Illusion Report

Chapter 191: Chapter 158: Mai Mingle: An Old Person and a Romantic Comedy?

The second floor had indeed "refreshed."

The word "refresh" was something Hai Luwei had taught her. Apparently, it came from computer games.

He had started explaining on his way down, and by the time they had all arrived back on the second floor, Mai Mingle understood what "refresh" meant. She also picked up on what online games, NPCs, and "mob grinding" were. Hai Luwei’s favorite game was apparently called *World of Warcraft*, and he claimed nothing could ever top it.

Fu Tailan was the first one down the stairs. He turned and offered Mai Mingle a hand.

Ever since the incident with the Snake Belt, he had become a bit more considerate and helpful, though Mai Mingle pretended not to notice, and she certainly didn’t point it out.

She naturally took the young man’s hand for support and limped down the steps. "Do you like to play these kinds of... monster-killing games too?"

"They’re called role-playing games," Hai Luwei corrected from behind her.

"What?"

Fu Tailan had a dazed look, as if he were peering out from a deep fog toward the sound of her voice. After a moment, he seemed to recall what a "game" was. "Oh, no... I don’t play games. I’ve never played."

"Well now, just what you’d expect from a high-level Hunter from a major Family Faction," Hai Luwei grumbled as he, too, came down the stairs and held out his hand.

Fu Tailan immediately pulled his hand back.

The moment all three of them were standing in the hallway, the overhead light bulb flickered on with a grand flourish, as if to welcome them. Just like last time, the door to every apartment was wide open, but there were no television screens behind them anymore.

’Does the trap’s content change after every refresh?’

Mai Mingle wanted to ask Fu Tailan, but when she turned her head, she froze.

Fu Tailan’s head was gone.

His neck disappeared into a television set. The television seemed to sense Mai Mingle’s gaze and turned toward her... its screen.

She jumped, instinctively trying to scream—but to her surprise, though her mouth opened, not a single sound came out.

’Huh?’

’What’s going on? First I go deaf, and now I’m mute?’

A bit frantic, she whipped her head around again and found that Hai Luwei also had a television perched on his neck.

Faint reflections and shadows floated on Hai Luwei’s dark screen. Mai Mingle stared at his screen for two seconds, then slowly raised a hand, hesitantly placing it on her own head.

’Yep... hard, cold, and square.’

Her head, too, had indeed become a television.

’Well, would you look at that. All three of us have been transformed into a TV combo. I never would’ve guessed this place was actually an appliance store.’

For some reason, she felt like she still had a mouth, but she just couldn’t make any sound. Just as Mai Mingle was fumbling around, trying to find her mouth, Fu Tailan tapped her on the shoulder.

’What is it?’

She turned her head—no, her screen—toward the young man. It wasn’t heavy, but it was much larger than her original head. The movement felt strange and awkward.

Fu Tailan raised his hand and pressed gently on a spot on her head that felt like it was near her temple.

With a soft CRACKLE of electricity, Mai Mingle saw the light from her own screen reflected on the screen of Fu Tailan’s head.

Her head had turned on.

’...That sentence barely even makes sense anymore.’

"It seems we have to turn on the TVs to talk. Don’t worry, it should be temporary. It’ll be fine once we get out."

Fu Tailan had actually tried to comfort her.

He turned his own television on as well. The young man’s voice, tinged with a static HISS, emanated from the TV on his neck. "What does my screen say?"

"...’Please wait, searching for signal,’" Mai Mingle answered honestly.

Fu Tailan was silent for a few seconds, as if trying to process this fact.

"What about me? What’s on my face?"

"The same sentence."

It wasn’t just Mai Mingle. After Hai Luwei turned his on, his screen also displayed the same sentence.

Before the "signal" was found, the three of them didn’t dare make any rash moves, so they stood patiently at the top of the stairs and waited.

Hai Luwei accepted the bizarre situation faster than anyone and was already offering suggestions. He said that to get a better signal, they should try spinning in a few circles, sticking their heads next to a window, or stretching their necks out... Fu Tailan treated all such suggestions as static interference, hearing but not listening.

When the signal arrived, the rules for the second floor came with it.

From that moment on, the sounds of Fu Tailan and Hai Luwei beside her vanished.

’They probably can’t hear my voice anymore either, can they?’

Although she knew logically that the other two were right beside her, Mai Mingle felt as if she had been utterly abandoned. She could only watch the explanation alone and walk alone into the trap that awaited her.

A Television Life

When you’re engrossed in a novel or a TV show, hasn’t everyone had thoughts like, "What if I were so-and-so?" or "What if that happened to me?"?

Wouldn’t it be interesting to get a chance to truly experience the plot of a show or movie as one of the characters?

See? The Nest doesn’t treat humans all that badly, right? It’s not *always* trying to kill you.

Before it kills you, the Nest will also provide you with some novel experiences.

Have you noticed that your head has turned into a television?

If so, you’re on the right track.

Next, a movie or TV episode, no longer than 65 minutes, will be played on your television head.

You are a character in this movie/episode—not the protagonist, you’re not that lucky. Oh, unless it’s a tragedy where the protagonist dies in the end. Then you might get to be the star for once.

As the plot twists and turns, you must anticipate dangers one step ahead and, with the limited abilities of a side character, fight to carve out a correct path to survival.

For you, this will be a full-immersion, realistic experience, practically indistinguishable from reality.

If you die in the movie/episode, you will also die in reality.

You will be unable to see your real surroundings, only the world of the movie/episode, but your body will remain on the second floor of the apartment building. This means that the actions you take in the fictional world will guide your movements on the second floor.

For example, if you are being chased by a serial killer in the fictional world, you must flee. If faced with two paths, choosing path A might cause your body to run into a bedroom wall, while choosing path B might cause you to fall out of an apartment window.

Only by choosing the correct path will you be able to successfully descend the stairs on the second floor.

Trying to just walk straight down the hallway is useless, because your sense of direction within the fictional world will be completely different. You won’t know which way the real hallway is.

Please note that taking the wrong path will not necessarily kill you. Most of the time, it will only cause you to run into furniture or a wall.

However, your television head is, after all, a delicate electronic product. It can’t take much of a beating. After three to seven collisions (depending on the severity), your television head will shatter.

Your head will shatter.

So please, enjoy your life as a side character in the world of film!

P.S. The Nest thinks you’re a pretty decent person, so it has specially arranged an easy fictional world for you—a romantic comedy! What could be safer than that?

’Oh, dear...’

Mai Mingle wanted to scratch her head, but when she reached up, her hand only met the cool casing of a television set.

She had to find the correct path downstairs while the male and female leads were busy falling in love. That certainly didn’t sound too difficult.

’I wonder what kind of movie or show Fu Tailan and Hai Luwei got?’

’Will they be able to get downstairs safely?’