Chapter 46 "A Cat and Mouse Game?"
indeed.
Although the production team gave them five days and five nights, which seems like a lot, and they found some clues, finding clues is still a long way from solving the problem.
It's the evening of the third day now. If they drag it out until tomorrow, they'll only have two days left. All they know for now is that they have to go to the factory. No one can openly enter during the day, so they can only go at night.
Are we going to have to wait until tomorrow night?
After Zhou Ya made her suggestion, several people thought it made sense and stood up from the ground. Xiao Shu, who hadn't rested enough and whose forehead was still damp with sweat, couldn't help but ask:
Aren't you tired?
It's impossible not to be tired. After a whole day of running around, having to hide and be exposed to the scorching sun, even with sunscreen, it's still unbearable.
Several guests seemed to be nearing their physical limits; if they had a choice, they would definitely want to lie down and take a nap in bed.
"There's nothing we can do; we're the ones who are assigned to 'The Wilderness Secrets'."
Luo Ziqi shrugged. Everyone had eaten dinner and had rested for a while. If they didn't leave now, they would waste almost the entire day tomorrow. Moreover, they didn't know how long they could stay here, and they might have to start "running from the poison gas" again soon.
Everyone tried to find humor in their predicament, packing their things and grumbling amongst themselves. Xiao Shu was still reluctant to move, but seeing that everyone was leaving at Zhou Ya's suggestion, he couldn't just sit there alone, so he reluctantly got up as well.
Following Kawana's directions, they walked and stopped intermittently, running and dodging the villagers' occasional patrols, until it was already late at night. Everyone was exhausted, but they had finally seen the factory in person.
It was a factory that looked quite old, and judging from its appearance, it was quite large, occupying a significant area. If one could deduce its existence, the factory would likely hold many secrets that shaped this world's philosophy.
Moreover, they were chased by villagers several times along the way, and the closer they got to this side, the less the villagers chased them. Clearly, the production team wanted them to move this way to advance the storyline.
Since we've come all this way, it would seem a shame not to do something under the cover of darkness and wind after their long journey.
After resting for a while, the fitness instructor led the way inside. Tao Liang followed closely behind him, blocking the way for the girls, and occasionally glancing back at Mu Yubing.
"Brother Yao, I just saw some light inside. Do you think the people inside are working the night shift?"
"Working the night shift here?" Yao, who was walking at the front, wasn't actually the bravest, but with his strong physique, he naturally took the lead. Hearing Tao Liang's words, Yao smiled and said, "What's so great about working the night shift here?"
"Hey, I heard a ghost story before. It's about a factory that opened in a mountainous area, where many young people worked. One of them encountered a disheveled female ghost walking by the river on his way home from his night shift..."
Once she regained her energy, Luo Ziqi started chattering away. As a popular online influencer, she was known for her talkative style and would say whatever came to mind. She was completely oblivious to the sudden change in expression on the faces of the two men walking in front of her.
"What's that up ahead? It looks like there really is a small river." Mu Yubing's eyes lit up. "It must have been dug out by man. The lights are dim here, so be careful."
Before he could finish speaking, a scream was heard. The fitness instructor fled in panic, bumping into Jiang Wenxi, who was walking diagonally opposite him.
Although Jiang Wenxi was quite strong, she was still caught off guard by being bumped into by a grown man and almost fell to the ground with him. Seeing this, Yu Shuling immediately pushed forward with both hands, catching them steadily against their backs. The fitness instructor, still shaken, said in a trembling voice:
"A ghost... has a head..."
Startled by his halting words, the others' expressions changed. Kawana seemed to believe in ghosts and gods, and her face turned a little strange for a moment. Yu Shuling gave her a light tap on the shoulder.
Before the panic could spread further, Yu Shuling had already walked to the front to carefully examine what they were seeing.
Then, she realized that what the fitness coach said wasn't entirely wrong. Following the sound of rushing water, she could see "heads" floating on the surface. However, it was obvious that they were made of silicone and were completely different from real ones. The only reason she could mistake them was because her eyesight was impaired in the dark, plus she was just scaring herself.
Yu Shuling was speechless.
But before he could warn her, he heard the same voice through the earpiece again. It turned out that a new task had been assigned to her. Yu Shuling looked up in Jiang Wenxi's direction and found that he also seemed to be listening to the sounds coming from the earpiece.
"Bandits, bandits, after receiving this mission, please make your teammates lose their way in the factory within the next forty-eight hours. Once the cat-and-mouse game begins, you will receive a corresponding reward for each teammate who is caught."
Yu Shuling now knows that the treasures underground truly belong to them, and they can use those treasures to exchange for real rewards after the game ends.
After completing the assigned tasks, they estimated there would be other new rewards. This opened a door to good fortune, but at the cost of betraying their teammates.
"A cat-and-mouse game?"
Yu Shuling silently thought to herself that she had only been in this era for a short time and didn't quite understand such technical terms.
But you can probably imagine it from the sound of it; it's probably similar to a cat catching a mouse, like the hide-and-seek game we played as kids.
Yu Shuling remained noncommittal. As she stood by the water, Jiang Wenxi slowly approached. The boy seemed to be observing her as well, but actually lowered his voice and asked:
"Did you make any other discoveries?"
“There are flashing lights in this river.”
Jiang Wenxi choked for a moment. Actually, he didn't want to ask about this, but after hearing what Yu Shuling said, he lowered his head and looked carefully for a while.
The heads weren't very well made; a closer look revealed they were made of silicone and painted. Jiang Wenxi, as the male lead, certainly wasn't lacking in courage, but after being watched by the fitness instructor at first, he gradually calmed down and didn't think much of it.
However, the faint lights in the water led Jiang Wenxi to a new discovery.
"How about it?"
After the two returned, the others who had gone out to look at other things also came back. They gathered together and shared their discoveries.
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