Hyperthermal Hell || Apocalypse Paradise #1 [Complete]

78: Meeting at the Crossroads (1)

"Since the first game was based entirely on luck, let's make the second game a little more interesting..." Mr. Dot's brisk voice traveled through the layers of steam yet retained its clarity as it reached everyone's ears. "Let me introduce the second game to you.

"Red vs. White Challenge Second Game: [Meeting at the Crossroads].

"How to play: The boundary line in the middle will act as a divider, and a 5 by 5 grid will appear on both sides of the divider. There will be a total of 25 tiles on the grid. A screen will rise from the boundary line, blocking the view of the opposing team, so both teams won't know what's happening on the other side of the screen. After the screen is up, each member of both teams will have to choose and stand on a tile."

Following Mr. Dot's first sentence, the two routes from the first game disappeared. On the red side, the route was replaced by a large grid with faint golden lines. A similar grid appeared on the white side, but the view of the white semicircle was quickly blocked by the rising black screen.

The vertical side of the large grid was labeled ABCDE, while the horizontal side was labeled 12345.

"Do you see the tiles now? Could contestant Lin and contestant Ai help me with this demonstration? Please stand on any random tile."

Lin Sanjiu threw a suspicious glance toward where Mr. Dot was. She chose cautiously and stood inside her chosen tile.

"Take contestant Lin as an example... She is currently standing on column D, row 4, so the tile she's on is called D4. It's easy to understand, correct?"

Everyone in the arena nodded while unable to help exploring the grid with their eyes.

"The contestant from the white team has also chosen his tile. Now, I'll lower the screen..."

The black screen lowered, revealing to the Red Team a young man from the White Team who wore a flowery shirt. As if on instinct, everyone from the Red Team immediately looked at the tiles on the ground.

"Contestant Ai is currently standing on column B, row 2; that is tile B2. Congratulations! During the last round of positioning, both of you didn't collide!" Mr. Dot clapped his hands enthusiastically while everyone else reacted with a bland silence. He continued, "If there are no collisions between the two teams, we will proceed to the second round of positioning. Please look downward..."

The black screen rose again, blocking the view of the opposing team. "Ding Dong." Lin Sanjiu looked at her feet and found that she was standing on a line of words. She lifted one of her mountain boots hurriedly so she could read the words: "There is a +1 point reward on one of the tiles top left from where you are!"

"For each round of positioning, you can only move to a neighboring tile in any direction from your original position. Please move to your new positions!"

'Top left...' Lin Sanjiu looked around then moved to C3.

"All right, both contestants have taken their positions. Black screen down!"

This time, both teams suddenly started discussing quietly upon noticing that Lin Sanjiu and contestant Ai both stood on tile C3.

"During this round of positioning, both contestants are standing on the same tile... If that is the case, both contestants must duel to determine the victor. The loser has to leave the game while the victor can remain in the game and join the next round of positioning.

"For example, let's say that contestant Lin lost this duel. Could contestant Lin leave the game?"

Lin Sanjiu walked away from the grid quietly.

"Only when contestant Ai is left standing on C3 will the tile reveal its points. Contestant Ai, if you look at the hint on the tile now, you'll see that it says: 'There is a -1 point penalty in one of the tiles directly in front of you.' That's right, this will be how you'll gain and lose points in this game. Everyone, please take note of the hints!"