Monster - Chapter 120
Chapter 120: One Chip Equals One Wish
"You Act, I Guess" was a fairly simple and well-known game. The rules and format involved two people standing some distance apart. One person would look at the content on a prompt board held by the other and use gestures or verbal descriptions to convey it. The person holding the board would then guess the content based on these actions or descriptions. However, when using verbal descriptions, one could not use any of the words or characters from the prompt, or it would be considered a violation.
Seeing the game's name pop up on the machine's screen, the rules of "You Act, I Guess" naturally surfaced in Lin Sandie's mind.
After displaying the game's name, the machine's screen began to show the rules. They were mostly the same as the ones Lin Sandie knew, but the format was different. Instead of one person holding a prompt board, one person would look at the content displayed on the game machine's screen while the other stood in a place where they couldn't see it.
At the same time, the rules of the game were also slightly different.
This version of "You Act, I Guess" that they had rolled had a total of 26 questions, each with a time limit of one minute. Furthermore, for every question they passed, one letter of the Leviathan alphabet would be forbidden from use in the words used to describe the next topic.
Achieving a 100% success rate would grant the opportunity for two wishes.
A success rate below 100% but above 90% would grant the opportunity for one wish.
A success rate below 90% meant the game was failed, and they would have to pay two chips at once.
After all the rules were displayed, a countdown appeared on the game machine's screen.
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...
"The game starts in ten minutes. Should I act, or you?"
"Me." Although Lou's injuries had eased slightly, the acting part of this game was more tiring. Lin Sandie couldn't possibly let the current Lou do it.
"The acting part seems really hard."
Lou stared at the list of game rules. Due to her severe injuries, her expression was a bit listless. Lin Sandie was silent, mentally predicting the situations they might encounter once the game began.
In Leviathan, the most widely used and common language was the Leviathan language, which was composed of 26 letters. These 26 letters formed various nouns, verbs, objects, predicates, and so on, constructing the sentences everyone in Leviathan used for daily communication and work.
Lin Sandie also used the Leviathan language most often in her daily life. Now, the rule was that for each question passed, one letter would be forbidden. This meant that during the game, as the one acting, the words Lin Sandie could use would become fewer and fewer as the letters were progressively banned. By the final question, the only letter she would be able to use was the vowel A.
If she used words or sentences formed with already forbidden letters, it would be ruled a violation.
Although "You Act, I Guess" could be expressed through actions, it still relied heavily on language for support. With fewer and fewer words available, the questions would become increasingly difficult. Out of 26 questions, they had to answer at least 24 correctly. Otherwise, both Lin Sandie and Lou would die.
This was why people didn't dare to play games with the Universal Game Machine lightly. Its rewards were generous, but the harsh conditions were equally daunting.
Lin Sandie stared intently at the game machine's screen. She crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips slightly—a sign that she was thinking calmly.
Lou noticed that her white shirt was already dirty and wrinkled, stained with a lot of Lou's own blood. There was also a streak of blood running down from her cervical spine. Despite this, Lin Sandie still wore the shirt impeccably. Her long hair was tied in a ponytail, and she stood perfectly straight. Although their faces were the same, her demeanor was completely different from the always-not-so-serious, devil-may-care Lou.
Watching this Lin Sandie, Lou's heart beat a little faster. She had been leaning against Lin Sandie but now awkwardly stood up straight and moved away from her.
"You just sit and guess the answers." Lin Sandie helped her, letting her lean against the game machine to sit down.
Lou's face was slightly flushed. She mumbled a random "mhm."
"What's wrong?" Sensing her unusual behavior, Lin Sandie's voice immediately became a little tense.
"It hurts a little," Lou lied, not daring to even look at Lin Sandie. She didn't know what was wrong with her, why she suddenly felt an undeniable charm in Lin Sandie's every move.
"Take some more painkillers." Lin Sandie immediately took out painkillers to give her, but Lou didn't let her feed them to her, grabbing the pills and swallowing them herself.
"Thanks."
Lin Sandie raised an eyebrow. It seemed to be the first time she had ever heard Lou say the word "thanks" to her.
"I'll be fine, don't you worry either," Lin Sandie said, gripping Lou's shoulders and comforting her earnestly. "I just thought through the game's rules. I'm very good at word puzzles. The game you rolled is perfect for me."
"...I'll be fine too." Lou took a shallow breath, forcing herself to calm down as well.
Lin Sandie stood before the game machine again, her gaze solemn as she watched the time count down.
...
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Question 1: Field
The initial questions weren't difficult. Since no letters were banned yet, using any phrase wouldn't be a violation. Lin Sandie described it to Lou as she normally would.
"It's common in the countryside, a large piece of land where grains are grown. The growers sometimes put up a scarecrow to frighten away birds that steal the food," Lin Sandie described the first prompt precisely.
"Field." Lou reacted nimbly, giving the correct answer.
"Question 1 Correct!" The game machine provided the correct feedback. Lin Sandie gave the seated Lou a thumbs-up, thinking to herself that from now on, the words she said could not contain the letter Z.
"Question 2: Ballet"
Seeing this prompt, Lin Sandie smiled slightly. Without speaking, she stepped away from the game machine.
Then, she rose onto her tiptoes for Lou, who was looking up at her strangely, spun in a circle, and then performed a graceful ballet bow towards her.
At that moment, the sun was hidden by clouds, and the wind on the wasteland carried a wave of heat. In this desolate place, a woman with slightly messy hair, wearing a blood-stained white shirt, was performing ballet moves for another severely injured woman. The two of them looked like two small animals, hiding from the world and depending on each other, playing a joyful game that belonged only to them. No one could interfere, and no one could join in.
"Ballet." Lou smiled too, briefly forgetting that this was a dangerous game where losing meant paying with their lives.
Lin Sandie gave Lou another thumbs-up, then returned to the front of the game machine screen.
The questions passed one by one, and the words Lin Sandie could use for descriptions grew fewer and fewer. The time spent on each question also grew longer and longer, because towards the end, she had to weigh every word and every sentence she used to describe, lest she be penalized for using a forbidden letter. Once they violated the rules, they would also have to pay with their lives.
After nearly exceeding the time limit, they finally answered the first 25 questions correctly and arrived at the 26th. Lin Sandie's face was frighteningly pale from the immense mental exertion, and Lou's forehead was covered in cold sweat from the tension.
"Question 26: Star Concerto."
By this question, the only sound Lin Sandie could make was the letter A.
Seeing the prompt, Lin Sandie didn't even have to think. She opened her mouth and, varying the pitch of the letter A, hummed the melody of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!" Hearing the familiar tune that every child knew, Lou's eyes lit up. Of course she knew that children's song; it was the first song Little Rabbit had taught her.
Lin Sandie immediately shook her head and waved her hands to indicate that was wrong. Then she raised her hands and mimed playing the piano, her fingers pressing down on the empty air.
Lou thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up again.
"Star Concerto!"
"Question 26 Correct!" The game machine screen gave its usual cold, affirmative reply. Then, the screen in front of Lin Sandie flashed, and she saw a short list displaying the names of people who had played the Universal Game Machine before. Lin Sandie and Lou's names scrolled upward, finally stopping in second place. In first place was Zhao Jie, and in third was Jian Yi. Other familiar names appeared on the list as well, like Zhang Jun and Saya McConaughey.
One chip equals one wish.
After displaying the rankings, this sentence appeared on the game machine's screen again. Lin Sandie's spirits lifted, and a trace of color finally returned to her pale face. She gave Lou, who had also relaxed, a rather cheerful smile.
Lou stared blankly at Lin Sandie, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turning up into a genuine smile.
"Does this mean we can make two wishes?" Lou asked.
"Yes, but there are also records of people whose wishes were rejected by the game machine for being too outrageous, thereby voiding the wish." After relaxing for a moment, Lin Sandie's expression turned serious again.
"One to make my leg grow back, and one to remove that thing on your back." Lou imagined what Lin Sandie would be like without the Scorpion. She'd probably be cuter, and also get angry more easily.
"I know." Below the "One chip equals one wish" message, Lin Sandie typed: Restore Lou's physical condition to how it was before she entered the Disorder Land.
After Lin Sandie entered this wish, a thin layer of light enveloped Lou. The wound where her leg had been severed healed at a visible speed, and a new leg grew in its place.
It wasn't just her severed leg; the other wounds on her body also began to heal, restoring her to the undamaged state she was in before entering the Disorder Land.
"...It's itchy and painful," Lou complained, enduring the sensation that made her want to roll on the ground.
Confirming that her wish could make Lou's blown-off leg grow back, the heavy weight in Lin Sandie's heart finally lifted.
There was still one wish left.
Before today's events, Lin Sandie had already been planning to gather information on the Universal Game Machine and then use a wish from a game to remove the 'Scorpion' on her back. But the events from last night to this morning had changed her mind.
Tree controlled others by manipulating the Trojan Horse inside their bodies, whether they were living or dead. As soon as their spirit slackened, he would take advantage of the opening. Miu had been severely injured by the large number of zombie corpses he controlled. Wei and Mike, whom they had encountered at dawn, were in the same situation, as was the still-living Saya.
In the Disorder Land, as long as there were people, Tree could monitor Lou through the Trojan Horse and launch human wave attacks that were impossible to defend against. Although Lou was strong, her power was limited under these circumstances.
Knowing this, Lin Sandie's priority was no longer the Scorpion on her back, which wouldn't take her life for the time being.
"After today, Tree will no longer be able to see us using the Trojan Horse."
Having thought everything through, Lin Sandie typed in her second wish without hesitation.
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