Guess the Mine Rat

Fern and algae sat in the Mine Cart, initially feeling slightly reassured because Fern seemed to confirm that there was only one mine tunnel.

But feeling the tracks constantly turning and going up and down, yet still unable to see the end of the road or another Mine Cart, one can't help but feel a little anxious.

"Damn it, is this mine never going to end?"

Zao couldn't help but curse.

"It's only been a few minutes, but it's really strange... why is there nothing here? Is this just something to play with?" Fern started to try and comfort Algae, but quickly added her own complaint, "It's completely illogical. Is this design just testing our patience?"

"Yes, yes, you two!"

A sharp voice abruptly interrupted their conversation.

The ferns and algae simultaneously turned around warily, and then they saw...

Behind them, in the dim light of the tracks, another Mine Cart caught up.

However, the Mine Cart was not a box-shaped structure; it only had a floor, two levers, and four wheels.

On the tablet, a ragged skeleton was frantically shaking the left lever, making a creaking sound.

It seemed that it was precisely because of his frantic shaking that the car, starting later, overtook the others.

"You two are almost out of patience, aren't you? Let me tell you for free, at your current speed, it will take you about twelve hours to reach the end of this track!"

The skull's mouth opened and closed, emitting a sharp sound again; clearly, it was he who had spoken just now.

"Twelve hours?"

The algae and ferns stared at each other, astonished by the number the skeleton had uttered.

Is he lying?

The algae asked the fern in a low voice.

Fern shook her head helplessly. "This skeleton has no flesh on its face, so I can't judge anything from Microexpressions and body language..."

"But judging from his tone, it seems genuine."

Zao frowned slightly and pulled up her mask. "Then let's treat it as a serious matter."

Fern looked up at the skeleton and asked, "So, you came here just to tell us how much longer it will take to reach the end?"

"Of course it's not that simple," the skeleton spoke again. "I'm here to keep you from getting too bored on this long journey!"

"I want to help you beat the boredom of this journey, so... let's play Game!"

"This is our miners' favorite Game — Guess the Mine Rat '."

As the skeleton spoke, it cranked the lever with one hand and beckoned with the other.

A patch of darkness swept past the old-fashioned hanging lamps above their heads, then transformed into eight equally rusty iron bowls in his hands.

Meanwhile, in a bowl were eight screeching, yellowish-brown rodents.

Zao frowned. "Game? What do you mean?"

The skeleton let out a "crunch" laugh, seemingly preparing to explain the Rule.

But the fern interrupted him.

"Wait a minute, before you explain the Game, I have a few questions for you."

Is this Game absolutely necessary? What would you do if we refused you?

As the fern asked the question, the skeleton laughed.

"Good question, of course it's -- Bang!"

As the skeleton spoke, a violent shaking and tremor occurred in the mine tunnel, and soon, a section of the arched ceiling where they had just passed collapsed.

"I will bury you here."

However, the ferns and algae remained relatively calm in the face of the skeleton's intimidation.

"So that's how it is, it really is a forced Game."

Zao said, not surprised.

Fern then looked at Algae in front of the skeleton and asked, "Aren't you confident you can kill him before he makes a move?"

"No, I don't even know the trigger mechanism that caused him to collapse the passage... Besides, he's a skeleton, so I can't even say for sure how I killed him. Although I'm confident I can crush him in a second, what if he's just a puppet?" Zao Leng Jing explained, "Moreover, even if we survive the collapse, being simply trapped is unacceptable."

The skeleton shrieked again, "Discussing this kind of thing in front of me, isn't that a bit disrespectful!"

The algae ignored him.

Fern, seemingly oblivious to what Algae had just said, continued her conversation with the skeleton, "I still have a question—were our previous group also playing this Game?"

"Yes, they played the same Game as my colleagues."

The skeleton had no choice but to ignore its earlier protest and reply.

Do you want to know their results?

Fern shook her head. "Not interested, but... I still have questions."

"Then ask away."

The skeleton was somewhat exasperated, yet it seemed compelled to answer the fern's endless stream of questions.

"I want to know what's at the end of this passage."

Fern had clearly realized this as well, and asked calmly.

At first, she interrupted the skeleton simply to disrupt its rhythm, gain some control, and test the waters.

After all, in an unfamiliar environment, this skeleton, which is clearly the home NPC, has a natural advantage.

Fern had already astutely guessed that the next Game would definitely be played with the skeleton as the host or the dealer.

She definitely wanted to disrupt the opponent's rhythm—and she wanted to do it before the Game even started for the best results.

Especially when the Game has to continue, it's probably not just the two of them who are restricted.

Whether this skeleton is a puppet or a subordinate, in any case... it cannot be the controller of this dream.

Therefore, it came to ask the two of them to play Game on orders.

In other words, this Game isn't something the two of them have to play; it's something all three people present have to play!

Therefore, the approach to regaining dominance can naturally be more aggressive.

As expected, the skeleton heard Fern's question and seemed somewhat troubled.

Its mouth opened and closed silently twice before it finally gave an answer with some difficulty.

"This is the owner of the Mine Tunnel... You will meet a respected adult, and he will play another Game with you!"

As the skeleton spoke, the fern smiled.

"I see—so it seems he's the one who sent you to play Game with us, right?"

"Fern said."

The skeleton nodded and said in an unfriendly tone.

"Alright, you've asked enough questions!"

"Now I must explain the Game Rules —this Game will be very beneficial to you, after all, losing a round only means you might lose your life."

"I will randomly blast open a section of the track somewhere ahead."

"But if you win a round—it will double the speed of your Mine Cart!"

As the skeleton spoke, Algae couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"Losing means losing your life, winning means doubling your speed... it's definitely very beneficial for us."

"Now, tell me how to play that 'Miner Rat' Game!"