"Go on."
The man didn't answer Fang Qi's question. Instead, he casually gestured to the burly men standing by.
Those bodyguard-like figures then lifted Fang Qi by his collar from the chair and pulled him out.
He turned on the microphone that controlled each room.
In a tone that was almost mechanical, he conveyed the game rules the man wanted them to know.
"Congratulations on completing the first round of challenges."
A low-quality recorder played a mechanical voice.
"You can now ask me three questions."
As soon as the mechanical voice finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Due to the numerous monitoring devices around, they dared not look down and discuss amongst themselves.
However, several people's hopeful gazes converged on the trio of Shi Xinxin, Sheng Chenjin, and Yun Rou.
After all, they knew themselves that if they were exceptionally intelligent, they wouldn't have ended up as actors.
"How do we save the mentally ill patients?"
Shi Xinxin suddenly recalled the game rules Fang Dao had announced at the start of the game. The overall direction of their mission was to save mentally ill patients on the brink of an earthquake and disaster.
But the game did not allow them to interfere with the daily lives of the mentally ill patients.
"The first valid question: find the secret hidden in the hearts of the victims and rescue them from their isolation and suffering." The mechanical voice coldly answered Shi Xinxin's question.
"Will sane people know about the impending earthquake in advance?"
Sheng Chenjin calmly asked this question, but the way everyone looked at him was somewhat strange. A question like this wouldn't be of much help to them.
"The second valid question: yes, and they will save everyone."
Upon hearing the affirmative answer, the hope in everyone's hearts surged, making victory feel within reach.
"Are there any mentally unstable people hidden among the normal people?"
Yun Rou asked this question, aiming to ascertain the doctor's identity. She wouldn't simply believe that the doctor was just a simple NPC.
"The third valid question: yes, and there is only one."
"You have overlooked the last question. I'll kindly remind you that even if they escape the earthquake," the mechanical voice paused briefly before continuing, "malicious individuals will still take the opportunity to kill them. You must undergo physical training to screen out those who can truly save them."
The static disappeared very quickly this time, as if it was afraid they would ask more questions.
Several people fell into deep thought again, seemingly trying to sort through the jumbled thoughts in their minds.
"How much of the recording content from earlier can you recall?"
"Specifically, the stories of those people at the beginning."
Shi Xinxin felt that every broadcasted audio was not a simple clue.
At this moment, the viewers in the live stream, whether they had played this escape room instance or not, were all stunned.
[Wow, this instance is so terrifying? It even has a sense of realism, feeling like a real case happening around us.]
[I swear I've never seen such a terrifying, scary, and brain-burning instance.]
[I dare say the director chose this hell-level instance to increase the show's entertainment value.]
[Could it be a custom-made instance for them?]
[I suspect you've hit the nail on the head, upstairs. After all, they have a think tank this time.]
[What were the questions they asked? They were completely useless.]
The comments section was filled with mixed opinions, but at this moment, the guests were unaware of everything happening outside.
They also didn't know that what they thought was a well-crafted show effect by Director Fang was actually caused by threats from someone else.
"No, I've played escape rooms before. They don't usually make players undergo physical training."
Gu Lin raised the most crucial point, but at this moment, they had no choice but to believe everything they had just heard.
"Let's look for clues first. What's coming will come."
"If we want to finish early, this is the only way."
Shi Xinxin shrugged and began searching for something in the now halved room.
"This should be the final meeting point. There must have been a lot of information when we entered the rooms. Let's split up and search."
Sheng Chenjin spoke, and everyone felt his reasoning was sound. They split up and returned to their previous locations.
"Xinxin, can you handle the physical training?"
On the way to the neurology group, Xiao Jue asked Shi Xinxin this question.
From what he knew, and based on his observations just now, he felt that Shi Xinxin possessed some martial arts skills.
However, whether she was willing to show them in front of the cameras, he was unsure.
"Not really. I can scare off some petty thugs, but I can't handle real, strenuous training."
"My family background as a child didn't provide opportunities to enter such places."
Shi Xinxin's gaze subtly flickered towards Xiao Jue, signaling that she didn't want to continue this topic.
Xiao Jue seemed to understand her meaning, said "Okay," and didn't press further.
He quickly shifted the topic to today's clues.
"Hey, look, isn't this a diary?"
Xiao Jue found something that looked like a password-protected notebook inside a dusty old box.
"Wait."
Such a large box, and this notebook was on top. There was clearly something beneath it, and Shi Xinxin's sharp eyes vaguely saw it.
She stopped Xiao Jue's hand as he was about to reach into the box.
Shi Xinxin surveyed the room and found a relatively wide piece of cardboard.
She folded the cardboard in half, making it look like a clamp, and handed it to Xiao Jue.
Xiao Jue looked at her strangely but followed her instructions.
If Shi Xinxin asked him to do something, there must be a reason.
The moment he saw what was beneath the notebook, he was incredibly grateful that Shi Xinxin had handed him the clamp.
As he pried open the notebook, he felt his eyes were contaminated. He trembled all over in fright and quickly stepped back.
"I didn't see anything."
His voice held a hint of despair, and he looked on the verge of tears.
"Mm, you didn't see anything."
"Then place the clamped notebook on the table first."
Shi Xinxin glanced at the various organs contained within the box and a skull that was still faintly stained with flesh and blood.
Just looking at it, she felt a foul stench emanating from it.
The skull also had a hand that was chopped to pieces. Only from the position of the bones could it vaguely be identified as a hand.
This direct assault of gore was too much of a contrast, making Xiao Jue hesitant to face it after observing it up close.
Even though Shi Xinxin had seen decaying flesh and blood, she couldn't bear to relive such scenes in a game.
She endured the discomfort and took a few more glances inside. Seeing no other important paper documents, she closed her eyes and walked away.
When she returned, she saw Xiao Jue staring intently at the notebook, motionless for a long time.
"Open it." Shi Xinxin leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, watching him with amusement.
"You open it if you dare! I don't."
He grumbled, looking somewhat displeased, his face as green as if he had eaten a fly.