Lai Yuan, for the first time since Qi Wei met him, actually gave a smile that doesn't look like a psychotic smile.
"Who said I wanted to kill myself?" Lai Yuan said, "I told you, I'm a volunteer. Not a quarry."
Qi Wei really wanted to ask what he meant by volunteer and quarry when a lady, dragging her long white cloak on the floor of the bus. She walked slowly, giving off elegant vibes. Qi Wei's eyes dragged from the bottom of her cloak to the top of her head. There sat a beautiful crystal crown with claws like shapes on the top, adding a majestic feeling to her existence.
"Welcome, land group," the lady graciously said.
The lady looked ethereal, and Qi Wei's mouth gaped open seeing her. He almost thought that even if there appeared a sudden pair of wings behind her back, Qi Wei wouldn't be surprised.
Quickly turning his head around, trying to see if others were as confused as him or not, Qi Wei found that some had the same surprised expression as him while others seemed unfazed, just staring and listening intently to the lady.
Qi Wei didn't understand what was happening, but he could feel the air around him becoming unsettling. If possible, he felt like as if the silence grows louder around him.
His brain quickly connected this situation to Lai Yuan's gibberish from before. It seems like he really does know something Qi Wei doesn't know.
"Just listen to her first," Lai Yuan whispered without turning his head at Qi Wei when Qi Wei turned to him. wanting to ask.
Now, taking Lai Yuan's words seriously, Qi Wei complied with the advice. Turning his face back and awkwardly stared at the lady's exquisite face.
"First and foremost, welcome to our first-time volunteer and quarry. May you have a great visit in the Realms of Doom and may you find what you are looking for," her lips turned upward, professionally smiling at the audience.
If Qi Wei guessed it right, he must be the first-time quarry that the lady is talking about and from how she said it, it seems like he is not the only one.
"Today's destination, The Chamber of Haunting Reflections, whispered a sinister invitation. Those whose countenance invited the mirror's sinister embrace were drawn in, while the less fortunate, whose appearance repulsed the malevolent glass, were met with silent scorn. Mirror, mirror on the wall, discern the most twisted soul among them. Dare I tread the path to ecstasy and agony? Venture forth, with blood tears cascading from your eyes, and beckon the fulfillment of your darkest desires."
Qi Wei's eyebrows knit together as he tried to understand what the lady just said.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall?" Qi Wei repeated in a small voice, he turned to Lai Yuan again, "What? Are we turning into Cinderella?"
Unexpectedly, Lai Yuan laughed so hard that he have a hard time stopping himself. Tears are apparent on the corner of his eyes.
Qi Wei, feeling offended by the laugh, said, "Alright. You can just ignore my question instead of laughing at it if you don't want to answer."
Trying to stop his laughter, Lai Yuan replied, "No, pretty Cinderella. I am just surprised that that's what you take from the long-ass clue she gave."
"Well, she isn't clear about it," Qi Wei retorted.
"She doesn't have to. What is a clue if it's easy to understand?"
What Lai Yuan said made sense and Qi Wei hates that.
A mischievous smirk danced on the edges of Lai Yuan's lips, accentuating his already striking features. Unfortunately for him, Qi Wei remained entirely immune to his undeniable charm.
"Call me gege first, then I'll explain," Lai Yuan offered.
Repulsed by the proposition, Qi Wei forcefully pushed Lai Yuan aside, eliciting sly chuckles from the latter.
"Disgusting," Qi Wei complained under his breath.
"Alright, alright. I will explain," Lai Yuan gave up.
The Fifteen Realms of Doom loomed as a sinister game crafted by an enigmatic developer, offering enticing rewards for those who successfully navigated its treacherous domains.
"As you already heard from me, there are two kinds of players in this game. The Quarry and the volunteer. The Quarry are people like you, the one who wanted to end their life yet being pushed to do this game. You either die or win, if you win you can make any wishes that will be granted. If you lose, you die. Win-win situation, isn't it?" Lai Yuan explained.
"How do you know I wanted to end my life?" Qi Wei asked casually, as if ending one's life is just a casual Saturday night activity for him.
"All quarries are suicidal. That's why they become a quarry."
Qi Wei nodded, "What about a volunteer?"
"Volunteers are in it for money. As the name stated, there are fifteen levels of this game. Volunteers can play as much as they want. Choose a level as their heart desires. As long as they pass the fifteenth level, they can stop playing the game whenever they want as well, while Quarry will automatically stop playing the game after passing their fifteenth level. For each level passed, quarry doesn't get any materialistic prizes, but volunteers get money for that. The higher the level, the higher the payment."
Qi Wei strives to withhold judgment on those volunteers, Lai Yuan included, regarding the paths they've chosen for their careers.
"Um…" Qi Wei stared at Lai Yuan in hesitation.
Sensing the awkward hesitation, Lai Yuan nudged the air with his chin, "Ask away."
Qi Wei took a second thought of his intended question but thought maybe it wouldn't be polite, so he quickly comes up with a new question, "You sound so experienced. How many times have you gone through this realm?"
"Maybe around fifteen times. I don't really keep count. My highest level was the tenth level. Oh, look, it's our stop," Lai Yuan pointed out.
Qi Wei swiftly turned his gaze to the front window in astonishment. How could they have reached the destination so soon? Guiwei town is supposed to be three hours away from the previous bus stop, and it was just fifteen minutes ago that the mystical lady provided them with clues. Their total journey in the bus has not even reached one hour yet.
Seeing Qi Wei's surprised stares, Lai Yuan teases him, "Time is an illusion, Cinderella."
Before him lay a mist-wrapped village, with simple wooden homes scattered across the landscape, hinting at the subdued existence of a civilization. On the opposite side, a vast body of water stretched out, resembling a lake in Qi Wei's estimation. Its eerily calm surface mirrored a sense of serenity, but an unsettling feeling creeped up on Qi Wei. It's like in a second, something will submerge from the lake and drag everyone to drown in the lake.
"Since you haven't had a grasp on how this game works yet, follow my lead," Lai Yuan said as he walked ahead to the lake.
Qi Wei agrees with that and follows him, "Why are we heading toward the lake? Everyone went to the biggest wooden house in the village."
"Didn't the tour guide tell us that we are the land group before? If there's land then there's either air or water. Since clearly there's a lake here, surely the other team is the waterway group. Let's see who they are, aren't you curious?"
"Well, I mean, I am, now that you talk about it. But hearing you said that this is a deadly game, I do not think we can act out of curiosity here," Qi Wei confessed.
Lai Yuan chuckled, "This is the first level anyway, a level for fun. Don't stress much. You got Yuan gege to protect you here."
Qi Wei pretended to throw up, "Disgusting."
A laughter from Lai Yuan followed along.