I’m A Little White Flower In An Escape Game ☆ 9

Arc 1: 《Mermaid Village》 Ch2-ch14

When Ruan Bai regained consciousness, she sensed the dampness all over her body as if submerged in water. The chill permeated her skin and travelled deep into her bones.

Biting her tongue, a sharp pain jolted her back to reality. She couldn't afford to black out in this unknown place, especially given the gravity of the situation.

Her last thought before passing out was that Wang Wen Wen might be colluding with the adult men in the village. Her survival suggested that her suspicions were correct. Had it not been the case, she would have been dead and abandoned in the wilderness.

Ruan Bai realized she had been careless; in this game of survival, the danger wasn't restricted to ghosts and monsters; NPCs could also pose a threat. The unidentified adult men were cloaked in mystery.

Frowning, Ruan Bai managed to pull herself up from the ground with great effort. She found herself restrained and submerged in a water pool. The water level rose high enough to cover her lower abdomen. The surrounding area was pitch-black and damp, with minimal light seeping in. She had no idea about any possible exits. The only positive was that the villagers didn't harm her, simply dumping her there.

Perhaps because she was petite and slender, or possibly thinking she wouldn't be able to flee that night, the rope was tied loosely, and Ruan Bai managed to break free easily. Next to her was the white-collar worker who was also bound.

The white-collar worker shed her facade of kindness and exhibited a visage full of bitterness and terror once Ruan Bai's movements stirred her awake: "I lost to a sixteen-year-old... I was deceived by her..."

"---Want to escape from here?" Ruan Bai interrupted, but before she could finish her sentence, a hoarse woman's voice reverberated from the surroundings, saying the same thing.

Ruan Bai's breath caught in her throat at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. It was the voice of a third person, and it made her uneasy. The darkness of night had fallen and the peak of danger with it.

The white-collar worker, too angry to sense something was wrong, snapped back in a rage. "Otherwise, what? Of course, I want to get out. If she dared to trick me, I would make her regret it---"

"--- Well, that's good, " Before the woman could respond, a ghostly female voice interrupted her. "Because I also want to get out." The tone of the voice was twisted with extreme excitement and was instantly distorted. "But I'm not a normal person. I don't have legs... will you give me yours?"

As the woman's voice trailed off, the white-collar worker's rage abruptly ceased, leaving Ruan Bai to witness the frozen expression etched on her face. It was as if an invisible blade had sliced her in half, causing her lower body to vanish into the dark water.

The wound on the white-collar worker's body emitted a strong smell of blood, spreading through the water and still carrying a hint of warmth.

At that moment, Ruan Bai finally comprehended why the villagers had spared their lives. They knew that she wouldn't survive the night.

The "third person" began to move after taking the woman's legs, causing the previously still water in the pool to ripple with each move.

The blood had seeped over to Ruan Bai's side, but she dared not move or make a sound. She gritted her teeth and prayed that the stranger wouldn't notice her presence. But before long, she felt something cold, smooth, and sticky—like the surface of fish scales—brush past her feet.

In the next second, a light, a cheerful voice whispered in Ruan Bai's ear from behind. "---Gotcha!"

She had been discovered!

At the same time, the system prompt sounded:

[Ding! Host, please note that a random mission has been issued - use your kindness and love to impress the enemy and escape the danger of death!]

[In addition, the points reward is doubled due to the dangerous situation. Completing the mission successfully will earn you 1000 points!]

Ruan Bai thought the system was crazy. It wanted her to impress this terrifying mermaid ghost who was capable of killing people?

However, even if her heart was in turmoil, Ruan Bai took a deep breath and calmly analyzed the situation.

First of all, the mermaid should be able to communicate. From the conversation she just had with the female white-collar worker and the fact that she was angered by Gu San last night, Ruan Bai realized that not only could the mermaid understand human speech, but she also had logical thinking abilities.

Ruan Bai's first priority was to stabilize the mermaid's emotions. Unsure of the function of the mermaid bell, she couldn't recklessly take it out. She wondered if she could mention someone related to the mermaid instead...

With this thought in mind, she acted quickly and declared, "I'm a researcher here to investigate this village!"

The mermaid's movements abruptly ceased. Ruan Bai felt a slight shift in the cold breath behind her, causing her fingers to tremble slightly. She knew she had struck a chord.

However, the mermaid's intent to kill Ruan Bai had not faded, even though she was motionless. To convince the mermaid to give up on harming her, Ruan Bai needed to say something that would pique the mermaid's interest. But to do that, she first needed to convince the mermaid of her credibility.

Without hesitation, Ruan Bai continued speaking rapidly, "Our project focuses on human genetic diseases. Human genes are responsible for different traits in the body, and many genetic diseases are related to inbreeding..."

Ruan Bai didn't believe that there was no inbreeding in this small village. Regardless, she took a gamble and assumed that the appearance of the mermaid was due to inbreeding. The village appeared isolated and insular, with some inhabitants who might not even be literate. They would be unfamiliar with genetic traits and other scientific jargon. Researchers usually kept their identities hidden while working. Furthermore, researchers often have peculiar habits. If the mermaid had a good rapport with the researcher, she would have heard these terms from him.

"...Du Wen Shu did mention these topics to me before. Are you his colleague?" After a long pause, the mermaid's voice sounded faintly.

The plan had succeeded! Ruan Bai heaved a sigh of relief, but her face still betrayed her anxiety. "There was a senior fellow who came here," she said. "Five years ago, he sent a message to our research institute, informing us of this village. Unfortunately, he had an accident and died soon after."

The researcher's name was Du Wen Shu, but Ruan Bai knew little about him and feared that if the mermaid asked her any questions about him, she would give away. So, she pretended not to know him at all.

To Ruan Bai's surprise, the mermaid interrupted her, asking, "He died?" Her voice was filled with shock and confusion. "Why did he die? How did he die?"

"He passed away five years ago," Ruan Bai said, realizing that the mermaid's intense reaction could be telling. "His grave is just outside the village, to the west."

"I can't leave the village," the mermaid said after a long pause. The mermaid's hand had crept up to Ruan Bai's neck, and her voice was icy cold in the stillness: "I won't kill you tonight. But tomorrow, you must bring me his remains. Upon finishing her words, Ruan Bai felt a stinging pain at her throat. In a split second, the mermaid's figure vanished without a trace.

Overwhelmed with relief, Ruan Bai slumped onto the ground, wiping off the cold sweat from her forehead. She knew she had escaped the risk of death tonight.

But merely sharing the exact origins wouldn't suffice to deter the mermaid from killing her. Thankfully, she could still serve a purpose.

However, her survival would raise suspicion from the villagers who brought her here. Plus, whether she could leave or not was another matter. If she couldn't get Du Wen Shu's remains, she would still die at the hands of the mermaid.

The system's assignment was far from accomplished, and Ruan Bai couldn't consider herself entirely safe yet.

——— Translator's Notes ———

杜文书 (Du Wen Shu)

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