chapter 37

With an encouraging look from Lu Li, Luo Jia Bai gathered his courage.

“I have a bold idea now!”

He had tried more than once to deduce the right answer before Lu Li, but each time he either guessed wrong or missed the mark.

He always needed Lu Li’s hints to get it right.

This time, excitement surged in his chest.

Connecting the Key Item and the key clues, he pieced together a story.

“Nuo Nuo’s parents had an unhappy marriage. After their arguments, a serious social incident occurred, which also led to Nuo Nuo being ostracized and bullied at School.

Then her mother abandoned her and left. Her single father struggled to raise her-not only working tirelessly day and night to earn money, but also having to care for his daughter’s twisted psyche, dressing up as a Clown in the Park to be her best friend.”

Luo Jia Bai opened his Wristband and checked the existing key clues and Items once more. “The Clown and the father can’t appear at the same time…”

“All the clues we have now are related to the father. His character is becoming clearer and more three-dimensional.

When both options seem correct, the one that fits the question best is the optimal choice. So, the father’s Television is the right one-it should be turned off.”

After his analysis, Luo Jia Bai grew restless and uneasy.

He met Zhu Yue’s blank gaze and knew he couldn’t rely on her, so he quickly sought Lu Li’s confirmation. “What do you think?”

Lu Li frowned slightly, just about to speak, when he caught a glimpse of the Weather Forecast Television out of the corner of his eye.

That was where they had fallen from.

When they were dropping into the sand pit, if he hadn’t actively grabbed Luo Jia Bai, perhaps they wouldn’t be in the same group now.

If that were the case, who would Luo Jia Bai turn to for confirmation?

Even in the D Grade Instance, there were two stages where Players were grouped subjectively. If they reached a C Grade, B Grade, or even higher Instance, there would certainly be more elements requiring independent thinking.

Luo Jia Bai was actually quite clever; he just needed more chances to practice.

Lu Li didn’t say whether it was right or wrong-he only smiled at Luo Jia Bai and handed him the remote control. “You can give it a try.”

“For me? What if I guess wrong?” Luo Jia Bai hesitated for a long time before finally accepting it, then exclaimed, “The power off button is missing!”

The Weather Forecast Television screen fizzed and switched back to the initial scene of the two Nuo Nuos.

Nuo Nuo had indeed been watching the whole time.

Her voice was cheerful. “Before you choose to turn off the television, you need to first figure out who the owner of each Bill is.”

Luo Jia Bai muttered under his breath, “Isn’t it obvious? The income belongs to the father, the expenses to the mother.”

Lu Li narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked, “If we get it wrong, what’s the punishment?”

Nuo Nuo rested her chin in her hand. “There are quite a few distinguishing questions in this stage of the game. Every time you get one wrong, you must choose one of you to become a Doll and keep me company forever.”

Lu Li asked in detail, “If we clear the stage, can someone who became a Doll be restored?”

Nuo Nuo was stumped by the question. She thought for a moment and then shook her head.

“In principle, no.”

Lu Li opened his Wristband and browsed the Shop for a while. When he looked up again, he extended his hand.

In his palm lay a piece of Candy wrapped in beautiful, crystal-like paper.

“Here, have a piece of candy.”

Luo Jia Bai let out a hiss and shot Lu Li a meaningful look. “The Boss already said it’s impossible. Why are you still pushing her bottom line? Don’t make her angry! This kid isn’t as innocent and cute as she looks-she’s…” going to eat people!

Before he could finish his sentence, Nuo Nuo’s face suddenly slid down from the screen, illuminating countless dark screens all around.
Finally, he drifted to the one closest to Lu Li.

Nuo Nuo flashed her white teeth at Lu Li, greedily sucking in a bit of drool. “How did you know this is my favorite Candy?”

Lu Li didn’t answer. He approached the Television, handed over the Candy, and asked, “Do you still have principles now?”

Nuo Nuo reached out a small hand from inside the Television.

She snatched the Candy away.

When Lu Li’s palm touched hers,

he realized Nuo Nuo’s hand wasn’t cold.

It was burning hot.

So hot it felt like it was on fire.

He closed his palm, looked at Nuo Nuo, and seemed lost in thought.

Nuo Nuo happily took the Candy into the Television. “Pretty guest, this is a little secret between you and me. Don’t tell a third person.”

“If you clear the Instance successfully, even if your Team Members have turned into Dolls, they can be restored.”

The third and fourth people present exchanged glances and instinctively took a step back.

Luo Jia Bai pretended to look up at the scenery, while Zhu Yue stared intently at her Wristband, as if trying to bore a hole through it.

Lu Li praised, “Nuo Nuo is such a reasonable little girl.”

“Is she?” Luo Jia Bai turned his head, staring at Lu Li in horror, swallowing hard. “You actually think she… Your Instance and mine are really different.”

Lu Li pushed two Bills in front of Luo Jia Bai. “Answer the question first, then turn off the Television.”

“How could you trust me to do this? Do you think my reasoning is especially good this time…” Luo Jia Bai shyly rubbed his nose, then his expression suddenly froze and his tone changed abruptly. “Wait, why did you ask her what the punishment is for a wrong answer first?”

“That gives me a really bad feeling!”

Luo Jia Bai asked weakly, “Could it be that all my deductions just now were wrong?”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re wrong. This kind of Instance requires people to use their lives to test for mistakes.” Zhu Yue stepped forward proactively. “There are three of us. As long as one survives in the end, we can clear it. In other Instances, I always relied on my team to get through. I’ve participated in many where Team Members had to fake death first.”

She promised the two, “You can use me to test for mistakes the first time.”

In Lu Li’s Live Stream Room, arguments broke out. Some took the flattery route, some were irritable, and some just focused on admiring his looks:

[He gets it again! This Candy is the only thing Nuo Nuo clearly expresses liking in the Diary. Look at Nuo Nuo’s reaction-the Streamer spent ages picking the Item to exchange, and it must be similar to the Candy the Clown gave! What a move!]

[Damn! Just watching the Streamer toy with other Instance Players was fun enough. I never thought he could even toy with the Instance Boss! He always cunningly exploits loopholes in the rules for his own benefit. Achieving his goal without spending a single point-so damn cool!]

[I’m speechless! One is timid, one is indecisive-just press it! I’ve been waiting forever!]

[The Bandaged Man’s analysis is solid, and the Item description is clear. What’s the Streamer hesitating for? He acted like a Heavenly Ranking Streamer before, but now he’s lost his edge. The money I tipped before is as good as thrown away-I’m out.]

[I used five brains to think about it, and the Bill for earning money must be the dad’s! It’s just a D Grade Instance-what kind of twist could there be?]

[When the Streamer raised the Remote Control, he was so close to me. Ah, that handsome face, (???w???) I feel like there’s something ambiguous between me and the Streamer.]

Luo Jia Bai picked up the Bills and spoke the answer to Nuo Nuo, who was waiting on the screen:

“The income Bill belongs to the dad, and the expense Bill belongs to the mom.”

“Is that right?”