Chapter 22: Jigsaw Puzzle
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Everyone was quite surprised by the sudden appearance of the owl.
Whether it was the “experiences of senior members of the organization” or “information acquired through compensation,” none of them had mentioned this prelude before entering the subway car.
For Tang Lin and his group, who had recently experienced the death elevator, seeing the same little owl again not only surprised them but also cast a layer of complex shadows.
The little owl didn’t care about the emotions of the challengers and continued to chatter on its own:
[Are you all waiting for the subway doors to open? Well, the password to open the doors is right there in the Password Grid~~ Here’s a hint: the password consists of five different animals, and the order doesn’t matter. If you select all the correct animals, the subway doors will open for you individually. A solemn warning: selecting five animals counts as one password attempt, and if you input the wrong password three times in a row, you’ll lose the qualification to continue the challenge…]
[The time to input the password is only one hour, and there are only 100 spots available on the subway. Regardless of which condition is met first, the subway will depart. So, everyone needs to hurry up~~]
[Lastly, here are a few pieces of advice for you: First, pay attention to the advertisement screens; Second, establish clear roles; Third, make good use of the Stationery Tree, the tree is your world~~]
“Hoot, hoot,” the little owl made two sounds, then its skull rolled to the edge of the screen and disappeared.
With the owl gone, the 200 people stood there, collectively bewildered.
So, out of the 200 people who entered, only 100 can get on the subway, and if you input the wrong password three times in a row, you lose the qualification to “continue” the challenge. Does this mean that the first level had already begun?
Okay, there’s no problem with starting the challenge on the platform, but “the password consists of five different animals” was what kind of hint? There were a total of 100 different animals in the grid, and you only have three chances. Who knew what to choose!
Listening to everything, the only somewhat reasonable direction seemed to be the last few pieces of advice…
After digesting all the information, people began to look at the advertisement screens one after another.
It was only then that they noticed there were five advertisement screens in the subway station, all concentrated at the end of the station, which was within their field of view.
The owl had appeared on the middle screen.
And now, the patterns on the five rectangular advertisement screens had all turned into half-empty frames, with the other half filled with jumbled fragments. Upon closer inspection, each fragment was shaped like a jigsaw puzzle piece.
“Could it be that we have to assemble the puzzles?” someone in the crowd said.
Then someone immediately followed up, “Five puzzles, five animals, it must be it—”
“But these puzzle pieces are so small! There must be two or three thousand pieces in one set. How can we finish assembling in just one hour?”
“That’s why it suggested that we should have clear roles—”
“In fact, there’s no need to complete the whole puzzle. We just need to assemble a rough idea of what animal it is…”
“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s start assembling!”
With a clearer idea in mind, everyone became more motivated. Several people immediately rushed to the screen they had chosen and randomly clicked on a piece of the puzzle, dragging it into the empty frame. As expected, the fragment moved along with it.
However, after dragging two or three pieces, they realized it was not feasible.
With two or three thousand puzzle pieces and such a chaotic assembly, it was impossible to finish it in just one hour, or even in a day.
Most of those who acted impulsively were the free challengers. Those who were organized did not move hastily. They either stared at the advertisement screens in thought or focused on the password grid, or quietly discussed with their companions.
Blind actions were always inefficient. Only by understanding the rules and the situation could the most effective methods be devised.
Among the jigsaw puzzle fragments on the advertisement screen and the animal patterns on the password grid, Nan Ge looked back and forth several times with her three companions, whispering in confusion, “There are no animals with a single color in the password grid, but look at those puzzle fragments, they have all sorts of colors, and it’s impossible to determine the main color scheme. This is really strange.”
In fact, not only the one hundred animals in the password grid but also most animals in the world had primary colors adapted to their environments. Animals like elephants, lions, and bears with monochromatic colors were self-explanatory. Even brightly colored birds like peacocks had a primary blue-green color scheme. The dazzlingly colored macaws resembled a palette of pigments. However, when these colors were broken down and mixed together, they would still appear as extremely conspicuous “bright colors.”
But the puzzle fragments on the advertisement screen are all similar in appearance, and they have all kinds of colors, with none of them standing out.
“It’s not surprising,” Tang Lin stared at the advertisement screen calmly. “The password grid only contains animals, but the jigsaw puzzles don’t. They might have deliberately added a particularly complex background.”
Nan Ge was awakened by this revelation. “And the jigsaw puzzle and the password grid could be two completely different patterns.”
“Exactly,” Tang Lin nodded. “For example, if it’s all horses in the password grid, it could be a white horse, but in the jigsaw puzzle, it could be a black horse. This wouldn’t affect the hint’s effectiveness.”
Zheng Luozhu initially wanted to take a shortcut and try his luck by scanning the fragments with his naked eye, but after hearing this, he became desperate. “So, what do we do? Do we really have to assemble the puzzles?”
Tang Lin shook his head lightly, feeling that it shouldn’t be like this, but he had no clue about what the right approach should be.
Instead of looking at the advertisement screen or the password grid, Fan Peiyang raised his head slightly and stared into space with a thoughtful expression.
Zheng Luozhu knew when to be quiet and didn’t disturb the bosses’ thoughts any further.
Nan Ge, on the other hand, was drawn to the commotion nearby—the five major forces had already begun to take action.
The first to speak was He Lu, the leader of the Iron Blood Camp. “We have a total of 149 people among our five organizations. Each team will be led by their respective leaders, dividing into five groups. Each group will be responsible for one puzzle. This way, we can maximize efficiency.”
Clearly, they had also considered options other than solving puzzle fragments and the password grid. After ruling out various possibilities one by one, they had no choice but to choose the most direct but also the most labor-intensive method.
“I agree,” Dai Xiaoliang responded first. “The owl suggested clear division of labor, so let’s go with a simultaneous five-group approach.”
Zhou Yunhui wasn’t entirely on board. “We can solve the puzzles, but it might be better to concentrate our efforts on one first. Maybe if we finish one, the other four will have clues.”
“How can we concentrate our efforts? There are more than a hundred hands simultaneously dragging and clicking on one screen,” Cui Zhan teased Zhou Yunhui and then looked at He Lu with raised eyebrows. “Hey, we only have a hundred spots. If we really solve it, what about the extra 49 people?”
He Lu had no hesitation. “We’ll distribute them evenly based on the proportion of each group.”
Zhou Yunhui had been waiting to counterattack Cui Zhan, but after hearing this, he first looked at Guan Lan. “You guys are in luck. You can contribute six people, gaining over twenty extra laborers for free.”
Guan Lan blinked his eyes as if he had just heard it. “Oh? Didn’t I say it? We’re not participating.”
He Lu furrowed his brow and asked sternly, “What do you mean?”
Bald man waved his hand dismissively, struggling with his words, “I mean, you don’t have to count us Sweet…” Damn, it’s hard to say “Cough, you don’t need to count us six, just figure it out yourselves.”
He Lu’s face darkened completely, not because they lacked six people, but because he couldn’t stand them pulling back at a critical moment.
The Iron Blood Camp brothers didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, knowing that their leader couldn’t directly criticize outsiders. If it were members of the Iron Blood Camp, they would be educated to the point where they’d disown their own mothers.
“Everyone has their own goals,” Dai Xiaoliang was more diplomatic and practical than He Lu. “Time is running out; let’s quickly form our teams.”
Once the decision was made, they didn’t hesitate any longer. The four major forces were quickly divided into five teams and rushed to the advertisement screen.
Seeing them arrive, the “pioneers” who had been scratching their heads immediately stepped aside. They even passed on some advice, “Start with the edge pieces of the puzzle; they have a distinct shape, with one side straight. You can tell at a glance. Once you’ve completed the frame, start working on the interior…”
Most people gathered around the advertisement screen and started working. The platform was now deserted, with only Tang Lin’s group, the Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts group of six, the Nightwalker group of three, and a few scattered challengers remaining.
Above each of the five subway doors, a countdown timer and passenger count were displayed——
55:21
0100
Zheng Luozhu couldn’t fathom the secret of the password grid and found himself worrying inexplicably for the four major forces. He said, “If they really manage to complete the puzzle, others can just benefit from their efforts. Doesn’t that mean they’re making a wedding dress for someone else?”
Nan Ge shook her head and replied, “Cracking the password is just the first step; they still need to board the subway.”
Zheng Luozhu: “But it’s said that only those who enter the correct password can open the door, right?”
Nan Ge: “But it doesn’t say that others can’t prevent them from boarding the subway.”
Zheng Luozhu：“……”
[Make good use of the Stationery Tree, the tree is your world~]
Now Zheng Luozhu understood the malice behind this sentence.
The area where the puzzle was being assembled was already congested with the four major forces and onlookers, making it impossible to even see the advertisement screen. Some challengers on the platform were bored, so they decided to open the password grid and try their luck.
Three chances were given, which easily led people to think, “It’s okay to try once” or “What if I guess it right?”
As one person couldn’t resist the urge to try, two more followed suit, then three, and eventually several scattered challengers in the back. They all faced the empty grid interface, gesturing with their fingers, pretending to make selections.
Although outsiders couldn’t see their interfaces, they could observe their actions. Indeed, there were several individuals who tried to input something.
The results were apparent to everyone nearby – either they made a disappointed “tsk” sound, or sighed with regret, realizing they had wasted one attempt.
Zheng Luozhu watched in exasperation. People should have a realistic understanding of their abilities. Those who believed they could guess the correct answer among a hundred choices didn’t belong in this world.
“Thud——”
The heavy sound of something falling to the ground shattered the silence of the station’s otherwise steady air.
A challenger suddenly collapsed without any warning.
Nearby people were startled and rushed to inspect the fallen challenger. After a while, they raised their heads, shaking them at those around.
“Is he dead?” someone asked in disbelief.
Another person nearby commented, “He seemed to have been continuously interacting with the password grid…”
It was more than seeming.
Zheng Luozhu clearly saw that he had never stopped tapping away in mid-air.
Did he believe he could guess correctly? Even if he lost the qualification, he could just try again next time?
The deceased challenger’s thought process remained a mystery, and he would never have the opportunity for a fresh start.
The atmosphere in the station grew somber, even the onlookers by the advertising screen were momentarily stunned.
The so-called “losing the qualification after three incorrect password attempts” turned out to be such a grim consequence.
The lifeless body floated up in the purplish light, gradually ascending until it disappeared into the ceiling of the subway station, vanishing from sight.
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