The Truman Show was a film he had watched before entering this game.
It told the story of Truman, a man whose entire life took place inside a reality show. His surroundings, his coworkers, and even his wife were all part of the production.
Even if the world was false, it still took courage to break out of that fabricated cage.
So the surveillance cameras in the wards weren't there to monitor the patients' conditions, but to observe the relationships between the patients and doctors?
Shen Ru had already suspected that this series of cognitive contaminations couldn't have happened on its own. Someone had to be deliberately interfering.
That made everything fit.
Although the hint had suddenly tied the plot together, the young man still ground his teeth in anger whenever he thought about how he had obtained it.
After escorting the three of them into the ward, Liang Yu immediately began preparing to go to the Fourth Floor.
She had recognized the young man at the front as Shen Ru, currently the strongest newcomer. Although the newcomer instance wasn't open to outside viewers, she believed anyone who had watched the Tea Party instance would remember those red eyes.
That was why, the moment she saw Shen Ru, she had decided to pose as an NPC and use that identity to extract information.
This nurse's uniform and the Level 5 badge on her chest were Liang Yu's last means of survival, as well as powerful tools that let her move around unimpeded.
Since Shen Ru had successfully brought two players to the Fifth Floor, the lower floors either weren't particularly dangerous or had already been cleared out by him. All she needed to do was find the anomalies, work out the answers, and complete her mission.
Of course, that was what she had thought before the elevator doors opened.
Creeeeak-
The instant the doors opened, a lifeless corridor lay before her, pitch-black and shrouded in shadows.
The shadows seemed to shift, and eerie, terrifying hisses echoed through the empty hallway.
A cloying, fetid stench hit her in the face. Snakes lay motionless all over the floor. Diagonally across from the elevator entrance lay the enormous corpse of an ordinary species of octopus, with several slender pythons writhing over it. They looked as though they had just eaten their fill.
Liang Yu: "..."
Sure enough, she'd sooner believe pigs could climb trees than trust a man's words.
How the hell had they made it safely to the Fifth Floor through this???
Liang Yu wasn't an idiot. Seeing the scene before her and recalling the young man's earlier expressions and tone, she immediately understood.
She had been fooled.
There was no time to think about much else. Holding her breath, she gently raised her hand and pressed the close button before the monsters carpeting the floor noticed her.
Only when the elevator doors slowly closed did the cold sweat on her forehead begin to trickle down her cheeks.
Before Liang Yu could fully relax-
Suddenly-
Bang!
A tremendous crash came from above, making the entire elevator lurch. Electricity crackled incessantly. The lights valiantly held on for a little while, then went out with a snap.
The already cramped space was instantly engulfed in eerie darkness.
Liang Yu didn't scream, but her expression was grim.
Had the monsters on the Fourth Floor noticed her? Or had she been unlucky enough to get caught in an elevator accident?
Anyone would have felt immense psychological pressure in an unfamiliar, dark space, especially after witnessing such a horrifying scene.
Knock, knock, knock.
The rapid sound of something striking the metal panel suddenly came from above.
Liang Yu's heart jolted hard a couple of times along with it. Even without seeing her own expression, she could imagine how pale she was.
But to her surprise, the hurried knocking was followed by an amused male voice from above:
"Anyone there?"
Liang Yu said nothing, but her heart was already in her throat. She swallowed with difficulty and waited for him to continue.
She was probably stuck between the Fourth Floor and the Fifth Floor now. Since the other person could stop the elevator, he surely had the ability to send her back to the Fourth Floor.
Just as Liang Yu thought he was about to make some outrageous demand, he spoke.
"I'm Shen Ru. You just saw me."
Liang Yu's eyes widened as she looked up in shock.
It wasn't as though she hadn't guessed that he had seen through her act, but this was the first time anyone had threatened her from a place like that.
Without knowing how much wear and tear the elevator had sustained, he had climbed up there alone just to lie in wait for her. If the elevator malfunctioned and fell, he would be the first to turn into a meat pancake.
He really had a death wish.
"Whatever you want, just say it."
After going to all this trouble, he could only be after the information and clues she possessed. She was a fish on the chopping board now, completely at his mercy, and could only do as he said.
He seemed to give it some serious thought before asking:
"Ever worked as a con artist?"
"..."
What???
Wait... was being a con artist such a respectable profession now?
Wasn't that a little presumptuous for an opening question???
Apparently dissatisfied with Liang Yu's silence, he clicked his tongue and slapped the metal panel above the elevator threateningly.
Liang Yu forced herself to answer, unconsciously softening her tone. "I've told lies..."
She had expected him to sound dissatisfied, but instead, the young man's voice from above the elevator sounded slightly excited:
"You need to come to the Fourth Floor with me and trick a monster. If you've told lies before, you'll be fine!"
Liang Yu was stunned by Shen Ru's casual tone. He made it sound as simple as going to the market for groceries.
"To the Fourth Floor??? Trick who???"
No sooner had she spoken than the elevator gave another frail creak, swaying as though it might plunge into a bottomless abyss at any moment.
That was Shen Ru's warning to her.
Fuck...
Remembering the shock of the scene she had just witnessed, which was no less powerful than watching a horror film, Liang Yu felt deeply uneasy.
What kind of person would even think of going back to the Fourth Floor???
She should've checked her luck before leaving. She'd run into a lunatic...
In the livestream chat:
[Go where???? Guys, my hearing's bad. I just hallucinated that...]
[...My wife wants to go to the Fourth Floor for team building.]
[That's a bit too ridiculous, even for you...]
[I think Liang Yu has already shattered. Is there anything more hopeless than an overnight tour of the Fourth Floor?]
[Yep. What's even more hopeless is that she has to go with my wife!!!]
[Hahahahaha!!! Liang Yu: You might as well just kill me.]
Shen Ru had carefully considered the hint Mo Yu had given him. The plain meaning was that the man wanted to tell him all their actions were being deliberately controlled by certain people.
That reminded him of the pair of eyeballs on the octopus's suckers on the Fourth Floor.
It was strange for those things to appear there.
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made.
Besides, the situation had been too chaotic at the time. He hadn't had a chance to check whether there were surveillance cameras in the Fourth Floor corridor.
He had to go back, no matter what.
Having received an affirmative response from his victim, Shen Ru let her out of the elevator, satisfied.
Liang Yu had only just regained her freedom, but she couldn't contain all her questions. She instinctively started to ask, only to raise her head and meet those bright red eyes.
Those dark red eyes brimmed with exhilaration, excitement, and even eager interest.
Shen Ru was looking forward to it.
What he was looking forward to went without saying.
Liang Yu's pupils trembled in shock, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably. Still, she voiced the biggest question on her mind:
"Why me?"
The young man smiled, his gaze sweeping over the Level 5 badge on her chest. A trace of madness and unfathomable depth showed in his eyes:
"Because I need bait."
Before you continue