# Chapter 265: Got the Game Clear Direction Wrong
"I was just joking." Yan Jiayu scratched her hair under Xu Huo's gaze. "My master said that in life, you must always keep a smile on your face, that way you'll live a long life."
Xu Huo stared at her for two seconds. "If I have the time, I will definitely go pay your master a visit."
Yan Jiayu cheerfully took out paper and pen to write down the address for him.
Meanwhile, Tang Xiao beside them looked like his worldview had collapsed, repeatedly asking himself, "Why is this happening? It's never made a mistake before. Could it be broken from the fall? No way, how could a prop be broken from a fall!"
Xu Huo pointed with his chin at the rope dropped by the flying rope player. "Props aren't omnipotent either."
Tang Xiao turned back to look, and somewhat came to his senses. When he turned around again, there was a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
But he tactfully didn't press further, instead earnestly inviting Xu Huo to join his team.
"How many companions do you have?" Xu Huo asked.
"Close to thirty people," Tang Xiao immediately said. "We've internally exchanged information on the game methods and clearance methods for each game point. We can definitely get through easily."
"I plan to go check out each game point first. As for cooperation, we'll talk about it later." Xu Huo said after some consideration.
Tang Xiao looked disappointed but had to say, "Alright then. If you want to find someone to help, come find me at the third or fifth game point."
"By the way, which game point are you heading to next?"
"Bear Bear Small Building," Yan Jiayu answered.
"Then you need to hurry," Tang Xiao immediately said. "The bears in the building have double attack power after 4 PM. If you arrive at the game point after four, I suggest you wait until tomorrow to go in."
"Thanks." Xu Huo nodded, called Yan Jiayu, and left.
After the two returned to their original route, Yan Jiayu asked, "Why not cooperate with Tang Xiao? Knowing the game methods of the game points in advance would be good for us, and they definitely have extra little hats too. We've only gotten the first game point's hat. Surely someone would be willing to give us the little hats from other game points."
Xu Huo didn't see it that way. "According to him, there are ten game points plus five question locations, and they only have one question location left to find. But with thirty players combined, they still couldn't find that place. That means their overall direction is wrong. At the very least, the clearance method isn't what they think it is."
Yan Jiayu understood. "So it's better for us to go to the game points ourselves, to avoid being misled."
Xu Huo nodded, then said, "I'm going to speed up. Can you keep up?"
Yan Jiayu gave a thumbs up and smiled. "Absolutely no problem. I'm very good at running."
Xu Huo stretched, mobilized his full body strength, and accelerated into a sprint, so fast that he left an afterimage in the forest.
Yan Jiayu was startled by his speed, but then she competitively chased after him.
The two of them weaved through the forest one after the other. At first, they attracted the attention of some passing players, and a few even followed them for a stretch, but gave up midway when they realized they couldn't match their speed and endurance.
But by the time they found the Bear Bear Small Building, there were only twenty minutes left until four o'clock.
The Bear Bear Small Building was built against an ancient giant tree, with three floors. The first floor was where tickets were sold, and the second floor was where the game was played. At that moment, some players were coming down from above. Two were supporting the one in the middle, and all three had bruised faces and looked miserable. The one being supported especially had deformed toes, and on his torn shoes were unclear animal claw prints.
"So brutal," Yan Jiayu remarked.
Xu Huo walked over and bought tickets. The two went upstairs. A two-meter-tall bear with a cigar in its mouth opened the door. Upon seeing them, it "pah" and spat on the ground, then jerked its chin toward the room, signaling them to enter.
As soon as he stepped in, Xu Huo noticed that the floor of the second story was a layer of jelly-like green substance, slightly elastic, making a gurgling sound with every step.
Yan Jiayu bounced on it a couple of times and eagerly asked the big bear, "What are we playing this time? Toe stomping?"
The big bear leaned back on the leather sofa, took a puff of his cigar, and blew out smoke. "I usually get off work early. You guys coming now means I might have to work overtime. I'm telling you, you outsiders, don't you know that adults working overtime is just like kids having class dragged out—it's one of life's daily hardships? What's so urgent that you couldn't come tomorrow? I was already brewing coffee. If the coffee gets cold, are you taking responsibility?"
"But you're not human either," Yan Jiayu said, looking at it strangely. "And why would a bear drink coffee? Wouldn't honey tea be better?"
The big bear squinted at her. "I don't just drink coffee. I also drink braised meat soup."
Xu Huo peeled a candy and popped it into his mouth.
The big bear quickly glanced at him, then looked at the clock on the wall, grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "My game is very simple. It's toe stomping. But there's one rule: I stomp ten times, and you only get to stomp once."
"Since there are two of you, as long as one person stomps me three times, you can take the little hat and leave."
It pointed to the two little pink hats hanging on the wall and chuckled.
"I'll go first!" Yan Jiayu stepped forward and said to Xu Huo, "You handled the last round. Leave this one to me!"
Xu Huo readily stepped back. He glanced at the little hats deliberately hung on the wall to lure the players, and reminded her, "Don't force it if you can't do it. We still have plenty of chances."
Yan Jiayu nodded and walked up to the big bear. "I'm ready to start."
The bear put out its cigar, straightened up in front of her, and extended its claw to pat the top of the little girl's head. "Adults don't bully kids. I'll let you have one stomp..."
Before the word "stomp" had even fully left its mouth, Yan Jiayu lifted her foot with lightning speed and stomped down on the bear's paw. The force was so great that it pressed the bear's paw straight into the jelly!
The bear's face visibly twisted in pain. It bared its teeth and swung a claw at Yan Jiayu!
Yan Jiayu moved quickly, pulled her foot back, and ran, saying, "Your turn to stomp me!"
The big bear roared and chased after her.
The second-floor ground shook violently under the intense chase of the one person and one bear. Xu Huo noticed that this jelly-like substance was somewhat like a soft spring. When force was applied, the player's bounce increased. Lighter players had a much harder time staying steady on it compared to the heavy bear, and their movements were far less agile than on flat ground, let alone dealing with the bouncing force generated by the bear's heavy stomps.
For an ordinary player, moving freely on this surface would be even harder, let alone dodging the bear's attacks. But Yan Jiayu handled it with surprising ease. She moved on her tiptoes, not only unaffected by the bouncing force but actually using it to constantly shift positions and evade the bear's claws.
"...Eight, nine, ten! My turn!" She ran around the room with the bear for a few laps, counted the number, then leaped from above the bear's head to behind it. As the bear twisted around to swing its claw, she ducked low, circled back to the front, and stomped on the bear's paw. "Second time!"