Chapter 153: Death Conditions
Cheng Wenwen looked a bit shy and didn’t speak, only pressing her palms together and making a pleading gesture toward Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang.
Mu Lantu only nodded lightly, noncommittal. Fang Menglei had said earlier—whether they helped or not, it didn’t matter. His nod could be taken as “agreeing to help” or “agreeing not to help.”
Fang Menglei didn’t trust Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang; Mu Lantu didn’t necessarily trust Fang Menglei either. If he thought maliciously, Fang Menglei approaching them could itself be with bad intentions.
In a mission world, anything was possible.
Mu Lantu lowered his head to inspect the red cap and small flag.
Seeing this, Fang Menglei and Cheng Wenwen also carefully checked their own caps and flags. Following the “bigshots’” actions was never wrong.
Finding nothing unusual, Mu Lantu put the cap back on. Holding the flag in hand was inconvenient, so he slid it into the mesh pocket on the side of his backpack, where it fit snugly. The backpack he kept on his lap.
There were luggage racks on the bus, but he felt safer keeping things on him.
Xu Huazhang followed suit.
This time Fang Menglei and Cheng Wenwen didn’t copy exactly—they wore their caps but kept the flags in their hands.
Mu Lantu opened his backpack, pulled out two lollipops, and checked the wrappers for flavors. One was lychee-flavored—his favorite!
“Big baby, left hand or right hand?”
Xu Huazhang indulged him in this childish game, not finding it silly at all. “Right hand.”
Mu Lantu opened his right hand before him. “Yours is coffee flavor, mine’s lychee. Lychee tastes good.”
No matter how random his thoughts, Xu Huazhang always kept up. “We’ll eat that when we get back.”
Passengers trickled onto the bus. The tour guide was last.
“Students, six minutes till departure. Let’s do roll call. When you hear your name, please answer ‘here.’ Zhang Yunfan.”
“Here.”
“Yu Chengfeng.”
“Here.”
“Mu Lantu.”
Mu Lantu raised his head. “Here.”
Hu Shun smiled in his direction. “Xu Huazhang.”
“Here.”
Hu Shun nodded. “Chen Feifei.”
“Here.”
“…”
“Zhou Yong’an.”
“Here.”
It was the boy who had bumped into Mu Lantu earlier.
“Song Huaibang.”
Silence.
Hu Shun made a mark in his notebook and continued.
By the end of roll call, three people were absent.
Hu Shun glanced at his watch. “Two minutes until departure. Final reminders: First, please keep the bus clean. Second, if you want snacks, come buy them from me. Third, we’ll stop only once at noon for a rest and meal—other than that, no stops.”
When the time came, the three still hadn’t boarded.
Hu Shun didn’t care. “Driver Zhu, let’s go.”
“Alright.” The driver started the engine, and the bus slowly pulled out of the lot.
Two boys ran out of the restroom, desperately chasing.
“Wait! Wait for us!”
“Stop! Stop the bus—!”
The bus didn’t slow down in the slightest.
A girl couldn’t bear it. “Uncle Hu, can’t we stop just a moment? They’re only a minute late. It won’t delay us from reaching our destination before dark.”
“Ah!”
The girl suddenly screamed, sprang from her seat, then collapsed back down. Her head lolled to the side—dead.
The three students sitting beside her shrieked.
“Ahhh—someone’s dead!”
The rest of the bus erupted in terrified cries.
But the driver and tour guide stayed in their seats, deaf and unreactive.
Even though the AC was on, Yu Chengfeng broke out in a cold sweat instantly.
He hesitated for a while, then stood, intending to check how the girl had died. If they didn’t figure out the cause, anyone could be next.
But as soon as he rose, before taking a step, he let out a cry and dropped dead, slamming onto the floor.
No one had recovered from the first death before a second player was gone! The malice of this dungeon was laid bare, and panic seized everyone. The timid sobbed uncontrollably.
Mu Lantu’s heart pounded as he gripped Xu Huazhang’s hand. Two dead already, right after departure!
“They must’ve triggered death conditions.”
“Death conditions?” Xu Huazhang wasn’t familiar with infinite-flow games or novels, so he wasn’t as sensitive as Mu Lantu, but he quickly understood after thinking. Reviewing the two victims’ last words and actions, he found no clear commonality.
Fang Menglei and Cheng Wenwen sat stiffly, frozen in place, but their ears strained to catch Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang’s words. Their minds raced—what were the death conditions? As long as they weren’t triggered, could they survive?
The two players sitting in front also eavesdropped.
Their composure was better, but their eyes were equally grim. To identify the conditions, they needed to analyze the victims’ exact behavior.
But they dared not move or speak—what if “standing up” or “talking” were the conditions?
Anxiety gnawed them like a million ants.
Xu Huazhang slipped sunglasses from his pack and put them on. He scanned the bus interior, then turned to Mu Lantu, brows relaxed.
“It’s fine.”
He perched the sunglasses on Mu Lantu’s nose.
Mu Lantu’s lips parted in surprise. No wonder some players looked calmer—they’d already figured out their death conditions.
He wanted to share the discovery, but couldn’t say a word, nor gesture. Some unseen force prevented him.
Again, he wondered why their conditions were so ridiculously easy—impossible for them to trigger.
He recalled Hu Shun’s warm tone during roll call: “Wish you a pleasant trip.” Mu Lantu had replied, “Thank you.” Xu Huazhang had even picked up litter.
A wild guess surfaced—had they unknowingly gained the native guide’s favorability?
“Mu… classmate, could you…” Cheng Wenwen, stiff for ages, was miserable. She wanted to move but didn’t dare, so she begged him.
Mu Lantu could only answer, “Observe carefully. The answer’s nearby.”
But he couldn’t say the rest.
The two players ahead of him repeated “observe carefully” over and over in their minds.
“Baby, I’m going to the front to buy something.”
Mu Lantu noticed his man’s gaze lock onto Zhou Yong’an. He knew Xu Huazhang wanted revenge, so he made room. “Have fun.”
Xu Huazhang stroked his nape and walked forward unhurriedly.
All eyes followed him in shock. It was obvious—this man knew the death conditions!
What were they? How did he know? Would he tell them?
Hope and desperation burned in every gaze.
Xu Huazhang stopped by the guide.
“Uncle Hu, excuse me.”
Hu Shun turned, kindly smiling. “Yes, student? Need something?”
“Thank you, Uncle Hu. I’d like three bags of sunflower seeds.”
The thanks baffled the watching players. They were burning with impatience but held their breath to hear more.
Hu Shun stood cheerfully. “Alright, three bags—twenty-four yuan. I’ll get them for you.”
Xu Huazhang paid, then handed one bag back.
“This is for you, Uncle Hu. We’ll probably trouble you a lot on this trip.”
“Ah, thank you. But no need—I’m the guide, it’s my job.” Yet he accepted with a smile.
Xu Huazhang returned with two bags, stopping at Zhou Yong’an’s seat.
Zhou Yong’an froze, staring in fear.
He was just a geology sophomore, with no real grudge against Mu Lantu or Xu Huazhang—just homophobic. He hated seeing two men being clingy, so he’d deliberately bumped Mu Lantu earlier, scraping his arm with a metal decoration on his sleeve.
Now he regretted provoking them!
He didn’t even know what the conditions were. If Xu Huazhang did anything to him and he resisted—even speaking—it might trigger them!
He couldn’t even apologize.
His eyes pleaded desperately.
Xu Huazhang only looked at him with pity. Even if he did nothing, the guy was doomed.
So he walked past.
Thud.
A backpack dropped. Its owner instinctively bent to pick it up, then froze—remembering not to move. He cried out in fear, shut his eyes, bracing for death… but nothing happened.
He burst into joyful tears. “I—I moved, but I’m fine! I didn’t die!”
His blond seatmate couldn’t resist. He shifted slightly—still fine. With a shaky smile, he stretched in a lazy pose.
“Ah!”
The blond boy shot upright, dead before he hit the seat again.
“Ahhh! Ahhhh!”
Others screamed in frustration and terror, on the verge of madness.
What were the death conditions?!
Mu Lantu only shook his head. What good was panicking?
If they just observed carefully, they’d find the answer. Xu Huazhang had even strolled up front as a hint. But no one seemed to grasp it.
Just then, a female player stood, walked the aisle to stretch, then returned safely to her seat.
Mu Lantu felt she looked familiar.
Xu Huazhang thought a moment. “Min’an Town. The bus.”
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