A Survival Game Where You Have to Fall in Love with a Madman - Chapter 26

The clock on the wall quickly pointed to twelve o’clock. A rumbling roar echoed throughout the room as the pitch-black entrance to the maze slowly ground open, yawning wide like a massive mouth waiting to devour its prey. A damp, chilly wind surged out from within, carrying a faint, lingering odor of decay.

Leaning forward against the table, You Yan wrinkled his nose in distaste. In contrast, He Yanqing took a deep breath, an excited gleam flashing through his eyes.

Lin Xiaoyu unconsciously took half a step back, her fingers tightly wringing the hem of her clothes. “Could Zhang Wei… still be waiting somewhere near the entrance?” her voice was incredibly soft, laced with obvious anxiety.

Pei Baiyang let out a cold sneer. “Instead of worrying about others, you should spend your time thinking about how we are going to complete the main quest and escape this place.” His long fingers tapped against the black metal tabletop, creating an irritating clack-clack-clack sound.

“How can you be so cold-blooded!” Lin Xiaoyu puffed her cheeks out in dissatisfaction, her shoulder-length hair swaying gently with her agitated movements. “We are teammates, aren’t we?”

“Everyone is selfish here. Kindness will only accelerate your death,” Pei Baiyang countered directly.

Liu Xin adjusted his glasses to redirect the subject. The typical caution of a shut-in prompted him to check the system rules interface first. “According to the rules, we can enter the maze to explore between twelve o’clock noon and six o’clock in the afternoon. However, if a player fails to return before it closes…”

“They will become one of those bizarre monsters,” He Yanqing suddenly wrapped his arms around You Yan’s shoulders from behind, chiming in with a beaming smile. “Right, little sleepyhead?”

You Yan didn’t even bother to lift his eyelids. “Let go.”

“The crow mask stated that someone must enter the maze to explore every single day,” Pei Baiyang said, pushing up his glasses as the lenses reflected a strange sheen. “Otherwise, the safe house’s defenses will fail at midnight.”

Li Luoyu mumbled irritably, “Wasn’t Zhang Wei already thrown inside? The defenses won’t fail on the first day.”

“So, you intend to do absolutely nothing on the first day? Just waiting around for the person voted out each day to secure your safety for twenty-four hours?” Pei Baiyang fixed him with a sharp glare. “And then you’ll just waste away until you’re eventually assimilated by the anomalies at the very end, is that it?”

Choked by the remark, Li Luoyu fell silent, resting one foot on his skateboard as he rolled it back and forth unconsciously.

Chen Yiyi spoke up gently, “I think we ought to formulate a plan first. Entering blindly is far too dangerous.” Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she spoke, making her appear exceptionally sincere.

“A plan?” Li Luoyu kicked his skateboard over violently. “This godforsaken place doesn’t even have a single map!”

“What if… we split into groups to go inside?” Lin Xiaoyu timidly raised her hand to propose. “Two people per group, exploring only near the entrance, and we must return within half an hour.” Her large, watery eyes swept across everyone in the room. “This way, we can gather information without it being too perilous…”

“Naive,” Pei Baiyang scoffed. “How can you be certain that the vicinity of the entrance is safe?”

Lin Xiaoyu’s face turned pale from the rebuff, but she quickly steadied her resolve. “It’s still better than sitting around waiting for death! An hour ago, when Zhang Wei was voted out, we did absolutely nothing. Now, we should at least…” Her words cut off abruptly, her eyes rimming with red.

Liu Xin silently handed her a tissue.

“Since little sister Xiaoyu is so enthusiastic,” He Yanqing suddenly released You Yan and performed an exaggerated bow, “why don’t this gentleman who can’t seem to wake up and I go scout the path first?”

You Yan finally opened his eyes. “I refuse.”

“My, my,” He Yanqing leaned close to his ear, speaking in a volume loud enough for everyone to hear. “Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten what we did in your apartment the night before last…”

The livestream chat erupted over the implication, and even the on-screen display seemed to shake.

• [ID: Rain from Eight Thousand Years Away] Ahhhhhhh! What did I just hear?! Lord He is being so spoiling, calling the NPC “little sleepyhead”!!
• [ID: Gulou Snowy Mountain] I’ve already lost count of how many nicknames Lord He has given him.
• [ID: Carrying Noobs for Points] As long as this NPC doesn’t drag Lord He down, it’s fine. His victory in the first two dungeons relied entirely on Lord He. Damn it, his luck is just too good.
• [ID: Ranwan 9999] Some people need to stop being so passive-aggressive here. I can smell the sour grapes right through the screen.

[System Notice: Player He Yanqing has received 500 gift points. Player You Yan has received 120 gift points. Player Pei Baiyang has received 329 gift points. Player…]

You Yan’s gaze sharpened. If the others discovered his true identity, things would become incredibly problematic.

Pei Baiyang keenly caught the unusual dynamic between the two. “You know each other?”

“Just roommates~” He Yanqing smiled with utter innocence, yet he secretly gripped You Yan’s wrist tightly. “Right?”

Without waiting for You Yan to answer, He Yanqing continued, “Let’s go, little sleepyhead. If we hesitate any longer, it’ll be dark.” His smile carried a dangerous curve.

You Yan remained silent for a few seconds before saying coldly, “Thirty minutes. I won’t wait a single second longer.”

“Wait a minute!” Lin Xiaoyu suddenly pulled open the inventory in her status panel, taking out two emergency flashlights. “At least take these! I bought them with points at a supermarket beforehand.” She stood on her tiptoes, intending to hand them to You Yan, but He Yanqing intercepted them halfway. “Thank you, little sister Xiaoyu~”

“A-And these…” She pulled out two more bottles of water, this time shoving them directly into You Yan’s hands. “Please be careful… these two bottles of water can restore stamina. The anomalies in this dungeon seem to be related to the crow people. If you encounter them, whatever you do, do not listen to them speak…”

The crow people…

You Yan recalled that a similar mention had appeared in his very first dungeon, St. Mary’s Charity Hospital.

“Do not trust the nurses wearing crow masks; they have no backside.”

Could there be some sort of connection between the two?

Lowering his head to look at the water bottles in his hands, You Yan gave a barely perceptible nod. This subtle movement caused Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes to light up.

“Time is precious~” He Yanqing dragged You Yan toward the entrance. “We’ll bring back souvenirs~”

Noticing their peculiar interaction, Liu Xin looked as though he wanted to say something, but ultimately hesitated. “Be careful, you two,” was all he managed to say, his gaze complex as he watched them step into the darkness.

The exact instant they crossed into the dark, You Yan immediately shook off He Yanqing’s hand.

Deep within the darkness, dim red emergency lights suddenly flickered to life along the walls, stretching and distorting their shadows.

He Yanqing let out a soft laugh by his ear. “What’s the matter? Reluctant to leave them?”

“What exactly are you trying to do?” You Yan asked in a freezing voice.

He Yanqing smiled without answering, suddenly raising a finger to his lips. “Shh…”

A rustling, dragging friction echoed from the distance, sounding as though something heavy was being pulled along. Only the twin beams of their flashlights danced through the air, illuminating the metal walls ahead, which were covered in deep scratch marks.

“Well then…” He Yanqing’s voice suddenly became dangerous and laced with excitement. “Let’s see what kind of fun things are hidden in here~”

You Yan did not offer a reply. Tightening his grip on his flashlight, he noticed something reflecting light in the corner of the wall it was a blood-stained name tag, and upon it, the name “Zhang Wei” was written clearly.

————

“Are we just going to sit here and wait like idiots?” Li Luoyu kicked the black metal table in frustration, producing a dull, heavy thud.

Pei Baiyang elegantly crossed his legs. “Impatience reduces your survival rate, kiddo.”

“Shut up! Who are you calling a kid!” a flash of electricity sparked in Li Luoyu’s eyes.