Interactive Fiction: The Right Choice After Unemployment

Chapter 16

Option 3.7 is 55.6%, option 33.3 is 7.4%, option [-] is [-]%, and option [-] is [-]%.

……

【Option [-]】

[Grab the lighter in the store, light it and throw it into the trapdoor]

……

ignition! ?
A flash of surprise flashed across Zheng Zhuo's heart.

But at the same time he saw clearly that the trapdoor was closing.

There is no time to choose.

"(—I can't manage that much anymore!)"

Zheng Zhuo gritted his teeth and rushed to the counter.He hit the counter top, and the cigarettes, chewing gum, and signature pens were knocked off by him, and fell onto the counter top and floor with a clatter.

then……

Dang lang, dang lang.

Several brand new lighters fell in front of Zheng Zhuo.

"--this--!"

Zheng Zhuo grabbed the lighter and pressed it with a "cha".

Flames immediately flickered in Zheng Zhuo's palm.

"it is good!"

Zheng Zhuo pounced on the ground and threw the lighter forward——

The lighter slid across the ground and slid in before the trapdoor closed.

The fire light fell into the dark ground, as if falling into the void.It disappeared with a soft bang.

slap.

The wooden door was closed.It fits so tightly with the texture of the floor that if Zheng Zhuo hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have thought that there was a door there.

Is there... is it useful?

Zheng Zhuo gasped and stood up.

After a while.

He heard the sound of "crack, crack".

The sound was very faint, like the sound of a short circuit in an electrical wire.

But soon, it turned into a "popping" sound when a single firecracker was lit.

"..."

The room was starting to heat up.Especially the feet.

"--Oops!"

Really lit!Zheng Zhuo hurriedly picked up the bearded store manager who was unconscious beside him, dragged him vigorously, and dragged him out of the house.

He knocked open the door of the grocery store with his shoulder, and the blood on the manager's body was all over him.When the surrounding townspeople saw him, they all showed shocked expressions, and some women covered their mouths with their hands.

I seem to have been surprising people lately...

The idea came to his mind inappropriately.

Hey, now is not the time to joke around.

"Run!"

Zheng Zhuo shouted loudly.

The ground beneath his feet was getting hotter.What was even more frightening was that he had already left the grocery store. However, when he walked from the store to the dirt road, the temperature not only did not drop, but showed signs of rising.

at this time.

"------"

He heard it beneath the floor of the grocery store, deep in the earth.

There was a terrible scream.

The screams couldn't be heard at all like a human voice.

The screams continued, as if something inhuman was wailing.

"……what……"

Zheng Zhuo only felt that his scalp was numb, and the hairs on his back stood on end.

The screams moved quickly underground.In the blink of an eye, he was far away.

The nearby townspeople finally reacted.They started crying out of fear, ran around and fled back indoors.

at the same time.

On Zheng Zhuo's left hand side, the [Subconscious World] interface popped up.

"!!"

Zheng Zhuo saw that the percentage progress bar representing the progress of the event turned red at this moment.Moreover, it is falling rapidly.

39.7%, 37.2%, 35.6%…

"what!"

There was a "hum" in Zheng Zhuo's mind.

He once heard the thief read [Rule Explanation].It said that the participants had to investigate a truth.When the understanding of the truth reaches 100%, the participant wins and can leave.

Now it means...

The truth is disappearing?Never understand?stay here forever-

Zheng Zhuo's hands and feet were weak, but he managed to run two steps forward.

35.6%, 34.7%, 33.9%…

"!!"

Zheng Zhuo suddenly found that when he moved forward, the decline in the number slowed down.

"(The thread isn't completely broken!? It's disappearing. No, it's being destroyed—)"

"(Then—as long as—before it disappears—)"

"Help me carry it!"

Zheng Zhuo forced the bloody store manager on his back to a nearby townsman who hadn't had time to run into the house.

Without waiting for the other party to respond, he ran towards the entrance of the town.

……

"...Damn it, damn it..."

Zheng Zhuo ran wildly all the way.The ground was astonishingly hot, as if the whole town had been placed on a pan of boiling oil.

"No way... the underground is connected?"

Zheng Zhuo saw sweat on his forehead.Right now, he can only think of this possibility.Moreover, it is the greatest possibility.

Connected... Connected to where?

The underwater cave next to the waterfall spring on the southwest side of the town suddenly appeared in Zheng Zhuo's mind.

The schematic diagram of the cave is intricate and extending in all directions.At that time, Zheng Zhuo could only measure it visually, but he estimated that the longest part still exceeded two kilometers.

two kilometers.

From the small town to the waterfall spring, it is only a little more than one kilometer.

is it possible……

A part of the cave actually extends down to the town?

"...Waterfall spring!"

Zheng Zhuo ran towards the waterfall spring.

……

…………

………………

A few minutes later, Zheng Zhuo arrived at Waterfall Spring. He had never run so fast before, almost coughing out his lungs.

The leaves of the surrounding vegetation began to shrivel due to the high temperature.Zheng Zhuo pushed aside the scorched grass and leaves due to the heat, and walked forward with one foot deep and the other shallow.

The waterfall spring in front of him was completely gone from the tranquility and beauty it had when he first visited.Now, in the pool outside the waterfall, the spring erupts.A two-person-high water column spurted out violently, splashes hit the surface of the water, and the surroundings of the pool buzzed.

Rather than a spring erupting, the sight is more like...

"... boiled..."

The vicinity of the waterfall spring is not cooler because of its proximity to the water source.On the contrary, every step Zheng Zhuo took was like stepping on a hot rock.

"...the progress bar...how is it..."

Zheng Zhuo looked to the left.

He had already run as fast as he could, but the downward trend of the progress bar didn't stop because of slowing down.At the moment, there are only 20.7% left.

"...20.6%."

After arriving at the waterfall spring, the decline in the value did not stop.

Zheng Zhuo raised his head.

There is no further path forward.Further on, he will reach the entrance of the underwater cave.

"You mean...you want me to go in? Before...something...is completely destroyed?"

Zheng Zhuo already vaguely understood the situation in his heart, but he couldn't take that step no matter what.

He looked towards the hole.

The depths of the cave, which was originally dark and dark, where you couldn't see your fingers, now glowed faintly with red light.

"..."

The moment Zheng Zhuo hesitated, he poked his head into the cave.

"------"

Fragmented, frightening sounds mixed with screams and laughter came from the depths of the cave.

"—all—my—no one—can't—!!!"

Accompanied by barely recognizable, fragmented words.Zheng Zhuo saw that the progress bar beside him turned red again.

20.7%, 16.4%, 11.9%...

The value has dropped faster than ever before.The numbers scrolled, almost impossible to see.

next second.

The page of [Subconscious World] turned over.

The [Subconscious Voting] page appeared.

……

【problem】

[Going forward is dangerous, but it can increase progress.It is relatively safe to fall back, but the progress may drop to zero.So? 】

【Option [-]】

【go ahead】

【Option [-]】

【Turn back】

　After [Option 1] and [Option 1], you can leave a message in the form of [This chapter says]. A message under [-] id counts as [-] vote.

　　票数统计截至至2022/11/10日晚20：00.
　　Finally, please recommend tickets~
　　


(End of this chapter)