As a Heliobus, Tutu now truly understood what pain was—and she got a taste of just how terrifying the map Pei Guang had created could be. When she was setting it up, it felt fun. But now that she was the one experiencing it, she just wanted to complain.
"Why is it so dark in here?! Why did I even put traps and horror gift boxes all over?! Where's my trash can?! My trash can!!!"
While being chased by the mask, she kept falling victim to the very traps she had set. Who knew these traps would even work on a Heliobus? But now wasn't the time to question that: she had no choice but to keep running and dodging under the mask's relentless pursuit.
Zigzagging through the large map, she finally spotted a trash can once she managed to block the pursuer's line of sight.
Having become the prey, she already knew about the trash can's hiding mechanic. After confirming that she wasn't visible to the pursuer, she rushed over and opened the trash can to climb in.
But the moment she opened it, she saw a floating slip of paper.
"You've been tricked~ This one's fake."
As the note appeared, the seemingly old trash can now had a clown's face painted on it.
"!!!"
Three exclamation marks popped up over Tutu's head.
What did that mean? It meant this wasn't a real hiding spot! While the mechanics never said anything about fake trash cans, she didn't dare take the risk.
She was just a tiny little Heliobus, if she got eaten, she'd have nowhere to cry about it. And worse, the mask had already turned the corner and spotted her.
The smile on the mask's face grew even wider when it saw her and the trash can. All Tutu could do was scream, "Ghost!!" and start running again.
For Tutu, today was undoubtedly the most unforgettable day of her life. First, her own scam got turned on her, then she ended up working for someone else, only to get sabotaged by herself.
She ran. But this time, the mask didn't rush after her. Instead, it turned its attention to the trash can, looking at the floating note, then at the panicking little Heliobus running away. Its smile grew even brighter.
"She believed it~ She believed it~ Hehehe~"
Was the trash can fake? Of course not. The note was just a bluff. It was a real hiding spot Pei Guang had made when building the map. As for the clown design on the trash can? Pei Guang never said participants couldn't paint on the trash cans or stuff paper inside them.
And if Tutu believed the note? That was her own problem. Of course, there were still even more interesting things waiting for her up ahead.
Before Pei Guang officially activated the space, Aha's mask could enjoy playing some games with this little Heliobus—soaking in all the tiny bits of delight.
To Aha, big fun was fun, and small fun was still fun. As long as there was fun, that was enough.
Pei Guang, for his part, had no idea what was going on inside the map. After explaining the situation to everyone, he stuck a big sign near the map's entrance that read: "The Foxian Beauty's Residence~"
Then, he turned to Huohuo, who had been watching him this whole time: "Huohuo~ Can I trouble you with something in a bit?"
"Eh? W-What is it?"
Because they'd successfully beaten up the Lord Ravager together yesterday, Huohuo was feeling pretty confident now, though that confidence was mostly just her own perception. To outsiders, she still seemed... not very confident.
Pei Guang said, "You've heard of the Foxian Beauty thing, right?"
Huohuo nodded. "While you were busy just now, March told me about it. Are you asking me to play the Foxian Beauty? I—I can't… I'm not pretty enough, and, and…"
Since she'd had so much fun playing with Pei Guang yesterday, she ended up too excited to sleep last night. That left her with light dark circles under her eyes today. They weren't very obvious, but still: if she had to impersonate the Foxian Beauty, she felt like she couldn't pull it off.
Pei Guang waved it off: "No, no! I think you're the best choice. You don't have to do much—when people come, just greet them and tell them to go inside. That's all."
"M-Me? I can really do that?"
Pei Guang: "Why not? March, be honest, what do you think of Huohuo?"
March 7th walked over and gave Huohuo a serious once-over. "Super cute! Super charming!"
Huohuo shyly looked down. "N-No way, you're exaggerating…"
Getting praised by such a pretty girl made Huohuo instantly flustered. Pei Guang patted her on the shoulder: "March never lies! If she says you're cute and pretty, then you definitely are. You'll be perfect for the part."
Huohuo: "B-But I…"
Huohuo was still nervous. She didn't know how to face those people.
Pei Guang said, "Don't know what to say? It's fine, just say: 'Gentlemen~ This way please. This lady has been waiting for a long time.'"
Huohuo asked, "That simple?"
Pei Guang replied, "Exactly that simple. Don't worry, these people have already been charmed by the Heliobus; their basic judgment has been heavily impaired. As long as you tell them where the Foxian Beauty is, they'll definitely take the bait."
Huohuo hesitated. "But isn't this… kind of wrong?"
Pei Guang could tell what Huohuo was worried about, so he explained, "It's fine. I was asked to help them understand that pies don't fall from the sky, and that the Foxian Beauty wouldn't want nothing in return. Sure, there might be people in the world who help others just to feel good, but if someone truly wants nothing, they're probably the type to harvest your kidneys without anesthesia!"
After a short pause, Pei Guang continued, "Besides, this is a good chance for you to practice how to deal with people who've been charmed by the Heliobus. I'm even thinking, if this map works really well, I'll hand the whole thing over to you to manage."
Huohuo more or less understood what Pei Guang was getting at. "I get it… but I… I might not do well… And giving it to me… I don't think I can…"
Pei Guang reached out and patted her on the head. "It's fine. Huohuo is so cute—no matter how you handle it, it'll work out. Besides, who says you can't do it? Look across the whole Xianzhou Luofu, not even a single phase of that Lord Ravager's illusion could be beaten by anyone else!"
Beating a phase of the Lord Ravager, something Huohuo had never even dreamed of, was a huge encouragement. Even with her fate, she had regained a little confidence after that battle.