Chapter 42
Upon hearing An Wujiu’s confident conclusion, the rabbit chuckled.
“Oh? Then I’ll eagerly await it.”
“I’m afraid you won’t live to see your hero come to rescue you, or if he does arrive and sees your condition… how beautiful it will be.”
The rabbit’s voice always sparked some unfounded speculation in An Wujiu. It seemed to be more than just an NPC, capable of interacting based on people’s reactions and even possessing a strong and distinct personality. It was extreme and rebellious, enjoying the sight of players suffering in agony and reveling in the fear of imminent death.
Was this really just a regular NPC?
The soaking in icy water made An Wujiu’s legs numb, and his body stiffened as the paralyzing sensation traveled from his lower limbs to his fingertips.
But he continued to stare at the long silk in front of him, observing the process of water saturating the fibers in the cold silence.
Pressing the button just now was a very risky gamble.
He bet that his companions outside could create a continuous water outage lasting more than 22 minutes and 30 seconds. The first person had already awakened, and the second one was just starting. In total, there were only 5 intervals of 5 minutes each.
He had to press the button at this moment to have a slim chance.
In fact, even without a water outage, he could adjust the height of the silk synchronously with the rising water level to maintain the previous soaking state. However, this method had a margin of error of only ±3 seconds.
This approach was too dangerous; he needed a complete 25-minute water outage to complete this challenge.
Along the length of the silk, water gradually ascended.
He felt very cold, the low temperature numbing his heart and continuously slowing down the efficiency of his brain. An Wujiu could only exhale and rub his arms to warm himself up.
The rabbit continued the conversation, its tone seemingly very kind-hearted. “Do you need scissors? I can provide them for you. You can cut the silk to the length you need.”
“No need,” An Wujiu coldly refused. “Don’t treat players as fools.”
The variable thickness of the silk made it clear that each part of the silk absorbed water at a different rate. Thinner sections absorbed water quickly, while thicker ones were much slower.
Even if he were to cut it in half, putting both halves into the water at the same time, the complete saturation time would still be inconsistent, not necessarily both being 10 minutes.
This uneven texture made it impossible to time the challenge at equal intervals.
Nevertheless, it didn’t mean it couldn’t be calculated.
In fact, there was no need to cut it. Placing one end in the water required 20 minutes for complete saturation. However, if both ends were submerged simultaneously, even though it was the same silk, the time would be halved, requiring only 10 minutes.
An Wujiu lifted his head, and the silk, wet on both ends, had already soaked significantly. The heights of the wet portions on each side, after being folded, were completely different, confirming his speculation.
“Well, I was just trying to help, and you don’t appreciate it. I’ll just wait quietly for good news then.”
Half of his shoulder was ruthlessly hit, the sensation resembling a hand with sharp nails that forcefully pulled back his drifting willpower. The originally numb upper body could now be moved slightly, but his legs seemed to remain stiff.
However, from Wu You’s perspective, he felt like he had been punched hard by Shen Ti. Moreover, Shen Ti was currently embracing An Wujiu’s waist, with An Wujiu leaning against him.
This scene made Wu You, who had initially wanted to curse, swallow back his vulgar words.
Shen Ti noticed Wu You’s gaze returning to its previous state instead of being captivated by the stage. He gave Wu You a meaningful look, but Wu You couldn’t understand Shen Ti’s expression and furrowed his brow.
“What’s going on…”
“Cough,” Shen Ti coughed twice and said to the “An Wujiu” he was holding, “He really hasn’t learned his lesson.”
“An Wujiu” looked up somewhat confused, glanced at Shen Ti, and then followed Shen Ti’s gaze to Wu You, who was sitting in the chair.
He spoke softly, “You deceived me too.”
Wu You instantly realized that something was wrong.
He pursed his lips.
“I… I didn’t, did I?”
Regardless, he decided to try to defend himself first.
After he finished speaking, he saw Shen Ti, who was behind “An Wujiu,” roll his eyes towards the sky.
Well, what would you’ve said then? Wu You thought.
The “An Wujiu” in front of him sneered and looked disappointed: “Do I need to recount one by one the things you’ve done?”
Uh, yeah...
Wu You didn’t know how to act. He naturally had a poker face and underdeveloped facial nerves, and now he was improvising without a script. All his facial features felt like they were twitching.
“I… I know I’ve wronged you. I hope you can forgive me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Ti rolled his eyes again.
You’re already apologizing so quickly… you might as well let him hit you.
“Forgiveness?” The fake An Wujiu still had a smile at the corner of his mouth. “I trusted you so much initially. Who would have thought you were his right-hand man, and everything you did was for experiments to satisfy your own desires?! Have you ever considered my feelings?”
Who was he talking about? Wu You didn’t understand.
Experiments? Desires…
“I…”
“Don’t listen to him.” Shen Ti adopted a high, cold, yet gentle demeanor. Although he didn’t quite grasp how these two characteristics could be combined, based on some hints he had picked up earlier, this seemed to be the preferred appearance of A01 liked by fake An Wujiu.
“I will kill anyone who deceives you.”
Wu You instantly displayed a confused but frightened expression.
Without any negotiation, Shen Ti kicked Wu You to the ground with one foot, targeting his legs. To speed up his recovery, Shen Ti had to exert a bit more force.
Perhaps this realistic force made the fake An Wujiu trusts Shen Ti a bit more. However, Shen Ti didn’t stop there. Seizing the opportunity, he directly attacked Nan Shan, pushing him to the ground beside Wu You.
“These people all deserve to die.”
Hearing Shen Ti’s pretentious tone, Wu You almost burst into laughter, but he couldn’t say anything at this moment. He didn’t want to be strangled by this impostor.
Where did the real Wujiu-ge go? He wondered.
The impact on Nan Shan’s back, as he fell to the ground, jolted him awake. The chaotic feeling that had enveloped him mostly dissipated, leaving only some numbness in his hands and legs.
But soon, Shen Ti’s foot kicked his leg, bringing him back to full awareness.
Nan Shan, lying on the ground, tried to get up using his elbows, but he lacked the strength. He could only grab the nearby chair, attempting to leverage it. However, Zhong Yirou, sitting on the chair, was too light, and in her brainwashed state, she lacked awareness. Thus, Nan Shan pulled her down directly, and with a “thud,” the chair fell backward.
This saved Shen Ti the trouble, as he didn’t want to harm a girl.
Only the last two remained. Shen Ti continued with his usual tactics, loudly proclaiming vengeance for “An Wujiu” and kicking down Josh.
The three of them gradually regained clarity from their dazed states, but they still felt weak.
Just as Shen Ti struggled with how to awaken Yang Erci, the “An Wujiu” who had been coldly observing, spoke up.
“Don’t move her for now.”
“An Wujiu” approached the brainwashed Yang Erci, staring at her face with a cold and eerie smile. With one hand, he firmly grasped Yang Erci’s chin.
“I want to ask her whether the experiments back then succeeded. Were they smooth?”
Wu You felt uneasy.
The “An Wujiu” in front of him was completely different from the one in the recorded videos. He didn’t have the same charm as described on the cards of the children in the facility; instead, he seemed like a madman.
The experiments he mentioned were probably related to those children.
Could it be that he was kept in the dark, only to later discover the crimes committed by his father, brother, friends, and even himself, driving him insane?
And as an NPC, he didn’t know that breaking the “brainwashing” mechanism caused pain. Allowing Shen Ti to “avenge” was probably a part of the madman’s design.
Shen Ti, this deceitful swindler, had been messing around for so long, probably trying to extract more information from this NPC’s mouth to handle the upcoming floors.
However, this method of interrogation was too manipulative, and Wu You felt like his skin was crawling.
“An Wujiu” stood up, turned around, and faced Shen Ti. The smile on his face softened once again, as if he were truly looking at the person he loved the most.
But in Shen Ti’s heart, he thought, ‘Don’t look at me with An Wujiu’s face like that.’
“You just said, anyone who deceives me, you’ll kill them…” His voice was soft and weak, and his moving lips were reminiscent of the last glow of a blood-red sunset on the horizon.
As the sunset faded away, the affection in his eyes also cooled. “What about you?”
The white silk, simultaneously submerged in water from both ends, was almost completely soaked.
Just a little more, An Wujiu reached out to feel the dampness, confirming the level of wetness. Then, he began preparing for the next step. He pulled out the blue silk, adjusted the height of the loop, and pulled it into a single, vertical state, just like the red silk before. The top was secured in the loop, while the bottom hung down, close to the water surface.
When the white silk was visibly completely soaked, with no dry spots, An Wujiu pulled the new blue silk down to the bottom, just touching the water surface.
Immediately after, he pulled down the other end of the originally vertically soaked red silk, turning it into two ends submerged in water.
After completing these actions, his focus shifted from the initial white silk to the current red silk.
Fortunately, there has been no water flow so far. Given the current timing, it meant that at least three companions outside had awakened.
They must all wake up.
“You playing the game looks really boring.”
The voice of that rabbit appeared again, evidently trying to cause interference.
“Ah, with such a beautiful face, why can’t you make a frightened expression? The appearance of a pear blossom with rain is so thought-provoking.”
This kind of sadistic humor was truly nauseating.
An Wujiu still maintained a cold expression, intentionally keeping the rhythm of his deep breaths to resist the discomfort caused by the dropping body temperature.
“Don’t you have anything you care about? Like… your family? When you think about them, or rather, when you think about them in danger, can you still be this calm?”
Upon hearing this, An Wujiu frowned. He lifted his head and glanced around the ceiling.
“Are you looking for me?” The rabbit laughed, sharp and piercing, then lowered its tone after a while. “I am everywhere.”
“Who are you? What do you want?” An Wujiu spoke coldly.
“Don’t be in such a hurry; the game has just begun.” The rabbit’s tone was full of disdain and provocation, yet it carried a mocking smile. “Do you know what the most precious, untapped treasure in you is?”
An Wujiu calmly stared at a certain spot on the ceiling, as if in confrontation with the hidden figure. He had a strong premonition that he must know something.
“It’s the malice that surges out during your moments of brightness and the conscience that uncontrollably floods during your moments of darkness.”
“Humans, more or less, experience extreme emotions like anger, fear, shock, and pain… all quite similar and boring,” the rabbit chuckled lightly. “You, however, are different from everyone. Your extreme emotions are the rarest.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing it unfold.”
His tone was manic, and every word he uttered sounded abnormal, as if An Wujiu had glimpsed another form of the altar.
If this rabbit was indeed a significant behind-the-scenes puppet of the altar, what did that make of those who entered for money and desire?
His thoughts quickly veered off track but were soon pulled back by reason. An Wujiu took a deep breath and once again faced the red silk, which should have been continuously monitored.
Now, only a short segment remained unsoaked, and it would be done soon.
“You must be very skeptical of what I’m saying now, but you’ll know soon,” the twisted rabbit casually spoke the part that mattered most to An Wujiu.
“If you still want to see your family, like… your sister? Then strive a bit harder and survive properly.”
An Wujiu stood silently within the glass enclosure, saying nothing, just staring at the red silk in front of him.
He felt so cold, and even breathing seemed painful in his chest.
This unknowable, invisible future was more chilling than the biting ice water.
The water at both ends of the silk gradually gathered along the fibers and, in the end, converged before An Wujiu’s eyes, soaking the entire red silk.
Without much thought, An Wujiu directly adjusted the silk, originally hanging vertically, into a state where both ends were immersed in the water simultaneously.
The final stretch.
The faces of his companions outside flashed in his mind. Although this was a personal challenge, they all chose to believe in him and follow him.
Everyone had to survive.
“I did deceive you indeed.”
Shen Ti remained expressionless. Faced with the emotionally shifting “An Wujiu,” his gaze deepened, causing even Josh, who had just awakened, to misunderstand, thinking that this was some strange confession or revelation.
“But my feelings are not fake.” Shen Ti approached him, and his green eyes were like a calm lake. “You can hate me, but I can’t deceive you anymore. It’s really the truth.”
Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Wu You pondered why this guy could, under circumstances of complete ignorance, use such sincere and affectionate expressions, uttering a bunch of nonsense to an NPC who looked exactly like An Wujiu.
No one else could do it except him.
The “An Wujiu” in front of him, unlike the informed Wu You, knew nothing. He looked at the person he loved deeply, furrowing his brows: “Do you think saying these things will make me forgive you?”
“I told you, I don’t expect your forgiveness.” Shen Ti continued to approach, finally extending his arms and embracing the still somewhat resistant “An Wujiu” into his arms, gently applying another form of hypnotism to him.
“I regret it a lot. Please give me another chance.”
“How about we leave here and live somewhere where no one knows us?”
The “An Wujiu” in his arms seemed to waver.
Feigning an inability to move, Wu You lay on the ground, still gazing at “An Wujiu.” He saw a flash of hesitation and emotion in those eyes, filled with hatred.
“Do you really want that?”
“Uh-huh.” Shen Ti nodded. Although he held him, there was no real intimacy. He just loosely embraced him, gently patting his back.
“I’ve already found a place. We can leave tonight.”
Upon hearing this, the “An Wujiu” leaning on Shen Ti’s shoulder couldn’t help but ask, “What about him?”
Shen Ti thought it should be their father but still asked, “Who?”
“The impostor.” His voice once again carried hatred. He distanced himself, looking at Shen Ti. “The one trying to replace me. He’s fake. Only I… I am the real one.”
He kept repeating the term “impostor.”
Shen Ti remained silent for a second, then, without any real intimacy until now, he lifted his hand, cupping the face of “An Wujiu” and gently smiled at him, saying, “I know.”
Wu You had never seen such an expression on Shen Ti’s face before, and it felt so genuine that it was terrifying. If he wasn’t informed, he would have definitely misunderstood, thinking that the Shen Ti before him truly loved “An Wujiu.”
Shen Ti’s left hand affectionately stroked the earlobe and the side of “An Wujiu’s” face, while his other hand supported his chin, gently lifting it to force eye contact.
“I love you so much; of course, I can tell at a glance.”
Tears welled up in “An Wujiu’s” eyes, shimmering but unshed, making it a poignant sight.
Unfortunately.
In a moment of confusion, Wu You saw Shen Ti’s posture remaining intimate, his right hand supporting “An Wujiu’s” chin, and the left hand caressing his head. However, the next second, Shen Ti’s right hand pushed inward to the left, while his left hand controlled the head, pushing it outward with incredible force.
With a crisp sound, “An Wujiu” who could still speak moments ago, collapsed like a ribbon, facing Shen Ti. Yet Shen Ti merely extended his hands to catch him.
“Too bad you’re the impostor.”
Shen Ti released his grip, allowing the fake An Wujiu to fall to the ground.
Wu You furrowed his brows. “Is he dead?”
This had a profound impact on him. Shen Ti was always joking and rarely serious in front of them, and this was the first time Wu You had seen Shen Ti act so decisively.
Just a moment ago, he was acting vigorously, and now he suddenly killed someone.
Nan Shan glanced at the fallen “An Wujiu” on the ground, closed his eyes, and began silently chanting a reincarnation spell.
Zhong Yirou, who had regained consciousness, responded to Wu You, “Most likely. If the force is strong enough, it could cause damage to the cervical vertebrae, risking high-level medullary injury, which is very dangerous and almost lethal.”
Shen Ti showed no emotional expression; he simply stepped over the body. As he walked toward the stage, he didn’t look back but said to the awakened Zhong Yirou, “Pain can break the hypnosis. Try waking up Yang Erci.”
Zhong Yirou agreed and saw Shen Ti go on stage to get the black velvet cover. She was not in good physical condition and didn’t know how to “wake up” Yang Erci when she reached her.
Yang Erci was currently in a hypnotized state, her vacant eyes staring at the stage and her face devoid of any emotion, like a perfect sculpture.
“Don’t blame me when you wake up.” Zhong Yirou muttered weakly and began tapping on Yang Erci, starting from her legs. It wasn’t like hitting; it was more like a massage. After finishing, she raised her gaze, looked at her shoulders, and gave a few taps.
“Is this not enough…”
Zhong Yirou looked at Yang Erci’s face, stared for a few seconds, and then reached out.
Grabbing her cheeks.
This kind of opportunity probably won’t come again.
With this thought, Zhong Yirou extended her other hand, both hands pinching her face and pulling outward.
Until the target of the prank raised a hand to hold the hand, causing mischief.
“What are you doing?” Yang Erci’s cold voice appeared, just a bit slower than usual.
“Nothing.” Zhong Yirou quickly withdrew her hands and touched her beautiful curly hair, “I… I was saving you. If you don’t believe me, ask them.”
Wu You wore a serious epression and said, “At least she didn’t really beat you.”
Zhong Yirou remained crouched, having trouble getting up. In the end, it was Yang Erci, whose face she had just pinched, who helped her up.
“Stand properly.”
In the blink of an eye, Shen Ti had already tied the fake An Wujiu’s body to a chair. Without explaining anything to the others, he ran toward the stage again.
“Where are you going?”
Shen Ti didn’t look back.
The blue silk was only left with the last dry part, and the moist water visibly eroded inward from both ends, penetrating every inch of fiber.
Until it occupied the final territory.
An Wujiu touched it, immediately lifted his hand, and pressed the last red button.
“Is this your calculated 22 minutes and 30 seconds? Are you sure?”
An Wujiu stared at the silk in front of him.
“Sure.”
The rabbit smiled in a place he couldn’t see. “Okay, I’ll announce the correct answer for you.”
In the dim field of vision, a scene appeared. It was the moment he pressed the red button, with a timer starting from 0 in the upper right corner. The scene played at an extremely fast speed until the moment An Wujiu pressed the button for the second time.
At the moment of stopping, the static numbers displayed the result—22 minutes and 32 seconds.
The result was within a three-second margin of error.
An Wujiu breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense muscles relaxed.
He was not wrong, even though the silk had an uneven texture and couldn’t be divided for length calculation.
But the time required for complete saturation could be divided.
Initially, immerse one end of the white silk and one end of the red silk, so when the white silk was completely soaked, exactly half the time it took for one end of the red silk to be fully immersed had passed—10 minutes.
At this point, the red silk had been soaked for 10 minutes, and the remaining dry part originally required another 10 minutes. However, immersing both ends of the red silk at this time reduced the time by half, giving a calculated time of 5 minutes.
Simultaneously, when adding the third silk, the blue one, when the red silk was fully soaked, which was after 5 minutes, the blue silk originally needed 15 minutes to be completely wet. Changing it to immerse both ends at this point halved the time, making the total soaking time 7.5 minutes.
10 minutes for the white silk, 5 minutes for the red silk, and 7.5 minutes for the blue silk, adding up to a total of 22 minutes and 30 seconds.
“Congratulations. I didn’t expect you to have no joy even after successfully completing the challenge.”
“Your reward is being issued now. Congratulations again, and don’t worry about being electrocuted alive.”
As soon as the rabbit finished speaking, the four electrodes at the top of the glass device retreated from the glass wall at the top and eventually disappeared into the device.
“However, now you have to face some bad news. Your so-called companions are waking up one by one, and the water shutdown period they created for you is ending soon.”
The cold water once again poured down from the top pipes, faster than the previous flow.
“Hurry up, save some air for yourself.”
No matter how Shen Ti checked, he couldn’t open the floor under the birdcage.
For the first time entering the game, he felt extremely anxious.
Seeing that he couldn’t open it, Yang Erci tentatively said, “Maybe it’s not there.”
Too much time had already been wasted.
It was still unknown where An Wujiu was.
Shen Ti stood up, surveying the entire theater. Finally, his gaze stopped behind the large curtain.
When he pulled back the curtain and entered the completely dark backstage, he noticed the presence of lights around him. Wu You followed him behind the curtain, but strangely, he couldn’t find Shen Ti’s figure. Behind the curtain was just a small backstage area with nothing in it.
Shen Ti walked forward alone, and soon he heard the sound of flowing water. Not far away, a lonely beam of light shone quietly on a massive glass enclosure filled with water.
In the water was An Wujiu, who had already passed out. His hair scattered, rippling in the water.
Shen Ti saw the huge card in front of him, depicting a joker. Below the card was a heavy hammer. He picked it up and walked over, smashing it fiercely against the sealed glass enclosure.
With just one strike, the glass shattered, and water flowed out continuously.
Shen Ti bent down, his movements becoming instinctively careful. He stood outside the broken glass case, horizontally cradling the unconscious An Wujiu in his arms and gently shaking him.
“An Wujiu? An Wujiu…”
The shaking caused An Wujiu, who had nearly drowned, to cough up water. he coughed a few times and then slowly opened his eyes in Shen Ti’s arms.
He woke up.
But the current An Wujiu had changed.
His furrowed brow, caused by choking on water, slowly relaxed. His long and fair neck tilted slightly backward due to the cradling posture, the Adam’s apple ambiguously rolling beneath the snowy patterns. His eyelashes were coated with fine water droplets, looking hazy and coquettish.
Staring into Shen Ti’s eyes, An Wujiu’s moist lips curled slightly.
“Who allowed you to hold me?” —
The author has something to say:
Finally, I’ve written the transformation to the dark side!
I forgot to mention that the inspiration for the silk-soaking question comes from a common logical problem often used in interviews by major internet companies. However, the original question involved burning a rope~ and as many lovely readers mentioned in yesterday’s comments, the thought process is indeed quite similar to several solutions for pouring water between buckets. Logical problems are all somewhat similar.
Chapter 42
Upon hearing An Wujiu’s confident conclusion, the rabbit chuckled.
“Oh? Then I’ll eagerly await it.”
“I’m afraid you won’t live to see your hero come to rescue you, or if he does arrive and sees your condition… how beautiful it will be.”
The rabbit’s voice always sparked some unfounded speculation in An Wujiu. It seemed to be more than just an NPC, capable of interacting based on people’s reactions and even possessing a strong and distinct personality. It was extreme and rebellious, enjoying the sight of players suffering in agony and reveling in the fear of imminent death.
Was this really just a regular NPC?
The soaking in icy water made An Wujiu’s legs numb, and his body stiffened as the paralyzing sensation traveled from his lower limbs to his fingertips.
But he continued to stare at the long silk in front of him, observing the process of water saturating the fibers in the cold silence.
Pressing the button just now was a very risky gamble.
He bet that his companions outside could create a continuous water outage lasting more than 22 minutes and 30 seconds. The first person had already awakened, and the second one was just starting. In total, there were only 5 intervals of 5 minutes each.
He had to press the button at this moment to have a slim chance.
In fact, even without a water outage, he could adjust the height of the silk synchronously with the rising water level to maintain the previous soaking state. However, this method had a margin of error of only ±3 seconds.
This approach was too dangerous; he needed a complete 25-minute water outage to complete this challenge.
Along the length of the silk, water gradually ascended.
He felt very cold, the low temperature numbing his heart and continuously slowing down the efficiency of his brain. An Wujiu could only exhale and rub his arms to warm himself up.
The rabbit continued the conversation, its tone seemingly very kind-hearted. “Do you need scissors? I can provide them for you. You can cut the silk to the length you need.”
“No need,” An Wujiu coldly refused. “Don’t treat players as fools.”
The variable thickness of the silk made it clear that each part of the silk absorbed water at a different rate. Thinner sections absorbed water quickly, while thicker ones were much slower.
Even if he were to cut it in half, putting both halves into the water at the same time, the complete saturation time would still be inconsistent, not necessarily both being 10 minutes.
This uneven texture made it impossible to time the challenge at equal intervals.
Nevertheless, it didn’t mean it couldn’t be calculated.
In fact, there was no need to cut it. Placing one end in the water required 20 minutes for complete saturation. However, if both ends were submerged simultaneously, even though it was the same silk, the time would be halved, requiring only 10 minutes.
An Wujiu lifted his head, and the silk, wet on both ends, had already soaked significantly. The heights of the wet portions on each side, after being folded, were completely different, confirming his speculation.
“Well, I was just trying to help, and you don’t appreciate it. I’ll just wait quietly for good news then.”
Half of his shoulder was ruthlessly hit, the sensation resembling a hand with sharp nails that forcefully pulled back his drifting willpower. The originally numb upper body could now be moved slightly, but his legs seemed to remain stiff.
However, from Wu You’s perspective, he felt like he had been punched hard by Shen Ti. Moreover, Shen Ti was currently embracing An Wujiu’s waist, with An Wujiu leaning against him.
This scene made Wu You, who had initially wanted to curse, swallow back his vulgar words.
Shen Ti noticed Wu You’s gaze returning to its previous state instead of being captivated by the stage. He gave Wu You a meaningful look, but Wu You couldn’t understand Shen Ti’s expression and furrowed his brow.
“What’s going on…”
“Cough,” Shen Ti coughed twice and said to the “An Wujiu” he was holding, “He really hasn’t learned his lesson.”
“An Wujiu” looked up somewhat confused, glanced at Shen Ti, and then followed Shen Ti’s gaze to Wu You, who was sitting in the chair.
He spoke softly, “You deceived me too.”
Wu You instantly realized that something was wrong.
He pursed his lips.
“I… I didn’t, did I?”
Regardless, he decided to try to defend himself first.
After he finished speaking, he saw Shen Ti, who was behind “An Wujiu,” roll his eyes towards the sky.
Well, what would you’ve said then? Wu You thought.
The “An Wujiu” in front of him sneered and looked disappointed: “Do I need to recount one by one the things you’ve done?”
Uh, yeah...
Wu You didn’t know how to act. He naturally had a poker face and underdeveloped facial nerves, and now he was improvising without a script. All his facial features felt like they were twitching.
“I… I know I’ve wronged you. I hope you can forgive me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Ti rolled his eyes again.
You’re already apologizing so quickly… you might as well let him hit you.
“Forgiveness?” The fake An Wujiu still had a smile at the corner of his mouth. “I trusted you so much initially. Who would have thought you were his right-hand man, and everything you did was for experiments to satisfy your own desires?! Have you ever considered my feelings?”
Who was he talking about? Wu You didn’t understand.
Experiments? Desires…
“I…”
“Don’t listen to him.” Shen Ti adopted a high, cold, yet gentle demeanor. Although he didn’t quite grasp how these two characteristics could be combined, based on some hints he had picked up earlier, this seemed to be the preferred appearance of A01 liked by fake An Wujiu.
“I will kill anyone who deceives you.”
Wu You instantly displayed a confused but frightened expression.
Without any negotiation, Shen Ti kicked Wu You to the ground with one foot, targeting his legs. To speed up his recovery, Shen Ti had to exert a bit more force.
Perhaps this realistic force made the fake An Wujiu trusts Shen Ti a bit more. However, Shen Ti didn’t stop there. Seizing the opportunity, he directly attacked Nan Shan, pushing him to the ground beside Wu You.
“These people all deserve to die.”
Hearing Shen Ti’s pretentious tone, Wu You almost burst into laughter, but he couldn’t say anything at this moment. He didn’t want to be strangled by this impostor.
Where did the real Wujiu-ge go? He wondered.
The impact on Nan Shan’s back, as he fell to the ground, jolted him awake. The chaotic feeling that had enveloped him mostly dissipated, leaving only some numbness in his hands and legs.
But soon, Shen Ti’s foot kicked his leg, bringing him back to full awareness.
Nan Shan, lying on the ground, tried to get up using his elbows, but he lacked the strength. He could only grab the nearby chair, attempting to leverage it. However, Zhong Yirou, sitting on the chair, was too light, and in her brainwashed state, she lacked awareness. Thus, Nan Shan pulled her down directly, and with a “thud,” the chair fell backward.
This saved Shen Ti the trouble, as he didn’t want to harm a girl.
Only the last two remained. Shen Ti continued with his usual tactics, loudly proclaiming vengeance for “An Wujiu” and kicking down Josh.
The three of them gradually regained clarity from their dazed states, but they still felt weak.
Just as Shen Ti struggled with how to awaken Yang Erci, the “An Wujiu” who had been coldly observing, spoke up.
“Don’t move her for now.”
“An Wujiu” approached the brainwashed Yang Erci, staring at her face with a cold and eerie smile. With one hand, he firmly grasped Yang Erci’s chin.
“I want to ask her whether the experiments back then succeeded. Were they smooth?”
Wu You felt uneasy.
The “An Wujiu” in front of him was completely different from the one in the recorded videos. He didn’t have the same charm as described on the cards of the children in the facility; instead, he seemed like a madman.
The experiments he mentioned were probably related to those children.
Could it be that he was kept in the dark, only to later discover the crimes committed by his father, brother, friends, and even himself, driving him insane?
And as an NPC, he didn’t know that breaking the “brainwashing” mechanism caused pain. Allowing Shen Ti to “avenge” was probably a part of the madman’s design.
Shen Ti, this deceitful swindler, had been messing around for so long, probably trying to extract more information from this NPC’s mouth to handle the upcoming floors.
However, this method of interrogation was too manipulative, and Wu You felt like his skin was crawling.
“An Wujiu” stood up, turned around, and faced Shen Ti. The smile on his face softened once again, as if he were truly looking at the person he loved the most.
But in Shen Ti’s heart, he thought, ‘Don’t look at me with An Wujiu’s face like that.’
“You just said, anyone who deceives me, you’ll kill them…” His voice was soft and weak, and his moving lips were reminiscent of the last glow of a blood-red sunset on the horizon.
As the sunset faded away, the affection in his eyes also cooled. “What about you?”
The white silk, simultaneously submerged in water from both ends, was almost completely soaked.
Just a little more, An Wujiu reached out to feel the dampness, confirming the level of wetness. Then, he began preparing for the next step. He pulled out the blue silk, adjusted the height of the loop, and pulled it into a single, vertical state, just like the red silk before. The top was secured in the loop, while the bottom hung down, close to the water surface.
When the white silk was visibly completely soaked, with no dry spots, An Wujiu pulled the new blue silk down to the bottom, just touching the water surface.
Immediately after, he pulled down the other end of the originally vertically soaked red silk, turning it into two ends submerged in water.
After completing these actions, his focus shifted from the initial white silk to the current red silk.
Fortunately, there has been no water flow so far. Given the current timing, it meant that at least three companions outside had awakened.
They must all wake up.
“You playing the game looks really boring.”
The voice of that rabbit appeared again, evidently trying to cause interference.
“Ah, with such a beautiful face, why can’t you make a frightened expression? The appearance of a pear blossom with rain is so thought-provoking.”
This kind of sadistic humor was truly nauseating.
An Wujiu still maintained a cold expression, intentionally keeping the rhythm of his deep breaths to resist the discomfort caused by the dropping body temperature.
“Don’t you have anything you care about? Like… your family? When you think about them, or rather, when you think about them in danger, can you still be this calm?”
Upon hearing this, An Wujiu frowned. He lifted his head and glanced around the ceiling.
“Are you looking for me?” The rabbit laughed, sharp and piercing, then lowered its tone after a while. “I am everywhere.”
“Who are you? What do you want?” An Wujiu spoke coldly.
“Don’t be in such a hurry; the game has just begun.” The rabbit’s tone was full of disdain and provocation, yet it carried a mocking smile. “Do you know what the most precious, untapped treasure in you is?”
An Wujiu calmly stared at a certain spot on the ceiling, as if in confrontation with the hidden figure. He had a strong premonition that he must know something.
“It’s the malice that surges out during your moments of brightness and the conscience that uncontrollably floods during your moments of darkness.”
“Humans, more or less, experience extreme emotions like anger, fear, shock, and pain… all quite similar and boring,” the rabbit chuckled lightly. “You, however, are different from everyone. Your extreme emotions are the rarest.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing it unfold.”
His tone was manic, and every word he uttered sounded abnormal, as if An Wujiu had glimpsed another form of the altar.
If this rabbit was indeed a significant behind-the-scenes puppet of the altar, what did that make of those who entered for money and desire?
His thoughts quickly veered off track but were soon pulled back by reason. An Wujiu took a deep breath and once again faced the red silk, which should have been continuously monitored.
Now, only a short segment remained unsoaked, and it would be done soon.
“You must be very skeptical of what I’m saying now, but you’ll know soon,” the twisted rabbit casually spoke the part that mattered most to An Wujiu.
“If you still want to see your family, like… your sister? Then strive a bit harder and survive properly.”
An Wujiu stood silently within the glass enclosure, saying nothing, just staring at the red silk in front of him.
He felt so cold, and even breathing seemed painful in his chest.
This unknowable, invisible future was more chilling than the biting ice water.
The water at both ends of the silk gradually gathered along the fibers and, in the end, converged before An Wujiu’s eyes, soaking the entire red silk.
Without much thought, An Wujiu directly adjusted the silk, originally hanging vertically, into a state where both ends were immersed in the water simultaneously.
The final stretch.
The faces of his companions outside flashed in his mind. Although this was a personal challenge, they all chose to believe in him and follow him.
Everyone had to survive.
“I did deceive you indeed.”
Shen Ti remained expressionless. Faced with the emotionally shifting “An Wujiu,” his gaze deepened, causing even Josh, who had just awakened, to misunderstand, thinking that this was some strange confession or revelation.
“But my feelings are not fake.” Shen Ti approached him, and his green eyes were like a calm lake. “You can hate me, but I can’t deceive you anymore. It’s really the truth.”
Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Wu You pondered why this guy could, under circumstances of complete ignorance, use such sincere and affectionate expressions, uttering a bunch of nonsense to an NPC who looked exactly like An Wujiu.
No one else could do it except him.
The “An Wujiu” in front of him, unlike the informed Wu You, knew nothing. He looked at the person he loved deeply, furrowing his brows: “Do you think saying these things will make me forgive you?”
“I told you, I don’t expect your forgiveness.” Shen Ti continued to approach, finally extending his arms and embracing the still somewhat resistant “An Wujiu” into his arms, gently applying another form of hypnotism to him.
“I regret it a lot. Please give me another chance.”
“How about we leave here and live somewhere where no one knows us?”
The “An Wujiu” in his arms seemed to waver.
Feigning an inability to move, Wu You lay on the ground, still gazing at “An Wujiu.” He saw a flash of hesitation and emotion in those eyes, filled with hatred.
“Do you really want that?”
“Uh-huh.” Shen Ti nodded. Although he held him, there was no real intimacy. He just loosely embraced him, gently patting his back.
“I’ve already found a place. We can leave tonight.”
Upon hearing this, the “An Wujiu” leaning on Shen Ti’s shoulder couldn’t help but ask, “What about him?”
Shen Ti thought it should be their father but still asked, “Who?”
“The impostor.” His voice once again carried hatred. He distanced himself, looking at Shen Ti. “The one trying to replace me. He’s fake. Only I… I am the real one.”
He kept repeating the term “impostor.”
Shen Ti remained silent for a second, then, without any real intimacy until now, he lifted his hand, cupping the face of “An Wujiu” and gently smiled at him, saying, “I know.”
Wu You had never seen such an expression on Shen Ti’s face before, and it felt so genuine that it was terrifying. If he wasn’t informed, he would have definitely misunderstood, thinking that the Shen Ti before him truly loved “An Wujiu.”
Shen Ti’s left hand affectionately stroked the earlobe and the side of “An Wujiu’s” face, while his other hand supported his chin, gently lifting it to force eye contact.
“I love you so much; of course, I can tell at a glance.”
Tears welled up in “An Wujiu’s” eyes, shimmering but unshed, making it a poignant sight.
Unfortunately.
In a moment of confusion, Wu You saw Shen Ti’s posture remaining intimate, his right hand supporting “An Wujiu’s” chin, and the left hand caressing his head. However, the next second, Shen Ti’s right hand pushed inward to the left, while his left hand controlled the head, pushing it outward with incredible force.
With a crisp sound, “An Wujiu” who could still speak moments ago, collapsed like a ribbon, facing Shen Ti. Yet Shen Ti merely extended his hands to catch him.
“Too bad you’re the impostor.”
Shen Ti released his grip, allowing the fake An Wujiu to fall to the ground.
Wu You furrowed his brows. “Is he dead?”
This had a profound impact on him. Shen Ti was always joking and rarely serious in front of them, and this was the first time Wu You had seen Shen Ti act so decisively.
Just a moment ago, he was acting vigorously, and now he suddenly killed someone.
Nan Shan glanced at the fallen “An Wujiu” on the ground, closed his eyes, and began silently chanting a reincarnation spell.
Zhong Yirou, who had regained consciousness, responded to Wu You, “Most likely. If the force is strong enough, it could cause damage to the cervical vertebrae, risking high-level medullary injury, which is very dangerous and almost lethal.”
Shen Ti showed no emotional expression; he simply stepped over the body. As he walked toward the stage, he didn’t look back but said to the awakened Zhong Yirou, “Pain can break the hypnosis. Try waking up Yang Erci.”
Zhong Yirou agreed and saw Shen Ti go on stage to get the black velvet cover. She was not in good physical condition and didn’t know how to “wake up” Yang Erci when she reached her.
Yang Erci was currently in a hypnotized state, her vacant eyes staring at the stage and her face devoid of any emotion, like a perfect sculpture.
“Don’t blame me when you wake up.” Zhong Yirou muttered weakly and began tapping on Yang Erci, starting from her legs. It wasn’t like hitting; it was more like a massage. After finishing, she raised her gaze, looked at her shoulders, and gave a few taps.
“Is this not enough…”
Zhong Yirou looked at Yang Erci’s face, stared for a few seconds, and then reached out.
Grabbing her cheeks.
This kind of opportunity probably won’t come again.
With this thought, Zhong Yirou extended her other hand, both hands pinching her face and pulling outward.
Until the target of the prank raised a hand to hold the hand, causing mischief.
“What are you doing?” Yang Erci’s cold voice appeared, just a bit slower than usual.
“Nothing.” Zhong Yirou quickly withdrew her hands and touched her beautiful curly hair, “I… I was saving you. If you don’t believe me, ask them.”
Wu You wore a serious epression and said, “At least she didn’t really beat you.”
Zhong Yirou remained crouched, having trouble getting up. In the end, it was Yang Erci, whose face she had just pinched, who helped her up.
“Stand properly.”
In the blink of an eye, Shen Ti had already tied the fake An Wujiu’s body to a chair. Without explaining anything to the others, he ran toward the stage again.
“Where are you going?”
Shen Ti didn’t look back.
The blue silk was only left with the last dry part, and the moist water visibly eroded inward from both ends, penetrating every inch of fiber.
Until it occupied the final territory.
An Wujiu touched it, immediately lifted his hand, and pressed the last red button.
“Is this your calculated 22 minutes and 30 seconds? Are you sure?”
An Wujiu stared at the silk in front of him.
“Sure.”
The rabbit smiled in a place he couldn’t see. “Okay, I’ll announce the correct answer for you.”
In the dim field of vision, a scene appeared. It was the moment he pressed the red button, with a timer starting from 0 in the upper right corner. The scene played at an extremely fast speed until the moment An Wujiu pressed the button for the second time.
At the moment of stopping, the static numbers displayed the result—22 minutes and 32 seconds.
The result was within a three-second margin of error.
An Wujiu breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense muscles relaxed.
He was not wrong, even though the silk had an uneven texture and couldn’t be divided for length calculation.
But the time required for complete saturation could be divided.
Initially, immerse one end of the white silk and one end of the red silk, so when the white silk was completely soaked, exactly half the time it took for one end of the red silk to be fully immersed had passed—10 minutes.
At this point, the red silk had been soaked for 10 minutes, and the remaining dry part originally required another 10 minutes. However, immersing both ends of the red silk at this time reduced the time by half, giving a calculated time of 5 minutes.
Simultaneously, when adding the third silk, the blue one, when the red silk was fully soaked, which was after 5 minutes, the blue silk originally needed 15 minutes to be completely wet. Changing it to immerse both ends at this point halved the time, making the total soaking time 7.5 minutes.
10 minutes for the white silk, 5 minutes for the red silk, and 7.5 minutes for the blue silk, adding up to a total of 22 minutes and 30 seconds.
“Congratulations. I didn’t expect you to have no joy even after successfully completing the challenge.”
“Your reward is being issued now. Congratulations again, and don’t worry about being electrocuted alive.”
As soon as the rabbit finished speaking, the four electrodes at the top of the glass device retreated from the glass wall at the top and eventually disappeared into the device.
“However, now you have to face some bad news. Your so-called companions are waking up one by one, and the water shutdown period they created for you is ending soon.”
The cold water once again poured down from the top pipes, faster than the previous flow.
“Hurry up, save some air for yourself.”
No matter how Shen Ti checked, he couldn’t open the floor under the birdcage.
For the first time entering the game, he felt extremely anxious.
Seeing that he couldn’t open it, Yang Erci tentatively said, “Maybe it’s not there.”
Too much time had already been wasted.
It was still unknown where An Wujiu was.
Shen Ti stood up, surveying the entire theater. Finally, his gaze stopped behind the large curtain.
When he pulled back the curtain and entered the completely dark backstage, he noticed the presence of lights around him. Wu You followed him behind the curtain, but strangely, he couldn’t find Shen Ti’s figure. Behind the curtain was just a small backstage area with nothing in it.
Shen Ti walked forward alone, and soon he heard the sound of flowing water. Not far away, a lonely beam of light shone quietly on a massive glass enclosure filled with water.
In the water was An Wujiu, who had already passed out. His hair scattered, rippling in the water.
Shen Ti saw the huge card in front of him, depicting a joker. Below the card was a heavy hammer. He picked it up and walked over, smashing it fiercely against the sealed glass enclosure.
With just one strike, the glass shattered, and water flowed out continuously.
Shen Ti bent down, his movements becoming instinctively careful. He stood outside the broken glass case, horizontally cradling the unconscious An Wujiu in his arms and gently shaking him.
“An Wujiu? An Wujiu…”
The shaking caused An Wujiu, who had nearly drowned, to cough up water. he coughed a few times and then slowly opened his eyes in Shen Ti’s arms.
He woke up.
But the current An Wujiu had changed.
His furrowed brow, caused by choking on water, slowly relaxed. His long and fair neck tilted slightly backward due to the cradling posture, the Adam’s apple ambiguously rolling beneath the snowy patterns. His eyelashes were coated with fine water droplets, looking hazy and coquettish.
Staring into Shen Ti’s eyes, An Wujiu’s moist lips curled slightly.
“Who allowed you to hold me?” —
The author has something to say:
Finally, I’ve written the transformation to the dark side!
I forgot to mention that the inspiration for the silk-soaking question comes from a common logical problem often used in interviews by major internet companies. However, the original question involved burning a rope~ and as many lovely readers mentioned in yesterday’s comments, the thought process is indeed quite similar to several solutions for pouring water between buckets. Logical problems are all somewhat similar.
