Chapter 50 Yinghu Park (Part 3)
The dress has a stand-up collar and is beautifully tailored. Ruyi cloud patterns and dragon and phoenix embroidery float on the blood-red wedding dress, creating an auspicious atmosphere.
However, if you look closely, you will find that the dragons and phoenixes on the wedding dress are all in a state of being strangled, with blood spurting from their necks and their eyes bulging out. The Ruyi cloud patterns are all entangled together, forming one huge vortex after another.
An ominous aura emanated continuously from these four wedding dresses, making people feel creepy.
Under each blood-colored wedding dress, there is a pair of red embroidered shoes neatly placed, just like two drops of blood dripping from the wedding dress.
Qin Jiang was obviously more uneasy: "...Should we arrange the order in which we come out?"
The boss answered her cheerfully: "No need, whoever is dressed first can come out!"
The four people looked at each other.
There was nothing more to say, so Mu Yu said, "Go in, be careful, and act according to circumstances."
He patted Hong Yang on the back and said softly, "Don't be reckless."
Hong Yang stared at the bloody wedding dress: "I know."
Four people walked into the dressing room together, and with a swish, four curtains were automatically pulled up, separating them from each other.
…
Mu Yu looked up and down the dressing room.
The wall of the locker room was made of a thin layer of plastic and was not sealed at the top and bottom, so in theory he should be able to hear clearly the sound of fabric rubbing against each other when people were putting on and taking off clothes next door.
But at this moment he heard nothing.
The copy wanted to prevent them from communicating with each other anymore - which meant that from now on, they really had to fight each other for a while.
He took the wedding dress in this compartment off the hook.
As soon as the wedding dress came into his hands, it was obviously one size larger, and the enlarged size was obviously more suitable for his height.
The whole wedding dress is very heavy, and you can feel its heaviness when holding it in your hands.
Mu Yu thought about it and put the wedding dress on over her own clothes.
The clothes he wore today were not thick, so he didn't feel stuffy even with all those layers of clothes on, but he suddenly looked several pounds heavier.
After putting on his wedding dress, he quickly changed into the pair of embroidered shoes.
After everything was ready, he went to pull the curtain, but found that the curtain had become like iron and could not be pulled at all.
...The boss is lying. The order in which the four of them leave is clearly decided by him!
*
After Qin Jiang changed her clothes, she reached out to pull the curtain, but hesitated.
She carefully put her ear forward, trying to listen to the sound outside, but heard nothing.
The whole cabin seemed to become very quiet, and she seemed to be trapped in her own world.
She pursed her lips, gritted her teeth, made up her mind, and stretched out her hand again - the curtain automatically opened at this time, which scared her!
The boss's voice rang out from outside: "Has the girl changed? Come here quickly."
...Qin Jiang walked out cautiously.
She was surprised to find that the cabin had a back door.
At this moment, the back door was open, and the grove outside was dark. The shadows of the trees were like ghosts, and were dyed dim by the flickering red candlelight.
There was a table next to the back door, with a piece of paper and a pen on it.
The boss said to her, "Come sit down here and write down on a piece of paper where you want to go later."
"You have to write it well. You will be waiting for your groom here later. And this note may end up in the hands of your groom."
Qin Jiang's heart moved and he sat over.
Can you really choose it yourself?
Her and Lu Bin's idea was similar to that of the other groups - if they could really choose their own location, then of course they would choose the place that was easiest to find.
Of course, Mu Yu repeatedly emphasized that this game might not be that simple, but anyway, why not give it a try first?
Try it and you won’t lose anything.
She picked up the pen and wrote on the paper stroke by stroke: The edge of the woods facing the back door of the cabin.
Her heart was pounding.
Is this ok?
If possible, Lu Bin would be able to find her as soon as he comes.
Unfortunately, as soon as she finished writing the last stroke, the line of words disappeared.
The blank paper turned into a brand new blank paper again, as if she was asked to write on it again.
Qin Jiang was a little disappointed. After thinking for a while, he wrote down: Near the edge of the woods.
The copy did not recognize the location she had just chosen, probably because the location was too clear and too simple.
In that case, she would blur the location. After blurring, Lu Bin might need to spend a little effort to find her, but overall it should not be difficult.
——However, the line she had just written disappeared again!
Qin Jiang froze.
...This is not possible?
It seems that Mu Yu was right, this approach really doesn’t work... Then what position should she choose?
Qin Jiang actually has a pretty good understanding of the layout of Yinghu Park.
She and Lu Bin are both sophomores. They started dating in their freshman year. Every weekend they would go out to play, they would take a walk in Yinghu Park.
They often came to the small woods at the back, but when she was asked to choose a location that could be recognized by the copy and guessed by Lu Bin, she couldn't think of it for a moment.
She just remembered that to the north of the grove was Ying Lake. Although the artificial lake was beautiful, it was deep in the grove and it was a long way to get there.
...Forget it, it is far away, but at least it is a clear landmark.
She gritted her teeth and wrote "Reflection on the Lake".
——But the handwriting still disappeared, and the copy was still not recognized!
How should I write it?!
Seeing her anxious, the boss smiled and said, "Don't worry, take your time, think carefully about where you want to go. This forest is so small, your boyfriend will always be able to find you."
Qin Jiang let out a breath.
…Although I don’t trust this NPC, what he said is not wrong.
No matter how big this forest is, it is only the size of four or five football fields. If it really doesn't work, Lu Bin will have to run all over the forest. He will eventually find her!
More importantly, where would she spend the nearly one hour of waiting time?
Qin Jiang glanced outside the door.
Under the cover of darkness, cold wind blew and drizzle seemed like it would fall at any time.
It suddenly occurred to her that—
The copy does not recognize the position she chose previously. Could it be because her idea of setting the position was completely wrong?
Thinking of this, she sat up straight and wrote: A quiet place that is not blown by the wind or rained on.
This time, after writing the last stroke...the writing did not disappear!
Qin Jiang's eyes lit up. This way of writing was good, and the copy approved it!
She raised her head and asked the boss: "Then I will now--"
The boss handed her a piece of paper and said, "This is the bride's notes. I'll give you half a minute to read it. We'll leave after you finish reading it."
Qin Jiang's face changed when he looked at the seven new rules.
She quickly took out her cell phone to take pictures, then read through the messages one by one, looking more and more panicked.
When half a minute is up——
Boss: "Come on, put on the red veil, the bride is leaving!"
Qin Jiang: "Wait, I——"
Before she could finish her words, she disappeared into her seat.
The boss calmly picked up the paper she left on the table and took out a new piece of white paper and put it on its place.
The next second, with a whoosh, the curtain of the second compartment was automatically pulled open.
Hong Yang, dressed in a red wedding gown, was waiting inside with an expressionless face.
The boss smiled and said, "Come, the bride, please sit here."
*
Mu Yu waited in the cubicle for a long time.
He kept checking the time, and when the curtain in front of him finally opened automatically, he quickly walked out and found that the other three changing rooms were all empty.
...Hong Yang and the others would never leave without waiting for him. The only explanation for the current situation was that all three of them were forcibly sent away by the copy.
Mu Yu adjusted his glasses, walked over calmly and sat down at the table in front of the boss.
"Come on, write down where you want to go later, but think carefully before you write it down, because your groom might get hold of your note."
When Mu Yu heard this, he wrote down on the paper without thinking: "the edge of the woods facing the back door of the cabin."
As expected, the handwriting was not preserved, just like when they wrote the club's goals in the previous copy, all the content that the copy did not recognize disappeared directly.
Mu Yu then stopped writing and thought.
When he and Lu Chongnian were having their final discussion just now, he felt that things would definitely develop like this.
The waiting position agreed in advance is of no use at all, and the NPC also said in the note they wrote that "the groom might get the note", so this is not something that will happen 100% of the time.
If the note is not available, the groom can only rely on his own judgment to find the bride.
But just now outside the wooden house, he and Lu Chongnian couldn't think of a solution to this problem. The most fundamental reason was that it was the first time for both of them to come to Yinghu Park and they didn't know the place at all.
Lu Chongnian said to him: Let’s talk about it after you go.
It is unrealistic to think of everything carefully before facing the level of the copy.
"Leave it to me, I will definitely find you." The boy said to him at that time.
——So now, how can he decide on a position that can be recognized by the copy and that Lu Chongnian wants to obtain?
While I was thinking, I heard the rustling sound of the forest being blown by the wind outside.
In the humid air, a faint floral scent drifted to his nose.
It’s the scent of osmanthus…
Mu Yu was cheered up!
By the way, the osmanthus flowers are in bloom!
If he remembered correctly, one of the major selling points of Yinghu Park seemed to be “a sacred place for viewing osmanthus in autumn”?
There is a path with dense osmanthus trees planted on both sides. It is the favorite place for students to check in during this season. People often post pictures on college student forums. It seems to be in Yinghu Park, right?
Mu Yu didn’t know the exact location of the trail, but he remembered that there seemed to be passing signs in those photos!
Lu Zhongnian should be able to find the trail by following the signpost. The most important thing is—
Back then, everyone in their high school class knew that he liked osmanthus the most, and Lu Chongnian should know this too!
Thinking of this, Mu Yu immediately leaned over and wrote: The place where the sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance is the strongest.
After writing this time, the handwriting did not disappear again.
The boss came over and handed him a new rule sheet: "Come, take a look at the bride's precautions, we will set off in half a minute."
Mu Yu quickly browsed the seven new rules on the paper. When the time came, a red cloth fell from the sky and covered his head heavily.
His eyes went dark and he passed out. When he woke up—
Crash, crash.
The forest was blown by the wind, and the sound of waves came from all directions, surging one after another across the vast sky and earth.
The rich sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance swirled in the wind, gently blowing onto his face.
The chill of the night crept out silently from the surrounding darkness and slowly invaded him.
The red veil blocked Mu Yu's vision. She could not see around her. She could only see the land beneath her feet, which was dyed dark by the candlelight, and her own pair of scarlet embroidered shoes.
He remained motionless, reviewing in his mind the seven bridal rules he had just seen.
1. Please do not remove the red veil before the groom arrives and removes it.
2. If the red veil falls accidentally, please pick it up immediately, cover it, and sit back in your original position.
3. During the entire game, except for designated communication situations and special circumstances, in order to avoid giving hints to the groom who may appear nearby, please do not move your limbs, do not speak, and wait quietly for the groom to arrive and ask "Can I reveal it?"
4. You can answer “yes” or “no”. If you need to answer, please do so within three seconds. If you exceed three seconds, you will need to wait for the next question.
5. When you answer "no" and the groom still comes to lift the red veil, there is no need to resist, it is not your fault.
6. When the groom comes to lift the red veil without asking, please stay away from him immediately.
7. There are candles arranged by the game group in the woods behind. Fire safety will be ensured. Please do not blow them out at will.
Things were developing in the most troublesome direction.
The moment he was teleported to this position, his posture was corrected by the copy to sit upright with his hands folded on his thighs.
Mu Yu could feel his cell phone being automatically put into his inner pocket. The third rule of the bride's rules required them not to move, and the other three people should be the same as him.
...He remembers the rules, but what about the other three people?
Unable to move or use mobile phones, did they follow the seven rules that everyone agreed upon in advance and remember the key points?
*
Outside the wooden house.
The four grooms were waiting with different moods, and from time to time they paid attention to the candle array that formed a heart shape.
Fortunately, during this period, no NPC was foolish enough to light the candles, which saved them a lot of effort.
Ye Sui thought for a while and said, "I think we still have to think about how to manage these candles. We will definitely spend most of our time on the game and won't be able to keep an eye on this place all the time."
Jiang He thought it made sense: "So should we take turns coming out?"
Lu Bin suggested: "If the four of us can move freely, should we arrange for someone to guard here first? When someone finds his bride, we can replace him?"
Ye Sui: "Of course it is possible, but we also have to consider the situation where we can't do so..."
Just at this moment, Lu Chongnian came over.
He didn't know when he went to find a branch.
The branch was thick and reached about his chest when erected.
Lu Zhongnian stuck the branch into the ground, and the sharp end of the branch pointed straight into the night sky.
Jiang He was a little surprised: "Why did you pick this up?"
Lu Zhongnian took out a stack of small sticky notes from his sweatshirt pocket and shook them: "I found this after the last instance was over. It seems that the paper can be freely transferred in and out of the instance, so I brought it with me."
He tore off a sticky note and pressed it against the tip of the branch.
The paper was punctured in an instant and got stuck on the branch.
The other three people immediately understood - this can be used as an information exchange base station!
After they start the game, they will definitely disperse and it is impossible for them to act together all the time. So how will they communicate with each other if they make any discoveries?
They couldn't use cell phones, and shouting alone wouldn't get the four people scattered throughout the woods to gather immediately. The best way was to leave clues in a fixed location that everyone knew so that everyone could come back and check at any time.
It is not reliable to stick the sticky note on the wall of the wooden house, because the NPC may tear it off at any time.
But now the place where the branch is inserted is still some distance away from the wooden house. If the NPC wants to take care of this place, it would be really unfair!
Lu Zhongnian said calmly: "How this game is played depends on what happens after we enter the cabin. It may be more complicated than we imagined."
"It's unrealistic to choose one person to wait here, because everyone can only rescue their own bride, but we don't know what the current situation of each bride is in the woods. They may be in danger that we can't predict at any time. No one can afford to wait."
After hearing this, Lu Bin and the others frowned and nodded, thinking it made sense.
"So there are only two ways."
"The first one is that we will take turns to check the candles according to the agreed order. The order will be me, Ye Sui, Jiang He, and Lu Bin. Or you can switch positions if you want."
Jiang He and Lu Bin immediately shook their heads, indicating that they had no objection to this order of arrangement.
Ye Sui has no problem either.
"There is another way - when the game becomes very chaotic, we can only use this method," Lu Zhongnian said slowly, "Whoever is closest to the edge of the woods will come out to check once."
"Don't worry about whether you'll bump into each other or how much time has passed between you and the person you're with. Once you're close to the edge of the woods, find a way out."
Ye Sui thought about this method and said, "Okay. Everyone who comes out to check will leave a note, write down your name, the time you came out to check, whether there are candles lit, or other more information, so that all of us can grasp the information in time."
Lu Bin and Jiang He: "Okay!"
Lu Zhongnian divided the sticky notes into four and gave them to them.
When Ye Sui took the sticky note, he glanced at Lu Chongnian for a second longer.
…This person’s presence has always been very strong, even when I was in high school.
His appearance, temperament and aura can easily attract other people's attention.
But now it seems a little different.
Ye Sui went through two copies and found that now, most of the time, either because of Lu Zhongnian's silence or because of his coldness, people rarely kept their eyes on him for a long time.
He always stands behind Mu Yu, but everyone is only attracted by Mu Yu. His existence is more like a silent mountain guarding behind Mu Yu.
It wasn't until Mu Yu left that his presence became apparent.
Ye Sui lowered his head and adjusted his glasses.
Is this also considered a gentlemanly behavior?
On the side, Jiang He and Lu Bin said: "That pen..."
Among them, only Lu Chongnian had a pen in his hand. The pen looked very cute, with a cat head on the end.
Should I keep this as well?
Lu Zhongnian put the pen away and said, "The boss had a pen in his hand just now. There may be more in the wooden house. Just go in and get them. He said nothing more."
Jiang He and Lu Bin: ...I understand, then grab it!
Ye Sui: “…”
He remembered clearly that Mu Yu had the same pen in his hand...these two people...never mind...
At this moment, with a creak, the door of the wooden house not far away opened to them.
The boss NPC stood at the door and smiled at them: "It's your turn."
Lu Bin and Jiang He took deep breaths and followed Ye Sui and Lu Zhongnian.
The wind made the chandelier in the wooden house sway.
As soon as they entered, Lu Chongnian and Ye Sui looked around calmly.
They noticed four dressing rooms nearby, which were empty at the moment. The four brides were gone. Only four festive yet ominous groom suits were hanging on the snow-white walls.
The boss asked them to go in and change clothes. Before they went in, Lu Zhongnian asked him, "What is the electronic scale at the door used for?"
The boss just said cheerfully: "You will understand after you play it."
There was no other choice, so the four of them had to go in and change their clothes.
After they came out after changing, the boss handed each of them a wedding scale.
The wedding scale is beautifully made. It is bright red all over, with golden dragon, phoenix and auspicious cloud patterns painted on both ends, and a ruyi knot tassel hanging at one end.
For a moment, they seemed like four grooms who were really going to marry the bride.
"Wait a moment, I have something else to give you." The boss said and turned around and walked deeper into the wooden house.
When passing by the desk, the boss discovered that... the pen that was originally placed on the desk was missing?
Naturally, he took out a new pen from his pocket and put it down.
When he came back after getting the things, the boss found that...the pen he had just put down was missing again?!
He was full of doubts and took out the pen from his pocket again.
From beginning to end, the four grooms not far away were watching the show with their eyes wide open, looking as if it had nothing to do with them.
The boss handed out four sheets of rule paper to them one by one and said absentmindedly, "Come, take a look at the rules. We'll be gone in half a minute."
When Lu Chongnian was assigned the job, the boss' heart began to beat fast and he felt uneasy.
He turned his head suddenly and found that the pen on the table was missing again! !
Is this table a pen swallower?!
"Is there something wrong, boss?" Ye Sui asked calmly.
"...No, nothing!" The boss's face was distorted. Losing three of his precious piggy ballpoint pens in a row made him a little irritable. He asked with a sour face, "Have you finished reading it? You can leave after you finish reading it."
"You haven't finished reading it yet, wait a little longer!" Lu Bin and Jiang He quickly took pictures of the rules, trying to delay time.
But the boss didn't want to wait any longer: "Let's go!"
He waved his hand and the four people's eyes went dark.
When they came to their senses, they found that
They were broken up.
In the dark woods, red candles with the word "囍" written on them were scattered everywhere.
Some of them were placed on the ground, some were placed on branches, scattered high and low, like will-o'-the-wisp floating in the dark ocean.
The fragile flame swayed in the wind, and the weak firelight also swayed continuously. The dense and slender shadows of the trees swayed back and forth, looking ghostly and terrifying.
The four people were now in four different locations in the vast woods.
Apart from themselves, there was no one around.
Here comes the question——
Where exactly are they in this woods now?
*
At the entrance of Yinghu Park.
Li Mingke was left here alone, and after five minutes, he felt a little regretful.
At this moment, the only space left for activities outside the park was a narrow sidewalk, and the rest of the space was completely occupied by thick fog.
There was silence and no one around, and the street lights cast a pale light.
The thick black fog rolled silently, as if something would rush out from it at any time and rush straight towards his back.
Li Mingke was very nervous.
He felt a gaze.
He remembered that Ye Sui had mentioned that a kind of sight from an unknown source might appear in the copy at any time, and at this moment, this sight made him feel like a thorn in his side.
He kept a close eye on the whereabouts of the eight people in the park, watching them disperse to search for clues, gather together, and then watch them enter the cabin in batches, as if preparing to start the game.
His heartbeat inexplicably quickened, and he became more and more uneasy.
Cold sweat ran down my back, and my throat felt as if it was being strangled and I couldn't breathe.
Li Mingke kept telling himself to relax. He closed his eyes, lowered his head, took a deep breath, and then opened his eyes again.
——Then he was startled!
He actually saw a small strange black word appearing on the gray-white ground in front of the toe of his left foot -
laugh!
In the blink of an eye, the word "hi" disappeared!
Li Mingke quickly moved his feet away and looked around frantically, but everything on the ground was normal. Could it be that he had just had an illusion?
Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks and his fingertips began to tremble.
He kept swallowing, but the dryness in his throat did not ease at all. He finally realized a problem -
Is it normal for me to be like this now?
From childhood to adulthood, he had experienced many nervous situations, but no matter how nervous he was, he had never felt so uncomfortable as this.
Now, he felt as if he was dying.
etc……
Li Mingke suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Could this be the other thing that Ye Sui told them would appear in the copy... the feeling of near-death?
But Ye Sui clearly said that once the feeling of near-death appears, it means that the player has a "time limit". How could there be a "time limit" on him?
He has been standing here without moving or touching anything. In theory, no mechanism has been triggered, right?
Li Mingke stood there, thinking hard with cold sweat on his face.
The increasingly strong feeling of impending death reminded him that he was not overthinking it.
As he thought about it, looking at Yinghu Park which opened its doors to him, only one thought came to his mind.
Could it be that the copy was urging him to go in... ?
...No, no, no, the rules clearly state that single people have to come back another day. If he goes in now, wouldn't that be violating the rules?
...But apart from this, he couldn't think of any other reasons why the "time limit" came upon him.
Li Mingke was torn between his conscience and his desires.
He struggled for a long time, and the increasingly uncomfortable physical reaction made him finally make up his mind.
——Since staying here is just waiting to die, I might as well step in and give it a try. Never mind!
At this moment, the eight players deep in the park have all entered the wooden house, and only the NPCs wandering around are left on the lawn.
Li Mingke knew that if he guessed wrong, the consequence he would face might be death, and no one would be able to help him at this time.
But he still mustered up his courage and stepped over the invisible boundary line at the park gate.
He closed his eyes tightly, his heart in his throat. At that moment, his mood was no different from that of a prisoner waiting for the guillotine hanging over his head to fall!
His brain had even replayed his short eighteen years of life like a kaleidoscope, and his whole body was so stiff as if he had already faced death.
But he soon discovered that one of his feet had already stepped on the ground in the park, but nothing unusual happened to his body!
Li Mingke opened his eyes in surprise and confirmed this fact.
He is fine and still alive!
So he carefully lifted up his other foot and stepped in. Suddenly, his breathing became smoother!
What the hell, that rule about single people turns out to be false?
Li Mingke excitedly took two steps forward, raised his head, and then stopped in confusion.
He saw Lu Chongnian, Mu Yu, Ye Sui and Hong Yang, who should have entered the wooden house, standing in front of the huge candle lamp in the middle of the lawn, talking seriously.
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