Interactive Fiction: The Right Choice After Unemployment

Chapter 5 There Are More Questions Than Information

After the end of the twelve bells, the surroundings returned to silence.

The percentage dropped.

Zheng Zhuo sat on the bed, stunned for a while.

If the percentage increase meant he was getting closer to the truth, or to the hope of returning home...

What does that percentage drop mean?
……

…………

………………

"Young man, didn't you sleep well yesterday?"

When the boss passed the small table where Zheng Zhuo was sitting for the third time this morning, he spoke up.

"Aha. I stayed up a little bit yesterday."

Zheng Zhuo, who was sitting at the table, raised his head and smiled, the traces of dark circles under his eyes were particularly obvious.

"Young people can't rely on their own health to go to bed too late..."

The boss babbled past, doing sanitation in the hotel.

Zheng Zhuo looked at the boss.

"..."

He has been sitting here for an hour.So far, the boss has not done anything beyond his imagination.

"Take out the money!"

Zheng Zhuo shouted suddenly.

"what!?"

The boss was visibly taken aback.But then, he said.

"Haha. Young people nowadays really like to joke."

The boss smiled and cursed a few words, saying, "When I was young, I also had this kind of personality, I really miss it", picked up the mop and walked from the end of the corridor to the door of the hotel.

……

Zheng Zhuo frowned.

"(...Would a real boss have this kind of reaction? The reaction was too light. Didn't even ask...)"

He was familiar with the boss's reaction.When moving goods with the boss, the boss is such a character.Even the movements are exactly the same.

However, it's a little too familiar.

He looks behind the counter.

Sure enough, the female student was still curled up behind the counter reading a book.She doesn't use her laptop anymore, but she's still doing the same thing as before.

"(Hard to believe they were real people.)"

Zheng Zhuo thought.

Since he stepped into the small supermarket, he spent no more than two hours with the owner and the female students.Now, another hour has passed.Logically speaking, now Zheng Zhuo should have a new understanding of them.

but it is not the truth.

Zheng Zhuo pretended to inadvertently ask about their family situation.The answer he got was: the female student is the daughter of the store manager, and her mother died long ago.Ask the female students about their studies, and they say that they are studying in other places and have recently returned home for vacation.When I asked the boss about his youthful deeds, the answer he got was that he had worked in this hotel all his life.

Is this information true?

"(Mother passed away, because I don't know their mother in reality, so I can't tell? I study in other places because there is no university in the local area. Going home on vacation... It's too ridiculous. It's November, what university? On vacation at this time? Worked in hotels all my life... because I don't know what the boss did before, did I?)"

Zheng Zhuo only felt a headache.

"(Hallucinations? Subconscious? God, I don't even know what a subconscious is... Can a subconscious do something like this?)"

He raised his head and looked in front of him.

The desk is full of papers.

He had gone downstairs an hour ago and had borrowed paper and pen from the store manager.

While eating breakfast, Zheng Zhuo wrote down many things that came to mind when he tossed and turned last night.

He doesn't have much confidence in his memory!

To this end, he chose to write down on paper everything he can remember so far.

This is a habit he left behind when dealing with sundries in the old unit.As long as he has developed this habit, he is still grateful to his original unit.

Next...

He's going to do something he's not used to, and he's not good at.

For example, try to analyze the current situation.

Zheng Zhuo stared at the words on the paper.

……

【About progress bar】

1. Ask about the geographical location: located in the northwest of the country. (progress bar does not grow)

2. Ask about the cultural situation: the population is small.There is only one road leading to the outside world, and there are usually some tourists, but not many. (The progress bar increases by about 0.5%)

3. Inquire about the main source of income: local mining.Mainly copper and iron ore. (The progress bar increases by about 1%)

4. Ask about scenic spots and landscapes: there is a waterfall spring in the southwest of the town.There are also semi-open underwater caves underneath, attracting many cave explorers. (The progress bar increases by about 3%)

5. At 12 o'clock in the morning, the bell tower rang. (progress bar down 2.8%)
……

"Ahhhh-"

Zheng Zhuo scratched his head.At that time, he was only looking at the progress bar, and his memory was not deep.Thinking about it now would kill him.Just a few lines of words, but it took a lot of effort to recall.

But even if you recall it, what can you analyze?
Zheng Zhuo knew that there must be some connection among them.

But for now, the information is still too little.

"Calm down, Zheng Zhuo."

He took a deep breath, picked up the pen, and said to himself.

"Start where you can."

……

【Current situation】

1. Investigating the status quo can increase the progress bar.The rate of increase varies from situation to situation.

2. At 12 o'clock in the morning, the bell tower rang.The progress bar drops.

3. Zheng Zhuo: [Explorer]

4. Last night's winner: 【Joker】

……

【Current question】

1. What does the increase of the progress bar mean?What does the decreasing progress bar mean?
2. What kind of information makes the progress bar increase the most?Is it possible to assume that there is currently a hidden truth, the closer to the truth, the greater the increase?
3. How does the clock at 12 o'clock in the morning determine the outcome?Do the rules for determining victory or defeat include elements of a personal injury nature, such as mutual attacks?
4. [Joker] Is it an illusion like the store manager's father and daughter?Or, like me, a conscious "living person"?
5. Besides me and [Joker] who hold [Explorer], are there any other identities?

……

…………

………………

10 minute later.

"Haha... I only found out after I wrote it. It's kind of like that."

Zheng Zhuo looked at the page full of paper and smiled.

"When I was studying, my grades were still good."

When he was studying, Zheng Zhuo's grades were indeed above average.However, the teacher also once commented that he is "very good at studying, but he will start to feel proud after a little achievement, so it is difficult to make great progress."

Of course, this evaluation was selectively forgotten by Zheng Zhuo.

"Then, then..."

Zheng Zhuo looked at the analysis with satisfaction.But after a while, the smile gradually disappeared.

Because he discovered one thing.

"I just wrote something obvious... It's not... analysis...!"

He needs to know more about it!

Zheng Zhuo straightened his hands and stood up.

"I need to find more information. What should I do...Ask other people? Go to other places? Do something out of the ordinary? Or..."

Ah, right.

Zheng Zhuo silently said "mobile phone" in his heart. The [Subconscious World] window of the [Collective Subconscious] software pops up again.

Nothing changes.The progress bar is still 12% at 4.1 o'clock in the morning.

Zheng Zhuo slid across this page.

This time, the [Subconscious Voting] window appeared.

"I'm probably involved in some illegal experiment."

Zheng Zhuo sighed.

"And if that's the case, the highest vote is the default correct answer? It's not pleasant to follow the instructions...though, considering that it's me who decides what instructions are needed when, it's acceptable."

Zheng Zhuo didn't feel that his life was in danger for the time being.In addition to being unable to access the Internet, survival needs such as water, electricity, housing, and food have also been met.

In this sense, [Option [-]] might really be the correct answer when he fell from the sky.

Probably because of Zheng Zhuo's change of mind, on the [Subconscious Voting] page, rows of words were suddenly displayed.

……

【problem】

[You wake up and find yourself in a strange town!What is the first reaction? 】

【Option [-]】

【Look for all possible means of transportation and means of departure】

【Option [-]】

[Ask all the residents in the small town about the local customs and customs in detail]

【Option [-]】

【Take a tour of nearby attractions】

【Option [-]】

【Wreak havoc, don't let me go, don't even think about it】

【Option [-]】

【Live an ordinary life, wait for the turning point】

……

The [Start Voting] button is pressed.

The data scrolls.

　After [Option 1], [Option 1], [Option [-]], [Option [-]] and [Option [-]], 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2022/11/5日中午12：00.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)