Because Luo Yu had voluntarily left the group, Sun Heng couldn't help feeling irritated and displeased.
After all, he'd been trying to win her over, and he genuinely appreciated the attitude and sharp thinking she brought to analyzing clues.
...She was honestly so much better than Yang Tian, who only knew how to primp and preen.
Sun Heng stayed quiet, and the rest of the players who'd been raring for a fight lost their momentum.
They'd been aggressive and ruthless - "Better to kill ten innocents than miss one killer" - but after Luo Yu's scathing remarks, they'd begun to feel, at least a little, that their actions weren't exactly justifiable.
The monster disguised as the chubby player sensed an opening and begged even harder, his voice cracking with tears.
It looked like he wasn't going to die today.
Honestly, these players were idiots - they'd driven away the only person who'd figured out the truth.
That woman, Luo Yu...
A cold glint flashed in Mr. Fatty's eyes.
She was a threat. Once the immediate crisis passed, he'd join forces with his companions and eliminate her.
In the end, no one could bring themselves to abandon the captured players to their fate. So after the farce, they caught people and then let them go. Running short on time, they all hurried back to the classroom building.
On the surface, the player team hadn't changed much - only Luo Yu was gone. But underneath, suspicion had been planted, and the undercurrents of distrust would never truly stop.
At noon, all the players gathered again - including those who'd been accused of being monsters that morning.
For the monsters, leaving the group at a critical moment would've been practically self-incrimination. They preferred to stay hidden in the player team, stirring the pot from within.
For the small number of innocent players caught in the crossfire, although they'd been treated unfairly, leaving the team would mark them as monsters for certain. And without the protection of the group, they'd die even faster.
Sun Heng, of course, didn't grant the "suspects" the same rights as the players who were relatively above suspicion.
Even though everyone still discussed things and moved together, the other players kept the suspects under close watch, surrounding them in the center of the group and restricting their every move.
With plenty of time during lunch, the players decided to investigate the Small Woods.
This was thanks to information Yang Tian had gotten from the dorm auntie.
Yang Tian didn't have many other skills, but she was good at reading people. The moment she successfully pushed Luo Yu out, she felt Sun Heng's coldness toward her - and immediately played her trump card.
"Since I happened to be the last one back to the dormitory, I might've triggered the condition..."
"The dorm auntie let something slip - most people would've ignored it, but luckily I'm quick..."
"I've been watching her. Compared to those students, the auntie has acted completely normal the whole time. She's definitely not on the monsters' side..."
To make herself seem more valuable, Yang Tian embellished her information-gathering process, spinning it as dramatically and as difficult as possible.
This made her story more credible - and, implicitly, weakened the impact of Luo Yu's reasoning.
After all, according to the dorm auntie, the school's secret lay in the Small Woods. The real crisis might be a pack of wild wolves in the woods - not some kind of monster that could replace normal people.
The Small Woods were thick with underbrush.
At midday, sunlight still couldn't pierce the dense canopy.
The moment the players stepped inside, they were startled by the cold, oppressive darkness - a chill crept over their skin.
It was definitely strange.
They grew more convinced of Yang Tian, and correspondingly less concerned about Luo Yu.
Hmph. Maybe there are no monsters at all, one player thought.
He was one of the normal players who'd been falsely accused as a "monster," and he'd nearly died in the game because of Luo Yu's words.
So of all the players in the group, he was the least wary of "monsters" - or rather, he didn't believe they existed at all.
Before long, fog began to rise in the woods.
This player kept his head down, following the footprints of the person ahead, paying little attention to his surroundings - until...
Somewhere ahead, the footprints on the ground suddenly stopped.
He looked up, and panic surged through him. Before and behind him was only gray fog - and in that fog, he couldn't see any of the other players!
He'd gotten separated from the main group? How?
He forced himself to search through the mist, but found no one.
Instead, he heard distant wolf howls.
It was noon. Why were there wolves now?
The wrongness of it made him freeze for a moment - then cold dread flooded his chest.
This was an escape game. In an escape game, nothing is impossible!
For the first time, he had a clear understanding of his situation.
Before this, he'd treated the game like an adventure - even fantasizing about leveling up and becoming invincible.
But now...
He searched frantically through the woods, and in his panic, stepped into a patch of swamp. Half his leg sank into the mud.
"Damn it." Immobilized, his composure shattered. He yanked at his leg and shouted, "Hey! Anyone there? Bro Sun! Bro Sun!"
No answer. The howling grew closer.
Sweat poured down his face.
The more desperately he tried to escape, the weaker his efforts became - he couldn't free himself from the swamp.
Suddenly, something brushed against his shoulder.
A wolf?!
"Ah-"
A scream escaped him - but someone clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Shh. It's me. Don't yell - you'll call the wolves."
He struggled at first, but hearing the voice and seeing that it was indeed a human hand covering his mouth, he went still.
He twisted his head to look behind him, and his eyes lit up. "Bro Mr. Fatty! It's you!"
He felt nothing but gratitude for Mr. Fatty. If Mr. Fatty hadn't led the others in begging for mercy, he might already be dead.
Mr. Fatty smiled warmly. "Brother, let me help you."
"Yeah, yeah." He grabbed Mr. Fatty's hand gratefully, using the other man's strength to flail his way out.
The howling didn't return.
"Thanks so much, Bro Mr. Fatty. If it weren't for you, I'd never have gotten out of that swamp."
Mr. Fatty didn't answer. He just kept smiling. Even though he'd pulled the player from the swamp, he hadn't let go of the player's arm.
"Yeah..." Mr. Fatty sighed softly. "Into the swamp... then you can't be eaten. What a waste."
"Right, right." The player nodded along - then the words hit him. He stared at Mr. Fatty in horror. "You... Bro Mr. Fatty..."
"You really are-"
"No, no, no. Don't eat me-"
At the girls' dormitory, Luo Yu was taking her afternoon break.
Drinking iced cola while taking her break, to be precise.
The cola had been pressed into her hand by the dorm auntie when she passed through the lobby earlier. As for the break - well, she didn't have anything else to do, and she didn't want to go back to the classroom building to grind with the overachievers. So here she was, resting in the dorm.
Actually, when she'd come back, she noticed Sun Heng's group heading toward the Small Woods. She'd considered stepping in to warn them - but then thought better of it. Why bother? They'd only think she was presumptuous.
That Small Woods gave her a strange feeling... how to describe it.
Not quite dangerous. Not exactly safe, either.
Just... when she looked at it from a distance, her heart pounded, and flashes of fog, moonlight, and lantern-bearers flickered through her mind.
It was like she'd dreamed of that place before.
Fizz... fizz fizz...
The cola was gone. She climbed down from her bunk and tossed the plastic cup into the trash.
Most students had gone back to class after lunch. The dormitory at noon was empty and quiet. Almost no one around.
But as Luo Yu threw away the trash, she paused.
The trash can was by the dorm room door. And outside, in the hallway... she thought she heard someone crying.
Summary:
The player group, now without Luo Yu, investigates the Small Woods based on Yang Tian's dubious information. A falsely accused player gets separated and falls into a swamp, only to be "rescued" by Mr. Fatty, who calmly reveals he intends to eat him. Meanwhile, Luo Yu rests in the dormitory, haunted by fragmented visions of the woods, and hears someone crying in the empty hallway.
Trivia:
- Luo Yu voluntarily left the group after being ridiculed by Yang Tian and felt Sun Heng's frustration.
- Mr. Fatty is the monster who begged for mercy earlier and is now revealed as a predator.
- The trapped player was falsely accused of being a monster and doesn't believe they exist.
- Yang Tian got her information from the dorm auntie, who may be either neutral or allied with the monsters.
- Luo Yu has premonitions about the Small Woods involving fog, moonlight, and lantern-bearers.
- The dormitory is nearly empty at noon, which makes the crying in the hallway more ominous.
Notes:
• Sun Heng - Scar-faced veteran leader of the main player faction. Pragmatic and calculating, uses other players as disposable assets. Previously had Yang Tian attached, his interest in Luo Yu fuels her jealousy. Subtly predatory toward female players, gave Luo Yu a rules handbook, warns rule-breaking = death. Luo Yu trusts his warning.
• Luo Yu - A female player inserted into the game world. Tasked with uncovering the school's mysteries. Possesses keen observational skills and analytical thinking. Shows empathy but remains pragmatic about survival. At the time of this chapter, she has already encountered a teacher-monster and survived an attack, leading her to understand the game's true threat. A female player trapped in the Escape Game at Qinggang High. Has lost her memory of events prior to her arrival. Must either uncover the school's secret or survive seven days. Physically slender and not particularly strong. A hopeless sucker for beautiful faces, she cannot bring herself to hate someone attractive even when they're trying to kill her. Maintains a self-deprecating, wry sense of humor even in mortal danger. A player who observes rather than leads. She notices the subtleties in group dynamics and feels mildly disgusted by Yang Tian's showy behavior. Quiet and perceptive. Female protagonist trapped in the Escape Game. A high school student with a bold, flirtatious streak, she is drawn to the handsome cashier without understanding why. Currently suffering from memory loss regarding the previous night's events. Appears carefree but is observant of the school's oppressive atmosphere.
• B - A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S's group.
• S - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• A - A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R's high school squad.
• Yang Tian - A beautiful woman who survived two Escape Games by leveraging her looks to attach to powerful players. Aligned with Sun Heng, she shares a class with him and acts as his vocal supporter. Calculating and possessive, she views Luo Yu as a threat, displaying hostility and jealousy. Flirtatious and sharp-tongued, she taunts others to assert her position.
• T - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• M - A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• R - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• N - A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.