Chapter 485: The Official Start
"I wish that were the case, but it's impossible." Chen Junnan's expression gradually turned serious. "The only 'even-numbered' rooms none of us have set foot in are 'Ten' and 'Fourteen.' But the remaining two 'artifacts' might not necessarily be in those two rooms."
"What?"
Chen Junnan reached out and gestured around his own neck. "That damn fat rabbit has a bamboo stick hanging around its neck. That's very likely the 'flute'…"
"Han Xiangzi's 'flute'…" The others realized the problem too, their expressions shifting.
"This game is far more difficult than we imagined." Chen Junnan gritted his teeth. "No wonder… in all this time, someone must have chosen to 'block the door,' but the Earth Rabbit looked completely unconcerned, as if it already had a countermeasure… because it knew we'd inevitably let it out sooner or later."
"It knew all along that we'd reach this point…" Cui Shisi said with a worried look. "We have to snatch that bamboo stick to have any chance of escape…"
Chen Junnan nodded. "That rabbit's been faking it all along…"
"Don't worry too much," Cui Shisi comforted. "With Seventh Brother and Tenth Brother here, snatching that bamboo stick together shouldn't be too hard."
"I hope so…" Chen Junnan nodded. "But I consider myself quite experienced in games… and I've never once managed to take something from an 'Earth-grade' before…"
Everyone knew this would inevitably come with casualties. But to save more lives, that flute had to be taken.
"We need to get back and inform Xiao Song and the little zombie right away." Chen Junnan turned back. "They might think we've already reached the finish line and could let the rabbit out early… after all, for them, the game is entering its final phase. They'll probably each try to 'show their own skills.' Whether they live or die will depend on their own gamble."
"Understood." Cui Shisi nodded in agreement. "If they release the rabbit themselves, even if they engage in direct conflict, they won't be able to snatch that 'flute.' The best outcome for those two is to ensure they aren't killed."
"Exactly… we need a new strategy." Though Chen Junnan said this, he felt he had no clear leads. The few brain cells he had left were just about used up.
Even if six people swarmed into that cramped room all at once, could they actually take the flute from the rabbit's grasp?
Besides, Song Qi's ability was 'Explosive Combustion.' When you thought about it, it was better suited for one-on-one combat.
"Let's go together." Cui Shisi made a decisive call. "I've got a new idea now."
"Oh?" Chen Junnan raised an eyebrow. "What idea?"
"We choose a 'correct route' and lock all the doors along the way that don't lead to that route." Cui Shisi crouched down and used her fingernail to sketch a rough map on the filthy, sticky floor. "For example, we're in Room Sixteen and need to go north through the door to Room Twelve. Then one of us can lock the door leading north to Room Fifteen. That way, when we come back, we can only return the way we came."
After listening, Chen Junnan crouched down and stared at the sketch on the floor in silence for a moment before nodding. "Seems feasible… that way, only a few of us will know the correct route. As long as we escape fast enough, that little bastard will be delayed by the doors we locked ahead of time…"
"Exactly." Cui Shisi agreed. "So we should pick a path that isn't normally chosen…"
She reached out and drew a zigzag line from the bottom right corner of the sketch to the top left corner.
"We'll advance in a winding path, from Room Sixteen to Twelve, then Eleven, Seven, and finally to Six." Cui Shisi used her fingernail to tap emphatically on Room Six. "We can reach this point in just four rounds. Once we get there, we won't need to go any further."
Ma Shi'er, with his full beard, paused after hearing this. "Fourteenth Sister, why is that?"
Cui Shisi reached up and smoothed the hair from her forehead. "Because Room Six is connected to both Seventh Brother and Tenth Brother's rooms. All we need to do is stand in that room, open the door, and tell them the situation. Then we can plan the next steps for snatching the item and escaping."
The group finalized the tactics, each carrying their respective 'artifacts,' and set off along the pre-planned route.
"Participants may now begin their actions." A mechanical voice came from the broadcast. Just as Cui Shisi was about to open the door leading to Room Twelve, Chen Junnan grabbed her arm.
"Leader, what's wrong?"
Chen Junnan stroked his chin, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Hmm… I just thought of something…"
"What is it?" The three people beside him looked at him curiously.
"I think I might have a way to let Song Qi and little Jiang Shi know about our predicament here… Tell me, in this game's actions… is there a 'time limit'?"
"Time limit…" Cui Shisi carefully recalled the games they had just experienced, and soon sensed something off. "It doesn't seem like it… but that can't be right? Can this game be dragged out indefinitely?"
"I think it's intentional." Chen Junnan smiled. "If they set a 'time limit,' it wouldn't be good for that little bastard."
"Why?"
Cui Shisi felt that although the handsome man before her wasn't exactly a genius, he definitely had a wonderfully unorthodox way of thinking.
That was naturally a good thing for solving the game, since all the 'Zodiacs' racked their brains to kill people, and ordinary thinking could hardly crack their schemes.
"Why drag things out…? Isn't that simple? Because that little bastard wants to kill people." Chen Junnan answered. "If each round had a time limit, it might prevent him from killing everyone in the room within the allotted time, and he'd have to watch them escape in the next round."
After thinking it over, the few of them realized he was right. After all, there were more and more 'Echoers' now. Although the Earth Rabbit had the ability to protect itself, it couldn't guarantee killing all the participants.
"It's a pity I don't have an 'Echo'…" Cui Shisi bit her lip. "Otherwise, my 'Shuttle' would dominate this game…"
"Pfft." Chen Junnan waved his hand. "I was afraid you'd think that way, which is why I never brought it up. You strong 'Echo' users always fall into this kind of self-blame… You need to know that no one is supposed to play a vital role in any game, and no one is born a leader. So if this game is lost, no one will blame you."
"Mm…" Cui Shisi seemed comforted. She could only stare into Chen Junnan's eyes and nod.
Ma Shi'er scratched his beard on the side and asked Chen Junnan, "Leader, why did you suddenly ask about the 'time limit'? What are you planning?"
"I have an idea." Chen Junnan said. "We'll open the door as late as possible now… that way our round won't end anytime soon."
"And then…?"
"Then Xiao Song and the little zombie will know something's gone wrong with us, so they won't let that little bastard out early."