Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

Lin Yu glanced at him, too lazy to waste words, and directly took out a game coin that was shimmering slightly from his pocket and flicked it with his finger.

"Is that enough?"

The burly man caught the game coins precisely, his smile widening: "Great! The questions... are actually quite simple; they're just traffic rule questions from the theory and practical driving tests we take in the real world."

Lin Yu had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it wasn't too difficult, when the burly man's next words made him frown again.

"But!" the burly man emphasized, "It doesn't ask the common, easy-to-remember questions, but rather the most obscure, rare, and easily overlooked questions in the question bank. It randomly selects ten obscure questions from over a thousand questions, which is quite challenging."

Lin Yu's heart sank.

He did take his driving test, but that was several years ago. Who would remember those obscure and trivial traffic rules?

At this moment, the burly man chuckled and pulled out a small notebook from his pocket, waving it in his hand: "However... the eight of us have each gone in and 'contributed' once. Although we all failed, we recorded a total of sixty-nine different questions and their correct answers."

How about it? Want to check it out? Honest and fair, only five game coins per set! Also, if you fail after entering, we can continue to collaborate and share new challenges after you leave!

"I see," Lin Yu suddenly realized.

No wonder this group of people are gathered here and not in a hurry to leave; it turns out they are engaged in "crowdfunding" and "information trafficking".

This is indeed a way to survive and make money in the game.

Since we're stuck in traffic anyway, why not make some money if we can?

Although the price was outrageous, Lin Yu readily paid another five game coins to buy the "Question Bank Secret Manual" considering the time crunch.

He quickly flipped through his notebook, which was filled with all sorts of bizarre questions.

Just as he was trying to memorize it, the burly man added, "Don't bother memorizing, brother. When you go in to answer the questions, you can just take out your notebook and look at it. That zebra-striped traffic cop doesn't care about that; he only cares whether your answers are correct."

Lin Yu nodded, closed his notebook, and said, "If that's the case, then it's simple."

He wasn't worried that these guys were teaming up to deceive him; if there really was a problem, his Azure Rose wouldn't be one to be trifled with.

Of course, it cannot be denied that some of these guys were lying, and that the game at the intersection might not be about answering traffic questions, but rather some other, more dangerous game.

But to be honest, Lin Yu was determined to try it no matter what. There shouldn't be any games in this world that were too difficult to complete, so Lin Yu thought it was worth a try.

Without further hesitation, he nodded to the group, then turned the ignition and drove the electric scooter straight into the intersection.

Just as the wheels rolled over that invisible boundary line in the center of the intersection—

Lin Yu felt the scene before his eyes flicker and distort violently, like a television screen with a poor signal!

The next second, he found himself in an extremely strange space, surrounded by an endless expanse of black and white zebra crossings, with flashing red, yellow and green traffic lights overhead.

Not far in front of him stood a humanoid creature nearly two meters tall, wearing a traffic police reflective vest, but with a huge zebra head.

It was holding a writing tablet, seemingly about to ask a question.

However, just as the zebra policeman raised his head and his gaze fell on Lin Yu, his huge horse eyes suddenly blinked, as if he had been stunned for a moment.

It looked Lin Yu up and down, and then... it didn't ask anything, it just casually waved its hoof and made a "pass quickly" gesture.

Lin Yu: "???"

He was full of doubts, but since the other party let him go, he naturally wouldn't linger. He immediately turned on the switch and passed through this strange zebra crossing space.

In another flash, he found himself driving steadily on the other side of the intersection.

He looked back and saw the intersection and the players there behind him. The players were staring at him in disbelief, their mouths opening and closing as if they were excitedly shouting something, but their voices couldn't reach him at all, as if there was an invisible barrier between them.

Lin Yu gestured to his ear twice to indicate that he couldn't hear, and then began to think about what was going on. Judging from the expressions of the other players, they obviously didn't expect him to pass the level so quickly.

Therefore, they shouldn't be lying to themselves, so where did things go wrong?

Lin Yu subconsciously wanted to scratch his head, but instead touched the helmet on his head.

In that instant, an absurd yet perfectly reasonable conjecture came to mind.

"It couldn't be... because... I was wearing a helmet?!"

He recalled the players from earlier; it seemed that... not a single one of them was wearing a helmet as required.

The delivery driver's manual and safety rules do indeed include a clause stating that "riders must wear helmets."

So, the zebra-striped traffic policeman's so-called "questioning" was actually a "punishment" for players who "did not follow traffic rules (not wearing helmets)"?! As long as they wore their helmets properly, they could just pass through?!

Thinking about this, Lin Yu felt a bit absurd. Damn it, this place has a mediocre environment but a lot of rules. You have to wear a helmet when riding an electric bike.

It really is... both ridiculous and inexplicably "reasonable".

Thinking of this, Lin Yu suddenly felt a pang of heartache—then all those six game coins he had spent were wasted.

In particular, the five "question bank" books I bought became completely worthless.

"Wait a minute..." Lin Yu's eyes suddenly lit up, and an idea popped into his head.

He immediately opened the game's built-in chat channel and spoke:

[Witcher Elite]: Are those eight friends who got stuck at the intersection by the zebra-striped traffic cop still there? Can you hear me?

After the message was sent, there was a few seconds of silence in the channel, and then it exploded instantly.

[Inspiration Galore]: Holy crap! Boss! I'm here! I almost forgot you could use channels! How did you get there?! That was fast!

[Wang Hua]: Yeah, wow! Your answering speed is incredible! Were the questions really that easy?

[Fat-covered muscle]: Dude, you're awesome! Share the question and answer with me!

Several other people chimed in, their voices filled with shock and urgency.

Lin Yu looked at the replies in the channel, a smile curving his lips, and typed slowly and deliberately.

【Witcher Elite】: There's no such thing as a free lunch. A new way to clear the game, exclusive information, fixed price, one game coin per person, guaranteed to work. Private message me if you're interested.

The idea that wearing a helmet would actually allow one to pass was just Lin Yu's guess, and he couldn't be 100% sure, but he still expressed it with absolute certainty.

After all, he certainly couldn't show weakness at a time like this.

There was another moment of silence in the channel.

The price of a single game coin isn't cheap, but compared to being stuck here wasting time and potentially facing further punishment, the cost is entirely acceptable.

Soon, eight private chat requests came in succession.

Lin Yu gave them a concise and unified reply: "Just wear a helmet."

A few seconds later, the regional channel erupted with a mix of cries of "Holy crap!", "Damn!", and "No way?!"

Clearly, they all understood how simple and misleading this answer was.

Soon, Lin Yu saw the eight players frantically rummaging through their backpacks to find helmets, putting them on, and then carefully driving into the intersection area.

Like Lin Yu, they passed through the intersection without any hindrance and were teleported here.

Lin Yu was clearly right.

When the eight players arrived, their expressions were quite interesting, a mix of sudden realization, amusement and exasperation, and a little bit of frustration at being tricked.

They looked at Lin Yu, who was waiting calmly to the side, with complicated expressions.

The burly man who was leading the group stepped forward with a wry smile and traded a game coin to Lin Yu: "Brother, thanks! Although this answer is a bit... well, it really helped a lot."

The others also fulfilled their promises and completed the transactions.

There was no idiot who would refuse to pay just because the answer was easy.

Therefore, Lin Yu easily earned 8 game coins. After deducting the 6 coins he had previously spent, he still made a net profit of 2 coins. Although it wasn't much, it was still income.

not bad.

The eight players clearly belonged to two teams. After a brief exchange, they separated and sped off in different delivery directions.

Before leaving, one of the team captains extended another invitation to Lin Yu to join his team, clearly impressed by his skills and... well, perhaps his luck?

But Lin Yu declined.

He has no plans to form a team.

Without further delay, Lin Yu turned on the ignition and sped off towards the [Happy Circus].

About ten minutes later, a large, brightly lit, colorful (although the color scheme was extremely bizarre) cluster of tents appeared on the horizon.

The towering spires, the huge posters, and the deafening music all clearly indicated that this was his destination—the Happy Circus.

The circus was surrounded by a simple wooden fence, with only one huge entrance that looked like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast.

At the entrance stood two tall security guards, dressed in comical uniforms but with bear heads.

Lin Yu tried to ride his electric bike directly in, but was immediately stopped by one of the bear-like security guards who stretched out his hairy, giant hand.

"Sir, vehicles are not allowed here," Xiong, the security guard, said in a gruff voice, pointing to an empty space next to him with a crookedly drawn parking sign.

He then explained, "Sir, there are too many guests in the circus. For safety reasons, all rides and vehicles must be parked in the designated area outside."

Lin Yu glanced at the bustling circus interior, teeming with all sorts of strangely shaped "tourists," and understood the rule.

Not wanting to cause any further trouble, he did as instructed, pushed the electric scooter to the "parking lot" next door, parked it, locked it, and had his shadow clone guard it from the side.

Before leaving, he thought for a moment and, since the security guard seemed alright, asked him, "Excuse me, where is the Happy Clown performing right now?"

As Xiong Baoan impatiently shooed away another floating ghost trying to squeeze in, he replied without turning his head, "The clown? He should be performing in the central Blood Spring Square at this time."

It also pointed Lin Yu in a direction.

"Central Blood Spring Plaza..." Lin Yu noted down this information, but a doubt flashed through his mind.

However, time was of the essence, so he suppressed his doubts and strode into the bustling circus.

The inside of the circus is more lively and bizarre than the outside.

Various bizarre creatures, both imaginable and unimaginable to Lin Yu, roamed among them: a family with multiple heads arguing, a squid monster holding a popcorn bucket with tentacles, a "little" girl wearing a princess dress but with a mouth full of fangs, ghosts floating in the air chasing each other...

The air was filled with the sweetness of candy, the aroma of popcorn, the grease of grilled meat, and a faint smell of blood.

Their behavior was unusually "normal"—buying things, looking at maps, taking pictures, laughing and playing... If it weren't for their terrifying appearance, Lin Yu would almost have thought he had returned to an ordinary human amusement park.

This extreme contrast makes it even more chilling.

Following the directions given by the security guard, Lin Yu quickly arrived at the Blood Fountain Square in the center of the circus.

The so-called "blood spring" is a huge pool that constantly spouts a viscous, scarlet liquid, and it seems that some indescribable things are also soaking in the pool.

At this moment, a large group of monster spectators were gathered around the small stage in front of the fountain.

Lin Yu squeezed through the crowd and saw the "performance" on the stage.

A clown dressed in a brightly colored clown costume, with a face covered in thick paint, a striking red round nose, and a mouth full of sharp fangs, is putting on an extremely bloody "comedic performance".

It had bound a grotesque, wailing humanoid monster tightly to a wooden board, and was frantically sawing at its limbs with a huge, rusty saw.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere, bone fragments splattered, and screams mingled with the clown's maniacal laughter, assaulting the senses.

The clown seemed to be trying his best to stir up the audience's emotions, making all sorts of exaggerated and funny actions and expressions, but the audience's reaction was extremely indifferent, even somewhat apathetic.

They just watched quietly, their faces devoid of any joy or excitement, and occasionally the monsters would let out impatient hisses.

This scene was both cruel and bizarre, and even Lin Yu, who had seen a lot of "big things", felt somewhat physically uncomfortable.

"This is 'Happy Clown'?" Lin Yu suppressed his nausea and prepared to go forward to complete the delivery.

But the moment he took that step, the two-headed man's warning echoed in his mind once more.

[It must be handed over to a real, cheerful clown.]

Lin Yu stopped in his tracks.

He recalled the security guard's reply at the gate.

It only says "clown" is performing in the fountain, not "joyful clown".

"Could it be..." Alarm bells rang in Lin Yu's mind instantly.

Lin Yu immediately retreated back to the crowd, his gaze sweeping around until he found a viewer who looked slightly "friendly" (relatively speaking), a humanoid creature with eight octopus-like tentacles on its wrists, drinking a blue beverage through a straw.

Lin Yu leaned closer and politely asked, "Excuse me, is the performer on stage 'The Joyful Clown'?"

The octopus monster glanced at Lin Yu with a few of its eyes. When it saw his human face, a hint of greed flashed in its eyes, but it quickly noticed the deliveryman's vest he was wearing and pouted in disappointment.

Stirring its drink with a tentacle straw, it replied impatiently, "The Happy Clown? That? Its performance is as dull as stagnant water, nothing but blood and gore, utterly devoid of creativity and fun."

It doesn't deserve the name "Joyful" at all. Only a clown that truly makes us laugh and feel happy deserves to be called the Joyful Clown.

Hearing the octopus monster's complaining reply, Lin Yu's heart sank.

Sure enough, there was a trap in this deal.

He quickly followed up, "So, does this circus have any real 'joyful clowns' now?"

"No! Not a single one!" The octopus monster grew even more agitated, waving its tentacles wildly. "Damn it! This lousy circus hasn't had a real, funny clown in almost six months! It's just full of these trashy guys who can only saw bones and spit blood! A waste of time! A waste of my money! I shouldn't have come!"

As it spoke, it angrily threw the remaining drink, along with the cup, at the clown on the stage.

Its actions seemed to be a signal, and the other monster spectators around it, who were already dissatisfied, became agitated, booing and cursing even louder, and some even started throwing things onto the stage.

Most of them consist of the monster's own flesh and blood, food, and unidentifiable items.

Soon, the audience dispersed, grumbling and disappointed.

On stage, only the clown, covered in filth yet still engrossed in his frenzied corpse-sawing performance, remained. He seemed oblivious to the audience's departure, continuing to emit maniacal laughter.

Lin Yu stood there, feeling a headache coming on.

The real clown isn't here? Maybe he doesn't even exist in this circus? How will this order be fulfilled? Will it be delayed indefinitely? Wouldn't his hourly performance, five-star review, and extra tip all be for nothing?

"Damn it!" Lin Yu couldn't help but curse under his breath.

He forced himself to calm down, his sharp eyes scanning his surroundings for any possible clues.

His gaze swept over the empty audience seats, the bloody stage, the gushing fountain of blood... and finally settled on an inconspicuous bulletin board next to the stage, covered with all sorts of old posters.

One of the larger, much newer posters caught his eye.

The poster features a silhouette of a clown with an exaggerated smile, radiating an invisible aura of joy, with the following words written in crooked handwriting:

【Highly Recruiting!】

The Joyful Circus desperately needs a "Joyful Clown"!!!

Do you possess the magic to make people laugh?

Can you bring the ultimate joy?

Come join us! Excellent benefits!

Registration Area: Backstage at the Circus – Director's Office

Looking at the recruitment poster, Lin Yu's eyes narrowed slowly, and a bold, almost absurd idea took shape in his mind.

"Perhaps... the so-called 'handing it over to the right person'... doesn't refer to a current clown..."

He narrowed his eyes, and without saying a word, stepped forward and tore the poster down.

Then he turned around and strode towards the backstage area of ​​the circus.

"Since there's no ready-made clown to cheer you up..."

"Then I'll create one myself!"

Holding the recruitment poster, Lin Yu followed the instructions on it, walked through the noisy circus area, and arrived backstage.

At the backstage entrance, a security guard with a bear's head and a human body stopped him, his eyes wary.

Before it could ask any questions, Lin Yu held up the poster and got straight to the point: "I'm here to apply for the job of Happy Clown."

Xiong, the security guard, was stunned for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding.

But just then, a frantic, even slightly choked, shout rang out from inside the office: "What?! The Clown of Joy?! Someone's applied for the job?!"

Before the words were finished, a loud "bang" was heard as the office door, which was far too tall for an ordinary human, was violently kicked open.

A massive figure practically burst forth.

It was a humanoid creature nearly four meters tall, dressed in a well-tailored black gentleman's suit and bow tie, but with a huge elephant head.

It looked extremely anxious, its long nose flailing in the air, its small eyes frantically scanning its surroundings, and its voice booming and urgent: "Where? Where is the applicant?! Let me see!"

It was so tall that its gaze swept across the room and it didn't even notice Lin Yu standing directly below it.

Lin Yu tilted his head back, his lips twitched slightly, and he raised his voice helplessly, "I'm here, sir."

Upon hearing the sound, the elephant leader quickly lowered his head, his huge elephant eyes focusing, and finally saw the "short" Lin Yu.

It wrinkled its trunk, its tone filled with obvious doubt and disappointment: "A human? You're the one applying for the job of the clown?"

It seems that it never considered this option.

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, "What, is that not allowed? Your recruitment poster didn't mention any racial restrictions."

The elephant troupe leader elegantly removed his top hat with his trunk and bowed slightly in apology: "My apologies, sir, but... in the history of our circus, there has never been a precedent of a human playing a clown. The audience's... tastes may be rather unique."

It was phrased rather euphemistically.

Lin Yu spread his hands, his tone carrying an air of self-assured confidence: "That's your problem, Commander, but in my opinion, looking at the whole world, there's probably no creature that can 'please' you more—or rather, arouse your 'interest' more than humans, isn't there?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "please" and "interest," implying something.

Upon hearing this, the elephant leader's massive body trembled violently! A look of sudden realization flashed in his small eyes.

That's right! How could it not have thought of that?!

What monster in this world wouldn't be interested in fresh, juicy, and emotionally rich humans (especially when they are fearful and desperate)?

Aren't humans themselves the most potent source of stimulation for monsters, bringing them the most primal "pleasure"?!

Previous performances were too deliberate and too superficial, neglecting the most essential appeal.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" The elephant leader excitedly slapped the floor with his trunk, making a thumping sound. The disappointment on his face vanished, replaced by ecstatic joy. "Sir, you are a genius! Please! Please come in! Let's talk in detail!"