I’m A Little White Flower In An Escape Game ☆ 4

Arc 1: 《Mermaid Village》 Ch2-ch14

The woman's face was young yet ghastly pale, swelling as if soaked in water for too long. Her round eyes were devoid of eyelids. Her thin, wide mouth pressed tightly against the glass, appearing highly deformed.

Ruan Bai woke up in terror at the sight of her. Her breath caught, and her heart raced with such ferocity that it almost deafened her. As the woman's gaze shifted to Gu San, Ruan Bai shut her eyes and feigned sleep, determined not to be discovered. She trembled as her pulse quickened, straining to hear anything beyond the deafening rhythm of her heart.

"---Drip, drip...~"

Outside, the monotonous dripping of water droplets resumed, echoing in the silence. Did the woman depart, or would she return? Ruan Bai's fingers clenched involuntarily as she focused entirely on the faint noise...

【Oh, host, you're awake!】 Suddenly, a loud mechanical voice broke the silence. 【I was just thinking about how to wake you up; you pretended to sleep so well.】

'System?' Ruan Bai thought, feeling an ominous premonition.

Sure enough, the next second, the cheerful sound of the system's prompt rang out:

【Ding! Host, please be aware that a random task has been issued: Cry and scream, as much as possible, to show your insecurity and vulnerability!】

【Encountering something terrible, how can a lotus-like you remain calm? Boldly express your white lotus love!】

Ruan Bai: "..???"

Ruan Bai was bewildered. Was the system malfunctioning? The woman outside the door hadn't left yet. If she screamed, she would definitely attract her attention!

【Of course, considering the dire consequences and tremendous risk, after this mission is completed, the bonus points will double to 1000!】

A thousand points for a random task alone? Completing six such tasks in her previous world earned her an A-level rating of only 3000 points.

Ruan Bai hesitated momentarily but then decided to take the risk. This was a B-level difficulty world; if the system had assigned the task, there must be a way to fulfil it.

Facing the woman outside, she pinched her thigh fiercely, tears welling up in her eyes, and screamed loudly, "Ah, there's a ghost--"

The scream seemed to trigger something, causing the woman outside to pause. She twisted her mouth at Ruan Bai with a sardonic laugh, casting her a sinister look.

"Hurry, let's go!" exclaimed Gu San, who had feigned sleep until Ruan Bai's screams jolted him into action.

He had also been pretending to sleep, his eyes squeezed shut and his breathing shallow. When he saw Ruan Bai's panicked expression and heard her piercing scream, he jumped out of bed and pulled her towards the door, stumbling in haste.

However, to their dismay, the previously unlocked door refused to yield, as if a supernatural force had added an extra layer of resistance, blocking their escape.

With a fierce scowl, Gu San kicked the door with all his might, but to no avail. It remained stubbornly in place, mocking their attempts to break free. Trapped, they had no choice but to face whatever lay ahead.

"This isn't a physical attack??" Gu San quirked an eyebrow, his surprise palpable. "In a B-level world, there's a ghost with this ability?"

Ruan Bai, unable to comprehend his remarks, asked, "Does the game's difficulty have anything to do with physical attacks? Why would it be worse?"

Were these Escape Games populated with monsters that employed various attack types, such as psychological or chemical warfare?

Gu San appeared astonished at her ignorance. "You truly don't know? Are you genuinely a newcomer?"

Ruan Bai: "..."

Ruan Bai confirmed with a curt nod. So he had assumed she was an experienced player? But why her? Then again, which newcomer would be as eccentric and bizarre as she was, mistaking this game for a reality show and constantly changing her appearance like a chameleon?

While they spoke, a thick mist had enshrouded the window, casting an ethereal veil over the room. Cold, damp air seeped through the gaps in the window and door, sending shivers down their spines.

"---Drip, drip, drip...tick-tock...~."

Observing Gu San's furrowed brow as he pounded on the door, Ruan Bai was regretful amid the chaos. She had assumed the woman would only attack her. Still, she hadn't anticipated being locked in, involving the innocent Gu San unwittingly.

The water had already risen to their feet. A bone-chilling cold spread throughout the room, engulfing them.

Gu San pulled Ruan Bai back a few steps, avoiding the seemingly alive water on the ground. He clenched his lips, his expression colder than the weather.

The woman outside the window stared at the two trapped like caged beasts, her eyes wide open, and began laughing. However, her laughter abruptly ceased after only a couple of chuckles.

"You have legs...you are normal people..." She gazed enviously at Ruan Bai and Gu San's legs, her face grotesquely contorted. "Why am I like this? Why am I like this?"

As she spoke the last few words, a chillingly vicious undertone crept into her words, sending a shiver down Ruan Bai's spine.

After being asked several times, Ruan Bai instinctively shook her head, feeling she should not answer the question. Meanwhile, Gu San grew impatient with the woman's incessant babbling.

He sneered at her enlarged pupils and receding hairline, quipping, "Did your mother braid your hair too tightly?"

The woman: "..."

Ruan Bai: "..."

In the next second, the woman flew into a rage, and the water in the room began to churn!

The woman let out an enraged scream that echoed through the room. Its high pitch was not something a human could produce. As her voice faded, the water in the room surged and coalesced like tentacles attacking Ruan Bai and their companion.

Oh no, this woman is attacking them! Will they die here? Ruan Bai dodged to the side in a panic, scanning her surroundings with rapid thought.

"Don't be afraid. She can't get in here. At most, she'll use water to attack us," Gu San said as he pulled Ruan Bai onto the table, elongating his voice in a lazy drawl. "Even if the water comes in, it'll be slow. We can drag it out until dawn and see what she can do to us."

Some kind of restriction must prevent the woman from entering the house. Even if she hates Gu San to death, she can only stand outside the window and glare at him.

After hearing Gu San's words, the woman outside gave them a fierce glance, her expression becoming more resentful. However, she remained motionless, caught out by his words.

Ruan Bai thought, 'Is he doing this on purpose? Does he want to provoke the woman outside? Is Gu San tired of living?' Despite Gu San's casual tone, Ruan Bai could sense his tension. They couldn't stay up all night, so they needed to find a solution soon.

However, Gu San's words reduced Ruan Bai's inner fear. In a B-level world, an abnormally powerful monster must have many scruples to attack and balance the difficulty.

This was a game, not a slaughter. It will give players a chance to escape. Ruan Bai needed to carefully consider what details might help.

The woman outside was not an average person. She could be a ghost or demon; their enemies were usually gods or bodhisattvas.

In a sudden realization, Ruan Bai yelled at the woman, "Ah Ma...the mermaid Ah Ma!"

The woman's expression changed instantly.

"---Ding Dong... Ding Dong...~."

As Ruan Bai's voice faded, a distant and solemn bell rang, repeatedly tolling as if warning of something. The woman looked frightened, and the water in the room began to recede.

After half a minute, the woman disappeared, much to Ruan Bai's relief. The temperature gradually rose. The sound of cicadas on a summer night replaced the quiet outside. The danger had passed.

【Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the random task and earning 1000 points!】 Ruan Bai collapsed onto the ground, relieved to successfully complete the Escape Game mini instance. She found it more exciting than the world she had left behind.

Gu San congratulated her reluctantly: "As a newcomer, you did well and have great potential. You're barely qualified to be my teammate." He seemed unsurprised by the woman's departure, as if he had known it would happen all along but never said anything.

After careful consideration, Ruan Bai realized that Gu San had remained calm and even provoked the woman during the sudden situation. He must have known how to solve it; perhaps he was testing her.

With this in mind, Ruan Bai smiled at Gu San, realizing she knew nothing as a newcomer and was not entitled to anyone's help. She also acknowledged that the unwarranted disaster was all because of her scream.

Even though it was only to complete a random task, Ruan Bai caused trouble for Gu San. Realizing this, she felt a twinge of embarrassment and lowered her head. "Gu San, I'm sorry. I'm too cowardly and disturbed, that monster," she said.

"There's no need to apologize. It's not your fault," surprisingly, Gu San didn't ridicule her. He shook his head and calmly stated, "I woke up before you did. That woman stood motionless outside the window for a long time, staring at us. She had no intention of leaving. Even if you hadn't called out, she would have eventually made her move."

So that was it. Upon hearing Gu San's words, Ruan Bai finally felt her heart relax.

But Gu San's brow remained furrowed, showing no signs of relief.

"...Let's go. Let's go outside and look," he whispered after a moment. "I had a feeling that she would choose this room. There must be a reason for it."

——— Translator's Notes ———

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