Players, Please Board the Train

It’s absolutely impossible to search the entire amusement park by oneself, so to find this key point, they had to put some effort into dealing with the Puppets.

If the Puppets were being controlled by the Dungeon Boss, then every Puppet they encountered was essentially equivalent to communicating face-to-face with the boss. Everything the Puppets displayed represented the Dungeon Boss itself, and they would inevitably reveal some information.

Liking candy, being willing to save money to buy candy for themselves, adhering to the principle of voluntary exchange, and disliking Peng Ru so much they wouldn’t even make contact—when these behaviors were combined, they strongly resembled those of a child. Of course, this ”child” could also lie, so the information revealed wasn’t necessarily true.

”Based on your speculation, if the Puppets dislike Peng Ru, there should be a specific reason,” Yan Jiayu said. ”Did she do something that provoked their aversion? The amusement park is constantly under the Puppets’ surveillance—will that increase our difficulty in clearing the dungeon?”

Xu Huo listened to the commotion inside the tent. ”Since our goals align, there’s no harm in temporarily teaming up. We can separate if the situation turns unfavorable.”

Yan Jiayu nodded.

Not long after, Peng Ru and Jin Chao emerged from the tent. Peng Ru had sustained minor injuries and warned them, ”Be careful in there—that bear is very formidable.”

”This stage’s game is coin guessing. There are twenty different soundproof boxes with one silver coin hidden among them. Guessing the coin’s location correctly counts as a win,” Jin Chao explained. ”However, if you guess wrong, the bear goes berserk and attacks.”

”Thanks,” Xu Huo responded, then entered the tent with Yan Jiayu.

Other players were already inside the tent. Three bears sat on the ground, each with twenty multi-faceted boxes of different colors placed before them. Each face of the boxes was coated with special paint that reflected dazzling rainbow colors under the light, slightly irritating to the eyes.The two sat down in front of one bear. The bear took out a coin and covered it beneath one of the boxes, saying, ”Only one person plays at a time. If you can grab the coin under the box, you’ll get a Small Hat. Best two out of three wins.”

”Why have the rules changed? Wasn’t it just about guessing which box contained the silver coin?” Xu Huo asked.

The bear grinned, leaning its head close to exhale a breath at him. ”Did anyone tell you the amusement park games can’t change their rules?”

”Not really,” Xu Huo said, making a gesture for it to proceed.

The bear raised its claw and pointed upward. While Xu Huo’s gaze followed its direction, it swiftly rearranged the boxes. By the time Xu Huo looked down again, all twenty boxes had been moved, making it impossible to tell which one originally held the coin. Moreover, the coin placed inside the boxes made no sound when shaken, eliminating any chance of locating it by sound.

”Ready!” The bear stopped moving and patted its fluffy leg fur, about to say something, when Xu Huo suddenly reached out, grabbing for a box in the right front.

”I haven’t said start yet!” the bear shouted, swinging a palm-sized paw down. However, this was just a feint—Xu Huo’s true target wasn’t that box. Retracting his right hand, he simultaneously used his left hand to flip open a box on the other side, retrieving the coin beneath it.

Holding the coin up to the bear, he stated, ”I win.”

The bear’s eyes widened, its mouth repeatedly opening and closing, tusks bared then retracted, retracted then bared again. After a moment, it puffed its cheeks, swallowing its anger, then punched the ground, shattering it before growling, ”Again!”

Xu Huo won the second round just as easily. Tossing the coin up and down, he said, ”Best two out of three—I’ve won both rounds. No need to start the third, right?”

”We agreed on three rounds, so three rounds it is!” the bear roared angrily.

”But I’ve already won,” Xu Huo said. ”Even if we play another round, you still won’t win.”

”I refuse!” the bear retorted. ”If you don’t guess, I won’t give you the Small Hat!”

”Cheating, huh,” Xu Huo remarked calmly. ”After I leave, I’ll definitely spread the word everywhere that the amusement park is unreasonable—losing the game but refusing to follow the rules, only bullying guests and children without doing a single good deed. I’ll also tell everyone not to buy Rabbit Bear Paradise’s Candy—it’s expensive and sticks to your teeth, so don’t let the Puppets here profit.”

”Oh right, I still have half a jar of candy,” Yan Jiayu added, smacking her lips. ”Might as well throw it all away since I’m tired of eating it anyway.”

The bear glared at them furiously but quickly suppressed its temper, cupping its face with its claws to put on a pitiful expression. ”But Bear really wants to play the third round.”

Xu Huo smirked slightly. ”Fine, I’ll play with you. But if I get the coin again, you have to tell me the location of that question-and-answer game place that no one can find.”

Other players in the tent couldn’t help turning their heads. One player, who had his hand resting on a box, failed to react in time and was immediately clawed, bleeding profusely. However, winning or losing the game no longer mattered—everyone’s attention was fixed on Xu Huo and the bear opposite him.

The bear didn’t seem at all surprised by Xu Huo’s sudden additional demand. Sucking on its claw, it said, ”It’s not that I can’t tell you, but this is the amusement park’s secret. I can’t reveal it easily.”

”Oh, if it’s too difficult for you, then forget it,” Xu Huo said, fiddling with the coin. ”If I play with you, just give me one of these coins.”

”What use is this worthless coin?” a player nearby couldn’t help interjecting. ”Negotiate for something else with it!”

The bear nodded in agreement.

Xu Huo, as if slightly more interested, added, ”If I still get the coin this time, you tell me where that place is.”

”What if you don’t get it!” the bear quickly retorted.

Xu Huo looked at it in surprise. ”If I don’t get it, then I don’t get it. I’m playing with you, so of course you still have to give me the coin.”

The bear was stunned. ”Are all you adults this shameless?”

Xu Huo nodded. ”In the adult world, you only reap rewards after putting in effort. You set the conditions, I play with you—that’s fair.”

”So? Do you still want to play or not?”

”I’ll play with you!” the player who had spoken earlier stepped forward to replace Xu Huo, addressing the bear, ”I can use my item as collateral.”

Xu Huo didn’t mind, indicating he could withdraw immediately. The player was delighted and was about to sit down when the bear swatted him away. Blood splattered everywhere from the Bear Claw, and the person who was thrown out had a large gash torn open on his neck, his head tilted to one side as he breathed his last.

At that moment, the bear stood up. Its previously not-so-imposing seated form now reached the tent’s ceiling, with its limbs and face showing signs of mutation. The corners of its eyes split open from furious widening, and it panted heavily as it looked down at the other players in the tent. ”Even children know you have to follow the rules when playing games.”

The remaining players cautiously stepped back but tacitly agreed not to leave.

Then the bear turned its head and, in its current form, said to Xu Huo, ”I agree to your demand. Shall we start now?”

Xu Huo nodded. The bear let out an earsplitting laugh, then stomped its foot, sending sixty boxes and three coins flying into the air simultaneously. With a casual swipe of its Bear Claw, it grabbed the entire handful and stuffed them all into its mouth!