"Damn! They deliberately voted wrong?" Zheng Wanqing angrily slammed the table. "They want us to freeze to death? Are they still human?"
After her outburst, she noticed both of her roommates were silent. Tang Xinjue's eyes were calm, as if he had anticipated this. Guo Guo's face was pale, whether from the cold or fear.
She gradually realized that something was wrong, "Did I say something wrong?"
"Woo woo, you're right." Guo Guo wanted to cry, but he couldn't. "Because it's obvious that they really aren't human!"
The only people who could vote were students currently completing levels or NPCs. The NPCs they encountered in the game were almost all malicious figures like Xiao Hong, the supermarket owner, and the student union.
Even if you think about it, you know that they would definitely prefer to see students freeze to death.
Zheng Wanqing felt a chill down her spine as she realized what was happening. "Do we still have hope?"
The only clue to the mission is that they are being manipulated by a group of NPCs and treated like monkeys. Doesn't that mean they can kill the students at any time?
This time, Tang Xinjue's answer was also very firm:
"have."
Even the current situation, in her opinion, is one of the best scenarios, second only to the situation where all voters are normal candidates.
roommate:"???"
Tang Xin Jue said calmly, "The worst-case scenario is that the votes for the four options are almost identical. In that case, we won't be able to draw any conclusions from the vote count."
"As it is now, it can only mean that the majority of voters are NPCs. What makes NPCs different from ordinary test-takers is that they know a lot of exam information that students don't know - for example, which answer is most likely to be correct and which answer is definitely wrong."
"Under these conditions, in order to make us die faster, a vote ratio will emerge - the wrong option will have the highest votes and the correct option will have the lowest votes."
As Tang Xinjue analyzed the details, his roommate's eyes gradually lit up:
"In other words, [School Swamp] is definitely the wrong answer, and [Lounge], which received the lowest number of votes, is the most likely correct answer!"
"That's right." Tang Xinjue nodded.
The NPC's malicious voting, on the one hand, set a trap, and on the other hand, allowed the correct answer to surface effortlessly.
The student union would only investigate one location at a time, and there was a high probability that the first investigation would fail. What they needed to wait for was a second chance to vote.
"But," Guo Guo suddenly thought of a question: "Even if there is a second vote, these NPCs will also be among the voters, right? What if they deliberately vote for the wrong option?"
The number of people on both sides is so different, won't they be led by the nose all the time?
"By then, it's time to show your initiative."
Tang Xinjue smiled. She was not overly worried about the vote. In comparison, the upcoming swamp exploration made the danger warning in her heart even stronger.
If the answer to "the birth of a snow monster affects heating" is derived from a specific location, it is most likely related to the "monster".
They don't have direct contact in the dormitory, but Zhang You may face danger.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the indoor temperature was minus 54 degrees Celsius.
The radio clicked twice, and Lily reappeared. "Ding Dong~ Hello, everyone who's still alive. This is the student union inspection site."
You know the longer it takes, the more casualties among the candidates will increase. They're probably just hoping for our swift death. The three of them looked indifferent.
"Wow, from here you can see the entire swamp is frozen in place, like a giant black mirror. Hehe, it's breathtakingly beautiful..."
After being reminded by other reporters, Lily finally got back to the point. "Ahem, next. Mr. Sun, who provided this answer, please personally explore the swamp and report back to us."
"Wait, am I the only one going there?" another boy said in panic. "It's too dark in there, and there's only ice on top. What if the ice breaks..."
"Mr. Sun, this is the answer you gave yourself. Of course, you have to check whether it is correct or not." Lily answered considerately.
Seeing that the boy was still struggling, her voice suddenly turned cold: "Of course, if you insist on not cooperating, we will have no choice but to use force."
After that, there were a few seconds of confusion and cries of pain on the radio. Soon, Lily's voice, covering her mouth with her hands and laughing, could be heard: "There was a small accident just now, but everything is back on track now. Student Sun has entered the inspection site and is walking on the ice. We can hear his footsteps. Oh, Student Sun's legs are shaking slightly. It seems that he is not very confident about his answer..."
"Ah," she paused, her voice filled with strange excitement: "The ice is cracking!"
In the dormitory, everyone's expression was not very good.
The student union must have tied a microphone to the boy, so that everything happening on the swamp ice could be clearly heard from outside the radio.
At first, only the boy's rapid breathing and the slow creaking of the ice surface could be heard. Then, the receiver suddenly heard the gurgling sound of water and the sound of surging.
But why is there the sound of water on the ice?
Tang Xinjue's eyes were gloomy: "Unless there is something swimming under the ice following people."
—and it was a behemoth powerful enough to penetrate the solidified swamp.
“Crack—Crack—”
It was as if several cracks suddenly appeared, and the boy froze in his tracks.
"Ah, the ice is cracking."
Then, amid Lily's gloating commentary, the footsteps suddenly quickened, as if the boy was running hurriedly on the ice, and behind him, the sound of ice breaking continued to accumulate, and the gurgling sound under the ice became louder and louder.
Suddenly, the boy let out a scream, then fell heavily to the ice, his body still struggling to move forward.
"Bang!"
This was the sound of another heavy object falling on the ice.
“Hiss—hiss—”
This is the sound of it sliding on the ice.
After four or five seconds, the boy's voice disappeared, leaving only the heavy friction and wriggling of an object, and finally it sank back into the swamp.
Tang Xinjue closed his eyes and took two deep breaths to prevent the nausea from coming up.
Then she took out the toilet plunger and banged it hard on the desk!
Guo Guo and Zheng Wanqing, with painful and confused expressions, shuddered and came to their senses.
They had just been enveloped by the cold, sticky, and immersive tension and pain of the radio. They were almost breathless, their stomachs churning. If Tang Xin Jue hadn't suddenly woken them up, they didn't know how much longer they would have been drowning.
Zheng Wanqing stretched out her hand, the blood stains on it quickly solidifying in the cold. She had just scratched her hand unconsciously.
Guo Guo tried to swallow twice, but still couldn't help it and bent over to retch.
On the [Dormitory Member Status] screen, everyone except Tang Xin Jue had increased negative status to varying degrees. The most serious one was Zhang You:
[Mental Damage: Your health value is -10, and your sanity value is reduced]
[Looking directly at the giant: Immunity -5, Stamina -3, Reflexes -3. Your physical fitness is greatly reduced, and the environment becomes more dangerous to you.]
Even if you don't come into direct contact with the monster, or even just receive information through the radio, you may still be hurt.
A decision must be made immediately, and one cannot follow the other party's rhythm. Tang Xinjue made a decision in his heart.
The radio continues.
Lily's voice was filled with satisfaction, like the gluttony after a hearty meal. "It seems unfortunate that Mr. Sun's answer is incorrect. The heating process has made no progress. Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"
Without waiting for Zhang You to answer, she continued, "But it doesn't matter. Let's see where the next place we're going to investigate is!"
"One, the power room; two, the water supply room; three, the lounge. The choice is in the hands of the students in front of the radio. Now, let's start voting—"
The ringing of a bell interrupted Lily's voice, and she froze. "Who called the radio station?"
After a few rustling sounds, Lily answered the call, her voice revealing visible reluctance. "Haha, it seems the students are very enthusiastic about the radio station. Let's see who's calling this time..."
"Hello."
In front of the radio, Tang Xinjue held the phone, his tone calm.
"..." Lily wanted to hang up immediately.
She finally managed to hold back her hesitation again, and asked with a fake smile, "Hello, may I ask why you contacted us so suddenly..."
"This is an emergency," Tang Xinjue interrupted her. "I just discovered something unusual in the heating staff's lounge. It's very likely that the key to solving this heating problem lies inside."
"Is that so—" Lily drawled out her tone, "But the inspection location can only be chosen by voting, so it's a pity..."
"But isn't the student union's goal today to solve the heating problem?" Tang Xinjue interrupted her again, but his tone was calm and composed: "Logically speaking, the process should serve the result."
Lily: ...She is a reporter now, she is not angry, she endures it!
"Haha." A sneer came from the other end of the phone. "But how do you prove that what you said is correct? What is the basis for your analysis?"
"Someone came to me in a dream." Tang Xinjue said without hesitation.
"I have a friend named Xiaohong, and we have a very good relationship. She happened to know something about this heating issue, so she just appeared in my dream and told me that the key to the solution is in the lounge. As we all know, good friends will not lie, so this answer must be correct."
Student Union: “…”
Her roommate, who watched her finish the whole thing without changing her expression, said: "..."
Lily resisted the urge to curse and said, "That reason doesn't seem very credible."
Wait, the student union reporter named Xiao Ming suddenly interrupted, "I do seem to remember a classmate named Xiao Hong..."
Lily screamed, "Shut up!"
"Of course, I also firmly support fair decision-making. If anyone has other suggestions, you can also make them by phone. I don't mind a live debate. For those who don't know how to contact the radio station, you are also welcome to call 7543..."
Unable to stop him in time, Lily could only watch Tang Xinjue recite the radio station number in one breath.
"After all, if I'm the only one making the phone call, and everyone else only needs to send text messages, and can't tell the voter's identity, wouldn't it be unfair if someone stole dozens of phones to vote? After all - our [mission] is the same."
Tang Xinjue emphasized the last sentence and hung up the phone without giving the other party a chance to refute.
She was gambling, gambling that the NPCs could only fish in troubled waters by voting, and could not directly interfere with the exam content - but real students could.
At the same time, it's also about the balance of the rules of the game—even the student union is bound to be subject to certain levels of constraints and repression. For example, it cannot refuse students' proactive calls.
For example, the completion of heating tasks cannot be hindered by refusing reasonable requests.
They were intentionally downplaying this point, but Tang Xin Jue wouldn't ignore it. His words weren't meant for the student union, but rather to test the rules of the game for potential overriding purposes.
On the radio, the student union fell into a long silence.
After a while, Xiao Ming said, "We still need to discuss this issue to determine whether it will be more conducive to finding a better heating schedule. Please wait for another hour, thank you."
Tang Xinjue knew that she had made the right bet.
Only when the other party is caught in a pain point and has no other choice, can they use the right to delay time to maximize their losses.
It would be best if they all froze to death during this period of time, so that the student union could follow the original process.
Just as the radio station was about to pause again, the connection bell suddenly rang again.
Lily's unbearable scream came from a distance: "Is this never going to end? I'll beat you&*%$##@..."
Xiao Ming: "Sorry, the reporter is a little bit out of control right now. Mr. Tang, is there anything else you can do for me?"
In front of the radio, Tang Xinjue raised his eyebrows.
She is sitting here quietly now and is not making any phone calls.
The next second, a strange girl's voice rang out over the radio: "Hello. I'm not Tang, my last name is Liu. I'm calling to support Tang's suggestion. I also think the next inspection site should be the heating personnel lounge."
Xiao Ming: "...Okay, we will remember your opinion. Goodbye."
After hanging up the phone, without even a second's pause, the ringtone suddenly rang again.
"I support their opinion." This time it was a simple and honest man's voice: "By the way, can the Student Union provide us with some hot water bottles and warming equipment? If that doesn't work, you can also light a pot of wood at the door. After all, you are the ones who serve the students..."
Student Union: “…”
An hour passed quickly in the endless phone calls. They didn't even have time to say the end before they were overwhelmed by new calls.
Even Guo Guo and Zheng Wanqing joined the call-making team. When they heard that the student union had been humiliated, they temporarily forgot the pain of being cold and breathed a sigh of relief.
At three in the afternoon, the phone call finally paused. Xiao Ming eagerly handed the phone over to Lily. "After discussion, we've decided to adopt Tang's suggestion and conduct this field trip directly to the heating staff's lounge!"
"Luckily, the lounge is right near the school swamp, so we got here quickly."
Lily tried to put on a professional fake smile. "You can see there's no light in the lounge, and the windows are pitch black. How strange! Isn't the staff in there?"
"Next, please ask Zhang You to go in and find out the truth for us!"
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