The new members, who had already been briefed on the rules of death within the painting by the veteran members, panicked and stared blankly at Mu Yiran.
Mu Yiran pondered for a moment, then looked up at everyone: "Currently, we don't know the death selection rules for this painting, so we can only take as many precautions as possible.
"Those who have identified their corresponding world, stand in front of the door of your corresponding world and act according to the situation. If things go badly, you will have to choose between a life-or-death situation and enter the door before death arrives.
"Haowen corresponds to the hidden world. Since it was triggered by the world that Kexun corresponds to, he will first stand with Kexun in front of the door where the tiger learns skills.
"Luowei's Fire Child world has not yet been triggered, so he will first stand in front of the door where Doctor Qin, who is also from a paper-cutting style world, is located."
"The rest of you who haven't determined which world you belong to—Qi Qiang, with his yellow skin, stand before the door to Wei Dong's world, which also has a puppet-like style;
Li Yaqing, Wei Miao, your props are more ancient in style. Behind that door is a world with a sea and an ancient city. Perhaps one of you corresponds to that world. You can choose to stand before that door, or you can choose to stay with your companions;
Zhang Lifeng, your prop style is the hardest to define. The longan core could be ancient or modern. I can't make a decision for you. You can choose to stand before the door to the world where Zhao Haicui died, or you can choose to stay with your companions."
Perhaps because Mu Yiran always gave people the impression of being very reliable and trustworthy, no one objected to his arrangements. Li Yaqing and Wei Miao stood before the door to the ancient world with a city and a sea, while Zhang Lifeng stood before the door where Zhao Haicui died.
"Yiran, what about you?" Ke Xun hurriedly asked.
Mu Yiran's corresponding world, Hailibu, is also a hidden world. He can only choose to stand with someone else before a door that might lead to his world.
With almost no clues, all choices were simply a matter of luck.
Mu Yiran glanced at Ke Xun quietly, then suddenly curled his lips slightly, his voice gentle: "Since you say your intuition is always accurate, then this time, you can choose a door for me." He
simply entrusted his life to him.
Ke Xun gazed at him, a glimmer of light in his eyes, then suddenly smiled, his lips also curving upwards: "Meow, I have a feeling you can walk out of the painting alive no matter which door you stand in front of. Since that's the case, then why don't you stand with me?"
Mu Yiran strode forward, calmly approaching him, raising his hand and gently placing it on his soft, fluffy head: "That's it."
Everyone had chosen their door. Without knowing the rules of death selection, everyone could potentially die tonight.
The veteran members, who had faced death many times, were already calm, sitting and leaning against the doors.
Wei Dong even took out his phone to take a selfie, claiming he wanted to take a handsome funeral portrait. Ke Xun said, "You're so fat you're like a puppet, what a handsome dog!" Wei Dong said, "A corgi that can't sing 'Learn to Meow' isn't a good gay, hurry up and give me a meow..."
Amidst the two of them chatting idly, the newcomers who were on the verge of a breakdown gradually relaxed a bit, and Ge Lei asked everyone about their experiences with the previous paintings.
The veteran members fell silent for a moment. Ke Xun smiled and said, "There's not much to say about our experiences. Look at us five cats, the ones who have lived the longest. The selfish, the cowardly, the unlucky, the thoughtless cats—none of them survived. I hope this gives you some inspiration, meow."
Ge Lei looked at the five veteran members: the mature Qin Ci, the calm Zhu Haowen, the professional Wei Dong, the highly intelligent and knowledgeable Mu Yiran, and this Ke Xun. Although he looked mischievous, wicked, and silly, he always seemed to carry a kind of warmth and power that made you unconsciously infected by him, and inspired you to muster courage and hope.
Ge Lei laughed, clenching his fist to cheer himself up: "According to the movie formula, those who survive to the end are the bold ones. The more cowardly you are, the faster you die; the more selfish you are, the more miserable your death. Even if I can't get the protagonist's halo, I should at least try to be an important supporting male character who survives through my own efforts."
Ke Xun waved his paw: "Believe in yourself, you can do it! Who isn't the protagonist of their own life, meow!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the box in the center of the room, which had previously been used to store props, suddenly opened with a "snap." Everyone immediately fell silent, all turning their tense gazes to the box.
Ke Xun and Mu Yiran got up almost simultaneously and walked towards the box at the same time. Qin Ci, Zhu Haowen, and Wei Dong followed closely behind. Luo Wei was a step behind, and Ge Lei thought for a moment before following as well.
Inside the box was a piece of paper and a pen. At the beginning of the paper was a sentence: Please write down the name of the anime corresponding to the prop you own.
The group exchanged glances, their emotions varying. Qin Ci spoke in a deep voice, "Could this be the death selection rule for this painting?"
"No, I'm more inclined to believe that the death rule of this painting is triggered specifically based on our individual circumstances," Mu Yiran said. "Last night, we weren't required to write down the title or kill Zhao Haicui. So perhaps the first selection condition of the death rule was that no one had returned to the initial room after 11 PM. Tonight, everyone returned to the initial room, thus triggering the second selection condition."
"But Zhao Haicui wasn't the only one who didn't return to the starting room last night," Zhu Haowen said. "Does that mean they'll just randomly select people to kill from among those who meet the death criteria?"
Qi Qiang suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at Qin Ci, his voice filled with panic and malice: "You—you better think carefully, which anime does this sword belong to! Think of something right now, or I'll kill you!"
Li Yaqing was also tugging at Luo Wei's sleeve, sobbing: "What do we do? What do we do? I don't know which anime my prop belongs to, am I going to die?!" Zhang
Lifeng and Wei Miao were also panicked and at a loss, looking at Qin Ci, then at Ke Xun, and finally at Mu Yiran.
The erudite and wise Mu Yiran, at this moment, could only have his name prefixed with "Mu Yiran who has never watched anime"…
Ke Xun felt particularly sorry for her boyfriend. Was a childhood without watching anime still a complete childhood? How did his Yiran get through his childhood?
He took a step forward, blocking the two men's pleading gazes towards Mu Yiran: "Meow, it's better to rely on yourself than others. Didn't you two watch cartoons when you were kids?"
Mu Yiran: "..." That "also"... Was this kid really protecting him?
Wei Miao stammered, "I watched Blue Mouse and Big Face Cat, and Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf. I watched a little bit of Shuke and Beta, and the most I watched was Tom and Jerry..."
Ke Xun: "...May I ask if you're a CP fan, meow? You only choose cartoons with couples in them..."
He looked at Zhang Lifeng, who also stammered, "I watched more Japanese cartoons, Captain Tsubasa, Touch, Prince of Tennis, Slam Dunk..."
"..." Ke Xun handed the two men the paper Qin Ci had listed of all the old cartoons he could remember, "There's no other way, just pick one that catches your eye, meow."
Zhang Lifeng and Wei Miao knew they couldn't force them, and their eyes stared blankly at the paper.
Ke Xun looked at the two dragon horns on Wei Miao's head, which were trembling slightly before him, and then at the piece of paper with the names of the animated films written on it. He suddenly said, "There probably aren't many old animated films with dragons. It's just that because it's been so long, Qin Ge and I don't remember the details very well, so we can't be sure which animated film actually has a dragon. But I have a way, though it's not a magic method. If you don't regret entrusting your life to another cat, then I'll help you choose."
Wei Miao hesitated for a long time before finally nodding with difficulty. After all, if she were to choose for herself, she really had no idea.
Ke Xun asked Luo Wei for a piece of paper, divided it into several small pieces, and wrote the name of an animated film on each piece: "These animated films all seem to have a dragon character, but I can't guarantee that they actually do, nor can I guarantee that the title corresponds to yours. Now we can only try anything—my intuition is always very accurate, and my luck is always good. Now I'll make these papers into fortune slips, and then you can draw one based on your intuition. Whichever one you draw, you use it, okay?"
Wei Miao said with a bitter face, "You draw one first, let me see."
Ke Xun stared at the slips of paper, searching for a while, and finally took one out, unfolded it, and saw that it read: "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King."
"How is it?" Ke Xun looked at Wei Miao.
Wei Miao hesitated for a long time without speaking.
Ke Xun ignored him and took the lead in writing the title of the animated film corresponding to him on the paper in the box.
Mu Yiran, Wei Dong, and Zhu Haowen followed closely behind, while Qi Qiang still pointed his sword at Qin Ci, forcing him to think of a title for the animated film.
"There are quite a few animated films that feature swords," Qin Ci said helplessly. "Even 'Nezha Conquers the Dragon King' has a sword, and I vaguely remember the Snake Demon in Calabash Brothers using a sword, as well as 'The Strange Child of the Western Mountain' and 'Havoc in Heaven,' etc. These ancient-themed animated films might have such props, but I really can't remember the details. I can't give you a definite answer. Even if I tell you a title under pressure, can you trust me?"
Qi Qiang knew Qin Ci was right. He wasn't even sure if Qin Ci would deliberately give him a wrong answer under such coercion.
Qi Qiang's face twitched, and sweat began to bead on his forehead. He sheathed the sword pointing at Qin Ci and turned to Ke Xun: "Use your intuition to draw a picture for me too."
Ke Xun wagged his tail: "Meow, do you think I have special abilities? Intuition isn't always accurate."
"Stop talking nonsense! Just draw one for me!" Qi Qiang was desperate and grasping at straws, not caring about anything else.
Ke Xun wrote down a few pieces of paper for him and then drew one. The paper read: "Havoc in Heaven."
Finally, Li Yaqing and Huang Pi were left. Luo Wei held the paper with the movie title listed, looked at it carefully for a while, then pushed up his glasses and looked up at Mu Yiran: "I have an idea, I don't know if it's right."
"Tell me about it." Mu Yiran looked at him calmly.