"A little game?"
Chen Mu carefully recalled; he couldn't remember there ever being a game in the Mist Museum before. Chen Mu had been here once before, and it was already past eight in the evening then, directly starting the Duke's banquet.
Could it be because he arrived early, and different time slots had different tasks? That was a possibility!
Guided by the old butler, Chen Mu arrived at the Duke's lounge.
The lounge was transformed from one floor of the museum. Inside the museum were various exhibits: medieval swords, knight helmets, yellowed parchment... all exuding an ancient texture.
The entire first floor of the museum had a muted yellow tone, with the overall space being dimly lit, with only one or two fireplaces burning, emitting a faint yellow glow.
At this moment, the other four people were already waiting in the hall.
They stood in the middle of the hall, with a European-style chandelier overhead.
The few of them looked around curiously and cautiously, examining their surroundings.
Upon seeing the old butler approaching, their gazes immediately focused on him. In their eyes, the old butler was undoubtedly the mini-boss of the task.
However, what happened next left them all dumbfounded.
The old butler led Chen Mu to a rustic sofa, gesturing for him to sit down. With a smile, he asked, "Mr. Chen, would you like something to drink? We have hot water and black tea."
"Black tea, please," Chen Mu replied calmly.
"Of course, please wait a moment."
After a while, the old butler returned with a tray, on which sat a teacup.
Placing the teacup next to Chen Mu, the old butler lifted the lid, revealing the steaming black tea inside.
Chen Mu took a sip; it was meant for humans to drink, not for the eerie, so the taste was quite good.
The others were dumbfounded; Chen Mu sat on the sofa, leisurely sipping his tea, making them wonder if he was here for a life-or-death task or on vacation.
The old butler's service was so good? And they even had tea?
However, they waited for half an hour, and the old butler didn't come to ask them what they wanted to drink.
It seemed that the old butler's hospitality was only for Chen Mu.
Everyone was here to participate in the eerie task, so why was there such a big difference!
After ten minutes, Chen Mu finished his tea. At this moment, the old butler returned and addressed the group:
"Dear guests, the Duke's banquet is still being prepared. To help pass the time, the Duke has specially prepared a little game for you all. This game is called—Hide and Seek.
To ensure everyone enjoys the game, please adhere to the following rules: 1: The game will start in five minutes and last for two hours. It will automatically end when the time is up.
2: Once the game starts, museum security will appear. They will patrol the museum and kill intruders. Do not let the security guards find you.
3: During the game, do not leave the first floor of the Mist Museum. Death will come if you leave this area.
4: If you are unfortunately discovered by security, do your best to evade them. However, do not touch the museum exhibits while evading.
5: Except for the floor and walls, all immobile items are Duke's exhibits.
6: Exhibits cannot be moved or touched. Anyone who dares to move or touch them will face the Duke's punishment.
These are the rules of the game. Please prepare yourselves; the game will begin shortly."
After the old butler finished speaking, he flashed a creepy smile at the group before leaving the first floor.
In the vast museum, only Chen Mu, Wang Dafu, the woman, Green Hair, and Yellow Hair remained.
The mechanical clock on the wall ticked away, and everyone fell silent, carefully memorizing the rules the old butler had mentioned.
The atmosphere began to become eerie; the temperature in the air slowly dropped, and the ground started to feel damp, as if something was about to appear.
The woman held onto Wang Dafu tightly, relying on him to save her.
But Wang Dafu himself was in a precarious situation; beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He admitted that this game was more thrilling and nerve-wracking than any business battle he had been in because the stakes were his life!
Green Hair and Yellow Hair weren't any better off; they had heard that in eerie tasks, one must adhere to the rules. Moreover, they had heard that some rules held the key to survival.
As long as they discovered the key to survival, even the most difficult task could be easily overcome with laughter.
However, discovering the key to survival wasn't something an ordinary person could do. Especially at the beginning of the eerie apocalypse, everyone was a novice, and finding the key to survival was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
"Brother, isn't this old butler too ruthless? The rules are too strict; it seems like he has no intention of letting us survive," Green Hair said fearfully.
"Yeah, not touching the exhibits is understandable. But besides the floor and walls, everything else that doesn't move is an exhibit. Doesn't this mean that when we hide, we can't even touch the cabinets or sofas? How are we supposed to play this game!" Yellow Hair also wore a grim expression; these task rules were extremely harsh, and he even suspected that they were being targeted by the old butler.
In contrast to the tense fear of the others, Chen Mu appeared calm.
At this moment, Chen Mu was carefully observing the museum as he walked around. While the game hadn't started yet, he took the opportunity to observe the environment of the museum.
This was a typical behavior of an experienced individual; rather than wasting time crying in one spot, it was better to observe the surroundings in advance, which could increase the odds of success.
Although the old butler had guaranteed Chen Mu's safe departure, Chen Mu was also actively seeking a way out. He knew very well that if he didn't use his brain for a long time, his skills would quickly deteriorate. In case he encountered extremely difficult rules later, his chances of survival would be slim. Chen Mu contemplated the game rules; he admitted that they were extremely harsh and oppressive for humans. Not being able to touch the exhibits meant that when encountering security guards, he couldn't fight back with nearby objects and could only passively hide, being careful not to touch tables and chairs. In such a situation, trying to hide for two hours was extremely difficult! No, there must be a way out. According to Chen Mu's experience, sometimes the way out of a task lay precisely in its stringent rules! If one couldn't see the way out, then the harsh rules would lead to death. But with enough experience and wisdom to glimpse the way out, the harsh rules would actually help one survive. So, what exactly were these strict rules implying? As Chen Mu pondered deeply, the clock on the wall suddenly emitted a dull sound. Five minutes were up! A chill swept over him! A faint mist began to appear in the museum. In the ethereal fog, it seemed like something was about to emerge. The game had begun.