Chapter 177 - 176: Today, We’re All Telegraph Operators

Chapter 177: Chapter 176: Today, We’re All Telegraph Operators

Seeing this, everyone immediately bolted. Rian Sinclair kept an eye on her best friend, running at the very back of the group. Just as Sarah Forrest was about to step through the doorway, Rian suddenly yanked her back. A split second later, the door slammed shut right in their faces.

Rian frowned. If she hadn’t pulled her back, Sarah would have been smashed in the face by the heavy door. Rian had no idea who had shut it, but they were definitely no good.

She heard Sarah shout at the top of her lungs, "What are you doing?! Open the door! We’re still out here!"

From inside, Rian could also hear another girl cursing up a storm. "You f—ing— Locking two girls outside? Is there something wrong with your f—ing brain?! Move the f—k out of the way and let them in! This is disgusting! Were you raised by f—ing dogs?!"

The door rattled incessantly. The girl who had just defended them with that string of expletives was likely trying to open it, only to be blocked by the others.

Noticing that the NPC was fast approaching, Rian grabbed Sarah and sprinted further down the hallway.

They needed to hide from the NPC first. However, as Rian and her best friend ran off, the NPC didn’t chase after them. Instead, he started kicking the door like a maniac.

Rian shielded Sarah behind her, watching as the male actor playing the security guard leaned his back against the wall and kicked the door with everything he had. Sarah peeked her head out from behind Rian. Seeing the guard’s relentless assault, she couldn’t help but praise him.

"This security guard is a beast! He’s kicking so hard that even the four grown men inside can’t hold him back?"

Rian watched from the sidelines for quite a while. Just as the door was about to give way, the guard finally stopped. Before leaving, he glanced in their direction, then stumbled away, taking swigs from a fake liquor bottle and muttering curses.

In the control room, the game master hadn’t expected someone to just lock their own teammates outside. Furious, he had directly ordered the NPC to smash the door with all his might, just to exhaust the group blocking it.

The three guys and one girl who were holding the door shut were absolutely drained. The outspoken girl from the couple pulled her boyfriend aside, completely refusing to help them anymore. "Let’s just all get caught! I’ve never met anyone so infuriating in my life. You guys are so f—ing despicable!"

The game master was a passionate young man who loved helping others, and he certainly wasn’t going to let such toxic behavior slide. He couldn’t even imagine what would happen if a truly terrified player had been locked out like that—they would have collapsed from sheer panic. It just went to show how awful those door-blockers were!

Refusing to indulge them, the game master issued a direct order to all NPCs: hunt down those three guys and that girl at all costs. It was the game master in a one-versus-four against the bad apples.

He was the game master—who did he have to fear?

The two girls outside had no idea that the game master was pulling strings behind the scenes to make things easier for them.

Just as they were about to head back to the room, they saw the young couple step out into the hallway. The outspoken girl immediately marched over and began banging on the door—BANG BANG BANG. It wasn’t long before the security guard reappeared.

Seeing the four of them standing outside the door, the guard looked a bit confused.

The game master noticed this through the headset and quickly instructed the NPC, "Don’t make a sound! Don’t let the group inside hear you!"

As the guard approached, the outspoken girl made a "please, be my guest" gesture. The guard instantly understood. Clutching his stun baton, he let out a sinister laugh and slipped inside, thoughtfully pulling the door shut behind him.

Moments later, screams erupted from within the room.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The door rattled violently as fists pounded against it—BANG BANG BANG. In their panic, the people inside had likely forgotten that it was a sliding door, mistakenly believing they had been locked in.

"Open the door! Open the door!"

Outside, the four of them leaned quietly against the wall, listening to the chaos inside.

It wasn’t long before the door slid open. The security guard strolled out, looking thoroughly satisfied and refreshed, with his stun baton resting casually on his shoulder. He gave the four of them a polite nod before swaggering off, humming a cheerful little tune.

The group returned to the classroom. At this moment, a highly awkward and delicate atmosphere hung between the two factions.

It was obvious that the four people across the room had the living daylights scared out of them.

Hiding among the three guys, the girl who had locked Rian out shrieked, "Why didn’t you open the door?!"

Rian actually laughed out loud at the sheer audacity. "Oh? Are we really playing the victim here?"

Standing beside her, Sarah rolled her eyes so hard they nearly stuck in the back of her head. "Are you a f—ing idiot? If you had even half a brain, you’d know that door slides right open. Who needs to lock up a creature with a wildly underdeveloped cerebellum like you?"

Rian leaned against the wall and casually pulled the door shut; after all, they were still in the middle of the game.

The group across the room likely knew they were in the wrong, so they didn’t utter a word in response.

After everyone settled back into the room, the game master’s voice announced over the intercom that Sherry had to go to the restroom to retrieve a backpack. It was a solo mission.

Rian glanced around the room. Seeing the nametag dangling on the girl’s chest, she realized that Sherry was the very same girl who had just been screaming from the middle of the guys.

Looking at Sherry, who was on the verge of tears, Rian felt a strong urge to laugh. Did she ever stop to think if other people were scared when she locked them out?

Since Rian had been running at the back of the pack earlier, she had clearly seen this girl hook her foot around the door to shut it just as Sarah was trying to enter, followed by the guys pressing their weight against it to keep it closed.

Watching Sherry whine and act cute, begging the three guys to take her place, left Rian utterly speechless. This girl was the ultimate toxic teammate.

Rian, Sarah, and the couple stood to the side in silence, just watching to see what kind of nonsense Sherry would spew next. The outspoken girl from the couple immediately fired off, "If you’re too scared to do a solo mission, why the hell did you sign up for an extreme horror escape room?"

"When they asked earlier, you agreed louder than anyone else, and now you’re putting on this pathetic act! You’re such a two-faced b—!"

Hearing the girl’s vicious comeback, Rian almost cheered, "Well said!" Even though she couldn’t clearly see the girl’s face in the dark, the gloom couldn’t mask the absolute boss energy radiating from her.

Seeing that her words were being ignored by Sherry, the group’s newfound "Queen" spoke up again. "Hey, don’t pretend you can’t hear me! You weren’t this timid when you were locking the door on everyone else, were you? You really are a f—ing piece of work, aren’t you?"

Under the Queen’s relentless assault, The White Lotus looked to the three guys beside her for help, only for all three of them to actively avoid her gaze.

The White Lotus shot Rian a venomous glare. The unwarranted hostility left Rian completely baffled. Just as she was about to say something, Sarah lost her temper.

"What the f—k are you glaring at her for? You think you’re in the right for locking us out?! Did the doctor accidentally snip off half your brain when they cut your umbilical cord? Who the hell are you rolling your eyes at? Are you a f—ing idiot? You’re the villain here, so stop playing the victim and get your a— out there to do your solo mission! F—k you!"

The outspoken Queen joined the fray once again. "If you don’t get out there and do your mission right now, the four of us are going to physically throw you out there. If you can’t handle the game, then don’t play! Who the f—k are you putting on this innocent White Lotus act for? Isn’t it disgusting? As a girl yourself, how could you screw over other girls like that? You f—ing b—!"

Unable to take the humiliation any longer and knowing she was in the wrong, The White Lotus realized the guys weren’t going to speak up for her. She had no choice but to leave the classroom, carefully using her map to grope her way through the dark toward the restroom.

It didn’t take long for the people waiting in the classroom to hear a piercing scream, followed by the chaotic sounds of a chase. The security guard’s booming curses echoed down the hall, and they even heard the NPC screeching "Sherry" in a high-pitched, terrifying voice.

The group in the classroom was stunned by the sheer intensity of the scare, but they didn’t feel an ounce of pity for her. Soon enough, they heard frantic footsteps approaching. A moment later, a girl with wild, disheveled hair dashed back into the room.