The Monkey Man opened the door to the double-story building behind him. Everyone looked inside, only to find the room pitch black, nothing like the game venues of the other “Zodiacs.”
“Everyone, my game is called ‘No Cutting in Line,’ and it starts now.”
With that, he pulled a flashlight from his pocket, turned around, and walked into the room.
After exchanging glances for a few seconds, the group followed him inside.
The building had two floors and resembled a small inn. Though the first floor was dark, it felt somewhat spacious.
Once everyone had entered, the Monkey Man signaled for the last person, Tiantian, to close the door.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Tiantian obeyed, shutting the door behind them. Instantly, the room plunged into complete darkness, with only the Monkey Man’s flashlight illuminating the space.
“Uh…” a middle-aged woman spoke up, “Why is it so dark here? Aren’t we turning on the lights for this game?”
“Correct. Not only will there be no lights, but once the game starts, I’ll even turn off this flashlight.”
The Monkey Man grinned, shining the flashlight directly onto his own face.
His rotting monkey visage looked particularly eerie under the bright beam.
“What about the rules?” a young man asked.
The Monkey Man didn’t answer. Instead, he gestured to someone at the front to hold the flashlight for him, then turned and opened a wardrobe. Under the light, the group saw rows of yellow hard hats—the kind used on construction sites—hanging inside.
“Everyone, please come and take one hat each,” the Monkey Man instructed.
Confused, no one dared to step forward. This was supposed to be an “intelligence game,” so why were hard hats—designed to protect heads—necessary?
“Monkey Man…” Little Cheng finally spoke up, “Am I seeing this right? These hats are meant to prevent injuries on construction sites… Is your game really that dangerous?”
“No,” the Monkey Man shook his head. “I swear on my life—unless someone breaks the rules, there will be absolutely no life-threatening danger in this game.”
“Break the rules…?”
“Exactly.” The Monkey Man nodded. “The rules I’m about to explain are crucial. Listen carefully. Right now, you’re a team. If even one person breaks the rules during the game, I’ll disqualify everyone.”
The group’s expressions darkened as the weight of his words sank in. They were surrounded by strangers—none of them wanted to become the target of blame.
“No wonder…” Tiantian muttered under her breath. “No wonder more players benefit the Monkey Man… The chances of someone breaking the rules skyrocket with more people…”
The moment she finished speaking, the Monkey Man snatched the flashlight from the young man beside him and shone it directly into Tiantian’s face.
Blinded by the sudden brightness, Tiantian squinted and raised a hand to block the light. “What…?”
“The first rule is this: From now on, no one speaks unless I allow it.” The Monkey Man lowered the flashlight, pointing it back at himself. “If anyone dares to speak without my permission, the entire group fails immediately.”
Though reluctant, everyone fell silent.
“Good.” The Monkey Man nodded, then reached into the wardrobe, pulling out a hard hat and placing it on his head. “Now, pay close attention.”
With the hat on, he began ascending the stairs to the second floor. Just as he was about to reach the top, a tiny blue light flickered on at the back of his hat.
The light was minuscule—barely visible—like a faint speck in the dark.
Once the blue light appeared, the Monkey Man paused and turned back to the group. “Every hard hat you receive has a small light at the back. It’s the size of a grain of rice and nearly impossible to see clearly. But you need to know: there are two possible colors—red and blue—though the total number of each isn’t fixed.”
Though questions swirled in their minds, the group remained silent, remembering the earlier rule.
“The lights will activate once you reach the second floor, but none of you can see your own color.” The Monkey Man slowly turned back, waving the flashlight. “Now, follow me upstairs.”
The group obeyed, their footsteps the only sound in the otherwise silent room as they climbed the wooden stairs.
The second floor’s layout differed from the first. After passing through a straight hallway, they arrived at a rectangular area perpendicular to the corridor—forming a T-shape.
Here, the darkness remained absolute.
“Next rule,” the Monkey Man announced. “Everyone must ascend to the second floor in order, pass through the hallway, and finally stand in this area. But listen carefully—you must all face the wall, not the hallway. Understood?”
No one dared to speak, only nodding in response.
“And here’s how you win.” The Monkey Man continued. “Before the game ends, all of you must stand in a single line, backs to the hallway, separated by the two colors on your hats—facing the wall without a single person out of place. If even one person stands in the wrong position, you all lose. Additionally, if anyone speaks, gives hints, or removes their own or others’ hard hats, it counts as breaking the rules.”
It took a few seconds for the group to fully grasp just how absurd this “No Cutting in Line” game was.
Though framed as “teamwork,” it felt more like a “team trap.”
They couldn’t see the color of their own lights—yet they had to separate into red and blue groups and stand in perfect order.
Red with red, blue with blue. If even one person stood in the wrong spot, everyone lost.
And the lights were impossibly small. The Monkey Man had been walking around with his hat on, yet the walls hadn’t been tinted blue by his light.
Clearly, these were specially designed—visible only to the naked eye, with no light diffusion.
Was it even possible to succeed under these rules without any communication?
Tiantian used the flashlight’s glow to count. Including Zheng Yingxiong, there were eleven players. How could eleven people—unaware of their own hat’s color—possibly arrange themselves correctly?
After a few seconds of thought, she had no ideas. She glanced at Little Cheng, who also wore a troubled expression, deep in thought.
“Seems like you understand the rules now.” The Monkey Man chuckled before leading them back downstairs. “Now, everyone, step forward and take your hard hats.”
No one dared to disobey. Silently, they lined up, each taking a hard hat and placing it on their head.
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