Chapter 260: The Hidden Rules of the Amusement Park
Although Xu Huo didn’t eat candy, Yan Jiayu loved it, popping one after another into her mouth while sharing the delicious experience with the plush rabbit.
The plush rabbit, which had been sitting on the sofa, gradually shifted to kneeling in front of the table, leaning on the edge and staring at her with eager eyes.
More than ten minutes had passed, but the plush rabbit hadn’t forcibly snatched the candy.
“Since we’re definitely going to lose this game anyway, why don’t you just declare us the losers?” Xu Huo said at that moment. “It’ll save time.”
The plush rabbit was unwilling. “The game hasn’t even started yet. How can I casually declare the visitors as losers?”
“What a pity.” Xu Huo shook his head. “You can’t make a move, and you won’t declare us losers, so you’ll just have to watch us eat all the candy.”
The plush rabbit slammed the table and stood up, glaring at him angrily. “Then hurry up and play the game with me!”
Xu Huo laughed. “I think staying in this cabin is safer than going out. After all, you can’t just end the game whenever you want.”
“You’re infuriating me!” The plush rabbit spun around, ran to the fireplace, grabbed the decorative axe on top, and charged at Xu Huo in three quick strides, raising it to chop at his face!
Xu Huo sidestepped, and the axe smashed a large hole in the floor before being easily pulled out again, continuing its relentless assault on him.
The two chased each other around the room. The plush rabbit wielded the axe skillfully, smashing everything in the cabin that could be destroyed. Frustrated by its inability to hit Xu Huo, it grew more frantic, its voice turning harsher. “I’ll kill you!”
The plush rabbit, axe in hand, became a blur as it flew around the cabin, but Xu Huo, though he had drawn his sword, didn’t strike, only blocking when necessary.
“The instance rules say you can’t harm staff during the tour, but it doesn’t seem to mention that during the game.” Yan Jiayu remained by the table, with Xu Huo and the plush rabbit instinctively avoiding her area.
Hearing her words, the plush rabbit paused mid-motion, then took a weak step back. “If you don’t follow the game rules, you’ll face severe punishment!”
“It’s lying!” Yan Jiayu grabbed her stone staff.
But Xu Huo said, “How can we do something so violent in an amusement park?”
He sheathed his sword and said to the plush rabbit, “How about this: you admit defeat and let us win, and I’ll give you candy. Deal?”
This approach was feasible. The plush rabbit hesitated, standing there for a long moment before finally saying, “How many candies will you give me?”
“Five jar candies,” Xu Huo offered.
“No way, at least ten,” the plush rabbit refused.
“Four,” Xu Huo reduced the count.
“Then nine!” the plush rabbit quickly countered.
“Three,” Xu Huo reduced again.
“Eight… no, seven, can’t go lower…” The plush rabbit was cut off mid-sentence. “Two.”
The plush rabbit screamed in fury, hopping and cursing Xu Huo. “You’re a dishonest adult, always bullying kids! You said five, now it’s two! You’re a bad person! Bad! Bad! Bad!”
With its piercing shriek, an invisible force surged outward from the cabin. The items inside merely trembled, but the giant rabbits gathered outside the house instantly exploded into clouds of blood mist, not a single one escaping.
“You set the game rules yourself. Don’t you want to follow them?” Xu Huo remained unfazed by the plush rabbit’s screams.
The plush rabbit immediately shut its mouth. Its plush body couldn’t make more expressions, but it still stomped its feet in frustration. It only calmed down when Yan Jiayu grabbed a handful of candy and gave it to her.
Stuffing the candy into a pocket on its belly, it pulled out several finger-sized little hats. “Sister, I like you. I’ll give you a few extra.”
Yan Jiayu glanced at Xu Huo first, and only when he shook his head did she say, “I only want two.”
“But these little hats are all different. Which two does sister want?” the plush rabbit tilted its head and asked innocently. “Every little hat is unique.”
Yan Jiayu looked at the pink little hats it had produced. They were indeed different—top hats, flat caps, berets, and more. Apart from their shapes, there seemed to be no other distinguishing features.
“Do the fifteen hats have to be different types?” she asked, addressing both Xu Huo and the plush rabbit.
“I’m just a bunny. How would a bunny know so much?” The plush rabbit let out a laugh.
Xu Huo walked over, patted the rabbit’s head, and casually picked two hats. “Are there any more places selling candy?”
The plush rabbit scurried away from his hand, hopping over to open the door. Pointing at a new path that had appeared in front of the cabin, it said, “Go check out the mirror tent over there.”
With that, it hopped out of the cabin, and not far away, candy wrappers fluttered out from its side.
Yan Jiayu put away the remaining candy and walked over to Xu Huo, looking at the differently shaped hats in his hand. “Is the key to clearing the instance unrelated to the hat shapes?”
“Not sure yet, but judging by the rabbit’s behavior, getting the little hats isn’t hard. If it were just about collecting fifteen hats, there wouldn’t be a need for ten game points.” Xu Huo held up the little hats, inspecting them inside and out without finding any markings.
After a pause, he added, “But taking fewer is safer than taking more. The game’s main rule is not to damage the pink hats, so extra hats can’t be destroyed and probably can’t be discarded either.”
Yan Jiayu nodded. “I noticed that rabbit was practically drooling but didn’t forcibly take the candy. Forcible snatching is likely not allowed in this instance. Anything it wants has to be given voluntarily.”
That was the hidden rule—not explicitly stated, but perfectly aligned with a child’s logic.
If the instance was based on “voluntariness,” then forcing someone to accept extra little hats would also be considered invalid or a violation. That’s why the player who tried to deceive them earlier had left after failing.
Xu Huo agreed. “The mirror tent isn’t on the tour guide’s route map, but since the rabbit pointed it out, we might as well check it out first.”
“I’m fine with that,” Yan Jiayu said readily.
The two left the cabin and followed the map through the jungle to the “mirror tent.”
From a distance, they could see a small amusement park scattered among the trees. Besides the plush animals hawking goods, quite a few players were lingering there.
“Why are there so many people?” Yan Jiayu asked in surprise.
There were indeed a lot of people. Apart from three players lingering at the entrance, many more were moving around inside the park. The largest crowd was gathered near a massive tent at the far end. Some players outside were queuing, while others were simply watching passersby.
But without exception, they all had their little hats displayed prominently, even deliberately walking back and forth to show them off.
“Are you two new here?” Before they could enter, two players immediately approached, grinning widely. “Would you like a copy of the upgraded tour guide?”