Chapter 610: The Beginning is the End

Tiantian picked up the safety helmet and held it close to her eyes, examining it carefully.

The light was indeed custom-made. It was only the size of a grain of rice, and before it lit up, its color was completely indistinguishable.

At that moment, everyone's expressions were extremely grim. They were all looking at each other, wanting to communicate, but the rules prevented them from speaking.

"Everyone, listen up," Ren Hou said with a sinister smile. "Next, I'll announce the final rule, which might allow all of you to keep your 'tickets'."

The room full of slightly panicked people turned their attention to Ren Hou, wondering what else he might say.

He pulled a stopwatch from his pocket and shone a flashlight on it.

"When I say the word 'start,' you'll have twenty seconds to discuss a strategy," Ren Hou explained. Although he wore a mask, his eyes clearly showed he was smiling. "This will be your last chance to communicate before the game begins."

The group's faces gradually turned uneasy—twenty seconds?

How many words could they even say in twenty seconds?

There wasn't even enough time for each of the eleven people in the room to speak a single sentence.

"Ready..." Ren Hou smiled, then said, "Start."

The moment the word "start" was uttered, the scene erupted like thunder, with over ten people speaking at once, creating utter chaos.

But none of them had any real strategy; they were just wasting precious time expressing their confusion and bewilderment. Some were even shouting loudly at Ren Hou, turning the small building into something like the noisiest market at dawn—full of noise, yet impossible to make out any single word.

"I have a plan!!" Zheng Yingxiong shouted. "Everyone, listen to me!!"

However, the noise was so overwhelming that no one heard him.

"Everyone!!" Xiao Cheng quickly jumped in before he could ask Zheng Yingxiong for details, shouting on his behalf, "Quiet down! Don't waste time! This kid has a plan!!"

He knew Zheng Yingxiong had retained memories for a long time and might have even participated in similar games before, so he could potentially have a way to crack this one.

"What could a kid like him possibly know?!" an elderly man standing closest to Xiao Cheng shot back immediately upon hearing his words. "We should just set up a signal and find a way to notify each other!"

"Oh, yeah!" The old man's suggestion quickly gained widespread agreement, with everyone nodding and saying, "Stamp your feet! After seeing the other person's light, stamp once for blue and twice for red!"

Xiao Cheng thought to himself that this was a disaster. These people, who had come to join the "Hou Lei" game just for petty gains, hadn't even fully understood the rules before diving into strategy discussions. Could this really work?

According to the rules, they couldn't see the lights on each other's heads, let alone pass signals, yet here they were, devising ridiculous tactics in that direction.

But now, most of the time had already been wasted. With only a few seconds left, how could they possibly come up with a proper plan?

Countless thoughts raced through Xiao Cheng's mind. This game was so unfair for everyone; no wonder Ren Hou had said "the more people, the better." It was all about this twenty-second discussion window. If there were only two or three people, they might have figured something out, but with eleven panicked individuals in the room, it was impossible.

The more people there were, the greater Ren Hou's advantage became. So, how could they possibly win?

Xiao Cheng felt his mind in complete disarray because he hadn't anticipated Ren Hou allowing time for discussion. It wasn't that he wasn't smart; it was just that Ren Hou was expertly using psychological tactics. The rule of "one person breaks the rules, and everyone is eliminated" was classic psychological warfare.

In such a noisy environment and under such immense pressure, no one could stay calm enough to think of a strategy and convince the other ten people.

Xiao Cheng silently calculated in his head—the time was almost up, maybe just three or five seconds left. What should he do now?!!

"You have to cut in line!!!" Zheng Yingxiong yelled at the top of his lungs from the back of the group. "If you want to win, you absolutely have to cut in line!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ren Hou pressed the stopwatch and said with a cold laugh, "Time's up. Discussion over."

The noisy room fell instantly silent, with everyone's words cutting off abruptly, leaving only heavy breathing.

In the newfound quiet, Zheng Yingxiong's final words echoed in everyone's ears.

Cut in line?

In a game called "No Cutting in Line," they had to cut in line?

Since no one could communicate with those around them now, everyone naturally began to ponder the meaning of that statement.

"Next, the game officially begins," Ren Hou said. "I'll go around and tap each of you on the shoulder one by one. Once I tap you, 'participant,' please go up the stairs and stand in the rectangular area on the second floor."

At that moment, Xiao Cheng noticed that Ren Hou's voice had changed slightly.

He didn't sound as confident as before.

What could that mean?

Was it because of what Zheng Yingxiong had said?

As Ren Hou spoke, he walked over and tapped a middle-aged woman on the shoulder. Under the flashlight's beam, the woman's expression clearly relaxed.

She nodded and quickly headed up to the second floor.

For everyone, the first person had it the easiest. No matter where she stood, she wouldn't cause the game to be lost, since the others would base their positions on her color.

Everyone looked up and watched her ascend to the second floor. The moment she arrived, a red light lit up behind her head.

This scene was visible to all on the first floor, but what did it signify?

Everyone could only see the colors of the lights on others' heads, but the biggest challenge of the game was figuring out their own.

Ren Hou then stepped forward and tapped Tiantian's shoulder.

Tiantian froze for a moment, then nodded, glanced hesitantly at Xiao Cheng, and walked up to the second floor.

Xiao Cheng stared intently at the safety helmet on her head and saw that when she reached the second floor, a blue light lit up behind her.

He knew Tiantian's situation was also relatively straightforward; she could choose to stand to the left or right of the first woman, and either way, their colors would be different.

Now, it was time for the others to make their choices.

They had to guess the color of their own lights and decide whether to stand next to Tiantian or the middle-aged woman.

Starting from the third person, their choice could potentially lead to everyone's loss in the game.

If there was a red-blue-red or blue-red-blue arrangement, the rest wouldn't need to play; defeat was certain.

Whether by design or coincidence, Ren Hou chose Xiao Cheng as the third person.

Xiao Cheng slowly furrowed his brow, feeling immense pressure.

(Family and friends! The first volume of the physical book for Shi Ri Zhong Yan, titled Shi Ri Zhong Yan · Qiu Long, will be available for pre-sale on my Douyin account live stream on November 4th at 7 PM! During the stream, I'll connect with the publisher to chat about the book. We'll have a ten-second special signed edition rush purchase and a five-minute regular signed edition rush purchase, both limited by time but not quantity. If you're interested, please join the live stream to show your support—I'm truly grateful! Thank you to everyone who reads this message. The success of Shi Ri Zhong Yan is 10% due to my efforts and 90% due to your support. Thank you again.)