Interactive Fiction: The Right Choice After Unemployment

Chapter 9 The tip of the iceberg

Option 3.9 is 34.6%, option 53.8 is 7.7%, option [-] is [-]%, and option [-] is [-]%.

……

【Option [-]】

[Venture to go up to the attic, take the saw blade, and ambush at the stairs. 】

……

"Ambush...?"

Zheng Zhuo collected himself.

Ambush is the option with the highest percentage.

He wasn't sure if he could do this with his remaining physical strength, but...

"... If you escape and are discovered, you will have no physical strength to resist..."

With this in mind, Zheng Zhuo no longer hesitated.Using hands and feet together, he climbed up the stairs.

……

The door to the roof was ajar.

Zheng Zhuo didn't look at the situation outside that door, but focused on his ears.

The sound of footsteps... was chaotic.And, it's still far away.

He groped forward.

The only ornament in the attic is a dusty wooden shelf.Above the wooden frame, there are a few saw blades scattered around.

Zheng Zhuo wrapped his hands with the sleeves of his sweater, and picked up the saw blades.

Worried about revealing his whereabouts, he didn't dare to stay, and immediately returned to the second floor.

……

…………

………………

After a long time.

Footsteps quickly approached the attic.

A black figure almost rushed into the attic.The black shadow staggered a few times, and quickly closed the wooden door.

"Hahaha……"

The black shadow breathed heavily.

"Then...that crazy woman...haha...would never have thought that I would come back here...ha..."

It's a familiar voice.

It was the thief.

"Idiot. Did I trick you into the cave? Haha, go, go. A lunatic with a gun is waiting for you. Maybe there is a guy with a knife..."

He walked downstairs in the dark.

"There is no [Teleportation]—it's a pity no matter how you think about it. It's all the guy's fault, where to throw him? It's good to throw him as bait, I think—"

The thief steps down a step.

Subsequently.

He tripped over a hemp rope lying on the stairs.

Bang!
"Goo-"

"do not move!"

Zheng Zhuo punched the thief in the face.Before the thief could react, he cut the thief's hands backwards and pinned him to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a saw blade rested on the thief's throat.

"Tell me everything you know."

……

…………

………………

"Let me go, let me go! — Brother! I'm sorry, I'm sorry — let me go!"

Zheng Zhuo looked at the thief who was threatened by the saw blade and started begging for mercy in fright, only felt that the world was impermanent.

Just now, he wanted to kill himself.But now, he became the one who wanted to take his life.

However, to say that things are impermanent...

The fact that he came to this strange town was the most incredible thing.

"...tell me all you know."

Zheng Zhuo lowered his voice and repeated it.

"...know...know what?"

"What is this place? What are you doing here? How can you get out?"

"... Huh? What are you asking for? It's all on the page, right?

page?

"What page?"

"It's just software? [Collective Subconsciousness] - the next page of [Subconscious World], isn't it [Rule Description]? It's the same for everyone, right? There are only two pages in total!"

Rule description?

Zheng Zhuo's heart skipped a beat.

His second page doesn't say anything.His second page is [Subconscious Voting].

But according to the thief, other people don't seem to have this voting function.

too weird……

If this is really an experimental project, the voting part should be the focus, right?How could anyone else... have none?

Zheng Zhuo felt puzzled in his heart.

But he didn't say it.

"I only have one page. The [subconscious world] page."

Zheng Zhuo told a lie.

"Really? You... there must be something wrong with your software—it hurts! Big brother, big brother, move the saw blade away—my neck is broken—"

"...read me your [rule description]."

"Eh...heh..."

The thief hesitated.Zheng Zhuo tightened the saw blade, so scared that he obeyed obediently.

……

【Rule Explanation】

find the truth.

The closer to the truth, the higher the progress bar value.

Every night at 12 o'clock, announce the person who is closest to the truth that day.

The first person to reach 100% will be the winner of this game.

Those who die on the field will be out.

……

"...Is it really that simple?"

Zheng Zhuo frowned and asked.

"really!"

The thief kept begging for mercy.

"Yes--a buddy introduced me to do this to make money, so I came here--I have only participated in it three times! I also heard other people say--"

"Other content?"

"It is said that No. 1 can obtain glory and wealth! No matter what you wish, you can come true! Don't, don't! I will die——"

"Death, isn't it just getting out? What will happen if you get out?"

"It's nothing. Just back to reality. But it hurts! It hurts!"

"..."

"Really! This is the third time I've been in. The first time, I'm dead out of nowhere, out! I thought I was done—but I'm back to reality! I thought it was a dream Unexpectedly, the software invited me to participate in the second round! No one died in the second round, but in the end, the system ruled out the winning girl——I saw it with my own eyes! In big red letters [violating the rules and out] , hit her directly! Then, she disappeared—”

"Breached the rules. You didn't say that."

Zheng Zhuo still remembers that when the thief read the rules, he only said that he would be out of the game if he died, but he didn't say that he would be out if he violated the rules.

"What kind of violation of the rules is out?"

"This—how do I know this?"

the thief yelled.

"Anyway, I haven't seen the second person who violated the rules and was eliminated!"

"..."

"I, I have answered! Can you let me go? We can cooperate..."

"I can't trust you yet. You haven't said all."

Zheng Zhuo still has doubts.He won't stop here.

"I--"

"Listen to this rule, the more people who are out, the better. But you didn't kill me just now. I need to know the reason."

"Because I've seen some sections require multiple participants to work together!"

The thief said hastily.

"I'm not sure - not sure if there are enough people left. Besides, I don't think I can figure it out alone - the first time, I died before 10%. The second time I lived for three weeks , Only 17% progress! Listen to them, if none of the participants can discover the secret, everyone will never be able to get out of the world. I don’t want to stay here forever!”

"..."

Zheng Zhuo still can't believe it completely.For from this interpretation, the situation is quite the opposite.

"If it's true as you said, why did so many people get out in the early stage? In the early stage, most people should cooperate."

"I don't know either! In fact, the relationship between the participants in the first and second rounds I participated in was not so bad...at least at the beginning they would cooperate with each other. Especially in the second round, until the end, everyone Cooperate with each other to solve the problem." The thief frowned, "At least like this time, I have never seen a situation where people were shot without seeing each other. Now this is not an investigation of the truth at all, it is a brawl!"

By the way, guns.

"Where did that gun come from? I brought it in myself... I don't think anyone can get a gun. Also, what happened to your token?"

what.

This time, the thief made a suspicious sound.

"You really don't know anything. So why are you participating?"

"Well... just... because of some problems."

It cannot be said that it is because of an iron hook worth a few dollars.

Zheng Zhuo played a sloppy eye and fooled the past.

"Don't change the subject. What are those?"

"Before participating, we will choose a [ability] that can be brought into the next game based on the performance of the previous game. I have chosen a token that allows me to move within 500 meters! However, I can only use Three times...you saw that too! It disappears when it's used up—"

"..."

Seeing that Zheng Zhuo didn't ask any more questions, the thief seized on the topic.

"Brother! Brother, let me go—by the way, let's cooperate! Let's find clues together—"

"...Together? Not long ago, you wanted to kill me. How can I trust you?"

"I've told you everything I know - I'm powerless! I'm really no harm..."

"..."

Zheng Zhuo also doesn't have 【Ability】.Even if what the thief said is true, it only means that the two of them have the same fighting power.

He couldn't trust the thief easily.

but.

As he put the saw blade to the other man's throat, he realized that it was almost impossible for him to kill a defenseless person with a hard hand.

"I still have some questions for you."

Zheng Zhuo said this, but in fact, he didn't know what to ask.

However, at this moment.

The software panel pops up.

He saw the interface of [Subconscious Voting] and began to scroll through various options...

No.

problem.

====
Call for questions you want to ask the thief.

It can be attached here in the form said in this chapter.

　问题统计截至至2022/11/7日中午12：00.
　　Finally, please recommend tickets~
　　


(End of this chapter)