The Scorching Sun - 29

 Since they were going out for the weekend and the escape room was located near the city center, Fang Zhuo couldn't exactly show up in her school uniform.

She didn't own many casual clothes, so there wasn't much to choose from. After hesitating for a few seconds, she pulled on a black hoodie. She headed into the corridor empty-handed, but the morning breeze sweeping through the hallway made her realize it was colder than expected, so she went back and added a white jacket.

Yan Lie also lived on campus. They had agreed to meet downstairs outside the dormitory building.

This time, Fang Zhuo left ten minutes early. He was already there when she reached the ground floor. Yan Lie had one foot propped on the edge of the flowerbed, his body swaying slightly, spacing out from sheer boredom.

The moment their eyes met, both of them froze briefly.

Because today, Yan Lie was wearing a white hoodie with a black jacket, and even the cut was somewhat similar. Standing together at a glance, the harmony of their colors was almost glaringly conspicuous.

Fang Zhuo thought to herself, swap jackets and add a hat, and the two of them could cosplay as messengers from the underworld.

Yan Lie was probably thinking along the same lines. His gaze lingered on her for a moment before quickly shifting away, only to return again in an obvious attempt to appear casual.

Smiling, he said, "Fate."

He hopped down from the flower bed and waved cheerfully. "Let's go."

On a holiday morning, the campus was completely deserted. The empty walkways looked like a photograph frozen in time, leaving only two figures in black and white moving through the frame.

During the night, ginkgo leaves had rustled down in droves and blanketed the ground, swept off in every direction by the wind. The leaves lying flat in the middle of the path hadn't yet picked up much, still bright as little golden fans.

Fang Zhuo detoured around them instead of stepping on them.

Yan Lie slowed his pace and waited patiently for her to catch up.

When they walked out through the school gates, the security guard stared at them for an unusually long time.

That pointed gaze continued to prick at Fang Zhuo's back, and even after they'd walked a fair distance away, she still felt its phantom residue.

Following the navigation app, Yan Lie led the way.

When the bus arrived, he gestured for Fang Zhuo to board first. Afterward, he sat beside her in the rear corner, safely out of the sunlight.

The scenery outside the window rushed past in a blur. Dappled light and shadow flickered across Yan Lie's profile, alternating between brightness and darkness.

After several stop announcements, he lowered his head to send a message.

By the time they got off, Wei Xi and the others were already waiting near the stop to meet them.

Shen Musi, Zhao Jiayou, plus Wei Xi and her two roommates, made five people in total.

Seeing the two of them walk up one after the other, Weixi's eyes went wide with surprise. She leaned her head back and asked uncertainly, "Did you two plan this?"

Fang Zhuo replied, "We both live on campus. Of course we agreed to come together."

Wei Xi nodded, though she clearly wasn't fully convinced.

Shen Musi was clutching a rolled-up flyer in his hand. He hurried them along, talking as they walked, and spent the entire journey deploying his less-than-stellar promotional skills to enthusiastically pitch everyone on the castle-themed escape room.

After about ten minutes, they finally arrived at the shop he wouldn't shut up about.

The owner was a middle-aged man with a small tuft of a beard on his chin. He was sprawled lazily over the counter, staring at a computer screen. Even when customers entered, he barely opened his eyes, merely tapping a stack of brochures on the counter to indicate they could browse for themselves.

A younger employee nearby was much more proactive and came over to explain the available options.

While everyone asked questions, Fang Zhuo swept her gaze around the shop.

The walls were plastered with advertisements.

Depending on the group size and difficulty, prices ranged from seventy or eighty to over two hundred. Fang Zhuo mentally calculated the per-person cost and figured it was acceptable.

Then another thought occurred to her.

For over two hundred yuan, you could hire two NPCs to accompany you for two full hours. Human labor really didn't seem to be worth much.

The adult world was truly a grind.

The so-called deluxe version Shen Musi kept talking about was the shop's newest immersive live-action escape room.

It featured two to three NPCs, recommended groups of six to eight players, and a two-hour time limit to clear the game.

Put simply, it was a combination of a haunted house and an escape room.

Fang Zhuo had never tried either, but she at least understood the concept of a haunted house. Her first reaction was to glance at Yan Lie.

Would this guy, who was terrified of ghosts, actually agree to play a game like this?

Shen Musi was listening to the details with excitement, apparently oblivious to his good buddy's weakness. Zhao Jiayou didn't react much either, huddling close to get the rundown.

So Fang Zhuo's gaze completed a full circle before landing on Yan Lie once more.

She raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry.

Yan Lie chuckled. Understanding instantly, he said, "I'll handle the puzzles. You protect me. Deal?"

Shen Musi abruptly interrupted his passionate sales pitch.

Afraid they might back out, he rushed to declare, "I'll protect you! Lie Lie, just stay close to me! Zhuo-jie, you stick with Jiayou!"

Yan Lie said, "Your Zhuo-jie isn't afraid of ghosts."

Shen Musi immediately turned to recruit the other teammates. "Then Lie-lie, you stick with Zhuo-jie! Wei Xi, you guys follow me!"

Wei Xi honestly didn't trust him much. This kid basically had the words "all enthusiasm, zero skill" tattooed across his forehead.

Yan Lie pulled out his phone and went to scan the payment QR code. The owner handed him a walkie-talkie. He didn't take it, just gestured for someone else to take it.

Shen Musi reached for it, but Weixi snatched it first. "I'll hold onto it," she said. "Makes me feel safer. If we get split up, we can ask the boss to rescue us."

Shen Musi didn't care. He was convinced he'd never need it.

Instead, he asked, "If we beat the challenge, can I have the prize?"

Yan Lie laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not fighting you for it."

The staff member confirmed their room and came back to escort them in. Shen Musi and Zhao Jiayou immediately charged forward like horses that had just broken free of their reins.

Yan Lie deliberately fell back to the very rear of the group and waited for Fang Zhuo to catch up so they could walk side by side.

Fang Zhuo privately wondered how this was going to work. She hadn't brought a bag today, so there was no backpack strap for him to grab onto.

Yan Lie genuinely seemed a little nervous, sticking practically right on her heels.

Amid loud chatter, the group twisted and turned through a narrow corridor and arrived at the entrance to the escape room.

The soundproofing in this area was excellent.

Fang Zhuo could no longer hear any of the noise from the busy streets. Instead, she picked up a muffled thrum, something like an electrical current.

Whenever conversation stopped, even their footsteps sounded unusually loud.

The sealed environment and abruptly dimmed lighting created an oppressive atmosphere.

Even Fang Zhuo found it a little eerie.

She instinctively pulled Yan Lie over to stand against the wall.

The staff member grinned, waved at them, swiftly shut the wooden door, and announced that the timer had started.

Shen Musi's overheated brain showed no signs of cooling down. Flashlight in hand, he marched ahead like a pioneer. The moment he encountered a locked door, he turned around and shouted, "Find the key!"

Fang Zhuo felt completely disconnected from the rules of the game. She genuinely didn't understand why people paid money to imprison themselves.

Yan Lie patiently explained it to her and guided her through the process. Before long, he pried a magnet out of a small groove in the wall, then used it to hunt for other tools.

Fang Zhuo remained unconvinced. "That doesn't seem very logical."

"It's just about having fun. What you're really going for is the thrill," Yan Lie said with a grin, though his voice trembled slightly. "Actually, once you've played a few times, you start recognizing the patterns. A lot of clues are hidden in similar ways."

Fang Zhuo felt that thrill-seeking games had limited appeal for the two of them specifically.

One was far too scared, the other was far too fearless.

Yan Lie was still relatively composed for the moment. He offered, "I'll show you how it works."

By then, Shen Musi and the others had already wandered off in search of clues.

Teacher Yan took Fang Zhuo exploring for quite a while but couldn't find anywhere to actually use the magnet.

Not long afterward, Shen Musi's group somehow discovered a clue and successfully opened the door.

His triumphant shout echoed through the room, calling them over.

Teacher Yan, whose tutorial had ended in complete failure, weighed the magnet in his hand and laughed awkwardly. "Heh. Alright, respect."

Fang Zhuo: "..."

Why bother playing the game? Just watching Yan Lie alone was entertaining enough.

Clearly unwilling to accept defeat, Yan Lie became determined to redeem himself.

His courage even seemed to swell. He dared to venture a full three steps away from Fang Zhuo, taking the lead.

Rather than following the others, he searched stubbornly for overlooked clues and repeatedly investigated the same corridor.

A row of gloomy paintings hung on the unpainted wall, framed in mismatched styles and arranged at staggered heights.

Yan Lie was studying the paintings with a furrowed brow. Fang Zhuo stood nearby stroking her chin, studying his performance.

Unlike the quiet on their end, Shen Musi's group was making a constant racket.

They barreled into a small room and discovered a coffin inside.

Zhao Jiayou, having too much free time and not enough caution, accidentally triggered a mechanism.

A skeleton accompanied by dramatic background music suddenly sprang from the coffin, sending them all into shrieking hysterics as they turned tail and fled.

Halfway through their escape, they spotted the black-and-white duo standing calmly behind them.

The fresh shock triggered another round of horrified screaming.

In his terror, Shen Musi didn't even recognize them.

Throwing his arms wide open, he charged directly toward them.

Just as he was about to collide with Fang Zhuo, Yan Lie reached out, caught him by the shoulders, and pinned him against the wall.

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