Players, Please Board the Train

His brows slightly furrowed. ”We thought opening the main gate must require some kind of switch mechanism or a key—at the very least, one crucial item similar to a key, and that without it, the gate couldn’t possibly be opened.”

”But this information came from Lin Pei.”

”What do you mean? Was he deliberately misleading us?” Gu Yu stopped what she was doing.

”Not necessarily. He might genuinely believe he’s looking for a ’key’ himself. We assumed he was looking for a ’key,’ so we started looking for a ’key’ too. But leaving the dungeon might not necessarily require opening the main gate.”

”Are you saying there’s another way to exit the dungeon?” Gu Yu thought for a moment. ”That doesn’t make sense. If there really was another way, why would Lin Pei go through the trouble of helping us lure the Mutants away from the gate?”

”He didn’t seem like he was acting when we were killing the Mutants,” Shen Yi added.

Xu Huo said, ”Lin Pei learned of a method to leave the town through some unknown channel, but his method isn’t necessarily correct.”

Everyone present was stunned for a moment, then Shen Yi slapped his own forehead. ”Right! We’ve been talking all this time assuming he definitely knows how to get out and that we need to beat him to it. We never stopped to consider if he might be wrong!”

”How stupid! We actually trusted that scoundrel Lin Pei completely. If he had that kind of capability, he wouldn’t still be unable to find a way out by now.” Gu Yu laughed along, then added, ”I think our initial idea was reliable. The gate is connected to electrical wires, so there must be a control mechanism somewhere.”

”That’s not necessarily true,” Xu Huo said. ”If there was a switch mechanism, even if it wasn’t in an obvious place, it should have been found by now.””Although the town is sealed, people still come and go. There’s no need to make the gate mechanism extremely hidden.”

”The reason we can’t find the key anywhere might be because the main gate simply doesn’t have a ’key,’ just like the rooms here.”

”Are you saying the door should actually be easy to open?” Ke Liang asked doubtfully. ”But we tried every method just now and couldn’t open it.”

”Dong! Dong!”

”It’s nine o’clock! Nine o’clock! It’s the perfect time for studying. A child who learns one new thing every day is a good child.”

”Today’s question is: which hour of the twelve does Master Nise cherish the most?”

The electronic voice sounded from next door. After hearing it, Xu Huo immediately left Master Nise’s residence and entered the small building beside it.

Gu Yu and the others, not understanding what was happening, followed him.

”What is he doing?” Shen Xin instinctively asked, but Gu Yu stopped her with a hand gesture.

The group arrived before the clock that had just announced the time. Xu Huo stepped forward and tapped on the glass door of the wall clock. ”I didn’t hear the question clearly. Say it again.”

Xu Huo stared at the hands on the clock face, one hand slipping into his pocket—gem watch, magnifying glass, candy, little strawberry mirror...

”Twelve o’clock. Master Nise cherishes midnight twelve o’clock the most.”

”Doo-doo! Answer correct!”

”The Puzzle Solver has provided the correct answer. Master Nise has decided to reward you with one little strawberry hair clip.”

Xu Huo took the hair clip spat out by the clock, turned around, and said to Gu Yu and the others, ”The large clock on top of the mayor’s office building—its second hand glows every night at twelve o’clock. At that time, light reflects off the main gate. I’ve noticed it doesn’t happen at other times.”

”What does that have to do with anything?” Shen Yi didn’t understand.

”If the town’s main gate doesn’t need a key, then how does it open and close?” Xu Huo asked.

”The Pit Cage!” Shen Xin had a sudden inspiration. ”It opens and closes automatically through a gate mechanism; it doesn’t require manual control at all. It automatically closes and opens at set times. The town’s main gate must work on the same principle!”

”Exactly right,” Xu Huo nodded. ”The main gate isn’t manually controlled, so there must be automatic opening and closing times. Midnight twelve o’clock is a special time; the gate might open then.”

”Are you saying we just need to wait in front of the gate until midnight twelve o’clock?” Gu Yu couldn’t believe it would be that easy.

”We can test it at regular intervals. We’ll have results within 24 hours. If the inference is wrong, we’ll think of another method,” Xu Huo said.

His calm certainty acted like a stabilizing pill, giving Gu Yu, Ke Liang, and the others tremendous confidence.

”Then which gate should we choose?” Wang Chaoqing asked with a happy smile. ”How about drawing lots?”

”Common sense suggests both gates should be the same,” Xu Huo said. ”However, we’ve already tested the east gate a few times and can eliminate some time periods. Let’s go to the east gate first.”

”Alright then, to the east gate!”

”What about Lin Pei? Shouldn’t we do something about him?” Shen Xin hesitated before asking.

”The town is so big; where would we even look for him? Rather than wasting energy searching for someone, it’s better to focus on finding a way out sooner,” Shen Yi said. ”We’ll just stay alert and keep an eye out.”

The small truck got back on the road. This time, however, unlike during the journey there, everyone’s faces looked much more relaxed. Gu Yu even began humming a tune.

”Aren’t you a film and television star? You can sing too?” Shen Yi asked with a laugh.

”Film, television, and music—a triple-threat star. I’m not joking,” Gu Yu said, clearing her throat before starting to sing a little tune she wrote herself. Shen Yi and Ke Liang clapped along to the beat.

Xu Huo, looking pleased, polished his long sword, seemingly infected by this happiness as well.

They couldn’t go a day without preparing food, so they found some snacks along the way and brought some water. It was almost twelve o’clock by the time they reached the east gate.

”After we get out, I’m going to eat hotpot for three days straight,” Shen Yi said, chewing on chocolate. ”Just thinking about the taste makes me drool now.”

”Me too, me too,” Shen Xin nodded like a pecking chick. ”I’ve never been this hungry in my entire life. I could eat an entire cow!”

”Then you two should come with me to Capital City. I’ll treat you to all the authentic local delicacies until you’re full,” Gu Yu said with immense generosity.

The siblings laughed. ”Wouldn’t a big star like you be busy?”

”No matter how busy I am, I have to make time for friends.” Gu Yu glanced at Xu Huo. ”If you come, I’ll definitely personally accompany you. I’ll arrange everything, including accommodation. Don’t worry about money.”

Her real interest wasn’t in the wine [idiom: she had an ulterior motive]. Shen Xin poked her brother’s arm and snickered.

Shen Yi and Ke Liang envied Xu Huo’s luck with romance. The former asked, ”Brother Xu, we’re all planning to go to Capital City to try our luck after we get out. Aren’t you coming?”

”Not planning on it for now,” Xu Huo said, finishing his biscuit leisurely. Noticing Gu Yu had squeezed the chocolate until it melted but wasn’t eating it, he reached out his hand. ”If you can’t eat it, give it to me.”

Gu Yu sharply flicked his palm with her finger, shifted her footing to turn her back to him, and stuffed the chocolate into her own mouth.

”Not knowing how lucky you are when fortune smiles upon you,” Wang Chaoqing clicked his tongue nearby, then moved closer to Gu Yu’s side. ”Miss Gu, do you think I have any prospects?”

Gu Yu turned to size him up. She actually thought he was promising material. His trait, Shadow, seemed very weak currently, but had huge potential.

Just as she was about to speak, Xu Huo suddenly reached out and pressed his hand on Wang Chaoqing’s shoulder, saying with a smile, ”You’re coming with me.”

Wang Chaoqing’s eyebrows and eyes drooped. ”Brother, small places have no future for making money. Your little brother here wants to earn big money.”

”Don’t worry, I’ll introduce you to a place where you can earn big money later,” Xu Huo patted him.

Wang Chaoqing was angry but didn’t dare show it. He glanced at Gu Yu, only to find she had already withdrawn that bit of interest. His hope for a complete transformation was instantly cut off, and he moved back to his original spot without another word.

Soon, the sky darkened. The group gathered some dry branches, started a fire, and then turned off their flashlights.

They waited until a little past eleven at night.

”It’s almost twelve o’clock,” Ke Liang said nervously, swallowing hard.

Xu Huo’s watch was synchronized with the large clock. When the second hand jumped to twelve, he nodded to those beside him. Together with Ke Liang and Gu Yu, he stepped forward to push the gate.

They exerted great force, but unexpectedly, the gate at this time was completely different from before. With just a light press, it dented inward, then slowly began to rise upward:

”The gate is opening!”