Chapter 28 The Elevator (5) So you're the one who lured them here? ...
Xie Tan put the toy figurine of Chang Ming'ai into his pocket.
The corridor was still the same corridor, and the doors were still the same doors, but now there were signs with the names of various clubs and the university's emblem.
Xie Tan recalls that ten years ago, during the school's anniversary celebration, the alumni donated a building to their alma mater to house clubs, specifically for club activities, giving each club its own base.
He glanced at the club buildings as he passed by. The street dance club was a bright and spacious dance studio, the music club's classroom was full of musical instruments with a performance platform in the middle, and the skateboarding club was an indoor skate park.
Now, the sign on Chang Mingai's house reads "Travel Agency".
As Xie Tan walked from the elevator to the door, he heard two people talking.
He stood in front of the door and listened for a while; one of the voices was that of an art gallery cleaner.
He remembered that his name was Zhu Fengliang, a fugitive that the veteran detective was tracking down, and also a member of the cult.
At that moment, Zhu Fengliang was shouting, "Don't touch the party stuff!"
Another young voice said, "No, no."
The door wasn't locked, and Xie Tan pushed it open, only to be sprayed with confetti.
He didn't react much, but the two people behind the table looked at him in surprise.
The first thing he noticed was the full-length mirror behind the two of them. In the mirror was a row of smiling teeth, but as the ribbons fell in front of him, the teeth disappeared.
What's in the mirror?
He looked at the two people present.
Zhu Fengliang was wearing an exaggerated top hat, which should be the "Mad Hatter".
In the fruit plate in front of him, a slice of watermelon had just been eaten by another young man, but the young man hesitated to eat another slice and went to eat other snacks, so the fruit plate was now visibly empty of watermelon slices right before his eyes.
Unable to find a fruit knife, he had no choice but to pick up a watermelon, which he didn't like, and take a bite.
The young man sitting next to him, who looked like a college student, pushed the rabbit eye mask up to the top of his head, and the two rabbit ears drooped down, making him the "March Hare".
Xie Tan glanced at his Taoist Ten Directions Shoes. It was the unseen character who had invited Sun Enze's clone to join the club. It must be the travel agency president that Chang Ming liked to talk about. They had arranged to meet here today for a murder mystery game.
But at this moment, he was sitting with the members of the Mirror Cult, and they seemed quite familiar with each other. Xie Tan quickly recognized who they were.
Xie Tan knew him, but it was a one-sided relationship.
This is also a regular, highly popular character in the comics, the famous "raising-up" character Xi Rui.
His first appearance was as a junior high school student, who was unexpectedly drawn into a ghost story at his school.
But later, readers discovered that it wasn't an accident; this child's curiosity was simply too much, making him a prime example of a horror movie protagonist who deliberately chose to die.
They would run to wherever there were ghosts, observing ghosts and monsters with a spirit of scientific exploration.
From Fuechiu No. 7 Middle School (junior high), to Fuechiu No. 13 Middle School (senior high), to Fuechiu University, I went from the most haunted school to an even more haunted one.
Unlike Lu Jinzhao, he didn't have incredible luck. After all that recklessness in high school, he inevitably met his downfall and almost died in a mental hospital during an adventure.
But he was particularly good at coming up with ideas on a whim. In the mental hospital, he unexpectedly witnessed members of the Mirror Cult proselytizing to his target. The target hesitated, but he bravely rushed up and said, "I can! From today onwards, this is my faith!"
In reality, I never heard them say what god they believed in or what their doctrines were; all I heard was their desire to survive.
Later, the ungrateful target failed to leave the mental hospital alive and was assimilated by the monsters. However, because he did have some talent, he was taken away by the members of the Mirror Cult.
This is also the first time the manga has depicted the Mirror Cult recruiting new members, and from then on, some of the internal settings of the cult are revealed. Therefore, this part is mentioned every time readers analyze the Mirror Cult.
And he truly lived up to expectations. The members of the Mirror Church who brought him back never expected that this guy would quickly gain the appreciation of the archdeacon, rise rapidly in rank, surpass his mentor, and become the archdeacon's right-hand man.
Diqiu City is the headquarters of the Order, and Diqiu University, which cultivates countless talents, is naturally a place that the Order must fight for. Xi Rui is in charge of guarding it. He is the Order's eye and hand planted in Diqiu University.
He also has high authority in the activities of the Mirror Cult, and when it comes to the activities of the cult at Di University, his opinion is even required. Although he has always been a hands-off manager and doesn't care about his colleagues' messes, his colleagues are also quite mavericks and don't want to report to him.
But the power was there; once the incident at the University of Descartes affected the church, he had absolute decision-making power, except for the bishop and the vicar general.
Therefore, Zhu Fengliang did not choose to conduct his two missions at the University of Dinosaurs, but instead took a shortcut by specifically targeting situations where students were off-campus.
However, the ghostly figure in the rain was unexpectedly taken away by a young master from a collateral branch, and the appearance of the Black Goat Picture revealed the whereabouts of this high-ranking official.
In fact, Xi Rui never expected himself to be so talented. He often boasted to the elders in the religious group about his legendary life over the past twenty-one years.
He went to temples to meditate, attended church services, and tried to learn everything, but only scratched the surface of everything. He was almost tricked into joining a pyramid scheme.
While others take a gap year to go abroad to relax, he took a gap year to go to Wudang Mountain and cultivate Taoism in the deep mountains and forests.
When he returned, his friend asked him about his experience of practicing Taoism. He hesitated for a long time before finally managing to say, "The bananas that tourists fed to the monkeys in the scenic area were especially delicious!"
Fortunately, he found a place where he can truly shine! Praise be to the Order!
Xie Tan pondered, this important role, one of the representatives of the teaching group, and also a student of the Di University in the "Graduation Season" series.
A travel agency? Xie Tan is seriously considering the possibility of joining.
Let's see. If he really wants to join, he can't apply on his own; the travel agency has to invite him.
Xie Tan didn't take Chang Ming'ai's invitation to heart, considering it just a polite remark.
With such a president, joining the travel agency is probably not easy; one would have to get past Xi Jinping and Rui Li.
There were three people present. Xie Tan looked at them, and they looked at him. It was like a stranger suddenly being inserted into a pre-planned script, and things suddenly went awry, stuck in a strange lag.
Xie Tan moved first, removing the confetti from his head and sarcastically remarking, "Thanks for the invitation?"
He was just complaining about the flying fireworks, but the two people sitting side by side in front of him had rather strange expressions.
Zhu Fengliang's mind raced as he went through all the characters from Alice in Wonderland, searching for a suitable role.
He had to admit that his original script had been ruined enough, but separating Xie Tan and Chang Mingai was not a bad thing. Besides, he never intended to let the boy off the hook; he just wanted to save the most exciting parts for him.
Since there's no way to deal with it for the time being, why not recruit more people to join?
He didn't believe that the game on another level could go wrong while people were right under his nose.
Seeing the broken full-length mirror, Zhu Fengliang had a plan. He instantly got into character, a smile spreading across his face, and began to speak in a maniacal tone: "You're late! Our party was missing you, Mr. Cheshire Cat. We've all been waiting for you. Do you know why we're all gathered here? I've heard you received a non-birthday gift! Happy non-birthday! What a coincidence, today is also our non-birthday! Happy non-birthday!"
Cheshire Cat? Xie Tan paused for a moment. He had wandered here by chance, and the members of the Order, a bunch of villains, were even concerned about his role assignment, as if they were afraid he wouldn't have a name in this story.
He was prejudiced against the cult. In the horror comic "Strange Tales", besides Lu Jinzhao, are there really any absolutely righteous characters?
Thank you, Church.
The dialogue is very faithful to the original work, but Xie Tan still feels a bit like sighing; this is clearly not a proper gathering.
But then, out of nowhere, the cat number 7 appeared and perched on his shoulder, seemingly peeking at his expression. After listening to the Mad Hatter's words, it carefully nuzzled his cheek, as if it had almost missed his holiday.
"Not a happy birthday, meow."
Xie Tan: ...
What's wrong with you?
Forget it, that's different. Number 7 is Number 7. Number 7 is just a stupid system, just a kitten. What does it know?
Xie Tan couldn't respond to it or pet its head, so he just tilted his head slightly and quietly snuggled up to the cat.
Xi Ruigang, still reeling from the surprise that someone had actually found this floor, glanced at Zhu Fengliang with barely concealed astonishment upon hearing this.
Did you lead them here?
To keep Alice away from the intruder, it makes perfect sense to keep the intruder under one's nose to prevent him from causing trouble.
But this is completely out of character for his colleague. Doesn't he know him? What else could a fugitive have on his mind but killing?
This decision is therefore quite intriguing.
Xi Rui didn't even know when his colleague sent the invitation. Was it planned from the beginning?
Calling someone the Cheshire Cat out of the blue can't just be a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Is there really a cat stuck in the mirror? The Cheshire Cat can turn invisible, so there's probably no cat at all; the cat was already predetermined to be this boy.
Or perhaps he deliberately left the original cat stuck in the mirror to make room for the boy.
He even asked his colleague if he had heard of The Emperor's New Clothes, when in fact the colleague had already performed The Emperor's Cat for him.
When did you become so thoughtful?
The fact that a colleague, who is as primitive as an animal, would go to such lengths makes the boy's plan even more intriguing than his colleague's.
There are many believers, and even Xi Rui doesn't know everyone in the cult, but he couldn't possibly be unaware of the well-known and powerful members of the Diqiu cult.
Judging from my colleagues' attitude, could this be a new recruit the cult wants to recruit?
He remembered Zhu Fengliang saying that the black goat picture was also destroyed by this boy. Could it be that the boy actually had something to do with the black goat that disappeared? Could he be a member of the black goat's clan?
But the core of the Black Goat family has been in seclusion for many years, so how could such a person suddenly appear? He doesn't look like that good-for-nothing from the collateral branch.
Xi Rui sat up straighter and finally looked directly at the boy in front of him. Did he casually say to Chang Ming that day, "Hey, he likes to travel, which would be perfect for our club?"
The fact that a colleague is so interested in someone, whether it's a new member of the religious group or a Black Goat tribesman who suddenly appeared, suggests that the person must be interesting.
It's not unusual for him to get to know people in Diqiu, is it?
Then he had a sudden inspiration: Chang Mingai's friends were his friends, and they were acquaintances!
And right here hangs the sign for his club.
His casual invitation suddenly became incredibly sincere, and he said in a very familiar tone, "Oh, you're here! Welcome to the team!"
The Mad Hatter's eyes widened.
Wait, you know him... Yes, this is Di Qiu. Xie Tan is a student at Di University. Xi Rui definitely has more information than him.
So it was you who called them here.
I was just pretending not to care, letting him worry about what to do, but it turns out this guy already knew me, and as soon as he arrived, he was more affectionate than anyone else.
Could this person also be a member of his so-called gang? Could Xie Tan be someone the cult has its eye on?
Neither Zhu Fengliang nor Xi Rui looked at each other, but Xie Tan, standing opposite them, did not miss the subtle, unpredictable changes and undercurrents in their expressions.
It seems he pondered a great deal without fully understanding it.
Xie Tan sat down opposite Zhu Fengliang: "Join what?"
Like a casual response, yet also carrying a hidden meaning, Xi Rui realized that his invitation actually had many options.
The boy was asking him if he was being invited to join a tea party, a travel agency, or the Mirror Cult.
Xi Rui was even more convinced of his own ideas.
But knowing too little about the boy, Xi Rui's answer was ambiguous, and he asked back, "It's the one we all know, do you want to come?"
He was also very curious about why the boy had come.
Zhu Fengliang's eyes darkened. What were these two talking about? They really knew each other. This was actually an invitation from the cult, wasn't it?
If the sect has its eye on someone, and he wants to retaliate, he has to do so before Xie Tan joins.
His mind started racing again; he absolutely could not let Xie Tan leave the fairyland alive.
My colleague is useless; he only causes trouble and doesn't share information.
Xie Tan realized this was a test, though he didn't know what it was testing.
He didn't expect to be sent directly to the core film set.
He put his heart into acting, but secretly missed his co-star.
Because Chang Mingai is a normal person.
Finding a normal person in a horror movie is no easy task.
She was just unlucky, so she didn't get enough rest and was feeling down.
Being the protagonist of two separate horror stories, how could you not be unlucky? It's a miracle you're still alive.
That's better than either of those two, right?
"I'm already here," Xie Tan said dismissively, changing the subject. "So, what's the theme of the party?"
Zhu Fengliang and Xi Rui exchanged a glance.
Being here means we have something to talk about?
"Not everyone has arrived yet, so we haven't started. You can have some fruit and snacks first."
The long table could seat four people. Xie Tan sat opposite Zhu Fengliang, so he looked at the empty seat next to him.
Zhu Feng pointed to the empty seat: "That's right, we're still one short."
The main character in Wonderland is Alice.
But thinking of Chang Mingai's current predicament, he maliciously laughed and said, "She might not even make it here in time. As many wonders as there are in the fairyland, there are also many dangers. It wouldn't be surprising if she died on the way."
Xi Rui leisurely rocked back and forth in his chair, seemingly unconcerned about the life or death of his friend, as his colleague had mentioned.
Although they both wanted to continue exploring, it was more appropriate to save it for the party, so the two cult members went back to doing their own things.
After Zhu Fengliang arrived at the dining table, he used a hammer to tap the frame of the full-length mirror, as if he were repairing the mirror using the rough methods of an appliance repairman.
Xie Tan couldn't see where the mirror was broken, so it must be a metaphysical damage. He then thought of that row of smiling teeth.
Was that a real Cheshire Cat?
Xi Rui recommended snacks and milk tea to him, and he continued playing games.
Xie Tan started browsing his phone and was surprised to find that he could access the internet.
Could it be that the surveillance system forgot to turn off his gateway?
He made a quick decision: he used a comic book app that others could only see webpage news as a screen to block the view in front of him, leaving a small portion of the screen open, and quickly read the story of Alice in Wonderland.
With limited time, he focused on watching The Madman's Tea Party and the Cheshire Cat's appearance.
After all, it would be awkward if he were asked to role-play and couldn't say a word.
I just finished reading it when I received a message from Lu Jinzhao.
Embracing the Sun: [Tomorrow's the weekend, A-Tan, do you have time? Let's go see that movie!]
Embracing the sun: [[Innocent dog eyes.jpg]]
Xie Tan was puzzled. Didn't Lu Jinchao go to see it after get off work? It should have been over long ago by now.
Didn't you get to watch it?
Lu Jinzhao was waiting for Xie Tan's reply; in fact, he didn't know why he hadn't gone to see the movie.
He has always been the type to do what he wants to do.
If I want to watch a movie and have free time after get off work, I'll go watch it right away.
But for some reason, today when he walked into the movie theater and saw the poster for the movie he was interested in, and then saw the couple in front of him buying popcorn combos, an idea suddenly popped into his head.
It seems more interesting to watch it with Atan than to watch it alone.
So he thought about it and left the movie theater.
Lu Jinzhao, not receiving a reply from Xie Tan, explained further: "I'm meeting up with friends tonight for a murder mystery game. I'll be there soon, probably staying up all night, but don't worry, I'll be full of energy tomorrow!"
He wasn't lying, but actually the two times didn't conflict; he had planned it out from the beginning so that he could make it to the club's team building activity after watching the movie.
Xie Tan paused and looked at it again.
What should we do?
[!].at: [Don't go]
The internet is down.
Xi Rui cried out in despair, "I'm on the net! I was about to win!"
Zhu Fengliang, his face grim, had given up on his mirror and returned to his seat, elegantly tidying the table.
"I hear the elevator. Our last guest must have arrived. Attention, everyone, the tea party is about to begin."
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Author's note: The plot related to Alice in Wonderland is based on Lewis Carroll's original novel "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and the 1951 animated film.
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