyone and said, "Welcome guests back to the human world~"

*

At the same time, Chen Jiayan and her team's expedition also came to an end.

Although she knew the answer to unlock the secret room, it did not help Chen Jiayan overcome her inner fear.

She didn't dare to get close to those props, even if she knew the clues or where the key was hidden, she didn't dare to take it.

So after some thought, she began to remind other guests to discover it, both explicitly and implicitly.

She was very proud of her intelligence and talent. This way, she not only didn't have to do anything, but also showed her kindness to other guests. I think netizens would also appreciate her magnanimity.

However, what she didn't know was that netizens in the live broadcast room were very skeptical about her actions.

How did Chen Jiayan manage to tell what was hidden underneath those objects without even touching them? Was she a prophet?

[Although Gu Nansheng next door is also amazing, she searched everywhere on her own. Chen Jiayan didn't even look for it, but she can always give the correct answer. Isn't this ridiculous?]

[This is so fake! I've seen many masters playing escape rooms and they can't do this.]

The more I watch, the more I feel like Chen Jiayan is like she's holding a script. Otherwise, how could she possibly achieve this level of skill?

At this time, Chen Jiayan didn't know that she had been suspected by netizens. When the Ye Ze brothers learned about Ji Xuan's story and were cursing the scumbag, Chen Jiayan planned to be a prophet.

"I understand everyone's anger, but this isn't the final outcome yet. There might even be a twist, so let's not jump to conclusions too soon."

Since Gu Nansheng has already revealed the final ending, netizens running around on both sides also know the plot.

Seeing Chen Jiayan's words that were comparable to those of a prophet, they did not praise Chen Jiayan's intelligence, but became more suspicious.

[This is hilarious! Chen Jiayan is predicting the future again.]

If you're someone who often plays escape rooms, it's normal to predict the final twist.

[It's normal to predict once, but it's outrageous to predict every time.]

[Stop trying to whitewash yourself. Haven't you seen Chen Jiayan play the prophet so many times? No wonder everyone doubts her.]

Chen Jiayan's internet trolls sighed repeatedly as they watched the scene in the live broadcast room.

What happened to the Chen siblings being smart? How could they have managed to pull off so many mishaps in such a short period of time, leaving them with no idea where to begin!

However, it was not a fatal black material, so they did not intend to wash it away. Instead, they found a new topic to cover it up.

However, at this moment, Chen Jiayan and others entered the last secret room and discovered that this was the secret room where Gu Lan killed the prime minister and his daughter, and they also learned of Gu Lan's overall plan.

Seeing everyone silent because of the reversal, Chen Jiayan felt very proud and said to them, "Sure enough, there is a reversal. Gu Lan and Ji Xuan are both pitiful people. Gu Lan went to the imperial examination so that Ji Xuan could live a good life, but unexpectedly, it ended up costing his lover's life."

The Ye Ze brothers were actually a little confused in their hearts. Chen Jiayan knew too much along the way, but they were still comrades in the same boat, so naturally they had to support her.

They also exclaimed, "Jia Yan, you are really amazing. There is actually a twist. It seems that you must have played many escape rooms. You are really experienced."

Chen Jiayan, a self-proclaimed socialite, had no intention of playing a game like escape room, which she considered a waste of time. However, she had to find an excuse to say she knew so much.

She immediately laughed and said, "I haven't played too much. I just prefer reading mystery novels. These are all the same."

Then she heard Ye Ze and Ye Ting's flattery again.

Soon, under the command of Chen Jiayan, they found a door hidden in the wall. When the door was opened, there was a secret passage that was only slightly higher than a person. Chen Jiayan knew that after passing through this secret passage, they would reach the exit.

She shouted to everyone, "It looks like our challenge is about to succeed." After that, she changed her previous style of hiding behind others and took the lead.

When Chen Taining saw his sister enter the secret passage, he followed her in without any hesitation.

The two brothers Ye Ze and Ye Ting looked at each other and then stepped into the secret passage.

The secret passage was very quiet, with only the sound of a few people walking, and as they walked, the light in the secret passage became brighter and brighter.

Chen Jiayan became more and more convinced that this should be the final exit, and her pace quickened.

However, at this moment, a "ghostly" howling sound suddenly rang out from the secret passage, and several "ghosts" rushed out from the front of the secret passage.

[Oh my god, why did the production team still use this trick at the last moment?]

[I was so scared that I almost spit out the water in my mouth.]

Chen Jiayan was also shocked. She had been mentally prepared a few times before, and although she was also scared, she did not lose her composure.

However, she was frightened by the sudden appearance of the "ghost" and her face turned pale. All she wanted was to find a place to hide.

Soon she saw Chen Taining, who was only half a meter away from her. She stretched out her hand and pulled him subconsciously, then pulled Chen Taining in front of her, while she quickly retreated.

Chen Taining was also frightened by the sudden appearance of the ghost. He was also pulled forward by Chen Jiayan to block it. His face turned pale and he shouted, "Sister, what are you doing? Don't pull me!"

After hearing the voice, Chen Jiayan suddenly realized what she had done and her face turned pale.

At this moment, the live broadcast room exploded again.

What is Chen Jiayan doing? Is she pushing her brother out when danger strikes?

[Isn't she a good sister? How could she treat Xiao Ning like this?]

[I have to say this is really selfish. My image of her as a gentle older sister has been shattered.]

Seeing this, the navy panicked and quickly began to whitewash the image.

"It's just a game. Those ghosts just look scary, but they're definitely not dangerous. Isn't it a bit too much to say that about Jiayan?"

If it's just a game and there's no danger, then why did Chen Jiayan pull Chen Taining forward?

This kind of on-the-spot reaction is the most challenging test of one's character. It's hard to say whether a truly good person would do such a thing.

[Gu Beiming next door was also suddenly frightened, and everyone saw his reaction, he was more timid than anyone else, but even so, he didn't push anyone out.]