When using sound to attack those who claimed to be survivors, Kiki had mentioned that Chen Jiajia and the others had good qualities.
Looking back now, it wasn't that Chen Jiajia and the others were affected by the power of the copy because they stayed in the mall for too long, but rather because they were never human to begin with.
Cheng Tingyu had once used the power of his secret pupil to observe all the human-shaped beings around him, but he couldn't discern anything beyond their names.
Whether human or non-human, what is displayed is merely the identity represented by the outer shell.
Cheng Tingyu suspected that the playwright had once been outsmarted by some particularly sharp-eyed players, which is why he was extremely vigilant about such abilities, doing his utmost to prevent participants from seeing the outcome at the start.
However, soon, Li Fuci thought of another question: "Since those people are customers of the VIP lounge, why can't they sign for the goods?"
Cheng Tingyu: "Because according to the rules, each customer can only sign once."
Customers who have already received the goods naturally cannot sign for the clothes a second time.
Nie Yuesheng nodded, driven by a pursuit of the truth and a resistance to working overtime, and asked, "Do you have any theories about those customers appearing on the second floor?"
Residents who come to the inspection team for tea only need to provide the information they know; specific inferences will be handled by specialists.
However, with this young man in front of him, Nie Yuesheng felt that the conclusions he made might be even more reliable than theirs, and would definitely reduce his and his colleagues' working hours effectively.
Cheng Tingyu: "Just a little bit. The initial electronic voice informed the participants that this is a joint special sale event between the 'Fiery' Supermarket and the Immortal Golden Theater. We've already experienced the supermarket part, so how does the theater aspect come into play?"
"Customers who appear on the second floor have all signed for their goods. In other words, only after signing for their goods can customers go to the second floor."
Cheng Tingyu: "The copy gave a lot of hints. Employees and security guards need to wear clothes and have their IDs on to move around in the mall.
"——What about the customers?"
"Customers are not staff, so naturally, they don't need identification. What they need are clothes. As long as they put on clothes, they can leave the lounge."
Li Fu couldn't help but say, "But none of those four people were wearing red clothes."
Cheng Tingyu smiled slightly: "The description on the order was 'as red as fresh blood,' which initially led the scavengers to believe they needed to dye it with the blood of living people..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone else understood the answer.
The clothes signed for by those customers were essentially the skins of living people.
Going upstairs to deliver the goods was like a lamb entering a tiger's den.
According to the design process of the copy, when the employees on the second floor withstand the frenzied assault and finally find a way to the third floor, the ultimate result is that their skin is peeled off and worn by someone else.
Cheng Tingyu: "In my speculation, the copy exists on two lines simultaneously, one being the marketplace line, and the other the theater line.
"In the store line, the second floor is the shop, we are the employees, and the third floor is the lounge, where the VIP customers are. In the theater line, the second floor is the stage, we are the audience, and the third floor is the dressing room, where those customers are either actors yet to put on makeup or actors currently performing."
"Employees and actors are each other's consumers."
"We need to complete our work, and the actors need to complete their performance; each has its own standards."
Li Fu said, "So the standard for those actors is to deceive us into thinking they are human?"
Cheng Tingyu: "Almost, but just making us mistakenly think they are human is too easy. Basically, they just have to do nothing."
"In that set of rules concerning both customers and employees, only the method for employees to finish their work was specified. I believe that for an actor to completely end their performance, they must first deceive their way into an employee's role and then complete the delivery task."
The others, upon hearing her words, seemed to have a moment of realization.
Cheng Tingyu's lips curled slightly: "When you think about it carefully, it really is a very interesting process."
Li Fuzi felt a slight shiver.
The actors cannot let the clothing store employees complete their work, otherwise, they will not be eligible to perform. However, once the actors are dressed in their performance attire, they must go to great lengths to deceive the employees and assume their identities. If they succeed, they must also follow the instructions in the employee handbook to deliver the goods to the third floor.
However, the other performers waiting to take the stage would not make way for their peers.
The skin of customers who have changed identities is peeled off, and a new cycle begins. For the actors of the immortal Golden Theater, this is a performance that will never end.
Li Fu muttered, "If I were designing the copy, I wouldn't leave a loophole for employees to sign off on each other."
Cheng Tingyu shook his head and said softly, "That wouldn't be exciting enough."
Li Fu was at a loss.
Cheng Tingyu: "Employees can complete their work in a more dramatic way by signing for each other's deliveries. Think about it carefully, the method that participants have been desperately seeking and sacrificing greatly for is actually extremely simple. As long as there are more than two people, it can be easily achieved. If I were the designer of the game, I would probably reveal the solution only when there is just one player left."
Li Fuzi silently put down the cup he had just picked up: "..."
The hand holding the coffee trembled slightly.
To clear the game with the pioneering spirit is already quite terrifying, but the fact that the other party can grasp the playwright's mindset is truly incredible. Li Fuci had a premonition that, judging by Cheng Tingyu's demeanor, as long as she didn't meet an untimely demise, she would undoubtedly become a significant figure in the end.
Cheng Tingyu: "This also explains why, after putting on the actor's coat, the scavenger would be hunted down by the patrolling security guards."
The inspectors nodded.
Because those coats, like their skins, were part of the merchandise.
The rules that the actors began to reveal were actually true: if participants secretly took items from other stores, they would be hunted down by plastic mannequins.
Cheng Tingyu: "Actors need the identity of a shop assistant, so they actually don't want us to be eliminated meaninglessly."
"So when the scavengers first made their move, the four actors would make some noise for Kiki to hear. Later, they didn't stop me from suggesting that both sides switch roles because that was their goal all along."
Li Fuzi suddenly woke up.
No wonder at that time Cheng Tingyu suggested that Qiqi and Yote put on the "Survivor" jackets.
She did not hope to exchange her status with those above, but rather to ensure that the scavenger had the customers' goods on him.
Nie Yuesheng: "I have a question. Before you left the instance, why did you take the risk of jumping down from the first floor?"
Cheng Tingyu heard this and shook his head slightly.
Nie Yuesheng was puzzled: "Didn't you choose to jump to the first floor yourself at that time?"
Cheng Tingyu: "What I mean is, the first floor isn't actually that dangerous."
The others: "..."
Li Fu thought to herself, it seemed she didn't understand the world of the big shots.
Cheng Tingyu: "As an employee who has finished work, it is reasonable for me to appear in other areas of the store, and the patrolling security guards did not go to the first floor, where the likelihood of an attack unit is not high."
She was telling the truth; the actors on the first floor never actually attacked her until the very end, at most just cutting the ropes with a knife.
Nie Yuesheng was silent for a moment, then made a gesture for her to continue.
Cheng Tingyu continued to elaborate on his thoughts: "The instance is not friendly to the participants. If the first floor is full of dangers, it should instead find a way to open a passage for us to go downstairs."
"And the participants clearly entered the instance through the main gate, but were directly refreshed to the office on the second floor. This also caught my attention, so I jumped down to check the situation."
For a mentally unstable flesh-and-blood player, acts of adventure are not surprising.
Nie Yuesheng pondered, "Do you think the things on the first floor will affect the instance itself?"
Cheng Tingyu nodded, "I have a tool that can dispel illusions. In the end, it was also by relying on this tool that I found the source of the copy's power and sealed it with a sealing paper."
What she said was all true. Even if props were used for testing, no false results would be obtained. She just played a word game, without pointing out that the prop to dispel illusions [stage play water gun] was not the same as the prop to open the locker [exemption pass].
Hearing the words "sealing paper," Li Fuci instantly showed the sorrow of someone looking at a monopolistic tycoon.
After the questioning ended, Nie Yuesheng, feeling that the work had made significant progress, politely bid farewell to the two people opposite him. Just before leaving, Cheng Tingyu said, "There's one more thing."
Nie Yuesheng, who was just about to leave, paused slightly.
He turned around, revealing a smile: "What's the matter?"
Nie Yuesheng's attitude was exceedingly polite, yet only those who knew him very well could detect the slight hint of suspicion hidden beneath his normal expression.
Cheng Tingyu's performance was truly outstanding.
As a core member of the Outer District Inspection Team, Nie Yuesheng must prevent the infiltration of malicious individuals.
He had seen many similar cases. Outsiders, before infiltrating the inspection team, would first make contributions to gain their trust, and then gradually reveal their true intentions.
If Cheng Tingyu harbored similar thoughts, she might subsequently request to join the inspection team..
A thought had not yet fully formed when Cheng Tingyu already spoke:
"We are all temporary workers, lacking security, so could you help us get reimbursed for the used task items, ordinary tools, and personal injuries?"
"..."
Li Fuzi almost choked.
Is this person really just a temporary member of the Screwdrivers? Why does it feel like they already have the demeanor of a long-time employee?
Nie Yuesheng: "…Rest assured, when we report this upwards, we will certainly convey your intentions accurately."
Cheng Tingyu looked at the other party and revealed a pleasant smile of cooperation.
After finishing the last two glasses of apple juice, the inspection team sent a car to take Cheng Tingyu and Wei Xuguang back to their residence. The driver was the intern Hong Yuanning, who had been eliminated first.
Hong Yuanning: "The inspection team will clean up the sub-area later, but in the short term, the marketplace definitely won't be able to reopen."
Cheng Tingyu showed a clear expression of regret.
For her, having no place to replenish daily supplies was evidently worse news than needing to clear a new dungeon.
"For the instance cleanup, Cheng Tingyu didn't know much, but: 'Can you repeat his last sentence just now?'"
She looked at her companion with a very sincere expression, full of the hope that he would set up a flag for the store to close down immediately so it could open sooner.
Wei Xugui: "..."
Her abilities were still somewhat unstable, so in the end, she didn't speak. She merely gave Cheng Tingyu a calm look, conveying with her eyes the true thoughts of "words can only add buffs, not be used as a wishing well" and "I want to bless you three hundred times a day."
Cheng Tingyu sighed deeply.
The two of them lived not far from the inspection team, and they soon arrived at their destination. Hong Yuanning parked the car and bid a friendly farewell, "Once the basic cleanup is done, we'll deliver the items 'Screwdriver' needs as soon as possible."
Cheng Tingyu nodded and got out of the car with Wei Xugui.
Wei Xuguang is a resident of the central district and should have returned home long ago. However, there is a strict gatekeeping system between the outer and central districts. People like her, who have stayed in a copy with the aura of an ancient source, need to live outside for a certain period and show no abnormalities before they can go home. She had already stayed for a while, but then she was pulled into the "Fiery" megastore again—though drama authors are not as terrifying as ancient sources, they still need to be observed further.
Apartment 501.
After Cheng Tingyu entered the house, he threw himself onto the bed.
Although clearing dungeons is quite thrilling, there is also a certain joy in just lying back and relaxing.
She had originally planned to take a short nap, but when she opened her eyes, the sky had unknowingly darkened.
The room was very quiet, and the sky outside was dark and heavy, with sparse stars dotting it, like a thick black cloth riddled with tiny holes bitten by ants.
Cheng Tingyu turned on the bedside lamp and began to examine the rewards he received after clearing the level.
At that time, her attention was entirely focused on escaping the copy, and she didn't pay any mind to the items she had obtained. Only now did she recall the information that had appeared in her mind back then—
[Congratulations to the player for clearing the dungeon, receiving [Immortal Golden Theater Flyer] ×1, [Lifelike Mask] ×1, [Real Curtain] ×1.]
[Congratulations to the player for clearing the dungeon, you have obtained the remnant item [Lucky Decision Coin] ×1.]
The flyers were, of course, the work of the playwright. If Cheng Tingyu still intended to enjoy the other party's new plays, he might consider pasting those flyers on the wall to admire daily, or collecting a few more similar items. Soon, he could once again be captivated by the replicas associated with the immortal Golden Theatre.
As for the [lifelike mask], it is a disguise-type tool.
A Lifelike Mask: A mask made of leather, soft to the touch, one of the props from the immortal Golden Theater. As long as you wear it on your face, you can perfectly disguise yourself as a person named 'Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday.'
Note: Unless you intend to perform on stage at the theater, do not wear it for more than three hours at a time.
This item made Cheng Tingyu think of the customers who had signed for their deliveries.
Plastic mannequins can wear costumes for stage performances, and ordinary people can too. However, if they wear them for too long, they will gradually become like those actors.
Cheng Tingyu looked at the mask for a moment and then casually tossed it back into the hiking bag.
[The Real Backdrop: Want to make some adjustments to the surrounding elements? Hang this backdrop on the stage, and the background needed by the actors will appear on it.]
Cheng Tingyu understood the information that had been identified.
This should be the reason why participants couldn't see the stairs on the second floor of the dungeon.