Chapter 45: master of the circus city
When he was about to leave the divination house, Su Qingxing did not have the gorgeous and heavy dark purple coat, nor those crystal pendants, and even the long pendant on his left ear disappeared.
After placing the sleeping Little Snow Wolf on the couch next to her, Su Qingxing walked out of the fortune-telling room wearing only neat black clothes and black pants.
However, it is strange that Su Qingxing is still holding a long black umbrella in his hand, which looks like a black sword when folded.
This seems to be the first time Su Qingxing has left the fortune-telling house since he came to this world. Perhaps he is used to the serene illusion of the night in the fortune-telling house, so the moment he touched the sun, Su Qingxing subconsciously Covering his eyes with his hands, Su Qingxing slowly opened his eyes after getting used to it for a few seconds.
My eyes felt the sunlight outside, and I saw all kinds of interesting circus booths around.
Both ears heard the noise and laughter that belonged to the circus city, even if these sounds came from some script characters, but Su Qingxing still felt like he was traveling through time and space, from a late night Another dimension, returned to the human world.
He then wiped off the purple lip gloss on his lips with the back of his hand. He really didn't understand why cinnabar felt that this color was more suitable for him.
After taking a few steps forward, Su Qingxing realized that he was in a very lively circus city, surrounded by all kinds of clowns laughing at tourists, and many tourists having fun. But for some reason, Su Qingxing still felt something called "loneliness".
Perhaps it was because Su Qingxing knew clearly that there was no real life in this world except him, the five teachers, and the five testers who had just arrived!
Although there are some emotions, Su Qingxing has not forgotten one of the reasons why he came out of the fortune-telling house, which is to see the escape master who seems to be very interesting. A tester who desperately tries to survive at the last minute.
But Su Qingxing, who left the fortune-telling house, found a very serious problem, that is...he didn't remember the route to escape the master's tent at all!
"..." Under the circumstance of knowing how crazy he is, he forgot to ask the clown and the others for a map of the circus city, which is really a misstep!
There is no map, and there is no contact information for the five circus teachers, so Su Qingxing can only use some pictures he sees in the crystal ball to **** for the direction of the rehearsal room.
Although I really wanted to ask the surrounding tourists and staff for directions, it was a pity that Su Qingxing knew that their script only included working and playing in the circus city, and no matter who spoke to them, they would not get any response.
Compared to the survivors who act according to the script in the mirror world, the script for the tourists and staff of the Circus City seems to be a little too simple.
Of course, for cinnabar, this may be a way of saving resources and costs.
Of course, even if he doesn't recognize the way, Su Qingxing has his own way to find the route. The pictures he saw in the crystal ball, step by step, used the method of "scenario reproduction" to restore the journey that the testers had traveled under the leadership of the clown.
After a few circles, in front of the long umbrella that Su Qingxing held up, there were finally five large tents that looked ordinary, which were the instructions of the five circus teachers A "rehearsal room" for five testers.
But...
Which tent is the escape master and Zhang Ai in?
There are five tents in total. Su Qingxing knew that Zhang Ai was in the second tent, but he didn't know whether it was the second one from the left or the second one from the right?
Su Qingxing did not hesitate, took a step forward, came to the door of the second tent from the right, and quietly opened the tent curtain with a long umbrella.
"Huh?" As soon as Su Qingxing glanced into the tent, he found that the timid high school student Wang Peng was lying in the doorway, holding his schoolbag tightly in his hand, his eyes closed, his head On the side, there seems to be some water stains running down the open mouth.
"Are you asleep?" Su Qing pulled the curtains back completely and scratched his head when he saw Wutou wearing a motorcycle helmet standing there.
But because of wearing a motorcycle helmet, Headless just scratched the helmet, and there was the sound of fingernails scraping hard objects.
"No, I fainted." The headless tone also sounded a little helpless, and the voice from the chest sounded a dull feeling, "I just hit him just now. Just a hello."
Although Su Qingxing's current attire has become a little more simple, Wutou still recognized the guide, so he explained: "I think the closer the relationship between the teacher and the apprentice, the more The learning process will also become more interesting, so I specially said hello in the most polite way."
"The most polite way?"
"For us knights, of course, it's a hat off." Headless, he hugged the motorcycle helmet with both hands and picked it up!
What appeared in front of Su Qingxing was a real "headless" rider, there was no head under the motorcycle helmet at all, only a neck with blood oozing from the cut surface.
Seeing that the blood could not stop, Headless immediately put on the motorcycle helmet again, and said a little aggrieved: "Sorry, it is really not polite to wear a helmet in front of the guide, but If you don't wear it, the blood will easily stain the surroundings."
"No, it doesn't matter." Su Qingxing helplessly raised his forehead, "In front of your little apprentice, it's better to wear a helmet all the time."
Su Qingxing can completely imagine the reason why Wang Peng fainted. For a very timid high school student, he suddenly saw the person in front of him take off his entire "head"... fainting seems to be a certain A relatively normal reaction.
"Wait for him to wake up before continuing the test." Su Qingxing specifically told Headless, who seemed to have a good temper. Instead, it is better to run away. After recovering, you still have to continue to participate in the practice.
"Yes, citing... Mr. Fortune Teller." Wutou planned to take off his hat again, but was stopped by Su Qingxing shaking his head.
Although this is headless to show etiquette, it will indeed be a little troublesome to continue to let the blood flow down from his neck.
"No, I think there should be that tonight, right?" Su Qingxing raised the black umbrella in his hand.
"Yes, the weather forecast says so." Headless nodded.
"Then take this child directly to the rest center." Su Qingxing looked at Wang Peng, who had fainted just after meeting his tutor, with a pity, "It's a pity that this way, he may Even more unable to accept tomorrow's formal training."
"Yes."
After leaving the headless rehearsal room, Su Qingxing stopped by to take a look at the rehearsal room in the middle, but to his surprise, the tent in the middle turned out to be pitch-dark, even the shadows No?
Where's the circus teacher?
What about the testers?
After looking around to no avail, Su Qingxing put down the curtain and opened the curtain of another tent with the long umbrella in his hand. This time, Su Qingxing finally found the right place and saw the female escape master with short blond hair and wheat-colored skin.
The escape master was still squatting on the edge of the oversized water tank. When he heard the movement, he stood up and recognized the black Su Qingxing. He immediately bent down and saluted, and apologized: "Lord Guide, I'm sorry for appearing so rude when we met before."
"It's okay, after all, everyone has their own different habits." Su Qingxing smiled slightly, walked to the escape master, and looked at the water tank arranged in the ground.
The LED light under the water tank is still on, so Su Qingxing can see that the water in the clean water tank has been completely evacuated. There were several red marks on the stairs, his eyes were closed and not opened, and his face was full of vulnerability and exhaustion.
Judging from Zhang Ai's current state, it seems that he has fainted from exhaustion due to the water tank trial just now, but even in a coma, Zhang Ai still shows pain from suffocation from time to time. Expression, as if still feeling trapped in the tank.
"A child with great potential reminds me of who I was." The escape master looked at Zhang Ai in a drowsiness and said suddenly with emotion.
"But lying like this all the time is not a solution. In this world, even a tester will still catch a cold." The long black umbrella held by Su Qingxing's right hand was gently lifted, a blue The spot of light appeared along with his movements, and he took up the straps lying on the ground and floated all the way to Zhang Ai's side.
Guided by the blue light spots, the long straps gently tied Zhang Ai's limbs and waist, and then brought Zhang Ai up from the bottom of the water tank with very gentle movements , and finally placed it next to Su Qingxing and the escape master.
"Then I will trouble the escape master to help her change her clothes." That's all Su Qingxing can do for Zhang Ai.
"Please don't worry, Mr. Diviner." The escape master looked thin, but he easily picked up the sleeping Zhang Ai, "This is a pretty good apprentice, said I might actually be able to survive until the final show."
Su Qingxing went around like this, and when he came out of the escape master's rehearsal room, he could be regarded as clear about the current situation of at least three testers. At present, only Ou Yi, who is practicing the flying trapeze, and Cheng Xiao, who is practicing with the clown, are unknown.
From what Su Qingxing has seen so far, the setting of this trial world doesn't seem to be as bad as Cinnabar said.
Among the five testers, Su Qingxing was most curious about the man named Cheng Xiao.
Obviously looks the most negative and pessimistic, obviously looks more desperate than Zhang Ai, but Cheng Xiao, no matter how much negative energy, never says "want to die" like Zhang Ai.
A very strange person anyway.
However, Su Qingxing is not very worried about Cheng Xiao, because in his opinion, the relationship between Cheng Xiao and the clown is very interesting.
Su Qingxing just recalled the way Cheng Xiao and the clown got along in his mind, and then suddenly saw a pink balloon floating towards him.
"Sorry, can you help me pick it up?"
When Su Qingxing heard the voice, he subconsciously held the long umbrella in his hand, bent down, and picked up the balloon that had fallen at his feet. After picking it up, Su Qingxing remembered that he seemed to have heard that voice somewhere.
Su Qingxing followed the voice and looked in a certain direction, and saw Cheng Xiao, the trial person who was supposed to be training with the clown, and was sitting in an open space on the side of the casino. A red cartoon pony, trying to blow up a balloon...
Blow up a balloon?
When Su Qingxing walked over with the balloons, he saw that Cheng Xiao already had a long string of balloons **** with ropes, several balloons were scattered around him, and he was even holding A balloon that has just been inflated, looks very busy.
"Here you are." Su Qingxing bent down beside Cheng Xiao, and handed him the balloon in his hand, "You seem to be busy for a long time."
Cheng Xiao had a large wooden basket beside him, which was filled with all kinds of balloons that had not been blown. There must be nearly a thousand.
How long will it take to blow it all out?
Cheng Xiao was blowing balloons expressionlessly, Su Qingxing really felt that the clown's training method was different.
"No, you..." Cheng Xiao, who was expressionless just now, suddenly got up from the pony and looked at Su Qingxing with a puzzled expression, "You can speak?"
"Why do you speak?" Cheng Xiao seemed very puzzled by this question.
"Speak?" Su Qingxing didn't quite understand, "As long as he's not dumb, he can speak." Although Su Qingxing once played dumb, his role in this world doesn't exist like this The problem.
Cheng Xiao shook his head, but he was not the type to explain, so he took a step to the side and stopped a tourist who was walking towards him.
The tourist looked like a very lively young girl, chatting with her companions while walking, looking like the ordinary tourist in her impression.
The strange thing is... when the tourist was stopped by Cheng Xiao, and even grabbed his arm by Cheng Xiao, the young girl seemed to not see Cheng Xiao at all, and continued to walk forward .
Even though the girl has been pulled back by Cheng Xiao, she is still very "tenacious" standing there! The weirdest thing is that even though the girl's companion has gone far, the girl still turns her head and says something to her side with a smile, as if someone is chatting with her in that direction.
No matter what Cheng Xiao said to the girl, the other party did not answer like a real marionette, did not respond to Cheng Xiao's existence, just like a robot stuck There was no stop there.
After many unsuccessful attempts, Cheng Xiao let go of the tourist and let her continue walking.
After returning to Su Qingxing, Cheng Xiao raised his eyes lazily and said to Su Qingxing: "Look, everyone here seems to be manipulated, no matter what they do or say. , they won't respond and won't talk to you."
"I lost the balloon several times just now, and I subconsciously asked others to help me pick it up several times. But you were the first to help me pick the balloon and talk to me. People." Cheng Xiao **** several balloons running around with ropes, "So it's normal to be surprised."
Although it is evening, the sky is not too dark, and there are so many people coming and going in the circus city, there are laughter, conversations and music from various stalls, so at first glance it looks very lively.
Each tourist looks like an ordinary human, neatly dressed, with ruddy faces, some smiling, some curious, some playing with friends, some with circus clowns The staff are interacting.
But such a lively and ordinary circus city is actually fake... The tourists are fake, and even those ordinary clown staff are fake, such a big circus city really has its own self The only ones who were aware were the testers, the clown, and Su Qingxing that Cheng Xiao came into contact with.
"I'm not that special." After Su Qingxing understood Cheng Xiao's confusion, he showed a consistent smile on his face. The smile seemed gentle, but it was a standardized expression that could hide his emotions, "The whole circus It's impossible for the two of you to be the only one in the city to talk to, right?"
"That's not true." Cheng Xiao still had a bitter face, "In addition to these doll-like tourists, there are a few guys trapped here like me, a **** God-giggling fortune-tellers, clowns with a terrible personality, and maybe some other weird guy."
"That's right, since there are so many people in the circus city to talk to, it is not surprising that I am here. After all, I have been trapped in this circus city just like you. Inside." Su Qingxing was not worried that Cheng Xiao would recognize his identity as a fortune teller because of his voice.
It is said that cinnabar did tricks in the divination room. As long as Su Qingxing hides behind the gauze and speaks, the voices heard by the testers will be even lower...or use the words of cinnabar. It is more mysterious.
So when Su Qingxing appeared in front of the testers in an ordinary manner, he might be regarded as an ordinary middle school student just like the previous trials, right?
As for why the identity is hidden... It is mainly related to a so-called hidden mission in this trial world.
"Are you the same as the fortune teller who has been trapped here for a long time?"
"Probably not as long as the fortune-teller." Su Qingxing replied with a very natural expression, "After all, when I came to this circus city, the fortune-teller was already here. "
"Oh." Cheng Xiao replied, and then stopped asking questions. Instead, he lowered his head and continued to puff out his cheeks and start blowing balloons.
A balloon.
Two balloons.
Three balloons…
When Cheng Xiao started to blow the fourth balloon, Su Qingxing finally couldn't help but ask: "Don't you have anything to ask me?"
Su Qingxing has now revealed his "identity". If it was Lin Zexue who was standing in front of Su Qingxing now, he would have already begun to try to get his way out of Su Qingxing's mouth, hoping to know more about this circus city.
"Nothing to ask." When Cheng Xiao said this, Su Qingxing seemed to be able to see the negative energy around him materializing, "If you know how to escape , you have already escaped so long ago. But since you are still in the circus city, it means that you are as clear as the fortune teller... Those who come in cannot escape."
"If that's the case, why should I ask? Anyway, I don't have much to do right now, and I don't have any purpose in life."
"Since that bad clown asked me to blow up the balloon, I'll take it as my life goal for the time being." Cheng Xiao finished these words with low air pressure, and then focused his eyes again in a balloon in hand.
"Few people decide life goals so hastily." Su Qingxing watched Cheng Xiao, a big man, sit back on the cartoon pony again, and continued to blow up another balloon, and finally reminded , "Even if you blow up a balloon, there are shortcuts you can take."
Su Qingxing bent down and searched the wooden basket full of balloons for a while, and finally found something from the bottom of the wooden basket.
"This is..." When Cheng Xiao saw that thing, he didn't notice that the balloon he had just blown in his hand started to leak, he just stared blankly at the... special air pump for balloons in Su Qingxing's hand ? !
Cheng Xiao stared at the pump for a while, and finally dropped the deflated balloon in his hand, lowered his arms and lowered his head, showing a gesture full of frustration.
"Cheng Xiao?"
A bitter voice came from the side.
Su Qingxing turned his head and saw that Lin Zexue, who was supposed to be training at the magician, actually limped over from the side, his face was pale, his limbs were weak, and his right foot was crippled. The Lin Zexue I saw here was different.
"Sit." Cheng Xiao lowered his head and silently pushed the stack of ponytails beside him, "There are many more chairs."
"Thank you." Lin Zexue squatted down, then stuffed a ponytail under him, lowered his arms, and lowered his head, showing a posture full of frustration.
"..." Looking at the two testers in front of them with identical movements, Su Qingxing was a little confused.
"I just went to experience human body cutting." Lin Zexue lowered his head and said, "The magician cut off my right calf and replaced it with a leg of lamb."
"Then what?" Two equally frustrated people were talking.
"Then changed it back." After Lin Zexue finished speaking, he became silent.
After a few minutes of silence, another figure came over, and without saying anything, he took a maza from next to Lin Zexue, like sitting in a row eating fruit, and Cheng Xiao and the others sat in a row .
It is Zhang Ai.
"What's the matter?" Lin Zexue glanced at Zhang Ai, who had changed his clothes for some reason, out of the corner of his eyes, "He looks tired."
"Well, I almost died." Zhang Ai sat on the maza, lowered his arms and lowered his head, showing a gesture full of frustration, "That's not the way I want to die, It feels disgusting."
"Hey!" the three frustrated people sighed together.
"Maybe things are not too bad." Standing in front of the three people, Su Qingxing couldn't help but say, "After all, everyone is alive and well, isn't it?"
"Who are you?" Zhang Ai and Lin Zexue looked up at the same time, and then saw the slender teenager standing in front of the evening red glow, smiling.
The boy's appearance is very good-looking and very white, and his skin like Su Baici seems to be able to glow against the red glow. It was a young man who, although unfamiliar, gave off an inexplicable intimacy at first glance.
But for some reason, the boy was holding a long black umbrella.
"Hello everyone, my name is Qingxing, and I'm also a person trapped in the circus city." Su Qingxing just said his name, "It seems that everyone is very tired today."
"Are you also an apprentice? Or an assistant?" Lin Zexue, who was mentally tortured because of the "human cutting technique" performed by the magician, asked with his head down.
"Me?" Su Qingxing didn't think that he just told a lie, so he would pile up more lies to cover up this matter.
Su Qingxing is not very familiar with the circus city, so facing this problem, he can only stretch out his long umbrella and point in a certain direction, saying with a smile, "I work there."
"The animal house?"
Su Qingxing was surprised that Zhang Ai had just arrived in the circus city and experienced the incident that he almost drowned, but he was still able to follow the direction Su Qingxing pointed and remember the corresponding places in the circus city. tent.
But... the animal house?
Su Qingxing can clearly say that the only small animal that can move, apart from humans, should be the little snow wolf.
The people in the circus city did not decrease because of the coming of evening. If someone observes carefully, they will find that the number of tourists in the entire circus city has not changed much.
Even if some tourists leave the gate of the circus city after walking around, after a while you will see that tourist return to the circus city again, sitting on the same thing as before, constantly Repeat, keep going back and forth.
's blank.
But now, this open space has become a landscape, three testers who suffered mental torture just when they came to the circus, sat side by side in a frustrated posture. Maza on.
"Actually, the first day won't be too bad." Su Qingxing put a long umbrella on the ground, as if holding a black walking stick. The teacher's posture, "It can only be regarded as an appetizer at most."
"Appetizers?" The three testers raised their heads together, as if they had been infected with negative energy by Cheng Xiao, and the entire row had a dark aura.
"Actually, I can tell you how to escape from here." Seeing that the time was almost up, Su Qingxing began to cut to the point.
Tell the testers how to escape from the circus city, this is the main reason why Su Qingxing came to find the testers.
I planned to wait until all the testers were gathered, but that seemed a bit deliberate.
"The method? The method to escape from here?" The three testers stared blankly at Su Qingxing in front of them.
"That's right." Su Qingxing spread his hands, "Actually, if you want to escape from the circus city, there are two ways."
"Two?"
"One is to try to live, no matter what training you do, no matter how much mental torture you experience, no matter what the teacher asks you to do, you must live smoothly. The longer you live, the better Maybe leave this circus city."
Su Qingxing did not accurately inform the testers about the "three levels", and this "trying to live" remark is just a panacea for everything in life. Chicken soup That's it.
So when they heard the first method, the three testers were indifferent.
"The second method is to find the master of the circus city." Su Qingxing lowered his body with a long umbrella and said in a very soft voice, "The real exit of this circus city is at the master of the circus city. where it is."
"You should be the gate of the circus city, right? But that is definitely not the real exit of the circus city. If you go out from the gate, no matter how long you go around, you will return to the starting point." Su Qingxing straightened up again , "Because the real exit has been hidden by the master of the circus city."
"The Master?"
In fact, the trialists have already heard of such an existence. When they were in the fortune-telling house, the mysterious fortune-teller called it an "evil existence".
In the mouth of the clown, he is directly called "the great devil of terror".
And now, this young man named "Qingxing" said that that existence is "the master of the circus city", which sounds like a more formal title.
Before the testers continued to ask questions, Su Qingxing said one step ahead: "In this circus city, only the teacher in charge of training and the fortune teller know where the master is."
"It's a pity..." Su Qingxing showed a look of disappointment, "There is no training teacher in the animal house, and the fortune teller does not easily meet others, so it is difficult to get the answer if you know the method."
"Don't meet others easily?" Zhang Ai looked puzzled, "But the fortune-teller, the Mr. Su, once said that we can meet him during the break."
"Hee hee hee, that's a special gift, kittens!" The clown with the iconic red afro and blue overalls came to the neighborhood at some point, he There is also a small umbrella of the same colorful on the top of the house, "The reason why the fortune-teller stays here is different from yours, so since he is willing to meet with you, please seize this rare opportunity!"
"Aha!" The clown said, and saw the pump held by Cheng Xiao, and couldn't help laughing again, "Hee hee hee, it seems that he was discovered!"
“…”
"There is one thing I want to ask." Zhang Ai, who was sitting on the pony, suddenly raised his hand, "Why do you two ... both bring umbrellas?"
"Because it will rain." Su Qingxing and the clown replied in unison.
That is, just when the two people's voices fell, drop after drop of raindrops fell on their foreheads and nose.
"Actually, you are very lucky." Su Qingxing looked up at the sky, "As long as it rains, the circus performance at night will be cancelled no matter what, this is the rule of the circus city, and it is also for everyone. A rare day off."
After a while, the testers were already half wet.
The three testers were about to put away the pony, but suddenly stopped because of a certain scene, looked around in a daze, and even forgot to take shelter from the rain.
Because of the heavy rain, the sky became very dark, and the place where the circus was located was a muddy field, so soon the land under their feet would also become muddy due to the heavy rain.
But at this time, some things have not changed at all.
That's the tourists and the so-called staff who exist in the circus city.
Although the rain has poured, those tourists are indeed like dolls, laughing, chatting, playing...
There was a smile in the sound and lightning.
What seemed so ordinary on a sunny day, now seems a little creepy.
"Follow me to the rest center." The clown seemed to not care about this strange sight at all, holding an umbrella and jumping forward, "From tomorrow onwards, you will Officially become a member of the circus city, cherish the rest time now."
"By the way, your other two companions should have arrived there, so during the rest time in the evening, you can have a good exchange of experience in today's training." The clown smiled and turned to look at his own Apprentice and the other two testers, "Tomorrow's training content will definitely be more interesting, kittens!"
Because the three testers were already wet, they didn't want to continue sheltering from the rain, but looked at Su Qingxing who was standing in the rain with a black umbrella.
"Don't worry, I'll go to the animal room." Su Qingxing just stood in the rain and watched the testers go away, black clothes, black pants and a black umbrella, the background was the darkness under the thunder and lightning The sky, and the fake tourists like walking dead.
For a moment, the testers felt that this young "senior" looked like a **** of death who came here to harvest life.
After another flash of lightning, the testers saw that in the mud not far away, a tourist fell to the ground because of the slippery land.
Immediately afterwards, the tourists there were like shuffled dominoes, one after another tripped over the fallen tourists and fell to the ground.
All the tourists who fell down seemed to have some kind of malfunction in the program, they stepped on the ground, but could not get up.
The mud was covered with the clean clothes of the tourists, one after another fell to the ground and never got up again.
Prosperity illusion.
Su Qingxing just watched the three testers disappear into the rain. After that, he naturally couldn't go to the beast house, but returned to the divination house.
The moment Su Qingxing walked into the divination room, the purple coat and those cumbersome ornaments reappeared on his body, and the heaviness of his left ear also followed.
He took the umbrella all the way back to the inside of the gauze curtain, Su Qingxing hung it aside and sat down on his seat again.
What Su Qingxing didn't notice was that the little snow wolf who had been lying on the soft couch seemed to be a little different from the daytime.
Little Snow Wolf seemed to have finally woken up, opened his black eyes, and looked at Su Qingxing who had just finished a busy circle. There seemed to be something else in his eyes.
Little Snow Wolf got up from the couch, jumped down very lightly, and slowly approached Su Qingxing's side.