Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The White Rabbit led the way through the eerie woods. In this place, it was impossible to distinguish day from night, and the bleached bones of unknown creatures littered the ground at irregular intervals.
After walking for a long time, it finally came to a halt.
Before us lay a nearly barren meadow. A long dining table was set there, piled high with seemingly exquisite desserts. However, upon closer inspection, the red jam on the cakes emitted a heavy stench of blood, and the surfaces were crawling with flies.
“In the second stage, a player has obtained a key item and received the game reward: the Queen of Hearts. Oh heavens, they’re about to wake up. I have to go; I absolutely loathe dealing with lunatics.”
As soon as the White Rabbit finished speaking, it vanished into the forest like a puff of smoke.
In that same instant, a Queen of Hearts card appeared out of thin air in my hand.
After reading the text inscribed on it, I couldn’t help but furrow my brows.
The Mad Hatter lifted his head from a mountain of blood-colored sweets, shaking awake the bleary-eyed Dormouse and the March Hare sitting beside him.
“Wake up, lads! We have new guests to welcome!”
Compared to the meticulously dressed Mr. White Rabbit in his formal attire, the March Hare looked exceptionally disheveled and terrifying. Its fur and clothes were splattered with dense droplets of blood, and its crimson eyes scanned everyone present.
It scrambled onto the table and announced loudly:
“New friends, welcome to the Mad Tea Party! As long as you survive until the end, you’ll get to taste the most delicious and fresh afternoon tea!”
The March Hare’s words already hinted at the looming crisis; this stage would likely involve bloodshed and death.
On the grass surrounding the dining table, two standard concentric circles had been drawn in red paint.
The diameters of the inner and outer circles were approximately 10 meters and 20 meters, respectively.
Following the March Hare’s instructions, everyone stood outside the smaller red circle, forming a ring.
The Mad Hatter began singing an eerie nursery rhyme, clapping his hands to the beat as he led the others in circles around the dining table.
“Who killed Cock Robin? I, said the Sparrow,
With my bow and arrow, I killed Cock Robin.
Who saw him die? I, said the Fly,
With my little eye, I saw him die.
Who caught his blood? I, said the Fish-”
The raspy singing stopped abruptly.
The Mad Hatter and the March Hare immediately leaped over the red line and returned to their seats, elegantly lifting their teacups for a sip.
Seeing this, the others scrambled to follow suit, finding chairs to sit in.
I sniffed the translucent red liquid in my teacup; it smelled like diluted blood.
“Ten Tea Party Guests in total, but only nine seats. Who failed to sit down? Oh, it’s our dear friend.”
The Dormouse was still fast asleep on the lawn.
The Mad Hatter flashed a sinister, hideous grin. He plucked a silver fork from a skull-shaped cake and flung it hard toward the ground.
The fork pierced through the Dormouse’s head. Blood splattered instantly, staining the surrounding withered grass a bright crimson.
The Mad Hatter picked it up by the tail and stuffed the entire creature into his top hat.
The hat atop his head began to feast greedily, making gluttonous smacking sounds. “Only this much food? It’s not enough…”
“Don’t be in such a hurry. That was just an appetizer. Now, it’s time for the official afternoon tea.”
The March Hare pushed the chair behind it under the table. The dining table began to shake, accompanied by the sound of wood being chewed.
“While the Mad Hatter chants the nursery rhyme, Tea Party Guests must remain outside the inner circle. Only when the rhyme pauses may you enter the circle to take a seat.”
“If a Tea Party Guest enters the inner circle prematurely during the chanting, they must accept a penalty: they must remain outside the outer circle until the current round of the rhyme pauses.”
“Each seat can only accommodate one Tea Party Guest. Guests without seats may not use violence to fight for one. When a Guest voluntarily leaves their seat, other Guests may take it.”
“Anyone who is not seated within one minute after the nursery rhyme ends will become afternoon tea for the other Guests.”
“Now, the second round of the Mad Nursery Rhyme… begins.”