Chapter 84: Everything is Illogical!

Eventually, the two of them sat in the chairs, but this time, they did not experience any dizziness.

"Cut! Season one of Hell Liar-Slayer is officially a wrap!"

A skinny, middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap popped out of nowhere and excitedly called out to them.

All around them, an endless chorus of applause, popping party crackers, and words of praise and congratulations rang out.

This place...

It looked like a film studio set. A camera was positioned right in front of them, its lens aimed squarely at the bewildered faces of the Youth and Chen Ran.

Soon after, the Secret Room seemed to fill with people. Over a dozen crew members began packing away various props.

Then, the skinny, middle-aged man walked over to them and said, "You two have worked hard. The production crew is working overtime tonight on edits. We'll do whatever reshoots are necessary, but I guarantee we won't hold up your upcoming schedules."

With that, he yelled at the production assistant, "These two have had a grueling shoot! Hurry up and take them to the hotel to rest!"

The doors opened!!!

Outside was an open-air setting. Chen Ran beheld the long-lost sight of blue skies and fluffy white clouds.

The two of them stood in the doorway, too afraid to take even a single step forward. After all, they had been trapped inside various Secret Rooms for so long. If they stepped outside...

God only knew what would happen.

'Sigh, these two have worked so hard. They're so deep in character they don't even dare to leave the Secret Room. They really do need a good rest.'

Thinking this, the production assistant grabbed each of them by an arm and led them out of the Secret Room.

A cool summer breeze blew past, dragging the two men from their shocked daze back to reality.

Outdoors, the scorching sun beat down and waves of heat washed over them. Sweltering and feeling sticky with sweat, Chen Ran just wanted to take a cold shower.

However, after taking only a few steps, Chen Ran and the Youth realized something was wrong.

They noticed people outside holding up signs bearing their names. Logically, these sign-holders should be fans, yet neither of them could spot a single trace of emotion on the fans' faces, nor did they hear any cheering.

The hundred or so fans were all scrutinizing them with wary, guarded expressions.

Chen Ran noticed several burly Men in Black scattered throughout the crowd.

The burly Men in Black were clutching objects wrapped in dark cloth that were roughly thirty inches long. Judging by their shape, they looked like assault rifles.

They were staring intently at Chen Ran and the Youth.

The two walked forward with mounting apprehension. Yet, after taking just a few more steps, a warship crashed toward them from straight ahead without any warning.

Chen Ran was scared out of his wits. Lunging forward, he kicked hard off the ground and tumbled across the dirt, rolling over and over again until he narrowly evaded the colliding warship.

The warship eventually slammed into the film studio and ground to a halt, sending clouds of dust billowing into the sky.

Through the haze, Chen Ran and the Youth saw that the burly Men in Black seemed to have locked onto their targets. They pulled away the dark cloth...

...revealing a row of AK-47s!

They aimed the muzzles directly at Chen Ran and the Youth and, without a word, opened fire.

Seeing this, both men shut their eyes in despair. But right at that moment, two figures suddenly appeared beside them, grabbing them and dragging them behind a nearby piece of cover.

When he got a clear look at their saviors, Chen Ran's pupils dilated in shock. One of them was the Young Heiress.

And the other was Chen Ran's...

'Second Maternal Uncle!'

Chen Ran had grown up in the countryside and had to trek over a mountain every day just to get to school. Since his parents had left home to work in the city when he was little, his Second Maternal Uncle would always come to pick him up before dawn to take him to school. In his heart, his Second Maternal Uncle was his most steadfast and dependable family member.

'Didn't my uncle die?'

'How is he here?'

The visual shock was especially profound when he looked at this dark-skinned, heavily-built man—the very image of a typical rustic farmer—casually wielding a heavy machine gun.

The Youth was in a similar state. He stared in absolute disbelief at the Young Heiress, who currently had a rocket launcher slung over her shoulder. His mouth was hanging wide enough to fit a whole egg inside.

"Chen Ran, you've gotten too big for your britches, huh? It's been so long since we last saw each other, and you don't even know how to greet your elders anymore?"

Chen Ran didn't dare acknowledge his identity. Instead, he deflected with a question of his own, "Why are you here?"

He deliberately omitted any specific subject or title in his question, terrified of inadvertently uttering a lie.

His Second Maternal Uncle chuckled. "You brat, still as cautious as ever, I see. To be honest, I was pretty surprised when I saw you in the first Instance. However, my Liar-Slayer Skill allows me to turn invisible, so it's perfectly normal that you didn't spot me."

'Like hell I'd believe that!'

Although that was what he thought, Chen Ran kept his expression perfectly neutral. He then turned his gaze back to the Young Heiress and her rocket launcher.

"Hell-level Instances have a special rule that allows for reinforcements. When we saw that you guys still hadn't come out after so long, your uncle and I put our heads together and decided to join this Escape Room Game as well."

'They're both lying!'

Chen Ran and the Youth exchanged a look. They drew their Liar-Slayers, ready to activate their skills.

However, the bullets jammed.

They couldn't use their skills.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Men in Black had pinpointed their location and began firing wildly in their direction.

"Get out of here! The hotel should be relatively safe. Leave this to us!"

Without giving them a chance to argue, his Second Maternal Uncle and the Young Heiress charged out of cover with their heavy weapons, drawing the enemy's fire.

Having received a crucial clue, the two men looked over at the production assistant, who was trembling in terror beside them.

"Where is the hotel? What are our room numbers?" Chen Ran demanded.

The production assistant pointed a trembling finger at the Jinhuang Grand Hotel up ahead and choked out, "Teacher Chen is in Room 11, and Teacher Lin is in Room 10."

Having acquired their room numbers, Chen Ran and the Youth didn't hesitate for a second. Braving a relentless hail of gunfire, they sprinted madly toward the hotel.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ducking behind cover as they ran and constantly scanning their surroundings, both men realized that the two groups locked in a firefight seemed...

...to have never reloaded their magazines, not even once!

'This isn't a TV show. How could they have unlimited ammo?'

'Unless...'

'Unless we really are inside a TV show—one of those ridiculous, over-the-top dramas at that!'

'But how could my uncle possibly appear in a TV show?'

Chen Ran's mind was a chaotic jumble. He desperately needed a safe environment to calmly think things through.

Seizing a brief lull in the crossfire, the two of them dashed out from behind cover once more.

But disaster struck. A stray bullet caught the Youth in the thigh, sending him crashing to the ground in agony. However, his reflexes were razor-sharp. The very instant he realized he'd been hit, he snatched the Liar-Slayer from his waist and chucked it over thirty feet away.

Seeing this, Chen Ran finally dared to rush over. Hoisting the Youth onto his back, he resumed his mad dash toward the hotel.

They burst into the hotel.

Seeing that the lobby was empty, Chen Ran collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. He teased the Youth, who was currently pinned beneath him, "Looks like your tough-guy act isn't all that impressive after all."

"How can you be in the mood to make bad jokes? How long do you think those two can hold out?" the Youth shot back, his voice strained and weak.

Chen Ran sensed something was wrong. He quickly rolled the Youth over, only to discover a fresh bullet wound in the young man's back.

"Thank you," Chen Ran said earnestly. If the Youth hadn't acted as a human shield, that bullet would undoubtedly have hit him instead.

The Young Inheritor simply replied, "..."

Once he felt he had recovered a bit of strength, Chen Ran hoisted the Youth onto his back again and set off in search of their rooms.

Rooms 10 and 11 were located on the second floor and were equipped with fingerprint locks. After carefully laying the Youth down on the large bed in Room 10, Chen Ran headed into Room 11 alone and began inspecting his surroundings.

There was nothing particularly unusual about the room; it looked just like any standard hotel suite. Chen Ran sat on the edge of the bed, lit a cigarette, and fell into deep thought.

'First of all, I didn't experience any dizziness during this Escape Room Game.'

'Secondly, I am absolutely certain that I am not a television actor.'

'Thirdly, we are on dry land. How could a warship just randomly crash into us?'

'Furthermore, it seemed like there were two separate groups of Men in Black. One group was shooting exclusively at me, and the other was solely targeting the Youth.'

'Next, the explanations given by my uncle and the Young Heiress were completely full of holes. But since our weapons jammed and we couldn't use our skills, it means there's a high probability they aren't Players.'

'Finally... what clues are hidden in this hotel?'

As his thoughts raced, a heavy wave of drowsiness washed over him. He subconsciously glanced at his Watch.

'It's been roughly fifty-eight minutes since the Director called it a wrap.'

'I'm so tired.'

'I just want to go to sleep.'

Chen Ran fought desperately to stay awake, but his eyelids were growing unbearably heavy. Just before he lost the battle, he checked his Watch one last time.

Sixty minutes!

The next moment, unable to hold on any longer, he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.