Chapter 053: Play
“I’ll try my best!”
Chen Xiao'er covered her heart with her hands and used a smile to hide the huge pressure: How can I say no in this situation?
When Xing was speaking, the other students were listening intently, so his words, in a sense, represented the collective sentiment.
The "normal college life" I envision is one where I can get along well with my classmates, learn a lot in a peaceful atmosphere, and make a few friends.
Chen Xiao'er took a step forward with worry, and walked forward with everyone. She was also thinking about the "Student Introduction Booklet" distributed at the beginning of the school year.
Because of that booklet, everyone knew that my academic performance and physical fitness were not excellent, and I didn’t even have many special skills.
Now that everyone is willing to give me an opportunity to express myself and successfully integrate, I certainly can't let it go.
Tap, tap, click.
The footsteps ahead slowed down, and we had reached our destination.
Chen Xiao'er looked up at the large script-killing manor that was even more luxurious than a haunted house, and her heart began to beat faster.
The idea is perfect, but - am I really good at script-killing decryption?
My knowledge of puzzles is limited to detective novels. I have also participated in a few online groups on Blue Star, but this is completely different from offline script-killing games.
She covered her face with her hands, her face pale. "I'm dead, I'm dying! This kind of opportunity is hard to come by! What if I perform so poorly during the game that I drag the whole class down... the consequences are unimaginable."
"Um, Mr. Xing."
Chen Xiao'er mustered up her courage and prepared to confess: If the spot is really that valuable, it should be left to students who are more confident.
The teacher had emphasized several times before departure that "the treasure is very important" and she was afraid she could not bear this responsibility.
"Student Chen, please wait a moment."
"?"
Xing Shuyao suddenly lowered his voice and turned his wheelchair to move back. As he gestured to retreat, Chen Xiao'er followed him, dazed.
The script-killing venue is a giant manor. Its exact size cannot be seen due to the gardens and complex structures, but Chen Xiao'er roughly estimated that it is at least as big as the manor where her adoptive mother lives in Changhe City.
They walked around the manor wall, from the main gate to a side gate before stopping.
"It's right here. Please stand over there for a moment."
Xing Shuyao looked carefully and found that as long as Chen Xiao'er approached, the gray-black substance next to her would quickly disappear.
The black air at the main entrance was incredibly dense, and Chen could only maintain a safe range of about 3 meters. The side entrance was significantly less dangerous, and Chen could maintain a safe range of 5 meters.
He didn't know what effect this blank safety zone would have, but it was worth a try.
Xing Shuyao pointed out three people from among his classmates.
"Yang Lele, Zhao Zhengyi, Qian Xiaomei, please come out for a moment and stand at the door—yes, by the left pillar."
The abilities of these three people are very suitable for testing the rules.
Zhao Zhengyi is responsible for attracting the monsters' firepower, Yang Lele's superpowers can bind abnormalities, and Qian Xiaomei's displacement is very flexible and has high priority, allowing her to provide a hard-core defense in extreme situations.
The three of them immediately followed Xing Shuyao's instructions and walked to the designated location, which was two or three steps away from the abnormal area.
"Lin Lang, Zheng Lu, and Lin Xiaoyu, the three of you should move closer to Chen Xiao'er."
Lin Lang and Zheng Lu were Chen's roommates and should be better at teamwork. Lin Xiaoyu was the only predictor, and she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
Xing Shuyao specifically reminded: "Student Chen, I'll leave Lin Xiaoyu in your care."
"Okay!" Chen Xiao'er quickly grabbed the blind girl's hand, then suddenly had a question: "That's not right. You said the spot is valuable, so it's okay for me to join. Lin Xiaoyu is blind, and you expect her to decrypt it?"
Xing Shuyao's wheelchair was pressed against the center line. He sat not too far away and carefully observed the flow of the black matter: most of the black was concentrated in the abnormal area. The radiation energy inside was too strong for him to observe directly from the outside.
"Okay, let's get started."
Xing Shuyao rocked the wheelchair back twice, and then asked Zheng Xiuli to hand the token badge to Zhao Zhengyi.
Zhao Zhengyi weighed the poker-sized metal plate and slowly grasped it in his hand. Following the school's instructions, he silently chanted, "I want to retrieve the treasure, I want to retrieve the treasure, let me keep my superpowers, let me keep my memories..."
Nothing happened, my mind didn't become clear, and my palms didn't feel hot.
Zhao Zhengyi was a little confused, but the reactions of the strange objects were different, and some had no reaction at all when they took effect.
He walked forward holding a metal bronze plate inlaid with a sun symbol. The strange power of the abnormal area slowly surged before his eyes, outlining the shape of a "door".
A mahogany door full of the style of the old times slowly emerged, with slightly mottled couplets pasted on it.
The white couplet quickly turned red as Zhao Zhengyi approached, and even the mottled damage gradually disappeared, turning into a smooth and brand new appearance.
When Zhao Zhengyi walked to the mahogany door and picked up the bronze door knocker with his right hand, the couplet completely disappeared, and a headless stone lion appeared on the left side of the steps.
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
Zhao Zhengyi knocked on the door.
Creak—the mahogany door opened a crack, and a scarlet eye appeared from inside.
"Who?" His eyes rolled in the darkness.
"It's me." I am justice, Uncle Bei, don't you remember?
The words Zhao Zhengyi had prepared in his mind suddenly disappeared.
School—church—what did they tell me to say?
As long as, as long as I hold the token in my hand, I will naturally understand... Zhao Zhengyi's pupils dilated, holding the iron sheet and moving his lips: "Ah, I, Aba, ah..."
“…”
Suddenly, an eyeball appeared behind the door, and the two eyeballs drifted up and down. Although there were no eyelids, they outlined the movement of [suspicion].
"You...are a stranger."
A voice approached from the door, getting closer and closer, extending all the way to Zhao Zhengyi's ears.
"I, I."
The door slowly opened, and a skinny arm stretched out from inside and pressed on Zhao Zhengyi's shoulder.
Two eyeballs moved around his face, one on the left and one on the right. "I don't know you, stranger. Who are you?"
"My name is..." Zhao Zhengyi's heart ached, and the pain awakened part of his consciousness.
He thought something was wrong and he had to get away quickly. He was ready to raise his arm and swing the other person hard to warn his companions at the same time.
However, the stone-cold fingers had already pinched into his flesh, and the monster growled in his ear: "You—are not—the young master. You're a liar! You're trying to cheat me out of my money and steal my belongings! I'm going to kill you—"
No no no, I don't want to die!
Fear and confusion surged in his heart, and Zhao Zhengyi's superpowers stagnated at this moment.
He wanted to explain, but he also wanted to escape: Where are the people? Where are everyone? Where are my companions?! Something is wrong, something is wrong, help me, someone help me!
Tap, click.
A pair of shoes gently stopped behind him, she said.
…
"Uncle Bei, it's me. Don't you recognize me~?"
Chen Xiao'er took the sign from Zhao Zhengyi and waved it towards the staff like a badge.
She looked like she was smiling, but she was actually so nervous that she was about to break: the staff were too dedicated and they wanted to perform against her right from the start.
But Zhao Zhengyi is having a social panic attack, so why is everyone pushing me to save the situation? I have no acting experience! Now Chunchun can't resist the students' pleas, so she has to force the issue.
“…”
The staff seemed confused by her reaction and stretched out their hands foolishly, waving them in the air.
As expected of a professional actor, the middle-aged man's eyes quickly turned from cloudy to clear, as if he was really a numb old butler who saw his eldest daughter who had finally returned after studying abroad for ten years.
"Miss Wu, Miss Wu?!"
Uncle Bei was shaking with excitement, and he stroked his fingers, not daring to touch the back of the lady's hand.
He arched his back and bowed respectfully: "You are finally back, Miss Fifth."
"Ah, yes."
Chen Xiao'er was so embarrassed that she got goosebumps.
Out of respect for the other person's professionalism, she put away the iron plate, cleared her throat, and adopted a sweeter tone: "Then I'll take them in? Oh, oh, oh."
"yes."
Uncle Bei straightened up, glanced at the crowd behind her, and frowned slightly. "Miss, why did you buy so many servants this time?"
"Ah, that's it." Chen Xiao'er was stunned for a moment. There was nothing she could do. Isn't this military training?
As expected, the other party quickly made an expression of sudden enlightenment and said, "Oh... I understand. Miss is really smart. Those people are really not good people when the master just went there. We must be more careful."
"Uh-huh, huh."
Chen Xiao'er walked in with an awkward smile and gestured to her classmates to "follow me".
This script-killing game accommodates 15-20 players at a time. After a brief discussion, Xing Shuyao and her group of 15 people came out, and together with her and Zhao Zhengyi, there were 17 people in total.
The classmates stood silently behind her, and she couldn't help but straighten her chest, stepped over the threshold, and walked in with a jingle of voices.
A slightly decadent fragrance wafted towards her face. Chen Xiao'er coughed twice and walked towards a side room as Uncle Bei called out, "Miss is back, help her change her clothes quickly."
Two girls in green dresses with small buns came out of the side room.
They took small steps, lowered their heads, and held Xiao'e's hands, supporting her as they walked inside like maids in the old times.
Chen Xiao'er couldn't help but look back: Uncle Bei was standing in the yard, smiling and saluting her, while her classmates were being dragged to the side by different staff members, presumably to change into their performance costumes.
Come on everyone!
Xiao'er was a little nervous and followed the maids into the side room.
As soon as she entered the door, her eyes lit up: what an elegant furnishing!
The coffee table and step-out bed imitate the texture of huanghuali wood vividly, and the dressing table is finely carved with flowers, birds, fish and insects.
The makeup box set is simply a box of wintersweet bonsai. A little magpie on the branch is holding a cicada in its mouth. The cicada's wings are thin and transparent, as if they could chirp when the wind blows.
Chen Xiao'er sat down on the stool tremblingly. Even the cushion on the stool was embroidered.
Maybe it is machine-woven, but looking at the bright and lovely petals, the price must not be cheap.
She sat down and looked up, then quickly turned her head left and right in front of the mirror: Wow, it really is a bronze mirror!
It's not mercury-coated glass, but the kind of mirror made of polished copper you see in old period dramas. It's so bright that you can even see the tiny moles on your face.
This crew is incredibly wealthy. Don't they need to consider cost-saving when setting up a scripted killing scene? Aren't props of this precision only used for close-ups of the female lead in the movie?
Rustle, rustle.
The maids walked slowly forward, gently opened the lids of the boxes, and took out boxes of ointment, powder, lipstick, and a glass bottle of perfume.
Seeing them displaying the assorted boxes, Xiao Ai waved her hands repeatedly: "Hey, no need to go to all that trouble, I'll just keep it simple."
An idea struck her, and she emphasized, "Dad just left, so I don't need to change into any fancy dresses. Red or yellow won't suit me!"
"yes."
The two maids responded in a low voice, pressing their knees together.
They deftly dressed her, moving around the spacious and elegant room, occasionally picking up a towel or changing a basin of water, with the efficiency of an entire makeup team.
Chen Xiao'er sat stiffly on the stool, letting them do whatever they wanted like a porcelain doll.
The makeup tools here are so realistic that even the texture of the small brushes doesn't feel like plastic.
She didn't dare move around carelessly, in case she accidentally broke a special brand of powder box or perfume... It wouldn't matter if she had to pay money, but the staff would report her to the school and she would be deducted points.
Finally, after more than half an hour of dressing up, the two maids finally bowed and retreated.
Chen Xiao'er stood up slowly and turned half a circle in front of the mirror.
Her long hair was combed up tightly, not in a big braid or a very ancient-style bun, but in a curly bun that suited her personality. When she tied her hair back, she had the temperament of a lady from the Republic of China.
The makeup is light and elegant, which makes her look even cooler with the new long skirt.
The skirt is similar in shape to both cheongsam and Hanfu. Due to its jade white color and light decoration, it looks more like a modern dress overall and is very light to walk in.
Chen Xiao'er nodded in front of the mirror with satisfaction: The staff still understands. If I wear something too restrictive, I won't be able to reveal the secret. This outfit makes it easier for me to walk around the manor.
Squeak-dong
Someone pushed the door open and tapped on the doorframe with their fingers.
Chen Xiao'er turned around and found that it was a handsome man.
The man was wearing a dark blue robe, holding a paper fan in his hand, and leaning against the door in an unruly manner.
"Fifth sister."
The man's voice was sweet as he snapped open the paper fan and waved it around as if for display.
There are many birds and animals painted on it, especially a black snake mark which is the most eye-catching.
Someone's here to act with you so soon? It's not a classmate, so it's a staff member, right?
"elder brother?"
Chen Xiao'er looked at him tentatively.
He also noticed the way she observed the black snake and smiled with satisfaction: "Brother, let me ask you something. How much do you remember?"
The fan moved between them, clattering against the edge of the table, the black snake pointing upwards.
"Are you my companion?"
The man studied the girl's expression.
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