Chapter 78, Finding a Way Out
"Ah!! But these candies look really delicious, cousin. Aren't you overthinking it?"
Zhong Linlin, true to her gluttonous nature, kept trying to persuade Zhong Bingxuan that the candies were fine.
"No, don't you know what's going on here? Do you think you can just eat whatever's in the photos?"
"But cousin, I'm so hungry. It's been all night and I haven't eaten anything."
Zhong Linlin looked at Zhong Bingxuan pitifully, but Zhong Bingxuan turned her head away from her cousin's pitiful expression. She was worried that if she softened and agreed to Linlin's request, and something really happened, she wouldn't even have time to cry.
Seeing that her cousin was heartless, Zhong Linlin clung to her cousin with a mournful expression.
"Linlin, just bear with it a little longer, your cousin will soon find a way to get out."
Zhong Bingxuan had already seen the photos of them completing the challenge. Apart from this one, there were no other photos. Once they passed this challenge, they could go back. They couldn't risk their lives here because of momentary cravings.
Zhong Linlin thought her cousin was just saying it casually; did she really want to sneak some food?
Zhong Bingxuan didn't notice this, but Fu Yuchen, who was outside the photo, felt his heart pounding and inadvertently discovered that the color of the candies in Candy City had changed, making them look very appetizing.
"This won't do. If Linlin, that little glutton, sees these candies, she'll definitely eat them all without hesitation. I have to quickly blacken these candies too."
Knowing Linlin's personality, Fu Yuchen was worried that something bad would happen if he was a step too late, so he picked up the black ink and smeared it on the candy.
Zhong Linlin was about to grab a fragrant watermelon candy when it softened and became rotten.
"This candy smells awful."
Startled, Zhong Linlin quickly withdrew her hand, which was about to cause trouble. She was glad that she was a step too slow and didn't eat the rotten watermelon candy.
"This is good, there definitely won't be any problems."
Zhong Bingxuan carried Zhong Linlin past a mango shop. Zhong Linlin's mouth watered at the exquisite mango mille-feuille pastries on the shop, and she reached out to take one and put it in her mouth.
But when Zhong Linlin held the mango mille-feuille pastry in her hand, the fragrant mango aroma turned into a bloody, rotten smell, making her feel disgusted. She couldn't wait to throw the pastry away.
"Linlin, what are you doing?"
The first time, Zhong Bingxuan was focused on finding a way out and didn't notice Linlin's little tricks. But the second time, Zhong Linlin was obviously frightened and made big movements, which caught Zhong Bingxuan's attention and made her realize that her cousin was two-faced and very dishonest.
"Cousin, it's nothing. I was just looking around out of curiosity. I didn't mean to eat any pastries or candies."
Zhong Linlin's confession left Zhong Bingxuan both amused and exasperated. She was eager to leave, lest her cousin do something reckless and risk losing her life.
However, this Candy City area was too large, and unlike the previous photos, it didn't have a clear border that allowed for easy escape, leaving Zhong Bingxuan somewhat perplexed.
"How did such delicious candy suddenly turn rotten and bloody?"
Zhong Linlin muttered resentfully behind Zhong Bingxuan's back, drawing Zhong Bingxuan's attention.
Linlin is right. The previous photos were the same, with obvious loopholes. Logically speaking, the monster wouldn't leave such obvious loopholes for the player. The reason it doesn't directly kill the player is because of the dungeon's restrictions on the monster.
That means their teammates outside have discovered they are missing and are searching for them, offering them as much help as possible.
That makes things easier. Just because she can't find the exit doesn't mean that people outside, with their panoramic view, won't be able to find it.
The only problem is how she can contact her teammates. Once inside this alternate dimension of the photo, the clay dolls lose their ability to communicate. Otherwise, they could still try to contact their teammates outside using the clay dolls.
"I think I have a contact talisman that Brother Yuchen gave me."
Hearing her sister's mutterings, Zhong Linlin suddenly remembered that Fu Yucheng had left her a contact talisman because he was worried that she wouldn't be able to handle the strange events on her own.
If my cousin hadn't mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten about it.
"Then use it quickly. Tell Fu Yucheng to have them look for a way out in the Candy City photos outside and provide us with assistance."
Zhong Bingxuan did not blame Linlin for her recklessness. This child has always been a bit absent-minded since she was a child. When did she become cautious and considerate of the overall situation? Zhong Bingxuan was worried that the other person might have been possessed by a strange entity.
"Okay, cousin, wait a moment."
Zhong Bingxuan didn't blame Zhong Linlin. Zhong Linlin herself felt terrible, but since they were in danger, getting out was more important. She suppressed her guilt and contacted Fu Yucheng directly.
"Brother Yuchen, we are trapped in Candy City. Please help us find a way out. We are currently standing next to the strawberry jam."
Fu Yuchen focused intently on coloring the delicious pastries, making sure that none of them were safe for Linlin, that little glutton, to eat. Only then did he feel at ease, put down his brush, and relieve the soreness and numbness in his body from prolonged inactivity.
"What time is it now?"
"It should be a little past four o'clock right now."
Li Hanmo estimated the time it took for the group to come in and realized that there wasn't much time left for Ah Xuan and the others; they had to get them out of the photo as soon as possible.
"I wonder if there are any other ways to solve this?"
Fu Yuchen was also anxious, but in the current situation, being anxious wouldn't help and might even make things worse. He could only calm down and think of a solution.
Just as the two were feeling anxious, Zhong Linlin's voice reached Fu Yuchen's mind. Fu Yuchen's eyes lit up and he told Li Hanmo about it.
"I'm really fed up with you two careless guys. You almost ruined something important. Hurry up and find Ah Xuan and the others to rescue them."
"It's not entirely my fault. That communication talisman is a one-way communication tool. If Linlin doesn't send a message out, it's useless for me to send a message."
If Fu Yuchen had known this would happen, he would have switched to a two-way communication symbol, and he wouldn't have had to stand here waiting anxiously.
"Without further ado, let's see which road will allow Ah Xuan and the others to escape quickly."
"This one, although it has a lot of candy, is very close to the entrance of Candy City. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to escape before five o'clock."
Fu Yuchen pointed to one of the straight lines to make it easier for Ah Xuan and the others to rush out as quickly as possible. However, there were quite a few candies, so they had to be careful to prevent any accidents from happening.
Fu Yuchen's worries were not unfounded. They discussed using black ink to draw arrow signs for Zhong Bingxuan and the others.
Zhong Bingxuan carried Zhong Linlin on her back and ran along the black directional signs. When they saw the entrance of Candy City not far away, an unexpected event occurred. The chocolates and candies that Fu Yuchen had marked with black on the road suddenly came to life and launched a fierce attack on Zhong Bingxuan and Zhong Linlin.
Zhong Bingxuan dodged left and right, avoiding getting the chocolate liquid on herself.
The situation here is so strange, who knows what adverse reactions might occur if it gets on your skin, it's best to avoid it completely.
There were just too many chocolates and candies on the road, and Zhong Bingxuan had to carry Zhong Linlin on her back, so it was a bit difficult to cope.
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