Chapter 332: New Knowledge
"What were we talking about playing?"
"Wasn't it Sheldon's three-dimensional chess?"
"How could we? Why would we do something so boring?"
"Hey! What's boring about tri-dimensional chess?!" Sheldon protested indignantly. "I clearly remember we were going to have game night, a retro game night, right, Ron?"
A bright light flashed before Ron's eyes, and when he opened them again, he was back in Sheldon's apartment. The four young men were back to their original selves, sitting on the couch, arguing about what they had been playing.
Most amazingly, they had not only forgotten their experience with Jumanji, but even the mysterious game console that had been connected to the TV on the table had disappeared.
Of course, the large box of secondhand gadgets Howard had collected had also vanished. The only evidence that Jumanji had ever existed was probably the knowledge Ron now possessed about using various weapons.
However, even this knowledge was somewhat different from what Ron had possessed while still inside Jumanji.
Besides traditional weapons, Ron's mind was now filled with strange knowledge, like how to use an extension cord as a whip, which hurts more when you hit someone with a table versus a chair, and at what angle to swing a folding chair to make it most effective as a weapon.
What is all this?! Ron shook his head vigorously.
"Don't count me in for tonight's game night, I'm going out for a bit." Ron had an idea in mind, said goodbye to his friends, and headed out.
It's not hard to find out if that memory is real or not, right? Just go out and see what that abandoned house looks like, or at least try out this weird knowledge at a furniture store.
As long as he doesn't go to IKEA—Howard said that recently people have been filming inappropriate videos there.
The "haunted house" was located two blocks away from the apartment. When Ron drove by, he found that it was completely different from the desolate place he remembered.
The house was brightly lit, and through the windows, he could vaguely see many people chatting happily inside.
"Well, it all feels like a dream, but I guess this is probably the best ending," Ron muttered to himself, then started the car again.
If there's anything you can't figure out, just talk to someone; usually, you'll understand after talking it through. This is the most useful lesson Ron has learned since moving to America.
As for whether this approach is always advisable, that's another story.
At a Brooklyn diner, Max was preparing her cupcakes in the kitchen when suddenly she was tightly embraced from behind by a warm hug.
"Long time no see, Max." The person behind Max was Ron.
"Hey, Ron, aren't you afraid Caroline will catch us?" Despite saying that, Max still squirmed playfully in Ron's arms.
This girl is really a captivating little devil; even after spending so much time together, Ron is still sometimes mesmerized by Max's charm.
"I checked before I came in. Caroline isn't here, is she? She took the day off?"
Max turned her head, gave Ron a light kiss on the cheek, and raised an eyebrow. "No, last night she thought someone was following her. She grabbed a pot of boiling water, planning to catch whoever was outside, but she accidentally spilled it on her feet and burned them. She's at the hospital now, but she should be back soon. What, feeling guilty?"
The angle at which Max turned her head perfectly showcased her figure while keeping the rest of her body pressed against Ron's, giving Ron a double dose of temptation.
Again, Max is incredible!
"Smack!" Ron slapped Max's butt. "I'll be waiting for you at the usual spot."
The "usual spot" Ron referred to was a large, industrial dumpster. This was an idea Ron had borrowed from some trashy reality TV show, turning an ordinary-looking dumpster into a secret hideout for him and Max to fool around between shifts.
And this secret hideout was located on a street not far from Han's diner.
An hour later, Caroline limped back to the cupcake shop: "Max! Max! Guess what I saw! I just saw a giant dumpster moving by itself on the street! It was disgusting! I bet it was full of rats!"
"I can't believe there's something so nasty right here in front of our shop! I just called sanitation, they're going to haul that dumpster away right now!"
Caroline's excitement was short-lived; Max wasn't in the shop.
"Hey, miss! Thanks for the cupcake!" The sanitation worker waved to Caroline, who politely waved back.
"I should be thanking you, sir. Enjoy your cupcake!"
Meanwhile, inside the dumpster...
"Ron, I felt like our container shook again?" Max asked, sitting up, a little uncertain.
"Really? I thought that was just the aftershocks from what we were doing. You're overthinking it. I almost thought I was back in Brooklyn, in one of those subway cars during rush hour."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Bang!"
The dumpster shook again, and this time Ron finally lost his composure: "Okay, this time I really felt it. I think there might be some trouble outside."
"Really?"
Max asked, but her arms wrapped around Ron's neck again. "Maybe someone outside really does think this is just a regular dumpster being used for trash? Want to go another round?"
Ron was tempted, but before he could take any further action, the dumpster shook even more violently; he even felt like they were moving.
Ron quickly stuck his head out the window, only to lock eyes with Caroline from inside the cupcake shop. Their gazes met.
"Ron?!"
Caroline stared in shock. "What are you doing in the dumpster?!"
"It's complicated. Get the truck to stop!" If he could, Ron would never want to involve Caroline and would go out himself to stop the truck, but unfortunately, he wasn't wearing pants yet.
"Wait! Stop the truck!" Caroline quickly climbed out of the shop window to chase after the garbage truck.
Ron looked down. "Max, I have some bad news I think you need to know."
Max tilted her head. "What?"
"Are we about to be hauled to the landfill?"
"Worse than that..."
Ron was only halfway through his sentence when the dumpster door was already opened.
Caroline, already shocked by finding Ron in the dumpster, was stunned again by the sight before her: "Ron? Max? You two are doing that in a dumpster?! Ron, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Ron wanted to explain, but the words that came out of his mouth inexplicably turned into something that even surprised him.
"It's too cold outside, so we're warming up in here. Want to join us?"
(End of Chapter)
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