He composed himself, forcing his mind to calm down. Fear was useless. The most important thing now was to keep looking for rabbits and get out of this place as soon as possible.
His gaze fell upon the locked cabinets. Where would the key be?
He began a more thorough search of every corner of the room, leaving no detail unchecked. Finally, his eyes landed on an inconspicuous air vent near the floor. The metal grate was a bit loose.
Lin Ye walked over and, with a firm tug, pulled the grate off. He peered into the pitch-black opening but could see nothing. He reached his hand inside, fumbling around until his fingertips brushed against a cold, hard, metallic object.
It was a small, rusty key.
"Bingo."
He used the key to open one of the cabinets. It was empty, save for a note stuck to the bottom. It read: "Your eyes deceive you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lin Ye frowned.
He used the key to open the second cabinet. This one wasn't empty. Inside sat a third red rabbit. It was exquisitely made, with two black buttons for eyes that stared straight at him.
A jolt of joy went through Lin Ye, and he reached out to grab it.
But the moment his fingers touched the rabbit, a powerful sense of unease washed over him. He suddenly remembered the note from the other cabinet—"Your eyes deceive you."
He paused, studying the rabbit more closely. It looked flawless, its red fabric so vibrant it seemed like it had just come off the factory line.
It was too perfect.
Lin Ye narrowed his eyes, recalling Rule 4: "You must find five red rabbits before the countdown ends, but do not touch the sixth one."
Could this rabbit be the trap—the sixth one?
But he had only found two so far. This would make it the third.
Lin Ye sank into thought. He didn't let the joy of finding another rabbit cloud his judgment. He was the kind of person who could remain calm under any circumstances, especially when his life was on the line. His usual flippant, joking demeanor was just a protective shell. Deep down, he knew better than anyone when to relax and when to be on high alert.
"My eyes deceive me..." he muttered. "Which means what I'm seeing isn't necessarily real."
Staring at the rabbit, an idea struck him. He pulled out his phone—thankfully, the device still worked. He turned on the flashlight function but didn't shine it directly on the rabbit. Instead, he switched off the room's single, dim light.
The entire room was plunged into darkness.
Lin Ye then shone his phone's light beam into the cabinet. Under the intense glare, the "perfect" red rabbit began to emit a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of black energy. Its button eyes seemed to glow with a faint red light.
"Just as I thought. Something's wrong with it," Lin Ye thought, a shiver running down his spine.
He didn't touch the rabbit. Instead, he closed the cabinet door and locked it again.
"This must be the sixth one, an early-game distraction," he analyzed. "Trying to mislead me with a visual trap. Too bad for them, my IQ is permanently online."
He had dodged a trap, but he was still no closer to finding the third rabbit. Time was ticking away. The timer on the wall now showed 01:58:XX.
He opened the last cabinet. It was also empty, containing only a drawing of a jeering clown.
"Dead end," Lin Ye said, feeling a bit frustrated.
He leaned against the wall, instinctively looking for something to relieve the pressure. That's when he noticed something new on the wall.
It was a mouth.
A single, disembodied mouth, bright red, as if it had "grown" directly out of the wall. Its lips were full, painted with vivid lipstick, and they parted and closed as if speaking without a sound.
Lin Ye immediately remembered the last rule.
[Rule 6]: Do not chat with the mouth on the wall. It's a blabbermouth.
"Hello there," the mouth suddenly spoke, its voice a sultry female tone. "Are you lonely, playing this game all by yourself?"
Lin Ye glanced at it, said nothing, and turned to walk away.
"Hey, don't go!" the mouth on the wall said, sounding anxious. "I know where the third rabbit is, you know. Just chat with me for a bit, and I'll tell you."
Lin Ye didn't break his stride, a cold smirk on his face. Trying to trick me? Not a chance. The rules said you're a blabbermouth. Chatting with you is bound to be trouble. You'd probably trick me into revealing personal information, and then that voice calling my name would be back.
"Hey handsome, just look at me," the mouth's voice turned pitiful. "I've been stuck in here for so long, and I'm so bored. Just say one word to me, just one, and I'll tell you where the rabbit is. I promise!"
Lin Ye walked to the other side of the room and began examining the old building blocks, treating the mouth as if it were nothing but air.
"What is wrong with you! You have no romance in your soul!" The mouth's tone shifted to one of exasperation. "Do you think I can't tell 'It' that you're here? You think shouting once solved the problem? 'It' is always looking for you!"
Lin Ye remained unmoved. He discovered a torn page from a book tucked under a pile of blocks. He picked it up and saw it was a page from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, showing the White Rabbit with its pocket watch, hurrying into a rabbit hole.
A rabbit hole...
Lin Ye's gaze returned to the air vent in the corner.
He walked over, removed the grate again, and this time, instead of reaching in, he shone his phone's light inside.
The beam penetrated the dark pipe, and deep within, he saw a speck of red.
"So that's where you were."
He carefully reached in, his fingers exploring the space until he finally pulled the object out. It was the third red cloth rabbit, looking just as old and safe as the first one.
"Number three, secured," Lin Ye said with a sigh of relief.
"HEY! YOU BASTARD! ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME?!" The mouth on the wall, seeing itself so thoroughly ignored, finally exploded in a fit of rage. "You think you're so smart? You'll never find the fourth one! Never! It's hidden in a place you'll never, ever think of! Hahahaha!"
Lin Ye dug a finger in his ear, placed the third rabbit in his pocket, and gave the chattering mouth a brilliant smile. He then mouthed two words at it: "Shut up."
The mouth, seemingly enraged by his attitude, began spewing an even louder torrent of curses and insults.
Lin Ye shook his head. Being a blabbermouth is a disease, and it needs to be treated. Suddenly, he remembered Rule 2 and the candy he hadn't dared to pick up.
A bold and hilarious idea formed in his mind.
He walked over, picked up the candy from the floor, and unwrapped it. Then, moving with the speed of a striking viper, he strode back to the screaming mouth and shoved the hard candy straight into it.
"Mmph! Mmph-mmph—"
The stream of curses came to an abrupt halt, completely muffled by the candy. The mouth twisted and contorted, trying desperately to spit it out, but the candy seemed to be stuck, refusing to budge.
And just like that, the world was quiet.
"I told you not to pick up things from the floor," Lin Ye said, clapping the dust from his hands with a stern expression. "See what happens? You choke on it. You should be more careful next time."
The mouth on the wall writhed in fury, unable to utter a single sound, looking utterly ridiculous.