Chase Game

The order of exiting was actually to have the two veterans, Li Qingping and Tang Yuebai, lead the way first, so that the three people who came out later wouldn't have to face such great pressure.

Ideally, they should have at least two people outside at the same time: one to delay the pursuers and the other to light the fireworks.

In other words, considering the five-minute lock time after each entry or exit, and to achieve a cycle, if someone leaves at time 0, the earliest someone can return is at time 15.

Ideally, the overall entry and exit should look like this:

0 episodes, 5 episodes, 10 episodes, 15 episodes, 20 episodes, 25 episodes, 30 episodes, 35 episodes, 40 episodes, 45 episodes, 50 episodes, 55 episodes.

However, in reality, there will be many unpredictable situations, and we can only deal with them as they come.

The group had mostly sorted out their thoughts.

Even if it's not clear, there's nothing that can be done because the preparation time has been skipped.

The pursuer has used a skip preparation time card; your preparation time has been skipped.

[The game will officially begin in ten seconds, and the pursuers will be deployed.]

【Ten, nine, eight...】

Six minutes passed, and Ling Yi silently noted down this unskippable preparation time.

Then, the five fugitives looked at Li Qingping, but none of them spoke.

Keep in mind that they were just ordinary players who hadn't even obtained any game privileges yet, but they were facing a Tier 2 hunter who had earned at least six S-rank ratings.

However, Li Qingping did not appear flustered at all; instead, a smile appeared on his lips, indicating that he was confident.

【...Three, two, one, game begin!】

Li Qingping opened the door and left in one smooth motion, the whole process taking less than two seconds.

Although the door to the safe house closed slowly, the people inside could see him disappear into the night, but they couldn't get out.

Ling reached out and touched it, and there was an invisible wall standing there.

The door slammed shut.

Everyone in the room was quiet, their minds filled with the sound of Li Qingping's steady breathing.

"Huff...huff...they're chasing me...huff..." Li Qingping suddenly whispered.

Everyone became more attentive.

It was a bit fast, less than twenty or thirty seconds. Ling Yi looked at the illusory timer in front of him; this was the effect of Du Hengbo's skill.

He held the [Time Reduction Card] in his hand, ready to use it as soon as Li Qingping gave him a hint, since it took effect immediately anyway.

Li Qingping, who was the first to leave, had no intention of lighting fireworks. Even though he passed by several times and had time to light them, he didn't touch them.

He had only one task: to buy time.

The game scene is not large; it is basically a semi-circle starting from the wooden house. He moves forward at full speed and it only takes him less than five minutes to reach the boundary.

In other words, if he can lead the pursuers to the furthest point within five minutes, one person can leave the safe house.

Even if he were captured and killed at that time, it would take some time for the pursuers to get back. Tang Yuebai could then light fireworks during this period to delay the process, allowing the third person, Ling Yi, to emerge.

The Tibetan Mastiff, which had been the pursuer, transformed into a real large dog, taking long strides on all fours and chasing after Li Qingping by scent.

As the one who started the game, a second-tier player, he naturally had some privileges.

For example, the identity of the pursuer in the first stage is one that he himself has chosen.

He didn't know what the fugitives' specific mission was, only that he had to prevent them from completing their mission as much as possible in the first phase, and even if he couldn't stop them, he had to cause a large number of fugitives to be killed.

Because after the fugitive completes the mission, he will enter the second stage, "identity reversal," at which point he will become a fugitive and be hunted by the remaining pursuers.

This is actually very unfair to the fugitives and others in the first phase. If they fail to complete the mission, the second phase will not start, and the game will be lost.

However, the game will strive for balance; whatever you lack in one area will always be compensated for in another.

If the skill gap between ordinary players and second-tier players is too large, then they can make up for the disadvantage with numbers.

If it's unfair to the first-stage fugitives, then make up for it when they become the second-stage hunters.

As for how to make up for it, that brings us to the so-called "draw".

Normally, if the pursuer fails to kill the fugitive within the allotted time, the pursuer loses the game.

However, in this game, the outcome is determined by the results of the two phases and the two roles of both sides. If each side wins one and loses one, then it is considered a draw.

The Tibetan Mastiff didn't want a draw, but it couldn't afford to lose either, so in the first stage it chose the role of the pursuer, making its intention of "securing a draw and striving for victory" quite obvious.

His sense of smell was extremely keen; by smelling the scent, he could discern that there was only one fugitive present.

He was unaware of the safe house, and naturally, he didn't know where the other escapees were.

But never mind, let's chase down and kill this guy in front of us first!

He flaunted all sorts of speed-boosting items and skills, showing a clear greater generosity than the stingy Li Fang.

Originally, he was only slightly faster than Li Qingping, but now he suddenly gained a significant advantage, closing the gap by about ten seconds!

Fortunately, Li Qingping reacted quickly and used his props and skills like they were free, barely bringing the speed difference back to the point where the two had nothing to use at the beginning.

The people inside the safe house were unaware of the situation outside, but they all silently prayed for Li Qingping's safety.

Time passed quickly. In the past few minutes, Li Qingping's breathing had become rapid and slow, indicating that the pursuers were not relentlessly chasing him all the time.

It's also possible that Li Qingping has so many methods that even a second-tier pursuer as strong as a Tibetan Mastiff can't stop him for the time being.

But the good times didn't last long. Not long after, Li Qingping's disordered breathing could be heard.

After his breathing calmed down once more, Ling Yi spoke through the team's voice chat:

"Keep going, less than half a minute left!"

The hope that was within reach gave Li Qingping renewed strength.

He started running towards the farthest boundary, giving Tang Yuebai, who was about to appear, more safe time.

Du Hengbo's gaming skills have allowed him to devise the shortest possible route based on the map of the fireworks display.

The others memorized it, but Zhang Qiang wished he could crush it up and pour it into his brain with water.

A map appeared in the upper left corner of their field of vision.

[Version Update: This update adds a "Map" tool. Enjoy the game!]

Zhang Qiang gave Du Hengbo a grateful look.

Tang Yuebai was the second player to leave, and the timer for locking the door entered its final ten seconds.

She was already standing in front of the door, and unlike Li Qingping's composed smile, she looked calm.

It is neither a pool of water nor a mirror.

Instead, it was a bright, clear moon.