บท 2: The Critical Red Hairpin
Seeing Zhou Bai's actions, some parents watching the live stream hurriedly covered their children's eyes to prevent them from seeing anything inappropriate. However, their concern was unnecessary, as the live stream had already thoughtfully applied a mosaic filter. Yet, the red hairpin on the wife's head remained clearly visible in the broadcast.
Everyone held their breath, closely watching Zhou Bai's next move. Zhou Bai tried hard not to look at the beautiful scene in front of him and instead focused on the red hairpin. If the wife was untrustworthy, he couldn't fulfill her request, which would conflict with the second rule. The system only indicated that the third rule contained an error but did not say the entire rule was wrong. Zhou Bai's observations of the photos in the room led him to a hypothesis: the real error was in the latter part of the third rule. The wife wearing the red hairpin was the one who couldn't be trusted.
"Honey, what are you doing? Hurry and give me the nightgown," the wife said with a seductive smile, extending her hand towards Zhou Bai.
In the Great Xia live stream, viewers were frantically posting comments, almost covering the entire screen with their messages. Zhou Bai ignored his wife's request and instead reached for her head, quickly removing the red hairpin. In that instant, the audience, including the experts, were all stunned. Could it be handled this way?
The wife's previously eerie expression turned normal after the hairpin was removed. Zhou Bai knew he had made the right gamble.
"Honey, you... this..." The wife looked confused and then blushed.
Zhou Bai handed her the nightgown. "Honey, you just asked me to bring your nightgown in. Did you forget?"
The wife seemed bewildered and then embarrassed. After handing over the clothes, Zhou Bai walked out of the bathroom, breathing a sigh of relief. The first crisis was averted.
Seeing this, the experts in Great Xia were ecstatic.
"I understand now, the third rule is wrong."
"He's so smart. Zhou Bai is incredibly smart."
"We could only infer a contradiction between the second and third rules. He directly identified the third rule as wrong."
Meanwhile, spies from other countries in Great Xia's live stream went back to report the situation to their respective analysis teams. After hearing the reports, most countries decided to use their first hint opportunity. In the live streams of other countries, viewers saw the Chosen Ones using various methods to remove the red hairpins from their wives. However, this did not include the Chosen Ones from the Ah San Country and the Kimchi Country.
The scene returned to the Great Xia live stream. Zhou Bai was now separated from his wife and temporarily staying in the study. To get back to the study, he had to pass through the living room. In the living room, two elderly people with white hair sat with their backs to him, watching a comedy show on TV. Despite the cheerful program, the atmosphere in the living room was unusually oppressive.
From the earlier incident, Zhou Bai could confirm that his wife was not the "it." Therefore, "it" must be one of the two elderly people. Zhou Bai stepped into the living room, and the TV emitted a burst of audience laughter, which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet room. He got goosebumps and hurried his pace.
At that moment, both elderly voices spoke simultaneously.
Mother: "You spend all day in the study. Sit down and watch TV with me."
Father: "Come over and have some fruit with your parents."
Zhou Bai stopped and glanced at their faces. His mother's face had a palm-sized red birthmark that stood out under the warm yellow light, while his father's face was dry and cracked, with a sickly pale complexion. Both seemed eerie. Zhou Bai dared not agree to either of their requests.
"I have some work to finish. I'll head back to the study," he said, then continued toward the study. Once inside, he quickly closed the door. Throughout the process, he felt a pair of ghostly eyes following his every move.
The viewers in Great Xia's live stream were on edge.
—"So scary, who is the real family member?"
—"It feels like the horror world is full of traps."
—"What would happen if he agreed to their requests?"
The viewers' questions were answered by the neighboring Monkey Country. Their Chosen One, Ruan Kai, took a piece of fruit from the plate and sat on the sofa after hearing his parents' requests.
"This fruit isn't as good as the bananas from Monkey Country," he said while chewing. But halfway through his sentence, his eyes widened, and he could no longer speak.
—"Ruan Kai, you greedy fool. Don't we have fruit in our country? Why did you eat that piece?"
—"Because of that fruit, our country will face a disaster."
—"It's over. If I rush to Great Xia overnight, can I still make it?"
The viewers in Great Xia were filled with dread after witnessing Monkey Country's fate. Zhou Bai, back in the study, began inspecting his surroundings. The study had a desk, a large bookshelf behind it, and a folding bed in the empty space, indicating it was his temporary sleeping place. He opened every drawer in the room, and when he opened the bottom drawer of the bookshelf, he found a set of baby clothes.
The fifth rule stated that he and his wife had no children. So what was the deal with these baby clothes? It was possible that the fifth rule was wrong. Alternatively, Zhou Bai and his wife might have had an unborn child. This matter couldn't be concluded yet and needed verification. He put the baby clothes back in the drawer and closed it. At that moment, a piece of paper fell out.
[Rule B]
It was a new set of rules. Zhou Bai quickly read through it.
[1. Do not agree to any requests from "it."]
[2. From 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, your wife is at work. Ensure that what you see is, and only is, your wife.]
[3. The kitchen belongs to your mother. You are not allowed to enter.]
[4. The market does not sell pork.]
[5. Your father likes sweets. If he acts coy, give him a candy.]
[6. You live on the 13th floor. If you see a figure standing outside the window, just turn off the lights immediately.]
[7. If someone wearing a green hat delivers a package, curse at him and tell him to leave.]
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