Chapter 49: Yinghu Park (Part 2)
Mu Yu put away his messy expression and said seriously, "Since this is a game like this, I think we should try to find people who are familiar with each other to form a team. If that doesn't work, we can just split the men and women into one group."
The girl immediately said, "My boyfriend and I are in the same group."
Su Mingyun hesitated, raised his hand and said, "I'm an old player, I have some experience but not much. If you don't mind, I can team up with the newcomers."
Hong Yang touched his chin, feeling somewhat moved. Just as he opened his mouth... Ye Sui held his head, diverted his gaze away from Su Mingyun, and said without question: "You and I are in the same group."
Hong Yang: “…Ah?”
The first gay couple appeared, and the other male guests were still shy while clearing their throats and coughing.
Mu Yu and Lu Zhongnian looked at each other with tacit understanding.
Lu Zhongnian said succinctly: "One group."
"...Ahem, um." Mu Yu blushed.
Hong Yang fanned his nose with his hands and opened his eyes wide in confusion: "Hey, where does this sour smell come from?"
Ye Sui pressed his head again and turned it around: "Don't make trouble, kid."
This left only three people - Su Mingyun and two boys.
The two boys seemed to be in a dilemma and hadn't decided whether to stay outside the park or go in with them.
They still lamented in their hearts, wondering why they had to encounter such a thing.
Su Mingyun suggested: "How about you two just play rock-paper-scissors?"
One of the short boys with freckles said to the other tall and thin boy awkwardly, "That's right... Then how about we play one round to decide the winner, and the winner gets to stay outside?"
"Okay," the other party agreed hesitantly, "Then... rock, paper, scissors!"
When the result came out, the freckled man immediately breathed a sigh of relief - he was scissors, and the other party was paper, so he won!
But after he breathed a sigh of relief, he felt a little embarrassed because he seemed to be the only deserter on the battlefield.
Mu Yu carefully reminded him: "Normally speaking, the monster must be inside the park. The only thing you need to be careful about when you stay here is not to get close to the fog. But nothing is absolute. We can't guarantee that you will be safe here, so be careful."
Freckled Man: “Yeah!”
"Also, the cell phone network has been disconnected. Once we are separated, we will not be able to contact each other by phone. So if you encounter any problems, just shout, and shout loudly."
"Okay!" The freckled man opened his mouth and said awkwardly, "Well, my name is Li Mingke... I, I'm from Xinlian Normal School!"
Mu Yu paused, then nodded and said, "My name is Mu Yu, and I'm a science major."
"Ye Sui, science and engineering."
"Hong Yang, from the media."
"My name is Su Mingyun, and I'm also a science major!"
"Lu Zhongnian, Lian Da."
Another girl said, "Ah, we are actually alumni? My name is Qin Jiang, and my boyfriend and I are both from Lianhua University."
Her boyfriend: "My name is Lu Binha!"
The boy who was in Su Mingyun's team said: "My name is Jiang He, and I am from the Medical University."
After the nine students quickly introduced themselves, there seemed to be an invisible connection between them, which eased the anxiety of the newcomers.
Li Mingke seemed to be relieved. He said, "Then you must be careful!"
"Okay, let's go."
Mu Yu and the others turned around, their expressions all becoming serious.
Yinghu Park opened its doors to them in the night, and the invisible barrier disappeared.
They took a step forward and stepped into it.
*
Right now.
The weather forecast indicated that it would rain lightly tonight, and there are already signs of this.
The wind was blowing, and it seemed as if all the clouds in the night sky were blown together, piling up layer upon layer in the sky.
Although the newcomers were very cooperative, it was the first time for them to experience such a bizarre thing.
They looked at the calm tourists in the park and felt goosebumps all over their bodies, as if they were facing a bunch of dummies - and the reality seemed to be no different.
"So...are we going to play that couple game directly?" Qin Jiang looked around nervously.
Mu Yu said: "No, let's quickly check the area outside the woods first to see if there are any clues. Everyone, search separately and gather in front of this big candle in five minutes!"
The eight people immediately dispersed.
Most of the area outside the woods is lawn.
The lawn has a wide view and a panoramic view, making it easy to search.
Mu Yu and Lu Chongnian went straight to the North Gate Park Radio Station mentioned in the rules. It was a very small wooden house with the door closed and locked, so they couldn't get in.
Mu Yu stood by the window and looked inside, then shook his head and said, "It's too dark inside, I can't see clearly, I feel like there should be no clues here."
Lu Zhongnian was looking at the huge candle in the middle of the lawn from this distance and angle.
Seeing this, Mu Yu suddenly asked, "Is this candle also placed at the entrance of Yinghu Park in your world?"
"Yes," Lu Zhongnian paused, looked at him sideways, and asked softly, "Is there a reflection world under your feet as well?"
"……yes."
Lu Zhongnian thought thoughtfully: "The difference between the two worlds is very small."
The biggest difference is probably between the two of them.
I don’t know whether to say it’s their “honor” or what.
Mu Yu was silent, and then heard Lu Zhongnian suddenly say: "The person who made that candle was a senior from Lotus University."
Mu Yu was stunned and asked in surprise: "What does she want to express?"
The boy said calmly: "Love is like this candle lamp. You can think that it has all the best things you can imagine, or you can think that love is just like it, seemingly beautiful, but actually broken with a poke."
The boy's voice was clear and pleasant, as if he was reciting beautiful poetry.
After he finished speaking, he looked at Mu Yu who seemed to be lost in thought, and asked with a curved lip: "Which one do you think it is, squad leader?"
Mu Yu adjusted his glasses and said seriously, "I am a firm idealist about love. As long as I am sure that it is love, it will definitely not be broken by a single poke!"
"Oh, I see." Lu Zhongnian teased in a light tone.
They were hidden in the darkness of the night, with only the scattered candlelight in the distant woods embellishing the monotonous background.
Mu Yu turned her eyes and looked at the smiling face of the boy next to her, thinking -
——If this were an ordinary night.
——How nice it would be if this was a night they spent together in their ordinary college life.
He wanted to stop here and talk to Lu Chongnian quietly and leisurely.
There were no dungeons or monsters, and no worries about his life. He just wanted to stare blankly beside Lu Chongnian, looking up at the night sky with this boy, or calmly wait for the drizzle to fall under the eaves.
pity……
Mu Yu withdrew his gaze.
He looked down at his feet, and after a moment, he stood up and said, "Let's go—"
"Muyu."
Mu Yu turned around when he heard the voice, and a finger suddenly poked his cheek. The slightly cold fingertip made a small pit in the middle of his cheek.
Mu Yu was stunned.
Lu Zhongnian didn't seem to realize that he was doing anything childish. He poked it twice more before saying, as if thinking, "It seems a little hard to poke it."
He withdrew his fingers seriously, twisted his fingertips again, and murmured, "So soft."
Mu Yu: “…”
The boy said seriously: "Let's go."
Mu Yu: “…………???”
He reacted and ran after him, with a lot to say.
A smile appeared at the corner of Lu Zhongnian's lips.
Mu Yu exploded: "...Student Lu Chongnian, do you have a sense of public morality?"
"Why do you say that?"
...How could she stop teasing him halfway through, leaving him hanging in the middle of nowhere! Too much!
…
Five minutes later, eight people gathered in front of the candlelight, panting.
They didn't find any clues in the area outside the woods, so it seemed they could only play the couple's game.
The game base station is located at the entrance of the woods and is also a small wooden house.
At this moment, the NPCs have dispersed, and only the boss is busy in the wooden house. There is a tent in front of the house, and there are two things under the tent.
A table and a roll-up banner.
There is an electronic scale on the table, but I don’t know what it is used for.
The roll-up banner lists the rules of this couple game called "Find a Bride", but -
Qin Jiang said anxiously: "I feel that the rules of this game are a little different from those in reality. The original version of this game is not that complicated."
Find a Bride game rules:
1. Two people form a group, and at least four groups can start the game. One person in each group is the groom, who takes the wedding scale; one person is the bride, who is covered with a red veil.
2. To ensure fairness of the game, participants are requested to change their clothes uniformly and not take them off unless under special circumstances.
3. During the game, participants who play the role of the bride and groom should not communicate with each other at will outside the designated communication context. Before the end of the game, do not have physical contact with each other.
4. After the bride changes her clothes, she goes into the woods at the back and disperses to the waiting location of her choice. Then the groom goes into the woods to look for the bride.
5. The groom finds the bride and confirms their identities through communication, then he can unveil the red veil. If the pair is matched correctly, the game ends and the players can go to the game base station to claim the game prizes. (*Prizes are limited and will be claimed while stocks last)
6. If there is only one person left in a pair, the pairing fails and the game ends. Please find a new pair and try again.
7. If the pairing is wrong, the game ends for both players.
8. The maximum game time for each group is one and a half hours.
Ye Sui said sharply: "There are prizes."
The prize might be a clue to the location of the monster generator.
Hong Yang noted: "The brides will arrive at the waiting locations of their own choice separately? If this location can be chosen, can we tell each other in advance?"
Mu Yu stared at these rules and said, "I don't think it will be that simple, but it's okay for us to agree on it first. Anyway, we'll know whether it works or not when the time comes."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They used their mobile phones to record the rules. After they were done, Mu Yu said, "Once the game starts, we will most likely be dispersed. We should communicate some things that need attention in advance."
They gathered together.
Mu Yu sorted out his thoughts and said one by one: "The first point is about the fifth rule of the park. You should have seen it. It requires us to extinguish the candles we find tourists lighting."
The direction of this rule is actually very clear. The only people who would light candles for no apparent reason are NPCs with tourist identities, not players.
As for the candles that can be lit, it seems that the only one arranged in the shape of a heart is the one on the left side of the lawn.
They were ignited by the love confession of a young couple, and then blown out by the strong wind.
Mu Yu said: "We must also pay attention to the candles here after we enter the woods, but the bride may not be able to move around easily at that time."
Jiang He, a male student from the Medical University who was in the same team as Su Mingyun, swallowed his saliva and immediately said, "Then we, the grooms, will be responsible for keeping an eye on these candles!"
"Yes, this may require you to pay more attention," Mu Yu nodded, "There are candles in the woods, but they seem to be lit. The 'candles' in this copy seem to be an important thing. Everyone should pay attention to it when the time comes. Maybe you can find some clues from them."
"The second thing is, look at the rules five, six, and seven of this couple game."
"These three rules provide three different ways of 'ending the game', but only the fifth and sixth rules describe the consequences of the game. As for the seventh rule, if the players are paired incorrectly, the game ends - there is a blank space after it. The rules do not mention what the consequences will be for the players at all."
Qin Jiang and the others opened their mouths.
Mu Yu said word by word: "We must assume that the corresponding consequence of this situation is the death of the player."
Their faces suddenly turned pale.
"So, don't rush to confirm each other's identities. Make sure you are absolutely certain before taking any action."
At this point, Ye Sui raised a point: "I always feel that these rules are a bit rough, as if they don't fully explain the game process."
Su Mingyun nodded repeatedly: "I feel the same way!"
Hong Yang was also thinking: "Will there be more detailed rules waiting for us when the game starts, depending on the identities of the bride and groom?"
Ye Sui frowned: "It's not impossible."
Qin Jiang said awkwardly: "I feel like I can't remember them all. Why are there so many rules?"
Lu Bin was embarrassed: "...Me too, no matter how good your memory is, you can't use it like this."
Mu Yu calmly reassured them, "If you encounter other rules after entering, take pictures of them all! If you don't have time to take pictures, just remember the most important things at a glance."
"We may still meet each other, and all we have to do is hold on until then."
"Then here's the last thing I want to say," Mu Yu's expression became a little subtle, "From the nature of this game, I feel that what we are facing this time may really be a monster disguised as a player."
As soon as these words were spoken, Qin Jiang, Su Mingyun, Lu Bin, and Jiang He all had gloomy expressions on their faces.
In fact, Mu Yu's guess was completely reasonable, and they had already guessed it a little.
If there is one area where this game could go wrong, it would be the “recognizing people” part.
It is possible for players to be paired incorrectly, but as Mu Yu said, they can avoid this mistake as long as they are more careful.
Each player looks different, speaks differently, walks differently, and even walks at a different pace.
There's no need for them to pretend to be each other, so if you pay attention, it should be easy to tell the difference.
But is this really the limit of the difficulty of this game?
If not, where would the difficulty be?
The answer becomes obvious.
But guessing it is one thing, and actually facing it is another.
A monster that can disguise itself as a player is a setting that would make any horror movie terrifying!
Mu Yu continued, "Anyway, in order to avoid players mistaking monsters for their teammates, I think each of our groups can come up with a secret code."
Qin Jiang's eyes lit up: "That's right, the rules only say that we can't communicate with each other, but it doesn't say that we can't talk to ourselves or jump around!"
"Yes," Mu Yu added objectively, "Of course, we can't guarantee that our secret code will not be copied by monsters."
Suddenly, others: "…………"
Mu Yu: "Don't be silent, we must lay out all the situations and analyze them clearly!"
Hong Yang: "My heart is chilled by this analysis."
Mu Yu: “.”
"Anyway, that's it. You can set a code or not, but you must consider all circumstances before making a decision," he concluded.
Lu Bin said to Qin Jiang: "...How about I jump around to give you a hint?"
Qin Jiang: "Do we still need it..."
Lu Bin was embarrassed: "Isn't it because I'm afraid the monster is too good at acting?"
Su Mingyun thought for a moment and said to Jiang He, "Do you want to take a photo of me? It's mainly to compare my height, weight, and so on, so that you won't mistake me for someone based on my body shape when the time comes."
"I have to wear a red veil, so I won't be able to see you. I can only hear your voice. I'll just record your voice! After all, we're not familiar with each other yet, and I'm afraid I won't even be able to recognize your voice!"
Jiang He quickly said, "Okay!"
Mu Yu and Lu Chongnian, Ye Sui and Hong Yang looked at each other.
Hong Yang: "No need for a secret code. Are you going to be the bride or am I going to be the bride?"
Ye Sui: "You, you don't have as much physical strength as me, you may not be able to run by then."
Hong Yang: “…” Although he had no objection, it sounded so unpleasant.
On this side, Mu Yu: "...Then I will be the bride?"
Lu Zhongnian's eyes moved slightly: "Okay."
Mu Yu felt again that the way Lu Chongnian looked at him seemed a little bitter.
Time was tight, so the four groups quickly discussed with the bride group where to wait in the woods. After all the discussions were completed, Mu Yu said seriously, "-- Let's go."
The eight people took a deep breath, turned and walked towards the wooden house.
The boss came out to greet us.
He stopped them with a smile: "You want to play games? There are exactly eight of us. Okay, okay, okay, then, the four grooms will wait outside, and the four brides will come in with me first."
Qin Jiang was stunned and looked back at her boyfriend.
Lu Bin looked worried, but he said encouraging words: "Don't worry, I will find you as quickly as possible!"
"……Um!"
Su Mingyun waved her hand towards Jiang He.
Ye Sui pressed Hong Yang's head, frowned and warned: "Be careful, wait for me to come find you."
Lu Zhongnian hooked Mu Yu's little finger.
Mu Yu whispered, "Waiting for you."
"Yeah." The boy looked at him in the night breeze and responded softly.
And so, the four brides left first.
They walked past the boss and stepped into the wooden house cautiously.
Inside the wooden house, a chandelier hung in the middle of the room, providing a simple, dim light.
The room is small, and the layout is clearly visible.
Two girls and two boys were standing together, alert, when suddenly, the wooden door slammed shut behind them!
Qin Jiang was startled, and Su Mingyun quickly patted her back to comfort her.
The boss walked to the right side of the room, where there was a row of four simple changing rooms with curtains drawn.
He stood still, turned around, smiled at them and opened his arms: "Come on, the four of you go in and change your clothes first, and then come out one by one after you are changed."
...one by one?
Mu Yu calmed himself down, took the lead and walked over, and Hong Yang and the others followed immediately.
They walked to the four changing rooms and then stopped at the same time.
On the snow-white walls of the four dressing rooms, each was hung with a heavy, intricate and gorgeous blood-red wedding dress.
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