I’m A Little White Flower In An Escape Game ☆ 2

Arc 1: 《Mermaid Village》 Ch2-ch14

When Ruan Bai opened her eyes again, she was no longer in her dormitory. She was sitting on a bus that seemed to be travelling towards an unknown destination. The cabin was dark and gloomy, with the silhouettes of seven or eight passengers faintly visible. A sea of white mist engulfed everything outside the window, obscuring any view of the outside world.

The bus continued moving forward slowly, and the constant shaking made Ruan Bai uncomfortable, causing her to cough and feel unwell. Looking around at her surroundings, Ruan Bai was surprised. It was the first time she had been transported to such a place. In her previous worlds, she had either become a pure and innocent female waitress working in a bar or she woke up lying on a vast bed next to a black business card.

Thinking of the name of this world and how it differed from the other worlds she had experienced, Ruan Bai guessed that this might be an unconventional white lotus world? She looked down and found that her clothing had changed from the usual white dress to simple, practical, short-sleeved long pants. The shoes on her feet were actually a pair of sneakers!

How could this be!?

Without hesitation, Ruan Bai immediately opened the system store and spent 9.9 points to exchange for several sets of elegant and graceful white dresses and a pair of white flat shoes. At the same time, she quickly untied her hairband, skillfully let her hair fall loosely on her shoulders, and tied it up into a simple and cute lopsided ponytail.

In any case, earning points was the key. She couldn't lose her innocent and pure white lotus image at any time! After these adjustments, the other people on the bus gradually woke up.

Ruan Bai quietly glanced around and found fifteen people on the bus beside her, ten men and five women, mostly aged between teens and thirties. What perplexed her was the simplicity of everyone's appearance, with no one in a sharp suit or a woman with legs for days, a slender waist, and fiery red lips. The people here seemed plain, lacking any distinguishable features that would make them stand out from the crowd.

A young girl, who looked like a student, noticed something was amiss and screamed, "What's going on? Why am I here?"

Immediately, the others began to stir.

"—I was sleeping at home..."

"—What kind of place is this!?"

Three or four young men and women were crying and screaming, running around like they had gone mad.

What kind of spectacle was this? Ruan Bai looked at the group of people shouting and yelling and saw that others were cool and collected, leaving her increasingly puzzled.

Not only did she not see the male lead and the vicious female lead, but now she was lumped together with a group of strange people. What was the system up to?

But if she heard correctly, someone seemed to have been brought here while sleeping at home...

Wait a minute, could this be a reality show!?

Ruan Bai's first experience was a script sponsored by a rich entertainment company. She also participated in such unexpected reality show activities. ... Although she performed very poorly at that time and only scored a C in the final evaluation.

After understanding everything, Ruan Bai suddenly became enlightened.

These people running around were probably participating in their first reality show. They were unprepared for it, while the calm and collected others had probably already figured out the situation. As for why some people looked rather ordinary and didn't meet the standards of the entertainment industry, it was also easy to understand. Some reality shows invite outstanding people from other industries as guests. They don't necessarily have to be picked from the entertainment industry.

She did not spot the director or any camera-wielding crew members, indicating that this could be a fully covert shoot, aiming to capture the most authentic reactions from the guests.

Ruan Bai smiled with poise to maintain her image and retook her seat, hoping her earlier hair-styling mishap would not make it into the final cut.

Perhaps she performed too well as a bespectacled man with an air of refinement approached her. He sat beside her and sighed, "I never expected so many newcomers this time. It's quite chaotic, and who knows if any trouble will arise."

Was he complaining? As a "white lotus" character, badmouthing must be avoided at all costs, especially on a reality show. Did he think she would take the bait?

"Perhaps they were just startled. Softie was afraid at first, too." Ruan Bai narrowed her eyes and put on a look of confusion mixed with innocence. "Also, big brother, how could you say such things about them? It's too much. Aren't we a team? We should help each other out."

After experiencing several worlds, Ruan Bai fully grasped the preferences of these non-playable characters (NPCs). The more foolish or ignorant she sounded, the more they liked her, and the higher her score would be. She was confident that after saying this, the man in front of her would feel ashamed and apologise profusely, falling deeply in love with her for being so pure, genuine, and adorable.

The bespectacled man remained silent momentarily before apologising and hastily departing, much to Ruan Bai's confusion. As she pondered his sudden departure, a mocking chuckle sounded from behind her, quickly followed by a stranger's voice.

"Do you not know that this is a game of survival?" The man drawled slowly, his tone both haughty and aloof.

Startled, Ruan Bai spun around to face the source of the voice, only to find a man in his early twenties towering over her with an air of superiority. He was strikingly handsome with pale skin, jet-black hair, a straight nose, and long, finely-arched eyebrows. His eyes were a deep shade of black, and his thin lips were pursed in a cold, detached manner, exuding an air of indifference.

It appeared that this man had been observing her exchange with the bespectacled man, though to what extent, Ruan Bai couldn't be sure. As she turned to face him, the man flashed a wry grin and introduced himself as Gu San.

"Are you new here?" he inquired. "Why don't you join my group? I can explain the rules of the game to you."

"My name is Bai Ruan Ruan," Ruan Bai replied eagerly, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of making a new acquaintance. "I am indeed new here and know nothing about this game. Could you please explain it to me?"

With her experience of traversing through four different worlds, she had learned that the more attractive a man was, the more likely he was to be the male lead or the second male lead. The appearance of these male and second male leads would trigger all sorts of random missions, which also meant that her points would skyrocket. She couldn't let this opportunity slip away!

"The Escape Game, as the name suggests, is just a game." Gu San was unsure of Ruan Bai's thoughts, so he gave a brief introduction, "As a player, all you need to do is follow the tasks that are released, clear the game, and you'll survive."

Clear the game to survive?

Ruan Bai looked at Gu San and around her, testingly asking, "What if I fail the game?"

"Then, of course, you'll die." Gu San said indifferently.

Die?

Ruan Bai was slightly startled.

This reality show's setting was really... odd?

"Yes, that's right. If you fail the game, you'll die in the real world." Seeing Ruan Bai hesitate, Gu San chuckled lightly and said, "Of course, if you don't believe me, you can try it out. I won't stop you."

"— I want to quit! Let me leave; I don't want to participate in this cursed game!"

While Gu San was explaining the situation to Ruan Bai, veteran players around them were impatiently explaining the game's rules to the "newbies." One of the boys showed a lot of resistance, even waving his hand to interrupt a player, shouting angrily, "Driver, stop the bus! Let me get off, let me get off!"

The nearby veteran players sneered upon hearing this. At the same time, the driver sitting in the front seat obediently changed his driving action. The next second, the bus suddenly stopped, and the rear door was opened, revealing a white fog outside.

Upon seeing this, the young man's face was filled with joy. He ran out like a madman, followed by two other new players who couldn't help but stand up. These people were all itching to follow suit, but Ruan Bai's heart tightened, sensing that things were not that simple.

Sure enough, not long after, "Aaahh--" The sound was so ear-piercing as if the wails of countless lost souls directly penetrated her brain, scaring Ruan Bai to tremble.

As the scream subsided, a warm blood splatter splashed on the bus exit. The bright red colour seemed to carry a bone-chilling coldness permeating into everyone's eyes.

After seeing this scene, Ruan Bai knew that the young man was probably dead. Gu San was not wrong; this place was really a death trap.

Everyone who wanted to follow outside sat back down. Under the cold light, everyone's face turned pale. Among this group of people, Ruan Bai had the worst expression.

Even if she were slow-witted, she would still had sensed something was wrong from the death of the new player just now. Was this really just a reality show? Were the people around her just NPCs, or were they all like her, host bodies with their own system?

She didn't know the answer or understand what to do. She just sat silently in her seat, waiting for the bus to reach its destination.

After an unknown amount of time, a boy suddenly shouted, breaking the silence: "Oi, we're almost there!"

As Ruan Bai looked out the window, she saw that the thick white fog had lifted, revealing a remote and desolate village ahead. The village was sparsely populated, with a few elderly people sitting outside their homes in the sun. However, in the distance, she could see a murky black fog shrouding the entire village, giving it a sense of lifelessness.

As soon as she laid eyes on the village, a bold red text popped up in front of her: 【Destination: 《Mermaid Village》 has been reached】

【Game Objective: Survive for 3 days and uncover the secrets of Mermaid Village】 【Game Progress: 0】

【Game Countdown: 71 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds】

【Number of Participating Players: 15】

【All Players Are Now Ready. Let the game 《Survive the Mermaid Village》 begin!】

——— Translator's Notes ———

Gu San (顾三): San means "three." It's common for people to be referred to by their surname followed by a number, especially in online games or forums.

The Escape Game (逃杀游戏): literally translate to "flee and kill the game."

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