The others searched with increasing anxiety. They scoured the small room, yet it yielded nothing. Wan Lei even released his divine sense to probe the space, but the only numbers present, apart from the combination lock, were on…
Wan Lei strode over to Meng Meng and snatched the alarm clock from her hand.
It was a digital display, not an analog one. It did indeed show four digits, but they were constantly changing, counting down with a regular rhythm, no fixed numbers.
"Damn it, hey, give me a hint!"
Wan Lei angrily shoved the alarm clock back into Meng Meng's grasp.
"Why are you so fierce? Aren't there always hints?"
Meng Meng's pout deepened, her expression one of grievance.
"Where?"
"See if you can find it yourself. Why are you being so mean? If you keep being mean, I'll turn you into a puppy."
At her words, the dog on Wan Lei's shoulder froze, as if struck by inspiration, and began counting its own fur.
"A hint... a hint... a hint that's always there..."
Wan Lei paced anxiously on the spot.
"There were hints outside before, but they were paid for with lives. One life for one hint..."
Suddenly, Wan Lei stopped, his eyes brightening.
"I've got it! One life for one hint. In this room, four lives have already been lost. Four lives correspond to four hints, four numbers. The key clue lies with these four people!"
As he spoke, everyone's spirits immediately lifted, and they each began to observe the forms into which the four had transformed.
"This doll's outstretched fingers, that's two. The number is two."
Wan Lei called out, approaching the Barbie doll.
Fang Xiaoyu looked at the clown.
"This ugly fellow is holding three balls. The number should be three."
Hong Lian squatted before the rocking horse and observed for a long time.
"This rocking horse has one horn and four legs. Should I choose one or four?"
"Uh... let's go with one. After all, horses with four legs are easy to find, but a unicorn isn't common. Let's pick its unique feature."
"Alright, so it corresponds to one."
Meanwhile, Feng Bing and Wang Fei stared intently at the little boy kicking a shuttlecock.
A minute later,
They both exclaimed in unison,
"The shuttlecock has twenty-eight feathers in total."
"It loses one every time he kicks it nine times, without fail."
The two exchanged an awkward glance, unsure which statement was correct.
"It must be nine. How can your twenty-eight feathers be a number?"
Wan Lei finished speaking and rushed to the combination lock, starting to input the numbers.
"Two, three, one, nine."
"Beep, incorrect."
The lock immediately gave its feedback.
"How is that not right?"
Everyone was dumbfounded. They had found the numbers.
"Could it be that the order of the numbers is wrong?"
Fang Xiaoyu asked.
"Then let's try again."
Wan Lei pressed the buttons once more, this time entering three, nine, one, two.
"Beep, incorrect."
"I refuse to believe it."
Wan Lei rolled up his sleeves, his eyes wide, ready to try again.
"Don't bother trying,"
Fang Xiaoyu stopped him.
"Four digits. The number of permutations with repetition is two hundred and fifty-six. Without repetition, it's twenty-four. Even if you used up all your chances, you wouldn't find the correct answer.
Let's keep looking for clues, for a pattern in the numbers.
There has to be a pattern, unless she wants us to die for sure."
Fang Xiaoyu's gaze returned to the four figures transformed into dolls.
The others also began to observe.
"Only one minute left!"
Meng Meng watched them with a playful smile, as if she were about to win.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Fang Xiaoyu.
"It's not about the order they were placed, but the order in which these people turned into dolls. The first is the doll, the second is the rocking horse, the third is the clown, and the fourth is the shuttlecock kicker. The order is two, one, three, nine!"
"Fifty seconds remaining."
Fang Xiaoyu rushed over and entered the four numbers, but it was still incorrect.
"What on earth is wrong?"
They were all going mad. Every time they were close to hope, it would show "incorrect." This cycle of hope and despair was driving them to the brink.
"Forty seconds left!"
Meng Meng's smile grew wider.
"One of the numbers must be wrong. Let's look again, quickly, think harder."
The group resumed their study of the four dolls, their focus intense, their nerves frayed.
Fang Xiaoyu examined the doll's other fingers, while Hong Lian and the other two looked at the clown and the little boy, but found no further clues.
"The other three are correct. The problem must be with the rocking horse."
Wan Lei, squatting beside the rocking horse, spoke up.
"Twenty seconds left!"
"Xiaoyu, try two, four, three, nine again, see if it's the clue about the four legs."
"Okay, got it."
Fang Xiaoyu agreed and entered the password again.
"Beep, incorrect."
"Last ten seconds!
Ten...
Nine..."
Meng Meng's laughter grew increasingly cheerful, while Wan Lei and the others broke into a cold sweat. Hong Lian and the other two frantically searched for clues again.
"Eight, you're about to become a toy, seven."
Wan Lei was meticulously observing the unicorn when its horn, one angled up and the other down, caught his attention.
Following the direction of the horn, he saw where it pointed.
"Six."
It pointed to a sofa. On the sofa were the five unicorn dolls arranged neatly by Hong Lian and the other two.
"Five."
"Two, five, three, nine, quickly, two, five, three, nine!"
Wan Lei roared.
"Four."
Fang Xiaoyu blinked, then suddenly ran over and began pressing the buttons.
"Three."
Two, five, three, nine, the four numbers were entered.
"Two."
"Beep, correct."
*Click.*
With the sound of the lock opening, the door automatically slid open a crack. Fang Xiaoyu immediately pulled it open.
Without hesitation, the five of them rushed out.
*Bang!*
The door closed shut behind them as they exited.
Meng Meng, sitting on the rocking horse, chuckled.
"Little Wan Lei, little sister Xiaoyu, you passed by luck, but don't worry, we'll play more later, hee hee..."
Suddenly, Gui Di appeared beside her.
Gui Di looked at the princess dress Meng Meng was wearing, coupled with her adorable and beautiful attire, and for a moment, he could barely control himself.
Suppressing the urge to pull the girl into his embrace, Gui Di affectionately patted Meng Meng's little head.
"Did you have fun?"
"It was okay, not exciting enough. We'll continue playing later. Oh, how was my performance just now?"
Gui Di smiled dotingly and encouraged her,
"Like a lunatic."
"You're the lunatic!"
"Who talks like that? Annoying, disgusting! You know how old you are...
Ouch, stop hitting, stop hitting."
After administering a beating to Lord Gui Di, Meng Meng looked out the door, a sinister smile curling her lips.
"Can you find a way to leave this amusement park?"