Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
What on earth is happening?!
Bai Youwei clutched onto the grass beneath her, her fingers digging into the soil. The touch came with a cool, damp sensation – a reality she couldn’t deny.
This wasn’t an illusion, and it certainly wasn’t a dream!
They had truly been transported from a highway to this unknown location in an instant!
What was that voice talking about a game earlier? Could this be the reason why people were transforming into dolls? Would they turn into dolls if they couldn’t leave this place?
A shudder of fear crawled into her heart, her previously calm heart started to pound abruptly. Holding onto her numbing legs, Bai Youwei was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Shen Mo stood not far in front of her, alert and observing their surroundings. His face looked just as unsightly.
The warm sun shone upon the land, fluffy white clouds stretched out across the sky, a gentle breeze carried the faint scent of grass. In this beautiful weather perfect for outdoor picnics, everyone was too terrified to make a move.
“Where are we…” A long-haired woman looked up in horror, “Weren’t we just in the car? Honey, I want to go home. Let’s just go home…”
The woman’s husband pushed her away, his face filled with anger: “Where’s the bald guy? Didn’t he say it’s all safe?!”
“Yeah, he said we could leave, which is why we followed him!”
“Damn it! I knew there was something off about him! Otherwise, why would he be so eager to be the first one to proceed? He must’ve led us here on purpose!”
“Damn that bastard…”
Everyone started cursing, seemingly forgetting their gratitude towards the bald man just moments ago.
Bai Youwei silently counted the number of people.
Including her, there were seventeen in total.
The bald man really was gone. But why? Everyone took the same path, why wasn’t he here too? Could the game’s activation have some kind of hidden secret?
Strange… She was plunged into this eerie situation but why did she feel a tingle of thrill along with her fear?
What was she expecting?
“Everyone, listen up…” A middle-aged man in a suit began to speak, “Blaming others won’t solve anything at this point. We need to stay united if we want any hope of getting out of here. I noticed earlier that this place looks like a sports field. There’s a track up ahead. Who’s willing to come with me and check it out?”
The man’s Mercedes and his professional attire gave his words extra weight.
Many agreed with his proposal.
A young woman wearing glasses timidly spoke up: “Is it dangerous?”
Another blonde young man retorted her: “So what if it’s dangerous? Do you plan on doing nothing and just wait here to die?!”
The girl looked at her boyfriend, seeming hurt.
The boy was very smooth and quickly chimed in, “Bro, chill, she’s worried about our safety, after all, we have no idea where this place is…”
The middle-aged man contemplated for a moment: “While it’s not an invalid concern, it seems currently safe. However, this place is still unknown to us. Maybe we should leave the women and the elderly here, and the men can come with me to check the path.”
After mulling it over, Shen Mo turned to Bai Youwei and said: “You wait here, I’ll go ahead and check it out.”
“No way!” Bai Youwei firmly grabbed his arm.
Her firm “no” was unwavering and loud, drawing the attention of everyone else.
Shen Mo was the tallest among the men. He had a lean build and an imposing demeanor. His rolled-up sleeve revealed his firm forearm, clearly a valuable asset in terms of combat power. If he didn’t go, the power of the “scouting party” would be greatly undermined.
The blonde young man gave her a sidelong glance: “Cutie, in matters of life and death, we have no room for willfulness. Don’t we need to figure out what’s going on to find our way back?”
“If it’s life or death, what difference does gender make?!” Bai Youwei suddenly seemed like a different person, her tone sharp as she retorted, “I don’t know any of you people. If something happens to him, who’s going to look after me, a cripple? I bet you all would run faster than rabbits!”
Holding onto Shen Mo, Bai Youwei stared directly into his eyes: “Shen Mo, you promised me! You promised to get me to Yangzhou safe and sound! But now, are you going to leave me so soon?!”
A few of the women also hesitated, looking to their male companions.
If all the men left, leaving them with the old and the children, what would they do in case of an emergency? Although Bai Youwei would undoubtedly be the worst off, they wouldn’t fare much better either.
“Honey, I’ll go with you. I’m scared staying here alone.” The long-haired woman changed her mind.
“Why don’t we all go together?” Someone suggested, “I don’t see much to explore here. Besides the grassy field, there’s a track, and beyond that, a forest.”
“So, are we supposed to cross the forest?”
“I don’t know, let’s check out the banner first. There’s something odd about it…”
“Let’s go take a look, there might be some clues.”
As everyone spoke, they started walking towards the banner with “The tortoise and the hare race.”
Shen Mo bent down and lifted Bai Youwei, catching up with the others.
Bai Youwei wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes red and her voice back to its delicate softness, but her stubbornness remained:
“Are you having regrets? Do you think I’m a burden? Well, it’s too late for regrets now! Shen Mo, don’t even think about shaking me off!”
As if to prove her words, Bai Youwei tightened her hold around his neck, her look defiant.
Shen Mo winced at her surprising strength.
He realized it might be because she had grown up without her parents, which made her insecure.
With this thought, Shen Mo’s annoyance faded. He comforted her: “I won’t abandon you.”
Bai Youwei looked at him, half-believing.
Shen Mo was bewildered too. Given Bai Youwei’s physical and mental condition, why hadn’t Aunt Wang taken her in?’
“Look, there’s someone beneath the banner!”
As everyone turned to look, so did Shen Mo, cutting off his train of thought.
As they got closer, the figure under the banner became clearer.
——It was a man dressed like a gentleman, in a white bow-tied shirt and a black tailcoat. On his head was a lifelike rabbit mask with long ears that were particularly noticeable. The red eyes of the mask were fixed upon them, not blinking once.