Chapter 112 Emergency
It was always best to see the people around you survive, no matter what method they used - at least that was the case for Lin Qiushi.
That night was destined to be a sleepless night for everyone. The number of box people in the house increased again, and their escape remained elusive. A relatively simple method to put the box woman to rest was to use the Mary Doll on her remains. The Mary Doll was her favorite doll. However, the item Xiaomei had opened the previous night was actually the box woman's skill card, called "My Miss Mary." Although both names contained the character "Miss Mary," the two items had very different functions.
The "My Miss Mary" skill card prevents the player holding the Marie doll from moving it, and causes it to wail and waile. This requires the player to stack noise pieces twice. Once the noise pieces collapse and make a noise, the box girl can move. This skill increases the box girl's movement speed and the frequency of her ability use.
If the player possessing the Miss Mary doll is killed by the Box Woman, their items will be buried, thus depriving the player of a way to leave the house, further increasing the difficulty of the game.
Lin Qiushi vaguely understood why Ruan Nanzhu said those words to Sun Yuanzhou. Ruan Nanzhu seemed to be using false information to confirm something.
The next morning, everyone looked tired, obviously affected by what happened last night.
Early in the morning, Lin Qiushi selected two boxes in their room. After listening carefully and making sure there were no unusual sounds inside, he let Ruan Nanzhu open them.
The box is empty, with neither skill cards nor props, so it can be said to be of no use.
Lin Qiushi gave the second box to Liang Miye. He would go hungry today, and Liang Miye would take over tomorrow.
For two days and three nights, Ruan Nanzhu had only eaten a bucket of instant noodles. Although he didn't say anything, he was definitely hungry. After arriving at the restaurant, he didn't say hello to anyone around him, just quietly stuffing food into his mouth.
Today is the third day that we can’t eat without opening the box. Most people can no longer bear the pervasive hunger and choose to sit at the table and feast after opening the box.
Ruan Nanzhu had almost finished his meal, put down his food, and said, "Xiaomei opened a skill card yesterday."
He glanced around the table but didn't see Xiaomei. She must have been devastated by her lover's accident, and she didn't even feel like eating breakfast.
"What card?" Xuan Zihui asked.
"My Miss Mary," Ruan Nanzhu said, "a very important skill card. Before I talk about it, I'd like to ask, has anyone here ever opened a rag doll?"
Everyone shook their heads upon hearing this, indicating that they had never seen this rag doll before.
"Okay, let me continue." Ruan Nanzhu said, "After the rag doll is opened, if the box girl uses this skill, the person who owns the doll may need to open two boxes to eat the next day. Of course, this is just my guess. This skill may also have other interpretations, but it is definitely not a good thing." The door inside will only increase the difficulty and will never make the whole game easier.
"So what's the use of this doll?" someone else asked.
"It can help the Box Girl to be reborn," Ruan Nanzhu said. "It's a very important escape tool."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent, their expressions complex, as they clearly assessed the risk of this matter. Benefits and risks always coexisted, and if they wanted to leave this place, they were bound to bear the risk.
"Has anyone else opened any other items today?" Ruan Nanzhu asked. "I can help you interpret them."
Everyone shook their heads, and only one little girl cautiously said that she had figured out a password.
"What? If we open one more digit, we can guess the rest of the password." Ruan Nanzhu said.
"You still dare to guess the password?" Xuan Zihui looked very dissatisfied with Ruan Nanzhu. If Ruan Nanzhu hadn't known the information, she would have argued with him on the spot. But now her attitude was not very good. Her voice was cold, "Don't you know what happened to those people who guessed the password?"
"Guessing the password depends on the situation." Ruan Nanzhu said lightly, "Forcing it will naturally not lead to any good results." At least in the rules of the board game, guessing the password is allowed, but the prerequisite is that you have to get at least a few digits. Of course, if you are extremely lucky and guess all the information in one breath without any information, then please treat the rules as bullshit.
Breakfast time ends here, because today's unboxing results are out, and it seems to be a very dull day.
Ruan Nanzhu walked around the room and finally stopped at the entrance. He said, "There were already a lot of people here when I got here."
"Hmm?" Lin Qiushi looked puzzled.
"There are at least eight of them," Ruan Nanzhu said. "If we're going to play a game, the rule book must be placed in the most conspicuous place. The person who got the rule book must be the one who came in first..." He continued, "It wasn't Wei Xiude. He came in with several newcomers. If they saw the rule book, it would be difficult to hide it from so many people. So the person who hid the rule book must be a lone wolf, or a duo." He straightened his back. "Then the question is, why did he hide the rule book?"
"Maybe they want us dead?" Liang Miye said, "If we don't know the rules and open the boxes recklessly..."
"No, even if we were to randomly open the boxes, at most one person would die. No one would be stupid enough to continue opening boxes recklessly after something happens," Ruan Nanzhu said. "But things will be very troublesome after that, because we don't know how to use the items and skills."
He was analyzing when he heard a wailing sound coming from upstairs. The wailing sound actually belonged to Wei Xiu De, a man who should have been fine.
"What happened? Did he open the wrong box?" Liang Miye said in surprise.
"I don't know." Ruan Nanzhu said, "Let's go up and take a look."
They hurried upstairs, only to see a group of people gathered there, and the shouting came from a box - Wei Xiu De was actually caught in the box!
If the box was opened the day before, not only could three meals a day be eaten on that day, but also breakfast for the next day. So Wei Xiu De’s current situation was probably because an accident occurred when he was unpacking the box for lunch.
But Wei Xiu De clearly had Xiao Ji's stethoscope, so why did this happen?
Lin Qiushi looked up and saw Xiao Ji and Xiao Mei standing together. Xiao Mei's expression was still gloomy, but Xiao Ji was still laughing.
"What's going on with you?" Sun Yuanzhou also came.
"I heard it wrong." Xiao Ji said, "There was a problem with the props!" He still had the stethoscope hanging around his neck.
No one believed what he said. It was impossible for props to go wrong. It was only people who could go wrong.
Xiaomei giggled and said, "Isn't this a good thing? Someone like Wei Xiude is dead... everyone should be happy."
"Yeah." Xiao Ji said lazily, "He tricked us into coming here and killed so many people. Shouldn't he deserve to die?"
Lin Qiushi didn't know what Xiaomei had done to convince Xiaoji, but her persuasion was obviously successful. Xiaoji chose Xiaomei and abandoned Wei Xiude.
The bad guys got the punishment they deserved, which should have been a happy thing, but with Wei Xiu De's miserable screams, Lin Qiushi couldn't laugh at all - the number of people in the box increased again.
Sun Yuanzhou obviously had the same idea as Lin Qiushi. His eyes were extremely gloomy. Lin Qiushi thought he would say something, but he said nothing and planned to turn around and leave.
"Oh right." Ruan Nanzhu suddenly asked, "Is there a man or a woman in this box?"
"It's the box girl." Xiaomei had a good impression of Ruan Nanzhu. She answered Ruan Nanzhu's question, "I saw her."
If it were before, Xiaomei might have been frightened by the appearance of the box woman, but after experiencing the death of her lover, she became much calmer and could even face the scene that she once feared the most with ease.
"Oh." Ruan Nanzhu said, "Then let's all come to the restaurant. I have something to tell you."
When everyone heard this, they all looked suspicious and headed towards the restaurant.
When everyone arrived, Ruan Nanzhu sat down at the table and the first thing he said was, "I got Miss Mary."
"What? Miss Mary?" someone asked in surprise.
"Yes, it's Miss Mary," Ruan Nanzhu said. "I've hidden it in my house now. As long as everyone finds the skeleton, we can get out." He looked excited as he spoke, as if he was about to complete a level in a game. "Although the skeleton is difficult to find, this is already the easiest way."
"Great, we can finally go out..." Similar noisy discussions were heard in the crowd.
"But this doll is very dangerous, and the skill card of Miss Mary has been opened, so I am wondering whether I should put it back to its original place..." Ruan Nanzhu said this.
"Let's not give it up. What if the box girl destroys it?" someone in the crowd said, "If you don't want it, you can give it to me. I'm not afraid."
When Lin Qiushi heard this, he looked at the person who spoke. This person was a little girl with little presence. Although she was a veteran, she rarely spoke. Lin Qiushi didn't even remember her name.
"Okay," Ruan Nanzhu said, "Then I'll take it with me. Everyone, please be proactive in opening the boxes and find the remains sooner rather than later. Then we can get out."
What he said was easy. There are more than 200 boxes, and there are only more than 100 left. The probability of one in a hundred is not that good to gamble on.
After sharing this crucial information, Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi left the restaurant.
Liang Miye now understood what Ruan Nanzhu was trying to do. She said, "You suspect..."
"Shh." Ruan Nanzhu put his finger to his mouth, signaling Liang Miye not to speak.
Liang Miye nodded, indicating that he understood.
After the three of them left the restaurant, they returned to their room and waited in the room.
About two or three hours later, what they were waiting for finally arrived. The box lady let out a shrill cry again. This time, the cry came from a bedroom on the second floor. The person inside was so scared that he crawled out of the bedroom.
After the wailing, the box girl would use her skills, but until dinner time, no one was killed and everyone in the villa was alive.
"She used her skills?" Everyone around the table started discussing, "Why didn't anything happen?"
Currently, the Box Girl only has three skills: False Response, I Really Want to Open It, and My Miss Mary. The first two skills have been used. Lin Qiushi asked everyone present if they had encountered a false response before coming.
Everyone answered in the negative.
So after eliminating the incorrect options, there is only one answer left - the box girl used a skill, my Miss Mary.
It’s just that because Miss Mary’s item has not been discovered yet, the skill is directly invalidated and returned to the deck.
While everyone was discussing, Ruan Nanzhu kept his head down, playing with the soup spoon in his hand. Sun Yuanzhou kept looking at him, but although he tried to hold back, someone in the crowd couldn't help but question, "Zhu Meng, didn't you say you had Miss Mary? Why didn't your Miss Mary have any effect after the Box Girl used her skill?"
"Because I lied to you." Ruan Nanzhu started laughing quietly, but then his laughter grew louder. He propped his chin up with his hand, and his eyes swept through the crowd with an indifferent look. "If I wasn't lying to you, how could the Box Girl use her skills?"
Everyone was stunned by his expression.
"What do you mean?" After all, there were still some smart people. Sun Yuanzhou pointed out the hidden meaning in Ruan Nanzhu's words in one sentence, "You mean the box girl is among us???"
"I don't know," Ruan Nanzhu said. "I don't know if it was the Box Girl herself, or someone working with her." He said coldly, "I only know that someone among us tipped off the Box Girl—Box Men can't communicate with Box Girls. After I confirmed that the Box Girl was on the second floor, I announced this in the kitchen. Two hours later, the Box Girl activated her ability. Why was she so anxious? Was she afraid I would hand Miss Mary over?"
"How is this possible? What good will this do to that person?!" Someone stood up and slammed the table. "If we all die, it will do him..." He stopped talking halfway because the benefits were so obvious.
It would be fine if that person was a box girl, but if he cooperated with the box girl, there would be many benefits.
Because everyone else is dead, the rules of the door will take effect, and it will be easy for him to leave here anyway he wants.
Making teammates die without them noticing was practically an art form within the sect, and the person hiding among them was clearly obsessed with it.
The veterans figured this out and looked at the people around them with a bit more ferocity. Some of the newcomers understood, while others were confused and obviously had not caught up with this sudden development.
"If I'm not mistaken, that person should be the first one to get here," Ruan Nanzhu said. "He even hid the rules card. If I hadn't really played this game, we'd all be dead together."
"What you said makes sense, but there's a huge loophole here." Xuan Zihui spoke again, still speaking in a way that was unfavorable to Ruan Nanzhu. "All of this exists only because the information you provided is correct. If both Miss Mary and the skill card effects were fabricated by you, then none of this exists."
Ruan Nanzhu smiled faintly: "What good is there in making things difficult for myself by making up stories like this?"
"Just like you said, leave here alone." Xuan Zihui stood up and said firmly, "You've been feeding us information since we came in. You said you've played board games before, but how could it be such a coincidence that you're the only one who's played such a niche game?!"
Ruan Nanzhu said: "If you have anything else to say, let's say it together." Facing Xuan Zihui's aggressiveness, Ruan Nanzhu acted very cold, as if he was looking at a unreasonable child.
"If anyone is hiding the rules, I think that person is you," Xuan Zihui said. "Eighty percent truth and twenty percent lies is enough to deceive everyone. What do you think, Miss Zhu Meng?"
From Xuan Zihui's perspective, what she said did make sense. Ruan Nanzhu had taken the lead since entering the room, so it made sense for others to suspect that he was the one who hid the rule card.
Unfortunately, Ruan Nanzhu was well prepared.
He slowly pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, placed it on the table, and pointed with his fingertips: "Answer."
Xuan Zihui took the note and her face changed drastically after just one look.
That was a note belonging to the gate, with the words "Box Girl" written on it. From this, Ruan Nanzhu knew that the reason for the rules inside the gate was completely explained. He was the one who had the clue, the most powerful boss among them.
After reading the note, Xuan Zihui felt like a popped balloon, deflated completely. She sighed, sat down, and no longer tried to doubt Ruan Nanzhu.
Instead, a little girl next to him asked softly, "Can't this note be forged?"
"Forged?" Xuan Zihui looked at her in confusion. "How could you forge it? This note is made of a special material. Even if you wanted to forge it, you would have to do it outside the door. How could you know what was going on inside before you came in?"
The little girl smiled awkwardly: "I'm just asking casually."
Ruan Nanzhu spread his hands: "Any other questions?"
Everyone shook their heads and their eyes changed when they looked at him.
"Since there is no problem, let's do it this way." Ruan Nanzhu said, "You guys better be careful. After all, there is a traitor in the crowd. If you have any questions, you can ask me directly in private. I promise not to tell the box girl." When he said this, he looked at Xuan Zihui with a smile. Xuan Zihui's face turned pale and he was speechless for a long time.
"Will this information be made public in the future?" Sun Yuanzhou asked the question everyone was most worried about. Since there might be someone among them who was secretly supporting the Box Woman, or even the Box Woman herself, wouldn't all the information they released be a boon to the Box Woman?
Ruan Nanzhu said, "How about this. Any information that involves leaving here will be discussed privately, but any information about discovered skills and killing the box girl will be made public."
"How can we communicate privately?" Sun Yuanzhou frowned. "We don't even know who that person is yet."
"If you believe me, you can tell me and I'll convey it. If you don't believe me..." Ruan Nanzhu said, "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."
Sun Yuanzhou said, "I believe you." The moment Ruan Nanzhu took out the note, it meant that he would definitely dominate the crowd. After all, he was the only one who knew the rules, oh, and maybe his two companions who didn't talk much.
If anything unexpected happened to Ruan Nanzhu, they would be trapped in a jar, and no matter how the box girl wanted to torture them, they would have no power to fight back.
Everyone discussed for a while before dispersing.
When Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi walked to the door, Xiaomei, who was passing by, suddenly thanked him in a low voice.
Ruan Nanzhu said, "You're welcome."
"What did you say to her?" Liang Miye was really curious about what Ruan Nanzhu said that could make the lifeless Xiaomei last night suddenly come alive.
"I just told her that you can actually kill people from inside the door," Ruan Nanzhu said, "as long as you use the right method."
Lin Qiushi blinked, but something occurred to him: "Could it be that Wei Xiu De has been telling the newcomers that they cannot kill anyone in the sect?" After he said this, he suddenly realized that it was indeed true that they could not kill anyone in the sect, but the word "directly" had to be added before the word "kill".
Making people die within the rules is also a skill.
"Xiao Ji isn't a fool," Ruan Nanzhu said. "Although he's reckless, his intelligence is fine." He walked forward, saying, "He probably didn't attack Wei Xiude for a reason."
"What's the reason?" Liang Miye asked.
"I don't know about that." Ruan Nanzhu said, "Maybe it's some restrictions outside the door. Since Xiaomei can get along with Xiaoji, she must have helped Xiaoji solve the problem."
Xiao Ji, who had solved the problem, attacked Wei Xiu De without mercy. His method was simple: he just had to report a false piece of information.
Wei Xiu De mistakenly thought that the box was safe and happily opened it. The result... is self-evident.
"I can't even take revenge for something like this?" Lin Qiushi frowned.
"Yeah." Ruan Nanzhu said, "It wasn't Xiao Ji who did it."
However, although Wei Xiu De suffered retribution, their situation became increasingly difficult. There were four box men, and the accomplice had not been found yet. At present, the box women had a complete advantage.
However, this game cannot be rushed, at least for now they have not yet released the skills that allow the Box Girl to dominate.
This thought was shattered at night when a starving novice opened a box and found a skill card called "I'm by Your Side".
When the newcomer came to find Ruan Nanzhu, Ruan Nanzhu fell silent while holding the card. This skill was the strongest skill of the Box Girl. Once activated, all humans in the same room with the Box Girl would die.
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