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Speaking of the Black Cat Sheriff, Gu Mian had some connections with this cartoon before this damn game began.

He still vividly remembers one sunny morning; he was walking down the street and was abruptly stopped by a suspicious-looking old man.

"Do you want some 'cat movies'? The plot is incredibly thrilling"—that's what the DVD seller had said to him.

There was no EVD player at Gu Mian's house, but there was one at Chu Changge's home.

Thus, he brought a dozen or so DVDs to the house Chu Changge rented, just as Chu Changge was returning.

Afterwards, the two of them watched two whole series of the Black Cat Sheriff.

The old man didn't deceive me; this film was truly thrilling.

For quite a long period after that, Gu Mian felt a bit uncomfortable every time he saw the name 'Black Cat Sheriff'.

However, he hadn't expected to have such a bond with this animation. Now, they had reunited.

Gu Mian saw Fatty's joyful expression, which clearly indicated he had guessed correctly.

However, Fatty then showed a puzzled expression, seemingly not understanding how Gu Mian had figured out the answer was Black Cat Sheriff.

Gu Mian stroked his chin. "This phrase... Could it be any more abnormal?"

Qi Tian, standing beside him, was also taken aback when Gu Mian blurted out 'Black Cat Sheriff'. He probably hadn't expected such a bizarre phrase.

"Oh~" This sound came from the host on the high stage.

Host Green's tone was as twisted as ever, sounding rather sarcastic as he said, "I didn't expect Player Gu Mian in Cage Five to guess such an abstract phrase. Truly courageous and commendable, an example for everyone to learn from!"

Gu Mian noticed that this host's cultural level seemed quite low, and he loved to incite hatred towards him.

"And in Cage Four, 'I Desire to Rule the World'—I won't read out the full player ID—that contestant has already guessed one phrase, but the other three teams seem to have made no progress."

"By the way, there are less than three minutes left before the end of the first round."

The cage numbers were likely assigned by the host in sequence, so Gu Mian, who was in the cage at the far end, naturally became Cage Five.

The team next to him, Qi Tian's, had already started guessing the second phrase. His teammate was gesturing the number "five" to him.

Qi Tian's expression was very calm, as if he was sure he could guess the second phrase within the remaining three minutes.

Gu Mian also turned to look at Chu Changge and Fatty.

The content on the board above his head had changed, and from five meters away, the two of them were staring blankly at it.

That expression...

Gu Mian guessed that the phrase currently on the board above his head was probably even more outrageous than Black Cat Sheriff had been.

Even the host's attention on the high platform was drawn over. Gu Mian saw Host Green looking this way, a peculiar expression on his face.

But that expression was only momentary. Soon, the host gave a somewhat stiff laugh, as if trying to cover something up.

What kind of phrase could make even the host react like that?

Chu Changge's expression was also somewhat peculiar.

Fatty, next to him, was more direct. He was gaping, neck craned, as if he had seen something incredible.

Gu Mian frowned slightly. "How many characters?"

Chu Changge didn't move.

Instead, Fatty mechanically extended a finger, seemingly counting the characters.

They can't even tell how many characters are on the board above my head at a glance? Gu Mian felt the situation was not looking good.

Gu Mian watched as Fatty kept counting with his slightly pudgy hand, as if he had to go over it several times to get an accurate count.

Gu Mian saw Fatty swallow hard, then raise two open palms.

As if fearing he hadn't been clear enough, Fatty then made an "X" gesture with his hands.

Gu Mian drew in a sharp breath. "Ten characters?"

Fatty nodded uncomfortably.

This is truly epic-level difficulty for guessing words. Wait, can a ten-character term even be called a phrase?

Gu Mian quickly sifted through his mental vocabulary but couldn't recall any ten-character phrases.

He could only look expectantly at Chu Changge and Fatty outside.

Fatty hesitated for a while, then suddenly stuck out his hand, gesturing a "seven" to Gu Mian.

Seven?

Does that mean one of the characters in this ten-character phrase is 'seven'?

Fatty crouched, fidgeting for a moment. Seemingly thinking his hint wasn't clear enough, he then tried to kiss Chu Changge, but Chu Changge slapped him away.

Gu Mian said, "...This isn't another animated show, is it?"

The host also glanced over, looking somewhat unsettled, as if considering something.

The timer on the table was still emitting a green light. Gu Mian saw that less than thirty seconds remained.

So far, three groups had guessed a phrase correctly, and each had only figured out one. The remaining two unfortunate groups were panicking, looking very anxious.

In thirty seconds, if nothing unexpected happened, those two groups would tie for last place.

But he was worried about potential unexpected outcomes. If both those groups guessed a phrase correctly at the last minute, then the first round would end in a five-way tie.

The host had said that there are no ties in this game, only ties for last place.

Therefore, if both groups guessed correctly at the last minute, then all five groups would be wiped out in the first round.

The others had apparently thought of this as well. At this point, they were anxiously watching the two groups that hadn't guessed correctly, as if fervently praying they wouldn't get it right.

Qi Tian, nearby, was also staring intently at the two frantic teams, as if pondering something.

However, unfortunately, with a little over twenty seconds left, one of the contestants actually guessed the phrase correctly under pressure.

"Chu River and Han Boundary! It's Chu River and Han Boundary!" the man in the cage shouted.

Host Green laughed. "Congratulations on guessing correctly! Now, only one group remains, and the outcome of this round is practically decided…"

There were only a dozen seconds left in the first round.

The responder for the only team that hadn't guessed a phrase correctly was a little girl. She was extending both hands, gripping the cage bars tightly, almost sticking her head out.

Her eyes were wide open, staring intensely at her teammates' movements, not even daring to blink.

Her two teammates outside were also extremely anxious. Their movements were exaggerated, hands waving up and down as if they were about to fly, and they even spun in circles on the spot.

"What on earth... what on earth is it..."

The host's unhurried voice announced, "Ten seconds left."

His voice was very gentle, but to the girl, it sounded like a death knell.

Actually, the fate of their team was already sealed. Whether they guessed correctly or not, they would be eliminated.

If they didn't guess correctly, only their team would be eliminated; if they did, everyone would be eliminated.

But the girl was clearly still clinging to a sliver of hope. She probably thought that if all five groups tied, there might still be a chance to turn things around; it was better to gamble than to give up directly.

"Ten, nine, eight..." The host's deadly countdown continued.

The girl stared hard at her teammates' movements, her mouth unconsciously hanging open, her expression almost terrifying.

"Seven, six, five, four, three..." Only two seconds remained.

Everyone was closely watching that group's progress. If the girl failed to answer, the remaining four groups could all advance to the next round.

But, as fate would have it, just as the host was about to say "two," the flushed-faced girl suddenly had an epiphany and shouted, "Hearing the Cockerel Crow and Practicing Swordsmanship! It's Hearing the Cockerel Crow and Practicing Swordsmanship!"

The host's voice boomed, "Congratulations—"

But before he could finish his congratulations, two other voices rang out simultaneously, interrupting him.

"All Kinds of Tricks!"

"Snow White and the Seven Little Dwarfs!"