Chapter 6 Welcome Party (Part 6)
The whole audience was in an uproar.
"Keep your ears erect like antennas, be alert to any suspicious sounds!"
The eight people beside the stage got up and saw Mu Yu singing seriously. Suddenly, he took a step forward with his right foot, and his toes pointed one step away.
This was during a performance, and they couldn’t move around…! They opened their eyes wide.
Lu Chongnian remained calm when he saw this scene.
The next second, Mu Yu's heels touched the ground and nothing happened.
The leg was not broken, no monster flashed, and the NPCs had no other reaction except twitching their mouths.
Mu Yu glanced around, confirmed that he was safe, and nodded.
Article 2 of the “Xinlian Theater Rules of Use” states that loud noises and walking around are not allowed during a performance, and the prefix is “Please respect the performers,” which means that this rule is aimed at the audience, not the performers on the stage themselves.
The rules are strictly enforced within the instance.
Mu Yu made this clear, and then he started singing while walking, checking the stage under his feet.
“Ahhh~ Ahhhhh Sheriff Black Cat! Ahhhh~ Ahhhh Sheriff Black Cat!”
"The citizens of the forest salute you, salute you, salute you!"
The host exhaled and smiled, "You sang really well. We are very happy..."
"——How light and vigorous his steps are, revealing the shrewdness of a detective!"
Mu Yu glanced at him. Isn’t there only one verse for the theme song of “Black Cat Sheriff”?
The host held it back so hard that his face turned green.
"Watch the enemy closely and leave behind a mighty and vigorous figure!"
The stage is a light metallic grey, glossy surface, and in fact at first glance you can tell there is nothing weird on it.
However, Mu Yu still checked it carefully, and even squatted down in the middle, ignoring the strange looks of many NPCs, scratching the ground and knocking.
He stood up, without looking back, just shook his head - to the nine people beside the stage.
No clues.
Then he raised his head and squinted his eyes to look directly above the stage.
Because of the spotlight, the dark area outside the light was so dark that you could hardly see anything.
“Ahhh~ Ahhhhh Sheriff Black Cat! Ahhhh~ Ahhhh Sheriff Black Cat!”
"The citizens of the forest salute you, salute you, salute you!"
After the second verse was finished, the host smiled with an expression that said, "It's finally over now, get off quickly," and said, "Okay! Then let's--"
Mu Yu opened his mouth and said, "Just like the sunshine, passing through the darkness! The dawn quietly passes through the horizon!"
host:"???"
More? Not finished yet? A medley of songs? ? !
At the side of the stage, Lu Zhongnian raised his hand to cover his lips, and the other eight people gave Mu Yu eight thumbs up.
What a very strong mentality!
As Mu Yu continued to sing, he walked in a small circle in the center of the stage, looking up and carefully observing the dark, curved structure above his head.
He looked for a long time before he stopped.
The other friends stared at him... What did he discover?
Mu Yu frowned and shook his head again.
Still no?
Nothing?
Everyone looked disappointed.
Then Mu Yu did something.
At this moment, he had just finished singing the first verse of the song, and the host stood aside with a fake smile, not moving or speaking.
...After all, this Ultraman Tiga theme song has more than just one verse! He knows! He understands! If he speaks out at this time, this guy will definitely sing the next verse immediately, and then look at him with a puzzled look, "Senior, haven't you even listened to the whole song? Don't you know there is a second verse?" Hehe, he won't fall for it again, never again, don't try to humiliate his IQ again——
Then Mu Yu turned off the microphone and threw it under the stage as hard as a pitcher throwing a baseball!
There was a cry of surprise from the audience, and the microphone fell to the ground and broke into two pieces!
The host was stunned, the whole audience was stunned, and only the nine people beside the stage knew Mu Yu’s thoughts - what if the monster generator was a microphone?
In fact, Mu Yu carefully observed the microphone as soon as he came on stage. To be honest, he did not think that this microphone was a monster generator.
——Because it is so inexplicable, there is not even a single clue to point to it, and there is not even any special trace on the microphone to show its uniqueness.
But what if this microphone is inexplicably a monster generator?
Mu Yu didn't want to waste the opportunity to go on stage, nor did he want to miss any possibility - they couldn't smash all the chairs in the venue, so couldn't they smash the microphone of the only performer on the stage?
However, the microphone broke into two pieces, and nothing happened except for the shocked host and audience.
Mu Yu stood up straight.
He used a lot of strength to do this smash, and he was out of breath after doing it.
He calmed his breathing, and behind his glasses, his beautifully shaped, pure black eyes looked straight at the microphone in the host's hand.
At this moment, even though he looked well-behaved and non-aggressive, like the typical good student, nerd and obedient boy on campus, the host still bounced on the spot, took two steps back instinctively, and twitched his mouth: "What are you doing? Why are you throwing the microphone? This microphone is very expensive - don't look at me!"
Mu Yu thought about it seriously and felt that there seemed to be no need to try to snatch the host's microphone and throw it away.
There's no point, they're not getting any feedback now.
So he said innocently, "I'm sorry, I was so excited when singing just now that I couldn't hold it back. Can you give me another microphone?"
Host: "Why do you still need the microphone? You've already finished singing!!"
Mu Yu said confidently: "Shouldn't we have some post-performance interview or something?"
host:"……"
Mu Yu: "I saw that the students who recited poetry in the previous group were interviewed! I want to be interviewed too! Senior, you can't be partial to one over the other!"
host:"…………"
On the stage, the host looked like he had eaten a pound of shit and asked someone from the Arts Department to bring up a spare microphone, and then he started a question-and-answer session with Mu Yu in such a frustrated manner.
…
The people near the stage realized that Mu Yu was trying to buy them some free time.
Chang Sen said anxiously: "There is nothing on the stage, and the microphone is not a monster generator. Where is the clue?"
Su Mingyun ran over and picked up the broken microphone that Mu Yu had thrown not far away: "Maybe it's inside the microphone? Should we pry these two things apart and see? But how do we pry it apart? We don't have any tools, and we can't flatten it just by stepping on it--"
She threw the broken microphone at her feet and stomped on it hard.
Unfortunately, the microphone is very hard. It can be broken into two pieces, but it won’t flatten.
Jiang Shuyue shook his head: "I think it's a waste of time. If the monster generator is really as small as a spare part, then we shouldn't continue to look for it in this way. There must be clear clues pointing in a clear direction."
The two roommates were getting a little confused because of their anxiety. "Honestly, how can you be sure that the person who made this copy will give us clues? There is no hint to tell us that this is a logically rigorous reasoning game. What if the answer is in an inexplicable place? Maybe we just have to use the process of elimination?"
Jiang Shuyue still disagreed: "If we use the process of elimination, then we are doomed to fail. Such a large venue. There are so many items, and the monster generator is so small that it could be hidden in any corner. How can we eliminate them all within an hour? Didn't we discuss this problem just now?"
Two roommates: "What if you were wrong just now? What if we had to use the process of elimination? Maybe we didn't have to check the whole place at all. We could have found the monster generator halfway through the check, but we wasted a lot of time on meaningless analysis and reasoning!"
Hong Huanyu had a headache. His thoughts were the same as Jiang Shuyue's. "Calm down and think about it. First of all, we have already checked all the possible locations and found nothing. If that thing is really small enough to become a screw or a small gear, do we have to dismantle all the chairs at the scene one by one? Are you sure we can check half of them in an hour? Isn't this a dead end?"
The roommates looked defeated: "Maybe this is a dead end."
"No, could you please not be so negative?"
"What else can we do if we don't remain negative? We don't have any other options now!"
"Article 5 of the 'New Lotus Theater Rules of Use' -"
Everyone looked at the person who suddenly spoke, Lu Chongnian.
He never took part in their argument.
From the moment Mu Yu determined through practice that "there are no clues on the stage", he began a new round of thinking.
At this moment, he withdrew his gaze from both sides, looked at them, and calmly narrated: "The meaning of the fifth rule should be everything that Mu Yu is doing now, so the only rule that has not yet been shown to be useful is the fourth one."
Rule 4: You may applaud at any time to express your appreciation for a performance. Five rounds of applause, please.
"The fourth rule is still about the performers and the performance. Where else are the performers going to be besides the stage and the area below it?"
Jing Qiao immediately said, "Outdoor rehearsal area, waiting area, props area!"
Wang Lei hesitated and said, "But didn't we check those three places just now?"
"If there are no monster generators or related clues in the entire visible area, then there is another possibility," Lu Zhongnian paused, "perhaps some conditions are needed to trigger it."
Everyone was stunned.
A...condition is triggered?!
This angle is really hard to imagine.
But it was also because of Lu Zhongnian's words that they, who had originally been stuck in a dead end, seemed to be able to instantly tear down the high walls that surrounded them on all sides, and open up countless new possible routes, but -
"Conditions are triggered, ha..." Chang Sen said in surprise and absurdity, "... Could this really be a copy of some game?"
Lu Chongnian raised his eyelashes slightly.
“He created this replica, with monsters and complicated rules. It is impossible that He did it just to wipe us out without any suspense.”
Everyone fell silent.
If they were wanted dead, a creature with unnatural strength could easily crush them with its feet.
If you want them to die in a spectacular way, there is no need for "rules". It is enough to create various death levels or monsters that exceed human imagination.
Why did He create “rules”?
Rules are meant to constrain.
Breaking the rules will result in punishment, but only by abiding by the rules can there be a way out.
What does the end of life point to?
It can't be a treasure chest or the ultimate secret of the world and the universe.
The way out is likely to be just a way out, and the only reward they can get is to "stay alive."
Then the process of them overcoming numerous difficulties and finding the only way to survive can perhaps only be described by the word "game".
Not their game.
It is His game.
At this moment, everyone felt an indescribable chill that penetrated their bones.
They feel angry, but who can they vent their anger on? They want to find out the mastermind behind the incident and kill him, but where is the mastermind?
They even had such a hard time finding a mere monster generator!
Jiang Shuyue took a deep breath and said, "...Okay, let's not waste time. Let's search those three places again. This time we must search more thoroughly."
Mu Yu was touching and knocking on the stage just now, probably because he was considering the possibility of such a "trigger mechanism".
Since there was nothing to be gained on the stage, their only target was the outfield.
Of course, there might be performers under the stage, but there was nothing else in this circular walkway except the NPCs coming and going, so the possibility of clues was very low.
The eight people turned around and ran towards the passage. Jiang Shuyue thought of something and said to Lu Zhongnian, "Well, you--you stay here. We still have to make sure that you move in pairs. Just keep an eye on Mu Yu. If you have the energy to spare, walk around the bottom of the stage again. There are eight of us, enough space in the rehearsal area."
After he finished speaking, he paused.
When they were caught up in the argument just now, even though he never thought about “Will I fail in this matter?” he couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment - can they really survive?
Since childhood, Jiang Shuyue's eyes have always been looking straight ahead. He never hesitates to lower his head to see if there are any tripping stones under his feet, nor is he afraid of whether he will fall or how badly he will fall.
So when he realized that he had such negative emotions, he almost got angry to death.
But Lu Chongnian——
This person seemed to have never thought about this matter from beginning to end.
In other words, "success" or "failure" that has nothing to do with solving the copy puzzle seems to be not within his consideration at all. He only considers the next step.
Jiang Shuyue looked at Mu Yu on the stage.
That person too.
He was concentrating on dealing with the host and delaying time, and when he had some free time to look at them, there was never any "worry" or "anxiety" in his eyes.
It seemed certain that as long as Lu Chongnian was there, they would not go off the route.
...Both of them graduated from Xinlian No. 1 Middle School?
Haha, Xinlian No. 1 Middle School, it’s worthy of being Xinlian No. 1 Middle School. The biggest competitor of his high school alma mater is Xinlian No. 1 Middle School.
Jiang Shuyue held his breath, muttered strangely and had an inexplicable desire to compete. He turned around and trotted to catch up with the group of people in front.
"Let's divide the search area into smaller parts. Each group will be responsible for one area. This way we can search more thoroughly."
Everyone said, "Okay."
They came to the middle of the two CB areas. On the right was the prop area, and on the left, behind an aisle with a few scattered boxes and cabinets, was the waiting area and rehearsal area.
There was no other figure in the entire corridor except them.
The light here is more abundant than in the auditorium, but it is dim and scattered in the air, giving the whole picture a faded, mottled, and old feel.
Su Mingyun shivered and got goose bumps. Jing Qiao approached her and hugged her arm, exchanging body temperature.
Jiang Shuyue thought for a moment and said, "Let's arrange a group of people in the corridor as well. Four groups of people will check four areas together. Don't miss any corner. Mu Yu may not be able to hold out for long. Everyone, listen carefully and shout if you need help if the rules allow."
"OK!"
*
"…So you know what's the worst thing about following a serial? It's that the author suddenly gets mad and kills you for no apparent reason! You know what's even more hateful? The author kills you for no apparent reason and then resurrects you based on everyone's intense reactions! Am I happy? I'm happy, so happy that I want to bite the author to death!"
On the stage, Mu Yu talked about how much trauma the scene of the mating mantis and the female mantis eating the male mantis had left on his childhood, and how many Ultramen there are in the Ultraman series.
Looking at the vast and boundless world of anime, there are many categories, such as hot-blooded anime, girl anime, wheat-flavored anime, and gloomy anime. There is always one that suits you. Everyone has the potential to become a second-dimensional person. But being killed by a crazy author is something that can happen out of the blue. The host was so dizzy from talking about it that he didn't know what day it was.
Lu Zhongnian walked around the bottom of the stage, checked it carefully again, stood at the junction of the CB area, and looked at Mu Yu on the stage.
The boy held his glasses and talked nonsense seriously, looking a bit like the students from other classes who came to learn the secret of his class winning first place in all kinds of weird group competitions in the school. After being discovered by him, he started talking nonsense and made that group of people go back in a daze even though they didn't hear anything useful. They sighed, "The monitor of Class 12 is awesome."
A smile appeared in Lu Zhongnian's eyes.
But soon, he collected his thoughts.
I don’t know how those eight people are doing in their search.
He did not look away, because the host's face was already filled with anger. He just kept staring at Mu Yu while backing away until he retreated step by step into the CB area passage.
It was eerily quiet on both sides of the passage.
Those eight people were searching everywhere, and even if they didn't gossip, they shouldn't be so quiet.
Lu Zhongnian turned his eyes and glanced to the left.
Then paused.
At some point, the prop area on the left had turned completely dark.
It was not the kind of darkness that comes from dimming the lights, but rather it was like a pure black wall that had quietly stood at the entrance to the prop area, blocking the view of outsiders.
He immediately turned his head to look to the right. The entrance was also blocked by pure black and he could not see anything.
On both sides, there are pure black walls.
Lu Chongnian stared for a second, raised his hand and reached out, but his fingers did not touch anything and sank directly into the darkness.
On the other side that was out of sight, he didn't feel any strange sensation from his fingertips; all he could touch was the slightly cool air.
Visually, these four fingers look like they were cut off in mid-air, which is very strange.
You can come in.
With this thought in mind, he paused, withdrew his hand, and looked back at the stage.
The host was getting impatient and interrupted Mu Yu: "Thank you, classmate. We have received your recommendation and will remember it! Come on, let's send him off with applause!"
The whole audience burst into applause. If he continued to stay like that, something serious might happen, so Mu Yu had no choice but to put down the microphone and run off the stage.
The host was really frustrated by him. As soon as Mu Yu left the stage, he hurriedly asked the next performer to come on stage.
As soon as Mu Yu ran to Lu Zhongnian, the singing started.
Mu Yu had to stop and just as he took a breath, he noticed something strange on both sides of the passage and was stunned: "What's going on? Why is it dark?"
Lu Zhongnian shook his head, indicating that he was not sure, and said softly: "It may have been a while, but it is not a real wall, we can go in."
But it is not certain whether the people inside can get out.
Mu Yu's heart sank. He checked his phone and saw the time was 6:45.
There was beautiful singing on the stage, but there was no movement in the darkness on both sides of the aisle.
Mu Yu frowned: "Has everyone stopped?"
Lu Zhongnian did not answer.
They couldn't see anything, so naturally they didn't know what was going on inside. More importantly, there was no sound coming from behind the pure black wall.
Mu Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "If no one comes out after the song is over, let's go in and take a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Zhongnian noticed something out of the corner of his eye and looked quickly to his left, and Mu Yu turned his head.
On the left hand side, the props area.
Suddenly, a beam of light shone from the depths of darkness.
It was like the light emitted by a mobile phone in flashlight mode. The light flickered twice in the darkness and then went out.
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