The silver screen tore with a sharp "riiiip" as a blade sliced through its center.
The curtain was torn open at one corner, and the lights in the screening room became fragmented.
Tong Yang stood on the stage, her silhouette cast upon the screen, seemingly split in two by the torn silver screen.
"Tong Yang..." Chu Shiyu from World B murmured.
Tong Yang poured a foul-smelling liquid into the projector. The light flickered and died.
"You can choose to keep obeying and eat these things, or let others eat them."
Tong Yang expressionlessly looked at the people in the seats with their eyes tightly shut and sunken sockets. She kicked the projector lamp over, poured out the shocking severed fingers from a paper bucket, then lifted the projector lamp and smashed them to pieces.
The pale fingers were pulverized, bits of flesh scattering everywhere. Tong Yang seemed to be venting rage, strike after strike, each harder than the last.
Eat them? Let others eat them?
Why on earth should she do something so disgusting?
Whether others were willing or not, she didn't know and didn't care, but she absolutely refused to do it.
Chu Shiyu from World B shook her head, "I won't do this. It's too vile."
Jingjing and her sister also looked pale, muttering, "How could we possibly eat these things..."
"Even if we could make others eat them, that's still going too far."
Tong Yang said, "They have no fingers. If you pin your hopes on having them eat it, you'd have to personally feed it into their mouths."
The three of them froze simultaneously, finding it hard to believe. "What?"
"Why?"
"Could these fingers be..."
[Holy crap???]
[Are the so-called 'french fries' actually other people's fingers?]
[Make Tong Yang and the others eat them? Or feed them to the parallel world people?]
[That's disgusting! It's clearly deliberate humiliation and torture!]
[Expletive! If they don't do this, how can they get out?]
[They can't just be led by the nose by the parallel world, otherwise they'll only become more aggressive.]
Tong Yang smashed those fingers into mincemeat, hurled the projector lamp to the ground with force, and then said to the three, "If you follow the broadcast's instructions, your chance of leaving here alive is fifty percent. If you break the rules, I don't know what will happen. Maybe you'll never get back. Decide for yourselves."
Chu Shiyu from World B said, "I'd rather die than follow orders and do such disgusting things."
Jingjing stared blankly, shaking her head, "Impossible... I can't do it..."
Jingjing (Sister) said, "Tong Yang, what will you do? We're with you. Even if we die here, I won't collude with those from the parallel world."
In the dim light, Tong Yang looked at each of their faces one by one—identical in their resolve, despite the deep-seated fear in their eyes.
"Chu Shiyu." Tong Yang didn't answer them immediately. "I don't think I ever asked, what major did you apply for?"
They had already received their Peking University acceptance letters some time ago. Tong Yang hadn't asked Chu Shiyu about her major.
Chu Shiyu from World B didn't expect the sudden question. After thinking, she said, "I originally applied for Law, but when school starts, I should negotiate with the university to change to Astronomy."
"Because I said I'd double major in Astronomy that day?"
Chu Shiyu from World B averted her gaze. "N-no, not really. I just think Astronomy is quite interesting."
Tong Yang nodded and looked at the other two. "The Hu Shuo and Chu Shiyu from World A are fake. Be careful on your own. After getting out of here, find an opportunity and I'll kill them."
Jingjing asked, "How can you be sure? What if you're wrong?"
"I said it before, right? Hu Shuo from World A came to find me midway, but Hu Shuo from World B denied it. If Hu Shuo from World B were from the parallel world, to avoid raising suspicion later, he should have admitted it. But he denied it, meaning he wasn't aware of the situation here. So, he can only be from the real world. Also, after Hu Shuo from World A chose the popcorn, he had blood on his fingers and didn't wipe it off."
"Remember in the elevator? Hu Shuo touched the severed hand in the box and reflexively wiped his hand. Hu Shuo from World B did the same after checking Tan Wanqi's pulse. In the elevator, we hadn't been split into two worlds yet. That him was the real him."
Jingjing (Sister) nodded. "Hu Shuo has always been somewhat timid."
"As for Chu Shiyu," Tong Yang shifted her gaze back to her, "if I kill the wrong one, I'll turn myself in."
Chu Shiyu from World B's face darkened. "So you're not actually sure? What if you kill the wrong person, it doesn't matter? Tong Yang, you're something else!"
[Pfft...]
[The young mistress is actually pretty easy to recognize, haha.]
[No, are you stupid? How come you get completely handled by Sister Tong every single time?]
[Our Sister Tong is clearly already certain.]
If they just barged out, breaking the rules, who knew what dangers they might still encounter. It was best to let them mentally prepare first.
"Wait here."
Tong Yang said this, then ducked behind the screen curtain. She looked left and right, used a butterfly knife to unscrew the bolts of the iron frame securing the curtain, and removed several iron rods.
"Clang—" Tong Yang threw the iron rods onto the stage. Chu Shiyu and the other two had already come down from their seats.
"One each." Tong Yang also held one herself. She looked around the hall. Screening Room 3 had 16 rows of seats in total.
"Chu Shiyu, you take rows 1 to 4. Jingjing, rows 5 to 8. Jingjing (Sister), rows 9 to 12. I'll handle rows 13 to 16."
Understanding Tong Yang's meaning, Chu Shiyu picked up a suitable iron rod, hefted it in her hand, felt it was decent, and swung it a couple of times in the air.
Jingjing and her sister looked utterly confused. "What's the meaning?"
"Chu Shiyu, give them a demonstration."
"Why don't you do it yourself?"
"Hurry up."
Chu Shiyu shot her an annoyed glare, then gripped the iron rod and walked to the end of the first row. She raised the rod and struck the person sitting in the seat.
With her experience from Third Middle School, no hesitation or unease could be found on her face now. Her movements were sharp, aiming for vital points. The iron rod wasn't round; it had one flat edge. With enough force, it could cut through skin.
With a "thud," the rod hit the person's neck. Blood instantly gushed out, splattering all over Chu Shiyu.
Jingjing turned deathly pale, trembling as she asked, "Tong Yang, you don't mean for me and my sister to kill people, do you?"
Tong Yang shook her head. "First, I disagree with your statement. In my view, they are not people, but monsters from the parallel world. Second, haven't you noticed they barely even breathe? They're on their last breath. Finally, if you can't even bring yourselves to deal with monsters that can't fight back, then I advise you to eat those 'snacks' and leave here according to the rules. Otherwise, you will definitely be killed."
Jingjing (Sister) looked down at the iron rod on the floor, bent to pick it up, and handed one to Jingjing. She said, "Sister, listen to Tong Yang. We can't look at them with human eyes."
"But..."
"Stop dawdling. After dealing with them, we'll find a way to force our way out."
Tong Yang gave the instruction, then headed towards the last few rows of the screening room.
In the time Jingjing hesitated, Chu Shiyu had already dealt with three or four.
There were hardly any people in the back rows. Tong Yang's purpose wasn't just to reduce threats, but to let Jingjing and the others get used to it, so they wouldn't be helpless and not know how to resist if they truly encountered danger. Besides, these beings were dying anyway.
After clearing out the last four rows, Tong Yang piled the bodies near the motion-sensor lights, leaving a clear path illuminated at their feet. Then she walked forward.
Although Jingjing's movements were clumsy and her expression tense, she acted with a certain decisiveness, inevitably getting blood on herself.
Tong Yang then looked at the other Jingjing. Her hands were trembling, her strikes hesitant, and she lacked sufficient strength. The wound on the seat pulsed, blood gushing out, clearly indicating it was still alive.
"Rather than torturing it like this, it's better to give it a quick end." Tong Yang said, arms crossed, her tone indifferent.
Jingjing immediately looked at her as if seeing a savior, pleading hopefully, "Tong Yang, please help me..."
"Not helping." Tong Yang cleanly dropped these words and walked down the steps without looking back.
Chu Shiyu had already finished off the things in the two rows. Seeing Tong Yang pass by, she shot her a resentful look and complained, "You deliberately picked the area with the fewest for yourself."
Tong Yang shrugged noncommittally. "I'll go check if the two doors can be opened first."
Although they probably wouldn't open.
She went to the emergency exit. The door was stuck tight and could only be opened from the outside.
Tong Yang then went to the door they had entered through. It was locked, remaining completely immovable no matter how she pushed or pulled.
Not long after, Chu Shiyu finished clearing the four rows on her side and came up behind her, glancing curiously. "What are you doing?"
Tong Yang inserted the flat end of the iron rod into the gap between the metal door and the floor, prying a part of it open.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Chu Shiyu frowned. "How long will it take you to pry it open like this?"
"Do you have a better idea?"
"No."
"Then shut up and go pry the other door."
Chu Shiyu pouted, turning to head towards the other emergency exit.
By the time Jingjing and the other one had finished cleaning up the things on the seats, Tong Yang had already pried open a part of the door gap, enough to fit a hand through, but far from enough to get out.
"Come and help..."
Before Tong Yang could finish her sentence, she suddenly heard a distinct click sound from the corridor just beyond the door.
She frowned, immediately stood up gripping the iron rod, and stared warily at the closed door.
Suddenly, the door moved slightly, then gently swung open inward, revealing the pitch-black corridor outside.
[What's happening?]
[It suddenly got so quiet.]
[Sister Tong?]
The door just opened like that?
"What's going on..." Jingjing started, but was cut off by Tong Yang raising her hand to stop her.
"Who's out there?" Tong Yang shouted.
Through the dark door crack, the tiled floor bathed in a faint blue glow was visible.
"Warning! Players in Theater Three, please abide by the game rules, or you will face severe punishment."
The broadcast sounded again, its tone turning icy and stern.
"Warning! Players in Theater Three, please abide by the game rules, or you will face severe punishment!"
"Warning! Players in Theater Three, please abide by the game rules, or you will face severe punishment!"
If at Third Middle School and Hailin International School, Tong Yang followed the rules because of the college entrance exam and Ye Wen's life, here she had no such concerns.
She wasn't asking the others to break the rules with her; even if punished, it had nothing to do with them.
Chu Shiyu sensed something unusual and ran over to them.
Outside the door remained utterly silent. Tong Yang tightened her grip on the iron rod, ready to attack.
However, at that moment, a head peeked out from behind the door, asking cautiously, "W-what are you all doing?"
The faint blue sensor light illuminated the face by the door. The hair was still intact—it was Hu Shuo from the A World.
"Why are you here?" Tong Yang relaxed slightly and asked.
Hu Shuo from the A World hid behind the door, looking around fearfully. "We gave the thing to the others, so we... What did you do? Why are you covered in blood?"
Tong Yang shook her head. "Come in and talk."
Hu Shuo from the A World hesitated for a few seconds but still stepped out from behind the door.
Tong Yang held the iron rod in one hand, the other resting on her waist, touching the butterfly knife tucked there. As long as Hu Shuo from the A World entered the screening room, she was confident she could kill him with one strike within this range.
Half of Hu Shuo from the A World's body emerged from behind the door. For some reason, his footsteps suddenly halted. He stared intently at Tong Yang and said, "It's too dark. I won't go in. You all come out."
Tong Yang said, "If we leave the screening room now, we'll completely break the rules and be punished. You come in first, then we can discuss it."
"It's fine, you come out. At worst, we'll all be punished together. Since we came in together, of course we should leave together."
"Hu Shuo, come in. We can talk about anything."
Hu Shuo from the A World's expression gradually darkened, his eyes reflecting a strange glint in the faint light. One hand on the doorframe, he slowly straightened up and said, "How did you recognize me?"
Tong Yang heard a sharp intake of breath behind her. Probably Jingjing didn't expect him to admit it so directly.
"Intuition." Tong Yang certainly wasn't going to explain the reason to him.
"Intuition?" The corner of Hu Shuo from the A World's mouth lifted, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. "Tong Yang, you really deserve to die."
Tong Yang calmly confronted him. "Oh? Can you manage that?"
Hu Shuo from the A World looked at her coldly and said, "We've been waiting for you for a long time. This time, we will definitely kill you with our own hands."
"You can try."
Judging from his reaction, he seemed unaware that Tong Yang could enter a time loop. "Tong Yang" hadn't told the others in the parallel world about this.
Hu Shuo from the A World didn't seem to intend to fight them directly. He gradually stepped back, saying, "Breaking the game rules, you will pay a heavy price."
"Then let's try. See if you kill me first, or if I slaughter every single one of you first."
"We'll see."
After saying this, all warmth left Hu Shuo from the A World's face, and his body vanished into the darkness.
"Phew... that scared me to death." Jingjing immediately let out a sigh of relief.
Despite Hu Shuo from the A World's harsh words, Tong Yang's expression remained anything but relaxed. He appeared here alone—what about Xu Junyue and the others who were with him in Theater Two? Could something have happened?
Moreover, Hu Shuo from the A World was clearly not just a mindless follower of orders or a mere slaughterer. Like "Tong Yang" and Dr. Wu, he would be difficult to deal with.
"I'll go out first. You follow behind me." Tong Yang said.
Matters had come to this; she certainly wouldn't obediently stay in the screening room just because of a warning.
Tong Yang kicked the half-open door until the handle hit the wall, making sure no one was behind it, then slowly stepped out of the screening room. Using the faint light from the number plate outside the theater, she saw the corridor was empty. Only then did she signal for the three behind her to follow.
"Players in Theater Three have broken the rules and will be forcibly eliminated!"
"Players in Theater Three have broken the rules and will be forcibly eliminated!"
"Players in Theater Three have broken the rules and will be forcibly eliminated!"
The warning echoed throughout the cinema, red lights flashing above the corridor.
"Our side will dispatch Order Enforcers for mandatory clearance!"
"Our side will dispatch Order Enforcers for mandatory clearance!"
"Our side will dispatch Order Enforcers for mandatory clearance!"
"Tong Yang! What do we do?" Jingjing asked nervously.
Tong Yang glanced sideways at the three. "Fight back."
"Anyone with an unfamiliar face, just attack directly."
"Tong Yang? Are you all out there?"
Not far away, Xu Junyue's voice sounded from behind the door of Theater Two.
Tong Yang quickly walked over. "Is Hu Shuo from the A World inside?"
Xu Junyue: "I don't know. He never showed up."
"He's from the parallel world."
"What happened with you all? Did you really eat that thing?"
Tong Yang: "No, we broke the rules and forced the door open to get out."
"Damn it! Can you open it from the outside? I don't want to follow any stupid rules, I'm going all out against them today!"
"It should be possible."
When A-Realm Hu Shuo opened the door of Screening Room Three from the outside, it didn't take much effort.
Tong Yang grabbed the door handle, pressed down hard, and sure enough, it opened!
These doors were similar to fire exit doors; they opened easily from the reverse side.
"Warning! Players in Screening Room Two, please comply with the game rules, or you will face severe punishment!"
"Warning! Players in Screening Room Two, please comply with the game rules, or you will face severe punishment!"
"Warning! Players in Screening Room Two, please comply with the game rules, or you will face severe punishment!"
"Wait a moment." B-Realm Zhou Jingyun, standing inside the doorway, suddenly blocked Xu Junyue's path.
"If we leave now and get forcibly eliminated, perhaps staying in the screening room is actually the safest option."
Tong Yang stood in the corridor, looking at the three inside the door: Xu Junyue, B-Realm Zhou Jingyun, and A-Realm Tao Bai. A-Realm Hu Shuo had already disappeared.
So, which realm do Zhou Jingyun and Tao Bai belong to?
She could recognize Chu Shiyu and Hu Shuo because she had spent a long time with the real ones, and their parallel-realm counterparts had revealed too many flaws. But how should she distinguish the remaining two?
"Of course, staying in the screening room is the safest. You can choose to stay inside," Tong Yang said.
Xu Junyue pushed his hand away and said, "Zhou Jingyun B, are you insane? Do you plan to stay in the screening room forever and eat the snacks and drinks they prepared for you?"
"Rather than being led around by the nose so miserably by the parallel realm, we might as well go all out and raise hell. So what if we die?" ()
[This little madwoman Xu Junyue is quite interesting]
Xi Jiaoyang reminds you that "The Horror Melon-Eating Group [Infinite]" is updated first on [].
Remember [()] Xi『Visit [] for the latest chapters. Complete chapters』()
[Little Xu is straightforward. If there's trouble, she really steps up; if there's a kill, she really does it.]
[That's why Sister Tong was able to recognize her so quickly.]
[I bet one vote, B-Realm Zhou Jingyun is fake.]
[I bet A-Realm. Zhou Jingyun liked to show off from the start.]
A-Realm Tao Bai showed a helpless expression and said, "Jingyun, this time I agree with Junyue. Rather than staying here, it's better to leave and figure things out together."
B-Realm Zhou Jingyun pursed his lips, "Then what about Hu Shuo?"
Tong Yang: "A-Realm Hu Shuo is from the parallel realm. Don't worry about him. Just be careful if we encounter him again."
"Think it over carefully. I'm going to check on the ones in Room One."
"Wait for me! I'm coming too!" Xu Junyue strode out of the screening room door, forcing Zhou Jingyun and Tao Bai to follow.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a scream came from behind.
Tong Yang turned around in surprise. Xu Junyue's body was facing forward, but her arm was twisted behind her back, holding a gleaming dagger. Part of the blade was buried in B-Realm Zhou Jingyun's neck.
Jingjing covered her eyes in terror. The distance was too close; blood had splattered onto her face.
Seeing Tong Yang look at her, Xu Junyue put on an innocent expression and said, "Once we confirm he's not the real Zhou Jingyun, we can just kill him directly, right?"
Tong Yang glanced at her, "Mm."
B-Realm Zhou Jingyun stood frozen in place, looking down at the blade stuck in his body, warm blood dyeing his clothes crimson.
After a long moment, he lifted his head and asked suspiciously, "Why?"
Xu Junyue "pfft" pulled the butterfly knife back out, nonchalantly saying, "Because the usual Zhou Jingyun isn't as wishy-washy as you. I've been annoyed with you for a long time."
B-Realm Zhou Jingyun slowly blinked and said, "I see."
Xu Junyue: "Even though you look the same, if you pay close attention, you can still tell the difference."
"Xu Junyue, what if you killed the wrong one?"
"Go to jail."
B-Realm Zhou Jingyun raised a hand to cover his neck. The blood loss was too rapid; his body gradually lost temperature. He staggered backward, leaning against the wall, blood staining a large area red.
"You broke the rules... you deserve to die... deserve to die..."
Gradually, his voice grew weaker and weaker, and he fell to the ground, eyes wide open in anger.
Sure enough, B-Realm Zhou Jingyun's corpse did not disappear. He was indeed from the parallel realm.
"Yes! I guessed right!" Xu Junyue cheered excitedly, holding up two fingers.
[Huh??]
[Damn! So you were just guessing?!]
[Her guts are really huge. What if she guessed wrong?]
Tong Yang didn't react much. Xu Junyue acted so swiftly; she probably had at least eighty percent certainty in her heart.
"Tong Yang, did you recognize Classmate Chu?"
Tong Yang nodded, "Mm, she's the real one."
Xu Junyue said, "A-Realm Hu Shuo is fake, B-Realm Zhou Jingyun is fake, A-Realm Chu Shiyu is fake..."
At this point, she turned to look at Tao Bai, whose expression hadn't changed, "Now you're the only one left."
A-Realm Tao Bai said earnestly, "I'm really the real one."
"No proof." Xu Junyue had a sudden inspiration, "How about you kill yourself? If the body disappears, it proves you're the real one. Then we'll avenge you and kill the other Tao Bai. How about that?"
"This solution is simply flawless! And I won't have to go to jail either!"
A-Realm Tao Bai gave her a deep look, "I refuse!"
"Players in Screening Room Two have broken the rules and will be forcibly eliminated!"
"Players in Screening Room Two have broken the rules and will be forcibly eliminated!"
"Players in Screening Room Two have broken the rules and will be forcibly eliminated!"
"Our side will dispatch Order Enforcers for mandatory clearance!"
"Our side will dispatch Order Enforcers for mandatory clearance!"
"Our side will dispatch Order Enforcers for mandatory clearance!"
The warning broadcast sounded again.
Tong Yang: "Since we pretty much know who's from the parallel realm now, let's go. To Screening Room One."
Apart from the vanished A-Realm Hu Shuo and the killed B-Realm Zhou Jingyun, the remaining six headed towards Screening Room One.
It wasn't clear what exactly the "clearance" mentioned in the broadcast meant, but it certainly wasn't anything simple. Better to join up with the others, resolve the internal conflicts, and then make plans.
The players in Room One were: A-Realm Chu Shiyu (already confirmed to be from the parallel realm); B-Realm Hu Shuo (the real Hu Shuo from the reality realm); A-Realm Zhou Jingyun (with the other Zhou Jingyun already killed, his identity was naturally clear); and then B-Realm Tao Bai, the only one whose identity remained unclear.
Tong Yang opened the safety passage door from the outside. Room One was unusually quiet. The image on the large screen showed two salesclerks who were eating frantically, blood smeared around their mouths, a section of pale white finger bone visible.
In the seats, there were also figures similar to those in Room Three, with sunken eyes and wide sleeves covering their fingers. Yet in the eerie scene, a faint, rustling chewing sound could be heard.
Tong Yang strode inside, looking towards the source of the sound. A-Realm Chu Shiyu was crouched in her seat, hands clutching a pale severed finger, stuffing it into her mouth. Her eyes gleamed excitedly as she watched the large screen, then she grabbed a drink and took a satisfied sip.
B-Realm Tao Bai sat in the same row as her, holding a severed finger, elegantly bringing it to his mouth. His teeth bit into the flesh, chewing unhurriedly.
"Tong Yang? Why did you break the rules?" Chu Shiyu from World A frowned at her in confusion. "Before they arrive, you should hurry back to the screening room and eat the thing."
Tao Bai from World B revealed a harmless smile. "Don't be afraid. As long as you follow the rules, nothing will happen."
Tong Yang's face was gloomy, her eyes scanning the seats, not seeing Hu Shuo and Zhou Jingyun.
She had originally been considering how to determine who was the real Tao Bai, but now it seemed completely unnecessary. Who belonged to which parallel world was obvious at a glance.
"Where are they?" Tong Yang asked.
Chu Shiyu from World A licked the corner of her lips with lingering pleasure and pointed at two blurry figures on the steps. "There they are."
"Dead?"
Chu Shiyu from World A shook her head. "No. It's not within the permitted scope of the rules. I can't kill them for now."
Tao Bai from World B kindly explained, "They fainted from fright."
The others entered Screening Room No. 1 and, seeing the two figures continuously chewing, unanimously made retching sounds.
Chu Shiyu and Tao Bai from their own world turned their heads away even more disgustedly, unwilling to look any longer.
"Chu Shiyu" licked her fingers, her eyes curved as she looked at Tong Yang. "I've seen you before, in that filthy place. If you're willing, you can be with us."
Tong Yang looked at her quietly. The "you" in the other's mouth should refer to the "Tong Yang" from the parallel world.
"Do you know how long it took us to plan this game? What a pity. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had to work so hard."
"She said you were very smart, told me to watch myself?" She grinned, revealing a mouthful of crimson teeth, and giggled. "But you're so stupid. You could have just looked for loopholes in the rules like before, found a way to slip back to the Shadow Realm. What a shame."
Tong Yang scoffed. "You call our world the 'Shadow Realm'?"
"Isn't it? A world just like ours is a shadow realm."
"Just like yours? Our worlds are not the same." Tong Yang crossed her arms, her smile sarcastic. "Whose slaves are you? Whose orders do you follow?"
"Hmm... you wouldn't know."
"Tao Bai" smiled and said, "Don't mind us. If you want to take them away, please go ahead."
"Considering we spent an hour together, tell me the truth. How do we leave this place?"
"Chu Shiyu" narrowed her eyes contentedly and said, "Aren't you so smart? Guess."
Her gaze swept over the crowd behind Tong Yang, laughing. "Perhaps you all can manage it."
Tong Yang nodded. "So, that means the eight of us possess the basic conditions to leave here, right?"
"Who knows."
Xu Junyue walked up the steps, picked up one of the unconscious figures on the ground, and gestured for them to lend a hand. They propped up Hu Shuo and Zhou Jingyun and brought them back to Tong Yang's side.
Then, Xu Junyue turned around and gave the two on the seats an internationally friendly gesture. "We'll see."
"See you in a bit."
Tong Yang didn't choose to directly fight them. The urgent task was to wake up these two who had fainted first; otherwise, they wouldn't even be able to run later.
The group left Screening Room No. 1, and the broadcast immediately sounded.
"Players from Screening Room No. 1 have broken the rules and will be forcibly eliminated!"
"Players from Screening Room No. 1 have broken the rules and will be forcibly eliminated!"
"Players from Screening Room No. 1 have broken the rules and will be forcibly eliminated!"
"Our side will dispatch Order Maintainers for forced clearance!"
"Our side will dispatch Order Maintainers for forced clearance!"
"Our side will dispatch Order Maintainers for forced clearance!"
Although it wasn't clear what would happen next, at least the eight of them were gathered together again.
"Let's find a safe place first and see what's wrong with them," Tong Yang said.
Even though Tong Yang was the youngest among them, after experiencing so much, no one continued to underestimate her.
The eight exited the screening room corridor and returned to the cinema lobby.
The two concession staff were nowhere to be seen. From behind the counter came the sound of teeth clashing against bone.
Tong Yang signaled for them to place the unconscious ones on chairs and find a way to wake them up, then she herself walked towards the counter.
The two staff members were leaning against the counter, stuffing food into their mouths. On the ground were many scattered bits of meat and bone fragments.
"Knock knock—"
Suddenly, the counter behind them was tapped.
The staff member looked up in confusion, mouth full of blood, and stood up. "Customer, do you have—"
A flash of white light passed before their eyes. A red line appeared across their throat, and blood sprayed onto Tong Yang's face.
The staff member's expression froze on their face, their body tilting towards the ground.
Beside the male staff member, the side gate was pushed open. A blood-stained sharp weapon plunged into the top of his head with a squelch. His body convulsed uncontrollably before he finally lost his life and fell to the ground.
Tong Yang wiped the blood from her face, her expression numb as she turned to walk back.
Hu Shuo and Zhou Jingyun had been pinched on their philtrums and the webbing between thumb and forefinger, but still hadn't woken up.
"Try pinching his nose shut," Tong Yang suggested, walking up to Hu Shuo.
"Let me try." Jingjing(Sister) pinched his nose shut. After a few seconds, the intense shock of suffocation caused the sleeping Hu Shuo to involuntarily open his mouth wide, suddenly open his eyes, and sit up from the ground.
"Are you okay?" Chu Shiyu bent down to ask.
Hu Shuo's eyes were wide with terror, seemingly not yet aware of his surroundings. His gaze was vacant, unfocused.
He gasped for breath in large gulps, drenched in sweat. Reason returned as his pupils gradually cleared. The moment he saw Chu Shiyu's face clearly, he hugged his head and let out a shrill scream.
"Ah!!!"
"Don't eat me!!! Don't make me eat!!!"
Chu Shiyu: "..."
[Tsk tsk tsk! Look how scared the kid is!]
[How could he say such rude things to a beautiful sister?]
[Though he's pitiful, hahaha]
Tong Yang furrowed her brows and kicked him. "Keep your voice down."
Hu Shuo pointed at Chu Shiyu, trembling with fear.
Chu Shiyu gave him a disdainful look. "Coward."
Tao Bai stepped forward to comfort him. "Hu Shuo, don't worry. You're out of the screening room now. We're not those two."
Hu Shuo looked at them, still shaken, taking a full half minute to barely regain his composure.
On the other side, Jingjing used the same method to wake Zhou Jingyun.
Zhou Jingyun, having studied emotion and expression management, had his pupils contract sharply the moment he saw Chu Shiyu and Tao Bai, but he didn't scream and shout like Hu Shuo.
"Are we safe?" Zhou Jingyun sat up, recalling what had just happened, still looking terrified.
Xu Junyue frowned. "To be accurate, we've become more dangerous."
Tong Yang nodded. "Right. But you can choose to go back to the screening room and follow the rules."
"Impossible!" Hu Shuo shook his head in resistance. "Absolutely not! I won't go back either! I'd rather die!"
Zhou Jingyun, pale-faced, said, "No matter what, Hu Shuo and I are not going back to the screening room."
"As long as you don't regret it."
Tong Yang gathered everyone together. "Based on my past experience, 'clearance' in the broadcast most likely means killing all of us. But right now, we have nowhere to go."
"You've experienced this kind of thing before?"
"That's too terrifying! Didn't you call the police?"
"You think the police would believe it?"
Hu Shuo shook his head. "If I hadn't experienced it myself, I wouldn't believe it no matter how convincingly you described it."
"Not only have I experienced this kind of thing, but Chu Shiyu and Xu Junyue have too. I warned them before we came in here that this place might also be dangerous."
"Xu Junyue?! You knew there was danger and you didn't tell us?"
Xu Junyue looked innocent. "I did! I said this place was dangerous, that terrifying and bizarre things happen here, and then you said terrifying and bizarre things happen here anyway, so we came together."
Hu Shuo's face turned green. "I thought you were fucking joking with me."
"I wasn't."
"Tong Yang, what about you? Knowing there might be danger, why did you still get involved?" Tao Bai asked, puzzled.
"Because I accidentally learned that there exists a parallel version of one of you, so I wanted to find that one and kill it."
Upon hearing this, Jingjing immediately became alert and quickly shielded Jingjing(Sister) behind her.
Tong Yang glanced at her and said, "If I wanted to kill her, you couldn't stop me."
Xu Junyue said, "For the common good of humanity, I also think Jingjing(Sister) should be killed."
Tao Bai asked with a serious expression, "Is it absolutely necessary to kill Jingjing(Sister)?"
Tong Yang shook her head. "Not for now."
"According to what Jingjing(Sister) says, there can only be fifty like her in the real world. If we kill her, it opens up a slot, and others from the parallel world can use the same method to merge into the real world." Tong Yang's gaze swept over the silent Jingjing(Sister). "At least in my view, she is somewhat safer than the vast majority of those in the parallel world."
Jingjing's eyes lit up. "So you won't kill Jingjing(Sister)?"
"Mm," Tong Yang nodded. "Provided she poses no threat."
"Great! I know Jingjing(Sister), she won't hurt us!"
Jingjing(Sister) lifted her head and looked sincerely at Tong Yang, saying, "Thank you for being willing to trust me."
Tong Yang shook her head. "I don't trust you. I only trust my own intuition."
After her experience with Ye Huai, Tong Yang vaguely realized that even in the parallel world, filled with unknowns and dangers, just like the real world, there are good and bad people. Although most people from the parallel world are disgustingly vile, Tong Yang knew she couldn't possibly kill everyone from there.
So, as long as they posed no threat to the real world or to herself, Tong Yang wouldn't harm the innocent.
Moreover, she had an intuition that Jingjing(Sister)'s existence was extremely important.
"So what should we do now? How can we get back to the real world?"
Tong Yang shook her head: "I don't know."
"If we follow the original game rules, after passing this level, we should enter the ninth floor. Completing the game on the ninth floor would allow us to return to the real world. But here, there's only an escalator leading to the seventh floor. Moreover, we've already broken the game rules. We can only find our own way back before we get killed."
Jingjing said, "We could try going back to the rest area on the seventh floor. Weren't we repeatedly shuttling through space there before?"
Tong Yang's expression was grave. "At that time, we were already within the passage connecting the two worlds. The conditions for actively and passively entering the parallel world seem to be different."
At Third Middle School and Nameless Slope, they were pulled into the parallel world without any instructions, indicating that passive entry might not require any conditions at all.
But actively entering and exiting the parallel world...
The first active entry was under Dr. Wu's instructions. The second time was here, in the interstitial layer between the two worlds, shuttling back and forth repeatedly under the instructions from the broadcast.
However, later, Bureau 749 tried using the "Elevator Game" but failed to successfully enter the parallel world.
Why?
What's different between the two situations?
Location? Time? Weather?
Does it not work unless it's that specific day? Or that specific weather?
The conditions shouldn't be that strict.
Tong Yang furrowed her brows, trying hard to recall the similarities between the incident with Dr. Wu and this current event.
Creating order out of chaos, then having chaos break that order. Even with individual choices involved, they were still able to successfully shuttle through space.
And, "Chu Shiyu's" earlier implication was that they had already met the basic conditions for shuttling between worlds.
Conditions? What conditions?
What's different about them? Or rather, what similarities exist between their current situation and the one with Dr. Wu back then?
Similarities...
The similarities between these instances of actively entering and exiting the parallel world?
The first active entry into the parallel world was under Dr. Wu's instructions. The first active exit from the parallel world was under Ye Huai's instructions.
At that time, he wanted to bring the real world's Ye Tianlin into the parallel world.
And this time, the frequent shuttling within the interstitial layer was under the instructions from the broadcast.
Their common point...
Suddenly, Tong Yang felt a jolt like an electric current run down her spine.
She got it! The eight of them indeed met the condition!
She knew how to leave the parallel world!!
