The bus sped along the wide and flat highway until the light at the end of the sky began to continuously change. When they had set off, it was noon, but as the bus journeyed onward, the sun seemed to be setting in the east, giving a faint hint of dawn.
The Decameron's first day had begun.
The bus came to a smooth stop beside a highway sign. With a "clang", the doors swung open, allowing the moist mist mixed with the smell of fallen leaves to flow into the cool morning air, inspiring a sense of exhilaration.
Natasha and Universe Batman got off the bus somewhat quickly, and Beihan watched their departing figures with a hint of confusion.
Isn't this female agent in the same team as the doctor? Judging from her previous expression, she did not seem to recognise Batman, so why did these two band together now?
Of course, Beihan had also noticed Natasha's unabashed and burning gaze. He supposed that such women were skilled in using their beauty and allure to mask their true intentions. Men are generally susceptible to this, but to think that Batman would fall for it would be a naive thought.
Then, the other Batman fell for it.
Beihan watched helplessly from the bus window as he and the beautiful female agent huddled together, whispering about something.
Confronted with another version of himself, he becomes silent, but engages in a full conversation upon meeting a beautiful woman?
No, it couldn't be that simple. Beihan, with his years of triumphs in romantic affairs, wouldn't be gullible enough to fall for a beauty at first glance like a young boy inexperienced with women.
So, what brought together two people who had never met before and didn't seem to get along well initially? They even appeared to share secrets now like they had common interests.
Beihan stood up and was about to walk out when he noticed Shiller, who was sitting in the front row, waiting for him to walk past first.
Beihan hesitated slightly, but shrugged his cloak and strode off the bus. At this moment, Universe Batman and Natasha behaved as if nothing had happened and surged towards the bus door.
Shiller and Nightwing also got off the bus.
Shiller took off his glasses and put them in his pocket as he descended the bus steps. He removed his white lab coat and held it in his hand, then looked at the others and asked, "Did you feel it?"
Natasha rubbed her arms and surveyed the surrounding environment, saying, "It's quite cold here. It's odd. I haven't felt cold in over 20 years."
"This place pales in comparison to your homeland," Universe Batman surprisingly initiated the conversation, "But I believe that's not the reason."
"Our physical conditions have been weakened. Excuse me, miss, can you monitor your heart rate?"
Natasha silently focused, then shook her head, "No, my heart rate and vital signs are unchanged. I don't feel weak or uncomfortable."
"So, it seems that the changes are linked to our maximum stamina and strength, which might have been reduced. Our explosive power might have also decreased, but since we have to face the horror murderer continuously in the following ten days, it's better not to waste energy testing."
"Seems like the form of this test is a horror movie." Beihan led the way into the forest, saying, "Have any of you seen those typical American highway horror movies? Where a group of college students drive to a camping party and just so happen to choose a horror murderer's territory to camp. They get chased down and killed one by one, until the screen is filled with gore."
Everyone quickly understood what he meant. Such horror movies were popular in the 80s and 90s America and won numerous awards.
At that time, the gore genre was just emerging, but it gained a large group of thrill-seekers since it lacked deep psychological undertones and offered sheer bloody and brutal scenes.
For movie-watchers, this might be a stress-reliever, but for the movie's protagonists, it's clearly not the case. Now, the team of five seems to be cast as the main characters who will encounter the horror murderer at the upcoming camping site.
There was only one small path leading into the forest, surrounded by shrubs and littered with fallen leaves, making it a bit challenging to walk. Surprisingly, the path was much longer than expected— after five to six minutes of walking, they still hadn't entered the forest.
Beihan led the way, his brows furrowed. He stopped and glanced back at his companions. Universe Batman and Nightwing were masked as usual, Shiller's expression didn't seem unusual but his chest was heaving at an increased pace. Strangely enough, Natasha was already panting.
"Is this the physical fitness level of your American college students?" Natasha said, catching her breath, "Getting tired after walking for 5 minutes? Don't you feel you're dragging down the human race?"
However, Universe Batman shook his head and replied, "No, this is probably the physical fitness of an average individual. We feel tired because we are walking at our former pace."
Everyone paused at his statement. Natasha frowned in thought, but Shiller nodded, agreeing, "Yes, the forest ahead doesn't seem far, but it is at least two kilometers away from our starting point."
"The reason you perceive the forest as close is because your usual pace covering two kilometers is rather quick. But to an average person, this distance requires some time to travel."
"More importantly, even if you maintain your usual pace, you will find it slower and more tiring now. This might be the manifestation of your reduced physical conditioning."
Beihan nodded in acknowledgment of this statement. Although he and the other Batman had not shown it, he could clearly sense that his heart rate was rising and his breathing was speeding up.
In the past, experiencing such physiological changes from just a small distance was nearly unthinkable. They hadn't even been moving at their fastest pace, yet merely maintaining their initial pace had them feeling slow and drained already.
Beihan's expression gradually became serious. He realized where the difficulty of this game lay. Honestly, it wouldn't be much of a problem for him and the other Batman to deal with a murderer using their wisdom. They could even feel quite at ease.
Even if their trained strength was no longer available, their tactical thinking and strategic decision-making abilities remained unimpaired. But without these contributions, the game would seem too simple.
However, once physical conditioning is also adjusted, they'll need some time just to adapt to their new physical state. During the process of fleeing and tricking the murderer, they may make mistakes due to incorrectly estimating their own stamina."
"This is a struggle against instinct." Shiller remarked. "You must now abandon your previous habits of using your bodies and establish a new, efficient system to control your bodies, rationing your limited energy rationally."
"So, how do you think we should proceed, Doctor?" Beihan took the initiative to ask. In this aspect, he has always been willing to seek advice, believing that professional matters should be left to the professionals.
Shiller being a doctor isn't particularly unusual, nor is being the chief physician of Arkham a position with particularly high requirements. But being the psychological consultant for Wayne Enterprises is quite astonishing, and the professional level has to meet Batman's standards.
Obviously, the other Batman is older and has been Batman for longer. From the perspective of temperament and prestige, he is stronger than Beihan himself. That this doctor passes his criteria means he must be quite skilled.
Beihan turned around and continued walking forward, but his pace was slower and he paid more attention to adjusting his breathing. Then, he heard Shiller's voice coming from behind him.
"This is good, Mr. Wayne. An ordinary person's stamina is too limited, and we must prioritise what's most important. The organizers didn't specify when we need to arrive, so we can walk slowly to conserve energy, saving it for later crisis."
"What needs to be emphasised is that many of your previous plans succeeded because you had enough means to execute them. But now everyone's execution has been impaired, so certain plans will no longer work. I suggest you rethink."
Upon hearing this, Beihan was surprised. This doctor seemed to be aware of Batman's knack for making plans. Could he really be a member of Batman's professional team?
But this also served as a reminder to both Batmans. After hearing the game's rules, they had already developed many feasible plans to complete the game. However, it seemed now that most of these plans were obsolete.
For instance, some tactics involved using one person as a decoy to distract the murderer, while others set traps. But these strategies now seemed too risky. Everyone's physical capabilities had been reduced, so the bait might not be able to lure the murderer far enough away before getting killed, and they might not have enough time to prepare the traps.
Beihan pondered carefully, selecting viable plans from those swirling in his mind, then attempting to perfect them.
Even so, he couldn't come up with a perfect plan, because their physical abilities now were probably sufficient for only a short sprint of about a kilometer before getting exhausted. They were even less fit than the average soldier or athlete, so all endurance- and strength-testing plans seemed flawed.
However, one couldn't avoid these elements when outsmarting a ruthless murderer. After all, wisdom could be useless if not converted into action.
Beihan, who had been walking at the front, turned his head slightly and saw Batman and Natasha talking about something at the end of the line. Beihan suspected they might end up together tonight.
"Oh, we're here." came Shiller's voice again.
Beihan turned around in surprise, noticing that he had been so focused on his contemplations that they had already entered the forest and found quite a big clearing. Apparently, this was the place where the hapless horror movie protagonist would set up their campsite.
As expected, Beihan spotted some rolled-up tents and sleeping bags, some food, a box of beer, and a few miserably low powered flashlights hidden in the nearby bushes.
Looking at the markings on the flashlights, Beihan sighed slightly. He didn't understand why such low-powered flashlights were necessary to invent. Why didn't they just bring a few glow sticks instead?
Shiller had already started setting up the tents for camping, inviting Nightwing over to help him. He then waved to the two Batmans and said, "You guys go check out the surroundings. Oh, you too, Natasha. The two of us are enough here."
Beihan was momentarily puzzled, then saw the other Batman give him a knowing look, even placing a hand on his shoulder and gently pushing him forward. Natasha followed behind.
Beihan was pushed forward without really knowing why.