Excessive ferocity due to caution

At the end of this corridor is an art exhibition room.

The construction was very magnificent and tasteful.

On the wooden openwork frame, every pattern left is a unique and elegant design.

Surprisingly, this exquisite art gallery contained only one exhibited artwork.

It is a painting.

It was hung on the wall in the very center.

The three of them came to the painting and carefully examined it.

This painting is a sketch of rural life taken during a field trip.

The painting depicts a photographer taking pictures of a log bridge over a stream in the distance.

The surrounding area is covered with tall grass and dense trees, which are depicted with a few strokes of the brush.

There is the sun in the sky, and stones on the ground.

At the very top of the painting, in the blank space, it says: "Back to the beginning."

"Anti-abstract paintings concealed by appearances."

This is the evaluation given by Xu Shengzhi.

Although he works with novels, he is not entirely without talent; he has several artist friends.

They met when they were both arrested for soliciting prostitution.

Under the influence of these artist friends, Xu Shengzhi has acquired some expertise in sculpture, painting, calligraphy, and other fields.

Abstract paintings mostly appear to have no connection to natural objects.

But in reality, they all reflect the surface of reality and contain the author's feigned whining.

However, some paintings depict natural objects, but they allude to other things or changes in things.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: ①⓪①ⓚⓚⓢ.ⓒⓞⓜ]

These paintings are not merely paintings, but also a mystery.

Only a discerning observer can spot the clues within.

They watched for a while, until more other people joined the room.

Just as Zhao Yi said, those who had been pretending to be stupid earlier also took advantage of the chaos to sneak down as fewer and fewer people were on the second floor and more and more were on the third floor.

Everyone knew perfectly well that they might be hidden competitors, but no one made a scene.

They can't cause trouble.

Because once you make a scene, trouble will follow.

After watching for a short while, Xu Shengzhi pulled the two of them around and left the room, his face beaming with excitement.

"What did you figure out?"

Guan Zhile couldn't help but ask, his face filled with hope.

She hoped that Xu Shengzhi could be more capable.

Because of this, she might have a better chance of escaping Zhao Yi's clutches!

And the chances of successfully passing the reality show will be even greater.

Xu Shengzhi and the two returned to the empty hall, and went to a corner to whisper:

"Didn't I say before that it was an anti-abstract painting?"

"Many details inside hint at where the path to the fourth level is."

At this point, Xu Shengzhi looked up and glanced around warily.

After confirming that no one was approaching them, Xu Shengzhi continued:

"First, there's the log bridge."

"A long time ago, an artist friend of mine told me that painters who paint landscapes rarely paint log bridges... because they are neither aesthetically pleasing nor easy to leave blank spaces in the painting."

"And a single-plank bridge, generally speaking, is a metaphor."

"It means that only one person can pass."

"Let's refine it further; the key part is... one person."

"Think about it, in a hotel full of people, where is it easiest to be alone?"

Guan Zhile pondered for a moment, then said with a strange expression:

"Could it be... that they're withdrawing their master's program?"

Xu Shengzhi replied:

"It's about withdrawing the master's program!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Zhile couldn't help but swallow.

"But... almost every room in this hotel has a toilet, so how do we know which toilet leads to the fourth floor?"

Xu Shengzhi:

"It's not hard to think of."

"There's water under the log bridge, and lots of water."

"Water is also a concrete thing."

It represents cleaning and washing.

"So... the toilet we're looking for isn't the residents' toilet, but the public toilet on each floor of the hotel!"

"Because residents generally don't use that toilet; it's mainly used by the hotel's cleaning staff to clean the hotel's work areas."

Guan Zhile's eyes lit up.

Xu Shengzhi is quite something!

"So, all we need to do now is find a public restroom, and the problem is solved?"

Xu Shengzhi pondered for two seconds, during which he unconsciously glanced at Zhao Yi.

"To be honest, I don't think things are that simple."

"Because there are still many clues in that painting that haven't been solved."

"But let's look for the public restroom on the second floor first."

"What does Brother Zhao think?"

Zhao nodded:

"Okay."

The three of them searched for a while on the second floor.

Ten minutes later.

Zhao Yi's satiety level had reached zero, so he had to eat a steamed bun.

One steamed bun can restore 30 points of satiety.

Xu Shengzhi, on the other hand, was in a worse situation. He didn't have as much food as the other two and was short of money, so he could only drink a sip of mineral water to fill his stomach.

At this moment, it was Guan Zhile who actually took out a fried chicken leg and handed it to Xu Shengzhi.

Xu Shengzhi took the chicken leg and smiled slightly at Guan Zhile.

A glint flashed in Guan Zhile's eyes.

"I still have plenty of food on me. You're so smart and a great teammate, it's only right that I share some with you..."

As she spoke, she glanced at Zhao Yi.

The other party completely ignored her.

Still diligently searching for a toilet on the second floor.

After searching, they confirmed that every corner on the second floor had been searched, but they did not find the public toilet cleaning room.

Guan Zhile frowned and said:

"Could it be that your guess is wrong?"

Xu Shengzhi fell into deep thought.

"There shouldn't be any problem... Could it be...?"

Unable to figure it out, he asked Zhao Yi for help.

"Brother Zhao, do you have any thoughts?"

Zhao Yi carefully observed the architectural style around him, squinting as he said:

"We need to go back to the third floor."

Xu Shengzhi was stunned:

Why?

Zhao Yi explained:

"Due to the difficulty of the game, the toilet on the second floor may have been renovated. The second and third floors were originally on the same floor, and their architectural styles are almost identical. If you find the toilet on the third floor, you may be able to find out where the toilet on the second floor was originally located."

Upon hearing this, Xu Shengzhi slapped his forehead:

"How could I not have thought of that!"

"Brother Zhao's decision is indeed well-considered!"

Go upstairs.

The lobby was still very messy.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and there were even quite a few corpses on the ground.

It appears there was a conflict not long ago.

Not wanting to cause trouble, the three avoided the area with the strong smell of gunpowder and found the public toilet at the corner at the end of the long corridor on the west side.

"Found it!"

Xu Shengzhi's eyes lit up.

Having confirmed the location of the restroom, the three prepared to return.

But as he was going downstairs, he was spotted by a burly man who had been holding a gun on the first floor.

He was injured.

The malevolent energy is very strong.

The burly man had a shotgun in his hand.

This thing, at close range, is almost like a god.

It doesn't require the precise aiming of a regular handgun.

A mere glimpse is enough to inflict fatal damage!

"You three!"

"What are you doing going up and down like that?"

The burly man's eyes gleamed with a fierce light.

The anger from his recent fight had not subsided, and he was in a foul mood. People around him kept their distance, afraid of provoking him.

When he saw the burly man walking over with a shotgun, Guan Zhile subconsciously leaned back.

The aura emanating from the other party was truly intimidating!

The murderous glint in his eyes was even greater than when he was on the first floor!

"Find another way to the fourth floor."

Zhao Yi said calmly.

He did not lie.

Anyway, this is a question without an answer.

The burly man glanced at him, then his gaze fell on the gun at Zhao Yi's waist, and he suddenly grinned menacingly.

The dark muzzle of the gun was pointed directly at Zhao Yi.

"Put your gun on the ground and kick it over here!"

Zhao Yi smiled slightly upon hearing this:

"Looks like... you're running out of bullets."

The burly man's face stiffened slightly, but he quickly became even more menacing and said:

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Killing you is enough!"

"Hurry up!"

"If you keep babbling on, I'll shoot you!!"

Zhao Yi squinted, his expression unusually calm.

"You can't kill me, I have a baby in my chest."

"If necessary, I will definitely use her as a shield."

"And after your first shot doesn't kill me, I'll tell you what will happen—I'll find cover immediately and then return fire."

"Now that the battle has begun, there's no turning back for any of us. It's a fight to the death. You don't have many bullets left. Once you run out... guess how many people in the hall will want to kill a thug like you?"

The burly man stared wide-eyed, his lips trembling slightly.

He gripped the gun tightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Many people were watching him.

This made the burly man believe Zhao Yi's words even more.

If he makes a move... he'll most likely be the one who dies in the end!

It wasn't just because others were afraid of him.

More importantly... he had plenty of food on him!

Seeing his hesitant look, Zhao Yi continued:

"It's better for both of us if you stop now."

"If everyone acts independently, the result of a bloody battle will be mutual destruction."

"Besides, if I find another way, it will also be a help to you."

He deliberately gave the burly man a way out.

The burly man gripping the shotgun had a cold, sinister look in his eyes.

"snort!"

"You'd better hope you can find another way!"

He slowly lowered the shotgun in his hand.

The atmosphere in the hall eased.

Everyone thought the incident had subsided, but no one expected that... In the next moment, Zhao Yi suddenly took advantage of the moment when the burly man's gun was off-center from his chest, and drew the gun from his waist and aimed it at the burly man!

The burly man felt a chill run down his spine and immediately tried to raise his hand, but Zhao Yi fired a shot that struck his palm!

boom!

Two fingers flew out, accompanied by a spray of blood.

The shotgun also fell to the ground!

Zhao Yi gestured to Xu Shengzhi to pick up the gun and hand it to him.

No one in the hall dared to move.

We have guns and food.

They lost their courage.

If you can live, who would want to risk their life?

I checked the bullets in the shotgun.

Sure enough, there were only three left.

After putting away the shotgun, Zhao Yi glanced at everyone in the hall and simply said:

"Revenge if you have a grudge, settle a score if you have a grievance."

"Even if you have no grudge against someone, you can still go up and kick them a couple of times."

"I only want the gun... the food is yours."

After saying that, Zhao Yi led the two of them back downstairs.

As they turned around, a piercing scream came from upstairs...

PS: First update. 3000+ words.

Write, write, write, write!!

Kill!

Keep striving for 8000.

By the way, it reached 7000 yesterday.