The last three to arrive were the same three girls who had taken photos of Ke Xun earlier. Their excitement hadn't subsided; they glanced around hesitantly, but their excitement surged again when they saw Ke Xun.
"Hey handsome, what a coincidence! You're here too!" one of the pretty girls waved to Ke Xun, but her expression betrayed that meeting him here was no coincidence.
"These three girls didn't come in just to follow you, did they?" Wei Dong whispered to Ke Xun.
Ke Xun was momentarily speechless, unsure whether to be angry, sigh, or resigned: "It proves that lecherous people don't have good luck."
Wei Dong: "...Are you being sarcastic, please?"
With all thirteen people gathered, the scene became chaotic.
Qin Ci had to patiently explain the rules of the painting to the newlyweds once again, and finally, looking at their shocked expressions, he said, "So please believe me, this is inside the painting, this is the world within the painting. It's not some gimmick created by the organizers, nor is it a prank game for random people on some variety show. This is an alternate dimension created by a phenomenon and force that science cannot explain. We must follow the settings of the 'painting' to find clues, and ultimately we can only leave after finding the painter's signature—whether you believe it or not, this is the reality we are facing now."
The newlyweds were speechless for a long time, even the street urchin was stunned.
Even if he refused to believe it, the bizarre scene before him, and the fact that no matter how he ran, he could only go in circles, all indicated that what he was seeing and experiencing was anything but ordinary.
In the panicked silence, one of the three girls suddenly stammered, "So we...traveled through time?"
The other two snapped out of their daze and nodded repeatedly, "It seems so! We've traveled through time! Look at this place! How could we have ended up in another place the moment we closed our eyes? This is definitely time travel!"
"Wow—" The three girls suddenly became excited, screaming and hugging each other.
The veteran members: "..." Did we enter the painting the wrong way?
"Don't take this lightly," Qin Ci had to emphasize, "People really do die in here, and it's definitely not natural death. Every kind of death can be extremely gruesome and painful."
"It's okay, we can just go back." One of them laughed nonchalantly.
Qin Ci could
n't help but pinch his temples. Just as he was wondering how to make these silly girls completely understand, he heard Mu Yiran's cold voice: "It's getting late, let's go in."
With that, he stepped through the large iron gate and walked towards the dilapidated building.
Three girls whispered behind him, "That guy is so handsome! He's so charismatic!"
"Yeah, yeah, so aloof and ascetic!"
"His legs must be 1.8 meters long!"
"Follow him, follow him!"
Everyone: "..."
Ke Xun, walking at the back, took the opportunity to look at everyone's clothes. Although the clothes had changed this time, they weren't as exaggerated as in the previous paintings. For example, he was originally wearing a T-shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers, and in the painting, he was still wearing the same T-shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers, but the style and the pattern on the T-shirt had changed, becoming very outdated, and the sneakers had changed from trendy to particularly tacky and old-fashioned Warrior sneakers.
Pushing open the door of the research institute, a strong smell of dust hit his nostrils, causing several people to cough and sneeze.
Inside was a lobby, the floor covered with a thick layer of dust. In front was a screen wall with a line of dark red, blood-like characters written on it: Reveal the essence of consciousness, discover the power of life, guide alienation back to nature, and help the lost regain their true nature.
To the left and right of the foyer was a narrow corridor covered in dust and cobwebs. On either side of the corridor were two rows of rooms with opposite doors, with only a small window at each end letting in light, making the interior exceptionally dim.
"Is the autograph you mentioned in here?" asked a middle-aged woman among the newlyweds, dressed in a white blouse and pencil skirt, looking very capable.
"Yes," Qin Ci nodded.
Since it was a limited-edition painting, the autograph or seal would definitely be within the limited area.
"So, for the next seven days, our only task is to find the autograph?" the woman asked again.
"First, we must try to find the autograph as soon as possible; second, we must be careful to preserve our lives after nightfall," Qin Ci reminded the newlyweds with a cold expression.
"Then, in your experience, where do autographs usually appear?" the middle-aged woman asked calmly, looking at Qin Ci with unhurried composure.
Qin Ci's voice was deep and resonant: "Our experience is almost useless, because the signature or seal on each painting is presented in a different way. The only thing I can tell you is to use your brains, observe carefully, piece together the clues, combine them with the deeper meaning the painting is trying to express, and try to figure out the artist's intentions to find the signature."
"Alright," the middle-aged woman seemed not entirely convinced by Qin Ci's words, but she didn't show it too obviously. She just glanced at everyone, "Then let's hurry up and search for the signature room by room. I suggest we split into groups. Before we entered, I looked around. This building is three stories high. There are ten rooms on one side of each floor, and ten rooms on the opposite side, for a total of twenty rooms. We'll divide into three groups, each responsible for one floor. If we can find the signature, great. If not, we'll switch floors and search a second time to make sure the previous group didn't miss anything. What do you all think?"
This middle-aged woman was probably a leader in her workplace, and her arrangement sounded very organized. No one objected.
"Let's get to know each other first," the middle-aged woman said, displaying a commanding presence. "My name is Xu Zhen."
The street-smart man replied with a sullen face, "Qi Qiang."
The man who came in with him had a sallow complexion, triangular eyes, and tattooed arms, exuding an undeniable fierceness. He hadn't said much, standing at a distance, watching everyone. When introducing himself, he simply uttered two words: "Huangpi" (meaning "yellow skin").
This was clearly not his real name, but no one cared. Asking for names was just for convenience.
Next came the young couple who had entered the painting together, both around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. The man was short, about 1.72 meters, and reeked of sweat; his name was Deng Guang. The woman wore pink-rimmed glasses, two pink hair clips, and knee-length shorts; her legs were a bit thick. Her name was Cai Xiaoyan.
The three girls were even younger. The pretty girl was named Zhang Hanrui, and her two best friends were a chubby girl named Li Yaqing and a tall, thin girl named Zhao Youyi.
The older members also introduced themselves, and then it was time to split into groups.
"I suggest that you experienced people split up and mentor us newcomers. Combining the old and the new will be more efficient," said Xu Zhen, a middle-aged office lady. "Also, may I ask, Deng Guang and Cai Xiaoyan, are you two a couple?" Cai Xiaoyan
looked a little embarrassed: "No, we're not…"
Deng Guang said with a straight face: "We just met today. Our families introduced us for a blind date."
Xu Zhen then asked Qi Qiang, a street-smart man: "Are you with this yellow-skinned guy?"
Qi Qiang's eyes met with the yellow-skinned guy's, but they quickly looked away. The yellow-skinned guy didn't say anything, and Qi Qiang said impatiently: "I don't know him. I came here by myself."
"Then let's divide them up like this," Xu Zhen said decisively, unconcerned about everyone's attitude. "Each group should ideally have a mix of old and new, men and women, young and old. Those who know each other can try to be grouped together so they can help each other in case of danger. Gentlemen, please try to take care of the ladies, and older people should take care of younger people."
Seeing that no one objected, Xu Zhen continued, "Deng Guang and Cai Xiaoyan, since you're here for a blind date, you'll be in the same group. Huang Pi and Mr. Qin are in the same group. Your group will be responsible for searching the first floor, led by Mr. Qin. The second group consists of Ke Xun, Zhang Hanrui, Qi Qiang and me…"
"Excuse me," Ke Xun raised his hand, "I'm in a group with him." He pointed to Mu Yiran.
Xu Zhen raised her thin eyebrows, about to speak, when Zhang Hanrui quickly raised her hand: "I want to be in a group with them too," pointing to her two best friends, "We came together, so we have to stay together. I don't want to be separated from them!"
Her best friends nodded quickly: "Yes, we can't be separated!"
Xu Zhen said coldly: "This isn't a shopping trip for you! Thirteen people divided into three groups, two groups of four and one group of five. If you three are in a group, and something happens, one man simply can't take care of everyone! Even two men would struggle!"
"Anyway, we won't be separated!" the three girls insisted.
"Suit yourself." Xu Zhen turned coldly to the remaining group, "So, who wants to be in a group with those three?"
Wei Dong secretly raised his hand.
Xu Zhen saw this: "Then Wei Dong and Zhu Haowen will be in a group with those three, and Qi Qiang and I will be in a group with Ke Xun and Mu Yiran."
"No, we want to be in a group with the big brother!" Zhang Hanrui quickly said, and her two best friends nodded in agreement.
Xu Zhen turned her head away, unable to hide the disgust on her face, and looked at Ke Xun and Mu Yiran: "Do you two have any objections?"
Ke Xun shrugged: "Whatever."
"Then that's settled, don't waste any more time," Xu Zhen said coldly, "Wei Dong, Zhu Haowen, and Qi Qiang are in charge of the second floor, and the five of you are in charge of the third floor. Meet up here again when you come back."
The group was getting a headache from the three girls, so they quickly split into groups and began searching the rooms separately.
The stairs were located at both ends of the corridor. The second group went up the stairs on the east side, while Ke Xun and Mu Yiran led the three girls up the stairs on the west side to the third floor.
"Big brother, are there ghosts here?" The three girls surrounded Ke Xun, their tone more curious than fearful.
"Usually there aren't any during the day, but after 11 pm, it's hard to say," Ke Xun said. "
Really? Are there really ghosts?" the girls exclaimed, "Big brother, have you ever seen a ghost? What do ghosts look like? Male or female ghosts? Chinese ghosts or Japanese ghosts? Is there any way to deal with ghosts?"
Ke Xun: My head hurts.
"Hey bro," Zhang Hanrui winked and leaned closer, "Does your boyfriend know you went into the painting?"
Her two best friends also looked at Ke Xun.
"Yeah, he knows," Ke Xun smiled and gestured with his chin to the side, "He's here too."
The girls turned to look at Mu Yiran in surprise, then let out a simultaneous, meaningful scream.
Mu Yiran: …
Ke Xun: I must be deaf.
The two groups of people on the first and second floors looked up: …