Chapter 24 The cat is anxiously looking for its owner.
The betting ended badly, and the two sides parted on bad terms.
Immediately, the first mate ran out with a megaphone and shouted ominously, "It's getting late. Passengers, hurry back to your rooms and rest. Stay in your rooms tonight and don't wander around. The Carnival will not be responsible for any accidents!"
Each guest has a tight schedule. Although the first segment is supposed to involve a seven-day sea voyage, it's impossible to actually film for seven calendar days. The production team's schedule is for three days, meaning that each day will last at least two nights. The specifics can be adjusted according to the development of the storyline.
Upon hearing this, the extras all ran upstairs to the accommodation area. The guests looked at each other and followed them upstairs.
When they reached the stairwell, Qian Qian and Xia Mian were stopped: "The rooms upstairs are for guests. You two lowly commoners have no right to stay there. Go downstairs, go down to the basement."
Dry!
You damn bastard!
Xia Mian and Qian Qian ran down to the basement again. The furnishings here were relatively simple and messy. It was probably the rooms of the slaves and cruise ship staff. The names were marked on the doors.
The two exchanged a few last words at the door before going into their respective rooms.
The room wasn't big; it had a bed, a separate bathroom, and nothing else.
Oh wait, there are also two dark cameras pointing in different directions, ensuring that the guests' actions can be monitored from every angle.
Xia Mian ignored them, took off the rabbit ears, and threw them onto the bed with extreme disgust. She then began to analyze the plot.
As he just said, this is a survival reality show. Since there is "life" there will be death, the production team will definitely design scenarios where the guests die.
The first mate just said that Hei Tian needs to stay in his room during the night and can't wander around. Based on my experience playing escape rooms and dungeons, this must be a rule set by the production team: Hei Tian will die if he leaves his room.
The first mate's hint was quite obvious; the guests could definitely hear it. And since they won the bet, the first day should have been...
Before he could finish his deduction, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Good morning, dear guest. Breakfast has been prepared for you in the kitchen. Please go to the restaurant on the third floor if you would like to enjoy it."
Immediately, a sailor's shout rang out in the corridor: "It's terrible! Zheng Fushang is dead!"
Zheng Fushang, Zheng Qiming?
Xia Mian was full of questions. How did he suddenly get eliminated?
Anyway, it was dawn and the crisis was over. Xia Mian put on her headband and ran up to the second floor in one breath.
Zheng Qiming's room had been decorated to resemble a crime scene, with police tape at the door and a small human figure drawn on the floor inside. Xia Mian noticed that the figure's two legs were missing.
The other guests were standing in front of the cordon, their faces grave, when the captain and his men rushed over in a panic.
Xia Mian stole all the limelight yesterday, so Zhu Ziqi wasn't about to give him another chance. He quickly interjected, "The production team warned us that wandering around at night could lead to trouble. Has Teacher Zheng gone out?"
“Probably not,” Zhang Yuno shook his head. “I live next door to him and didn’t hear the door open.”
"Then he was murdered. Who could it be? The game has only been open for a day, the storyline hasn't even started yet, it's so difficult." Zhu Ziqi, dressed in Audrey Hepburn's clothes, stuck out her tongue.
“There is one suspect,” Chang Yi said, “the Baron. The Baron lost to Boss Zheng yesterday, and perhaps he was so angry that he broke into Boss Zheng’s room last night and killed him.”
“No, there’s one more,” Xia Mian said, “Qian Qian.”
Qian Qian pointed to himself: "Me?"
Xia Mian hummed in agreement: "During the gambling, Zheng Fushang didn't go himself, but pushed you out. You resented Fushang, so you killed him."
“That makes sense,” the captain called out. “Guards! A baron is of noble status and cannot be arrested at will. Drag this lowly slave away and lock him in the dungeon!”
Qian Qian: "Hey, no, you said we were in cahoots yesterday. Dealer, you, you, you..."
Before "you" could even come out, two burly sailors, one on each side, dragged Qian Qian directly into the basement dungeon.
Seeing his miserable state, the guests couldn't help but laugh.
Since the broadcast said that guests could go up to the third floor for breakfast, and not wanting to miss any plot details, the guests went to the restaurant together.
The production team really did prepare a buffet breakfast. Everyone got up early and was a bit hungry, so they took plates and chose what they wanted to eat.
Zheng Qiming was eliminated, Qian Qian was imprisoned, leaving only four young people.
Since everyone had similar lifestyles, Zhu Ziqi and Zhang Yuno linked arms, greeted Chang Yi, and headed straight for the coffee area.
Whether the production team didn't prepare enough or they arrived too late, there were only two iced Americanos left on the counter.
Zhu Ziqi picked up a cup and said, "I ate something a bit too salty last night, and my head is all swollen like a pig's head today. Brother Yi, would you like a cup too?"
Chang Yi waved his hand and walked to the next counter. Zhu Ziqi followed closely behind him. Seeing this, Xia Mian gestured to Zhang Yuno to "please"—he couldn't compete with a girl for something.
Zhang Yuno seemed not to see it and turned her head to get the milk.
Xia Mian frowned, but didn't take the last cup of Americano.
Xia Mian never had a good appetite in the mornings, but he was the first to finish eating. He planned to wander around the ship and gather some information.
If they don't find out who killed Zheng Qiming, they may have to continue to lose members.
As he walked, he observed the surroundings and spotted four photos in the second-floor corridor. The other three were common landscape photos, including sunrises, seagulls, and whales, but the last one, a portrait, caught his attention.
Judging from the clothing, the photo should have been taken in the last century. The person standing in the center of the picture is a girl with Southeast Asian features, beautiful wheat-colored skin, and her hair is tied up in a bun on top of her head.
Perhaps because she doesn't like having her picture taken, her smile was very reserved. The captain stood to her left, a man in military uniform to her right, and behind them were soldiers and other crew members, all smiling broadly.
"Wait a minute," he stopped the cleaning lady who was about to go upstairs to mop the floor, "Auntie, excuse me, is the background of this photo the Carnival?"
“That’s right,” the cleaner glanced at the photo. “This is a group photo of passengers and the captain taken in the last century. The girl in the middle is the princess of Para, she’s exceptionally beautiful, and her singing voice is more enchanting than a nightingale’s.”
Xia Mian asked curiously, "Where is the princess going?"
"I think it was said that her lover was in San Francisco, and she was going to marry him, but I don't know the specifics."
The cleaner still had work to do, so Xia Mian didn't want to take up too much of her time and thanked her.
He looked at the painting again, and something just didn't feel right.
Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Dear passengers, have you all finished your meals? To enrich your entertainment, the Carnival Ship has specially organized a dance party. Please get ready and bring your dance partners to the dance floor on the first floor in ten minutes. Remember, you must bring a dance partner, or single people will be teased!"
Okay, here come the rules again.
After the broadcast ended, the other three guests finished their meal and walked downstairs together. Seeing him standing in the second-floor corridor, Chang Yi reminded him, "Xia, did you hear that? The game rules have been released again."
Xia Mian hummed in agreement: "To attend a dance, you must have a dance partner."
"Brother Yi, let's team up." Zhu Ziqi moved closer to Chang Yi.
Ever since Chang Yi joined the group, Zhu Ziqi had been sticking to him, so Xia Mian never thought about teaming up with Zhu Ziqi and asked Zhang Yuno with her eyes.
Zhang Yuno ignored him once again, turning her head to look elsewhere.
If the previous coffee incident was a misunderstanding, Xia Mian is now 100% certain that she and Zhu Ziqi are on the same side.
Fine, if you don't like me, then I'll just have to steal your dance partner.
Who says a ball has to be a man and a woman?
“Chang Yi,” Xia Mian stepped up a flight of stairs, walked up to Chang Yi, and looked up at him with her chin raised, “Come to the ball with me, I’m quite good at dancing.”
"And besides, I'm a sex, sensual, dealer, oh."
When Xia Mian said the words "sexy dealer," she emphasized them, like a young fox that wasn't particularly alluring but somehow made people itch.
"Ahem," Chang Yi looked away and cleared his throat.
Raise your arm, gesturing for the other person to take your arm: "Okay, let's go."
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