199: Chapter 199 "Postscript to Liaozhai"

Seeing the Management Group believe Cui Lan, the corners of Chen Mo's mouth curled up slightly; his goal was achieved.

Next, Chen Mo looked toward the quaint courtyard and walked along the corridor.

He soon arrived at the master bedroom.

Pushing open the door, he saw Jiang Xinyi and Jiyin sitting on a bamboo mat not far away.

Inside the room, six other players were already standing there.

There were men and women, all of whom looked like they were not to be trifled with; at a glance, they were clearly logic-based players.

"Everyone is here, so... let's start discussing the rules for entering the dungeon," a man in a black suit hosted.

Jiang Xinyi and Jiang Xiaoyun stood up, positioning themselves on either side of Chen Mo, and everyone gathered around a stone table.

Carved on the surface of the stone table was a Nine-Grid pattern.

The lines were distinct, and it seemed possible to press down on the nine divided squares with one's fingers.

Chen Mo approached the stone table, and several messages appeared before his eyes.

[Welcome to the Thriller Game!]

[Your game theme this time is: Liaozhai Afterword]

[You tell tales of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio~~, I tell tales of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio~~, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is a collection of ancient folklore and supernatural anecdotes. Here, you will encounter challenges: "Embroidered Shoes, Paper Wedding Dress, Soul Returning Night, Fox Fairy Romance, Buddha, Corpse Transformation..."]

[Oh! This damn Chinese culture is so rich that it's simply impossible to finish talking about it!]

[The Nine-Grid consists of nine dungeons; you nine players each need to choose one dungeon to enter.]

[Once three consecutive squares are cleared, forming a line, you can enter the Land of Wonder.]

[Note: If someone dies in a dungeon, that square will turn gray; conversely, cleared squares will turn red.]

[Whether diagonal, vertical, or horizontal, as long as three red squares form a line, you have cleared the game!]

[Gray squares cannot be used for lines; three gray squares where people have died, of course, cannot form a line either!]

The blood-colored text melted away like wax, and Chen Mo looked at Jiyin again.

He felt even more the terror of the Astrologer; back at the guild, the Nine-Grid they had studied was exactly these dungeon rules.

The Astrologer could directly foresee the future.

Then, once her level rises even higher, wouldn't the Astrologer be able to directly see the infinite ways to clear a dungeon?

It was just like a death save file reload.

At this moment, Chen Mo began to value Jiyin; she was a very useful tool.

Of course, Jiang Xiaoyun was thinking the same thing; Chen Mo, this Magician, was a very useful tool.

After reading it, Jiang Xinyi said: "Clearly, the center square of the Nine-Grid is the most important; we must send a capable person in."

"Because occupying this center square is equivalent to occupying three opportunities."

"I'll go!" Chen Mo volunteered.

The six surrounding players heard this and immediately frowned.

They were all clearly aware of how important the center of the Nine-Grid was; it could be said to be the core position.

And looking at this man bragging before them, he looked so ordinary and dim-witted that he was completely untrustworthy.

At a time like this, only the protagonist should be entering the most critical position, okay? Just look at yourself; you're at most an extra.

Seeing Chen Mo's appearance, to be honest, Jiang Xinyi and Jiang Xiaoyun also felt very uncomfortable.

If they didn't know this was what Chen Mo looked like after transforming, based on this first impression, Jiang Xinyi and Jiang Xiaoyun certainly wouldn't be willing to pay him any mind.

Only handsome men could catch their attention, especially if paired with a pair of wise and gentle eyes; that would be even better.

But that was the old Chen Mo; the current Chen Mo really looked like a corporate slave.

"I agree to let this guy go in. Don't let his dim-witted appearance fool you; he is actually a man with an IQ of 180," Jiang Xinyi said.

Jiang Xiaoyun also nodded, making up a whole bunch of compliments about Chen Mo.

Especially since Jiang Xinyi was a Trickster; with a flurry of lies, she successfully deceived the three people present, and combined with the three on their own side, she subtly influenced everyone's perception.

She influenced everyone's cognition.

The man in the shirt who had initially voiced opposition now looked at Chen Mo, and the more he looked, the more he felt that what Jiang Xinyi said was absolutely correct.

"Indeed, if you can win a gold medal in the Math Olympiad every month, then you are indeed the most suitable candidate."

"Actually... sometimes the more ordinary a person is, the more unfathomable they are, right?" another young girl with braided hair smiled and said.

"Good luck, I now feel... you are the most reliable and smartest person here!" the man in the suit also nodded in agreement.

Chen Mo couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

This must be a passive skill of the Trickster; previously, when Jiang Xinyi made him believe she wasn't dead after clearing the dungeon, that must have been one of the Trickster's abilities.

And this ability of the minority obeying the majority, which can directly and indirectly influence others' thoughts, must be the Trickster's second passive skill.

Chen Mo looked at his own: one was running away, one was a disguise panel, and he also had acrobat-like physical abilities.

He seemed to be the survival type.

Their professions were so enviable.

Just like that, everyone quickly allocated the dungeons they should enter.

Jiang Xiaoyun had already seen the path of fate in advance; she chose the one to Chen Mo's right, and had Jiang Xinyi choose the one to Chen Mo's left.

"Doing this is absolutely correct; just the three of us is enough, everyone else can be ignored," Jiang Xiaoyun said confidently.

Immediately after, Chen Mo gave the two some instructions.

He said: "I don't know if the guild functions will still be usable after entering the dungeon; let's test it once we enter."

"OK!" Both of them made a gesture.

Chen Mo took a deep breath, raised his hand first, and pressed the center square.

With a "ding" sound, the square sank down bit by bit under the pressure of his finger, and blue light seeped out from the gaps.

Chen Mo only felt a wave of dizziness in his brain.

A "clunk, clunk" sound came to his ears, as if someone were pounding the ground.

His heartbeat gradually slowed down, and when Chen Mo opened his eyes, he saw a dilapidated thatched shed with several holes in the roof.

Propping himself up with his elbows, he felt that what he was lying on was very hard; it was basically no different from stone.

But the advantage was... it was very warm.

He patted the stone bed he was lying on and looked at his surroundings.

He discovered an arched hole under the stone bed, filled with straw; it turned out to be a heated kang.

The furniture in the house was broken beyond repair, and the room he was sleeping in was just a low thatched hut with walls built from a mixture of mud and straw.

Chen Mo jumped off the bed and saw a broken wooden table against the wall.

On it were placed a few pottery jars.

He lifted one to look, and a stench instantly wafted into his nasal cavity.

It was a bowl of noodle soup, noodle soup that had been sitting for a long time, and he could even see a few black-green flocculent objects floating on top.