“Ding! Welcome to the Doll Game! The theme for this game is ‘Hide and Seek’, and the rules are as follows:
One, reject the game and turn into a doll!
Two, lose the game and turn into a doll!
Three, succeed in the game and win a doll!”
The familiar voice echoed in their ears, but the surrounding scene remained unchanged.
They were still in the amusement park.
According to the information provided by Game 21, the scene of the Hide and Seek game was an exact copy of this amusement park, with all elements exactly the same as the actual one.
Shen Mo glanced back at the entrance of the amusement park. The street and crowd outside the gate were gone, leaving only an empty white space behind.
“Welcome to the Doll Game. I am the overseer of this game, and I look forward to your performances,” came a voice.
Everyone’s eyes followed the direction of the sound.
Not far away, a figure dressed in a white bow tie shirt and black tailcoat approached. Holding a top hat in its hand, it presented itself as a gentleman, yet it had the head of a rabbit, and its voice was as gentle and intelligent as a woman’s.
The drastic combination of characteristics was surprisingly harmonious and natural.
Everyone instinctively gathered together, warily watching the steadily approaching overseer.
It stopped about ten steps away from the group, its gaze resting lightly on their varied expressions.
When it saw Bai Youwei, its gaze lingered slightly before shifting downward and spotting the fluffy rabbit in her arms.
Bai Youwei frowned, turning her rabbit around so that the back of its head was facing the overseer.
The rabbit-headed man silently smirked.
“Well, let’s get started with the rule explanation. Please follow me—”
It turned and began walking down a black and white checkerboard-patterned path. On both sides, there were brightly colored flower beds, cartoon statues, and the festive flags and balloons commonly seen throughout the amusement park.
Everyone stood still, hesitating for a moment before following the overseer.
The amusement park was large and very quiet. Apart from their footsteps, there was no other sound—not even the wind. It was markedly eerie and cemetery-like.
The overseer was at the forefront, walking and explaining the rules:
“Hide and Seek is Mary’s favorite game. She and her cat play every night and they’re very good at it—no one has ever found them. What you need to do is hide when night falls and avoid being found by Mary and her cat…”
“What happens if we are found?” Yu Yaqing asked.
“If you’re found…” The rabbit-headed man slowed his pace and turned to look at her, “being found means you’ve lost. You will stay here forever and keep playing Hide and Seek with Mary and her cat.”
Shen Mo then asked, “What’s the win condition?”
The overseer answered, “Kill Mary, or Mary’s cat. The death of either will make the game impossible to continue, and the players will naturally win.”
It’s the same as stated in the game information.
The success condition is very clear—at least it doesn’t sound ambiguous or filled with wordplay.
It’s that straightforward and brutal.
The rabbit-headed man stopped in front of a massive carousel, raised a hand pointing to the top of the carousel, and introduced:
“Here are Mary, and her cat.”
Following the overseer’s pointing, they saw a red and white striped canopy on the carousel. The edge was painted with gold powder and adorned with colorful lights, making it exceedingly gorgeous.
Above the canopy, an enormous stuffed cat lied, and on top of the cat, there was a little girl in a puffy princess dress!
The overseer explained, “After many adjustments during the beta testing of the game, we’ve decided to implement a 6-hour system: 6 hours of daytime, 6 hours of nighttime. I hope you all can utilize your time fully to achieve the winning condition.”
After finishing, it turned to face them, gently asked, “Now, is there anything about the rules that is not clear?”