After listening to the explanations from the newcomers, Chen Mo and Dai Minghan finally understood the full story. Dai Minghan let out a cold snort, his tone clearly laced with sarcasm. "Daring to start an internal conflict in a supernatural mission like this, I see you all have quite the nerve. Are you tired of living?"
Regardless, in this story mission, only Chen Mo, Dai Minghan, and Lin Tianheng were true listeners who had survived formal stories. So, even though Li Kai felt some dissatisfaction, he ultimately chose not to argue.
Dai Minghan's gaze swept over the faces of the newcomers, and he seemed to smack his lips in satisfaction before turning his attention to Feng Wenxuan, signaling him to take out his phone so everyone could study this so-called "cursed game."
Although he understood the intent, at that moment, Feng Wenxuan hesitated. Deep down, he still clung to a faint hope. What if, by not opening the phone and running the game, he could avoid being killed by the curse? What if that was the way to break this cursed game?
"This... this..."
Seeing Feng Wenxuan's reluctant demeanor, Li Kai grew impatient again, his tone tinged with mockery. "Teacher Feng, we're trying to help you here. If you don't show us your phone, how are we supposed to analyze a way to break this cursed game?"
*Analyze my ass!* Feng Wenxuan thought irritably. *You're just a newcomer on your first formal mission. What do you know about analysis? It's not you who received the death game, so of course, you can talk big without feeling the pain!*
Noticing Feng Wenxuan's hesitation, Chen Mo had a sudden insight and understood his concern. "Are you thinking that as long as you don't play this game, you can avoid the story's deadly trap?"
Given the usual nature of these stories, that possibility was extremely slim. Otherwise, breaking this cursed game would be far too easy. Though that was what Chen Mo thought, he didn't say it outright. After all, Feng Wenxuan was entering a formal story for the first time and facing the real threat of a ghost killing him. For him, holding onto a sliver of hope might be a good thing.
"Honestly, that possibility might exist, but it's not very likely. Still, since we don't have a better plan yet, it's worth a try. If you're set on not playing this game, why not go all the way? Feng Wenxuan, throw your phone away."
After hearing Chen Mo, Feng Wenxuan silently nodded. Even without being told, he knew the hope was slim. But since he'd already received this cursed game, he would try every possible way to break it. He immediately pulled his phone from his pocket, slammed it hard against the ground, shattering the golden Apple phone into pieces, and then tossed the remains into a nearby trash bin.
Whether it was psychological or not, after throwing away the phone, the heavy feeling in Feng Wenxuan's heart seemed to ease a bit. Yet, he still didn't dare to "go home" alone.
Seeing his fear, Lin Tianheng suggested they find a hotel nearby to stay. This would make it easier to discuss things and, in case anything happened, allow the participants to support each other and escape. Feng Wenxuan strongly supported this idea. At that moment, he also recalled the mysterious text message he'd received earlier.
*Seven days left...*
Thinking back, that message must have been the game's death notice for him. In other words, the cursed game took seven days to kill, meaning the first six days should be safe. But he didn't mention the message, fearing that if the others knew the ghost attack wouldn't come until the seventh day, they might stop offering him protection and help.
It wasn't that Feng Wenxuan was being selfish; he was just trying to survive.
Seeing that it was getting late, the group stopped talking and headed back to the street, picking a conveniently located hotel. As for Duan Xue, Li Kai, and the others, since the school had strict rules for boarding students and the attack target was clear, plus the participants assigned student roles were all inexperienced newcomers with no means of self-defense, it was better for them to stay in the relatively safe school rather than near Feng Wenxuan, who might be in danger.
The first night passed in extreme anxiety, but nothing happened around Feng Wenxuan until the next day. At 4:30 PM, he received a second text message, again just four simple words: "Six days left."
So the warning messages were real. Before the countdown ended, the cursed participant wouldn't face danger. But he wondered if his method could avoid the final deadly strike of the cursed game.
Wait a second...
Just as Feng Wenxuan was thinking this, his face suddenly changed dramatically, as if he'd remembered something unbelievable and terrifying. That thing was: yesterday, he had clearly smashed his phone and thrown it into the trash bin. So how did the identical Apple phone in his pants pocket come from?!
"Ahhhhhhh—!" In sheer terror, Feng Wenxuan's hand trembled, and the phone fell to the ground again, a long crack appearing on the screen. At the same time, the broken screen flickered faintly, and a notification sound for a new message rang out.
Ignoring the strange looks from teachers and students in the hallway during the break, Feng Wenxuan, dazed, picked up the phone and opened the new message. Like the previous ones, it was very brief.
"You have violated the rules."
What?
I violated the rules?
What's going on? What rule did I break?
At that moment, Feng Wenxuan's heart was in turmoil again. The phone he had clearly smashed and thrown away had somehow returned to him, and now there was another eerie message. What did this mean?!
School wasn't over yet, and the other participants had their own roles. Although the story world in the radio didn't strictly restrict participants' actions, based on other listeners' experiences, it was best not to act too contrary to one's role or social norms. Otherwise, while it wouldn't directly trigger a ghost attack, the radio—like a high-and-mighty deity with its own judgment—might impose strange "punishments" or unfavorable factors for such obvious role violations.
So, despite the torment, Feng Wenxuan returned to his office, enduring the agony until the afternoon classes ended. Then, he immediately took the cursed phone that had reappeared on him and rushed to find Chen Mo, who had just walked out of the classroom!
--- PS, two updates delivered today~