"Oh God, why are even ghosts showing up? What on earth have we run into? Why do we keep having to play these games where people die?" Seeing the options, Lan Zhijie let out a painful groan.
Ghosts—illusory creatures of myth and legend, things that had only ever appeared in horror films or comic books. Yet right now, Yan Ao could boldly and with certainty say that if the options were anything to go by, a ghost was about to appear before them and kill them.
"Both options lead to a ghost. The crucial difference is that one has us hiding, while the other has us actively going to look for it." Chen Hanlin was terrified as well. If someone had joked to him just a few hours ago that ghosts existed in this world, he would have scoffed with utter disdain. But now, he believed it without a single doubt.
"We should pick '○'. 'X' tells us to go find the ghost—that's practically seeking our own death. I definitely can't do that," Lei Yuyao trembled and said.
"A-Ao, what do you think?" Lan Zhijie was too frightened to have any ideas of his own, so he simply looked to Yan Ao.
"At first glance, the two options seem to have no difference at all; the consequence of failure is the death of everyone, so isn't picking either one the same? But... understanding it from the text of the options, the game is pretty much like hide-and-seek. '○' is to avoid the ghost, meaning it tells us to evade the ghost's pursuit; this option implies that the ghost will actively kill people.
As for 'X', it's to find the ghost, meaning the exact opposite—it tells us to hunt for the ghost, which suggests the ghost won't actively show itself. Seen this way, compared to '○', option 'X' is actually safer." Although Yan Ao was terrified, it was precisely because of that fear that his mind became all the more active, and with a brief comparison, he reached his conclusion.
"Since that's the case, I'll go first. I agree with what you said, A-Ao. Let's choose 'X'. Rather than hiding, we might as well take the initiative," Lan Zhijie mustered his courage to say.
There were only four minutes and forty-four seconds to make a choice, with no possibility of abstaining, because abstainers would die just the same. There was no time for overthinking; in the end, Yan Ao and Chen Hanlin also chose "X", leaving only Lei Yuyao who chose "○".
The moment the selection time expired, the "○" option vanished from everyone's phones, leaving only a countdown appearing behind the "X" option.
29 minutes 59 seconds, 29 minutes 58 seconds...
They hadn't expected the game to begin so immediately, and everyone was caught off guard, unable to react in time.
"When opinions differ, are decisions made according to the principle of minority subordinates to majority?" Yan Ao murmured as he looked at the screen, while secretly committing this rule to memory.
"We only have thirty minutes—where are we supposed to find a ghost?" Chen Hanlin asked anxiously.
"Never mind that, let's split up. The mall is so huge; only by separating can we possibly find the ghost within the time limit," Lan Zhijie said.
"Split up? You've got to be kidding me. This place is terrifying enough already; if we split up on top of that, I'm going to lose my mind. I really can't do it alone," Lei Yuyao said, her voice already carrying a clear sob.
Yan Ao sighed. "How about this: we pair up, using the third floor as the dividing line. The class monitor and I will search the fourth and fifth floors, and A-Jie and the older guy can search the first and second floors."
Lan Zhijie curled his lip. "Fine by me, I didn't want to tag along with this annoying woman anyway." Chen Hanlin nodded, patted Yan Ao on the shoulder, and said, "We can't waste time. If we don't find anything after fifteen minutes, come right back here and regroup."
...On the fourth floor of the mall, Yan Ao and Lei Yuyao walked one behind the other, the latter practically hanging entirely onto the former. Feeling the soft bundle of warmth pressed against his arm, Yan Ao felt somewhat awkward.Back in school, Yan Ao never would have imagined he could get this close to a girl like Lei Yuyao. In his class, he was an average student with very ordinary looks, hardly handsome.
Conversely, Lei Yuyao excelled academically. Not only was she the class monitor, but she was also exceptionally pretty, possessed a graceful temperament, and had no shortage of suitors in school. If not for another classmate of theirs, they wouldn't have been out shopping together at the mall today, even preparing for a graduation trip together.
"Yan Ao..." Yan Ao was meticulously searching every suspicious corner, hoping to find the so-called "ghost" as quickly as possible, when Lei Yuyao's low voice reached his ear.
"Is something wrong, Monitor?" Yan Ao turned to look at her.
"Don't call me Monitor. Call me Yuyao," Lei Yuyao said softly, casting a coquettish sidelong glance at Yan Ao.
"Huh?" Suddenly being treated to a girl's spoiled whining, Yan Ao felt goosebumps instantly for reasons he couldn't quite explain—probably related to the surrounding environment, and feeling awkward since the target of affection was his familiar class monitor.
"Yan Ao, you have to protect me." Completely oblivious to Yan Ao's reaction, Lei Yuyao spoke to him in the exact same tone as before.
"Rest assured, I'll protect you." Yan Ao's reply was extremely vague, and he didn't even glance at Lei Yuyao. He was no hero and certainly wasn't going to sacrifice himself to save others; if a ghost appeared right before them and sacrificing one person meant the other could escape, he would undoubtedly abandon Lei Yuyao without a second thought.
Clearly sensing that Yan Ao's words didn't match his true feelings, Lei Yuyao bit her lip, suddenly pulled Yan Ao to a halt, stood on tiptoe, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
Realizing his cheek had been kissed by a girl, Yan Ao's brain froze for a fraction of a second as he stared blankly at her. "Monitor, you..."
"If you can protect me, I can be your girlfriend," Lei Yuyao gritted out.
"Ah?" Seeing Yan Ao's dazed expression, fury welled up inside Lei Yuyao. If it weren't for going through such a terrifying ordeal, she would never have chosen such a mediocre boy to be her boyfriend. But she had no choice now—she had to have Yan Ao's protection; she didn't want to die, she truly didn't want to die.
"Monitor, stop joking around." Though his heart skipped a beat for a moment, Yan Ao regained his composure and replied calmly.
"What did you say?" Lei Yuyao widened her almond-shaped eyes. She never expected that compromising herself would yield this result. Yet, despite the anger in her heart, she managed to suppress her fury as she spoke. "I know you liked Tan Qingya, but she's already dead. You aren't still thinking about her, are you?"
Hearing this, Yan Ao frowned. How did she know about that?
"Yan Ao, am I really worse than Xiaoya? Look, my figure is better than hers." To secure Yan Ao's protection, Lei Yuyao went all out, pulling down her collar to reveal her voluptuous cleavage.
Yan Ao never expected that the usually haughty class monitor would be so bold. As a somewhat shy young man, this was his first time encountering the fortunate dilemma of a beauty throwing herself at him, and he couldn't help but panic. "Monitor, don't do anything rash..."
"Yan Ao, think carefully. If you agree, my... my body is yours. To tell you the truth, I'm still a vir..." Lei Yuyao said shyly.
"Gulp!" Yan Ao instinctively swallowed, his gaze locked onto the magnificent scenery before Lei Yuyao's chest. As someone who had never even held a girl's hand, Lei Yuyao's words undoubtedly carried immense temptation.
Should I accept or refuse? For a moment, Yan Ao found himself losing his self-control.