Alice's Hell (9)-Must Someone Die?

What rolled over here?

Or was a food cart pushed over by someone?

The people sitting at the long table couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, and at the same time, they were made uneasy by the sudden sound.

The sudden loss of sight plunged them all into unease.

However, before they could even build up more uncontrollable emotions, the candlesticks on the long table lit up one by one with a "whoosh." The light from the four candlesticks enveloped the area around the long table, casting flickering shadows on the smiling masks. Everyone who looked at the others was startled. Yu Xing even saw Huang Bai, who was directly opposite him, tremble.

Before them, dishes covered by semi-circular silver domes appeared out of thin air. In addition, wine, beverages, and sweet soups appeared on the table.

The aroma of the dishes wafted out from under the cover, making Yu Xing's nose twitch and stirring a sense of anticipation for dinner.

However, the others' focus was different from Yu Xing's. At least they could see, and after a brief moment of surprise, they ignored the suddenly appearing food plate and all looked at the person in the head seat.

Unlike the empty chair just now, there is now a slender figure there.

The candlelight flickered for a moment.

Suddenly, a pair of excessively large, blood-red eyes and bright red lips came into their view. The deathly pale face, like that of a corpse, wore an expressionless, zombie-like expression. In the candlelight, its lethality was multiplied!

"Ouch!" It seems that Huang Bai is more afraid of jump scares. She was about to scream when Huai, who was next to her, quickly flicked her on the back of the head through her mask, making her scream stuck in her throat.

She covered her head, looked aggrieved, and shrank back. Remembering that she shouldn't have made a sound and attracted the BOSS's attention, she stopped moving and pretended to be dead.

The figure chuckled softly, but his face remained expressionless. His crimson eyes swept over the eight diviners, subtly probing their intentions.

Yu Xing glanced at the figure, avoiding eye contact like everyone else, and then squinted to examine it. The extra figure was of normal female build, leaning lazily against the back of a chair, playing with her long, red-painted nails.

Her black hair was braided into an intricate and beautiful Western-style updo, with a few strands of bangs framing her face. She wore a familiar Lolita dress, still predominantly red and black, adorned with several exquisite gemstones that reflected a soft glow.

"..."

The more Yu Xing looked at her, the more she felt that compared to her entire outfit, a tiny ruby that had accidentally fallen was hardly worth getting so worked up about. She was unexpectedly petty.

That's right, this is Alice!

However... it's Alice 2.0 with a revamped aesthetic style.

This Alice doesn't feel mechanical at all; her every move is smooth and natural, just like a living person. However, the oppressive feeling hasn't diminished in the slightest; instead, it has gained an indescribable eeriness.

"Hello, I'm Alice. Welcome to my castle—my theme park." Alice was a little disappointed that she hadn't found the pesky guy she was looking for. She sat up slightly and began her usual self-introduction.

The people on both sides didn't dare to say a word, showing absolutely no support.

The butler, standing behind Alice's chair, clapped his hands. "Welcome."

Be diligent and responsible!

After the butler clapped, Zeng Lai and Huai also began to clap, and then a few scattered claps could be heard in the room.

Alice seemed quite satisfied and gestured with her hand. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'm sure you've all had a long journey and your stomachs are rumbling. I won't delay your mealtime; I'm here to... add a little fun to your experience."

Yu Xing sensed that Zeng Lai beside her had become serious.

Clearly, Alice is about to say is an extra part of the rules, and if misunderstood, it could mean dying in the next few hours.

"Hmm..." Alice seemed to be thinking for a moment, and after a few seconds, she emphasized, "Well then, for our first meal, let's start with something simple and fun. Before breakfast tomorrow, each of you must enter at least ten enclosed rooms alone!"

"Only the first person to enter each room succeeds. Once everyone has entered the required number of rooms, the eleventh room doesn't count. What you encounter in the rooms depends entirely on your luck. I hope you all encounter something memorable to make this trip unforgettable."

As soon as he finished speaking, a new task notification appeared on Yu Xing's interface.

[Room progress 0/10]

The display shows 0 as the completed portion, indicating that entry into the room should be counted from this moment. Otherwise, his bedroom would definitely count as one, not to mention the storage room, electrical control room, and other places he visited on the second floor.

Alice's tone was quite sincere, as if she genuinely believed that encountering something was a good thing for tourists, and the request didn't sound particularly difficult, so many people secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, her next sentence revealed that they had relaxed too soon. She admired the eye pattern on her nails by the candlelight. "Friendly reminder... Currently, the castle has a total of seventy rooms, excluding areas that require keys to open."

"!"

The strategists, wearing smiling masks, couldn't laugh at all.

Doesn't this mean that if the status quo is maintained, there's a high chance that several people won't be able to find a room?

After entering the simulation and remaining mostly silent, Han Zhiyong asked, "What happens if we don't enter enough rooms?"

"Not enough?" Alice retorted, her scarlet eyes fixed on him. "Such unenthusiastic tourists make me very sad. Well then, let's take the unqualified one to his monster and watch him die."

"..."

Good heavens, there's no way to run away!

If the deducer only brings the ghost to his own, he might be able to barely escape with the supplies of offerings and props. But if Alice is also watching the whole thing, then it's a situation where there is no chance of survival!

So, the 40% of the confrontation in this comprehensive simulation is reflected here!

From now on, at least until tomorrow morning, we're all rivals.

Alice, having successfully stirred up trouble, nodded in satisfaction at the tourists' now serious atmosphere and stood up. "Well then, those are all the rules for this meal. Enjoy your meal."

As she turned around, Yu Xing keenly heard the sound of wheels turning. In an instant, the candlelight, like the chandelier before, went out, plunging the scene into darkness once more.

"Gurgle..."

The sound of the wheels was loud and gradually faded into the distance. This time, the researchers were not distracted by the unknown and began to speculate—was the sound of the wheels coming from Alice?

Alice's feet are on wheels, not shoes? Or... does she not have feet at all?

Yu Xing was naturally the one who knew this best. During the Alice's Park era, the mechanical Alice, who was over two meters tall, had wheels at her feet. Back then, her entire body was metal, so the presence of the wheels wasn't unusual. But today, Alice clearly has a human appearance, yet she still has these wheels?

Yu Xing seemed to have a vague idea, but remained silent in the darkness.

A dozen seconds later, the sound of the wheels rolling could no longer be heard, and the crystal chandelier on the ceiling lit up again, this time much brighter, dispelling much of the oppressive gloom.

"Finally, I can eat..." Yu Xing was genuinely hungry. While everyone else was immersed in a subtle atmosphere, he muttered to himself, looking at the table full of dishes with a satisfied smile.

At that moment, under everyone's gaze, Yu Xing removed her mask and placed it on her lap, naturally revealing the silver cover in front of her.

Before him, a dish of sweet and sour pork, perfectly suited to Eastern palates, was presented. Its sweet aroma immediately filled the surrounding air, causing everyone to involuntarily swallow.

But... hey... this Sachi who claims she's "too shy to speak because she's a newbie," why are you so calm!?

Removing the masks is normal. It's impossible for the group to go without food indefinitely. System points can enhance physical fitness, but they don't offer a fasting option. They'll still be hungry, and if they starve to death, they'll still die.

Since they'll have to remove their masks to eat, their faces will eventually be revealed to each other.

The nun also mentioned that the mask can actually be removed at any time after the ticket check. Both removing and putting on the mask may pose unique dangers, so in reality, removing the mask doesn't mean anything. On the contrary, it reduces the burden on the face and makes breathing easier.

Out of a sense of inner security, everyone has been wearing masks until now.

But that's not the point. The point is, most of them are now competing for room spots, so why is this guy named Xingde acting so nonchalant and ready to start eating?

Isn't he worried? Aren't he anxious? Even if a gambler is willing to take him along, he's not entirely safe! Doesn't he harbor any hostility towards others? This makes us, who are already thinking about how to scheme against others, seem very low...

And this appearance... is just too outstanding! Damn it!

In this era, regardless of their profession, complaining has almost become an instinct for people.

Especially when there is danger, but it is not yet urgent, people tend to mentally rant and rave to distract themselves and reduce anxiety.

At this moment, Yu Xing became the target of their complaints.

After muttering a few words to themselves, everyone gradually took off their masks. Yu Xing took a bite of the pork tenderloin, her narrow eyes squinting into slits with satisfaction, not forgetting to peek at others through those slits.

To be fair, although the three chefs in the castle don't look quite right, the dishes they make are absolutely delicious and visually appealing, even better than many real-life chefs!

Hmm... Huai is a curly-haired young man, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Huang Bai is younger, a girl with big eyes and a heroic air about her.

He had an ordinary appearance, like an office worker rushing through the streets every day. His cheeks were slightly thin, making his cheekbones appear a little prominent.

I've met Han Xinyi, Han Zhiyong, and Han Zhiyong Yu Xing. I've met the former several times, and I've followed the latter. In short, they're all familiar faces... Hey, this mashed potato looks delicious too.

The gambler Zeng Lai was younger than Yu Xing had imagined, perhaps even younger than Huai. He had short, medium-length brown hair, healthy tan skin, thick eyebrows, and large eyes—a classic Chinese handsome man. At this moment...

Why are you staring at me?

Yu Xing swallowed the food in her mouth and looked at Zeng Lai with a puzzled expression.

Zeng Lai curled her lip. "Goodness, that kid Ren Yi didn't tell me you looked like this. Sure enough, he's just a dating machine, he doesn't care about anything else..."

If I'd known, he wouldn't have bragged in front of Yu Xing about being noticed by Medusa from the Midnight Guild. It was so damn embarrassing.

Yu Xing offered no comment, but instead said, "Senior, you should eat too. Eating the grass will give you the energy to reserve a room."

They had all been to the fifth floor and knew that even the open corridors could be inaccessible due to various external factors. Therefore, although it was said to have seventy rooms, the actual number of rooms was even more limited.

Upon hearing this, the man sitting nearby felt as if he were sitting on a fireplace, not a chair. He quickly ate a few bites and then said to the butler standing by the long table, "I'm full, may I leave now?"

The butler nodded. "Of course, just remember that 7 o'clock is bath time, don't be late!"

Once given permission, the hysteriac immediately stood up and ran off without saying goodbye to anyone.

"Damn it!" Huang Bai cursed, glancing at the food and then at the locust tree.

Huai said, "You go and grab a room first."

Huang Bai hummed in agreement and immediately ran towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

The girl with the ponytail headed towards the third floor, which was where everyone's bedrooms were. To avoid wasting time scrambling for space, she went straight for the second floor, which had the most small rooms.

Inspired by their actions, several others couldn't sit still and followed suit, leaving one after another. Even Han Xinyi gave Yu Xing a sweet smile, stood up, and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "I'm leaving first. My wise god has his reasons for not being in a hurry. I would be so happy if he could tell me. It's a pity..."

Before she could finish speaking, she exchanged a glance with Han Zhiyong and went upstairs as well.

At this moment, only three people remain at the table: Yu Xing, Zeng Lai, and Huai.

Yu Xing seemed completely unaffected, picking up a spoonful of soup to soothe her throat.

Huai and Zeng Lai exchanged glances, and Huai spoke first, "You two seem to have the confidence to complete the task of reserving the room, aren't you? Why aren't you moving?"

Zeng Lai Yu Xing Lai's appetite, so he picked up a large piece of meat and put it in his bowl, then asked, "You didn't leave either, did you?"

"Hehe, I'm not in a hurry." Huai glanced at Yu Xing. "This... Xing, doesn't seem like a complete novice."

Zeng Lai thought to himself, "That's right, this person has Qu Xuanqing's guidance."

He hadn't understood it before, but after seeing Yu Xing's appearance, he suddenly felt like he understood.

Ahem... Anyway, how could someone with Qu Xuanqing's guidance not know anything? They're just pretending!

"I wonder what makes Xing so calm?" Huai's words were actually a signal of goodwill; he knew Zeng Lai understood his invitation to form an alliance, and the outcome would naturally depend on his attitude towards this question.

Zeng Lai touched the stubble that was starting to appear on his chin, glanced at Yu Xing, and noticed that he wasn't flustered at all. He patted Yu Xing: "Hey, tell me?"

Yu Xing wiped her hands with a tissue, lifted her eyelids, and shifted her gaze from the tempting food to the two living, inedible humans. She said slowly, "Because it's unnecessary. This competition isn't necessarily valid. As long as we open up new spaces, gathering eighty rooms shouldn't be difficult. Besides, some rooms are hard to enter directly; if we're not strong enough, these rooms will remain empty. And there will definitely be plenty of rooms that require certain conditions to enter; otherwise, Alice wouldn't have needed to dedicate an entire night to this task for us."

He gave a harmless smile, "Even if we don't unlock any new areas, it's normal for people to die during exploration, right? Just one death is enough for one room."