Chapter Fifty-Six: Hey Siri, Open My Shopping Cart

"Not only do I want it to be scary, but bump up the difficulty too. Otherwise, it's just not fun," Bai Qingming requested with a gesture.

As a die-hard fan of the Bachelor Godfather, the owner didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately went back inside, grabbed his walkie-talkie, and began instructing the NPCs.

Once everything was arranged, the owner returned to explain the rules to Bai Qingming and his companions.

"'The Murderer Knocks' is one of our most popular escape room scenarios," he began. "The story is about a vicious murderer who breaks into an old residential building wielding a weapon, and begins slaughtering the players."

"Your activity area spans an entire floor, but this floor is actually a complex, exitless maze. Hidden within the maze are nine rooms, each concealing an NPC."

"Gathering enough clues will help you identify the murderer. If you answer the NPCs' questions correctly, they'll offer you clues. But all nine rooms are hidden—you'll have to find them and enter on your own."

"Be warned: ten minutes after the game starts, the murderer will begin hunting the players. If you don't hide in time, or are caught or discovered, the game ends."

"Oh, and this scenario requires a minimum of six participants. There are a few others in line over there—why not ask if they'd like to join you?"

The rules seemed simple enough.

After finishing the introduction, the owner pointed to his right.

There stood two men and a woman, apparently a group, holding some video equipment.

Seeing the owner gesture their way, the three approached.

"Are you the owner here?" the one in front asked.

When the owner nodded, the man continued, "I've heard your escape room is quite the hit, draws huge crowds. My name's Wang Dada—I make videos specifically about escape rooms. Over seventy thousand followers on Douyin. These two are my assistants."

He introduced himself.

Hearing this, Bai Qingming and Dai Xiaomei gave him a second glance.

So, he was a small internet celebrity.

But compared to them, this Wang Dada hardly measured up.

Seventy thousand followers—less than the smallest fraction of what any of their livestreams pulled in.

Yet the man spoke with an air of arrogance, as if his presence was an honor for the owner.

Even more amusing was that Wang Dada seemed not to recognize Bai Qingming and his friends.

Not that it was surprising—Bai Qingming might be the hottest thing online, but that didn't mean everyone had to know him. Maybe Wang Dada had heard the "Song of the Bachelor," knew the name Bai Qingming, but never imagined the real person stood before him.

As for Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Shuyi, both female streamers in the gaming category, it was even more normal for him not to know them.

At the mention of escape room videos and a sizable following, the owner was delighted.

Normally, players weren't allowed to bring phones or recording devices into the escape rooms. But in this case, it was free publicity, saving him an advertising fee—so the owner turned a blind eye.

After checking with Bai Qingming and his group, the six formed a team.

"Hey, you three," Wang Dada said imperiously, pointing at Bai Qingming's group. "I'm an escape room grandmaster. Listen to my instructions, don't drag us down, and we'll clear this in record time."

No one responded, making for an awkward moment.

Wang Dada was disgruntled.

Ignoring me just makes me look foolish.

"Don't believe in my skills? I really do have over seventy thousand followers on Douyin—look, I didn't buy fake ones!"

"Oh, impressive," Bai Qingming replied coolly.

With that, Dai Xiaomei and the others moved aside, quietly waiting for the owner's signal to enter the scenario.

Meanwhile, Zhou Shuyi's livestream chat was lively.

"Hey Siri, open my cart and send a treasure map x1," someone gifted a five-thousand-yuan item to spice up the stream.

Zhou Shuyi cheerfully thanked the donor. "Thank you, 'Hey Siri, open my cart' for—oh my god—"

She quickly hit the back button, but it was too late—the viewers had already seen everything in her shopping cart.

"What on earth is that thing, so long and thick—Zhou-jie, can you handle it?"

"Isn't that just a Xiaomi electric toothbrush? What's wrong with you, upstairs?"

"Seriously, did no one see the bunny costume in the cart?"

"You pervs only noticed the bunny costume, but missed the Balenciaga underneath."

"I don't know what to say—clearly the lace bikini is the real highlight."

"We all had the same nine years of schooling, so why are your eyes so sharp?"

"I took a screenshot—who wants it?"

"My friend does, email: 146××××2346@."

...

Soon, guided by the owner, the six entered the scenario and prepared for the game.

Gradually, a deeply oppressive music began to play, heightening the tension.

"The murderer will appear in ten minutes. Let's get moving—if we can find all the clues before he shows up, even better," Wang Dada declared.

Facing the tangled maze ahead, Wang Dada beckoned. The female assistant readied the camera, while the other, a male assistant, stepped forward.

"This assistant of mine has been involved in designing many of the country's top escape rooms—he's a master of all the tricks."

In that instant, Bai Qingming and the others understood.

No wonder this guy was so confident. Turns out it wasn't his own skills, but the talent at his side.

If that's the case, anyone could do it!

At that moment, the male assistant spoke.

"To be honest, this escape room is quite creative. But, unfortunately for them, they've met me."

As he spoke, Zhou Shuyi's phone was trained on him.

The moment he opened his mouth, everyone could tell he was a seasoned show-off.

But, to be fair, the man had some skill.

Seeing a painting on the wall ahead, he approached.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is a hidden mechanism."

With that, he took down the painting, revealing a button. The wall slowly rotated.

It was, in fact, a door; on the other side lay one of the nine rooms.

"Is that all?" he scoffed, clearly unimpressed by the quick progress. He looked at Bai Qingming and his friends with a showman's air. "This place feels like home to me—these tricks are child's play."

He strode in first.

The NPC inside, surprised at being found so quickly, quickly composed himself.

But before he could recite his lines, an impatient Wang Dada interrupted.

"Quick, ask the question. We're on a tight schedule."

Frankly, he was annoying.

His attitude ruined the experience for everyone else.

At this, Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Shuyi were already a bit displeased, but good manners kept them from showing it.

Seeing the situation, the NPC gave up on his lines and got straight to the question.

"Listen carefully: Xiao Ming has a younger sister. When he was ten, his sister was half his age. When he was fifteen, she was two-thirds his age."

Everyone understood.

It was a question about the sister's age.

Honestly, it was too easy—the sister was always five years younger.

A giveaway question, really.

Everyone looked expectantly at the NPC.

"Now then," the NPC paused, "what is Xiao Ming's sister's name?"

At that, everyone fell instantly silent.