Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

When X Beijin is going to switch up his stream, someone suddenly pops up in front of him.

Looking up, and yup, its Wei Lezhang.

The guy came chatting almost as soon as the last run started, and hes here this run again? X Beijin is feeling the warmth drain out of his body just picturing the guy accosting him for half a day after this.

Especially if its to only talk aboutthat bookstore owner of the bottom floor of the Tower!

X Beijin truly regrets not having told him his true identity. Right, he deliberately kept quiet before, but now he really wants to let it out.

Man, Wei Lezhang, youre seriously annoying for an Actor.

A different kind of annoying to Lin Qin, who is at least less loquacious

Thankfully, this time Wei Lezhang has something else to add to the table besides the legendary bookstore owner. Hes here to talk about the Nightmare itself.

He seems pretty irate at the Missiontakers, complaining, whats wrong with all the Missiontakers this time? That entire first run and only two people even made it to this floor.

X Beijin, feeling a stroke of inspiration, asks, you know something about this Nightmare?

Wei Lezhang is grinning and adding mystique to his tone, I knew youd be interested in things related to Nightmares. And that is exactly what this Nightmare is.

X Beijin is all ears.

Wei Lezhang then begins explaining, Im the nth-male lead, so basically, something better than being an extra.

X Beijin

Well, technically, he, an extra,would beslightly lower in rank than an nth male lead

He is looking at Wei Lezhang with this rather exasperated expression, hoping the big bald guy would quickly get to the point and tell him what he knows.

Wei Lezhang does as he wishes, and points to the burning scene outside of the window, and asks X Beijin, this looks pretty terrifying outside, right?

X Beijin is surprised at the suddenly topic switch, but nods.

Wei Lezhang then asks, so, if its that terrifying outside, and this building is kind of a shelter, even with food Why do you think all of us would be trying to escape outside?

X Beijin thinks for a second and answers, for two possible reasons. One, this building wouldnt last much longer before crumbling, or two there is something in this building, more dangerous than whatever is outside?

Thats right! Wei Lezhang claps his hands, and says, but theres a third reason.

X Beijin raises his brows to ask with curiosity, what is it?

Bro, pretty late on the uptick, are you? Wei Lezhang tells him, well, there is food, thats what I said, but do you really think, that in this office building without a canteen and only this little staff break area, there really is enough food?

X Beijin gets it, and says, of course not, he pauses, and asks, so

Wei Lezhang shrugs, commenting, I wonder if those Missiontakers would meet the cannibals? Theyre probably down from the 16thfloor or so. I wonder what floor theyve made it to already

X Beijin says, isnt it something theyd only realise if they searched the 16thfloor thoroughly? Then, curious, he asks, so why didnt you tell the two people about this when they were on this floor before?

Wei Lezhang shrugs, they havent managed to trigger some corresponding thing? He seems unsure as well, saying, who cares, NE always have these strange rules governing the Nightmares. If it wants me to say it, then I do; if it doesnt, then not.

X Beijin then teases the big bald guy, so why were you so pissed off when NE had you eating hotpot the last time around?

Wei Lezhang is staring at X Beijin in shock, with omg! so youre such a X Beijin after all! written on his face, before sighing, and saying, but its really hard to eat hotpot for four hours straight, then, he adds, also, I have to keep eating hotpot even in my own Nightmare.

X Beijin

So basically, hotpots are to Wei Lezhang probably what the doors peepholes were to Shen Ynj and toilets to whatshisname.

PTSD.

Wei Lezhang then cusses at the Server, damn NE! One day, Ill also force you to chomp down on four hours of hellish spicy hotpot!

X Beijin

Hes giving the bro a pretty complicated look. Does Wei Lezhang know that NE might actually be watching the Missiontakers and Actors 24/7?

He probably does not.

So that means, next time, Wei Lezhang would probably have to endure four hours of hellish spicy hotpot again.

Poor him.

X Beijin swears he isnt finding this morbidly amusing inside.

He is just wondering about right, about this Nightmare.

The Missiontakers progress aside, X Beijin is more concerned about for example, where the Nightmare owner is. What happened to her?

In the Tower, he knows she has basically lost herself to this Nightmare, to her assigned role. Why? When she first met X Beijin in the Nightmare, she was still completely sane.

And another question, coming from X Beijins hypothesis that this Nightmare is based on what once happened to Mystic on Earth, then if the Nightmare owner did come face to face with Mystic, what would happen?

There truly are many questions in this Nightmare waiting to be answered, thinks X Beijin.

He then turns his attention back to the stream, which is currently focused on Jiang Shuangmei and Mystic. Theyre heading for the 31stfloor from the 36th, which means they would probably be the first pair of Missiontakers to encounter something. So X Beijin has the stream pointed at them.

They havent talked at all along the way, silently checking each floor they pass by. Lin Qin and Fei, who headed off early for the 16thfloor, is nowhere to be seen by now.

Jiang Shuangmei and Mystic didnt find any elevators or dangers at all these few floors.

Jiang Shuangmei wonders, could it be that the situation only deteriorates from the 31stfloor, where the little girl is?

She is surprised for all these floors to be without dangers.

Mystic is silent to Jiang Shuangmeis questions, and the latter is used to it by now. She also knows that Mystic is a pretty paranoid and probably overthinks things too much.

Though when they reach the stairs of the 31stfloor, and Jiang Shuangmei is about to pull on the door for this floor, Mystic suddenly speaks up.

Her voice is exceptionally soft, as if it was drifting down from somewhere high above some dreams. She asks, have you ever felt, the pain of watching your own close kin lost in the Nightmares?