In this game of "Drop the Handkerchief," Su Yuan initially thought of two solutions.

Since the four segments of music are the same, he figured he could just walk to the desired position at the end of the song.

But he quickly dismissed this plan.

The margin for error was too small.

This isn't an ordinary game; it concerns the lives of several people.

Especially in the fourth round, any slight hesitation or exceeding the 0.75-second limit would result in everyone dying.

The safest method is what Song Xiaoxia is doing now.

While counting the number of lyrics, she ensures she takes one step per lyric.

The former is to check for errors, and the latter is to maintain rhythm.

Standing at position three was intentional because the moment the first lyric starts, Song Xiaoxia can move to position one.

Then, every four lyrics, Song Xiaoxia can complete a circle and return to position three, making it easier to count.

However, this method also has a drawback...

A song definitely has more than just lyrics; there will be pure music in between.

This requires Song Xiaoxia to count the number of lyrics while also keeping track of her steps during the pure music.

Moreover, she needs to ensure her steps during the pure music are consistent or gradually increasing.

Honestly, this doesn't seem like something a human could do.

Time passed by second by second...

"162...163...164!"

At the moment the last lyric ended.

Song Xiaoxia returned to her original position and dropped the handkerchief behind Xia Shiyuan.

According to her count, the entire song had a total of [152] lyrics, and she took [152] steps.

There were about 7 seconds of pure music in between.

In those 7 seconds, she took a total of 12 steps.

In total, she took [164] steps.

She completed a circle and returned to the starting point every four steps.

[164] is a multiple of 4, so after 41 circles, she ended up right behind Xia Shiyuan at position three.

"I didn't make a mistake..."

Song Xiaoxia breathed a slight sigh of relief and gained more confidence for the next game.

It's important to know that although the first round seems trivial, it actually sets the pace for her throughout the entire game.

One wrong step leads to another.

With the lives of five people at stake, Song Xiaoxia couldn't afford any mistakes.

Su Yuan, standing at a distance, relaxed slightly when he saw Song Xiaoxia's confident expression.

It seems everything is going smoothly...

But at the same time, he was a bit amazed.

For most people, walking to the rhythm of the lyrics is already challenging.

Because the tempo of a song is never consistent, it can be fast or slow, and when you're used to one walking rhythm, a sudden increase can easily lead to mistakes.

Once your steps are off, your mind can easily get confused, commonly known as "brain overload."

The purpose of counting the lyrics was to prevent mistakes during the [timing].

And while Song Xiaoxia kept her steps in sync with the lyrics, she was also silently counting the number of lyrics and her steps during the pure music.

To multitask under such immense pressure without making a mistake?

Su Yuan asked himself if he could do it, and he wasn't sure.

He even thought that if Song Xiaoxia focused all her energy on studying, she could definitely get into one of the top hundred universities in Qinghua.

Less than half a minute after Song Xiaoxia dropped the handkerchief, the bloody writing appeared on the blackboard again.

[Second round is about to begin]

"Drop the handkerchief, drop the handkerchief, gently place it behind the little friend, everyone don't tell him... Hurry, hurry, catch him, hurry, hurry, catch him..."

The eerie and hollow song continued to play from the broadcast...

Song Xiaoxia clenched her fists, took a step forward, and silently reminded herself not to be nervous.

The more nervous she was, the more likely she was to make a mistake.

This round, she planned to drop the handkerchief behind Wu Bin at position one.

Because there's a rule that the steps can't pause for more than a second, the margin for error is definitely higher if you take more steps rather than fewer.

Passing it clockwise, as long as she takes one extra step each round, she can end this deadly game!

This round, she no longer needed to count the lyrics.

She just needed to remember her steps, ensuring she took exactly [165] steps this round.

The best way was to quicken her pace during the few seconds of pure music and take [13] steps.

That way, even if she made a mistake, she could adjust during the second part of the lyrics.

Song Xiaoxia seemed more relaxed in the second round; her natural sense of rhythm had already familiarized her with the melody of the song.

The music ended.

The handkerchief landed behind Wu Bin at position one.

At this rate, the game would soon be over.

A relaxed smile appeared on Song Xiaoxia's face.

[Third round is about to begin]

The bloody writing didn't allow for any rest or adjustment time, and the broadcast continued with the song.

"Drop the handkerchief, drop the handkerchief..."

The moment the music started.

Everyone present was stunned.

Because the entire song had sped up!

It was as if someone had suddenly set it to double speed.

Caught off guard, Song Xiaoxia's steps were already messed up in the first two steps.

Everyone's hearts instantly jumped to their throats.

Because six words of the lyrics had already been sung, and Song Xiaoxia had only taken two steps, her walking rhythm was disrupted.

Song Xiaoxia's expression showed some panic.

She had only seen the bloody writing mention four segments of the same music.

But she hadn't expected the song's speed to change.

After a brief panic, Song Xiaoxia quickened her pace, even breaking into a jog, trying to keep up with the lyrics.

The people present didn't quite understand her intention.

Her steps were already off; was there any point in adjusting now?

"38...39..." Song Xiaoxia ran along with the lyrics, counting her steps, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

Every time she counted to the pure music, her steps would reach 76.

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She didn't know if there was a better way, but in less than a minute, this was the only method she could think of.

When she counted to [61], the song abruptly stopped, replaced by a segment of pure music.

The moment the music started, Song Xiaoxia began running around the circle at full speed.

The previous seven seconds of pure music, when accelerated, might only be 3.4 seconds.

She needed to... No, there was no time to calculate!

Gritting her teeth, Song Xiaoxia jogged while counting her steps.

When the song resumed, her steps reached 85.

[4's multiple plus 1]... She glanced down, finding herself at position one.

Correct.

At the brink of life and death, Song Xiaoxia's potential was unleashed, her brain working furiously.

The remaining number of lyrics was [76].

The total steps she needed to reach position two this round were [166].

At the end of the song, she still needed to take [81] steps.

To ensure no mistakes, she had to reach 156 steps by the tenth last word of the lyrics, standing at position three.

In five of those words, she just needed to take two steps.

The immense physical and mental exertion made her vision blur slightly.

But with a strong will to survive, Song Xiaoxia gritted her teeth and persevered.

"So tired, if I can survive this, I never want to see numbers again," Song Xiaoxia thought to herself.

The moment the music ended...

The handkerchief landed precisely behind Ye Runhai at position two.