Ten Day Ultimatum

Chapter 427: Yellow Door

“The other end is the {Cat House},” Terrestrial Mouse said. “That’s my room.”

“You have a room as well?”

“Indeed,” Terrestrial Mouse nodded. “Rest assured, I won’t lie in the rules. Our rooms are at opposite ends of the hall, with excellent soundproofing. I can’t hear your discussions at all, nor will I enter your room.”

Qi Xia glanced at the {Cat House} on the far right. Its white door was five rooms away from the {Mouse House}; even if the soundproofing were imperfect, it would be nearly impossible to hear anything from the other room.

“The five rooms in between, plus this hall, make up our game arena,” Terrestrial Mouse explained. “The main events will all take place within this area.”

He then walked to the yellow door and pushed it open.

The room was spacious. At its far end stood a wine-red altar table, upon which rested a white porcelain plate. On the plate were several fruits stacked like offerings. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be dragon fruits.

In {End Point}, such a sight was extremely rare.

“Tsk, how ominous. It looks just like an offering for the dead...” Zhou Liu muttered. “Who taught you to arrange the fruits like this—three below, one on top?”

“Ominous...?” Terrestrial Mouse forced a grin. “At this point, who cares about omens?”

He stepped forward and pointed at the dragon fruits on the table. “These fruits can fill your stomachs... but in the most {literal sense}.”

“What?”

“Esteemed leaders, for the next stage, you all must wear the collars before I can explain further,” Terrestrial Mouse said, waving his hand to signal them.

Qi Xia exchanged a glance with the others. They knew that having come to participate in the game, this moment was inevitable. Without hesitation, they each fastened the collars around their necks.

Once all the collars were secured, two small lights on either side of each collar illuminated.

“Esteemed leaders... the lights on your collars represent your {Satiety Value},” Terrestrial Mouse remarked, then ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ sensing that further clarification was needed, continued, “There are two bars lit now, meaning you are {full}.”

“When will our {Satiety Value} decrease?” Qi Xia asked.

“It decreases automatically each round,” Terrestrial Mouse replied. “Let me remind you: each round is divided into {Night} and {Day} phases. After both phases conclude, your {Satiety Value} will collectively drop by one.”

Seeing them nod, Terrestrial Mouse continued, “Each time you {steal} food, you can increase your {Satiety Value} by one. Each fruit restores one {Satiety Value} for a {Mouse}, up to a maximum of two.”

Qi Xia silently did the math. Each of the five had a {Satiety Value} of two, totaling ten. With one point deducted per person each round over six rounds, they would need thirty {Satiety Value} in total.

Subtracting the initial ten points, they theoretically needed to find twenty fruits.

There were four fruits in the current room, and if each of the other rooms held four as well, the five rooms would provide exactly twenty pieces—just enough.

Upon hearing this, Luo Eleven muttered under his breath, “So we’re really going to act as {Mice} and {steal} food?”

“That’s right, esteemed leaders,” Terrestrial Mouse replied. “Your {Satiety Value} can drop to zero, but if it falls below zero, your collars will explode. During each {Night}, the {Mouse} team has three options: {Search}, {Transport}, and {Rescue}, with each person limited to one choice. I will now explain these three options in detail.”

He approached the wall and found a switch-like device. Turning to the group, he explained, “Here is a button. Press it to enter a room, and the door will lock. This also counts as the {Mouse} deciding to {Search} in this room. The next day, you may carry away the fruits inside. But note, under any circumstances, each {Mouse} can only {Transport} three fruits at a time.”

“How do we {Transport} then?” Qi Xia asked.

“To trigger {Transport}, a {Mouse} must remain in the room for a full round. In the following round, they may {Transport}. Additionally, once anyone triggers {Transport}, they may carry items for their companions as well, but the three-fruit limit still applies.”

“How complicated...” Luo Eleven scratched his head. “So we’ve covered {Search} and {Transport}. What’s left?”

“There’s {Rescue},” Terrestrial Mouse said. “To trigger {Rescue}, we must first discuss the actions of the {Cat}.”

He paused for a moment and addressed the group before him. “For the {Cat}, there are also three possible actions: {Search}, {Trap}, and {Patrol}.”

“You can {Search} as well?” Qi Xia asked.

“Indeed, but my {Search} isn’t for fruits—it’s for {Mice},” Terrestrial Mouse explained. “Once each of you has chosen {Search}, the door will lock. During the day, I will randomly select a room to {Search}. If a {Mouse} is inside, I will catch them.”

“What happens if someone is caught?” Qi Xia’s most pressing question finally surfaced. “Are they eliminated immediately?”

“It wouldn’t truly reach that extreme.” Terrestrial Mouse replied. “A {Cat} doesn’t simply devour its prey at once. Instead, the caught {Mouse} will be slowly tormented. I will take them to the {Cat House}, and they will only be eliminated at the start of the next round. However, during the night, you may choose to enter the {Cat House} to {Rescue} them. I won’t interfere. Any {Mouse} who survives all six rounds and isn’t in the {Cat House} will be deemed victorious.”

“So we can rescue others? Then how do you win?” Luo Eleven asked. “Don’t you understand what kind of team we are?”

“Ha, no matter, feel free to {Rescue}, all of you,” Terrestrial Mouse chuckled wryly. “I truly hope you help one another.”

Qi Xia’s expression gradually darkened, sensing that this game held some subtle intricacies.

If a {Mouse} was caught, would attempting a {Rescue} really be a prudent choice...?

It would mean one {Mouse} forfeits a {Search} opportunity and expends a point of {Satiety} to save a teammate. That round would require the others to collect at least one additional fruit just to compensate.

But it’s not so simple; those rescued will have gone hungry, needing immediate replenishment. Attempting a rescue when fruit is insufficient only accelerates the team’s overall mortality.

This Terrestrial Mouse game was clearly very different from the previous Terrestrial Dog game... It doesn’t demand excessive cooperation. It focuses on {Hiding} and {Searching}, and the five {Mice} can even operate independently, with victory achieved if at least one survives.