Chapter 178: Despicable Me (Part 3)
Chapter 178: Despicable Me (Part 3)
You may have noticed a certain trick played by hosts on guessing-game variety shows. For example, when three screens stand before the contestant, the host announces that a brand new car hides behind one screen while the other two conceal nothing. Then comes the contestant's choice.
Contestant picks Screen One. The host, knowing exactly where the car hides, strides to Screen Three and flips it open - nothing there. Then he leans toward the contestant and asks, "Would you like to stick with Screen One? Or change your choice?"
Most people stubbornly cling to their initial decision, victims of paranoia or fear that the host's reverse psychology seeks to trap them. But statistically speaking, regardless of emotional factors, changing choices based on probability mathematics always makes sense - the contestant should switch to Screen Two.
Feng Bu Jue's decision to avoid the first door resulted from careful calculations. Whether that earlier vision of his time-space overlapping self had been real or hallucination, whether it served as distraction or clue, mattered little. Choosing alternative corridors kept potion-finding probability steady while significantly lowering danger risk compared to entering Door One.
Prioritizing exploration of other paths also served as cross-validation. Once gathering more scenario data, he might decipher that mysterious vision accurately.
Tap-tap-tap... thunderous footsteps echoed through the corridor.
After entering Door Three, Feng Bu Jule sprinted like a purple panther racing through the hallway. He knew better than to waste time in these monotonous corridors. Twenty-three minutes had already burned away with no potion found, and even after securing one he'd likely face chainsaw-door puzzles - those adrenaline-pumping, body-punching games that could kill you in real life or leave permanent psychological trauma. Here in Terrifying Paradise? Poor performance meant heavy vitality loss or even losing his Contra Medal.
That【Jazzy moves】skill surviving the last scenario proved lucky - the speed boost and reduced stamina consumption now bought him precious time.
"Eh?" Feng Bu Jue spotted an unexpected sight mid-corridor - a wooden door, ancient and weathered.
This corridor's middle section held surprises. While he'd assumed these boring passageways only connected Flag locations while draining playertime through monotony, apparently some hidden rooms existed. He stopped abruptly, grabbed the doorknob without hesitation. Why not check? Who said potions only waited at corridor's end? With unknown corridor length and uncertain rewards, this doorway's mystery deserved investigation.
The door opened silently - no creaky wood groans. Corridor lights vanished beyond the threshold swallowed by darkness. Feng Bu Jue retrieved his flashlight first, sweeping beams inward before stepping inside.
The small empty room contained no furniture, only stacked cardboard boxes and empty baskets in corners. Surprisingly, a window existed - sealed behind thick iron plating. No other doors. No carpeting. Floor texture differed - worn, uneven, worm-infested patterns marring its surface.
Though no immediate clues or items presented themselves, Feng Bu Jule confirmed two things: definitely no people hiding here, and no possible hiding spots.
After fifteen seconds observation, he strode inside.
The moment both feet crossed the threshold, icy coldness pierced his bones like winter's sharpest chill. This wasn't psychological - real, physical cold.
"Whoa... some aircon? Just one step outside this door was room temperature..." He joked casually despite the chill.
Raising his flashlight for better inspection, he turned to examine shadowed corners when behind him - the door closed silently, exactly as it had opened.
"Closing again?" Feng Bu Jule scoffed at this claustrophobic trap, yanking the doorknob. Effort wasted. The door held firm.
Trapped inside, cold intensified. His breath came heavier, flashlight beams revealing visible white puffs escaping his mouth.
"Fine fine... classic time-wasting trap. Need puzzle-solving to escape, right?" Shaking his head, he began thorough room inspection.
Checking all four corners revealed nothing unusual. Approaching those cardboard boxes and baskets, suddenly - he felt it.
A gaze, watching from above.
Slowly tilting his head upward, flashlight followed. There - floating near the ceiling center, a dark shadowy figure. Form unclear, vaguely humanoid. It clung to the ceiling like a light-absorbing entity, beams scattering around its body.
Feng Bu Jule stared calmly. The shadow stared back. This eerie standoff lasted moments before the figure faded, disappearing completely.
Three seconds later - two cerulean beams pierced downward from its former position. The shadow's eyes.
Most would scream. Feng Bu Jule didn't flinch. "You sure like dramatic entrances, huh?"
The shadow pounced. He sidestepped effortlessly, drawing【one-shot pistol】. "What's your deal?"
The figure solidified into humanoid form - black-bodied, blue-eyed, skin textured like translucent blood-filled veins pulsating on its exterior.
"Can you tell a ghost story?" Middle-aged male voice emerged.
"Ahahaha..." Feng Bu Jule suddenly burst into laughter. This absurd situation cracked his usual composure. After fifteen seconds of helpless chuckling, he finally caught his breath. "Let me warn you - I'm on a tight schedule."
"Tell me a ghost story." The shadow repeated.
Lowering his gun, Feng Bu Jule weighed risks. Shooting might work, but could trap him here permanently. "And if I do... what's in it for me?" He asked carefully.
No casual question - strategic probing. Not "Will you let me out?" but "What benefits?" opened possibilities. If room escape required storytelling, either question sufficed. But potential extra rewards justified precise inquiry.
"If you scare me, I'll release you." The shadow answered.
"And if I shoot you first, then leave? Even easier." Feng Bu Jule tested verbally.
"Hmm..." The shadow actually considered. "Fair. But if you scare me, I'll not only release you, but teleport you directly to this corridor's final cell. You were running that way, correct? The distance remains considerable."
Calculations clicked. Killing it might work but cost time. Storytelling consumed minutes yet offered free teleportation - possibly saving considerable corridor distance.
"Fine." Feng Bu Jule adjusted flashlight beam upward, casting eerie shadows on his face. With gravelly voice, he began, "Once, there was a taxi driver..."
At this point, I'm sure everyone understands why Feng Bu Jule gets banned from children's parties...
"...who worked late nights. One night passing unfamiliar roads, he spotted a white-dressed woman waving ahead..." Feng Bu Jule chose a concise tale. Though his storytelling skills could stretch one hour or craft oral horror novellas, current circumstances demanded brevity. "He stopped. The woman opened rear door, climbed in. Her weight felt impossibly light. As he asked 'Where to?' through the rearview mirror..."
(End of Chapter)
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