The biggest winners of this round were undoubtedly Wen Jiexi and Su Chenyu. With an almost overwhelming victory, the three who ended up in the last place were Shi Junmao, Mu Du, and Lan Yuyan.
Wen Jiexi wanted to rub her tired eyes but Su Chenyu quickly stopped her and handed her a wet tissue.
"Use this, you haven't washed your hands yet."
"En!" Wen Jiexi obediently accepted the tissues and wiped her face. While this peaceful scene was playing out, the three people not too far away from her were not as happy….
"Yuyan, how come you came last?" Shi Jumano asked his fellow sufferer and brother in hardship.
"I…possess an anti-animal physique." Lan Yuyan had the worst experience with animals as not a single one approached him the entire time. He rubbed his nose embarrassedly and then began to explain his history with animals,
"When I was younger, I always liked petting these furry creatures but no matter how much I tried…the moment I got close, the animal would either run away or bite me. I'm already used to it…at least I didn't get bitten this time."
Everyone: Is this the sad weakness of the usually sunny boy?! How pitiful!
Old Zhan scratched his nose sheepishly, it seemed he had accidentally poked someone's painful spot. He sympathized for the boy for about three seconds before clapping his hands,
"Time for the punishment game!" Old Zhan shouted and held up a lottery box.
"The red is chili water, green is bitter gourd juice, and the colorless one is sugar water. What you get depends on your luck!"
Each of the three drew a lot and in the end, it was Lan Yuyan who possessed the most luck as he drew the sugar water cup. Shi Junmao ended up with chili water and Mu Du was forced to drink the bitter gourd juice.
"Chug, chug, chug! Finish it all!" Old Zhan urged.
Lan Yuyan easily drank his beverage without feeling anxious at all. After just a sip, he was smiling widely.
"So sweet! Delicious!"
Wait, wait, wait…..why does the sugar level in that water seem rather high? Isn't it practically all white sugar syrup? Wen Jiexi blinked a few times thinking she was still dazed and not completely awake yet.
"Damn it….this concentrated white sugar I used was something I specifically got someone to get for me. You can make a few dozen cups of sugar water from that amount…he actually said it was delicious?!" Old Zhan muttered not too quietly to himself.
Everyone: "…." Didn't you say it the luckiest would get sugar water! We should never believe in this host's words again!
In comparison, Mu Du and Shi Junmao frowned with their brows tightly furrowed as they drank their beverages. Although their foreheads were wrinkled, the drink still seemed to be within an ordinary person's tolerance. So the sugar water was the real threat….
"What's next?" Mu Du covered his mouth as he set the cup down. His mouth was burning with bitterness and although he could tolerate it, drinking it still made him feel nauseous. How…hateful. How can someone bully the elderly like this!
"Next up is milking~ After all, tonight's dinner is going to center around milk as the essential ingredient~So the job for gathering the milk will be up to you guys~" Old Zhan smiled.
Milk? Ingredient? Are they going to milk a cow?
Everyone followed Old Zhan to an enclosure where dozens of cows stood along the fence. The cows flung their tails back and forth and chewed their feed leisurely as they looked up at the group.
"You guys can start milking here. Fill up these buckets and then pour them into the processing machine over there." Old Zhan said and then pointed to a small machine to the side that is used to disinfect the milk. He gave them a few last instructions and then walked away with the rest of the crew.
"Alright! Let's work hard! For our dinner!" Mu Du yelled and then took the lead as he picked up a small bucked and sat on a stool placed in front of the first cow.
"Uh….does any of you know how to milk a cow?"
Everyone shook their heads. Mu Du rubbed his nose,
"Then I'll go first…" Mu Du bent down and studied the cow. He looked at the pink udder handing down from the cow's belly and then hesitantly reached out to give it a light squeeze.
"Huh? Why did nothing come out? Could this be a milkless cow?"
"Maybe if you squeeze harder?" Shi Junmao suggested and the reached out his hand to squeeze slightly harder than Mu Du,
MOOOO!!!!
The cow that was pinched cried loudly and turned her head to face Shi Junmao. Her eyes were angry and her nostrils were flaring viciously. She was very furious and her anger seemed to affect the other cows as the atmosphere soon became tense. If it weren't for the fences in between, they suspected the cows would've rushed over and trampled them by now.
"I think you've hurt her." Wen Ting patted Shi Junmao on the shoulder.
"Then what should we do now?" Lan Yuyan scratched his head. How were they supposed to milk an angry cow?
"Of course you should wait for the cow to calm down first. You should probably wait in the back or else the cow might explode again." Mu Du patted Lan Yuyan on the shoulder.
Lan Yuyan: "…." Both his body and his mind have been inflicted with heavy injuries today, and now even his heart is about to shatter.
Everyone ignored the heartbroken Lan Yuyan who was turning into dust on the side as Wen Jiexi hesitantly moved forward to placate the angry cow. She patted the cow's head and the cow looked up at Wen Jiexi before nuzzling her furry head against Wen Jiexi's cheek. The cow even licked Wen Jiexi's palm.
Everyone: Why is the difference in treatment so big?
"On TV, they always say you have to massage it gently." Seeing how Shi Junmao's miserable fate earlier, Huo Lin'er was extra careful when she reached forward to touch the udder. She gently pinched the udder, rubbed it, and then pulled. As a result, puuchii….the milk was finally squeezed out but because of sudden pinching, the milk landed on Mu Du's body.
Huo Lin'er: *Horrified expression*
Mu Du: Why am I always the one getting hurt?!
Everyone else: dumbfounded
"Uh….I guess that's how we squeeze it then." Wen Jiexi laughed dryly.
Huo Lin'er: "D-do you need a change of clothes?"
"I'm fine, my clothes were already pretty dirty to begin with so this little stain is nothing." Mu Du waved a hand and said.
"Let's start milking. It's already past three so we must hurry." Chu Heling raised Li Lingqing's wrist to check the time and said.
"Then one person per bucket." Wen Ting handed everyone a bucket and stool and then happily sat down in front of a cow that looked pleasing to the eye. She mimicked Huo Lin'er's technique and a few seconds later, a few spurts of milk were squeezed out.
Seeing Wen Ting's success, everyone walked up to a cow and sat down to start milking.
"Jiexi, shouldn't you go milk your own cow?" Su Chenyu just sat down when she saw the little guy rush to her side and raised her eyebrows.
"I think we are better together." Wen Jiexi said happily. She had discovered that other than good acting skills, Su Chenyu was lacking in basic life skills. She was afraid that if she left Su Chenyu alone, a disaster might occur. Although she was confident she could rescue Su Chenyu even if an accident did occur, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"…Alright." Seeing that Wen Jiexi looked at her with worried eyes, Su Chenyu did not object.
"Hehe!"
Everyone: My god, our single dogs' eyes are getting blinded by that dazzling light!
The group chatted while milking and would even walk around from time to time. With no pressure of competition or games, they were more relaxed. The production crew did not bother them either for if the pressure was always high all the time, wouldn't someone die from all that stress?
After the milking was done, the group of players returned to the restaurant with buckets of freshly processed milk.
"Ai, why were you guys so slow?! We've been waiting for so long!" Old Zhan sat crossed-legged on the chair, a shred of dried squid hanging out of the corner of his mouth.
A table not too far away from him had the tools and rich ingredients placed neatly and ready to go. Seeing his posture, one could tell he was waiting to eat dinner.
"Tsk, you didn't do any of the work. Just look at the pile of melon seeds in the trash next to you. No wonder your belly is so big now." Mu Du snorted curtly.
"Hmph! What's bad about a big belly! This is just the fundamental trait of being a handsome man!" Old Zhan would not take Mu Du's insults lying down and jumped up to defend himself while patting his big belly.
The group of female artists on the side made faces and although their expressions weren't obvious, one could tell that there was a trace of disgust on their faces. The male artist wasn't as subtle with their emotions and displayed their disgust openly as they looked Old Zhan up and down without saying anything. Lan Yuyan even pulled up Yan Haochen's shirt to reveal a sturdy six-pack underneath.
"This is what a real handsome man looks like, ok?"
Old Zhan has been hit with 10,000 points of damage….
"Hmph! Hurry up and eat! Rest early! Our crew has finished preparing tomorrow's game! I'm sure you guys will enjoy it!" Old Zhan smiled evilly.
Unfortunately for him, despite his cryptic words, the ten players only gave him a glance before turning around to start eating. Old Zhan had already said that they would lose their image, what more could they be afraid of?
Old Zhan: Huh? Why is their reaction so different from what I thought? Shouldn't they be more nervous? So much so that they can't eat peacefully?
However, the players only ate even more than usual instead and walked upstairs with content faces and full bellies while leaving Old Zhan to stand blankly in the wind.
"Old Zhan, if you don't hurry, all the food will be gone!"
"Sure enough, fresh milk is the best!"
"You can boil it, drink it, eat it…."
"Hey, you bunch of heartless things!!! Save me some!"
The next morning….
When Wen Jiexi opened her eyes she saw not the familiar hotel ceiling she looked up at when she was falling asleep but a strange wood-colored ceiling instead. When she moved her body…huh? When did the double bed beneath her suddenly turn into a single bed?
This observation shocked her awake, Wen Jiexi suddenly jumped up and looked around carefully.
She realized she was staying in a small room and there was nothing wrong with the furniture around her. Furthermore, Sister Su…..is gone?!!!!
The anxious Wen Jiexi didn't try thinking deeper into this as she rushed over to the door to go look for a hotel staff when she turned the doorknob and found it was locked.
She was locked in! A dark look appeared in her eyes and she studied the wooden door in front of her. She took a deep breath, rotated half a turn, and then kicked hard against the door.
Bang!
Under the bewildered gazes of the people outside, the door flew into the air and slammed heavily into the ground. There was even a smoking footprint on the door….
Wen Jiexi lowered her leg and stared at the people outside. Uh….these seemed to be the people from the program!
Members of the production crew: Goddamn! What did we just see? Although we know that this player's strength is amazing, isn't this a little too unbelievable?!
"What's going on? What's going on? Are we demolishing the building now?" Old Zhan ran over hurriedly with people falling behind him. He wore black clothes, a scarlet cloak, and a mask with protruding fangs. He was obviously playing a villain character but his costume lost it's creepiness as his mouth fell open stupidly at the scene in front of him.
"Uh…is this part of the show?" Wen Jiexi scratched her head and smiled dryly.
"I thought I was kidnapped, hahaha."
"Why don't you go back in first?" Old Zhan held his head in his hands, feeling a headache coming on. It was not easy for him to finally rent out this venue and suddenly a door was crushed into pieces in just a blink of an eye. How much maintenance costs will he have to end up paying if this continued?
"Ok…" Wen Jiexi rubbed her nose in embarrassment, knowing that she was in the wrong. Since the production crew was the ones outside, then this should just be part of the show. Although who knows what method they used to bring her here, for even she was shocked when she opened her eyes.
Bang, bang, bang…..
Behind her, the production crew fixed up the door with a wooden board from who knows where and installed a new door directly.
"Cough….please endure this inconvenience for a little bit longer. When the game starts, we will install a proper door." A man said to her and then closed the wooden board they had fixed up as a makeshift door.
"What kind of game is it this time….to make such big movements…." Wen Jiexi scratched her head. She saw that there was only a bed, a small table and chair, and, ah, a very old TV in her room There was also a small bathroom to the side, but that was it.
It was at this moment that Wen Jiexi noticed an envelope and a small box on the table. She hadn't noticed it earlier when she was panicking. She walked over and opened the envelope. Inside was a card and on the card…was a drawing of a doctor.
Then she opened the box and found a very old phone inside. The phone had a group chat on it…well, it was better to say that other than this messaging app and group chat, there were no other functions on this phone. Also, her profile picture in the group chat was prepared beforehand and it was…a little sheep….Why?!!!
Next to the phone was a small cloth bag with a sticky note on it that says, 'For emergencies only'
*Crackle*Crackle*
At this moment, the TV suddenly made strange noises and the lights seemed to flicker,
Wen Jiexi: This is so extra….
The screen went from blurry to slightly clear before finally emitting a burst of hoarse and strange laughter. There was an obvious voice changer being used as the voice was impossibly deep for a human. The fanged mask Wne Jiexi had seen earlier appeared in front of her eyes. Wen Jiexi thought Old Zhan can really act!
Old Zhan spoke slowly and ominously,
"Welcome my dear players to the….killing game! I welcome you to my castle. As you may have already noticed, each of you has a card with a drawing on it. The drawing represents your profession. Among these professions, the special ones are the doctor, the killer, and the policeman. The doctor can save people, the killer kills people, and the policeman finds and arrests the killer. There is only one person per profession. During the day, everyone can walk around freely but when the bell rings at night, the killer will kill one person of their choosing. The policeman will only have three chances to find and arrest the killer while the doctor can only save one person at a time. While the others escape for their lives, they must search for the treasure hidden inside the castle. If the killer wins the game (meaning everyone dies) and no one finds the treasure, the treasure will go to the killer. If the killer is caught first, then the treasure will go to the other players. Come, my dear players, and enjoy a happy yet tense game of killing and treasure hunting! Now, let the game begin!"
Old Zhan cackled and his laughter continued for a while before the TV screen went dark with a beep and the lights turned back on.
"So it's the werewolf game but with the added segment of finding treasure." Wen Jiexi said. (T/N: a video explaining the Werewolf game)
The loud buzz of a horn sounded,
"Dawn has arrived." A voice announced over the speakers and then the door unlocked with a click. It seems she could leave the room now.
Wen Jiexi stuffed her card and the bag into her pockets as she walked out. Previously she was surrounded by the crew and couldn't see everything clearly but now she had a clear view of the area.
There is a big long table with ten chairs before her. It seems this is the place the players are supposed to discuss before and after someone is killed. She had watched gameplay of the werewolf game and the setup was similar to the one before her.
The table was large and there were corridors facing the table on all four sides. Above was a big chandelier that emitted an eerie yet faint yellow light.
Ah, not only was the TV editing amazing, but the setting also suited to the dark and sinister atmosphere of the werewolf killing game.
After Wen Jiexi walked out, many doors around her also opened. Some of the players came from the doors that led to the stairs so one could tell that they were all living on different floors. After asking around, she found that Lan Yuyan, Mu Du, Huo Lin'er, Chu Heling, Wen Ting, Yan Haocheng, Shi Junmao were all living on the same floor as her but only Su Chenyu and Li Lingqing stayed on the third floor.
"This display of wealth is rather generous…to have prepared both a ranch and a castle. Just how much did this cost?" Mu Du muttered. In this quiet and refreshing castle, instead of enjoying the view, everyone shared a similar worried expression on their faces.
"Let's sit down first. Otherwise, it will be rather uncomfortable to talk while standing." Lan Yuyan scratched his head and said.
"I agree." Wen Jiexi said and pulled out a chair.
Everyone sat down in a chair, each one with different yet troubled thoughts in their heads.
"Then I will start first. I am a chef. I am not the killer." Mu Du took out his card that was similar to Wen Jiexi's but had the drawing of a chef instead of a doctor on it.
"I-I'm a lawyer." Huo Lin'er took her card out nervously. She stammered a little as she couldn't handle heavy atmospheres very well.
"I am a farmer." Lan Yuyan said and took out his card to show everyone.
Unfrosteluly, only those three showed their cards while the others stayed silent. Wen Jiexi had no idea what the others were thinking but as the doctor, she knew that if her card was revealed that she might be the first to die. She can't just keep choosing to save herself or else this game would be endless.
"Hmm? Do you guys have nothing else to say?" Mu Du probably never expected this situation to happen and asked.
"Since this is essentially the werewolf game, what's the point of showing our trump cards so quickly?" Wen Ting chuckled darkly.
"And just because you've proven you're a civilian doesn't mean you're safe. We all have to compete to search for the treasure and I'm rather curious as to what kind of treasure the production crew has prepared for us."
The three people who had shown their cards did not get angry at Wen Ting's words and instead felt her words were quite logical as they silently put away their cards.
"Are any of you feeling hungry…." Shi Junmao said as he clutched his growling stomach.
"It is about time for breakfast." Li Lingqing said, looking at her watch.
"Let's eat first and then find the treasure! But where is the kitchen?" Wen Jiexi scratched her head and looked around.
"The kitchen should be on the first floor." Mu Du stood up and said.
They found the kitchen on the first floor and it was rather large. It had all the necessary equipment that a kitchen should have but all the ingredients that were supposed to be in the fridge were gone. There were only boxes of bread and biscuits on the table.
Everyone grabbed their one share and then left. Lan Yuyan and Yan Haocheng went upstairs, probably looking for the treasure while they ate. Mu Du and Shi Junmao sent their separate ways as one went upstairs while the other continued to search the first floor.
Wen Ting and Huo Lin'er also went upstairs to search for the treasure but Chu Heling and Li Lingqing went back to the table to slowly enjoy their breakfast. They didn't seem anxious at all, but that was to be expected as the so-called 'treasure' had different levels of appeals to different people.
Finally, Wen Jiexi and Su Chenyu who both possessed big appetites stayed in the kitchen to get extra servings of the food.
While they were eating, Wen Jiexi leaned over to Su Chenyu was whispered,
"Sister Su, I'm going to tell you a secret….I'm actually the doctor! But don't worry, I will definitely save you!"
"Yes, yes, I will follow you then." Su Chenyu patted Wen Jiexi's head, an amused smile flashing in her eyes.
"Sister Su, what are your plans? Are you going to search for the treasure?" Wen Jiexi didn't ask for Su Chenyu's profession in return. After all, she had told Su Chenyu her profession just because she wanted to and not because she wanted to trade secrets. Furthermore, she didn't want Su Chenyu to be killed off so quickly! She wanted to stay till the end with Su Chenyu! Of course, she will also be careful when she has to and not let anyone grapes onto a single handle of hers!
"I don't think there is a need to hurry. After all, there are ten people in total, which means nine 'nights' at most. Of course, the doctor might guess correctly and save a few people which will lead to a few more nights." Xu Chenyu patted Wen Jiexi's head again and continued,
"The so-called 'daytime' we will have will most likely be only a few hours at most. It's better to fill up your stomach first and save energy for when we have to run around at night."
"En!" Wen Jiexi nodded. She had the same idea. She was also wondering if she could take some biscuits back to her room to eat. There is no rule that she couldn't eat while the killer was out murdering!
An hour passed quickly, and the horn buzzed again,
"The sky is about to turn dark. Please return to your room as soon as possible. You have five minutes. Those who have not returned to the room within the specified time will be unable to come out during the day."
Wen Jiexi reluctantly said goodbye to Su Chenyu, grabbed a few packets of biscuits, and ran back to her room. After a while, the sound of the door locking sounded at her door.
Wen Jiexi didn't feel nervous at all as she opened a packet of her cookies. Sitting at the small table, she ate leisurely when her phone vibrated. She opened it to see that everyone was chatting in the group chat.
Husky: Aiya~ Aiya~ I'm so nervous!
This should be Lan Yuyan.
Little Horsie: Hey stupid guy upstairs! Shut up!
This should be the Wen Ting who couldn't stand the sight of Lan Yuyan.
Wen Jiexi watched as messages flew across the screen and sent a few words as well. As it was only the first night, everyone didn't seem nervous at all and chatted happily. Suddenly, the screen went black and a skeleton image appeared on it. A hoarse voice screamed,
"The killer has come out to play!"
The screaming continued for a long while that made Wen Jiexi's eardrums ache and her shoulders tremble….this screaming was really creepy that even goosebumps appeared on her arms.
So….who died?
The screen changed into a pure white background with a heart spinning around,
"Doctor, doctor, please save someone~" A sweet female voice sounded out.
The names of the entire group appeared on the screen and on it was the instruction 「Please choose a person you want to save.」
Looking at the ten names below, Wen Jiexi didn't even try to save herself as she clicked on the 「Big Bad Wolf」username without hesitation.