0713: You who shine in the parallel world

Although the intellectual challenges set by the program are not so difficult that only scholars and experts in the field can solve them, they are still quite challenging. If you don't want to use your brain at all, you definitely won't be able to understand the game.

The production team was quite concerned that the older generation of northerners wouldn't even understand how to play the games, so they wrote out the rules in great detail.

The production team probably didn't expect that those seemingly clear and straightforward words, when put together, would have such a mysterious effect on many people seeking re-employment, like reading a book written in a foreign language.

The narrator's voice, reciting the rules like chanting, went directly into everyone's left ear, circled in their empty heads, and then came out unchanged from their right ear—at least that's how it was for most people.

Yu Yu: I understand. It's about playing a real-person match-3 game to maximize profits. But it seems like a lot of the brothers haven't understood yet. Well, I don't understand it either.

Wang Yuexin: What are you babbling about? A matching game? Ugh, what's so difficult about that? And you're wasting so much space. Just get to the point! Hey, those wax figures in the cabinets around here look just like our NPC friends!

Land Rover: What are you babbling about? I can't take it anymore, I have reading comprehension difficulties. A diagram would be much clearer! Ugh, I did too much physical work and I'm a little hungry now. When will we get lunch?

Zhang Yuan: What are you babbling about? I can't listen to you at all! I can't take it anymore! Why are there so many wax figures around here? Won't they suddenly jump out and scare people when they're in glass cases?! These figures look so creepy!

Su Xing: The 28 letters are distributed around the four sides of the room, seven letters on each side. Lasers are used to reflect off mirrors to connect identical letters. That's easy to understand. However, in these three rounds of the game, you can also disrupt other players' connections. If only one person survives at the end, then it's winner takes all. Sounds pretty good, quite interesting…

Chen Chusheng: The text on the screen is a bit small, and the narration is a bit fast. I haven't had time to take notes yet. Luckily, the production team is quite thoughtful; there's a rule card in the drawer. It seems we need to maintain our connections as much as possible under external threats and explore other avenues…

Wang Zhengliang: What laser? What connection? What letters? Where are the letters? Are they in the next room? Oh, and then? That's it? Why don't you read it again? Never mind, let me check the rules card. Oh, I see.

The room for the intellectual competition is divided into an outer living room and an inner wax figure display room. Their live-action online games take place in the wax figure display room. Each wax figure has a corresponding letter and laser switch. At the entrance of the display room, there is a mirror of the color corresponding to their number plate.

In the living room outside the showroom, seven single desks and chairs formed a semicircle around the room. Just as they entered, the clown reappeared on the screen, introducing the intellectual quiz.

In the glass case next to it are seven wax figures dressed as NPC friends, and next to the wax figures is a separate display case. The display case used to have something on it, but now it is empty except for a note left by Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu said that with it, he finally had a friend.

This "it" probably refers to the thing that disappeared from the display case, but to prove that, they may have to complete this intellectual challenge first.

After connecting the lines according to the rules, if only one person remains on the field, that person will receive three friend cards; two people will receive four cards; three people will receive five cards; four people will receive two cards; if there are five or more people, or if no one survives, there will be no friend card reward.

From a profit-maximizing perspective, they should have cooperated and kept three people on the line in the end, even though they didn't yet know what the friend card was for.

However, in Yu Yu's opinion, the most important thing about playing games is to have fun. His brothers are in the midst of their research and are enthusiastically planning to make a big splash. Profits are secondary; they should just let things take their course.

Having only read the text, they had basically grasped the rules of the game; however, the specifics would depend on practice. After giving them ample time to study and discuss, the production team had them enter the exhibition hall to find their order of appearance, which also served to familiarize them with the environment.

Behind each wax figure in the exhibition hall are seven numbers; the number each person finds corresponds to their order of appearance in the game.

However, the wax figure exhibition room looked too eerie without the lights on. A faint reddish light, which seemed to come from nowhere, tinged the entire room with the pale red color unique to haunted houses, making the rows of pale-skinned mannequins wearing white coats and wigs look even more terrifying.

"In this kind of environment, I wouldn't be surprised if these mannequins suddenly raised their hands or turned their heads to stare at people through their bloodshot eyes and wigs," Yu Yu sighed, sounding somewhat regretful, though it was unclear what she was regretting.

"With such a perfect scare point, is the production team really not planning to hide some real teachers among these mannequins? Or are there really teachers hiding among them? Hello mannequin teachers, if you can hear me, you can jump out now!"

"Ugh, spit, spit, spit! Shut up!" Zhang Yuan glared fiercely at Yu Yu. The environment was already terrifying enough, and this brat Yu Yu was still jumping around as if afraid the NPC teacher wouldn't appear. Zhang Yuan was both angry and scared, and his voice was trembling.

Perhaps realizing that his tone was a bit too harsh and might attract the attention of any potential NPC teachers, he immediately clasped his hands together and bowed to the surrounding mannequins after scolding Yu Yu: "Sorry, sorry, my voice was a bit loud. I disturbed you all. I'm so sorry, I just came to find my number tag. Thank you, teachers."

Zhang Yuan apologized and thanked them repeatedly, which made Yu Yu and Chen Chusheng laugh.

Land Rover didn't want to stay there for long. He found a number plate, which happened to be the number one. Regardless of whether the number meant good or bad, he bowed to the mannequin teacher, thanked him, and quickly ran out, as if the mannequin teacher would chase after him and take back the number plate if he was a step too slow.

Fortunately, he ran out in advance. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be Zhang Yuan who would be frightened by the dummy teacher whose head was accidentally knocked off and the dummy teacher whose neck joint was loose and whose head kept spinning. The exhibition hall would also be filled with the high-pitched duet of the Jiangzhi Brothers.

According to the license plate number order, Land Rover was the first, followed by Chen Chusheng, Zhang Yuan, Wang Yuexin, Wang Zhengliang, Yu Yu, and Su Xing.

Su Xing's goal was to be the last one to go on stage, so that he could not only counterattack but also disrupt the routes of others. Therefore, he searched around the exhibition room and only made his move when he saw number seven.

"Hmm? Tiger, you really were the first one in this game? So what I said before about making you the first one would have a miraculous effect? ​​You pretended to be unwilling, but it turns out you were just being modest. When it really came down to it, Tiger was still the first one to rush up." Yu Yu teased with a smile when he realized that Land Rover was indeed the first one to scout ahead, just as he had said.

"...To be honest, I don't know how it happened, but this Number One ended up in my hands." Land Rover was on the verge of tears. He only just realized that getting Number One meant that he had to be the first to enter the showroom full of mannequins and complete the mission alone.

"It's alright, Tiger. Look, your number is also 1, so this book is yours. Two 1s together can make chopsticks, right?" Wang Zhengliang comforted him.

It's better not to offer any comfort, because Land Rover doesn't seem to like this kind of tired joke either.

He walked into the exhibition hall with a death-defying spirit, while the large screen in the living room outside broadcasted the images of the exhibition hall in real time.

To make it easier to remember, Yu Yu took the lower left corner of the quadrilateral as the origin (0, 0) and the upper right corner as (7, 7).

He saw the Land Rover on the screen pick up the mirror and place it at a -45 degree angle on coordinates (6, 5), illuminating the connection of the letter B. So Yu Yu marked it on the simulation board on the table.

Chen Chusheng chose (7,3) -45 degrees and lit up C.

Zhang Yuan (1,1) at 45 degrees, lights up N.

Wang Yuexin (2, 7) -45 degrees, light up E.

Wang Zhengliang (5, 3) at 45 degrees, lights up G.

So far everything is going smoothly. Next up is Yu Yu. There are two routes left on the field that can be directly connected using only one mirror, just enough for him and Su Xing to use.

But to everyone's surprise, Yu Yu did not choose either of the two safe routes, but instead chose to place the mirror at (6,2) 45 degrees.

"Hey, hey, hey, Xiaoyu put it in the wrong place, how could you put it here? None of the paths are open here, he can't light up the connection!" Wang Zhengliang looked at Yu Yu's choice on the screen with some surprise.

Su Xing was slightly taken aback, but immediately realized what he meant. He was both appreciative and amused: "No, Brother Liang, Yu Shao really didn't make a mistake. He wasn't aiming for a connection in the first place. He just wanted to cause trouble. Look at the spot he placed it. It completely blocked both L and H lines."

Reminded by Su Xingyi, the others also saw the position Yu Yu placed on their draft boards. It was right on the only way to the two safe routes. As long as his coordinates were blocked, the two routes on the field would be rendered useless.

"You little brat, not only did you not connect, but you also blocked our route." Zhang Yuan chirped, seeing Yu Yu running out with a gleeful and irritating look on her face, and even glaring at him with narrowed eyes.

Wang Yuexin smiled and gave Yu Yu a thumbs up: "Great, Xiaoyu, you're really great."

"You're being unfair, Yu Shao. With your blockade, I have nowhere to put my mirrors." Su Xing pretended to complain. Yu Yu's move had cut off the only two simple routes left on the field, and the rest could not be connected by a single mirror.

Of course, he wasn't blaming Yu Yu; on the contrary, he felt that the game had become more fun after Yu Yu's actions.

Chen Chusheng looked at Yu Yu's seemingly "harmful and self-defeating" moves on the simulation board, a thoughtful look flashing across his face.

Yu Yu's mirror seems to be all alone, with no connection to anything before or after it, and is it just there to cause trouble? But is that really the case?

Before he could figure it out, his brothers' shouts interrupted his thoughts—"How could Allen put it there!"

Chen Chusheng looked up at the screen, where Su Xing, who had just finished doing something bad, left with a smug and wicked grin on his face.

He placed his first mirror at a 45-degree angle on (7,5), cutting off the two lines between Chen Chusheng and Land Rover.

After the first round, only three lines remained on the field.