[Escape Room] Instant Kill

Ren Yi's plan was simple.

Since he couldn't move for the first twenty minutes anyway, he would just have a participant who could move carry him around. How was that not a way for a monster to slip in among the participants?

His illusion ability cost him nothing once activated, so while he posed as a system and collected some positive emotional energy for himself, he could also get the participants to fight like dogs and contradict each other a few times.

He got food, Lu Zihan enforced his rule, and the participants had fun. It was a win-win-win!

As for what the items in the shop did, he could just tell Lu Zihan when the time came and have him play along.

He took another look at Lin Feng, who had quickly concealed his expression, then lay back down in the pocket, thoroughly satisfied.

Young man, I'll leave the rest to you!

The participants had all finished reading the clue by now, and each wore a somewhat fearful expression.

"Does this mean we have to escape this room? But it also says the key is in the third coffin. Where are there any coffins here?" Chen Fang asked the others, her face a little pale.

Lin Feng spoke in a sinister tone. "There aren't any coffins, but there are people. If three people die, won't we need three coffins?"

What kind of reasoning is that? The third coffin actually meant the third room; it had only been disguised a little to create a frightening atmosphere.

Lin Feng was quite something. He had come up with an angle even the monsters hadn't thought of.

Just then, someone spoke up sharply.

"Don't talk nonsense. A beginner instance like this wouldn't have a rule that requires people to die to fulfill it!"

The one who rebuked him was Chen Rui, the man with the pistol. He seemed to be arguing back to reassure everyone.

[Lu Zihan: He argued back! This kid's good.]

So Lin Feng was telling a scary story to get someone to argue back. Ren Yi hurriedly used his illusion to send Lin Feng a [Contribution points +1] message before replying on the Ghost Net.

[Ren Yi: Old Lu, once you can move, kill Chen Rui right away.]

Chen Rui had a gun, so he was clearly a greater threat. Killing him would also weaken Old Deng's side and might even damage the participants' unity.

[Lu Zihan: Don't you need to gather the food from him first?]

[Ren Yi: No need. Our top priority is making sure they're all wiped out. We're beginners too, so let's not underestimate them.]

Rather than getting greedy for a bite to eat at a time like this, he might as well do more community service that afternoon.

Just then, a click sounded, and an iron-barred gate suddenly appeared behind the participants, giving them a fright.

"It looks like there's more than one room in this instance. Once we find a clue, the door to the next room opens automatically." Old Deng frowned.

"How do you know?" Lin Feng shot back. It seemed he never forgot his contrarian persona, but unfortunately, Old Deng merely glanced at him and said nothing.

Ren Yi checked the time. Only ten minutes had passed since the instance opened, leaving another ten before they could move.

He felt somewhat helpless. This beginner instance was going far too easy on the participants.

After confirming there was no danger, all the participants entered the second room, leaving poor Lu Zihan behind.

"Close the gate," Old Deng ordered. That monster statue had made him uneasy the whole time. After making sure the iron-barred gate was locked tight, he turned to examine the room.

This room was also the size of two football fields placed lengthwise, and they could even see at a glance that the door to the third room stood wide open. However, a gigantic pit stretched across the center of the room, its bottom nowhere in sight.

A wooden footbridge thirty centimeters wide connected the two doors. It looked extraordinarily fragile, as though it might break at any moment.

After observing it for a while, Old Deng gave his instructions. "There shouldn't be any other danger here. Chen Fang, you cross first. Everyone else, line up and go one at a time. Don't get too close to each other."

Chen Fang's expression changed, but she obediently went first.

This room probably won't hold these participants up for long. Somewhat worried, Ren Yi decided he had to do something, so he sent Lin Feng another message.

[System mission issued: Become the team's sole leader. Reward: Contribution points x2]

Lin Feng's eyes flickered, but he obediently followed the others onto the bridge.

Ren Yi had originally wanted to write "Kill Old Deng" or "Make Old Deng argue back at you," but both seemed liable to expose his or Lu Zihan's rule, so he abandoned the idea.

After the first few people crossed the bridge, Old Deng saw that there was no problem and quickly crossed as well.

There was a little trouble along the way. The young man who had looked timid the whole time stumbled and nearly fell off the bridge. He clung to it, trembling for a long while, before the people behind him urged him on and he got up and crossed.

Just then, time was up.

Ren Yi felt some kind of restraint on him lift. Unfortunately, his true body had little fighting power for the time being; if a machine gun sprayed him with bullets, it would probably take him ages to put himself back together. Otherwise, he could charge into the crowd and go on a killing spree right now.

By this point, seven participants had crossed the bridge. Of the three who remained, Chen Rui, whom Ren Yi had chosen as their first kill, happened to be one.

Click, click.

Suddenly, the participants heard a grating sound. Through the gaps in the iron-barred gate, they saw the monster, which had been motionless until now, slowly turn its head. A bloodthirsty red glow shone through the narrow slit in its helmet.

Clang!

Metal rang against metal as Lu Zihan walked up to the gate and brought the sharp blade in his hand down hard on it, cutting a slit half a finger long.

He's pretty good at creating a frightening atmosphere.

Screams erupted at once, and the remaining participants scrambled toward the wooden bridge. Just as the first person was about to step onto it, a gunshot rang out with a bang, and a bullet struck beside his foot.

Old Deng stood on the other side of the bridge, holding his machine gun, a wisp of smoke rising from its muzzle.

"A Rui, you come over first," he said coldly. "The rest of you, don't be afraid. The gate is sturdy. That monster won't get in so quickly."

Clang! Clang!

A piercing metallic clang rang out. The young man who had been trembling all this time finally couldn't take it anymore and began screaming his lungs out.

Chen Rui hurried onto the footbridge.

Inside Lin Feng's pocket, the corners of the crudely drawn mouth on the jade plaque Ren Yi had transformed into slowly curled upward. He and Lu Zihan had been waiting for this very moment.

Just as Chen Rui reached the halfway point, he suddenly felt the wooden bridge shake beneath his feet. The next instant, the young man's even more terrified screams reached his ears.

"B-behind you!!"

What's wrong? Did the bridge break? He was extremely nervous and had just started to turn and look when the world spun before his eyes.

"Roar!" Lu Zihan's enormous body appeared on the bridge, letting out a muffled bellow. The footbridge groaned under his weight.

Before him, Chen Rui's beheaded body collapsed limply and fell into the abyss.

Bang, bang, bang!

Old Deng opened fire without hesitation. The bullets struck Lu Zihan squarely, kicking up a spray of blood. He staggered back several steps in pain but quickly steadied himself.

"Let's go," Old Deng called decisively after seeing that the gun was useless.

But the remaining participants didn't need his reminder; they had already surged through the doorway. If Chu He hadn't been holding the door, they would probably have shut the iron door already.

After entering, Old Deng quickly locked the iron door.

With no one interfering, Lu Zihan walked across the footbridge step by step. When he reached the small patch of open ground in front of the door, the footbridge behind him finally gave way under his weight and plunged into the abyss.

The two participants left on the other side huddled together in terror, with nowhere to go.

Clang!

Another slash struck the door. At the sight of the fearsome monster outside, the remaining participants in the third room all went pale.