When Mo Yang returned to the inn with seven ceramic cats, each with a different facial expression, it was already past 5 o’clock in the afternoon. He and Wan Mei encountered other players who had also come back after gathering information, right at the entrance of the inn.
Unlike Mo Yang’s smiling face and Wan Mei’s expressionless face, these players had cautious looks on their faces. It was clear that they had discovered something this afternoon.
However, perhaps due to the competitive nature of the game, except for the players they knew, hardly anyone took the initiative to interact with others. Mo Yang noticed one player with a particularly unpleasant expression and wanted to remind him, but before he could approach, the player became alert and left.
Mo Yang: “…” Forget it, I shouldn’t meddle in other people’s business now. Even if I try, no one will accept it.
Mo Yang pulled Wan and didn’t go back to their room. Soon, Zhou Luoluo, Rose, Zhou Api, and Captain Song, who had brought back a lot of delicious food, all returned. The six of them gathered directly in Zhou Api’s room, eating and discussing the gains of the afternoon.
Mo Yang first talked about the incident with the little boy and his family and the stall owner they found at the amusement park.
“I have never seen parents who, after their child fell, ask the child to say they are happy. Nor have I seen a vendor who, after having their merchandise taken away, still wears a grateful expression. This town is definitely abnormal. Combining Linlin’s clues and the system’s completion evaluation, at least one thing can be confirmed: in this town, you cannot say you are ‘unhappy.'”
Zhou Luoluo nodded repeatedly while eating a piece of rainbow cake.
“Brother Hei, you’re right! Not only can’t you say ‘unhappy,’ but it seems you have to keep saying ‘I am happy’ all the time to feel at ease. Rose and I went to soak in the hot springs, which should have been a very comfortable and relaxing thing, but suddenly we saw a couple quarreling while we were soaking. Good heavens, I can’t believe what I saw!”
Zhou Luoluo’s expression on her face was particularly conflicted.
“The husband couldn’t control his eyes and kept looking at the beautiful women in the hot springs. His wife was clearly very angry, but she kept smiling. In the end, the wife couldn’t take it anymore and slapped her husband in the face.
She even said, ‘You finally succeeded in making me hit you, are you happy now? I finally got to hit you, and I’m so happy.'”
“Then, Brother Hei, Brother Bai, and Boss Bao, guess what happened next?”
Wan Mei, the Great Demon King, coldly ate his cold fried noodles.
Captain Song’s mouth twitched. “Although that man deserved it, being slapped by his wife in front of so many people, he should be angry, right?”
Zhou Luoluo shook her head vigorously, her eyes shining as she looked at Mo Yang.
Mo Yang pondered for a moment. “Smiling at each other while slapping each other in the face and insulting each other?”
Zhou Luoluo’s face immediately showed a look of astonishment.
“Brother Hei, you’re amazing! That’s exactly it! My goodness, the husband and wife were slapping each other’s faces, even though their faces were already swollen, and the words they said were all direct criticisms and insults, but they were still smiling!”
“They were saying things like, ‘I finally revealed this about you, and I’m so happy,’ or ‘I finally saw your true colors, and I’m thrilled.’ If it weren’t for the staff stopping them with smiles in the end, I would have thought they would keep slapping until someone fainted!”
Zhou Luoluo concluded, “I have never seen such a bizarre argument before!”
Rose, eating a rose-shaped pastry, shook her head.
“It’s not bizarre, it’s terrifying. Think about it, what kind of terrifying thing could make the people in this town become like this? They have to express all emotions, including anger, sadness, grief, and frustration, as ‘happiness’? Although ‘happiness,’ ‘joy,’ and ‘delight’ are good words, being restricted to just ‘happiness’ all the time can make one feel…”
Before Rose could finish her sentence, Mo Yang extended his long arm and handed her a piece of chocolate. Her eyes widened, she then saw the handsome man opposite her showing a smile.
“A handsome guy like me gave you chocolate, are you happy?”
Rose paused for a moment and realized that Mo Yang didn’t want her to say any ‘negative’ words.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Clearly, being cared for felt good, so the beauty smiled and said, “Indeed, I’m extremely happy. If you didn’t have a boyfriend, I would be even happier.”
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Finally, Demon King Wan Mei, still wearing a mask, revealed a smile in front of everyone. “I want you to feed me the grilled scallop ball.”
Mo Yang ate one ball himself before giving the remaining two to Wan Mei. Wan Mei also expressed his satisfaction, saying, “Hmm, I’m very happy.”
Zhou Api, Captain Song, and Zhou Luoluo: “…” You think just because you’re a dissection freak, we won’t dare to mock you!
Rose didn’t expect these two men to be so straightforward and calm. She sighed and thought that the handsome guys she was interested in were indeed both handsome and individualistic. What could she do? She could only smile and offer her blessings. Unfortunately, she wore a mask, otherwise, she might still have some competitive advantage if she revealed her true face.
However, she didn’t know that the two handsome men in front of her, who still looked great with their masks, had even better faces than she imagined.
Lastly, Zhou Api represented their group and shared some information they discovered in the gourmet gift area.
“The entire town has a total of 450 permanent residents. These 450 people are divided into three areas that maintain the operation and services of the town, with each area consisting of approximately 150 people.”
“There aren’t many children in the town, so there is only one elementary school. In addition to that, Happy Town also has a hospital and a church. We wanted to visit these three places, but outsiders are not allowed to enter any of them. I think there must be something fishy going on.”
Captain Song nodded and added, “When I was shopping, I saw a young man in the town who seemed idle and he directly snatched something from a vendor and walked away. Although the vendor’s face looked unpleasant at that moment, he still smiled and said he was ‘happy’ to help the poor.”
“But then another homeless man tried to approach, and the vendor kept staring at him. When the homeless man was about to act, the vendor kicked him and apologized, asking if he was happy. The homeless man left.”
“It’s a town filled with fake smiles. It’s really uncomfortable,” Rose commented.
Mo Yang and the others looked at Captain Song, who felt uneasy under their gaze. Just as he was about to say something, they forcibly stuffed his mouth to make him smile.
Zhou Api, Zhou Luoluo, Rose, Mo Yang, and others took turns asking him if he was happy, making Captain Song fake a smile while suppressing his frustration. He gritted his teeth and said, “Yes, I’m extremely happy! Happy to the point of dying!”
Mo Yang summed it up, “In short, we have identified the problem with this town. However, we’re still missing a crucial piece. We don’t know what consequences there might be if someone isn’t happy, and with a total of 450 people in the town, it’s difficult to identify the truly sad or fear-inducing individuals. Tomorrow, let’s continue investigating and talking to people in different areas of the town. Since it’s an escape mystery game, there will surely be clues that will come to light tomorrow.”
Everyone nodded, and after filling their stomachs, they planned to rest after some individual activities.
Mo Yang intended to take Wan Mei out for a walk to aid digestion. As they descended the stairs, they noticed a person laughing manically at the entrance of the inn. He appeared disheveled, like a homeless man, with most of his black hair covering his eyes, giving him a gloomy appearance. However, his face wore a wide smile.
He stood there clapping and laughing, singing:
“Are you happy? Are you happy? Everyone’s faces are smiling, ha ha,”
“I am happy, I am happy, joy blooms like a blood-red flower in my heart.”
“Are you happy? Are you happy? The flames of sin dance the samba,”
“Everyone’s face bears a smile, and the next one to bloom will be you!”
The lyrics of the song seemed to contain a hidden meaning, but before Mo Yang and the other players could react, the inn’s waiter chased the singing homeless man away, wearing a pale smile and carrying a basket of food.
Several players immediately ran after them, but Mo Yang thought for a moment and decided not to follow. If this homeless man was a key character, they would surely encounter him again in the coming days.
He approached the front desk and asked the pale and stiff-faced receptionist, “Who was that homeless man just now? Is he also a resident of this town?”
The receptionist wore a standard smile as he replied, “Yes, indeed. It’s actually quite fortunate for him. His family used to be one of the wealthiest in our town, but one night their house suddenly caught fire.”
“The whole family of four perished in the flames, and he was the only one who survived. However, after surviving, he went insane and started begging around, always singing these strange songs. The people in our town are kind-hearted and sympathetic, so whoever encounters him gives him some food to survive.”
Mo Yang furrowed his brow as he listened to the receptionist. “Is this something to be happy about?”
The receptionist’s smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly nodded and continued smiling, “Yes, it is. It’s lucky that he survived because being alive is always better than being dead, isn’t it? And his family members have all gone to heaven, so that’s also something to be happy about.”
Mo Yang and the receptionist locked eyes, and the receptionist’s smile grew increasingly strained, almost difficult to maintain.
“Oh, what’s his name?” Mo Yang asked.
The receptionist quickly responded, “His name is Golei.”
Mo Yang nodded and lost interest in taking a stroll. He returned to his room directly.
That night, nobody in the inn slept soundly. Even Mo Yang, if it weren’t for seeing a certain research enthusiast next to him studying leaves he had picked up on the road, wouldn’t have slept well due to anxiety. But when he saw the Great Demon King sleeping peacefully, he calmed down as well. Why worry so much? After all, nobody would vanish into thin air in the middle of the night.
Then, the handsome black dog fell into a deep sleep.
After Wan Mei finished studying various leaves he had plucked along the way, as well as small clumps of soil and even bits of the wall he had dissected with a scalpel, he turned his head and noticed his own pampered dog already lying on the bed, deeply asleep. The dog’s head tilted at a ninety-degree angle, making it look like it had fallen over dead.
Wan Mei’s eyes lit up with a hint of curiosity.
The next morning, when Mo Yang woke up, he inexplicably felt sore all over, as if he had slept in the most uncomfortable position possible. He turned his head and saw the research enthusiast in the neighboring bed lying perfectly straight, resembling a standard sleeping corpse.
Mo Yang pondered, “…” Was it just my imagination?
Mo Yang was rubbing his neck when screams of terror and shock suddenly erupted outside the door, followed by chaotic footsteps. Instantly, Mo Yang became wide awake.
He threw off the covers, put on the clean mask from his bedside, and rushed out in his pajamas. It was only then that Wan Mei, from the neighboring bed, slowly opened his eyes.
“Tsk, it’s so noisy.”
“What’s going on?” When Mo Yang opened the door to check the situation, Rose, who was wearing a face mask, and Song Kefeng, who hadn’t put on his human skin mask yet, also opened their doors.
Song Kefeng’s first glance was at Mo Yang, confirming that his clothes were in disarray but his face was the same. He let out a relieved breath, always suspecting that Black Cat Detective’s face was fake, but since it hadn’t changed in this urgent situation, it should be real. But wait, did his face look a bit bigger? Was it just an illusion?
“I don’t know. The noise is coming from downstairs and the adjacent rooms,” Rose said.
Mo Yang walked over to the neighboring room and knocked on the door, asking, “What happened? Do you need help?”
The door was forcefully opened, revealing a yellow-haired male player, the one who had talked to Mo Yang yesterday. His face looked grim, and when he saw Mo Yang’s forced smile, he asked, “Have you seen my companion? When I woke up, he wasn’t on his bed.”
Mo Yang didn’t think it would be a reason for someone to scream in fear, so he shook his head, “No. Maybe he went for a morning exercise and hasn’t returned yet?”
Weishi rubbed his face and opened the door wider, “He couldn’t have gone for a morning exercise. Come in and see for yourself.”
Mo Yang hesitated for a moment but eventually stepped into the room. Song Kefeng and Rose followed quickly, and Weishi didn’t stop them. Inside, they saw a bed with a slight bulge under the blanket and a few pieces of daily clothing placed nearby.
Mo Yang frowned at the sight, and Song Kefeng also scrunched his brows after a quick glance, “This bed doesn’t look like someone just got out of it.”
Weishi nodded with a wry smile, “Exactly. I slept later than him last night, so I know how his bed looks when he’s sleeping. Even the position of the clothes hasn’t changed. But look at it now, when I turned my head to check on him this morning, his bed was empty. It’s as if…”
The person sleeping in the bed had disappeared into thin air.
Weishi looked at the expressions of Mo Yang and the others, and added, “I think the rooms where the screams and footsteps are coming from have experienced the same thing as my room.”
At that moment, the system’s mechanical notification sound rang again.
[System Day 2 Announcement. There are currently 33 remaining players in Happy Town, with 17 players eliminated last night. Keep up the good work, hehehe.]
Weishi’s face changed, and the cries and footsteps outside also abruptly stopped. About five minutes later, someone arrived at Weishi’s and Mo Yang’s room.
It was a male player wearing a blue tracksuit, and he smiled cheerfully at the people inside the room, “Hey, guys, my elder brother wants to invite everyone to the restaurant on the first floor for a meal. We can discuss the game rules and share our discoveries. Let’s meet in the restaurant in ten minutes. We hope you can come on time! Of course, if you don’t want to go, we won’t force you.”
After speaking, he turned and headed to the next room. Weishi looked at Mo Yang and the others, and quickly introduced himself, “I’m Weishi. You can call me Weishi or Lao Wei. I plan to go and listen to their discoveries.”
Mo Yang nodded, “Call me Brother Hei or Black Dog. This is Rose and Xiezhi.”
Song Kefeng couldn’t resist joking about himself, “Call me Mr. Bao, my idol is Bao Daren.”
Weishi hesitated and said, “Uh, okay.” Your names sound quite casual.
Afterward, Mo Yang, Song Kefeng, and Rose left to wake up their remaining roommates who hadn’t disappeared. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant on the first floor right on time. Mo Yang glanced around and confirmed that almost all of the remaining 33 players of Happy Town were seated there.
In the center of the crowd stood a male player with a stern face, wearing glasses, and looking like an elite scholar. He glanced at the people around him, pushed his glasses up, and without wasting any words, he began.
“Seventeen people disappeared last night. Among these seventeen, I know that seven of them expressed their displeasure by saying the phrase ‘I’m not happy.’ This includes the player who was predicted by the town residents to not survive a day. So, I want to ask, among the remaining ten people, did anyone hear or see them say those words? If so, please raise your hand. And if anyone said those words but didn’t disappear, please raise your hand as well. This might verify a crucial point for surviving in the town that I have deduced.”
The crowd exchanged glances but no one raised their hand directly.
Then, a thick palm suddenly extended. Everyone quickly looked over and saw a middle-aged man with naturally curly hair and a naturally worn-out but somewhat handsome face, cheerfully saying, “Let me be the first to lead the way for our strategist. Yesterday, I said the phrase, ‘I’m not happy, and I can only get up if I get a hug.’ But, I’m fine, haha. This really makes people happy.”
The crowd: “…” They never expected those words to sound so chilling.
However, as soon as he spoke, two more people raised their hands. Both of them had expressions of inexplicable fear.
“I said it too. I hope I’ll be fine, right?”
“I also said it. I hope nothing happens to me.”
The scholar-like player observed them silently before continuing, “Thank you for sharing. This might indeed be a crucial factor. We need to investigate further. Please pay attention to your words and actions, as they seem to have consequences in this game.”
The atmosphere in the room became heavy, and the remaining players started contemplating the implications of their words and the disappearances that had occurred. The meeting continued as they discussed strategies and shared their findings to survive in the treacherous game of Happy Town.
Author’s note –
Today is such a delightful day. The Joyful Town’s sign is a smile. Work makes me happy, and I love my job. ◉‿◉
Also, as for Fake Smile Town, the residents are saying, “Are you all demons? Well, we are, truly happy, ta-ta!”
Muah muah!
Smile with your soul when your husband do experiments with you
Thank you for your translation 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
A “looking-dead” lying Mo Yang woke up the “researcher maniac” in Wan Mei’s heart. He’s probably one of Wan Mei’s favorite experimental subjects now. Mo Yang even got his body all sore LOL