Chapter 417  : Homme Fatale

Upon hearing that, Tan Mo turned around and replied in bewilderment, “My uncle is with me, so I won’t be afraid. He’ll protect me. Besides, you’ve got to take care of Yu Xiaonan. I don’t think you can handle two people at once.”

Tan Mo turned to peer at Wei Zhiqian and whispered to herself, “I guess ‘handsomeness’ can be a curse too.”

Zhou Jieyu’s and Yu Xiaonan’s ulterior motives were too apparent.

All their superficial acts earlier had only one purpose—to get her away from Wei Zhiqian.

Since Zhou Jieyu offered to keep her safe, the former must be backing Yu Xiaonan up.

It was so that Yu Xiaonan could get closer to Wei Zhiqian, using fright as an excuse.

Overwhelmed with fear, she would attempt to hug Wei Zhiqian in a panic. It would be inappropriate for him to push her away.

Moreover, Yu Xiaonan could wrap her arms around Wei Zhiqian tightly so that he could not cast her aside.

Tan Mo pouted in displeasure as the thoughts crossed her mind.

At the mention of “handsomeness can be a curse,” Wei Zhiqian, with his profoundly acute sense of hearing, heard every word clearly and turned to stare at Tan Mo.

He then caught sight of Tan Mo, who puffed out her cheeks like a pufferfish.

What was she upset about this time?

Usually, Wei Zhiqian would not use his ability on Tan Mo.

However, knowing that the actors would try to jump out and scare the players, he had no choice but to activate it since he needed to be alert of every nook and cranny in the game room.

When he picked up an unusual sound, he would be prepared to safeguard her.

Yu Xiaonan’s and Zhou Jieyu’s minds went blank for a moment, and then their gazes met.

They did not expect Tan Mo to have such a domineering side to her when it came to defending her uncle from the others.

At that, Zhou Jieyu murmured in Yu Xiaonan’s ear, “Don’t fret. There ought to be unforeseen circumstances once the game starts. Let’s improvise later.”

Zhou Jieyu winked at Yu Xiaonan and added, “Trust me. I got your back.”

Wei Zhiqian’s ears flickered a little upon overhearing their conversation. Immediately after, his face turned grim.

Following that, everyone was brought into the elevator by the staff member.

After the doors closed, it ascended one level higher.

The spacious escape room they were in spanned the entire office building.

After purchasing that building, the owner redesigned the entire layout and demolished everything inside.

The owner must have splurged an exorbitant amount of money for it.

The elevator came to a halt after it ascended one level above.

To everyone’s surprise, they arrived at what seemed to be outdoor scenery after the doors opened.

The ground outside the elevator doors was made up of dirt. Weeds and gravels could be seen scattered across the floor.

The gravels pressed the smidgen of weeds against the ground unreservedly.

Although it was daytime before they came in, the scenery before their eyes was a pitch-black night sky.

Crows’ caws could be heard echoing across the atmosphere.

An abandoned three-story villa was a stone’s throw away from their location. It had a heritage-building vibe similar to the estates in the Chinese concessions that the warlords and magnates would reside in during the late Imperial China and Republic of China era.

The entire architectural design had a vintage feel to it.

Dried Boston ivy could be seen covering the whole facade of the building.

Most of the leaves of the Boston ivy had long since fallen on the ground. The remaining parts were defoliated vines intertwined with each other as they climbed along the mottled wall.

The paint of the building’s exterior had long since faded, clearly worn away by prolonged exposure to the weather.

One could only imagine the past glory and splendor of the once-glamorous building through the colors of the chipped paint.

The cracked wall finishes revealed the bricks hidden inside, looking like old clothes with rips and holes that had not been fixed.

The damaged wall only further worsened its run-down appearance. It intensified the gloominess in the viewers’ hearts.

A waning crescent could be seen positioned itself above the dark sky after they went past the villa.

Under the moonlight’s dim glow, the villa’s dark silhouette in the dead of night made for a blood-curdling sight to behold. The constantly shape-shifting shadows reflected on the ground only added to the ghostliness.

Such creepy effects could be ascribed to the weeds and stones covering the ground, including the uneven surface of the soil.

“What the…” Shi Zhixia wrapped herself around her boyfriend’s arms tightly. “Didn’t the elevator go up earlier? Why is…”

Before Liu Yuehao could utter a word, Fang Shuyang chimed in boastfully, “They must have used the technology similar to stereoscopy, which creates an optical illusion. This effect should be called forced perspective, a technique commonly used in Disneyland.

“In short, we are still indoors. In fact, what appeared in front of us may as well just be a corridor. the effect of forced perspective has expanded the space before our eyes. Well, of course, the real thing would not be as huge as what we perceived. As I’ve mentioned earlier, this is a visual illusion,” Fang Shuyang stated calmly.

“The average height of a standard office corridor should be around nine to 12 feet, yet the forced perspective can give us an illusion of a roomy space—a tall villa and a sky with a moon in it.

“The four corners inside the elevator should have speakers installed apart from the security cameras. The noises of crows’ caws, insects’ buzz, and the wind were played through those speakers hidden in every corner. On top of that, it has a surround-sound effect. If my hunch is right on the money, there’re a few speakers installed in the corridor as well.

“Now I can see why this place has received such a high rating on the Internet. I reckon the technology they’ve imported would cost them a lot, let alone the maintenance fees. After putting in so much effort, getting good reviews is inevitable.” Fang Shuyang sighed. “As expected, attentiveness and strenuous effort are the sure-fire ways of flourishing in life.”

Upon hearing that, the staff member was dumbfounded.

It was certainly not his day that day as he had encountered so many oddballs at once.

First of all, he was met with two women who ignored him while he was explaining the precautions.

Then, an idiosyncratic guy who enjoyed showing off popped out from nowhere.

He made himself look knowledgeable after rattling on about the details and breakdowns.

But that didn’t mean he spouted nonsense.

On the contrary, most of his points were spot on.

Nevertheless, his thoughtless behavior of giving away the features and designs of the escape game would disrupt the game’s flow.

It would reduce the immersion, ultimately making others lose the optimum gaming experience.

What he did was equivalent to jarring the other players out of the fantasy.

Yet, the smug on Fang Shuyang’s face undeniably displayed his satisfaction of how well-informed he was.

A braggart man like him was truly annoying to the core.

Just then, Shi Zhixia’s face reddened up to her ears.

Fang Shuyang’s words had shown her in a bad light as if she was an uncultured person.

“Of course, I know this is all fake.” Shi Zhixia tried to keep up her appearances. “I was just amazed by how the projection could cast such a capacious yet realistic atmosphere inside.”

At that, Fang Shuyang felt like offering a remark.

Before he could do it, the elevator doors closed without warning.

The lights in the elevator went out.

Everything was pitch dark.

“Aargh!”

The girls shouted at the top of their lungs in the elevator.

Wei Zhiqian immediately pricked up his ears but didn’t hear Tan Mo’s voice among the yells.

All their cellphones were kept in the locker compulsorily before they came in.

Since they did not have their cellphones with them, they could not turn on the flashlights.

The men’s yelps could be picked out from the girls’ screams.

Even so, their voices did not drown out the women.

Their yelps only lasted for a split second.

It came as no surprise seeing that men would do anything to protect their own egos.

Fang Shuyang suddenly thought, ‘No wonder the staff member requested us to keep our phones out there in the locker.’