Chapter Fifty-Nine: Even My Grandmother Runs Faster Than You

At this moment, Bai Qingming’s mind was filled with question marks. Was this some kind of joke? The game had only just begun, and without finding a single clue, of the six players only he remained. The murderer was already at the door—how was he supposed to play now? Bai Qingming even had the urge to simply jump into the pit before him and admit defeat. But then he thought of how far he’d come; to just give up now would be a waste of the money he’d spent, and he immediately dismissed the notion.

So, he quietly pondered how to clear the level.

...

In the surveillance room.

When Captain Liu saw that everyone except Bai Qingming had been sent out in such a baffling manner, he felt a surge of hope. He remembered how Bai Qingming had sent two of the fugitive’s accomplices to the hospital during their last encounter. Now, with no one else to drag him down, even if the fugitive was armed, there was no way he could best Bai Qingming one-on-one.

In short, this round was as good as won. There was no longer any need to worry about the situation. In fact, this was the best possible outcome.

...

Meanwhile.

Dai Xiaomei, Aunt Zhou, Wang Dada, and the others slid down the chute and found themselves outside the scene where the murderer was knocking on the door. When they saw several staff members and a contingent of heavily armed soldiers, they were stunned.

“Don’t be afraid—you’re safe now,” someone stepped forward to reassure them, before briefly explaining that there was a fugitive still inside.

Upon hearing this, Dai Xiaomei and Aunt Zhou froze. “He’s still inside!” they blurted out in unison.

“Don’t worry, you have to trust him. He can handle the fugitive alone,” Captain Liu stepped forward to comfort them. To be fair, it wasn’t that he was unwilling to go in and help. The layout was simply too complex; if anything went wrong and the fugitive was provoked, things could easily backfire.

“No, I have to go in and find him!” Dai Xiaomei made to charge inside, but the police at the entrance quickly stopped her.

At this moment, Aunt Zhou, who was live-streaming, saw her streaming room’s chat explode.

“Damn, this escape room is on another level—they even got a real murderer!”

“This fugitive must be nuts—he can’t wait to get caught!”

“Wow, I’ve always heard that the Single Father is a legend, dodging bullets and all, and now I finally get to see a live broadcast of him in action.”

“Anyone want some bootleg liquor? It won’t kill you, just upset your stomach. Any takers?”

...

The viewers were chatting away, not the least bit worried about Bai Qingming; in fact, their anticipation was mounting. It wasn’t that they were heartless—everyone knew Bai Qingming’s capabilities. After all, he was known for dodging bullets; there was no need to state how formidable he was.

“You’re live-streaming?” Captain Liu noticed Aunt Zhou’s phone. When she nodded, his heart sank. It was too late to stop her now. There were nearly ten million viewers watching; didn’t that mean news of the fugitive’s escape was out, broadcast live for all to see? They were done for.

Just then, the male assistant who had been silent since coming out suddenly smiled. His furrowed brow smoothed as if he’d had a revelation.

“Haha, I get it!” he blurted out, startling everyone around him.

“What do you get?” Wang Dada, puzzled by his assistant’s sudden outburst, couldn’t help but ask.

“Listen to me—don’t be fooled by what you see. The escape room scenario isn’t over. We’re still in the game. If I’m right, these policemen are all NPCs hired by the owner. The whole ‘fugitive inside’ and the capture operation is fake—a part of the storyline. This escape room owner is a genius, setting up such an immersive plot. The way the story is woven in—brilliant, truly brilliant. Honestly, I almost believed it myself!”

The assistant was utterly exhilarated, as if he’d uncovered a great secret.

What a character—to get so thoroughly absorbed in an escape room.

Even the owner was unsure whether to step in and explain.

Yet, after his speech, everyone else was at a loss, including the viewers in Aunt Zhou’s streaming room, who were thrown into confusion.

“Holy crap, maybe he’s right.”

“I was wondering how everything could be so coincidental. Makes sense now. To be honest, I’d already figured it out, just hadn’t said anything.”

“Do you believe me if I say I figured it out before you did?”

“I have to say, this is the most interesting escape room I’ve ever seen. Any girls want to team up and try it? I’m a girl. Guys must be over 180 cm, under 145 pounds, good-looking, and with strong waists. I’ll cover dinner; you don’t have to go home tonight. DM me if interested.”

“What’s with the strong waist requirement? What’s that got to do with escape rooms?”

“Just to clarify, does ‘good-looking’ count as one requirement or two?”

“Good-looking... Oh my!”

“I’m so dumb, really. I thought cars only ran in cities, not in villages. Set out early this morning, and suddenly my face was burning. Touched it—turns out I’d been run over twice...”

“Excuse me, can someone without an education learn to drive?”

No matter the topic, these goofy viewers could always veer off in unexpected directions.

Luckily, everyone seemed to believe the assistant, thinking they were still inside a game scenario. As long as things were handled well from here, this incident wouldn’t spread or escalate further.

Captain Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully relax, a police officer beckoned him over and pointed at the surveillance screen. Captain Liu hurried over, and when he saw what was on the monitor, he couldn’t help but laugh wryly.

...

Inside the game scenario.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Bai Qingming; his extraordinary intuition kicked in. He realized: if he couldn’t find a way to clear the level, why not simply avoid being caught by the murderer?

Having observed his surroundings earlier, Bai Qingming was already very familiar with the layout. He reasoned that the staff member playing the murderer must know the routes well. But so did he! If both were familiar with the map, catching him would be impossible.

In a moment, Bai Qingming felt utterly calm and his strategy crystallized. He quickly moved to the door, switched off the lights, and crouched in the shadows just beside the entrance.

Soon, the door opened. The person outside never expected Bai Qingming to be waiting just inside, and stepped straight into the room. Seizing the opportunity, Bai Qingming sprang up, dashed out the door, and plunged into the maze, putting a wide distance between himself and his pursuer.

Next, Bai Qingming couldn’t help but laugh.

On the other side, Captain Liu and his team watched as Bai Qingming beckoned to the fugitive on the monitors, lips moving in silent challenge.

“Come on, catch me if you can!” Bai Qingming taunted.

The fugitive stared, stunned for a good ten seconds. Hatred flashed in his eyes, and once he recovered, he swung his hammer and gave chase.

In the dim light, Bai Qingming couldn’t see the man’s face clearly. The pursuer ran, and he fled. Watching his path, careful not to run into a dead end, Bai Qingming was confident that, with his stamina and speed, the staff member would never catch him.

There was no rule against this, so he could play as long as he liked.

Thus, Bai Qingming pioneered a new style of gameplay. As he ran, he hurled taunts over his shoulder, and whenever his pursuer paused for breath, Bai Qingming would also stop and jump in place.

At that moment, his voice echoed throughout the entire scene.

“Oh? Is that all you’ve got?”

“Too slow, way too slow. Hey, buddy, why’d you stop chasing?”

“I’m not bragging, but my grandma runs faster than you!”