Chapter 179 - 178: The NPC Gives a Free Pass

Chapter 179: Chapter 178: The NPC Gives a Free Pass

Next up was Leila Elliot—played by Rian Sinclair’s best friend, Sarah Forrest. She had to go to the biology lab alone to grab a set of keys. Rian looked worriedly at the person beside her.

Sarah forced a smile. "It’s fine, Ria. I think I can do this. I refuse to drag the team down! Trust me, I’m going in!"

First Melody and now Sarah had openly taken jabs at the White Lotus. Rian really felt like her own solo task had come way too early; otherwise, she could have taken a jab at her too! Then, she turned around and saw Sarah walking out the door, her legs trembling uncontrollably. Seeing how miserable she looked, Rian truly couldn’t hold back a smile.

Not long after, they heard Sarah’s screams, mixed with a bit of sobbing. Rian knew it would be terrible to laugh out loud right now, so she thought of every sad thing she had ever encountered in her life just to keep herself from chuckling. Hearing the approaching footsteps, Rian, despite finding it funny, immediately walked over to wait by the door. As soon as Sarah entered, Rian shut the dorm room door behind her.

Sarah’s legs gave out, and she slumped right into Rian’s arms. Rian patted her and comforted her softly, "There, there. It’s okay now."

After a few seconds of comfort, Sarah felt like she had come back to life. Rian took the keys Sarah handed her, kept four, and passed the rest to Connor Grant, the player closest to her.

Rian distributed the keys in her hand to her three friends. Then, the game master’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. "Everyone, line up and take turns going to the shower room to open a locker and place your ID card inside."

The other four players happened to be standing near the front, so she glanced at the map in her hand, passed the cardboard to the next person, and walked straight out toward the shower room.

As soon as she entered, she saw the security guard NPC lying on the floor sleeping. Then, she spotted a white figure sitting on the sink, staring blankly at the door. Rian maintained eye contact with it for a few seconds, completely unfazed. But she felt like she had just... maybe... seen the NPC roll its eyes at her?

Then, as if remembering a game rule, she silently covered her face with both hands, leaving only a tiny gap to see through. In the process, she accidentally stepped on something. Looking down, she saw the security guard lying on the ground, his face twitching slightly. Rian awkwardly pulled her foot back and muttered, "Sorry about that, bro."

Rian took a step to the side and fell into deep thought as she looked at the row of at least ten lockers in front of her. Just as she was about to try the keys one by one, the female ghost NPC beside her moved and patted the second-to-last locker.

Rian glanced over, looked away, and prepared to continue trying her keys, but the noise from that side grew louder. She seemed to catch onto something. Covering her face again, she quietly shuffled over—after all, Rian understood the rules of the game very well. She used her key to open that locker. She had guessed right; the NPC was just trying to help her find it quickly so she could put her stuff in. After placing her ID card inside, she left the shower room.

The security guard didn’t even bother to chase her. Rian actually felt a little unsettled by the peace; she had kind of enjoyed the thrill of being pursued earlier.

As for what the security guard and the female ghost were really thinking?

No matter how much they tried to scare her, she didn’t react, which just made the two of them look like clowns. Plus, chasing her was an exhausting effort since they couldn’t even catch her. So, the two NPCs simply gave up and decided to let her finish her task early. And conveniently, they could fulfill the request Rian had made earlier: scaring her teammates!

By now, Rian had returned to the girls’ dorm. Under everyone’s astonished gazes, she looked earnestly at her three friends. With a sympathetic look in her eyes, she said, "Good luck, you three."

Encouraged by Rian, Sarah hesitantly made her way out into the darkness. The others, waiting safely in the dorm room, soon heard wave after wave of screams. Melody looked at Rian as if she were a monster. Rian feigned helplessness and threw her hands up, silently expressing that there was nothing she could do if the NPCs refused to scare her.

After a long while, Sarah came back, her face pale as she leaned against the wall for support. Rian helped her sit to the side. At this point, Melody was terrified too, but she forced herself to step out anyway. As expected, another piercing soprano scream echoed through the halls.

When Melody returned, her neatly tied hair was a mess, and her legs were shaking uncontrollably. Seeing this, Finn Collins immediately pulled her into a comforting hug. Melody rested for a moment before urging her boyfriend to go do his task. Finn was a bit faster than Melody. Although there were no screams, his deathly pale face upon returning made it obvious that the experience hadn’t been pleasant.

At this point, Melody didn’t even cling to her boyfriend anymore. Instead, she and Sarah each grabbed one of Rian’s arms, refusing to let go. Then, it was time for the other four players to set out.

The three guys went one by one. Their screams were each louder than the last, but they all made it back alive. Finally, it was the White Lotus’s turn.

The White Lotus was pale and completely terrified to go. The constant screams she had heard earlier had scared her stiff. She hadn’t even started her task yet, and her legs were already trembling. Everyone was waiting for her to finish so they could proceed to the next stage, but several minutes passed with no movement from her. The game master was also urging the players to hurry up and complete the task.

The White Lotus shrank back, shaking her head vigorously. "I don’t want to go by myself, it’s too scary! Who can do it for me?!"

As soon as she said this, the room fell dead silent. Even the three guys standing next to her silently took half a step back, showing absolutely no intention of helping. Rian and her three friends watched her performance with cold expressions.

The White Lotus kept shaking her head, while the game master continued to rush them. After all, the plan was to give her a full experience. If she didn’t go, how could she get that experience?

Her guy friends also started urging her to hurry up and go. Finally, the girl left the dorm room with a resentful expression. Just as she reached the door, she turned back and glared viciously at Sarah.

Seeing this, Sarah, who was leaning against Rian, pulled a face at the girl. "Don’t wet your pants from fear, okay? It’d be so embarrassing for a grown adult to do that."

The girl angrily slammed the door shut with so much force that Rian felt the ground tremble. Watching the monitors, the game master immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie and instructed the NPCs.

"Scare the living daylights out of this girl for me. She looks all pure and innocent, but she has a rotten heart. She’s tiny, but she has a massive temper. Chase her, get right in her face—use all the tricks! But still, exercise a little restraint."

The game master didn’t want any actual accidents happening in the escape room, but scaring her was an absolute must. After all, not everyone was like that first player who did her solo task—completely fearless and faster than lightning!

The others waited in the dorm room for her to return so they could receive the next task. Soon, everyone heard roars from outside that could only be described as tragic, deafening, and ear-piercingly shrill. Rian wondered for a moment if someone outside was mutating into a monster. The sounds were completely different from anything they had heard earlier.

Sarah offered a fair critique from the side. "She certainly has a strong set of lungs!"

Hearing Sarah’s comment, Melody turned her head, nodded in strong agreement, and generously gave a thumbs-up.

After who knew how long, a faint sound finally emerged, though it didn’t sound like footsteps walking on the floor. Then, there was a quiet rattling at the door and a sobbing voice pleading, "Open the door..."