Fang Juexia knew that the rooms were connected. After they left the room, they could enter the next room at any time, and someone could break into their secret room at any time. But he just didn't expect that the first unknown player they met would be Xia Xiqing, the expert from the last season of Escape.
It wasn't that Xia Xiqing's intelligence ranking was definitely first, but his playstyle was special. It was very confusing, and he was best at psychological warfare. No matter what character card he used, he played it like a villain.
"Hello." Fang Juexia bowed respectfully. "I'm Fang Juexia." He thought of his younger brother who couldn't stand up to greet him, so he spoke on his behalf. "He's Pei Tingsong. His feet are cuffed, so he can't get up for the time being. We're all members of Kaleido, new players this season."
"Not bad." Xia Xiqing nodded with satisfaction. "All the players this season are handsome."
Since Fang Juexia spoke on his behalf, the rebellious Pei Tingsong had to raise his hand and greet Xia Xiqing at the door.
"Why are you so serious? I like serious people the most." Xia Xiqing laughed and pulled Fang Juexia into her arms. "I'm not a senior. I'm just a painter. Don't be so formal." Then she patted Fang Juexia's chest.
Fang Juexia rarely had such intimate contact with strangers. Even though he had seen Xia Xiqing on TV more than once, he was still not used to it.
He glanced at the name tag on Xia Xiqing's chest, which had the word "early" written on it. He couldn't help but hold the contract in his hand.
"And I already knew about you." Xia Xiqing looked into his eyes.
Fang Juexia was a little confused, so he expressed his doubts in a very direct way. "Why?"
"Why else?" Xia Xiqing was amused by him. "Because you're good-looking. I noticed it when you first appeared on the hot search list. Oh, and the magazine highlights of the two of you. You're so beautiful. Didn't anyone tell you that the birthmark at the corner of your eye was the finishing touch? I've always wanted to draw for you. Do you like watercolor or oil painting? How about I frame it for you? "
"Hmm …" Fang Juexia was about to respond, but he heard a very deliberate clearing of the throat not far away, which drew his attention away from this big shot.
"Brothers, don't just focus on chatting." Pei Tingsong had a kind smile on his face. He stared at Fang Juexia and pointed to his legs. "Brother, I'm still sleepy."
"Oh, right." Fang Juexia suddenly remembered that he still had a math problem to solve. "I still have a clue that I haven't solved." He walked quickly to the previous table, and Xia Xiqing followed him unhurriedly. "Don't worry. Even if you can walk, you'll still be sleepy." He glanced around the room and roughly looked at the furnishings, and of course, Fang Juexia and Pei Tingsong's outfits.
"It seems that Xiao Pei's player setting is a psychiatrist?" Xia Xiqing laughed. "A 19-year-old psychiatrist …"
"20 years old." Pei Tingsong immediately retorted. "Your internet connection is delayed. I've already celebrated my birthday."
"Really? When did you celebrate your birthday? "Xia Xiqing was curious.
Pei Tingsong raised his eyebrows. "About the same time as when you revealed your relationship."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Juexia glared at him. Pei Tingsong had to turn his pen to look away. However, as soon as Fang Juexia came closer, he complained to his older brother in a coquettish tone. "My legs are going numb."
Fang Juexia didn't even look at him. He silently lowered his head, unfolded the piece of paper again, and stared at the numbers on it.
[258,321456987,12369,12369874]
Xia Xiqing also walked over and leaned against Fang Juexia. Their arms were pressed together. He also lowered his head. "Do you need help?"
"This sequence should be a clue that can unlock the combination lock on Xiao Pei's ankle cuffs," Fang Juexia explained simply.
"Sequence." Xia Xiqing looked at the piece of paper and laughed. "Do you study math? You're so subconscious … A few numbers put together might not necessarily make a sequence. "
Upon hearing this, Fang Juexia was stunned.
"For this show, the scriptwriter must have done his homework. He will understand your professions, hobbies, and even experiences. Then he will set questions from your point of view and use your habitual thinking. "Xia Xiqing deliberately scared them." It's very scary. "
Yes, he had indeed fallen into his own habitual thinking.
Fang Juexia looked at the strings of numbers, simply looking at them one by one. In the end, he actually found a certain pattern — many of them were arranged in the order of 123,456 or 321.
Therefore, this was not a sequence, but a hinted order.
No wonder the scriptwriter used nine-grid paper, which was similar to Sudoku. Fang Juexia suddenly marveled at the scriptwriter's meticulousness. He probably looked up information and found out about his hobby of Sudoku. Using this kind of paper was both a hint and a way to confuse him.
"Give me the pen." Fang Juexia didn't even look at him. He directly reached out to Pei Tingsong opposite him. As soon as he finished speaking, a pen rolled over from the table. Fang Juexia picked up the pen and filled in the numbers on the nine-grid paper.
123
456
789
Seeing that he was about to start solving the problem, Xia Xiqing, as a veteran player, reminded him, "Little Serious, you'd better tell us all your thoughts. Otherwise, the audience may not be able to keep up with your thoughts when it's broadcast. The production team will have to do the post-production work, and they'll have to add subtitles for you. "
Hearing this, Fang Juexia looked up at him with a cute expression of sudden realization on his face. "Oh, right."
He didn't like to talk. He had forgotten this point.
Pei Tingsong's eyes moved back and forth between the faces of the two people opposite him. He was very unhappy. He had spent so much effort to coax Fang Juexia into forming an alliance with him. Not long after they started working together, someone came in and seduced him away with just a few words. What kind of logic was this?
Unfortunately, one of the people involved was now immersed in solving the problem and had no time to care about someone else's feelings.
Fang Juexia held the pen and explained while solving the problem, "The first hint on the paper is 258. In this nine-grid paper, start with 2 and connect the three numbers 258. Finally, draw a vertical line from top to bottom, which actually represents 1."
He filled in the second nine-grid paper. "The second hint is 321456987. Draw the trajectory according to the same order, and you get 5."
Using the same method, he quickly drew the remaining two numbers. "Same as above, you get 7 and 0."
Hearing the words "same as above", Pei Tingsong laughed out loud. Fang Juexia looked up and glanced at him.
Xia Xiqing stood next to them from a third-party perspective. She glanced at Pei Tingsong and then looked at Fang Juexia with an ambiguous smile.
"This is the answer." Xia Xiqing glanced at the piece of paper. "1570, right?"
"Probably." Fang Juexia was a person who used precise words. Before the password lock was unlocked, he wouldn't say with certainty, "I'll try."
"Let him bend over and try. Won't it be uncomfortable for such a tall person to crawl under?" But before Xia Xiqing finished speaking, Fang Juexia had already crawled under.
How straightforward.
He glanced at the table and saw the appointment form that Fang Juexia had placed on the table. It seemed to be a new clue. He thought to himself that this was indeed a new player. He didn't know how dirty this game was. He threw away clues without any hesitation.
Xia Xiqing looked at the form and asked casually, "This appointment form … where did you find it?" He was just testing because he didn't think anyone would answer him so casually.
Unexpectedly, Fang Juexia didn't forget to answer his senior's question even though he had already crawled under the table. He answered honestly, "From a book on the bookshelf."
"Bookshelf?" Xia Xiqing raised his head and glanced at the magnificent collection of books on the bookcase. "Tsk tsk, this perverted program crew … You guys didn't really flip through the books one by one, right?"
Pei Tingsong knocked on the table with his knuckles, causing Xia Xiqing to turn her head to look at him.
Pei Tingsong pointed at the sound system on the ceiling.
The hypnotic voice was still playing. It had already been played twice. It was probably going to be played on an infinite loop.
When Xia Xiqing came in, she wanted to ask, but she forgot about it because she was too busy talking. He stood still and listened quietly. He felt that something was wrong. "Is this a word riddle?"
"That's right." Pei Tingsong pushed his notebook in front of Xia Xiqing. There was a complete paragraph on the notebook, neatly arranged. It looked like Pei Tingsong had written it so neatly on purpose.
"The handwriting is quite nice."
[Now, I will hypnotize you:
Now, please try to relax all your muscles
First, empty your mind into nothingness.
Stretch your mind to the deepest place you can reach
Return your emotions to the outside world that created them
Imagine that depression and resentment will not disturb you
Feel the glorious palace built by your consciousness
Step on the stairs to the deepest place
The tranquility there is the soul's home
Look at the blue sea, it is in this pure land
Don't be afraid that the cold wind will never reach
Stretch yourself under the warm sun
Slowly open the door of your subconscious
Wait for the memory and the true self to be unlocked
"I can't believe you actually remembered this narration. Your hand speed is really fast. A word riddle like this usually has a hidden beginning or end … "Xia Xiqing tried to follow this pattern, but she found that it didn't work." Not a hidden beginning or end? Do you want to look for it one by one? "
Pei Tingsong didn't have time to care about Xia Xiqing's question, because he found that Fang Juexia had been quiet for a long time after he got under the table.
What's wrong with this guy?
He bent down and looked down, only to see Fang Juexia sitting cross-legged on the floor, bent over and staring at the paper on his lap, as if he was lost in thought.
Pei Tingsong felt strange, so he reached out and rubbed his hair. "Hey, what are you doing? You've found the answer, hurry up and key it in. You don't want to let me out, do you? "
Fang Juexia raised his head and frowned. "That's not right."
"What's not right?" Pei Tingsong didn't understand. "The answer is not right?"
Hearing their conversation, Xia Xiqing also squatted down. "It shouldn't be. This kind of number pictogram question is obviously done this way. There shouldn't be a problem with your answer. Did you key it in wrongly? Do you want to try again?"
She made sense, but it was indeed wrong.
Fang Juexia keyed in the four numbers 1570 in front of them, but the lock didn't open at all. No matter how he shook it, it still didn't move.
"That's really not right." Xia Xiqing found it a little unbelievable.
Fang Juexia pondered why. This riddle was already very obvious, but the answer was wrong.
"Your room is much more difficult than mine. At least I had personal freedom when I was initialized. Looks like I didn't get the hell instance this time. " Xia Xiqing stood up and waved the book with the hypnotic sentence in her hand. "Xiao Pei, you haven't finished yet. I just looked through it. It's the third word. Why?"
Pretty good. Pei Tingsong briefly explained the situation to him. "Many of the clues in this room are marked with Greek letters. The first clue suggests the tool to untie Juexia Ge's rope. There's a wooden sign with the word 'A' on it. The second clue suggests the location of the handcuff key. It's' β '. "
"Okay." Xia Xiqing nodded.
"Before the hypnotic voice appeared, there was a Greek letter 'γ' on the screen above the door. You should know that in the Greek alphabet, γ is the third letter. It's actually hinting that this so-called acrostic poem doesn't hide the head, but the third word. "
Fang Juexia, who was under the table, heard Pei Tingsong's explanation and suddenly realized something. He picked up the triangular cone that had been placed on the ground and turned it upside down to stare at the Greek letter 'Δ'.
"I see. So the third word from top to bottom is … please open the blue book on the first shelf of the bookcase." Xia Xiqing couldn't help but admire these two new idols. They were indeed the new guests that Jiang Yin had spent so much time looking for.
They were indeed not to be trifled with.
He looked at the lettered objects in the room. "I don't have these markings in my room. Greek letters … They must know that one of you studies philosophy and the other mathematics, so you're naturally sensitive to the Greek letters. That's why they used this symbol. Otherwise, wouldn't English and Arabic numerals work better?"
That's right. Since the scriptwriter used the Greek letters, he must have investigated their identities and knew that they naturally contained some information.
The information of Δ …
A white light flashed in Fang Juexia's mind.
That's right!
It really wasn't 1570. This was just the initial result that had not been processed.
After quickly calculating in his mind, Fang Juexia once again leaned over to Pei Tingsong's left leg and tried to enter a new answer.
5,9,1,4
"Click."
The lock was unlocked.
And the right leg cuff. He turned the pulley with the engraved numbers.
3,1,3,4
That's right!
It was finally cracked. Fang Juexia happily tugged on Pei Tingsong's trouser leg and stuck his head out like a child waiting for praise. "It's unlocked."
Pei Tingsong, who had been talking to Xia Xiqing, looked down at him when his trouser leg was tugged on. Fang Juexia squatted on the ground, pointed at the unlocked leg cuff, and said again, "I've unlocked it."
Pei Tingsong looked surprised. He had just said that the answer was wrong, but he had unlocked it again so quickly. He sat back in his chair and reached out his hand to Fang Juexia. "Come out first."
"That's fast." Xia Xiqing was also curious. "What's the answer?"
Fang Juexia held Pei Tingsong's hand and crawled out from under the table. He let out a sigh of relief. "What you said just now reminded me of something."
"What we said?" Xia Xiqing looked at Pei Tingsong. "What did we say just now?"
"The meaning of the letters. This question is actually incomplete. Other than the hint given by this piece of paper, there is actually a hidden condition, which is the Greek letter Δ. " As he spoke, he looked at Xia Xiqing. "Brother Xiqing, what do you think Δ represents to a mathematician?"
Xia Xiqing was a little confused at first. She rolled her eyes, then suddenly smiled and said, "Increment."
"That's right." Fang Juexia knew that he would be able to understand it immediately. "Δ represents increment. So the four numbers that we solved were not the real answer, but the original answer, which did not include increment. "
Xia Xiqing asked again, "But we only know that there is an increment, but it didn't say how much the increment is."
"Actually, it did." Fang Juexia looked at Pei Tingsong. "Xiao Pei just said that these Greek letters have serial numbers. Δ is the fourth, so the increment is 4."
Pei Tingsong stood up and stretched his body. "So 1570 is the original number. Add an increment of 4 on this basis. Hey, wait a minute, subtract 4 is also possible."
"You're right." Fang Juexia's eyes lit up as he explained the solution to the question. "I always thought it was strange. There are clearly two leg cuffs here, but only one clue was given. This is illogical. If the password for both leg cuffs is the same, it would be too wasteful. The production team that escaped with their lives would not do such a superfluous thing. "
"Later, I understood that the increment can be added or subtracted. So on one side is 1570. Add 4 to each of the four numbers. Without rounding, take the digits and get 5914. On the other side is the original four numbers, subtract 4 from each of them. Of course, take the absolute value and get 3134. These are the two passwords on the leg cuffs. "
Pei Tingsong liked to see Fang Juexia's expression after he solved the question successfully. It was just like when someone praised him for his outstanding performance on stage. He would smile happily, brightly and sincerely. It was completely different from his usual cold appearance. His outer shell would melt, revealing his clean and confident inner self.
Every time this happened, Pei Tingsong would want to praise him and let him know that he was shining.
Unfortunately, this time, he was beaten to it.
"You're really amazing. You're even better than I imagined." Xia Xiqing walked around the table to Fang Juexia's side. She deliberately lowered her voice and said, "Do you want to team up with me? Brother will lead you. We'll definitely win in the end. "
Team up?
Before Fang Juexia could say anything, Pei Tingsong, who was stretching his body, pulled Fang Juexia to his side and put his arm around Fang Juexia's shoulder. He smiled at Xia Xiqing. "I'm sorry, but this guy has already allied with me."
"An alliance?" Xia Xiqing laughed out loud. She threw the notebook in her hand on the table. "Little brother, an alliance is more fragile than a piece of paper." Then, she looked at Fang Juexia with an expression that said, "Kick him and follow me."
Kick?
What kind of word was that?
Although Pei Tingsong was angry, he still had a little confidence in the friendship he had just established with Fang Juexia. He tightened his arms around his shoulders. "Give up, Juexia …"
"What are your conditions?" Fang Juexia suddenly spoke, directly interrupting and ignoring Pei Tingsong.
Conditions???
Pei Tingsong reached out and pinched Fang Juexia's face, forcing him to turn to face him. Unexpectedly, Fang Juexia not only did not give him a reasonable explanation, but also frowned and pushed him away. He even adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and then turned to face Xia Xiqing.
"You're right. There must be conditions if we want to talk about cooperation." Xia Xiqing leaned on the table, seeming to be in a very difficult situation. "Well …"
"No way, Fang Juexia. You're not really going to believe him, are you? " Pei Tingsong could not believe that he was seriously considering it. "Don't you know how much fun he had before?"
Xia Xiqing slammed the table with one hand. "Okay, the condition is that I lay my cards on the table." He looked at Fang Juexia with an extremely sincere expression. "I'm a double-faced knight."
Fang Juexia looked straight into his eyes. Or rather, their eyes met.
Nervousness stimulated the secretion of adrenaline. Coincidentally, it was the same when one was excited.
He knew very well that Xia Xiqing was trying to trick him into revealing his identity.
In order not to be fooled, from the moment Xia Xiqing entered the room, Fang Juexia had been deliberately pretending to be weak. For example, he had been waiting for Xia Xiqing to tell him the rules of the number puzzle, and he had carelessly thrown the booking slip on the table. These were all to create the naive image of a new player for Xia Xiqing.
After watching many episodes of the show, Fang Juexia understood the gaming style and intelligence of the person in front of him. If he generously expressed his trust and formed an alliance with Xia Xiqing now, it would be seen as a sign of guilt in the other party's eyes. But because of the unexpected number puzzle, Xia Xiqing already knew his strength. At this time, it would be too fake to pretend to be a new player who only knew how to follow the trend.
If he asked questions now, it would be too obvious that he was doubting Xia Xiqing. It was very likely that Xia Xiqing would suspect that he was a player with an identity. Otherwise, he would not have so much confidence. It was very difficult to control the degree in between. It was a dilemma.
"What do you think?" Seeing that he did not reply immediately, Xia Xiqing threw out another condition, persuading him patiently with a smile, "How about this, you team up with me, and I will tell you which side I am on."
Fang Juexia's expression did not change, "To be honest, I don't quite believe what you said."
"Even the self-destructing player self-destructed. You don't believe it?" Xia Xiqing raised her eyebrows.
Fang Juexia nodded, "I only believe in logic. You can try to convince me."
Xia Xiqing smiled and shook her head, "You are really too cute, really. Of course, I can also convince you. After all, I am a Knight. I can tell you whatever you want to know. "
Just as Fang Juexia was secretly relieved, at least he was moving in the right direction. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard another voice.
"What a coincidence," Pei Tingsong stretched, "I'm also a Knight. How embarrassing."
Fang Juexia turned his head to look at him, trying to maintain a puzzled expression that an ordinary player should have.
As a Knight, he should be the most embarrassed one.
But he was too embarrassed to be embarrassed.
"Really?" Xia Xiqing stood up straight with a smile, looking at Pei Tingsong, pursing her lips, with obvious doubt on her face, "Wearing a Knight suit behind me, you seem to be less trustworthy."
Fang Juexia did not know why Pei Tingsong stood up. He did not expect this guy to reveal his identity as a Knight. Although Pei Tingsong's style of doing things was very aggressive and always caught people off guard, he was smart enough and logical enough. His ability to confuse others was no less than Xia Xiqing's.
This was also a tactic.
Could it be that he was trying to trick him and Xia Xiqing into revealing their identities?
In any case, Fang Juexia had chosen to ambush at this moment. So from an ordinary player's point of view, he should be confused and curious.
"Which side did you choose?" Fang Juexia looked at Pei Tingsong.
Unexpectedly, Pei Tingsong tilted his head and smiled, "It doesn't matter which side I choose. As long as our alliance is not broken, I am your Knight."