Chapter 29: Who Will Die

After both Tan Yinyin and the cat finished reading this page, Tan Yinyin had a foreboding feeling, but with no other options, she reluctantly clicked the start solving button on the screen.

The ten-minute countdown began again.

This time, the puzzle was still a 36-grid, but it consisted of 36 circles rather than numbers. Players had to start from a designated circle, continuously connect with other circles, only able to connect to the circle immediately adjacent (up, down, left, or right), and must not connect diagonally, skip a point, repeat a connection, or exceed the 36-grid. Finally, they had to finish at another designated circle.

Looking at the grid, Danny felt a sense of familiarity.

Tan Yinyin, however, had already started connecting the circles.

The surrounding zombies didn't cease their attacks, but rather increased. Danny could only protect Tan Yinyin, firing continuously to eliminate layers of zombies.

Though the escape room here was large and the most expensive in economically prosperous City A, it was still impossible to afford so many NPCs. Additionally, fallen zombies, if left lying, would block the path for others, leading to the risk of trampling accidents in the dark.

So, once a zombie fell, they would silently walk away, reaching the rear of the queue before resuming the attack.

They were never-ending.

Five minutes had already passed.

Tan Yinyin hadn't succeeded in solving the problem. She suddenly stopped, gazing at the 36 circles, lost in thought.

Seeing her pause, Danny, glancing at the grid, continued shooting zombies.

Tan Yinyin quickly resumed solving, her fingers continuously connecting on the screen.

Meanwhile, Danny, aiming for the zombies' heart areas, also pondered where he had seen this grid before.

As Tan Yinyin's finger movements became faster, Danny noticed her unusual mood and recalled the name of this level - "No Solution." Suddenly, he remembered where he had seen this grid.

Once, while playing in Tan Yinyin's room, he accidentally knocked over one of her math Olympiad books. Those two pages had this grid, and the answer was -

No Solution.

Therefore, one of them had to die.

That was the meaning of this level. It was not an intellectual challenge like the previous numerical grid puzzle.

After Danny figured it out, he said to Tan Yinyin, "Little one, this problem has no solution. You're a girl, and being confined in a dark room will be frightening. Let me handle it."

Tan Yinyin looked at him with confusion, innocently saying, "Brother, why would you say there's no answer to this problem? It must have a solution, and I will figure it out."

Having decided that Tan Yinyin wouldn't believe him at this point, and since he had a gun, he could shoot himself when the ten minutes were almost up. So, he decided not to disturb her anymore.

One-minute countdown.

Tan Yinyin not only didn't get more nervous but instead became more relaxed.

Unaware of the contents of the fourth level, Lin Churan, unable to endure the foul-smelling surroundings, took advantage of the moment when many zombies around her had disappeared and slipped out from her hiding place.

She was also on the third floor and quickly found a corner behind a three-sided wall, not far from the game console. Aiming in Tan Yinyin's direction, she was ready to directly shoot the last two players, securing her victory.

Each gun had only twenty bullets, and she had only three bullets left.

Last ten seconds of the countdown.

Danny didn't shoot at zombies anymore, as he had counted the bullets in each gun, knowing he had only one bullet left. He was preparing to use it to shoot himself.

"Bang!"

Before this gunshot sounded, Tan Yinyin had already prepared. Seizing the moment when Danny was off guard, she quickly snatched the gun from his hand.

She had realized the puzzle had no solution shortly after starting. She hadn't reached the part of the math Olympiad book where this problem was, so she didn't know the answer in advance.

But it was not because she had figured it out during the solving process. Using chess terminology, she assumed it was a checkered chessboard, with the connected points alternating between black and white, starting with black. Since there were even-numbered points, the endpoint had to be white.

During the moment of contemplation, she actually discovered that the endpoint was also black, revealing that this puzzle had no solution.

She intended to act like she knew nothing, then, at the last moment, seize Danny's gun while catching him off guard and then commit suicide.

After her death, as the staff dragged her into the dark room, she would tell him where her home was and if he had time, to come and visit her.

She wasn't a particularly kind person, but she preferred to sacrifice herself for others rather than let others sacrifice themselves for her.

Moreover, this big brother was her light. As long as she could protect him, why would she let him suffer for her sake?

So, although she appeared to be solving the puzzle rapidly, she had secretly prepared to snatch his gun.

Unexpectedly, Lin Churan disrupted this plan.

With the last five seconds, Lin Churan shot before Danny. She aimed at Tan Yinyin, so Danny didn't shoot himself but instead rushed towards Tan Yinyin, shielding her from the gunshot.

His tall figure shielded the petite Tan Yinyin completely, making Lin Churan unable to aim at Tan Yinyin. Moreover, the surrounding zombies, attracted by the commotion, were approaching Lin Churan.

In frustration, Lin Churan had no choice but to shoot Danny with the last two bullets.

Then, under the white light of the game console screen, she seemed to vaguely see that this boy actually had cat ears and a tail!

The drawer of the game console opened again, and the broadcast announced, "Player 18 is dead, confined to the ultimate horror dark room for one hour. Congratulations to Player 11 for passing Level 4. Please claim your reward."

Just as Tan Yinyin, who was planning to grab Danny's gun, heard the gunshot, Danny didn't shoot himself. Instead, he rushed to Tan Yinyin, embracing her and taking the shot for her.

His tall body solidly protected the delicate Tan Yinyin, making it impossible for Lin Churan to aim at her. Also, the zombies around were already drawn to Lin Churan.

In desperation, Lin Churan angrily shot Danny twice.

Then... under the bright light of the game console screen, she seemed to see that this boy actually had cat ears and a tail!

The drawer of the game console opened again, and the broadcast announced, "Player 18 is dead, confined to the ultimate horror dark room for one hour. Congratulations to Player 11 for passing Level 4. Please claim your reward."

Tan Yinyin, who was planning to grab Danny's gun and kill herself, was taken aback when she heard the gunshots. She was left in shock as Danny shielded her.

Three blood packs burst on his back, splattering fake blood everywhere. Although it was fake, she still felt a pang in her heart.

It was Lin Churan.

The gunshots didn't ring out again. Danny slowly let go of Tan Yinyin.

Before being taken to the ultimate horror dark room, seeing Tan Yinyin's somewhat distressed expression, he comforted her, "Little one, it's okay. I'll be out soon. I'm not afraid of being confined in a dark room."

Tan Yinyin quickly returned to a normal expression, looking at him with a smile. Her bright eyes sparkled as she said, "Big brother, I'm Tan Yinyin. You haven't told me your name yet."

Seeing her mood improve, Danny also smiled, "I'm Danny."

"Okay, big brother, I remember. I'll be waiting for you outside. When you come out, can you find me?" Tan Yinyin said.

"Sure." Danny agreed without hesitation. He would definitely find Little One.

After being taken away by the staff, Tan Yinyin took out the reward for Level 4 from the drawer under the game console - four submachine guns.

She awkwardly hugged three of them in her left hand, raised the remaining one in her right hand, and swept all the zombies on the way to Lin Churan, who was cornered by zombies behind the three-sided wall.

Standing in front of Lin Churan, she suddenly threw the gun in her right hand on the ground just as the bullets ran out, producing a plastic and cement collision sound.

"Sister, did you come to save me?" Lin Churan naturally thought.

She always felt that although Dad always sided with Tan Yinyin, Dad only loved her. Mom also loved her, and if Tan Yinyin dared to do anything to her, Dad and Mom would never let Tan Yinyin off.

Moreover, even though she attacked Tan Yinyin twice, it was only in the game, and Tan Yinyin surely wouldn't dare to do anything to her.

In the next moment, Tan Yinyin took out a gun from her left side and aimed it at the cowering Lin Churan, shooting her.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Lin Churan screamed in disbelief.

Being hit by blood packs, although not causing real harm, was still quite painful.

"Player 14 is dead. Congratulations to Player 11 for winning. The game is over. Player 11, please come to the front desk to claim your generous prize package!"

The immunity medal was a one-time use, so after Danny's shot hit Lin Churan, she would die if she received another attack.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! Tan Yinyin, you're crazy!" Lin Churan, covering her face and head, was extremely embarrassed as she dodged.

She was already dead, so why was Tan Yinyin still shooting at her?

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

Tan Yinyin used up all the bullets from the three submachine guns, covering Lin Churan in blood.

After finishing, Tan Yinyin, expressionless, carried one gun and left.

Lin Churan was fiercely attacked by Tan Yinyin in this rapid assault, but she didn't dare to fight back. She was afraid that Tan Yinyin, this madwoman, would use the gun to shoot her!

Lin Churan had never dreamed that they would end up like this!

She thought with hatred, Tan Yinyin, you're doomed!

...

After Tan Yinyin left, instead of going to the front desk to claim her reward, she immediately went backstage to explain that her cat was lost and requested to review the surveillance footage.

However, she was told that all the computers backstage were malfunctioning, and there was no surveillance recording left.

"What should I do? I must find my little cat." Tan Yinyin, feeling anxious, showed an unusual hint of firmness.

"Please rest assured, all the staff here will cooperate with you to find your cat." The staff had a good service attitude.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, a commotion came from outside.

After being confined to the small dark room, Danny found it pitch-black inside, and often creepy things would suddenly appear for humans. However, he wasn't afraid.

To his surprise... he turned into a cat again.

Worried that Tan Yinyin had waited too long, he directly crawled out of the ventilation opening and hurriedly ran to the outside of the apocalyptic city.

He first arrived at the front desk and then ran around, searching for her everywhere, causing a commotion. Unable to find Tan Yinyin, he went to the backstage and finally found her.

He naturally jumped into her arms. Tan Yinyin rubbed his head with her cheek and exclaimed in joy, "Blue, it's great! I thought I lost you."

They went to the front desk to claim the grand prize package, and the gifts were optional.

Tan Yinyin immediately spotted one item—a crystal-clear sphere with twinkling starlight inside. At the center was a smiling girl, holding a white kitten, exceptionally beautiful.

Her eyes lit up, and without hesitation, she chose this item.

Then, Tan Yinyin placed the gift in her backpack, held Danny, found a location closest to the exit of the apocalyptic city, and sat down, preparing to wait for that brother to come out.