Chapter 20: The Power of the Boredom Detector

"How does this detector sound an alarm?" My heart tightened, as if I had been caught up in boredom. The alien is as excited as a child, dancing, appearing extremely excited, as if waiting for some big event to come. "The boredom detector never fails to respond, which means your boredom levels have reached new heights!"

"What new height? Aren't we bored enough?" Xiao Li asked in doubt, and everyone also discussed in a low voice, seemingly wanting to uncover the truth of this mystery. "Maybe a new level of boredom is coming!" Xiao Zhang looks expectant and is clearly keen on the challenge.

"So, what are we going to do?" I asked tentatively, hoping to lead the aliens to speak of their mysterious adventures. "Good, then you will enter the Great Escape from Boredom!" The alien's tone is somewhat playful, which makes people laugh. "This quest will bring your boring experience to a climax!"

"It sounds exciting and scary." I thought to myself, this is no ordinary boring challenge, full of unknown potential. "How do we get involved?" Xiao Zhang looked expectantly like Optimus Prime, as if boredom had brightened in his eyes.

The alien gave a mysterious smile, "Each of you needs to find the most boring moment in life, and try to exaggerate it to attract the attention of my absence." In the process, you will find that your life experiences are not only ordinary, but also full of humor and refreshing twists!"

"I think I've found my boring story!" Just as I was absorbed in the wonderful world constructed by alien speech, Xiao Li cried excitedly. "Did you guys ever hear the story about me competing in a manual car wash? What a drama in the midst of boredom!" I couldn't help laughing, but I also thought to myself, what kind of surprise and laughter will the challenge of this boring party of the universe bring?

"Manual car wash contest?" I cast a surprised look at Xiao Li, thinking in my heart, this is too "boring"! He slowly continued, "Yes, it was a sunny weekend, and I had a competition with my neighbors to see who could paint the cleanest car. Do you know how boring it is? It's like everyone's going through some weird ritual and they end up just wiping back and forth on the car."

"Shouldn't car washing be boring? How can we compete?" Xiao Zhang couldn't help asking, as if imagining the scene. "But imagine everyone washing and singing at the top of their lungs and competing over who has the most foam. It's a carnival of boredom!" Xiao Li had a triumphant look on his face, as if it were a great achievement in his life.

"That's a great story!" The alien nodded in agreement, "I think this kind of competition is perfect for our boring great escape, adding to the unpredictable drama!" He pointed to the boredom detector to gauge Xiao Li's story potential. "Each of you will have to pick your own boring moment to increase the difficulty and see whose story will impress the detector the most!"

"I'll do it, I'll do it! Xiao Zhang raised his hand excitedly, "I have a more boring story!" Just last month, I was brave enough to step outside my house to see how fast the grass was growing." He took a deep breath, as if he were about to start a wonderful speech. The whole office burst into laughter, clearly amused by the sight.

"How fast does the grass grow, and how do you observe it?" I asked curiously, almost wanting to know the details of the story. "Sitting in a garden chair, watching quietly, I have to say, time passes more slowly than this grass." But I'm going to document it! I have a little book for that, like a plant spotter." Xiao Zhang made a serious expression, which immediately made everyone laugh.

"Looks like our boring stories are getting better!" The detector in the alien's hand seems to be activated, emitting a faint light. "That's how I want to feel. Ready for the Great Escape from boredom?" This question ignited everyone's fighting spirit, as if the very ordinary life began to become magical at this time.

"But I have to say, it's not that easy to watch the grass grow, we also need a good time, so I deliberately chose the time when the sun is strongest." Xiao Zhang showed his "trick", which made us laugh.

The alien encouraged, "Ha ha, it seems that you must be able to find a lot of inspiration in this boring escape." Why not start with the grass for a long time? See whose story makes the probe glow the best!" His face was full of anticipation, as if he were excited about the humorous showdown that was about to take place.

"Well, it takes active observation for grass to grow fast! I think I can do it." Xiao Zhang put on a research posture, as if the botanist above. "I not only note the height of the grass, but also its color, texture, and smell!" His eyes glinted as he stressed, making us all laugh.

"You're a real researcher, but I won't be beaten by your bullshit stories!" Xiao Li immediately took up the topic, "I decided to share the story of the last time I went to the supermarket to buy food." It was a fight to the death! I was stopped in the vegetable section by an aunt who insisted that her choice of tomatoes was definitely better than mine."

"Sure enough, the boredom of grocery shopping can be turned into a fierce struggle." I couldn't help but interject. It was fun to imagine the scene, the laughter all over the place, as if unexpected fun was about to brew.

Just then, the alien probe suddenly flashed strongly, interrupting our discussion. "Your boredom levels are indeed rising, which is a remarkable start!" The alien is confident like a soothsayer, "Let me see who can win this boring escape and bring more laughter to this planet!" This mysterious turning point makes us all look forward to the next contest, and also feel that the ordinary life and humor are gradually merging.

"So, what are our rules?" I asked curiously, as my mind began to picture the race that would unfold next. The alien looked at us with a mysterious cat-and-mouse smile, as if enjoying the atmosphere. "Everyone takes turns sharing their boring stories," he said slowly. "The detector will give a score based on how exaggerated and funny the story is, and the team with the highest score will win a mysterious boring prize!"

"The mystery prize? That gives me a lot to look forward to." Xiao Li said with a smile, as if imagining what it might be. My mind began fantasizing about bizarre and hilarious prizes: a bottle of "boring energy drink" or even the "ultimate brain toy"? In any case, the lure of this prize is enough to make us go all out.

Xiao Zhang raised his hand excitedly: "I'll come first! I'm going to share my long grass story!" He got up and began to describe his leisurely observations in the garden in a very serious tone, deliberately exaggerating every detail. With his description, the atmosphere of the office became active, everyone listened attentively, and laughter gradually spread.

"The color of the grass, what I see is not green, but a fluctuating spectrum! It's a miracle of science!" Xiao Zhang waved his arms in an exaggerated way, acting in a good way. Other colleagues began to add comments: "His grass seems to be in hibernation and has no intention of growing!" Such ridicule made Xiao Zhang more excited, as if he had become the focus of today.

As everyone laughed, the alien smiled and said with the grace of a Greek god, "Now, let's see how the boredom probe reacts." He pressed the button on the detector, and the flashing light began to beat with the story of Xiao Zhang, and the atmosphere of the office was even more like spring breeze. The boredom detector instantly "TSK, TSK, TSK," and a colorful pattern flashes on the screen, revealing an amazing "boredom index." In an instant, everyone was staring at the screen, expecting the first score of this boring escape.

"Wow, boredom index!" The colorful patterns on the screen are getting more and more complex, like a boring fireworks show. "I knew my long story would be invincible!" Xiao Zhang is habitually intoxicated with himself, and enjoys everyone's eyes.

The alien examined the screen carefully and suddenly flashed a meaningful smile. "Let's see what new discoveries this story will bring." As his fingertips touched the keys, the probe let out an ancient growl that seemed to tell of its great mission. The color of the screen changes rapidly, gradually settling on a staggering number - "Boredom score: 999!"

"Ha ha, that's amazing! Xiao Zhang is the star of boredom!" Xiao Li held his stomach and laughed wildly, "Your long journey of grass is really extraordinary!" Other colleagues expressed their admiration, but Xiao Zhang was brimming with confidence, as if he had been given the title of King of Boredom.

I know. The next adventurer is on the way. "Whose turn is it?" I asked, and for a moment the office felt tense again. The crowd pointed to Xiao Li, who sat there as if calculating the boredom of the story he was about to tell. Xiao Li stood up slowly, smiled and joked: "Come on, everyone get ready to follow my boredom!"

"My story is not only boring, it's dramatic!" As soon as Xiao Li's voice fell, the atmosphere of the office suddenly became science fiction and humor. When he told about his experience of being robbed of tomatoes by his aunt, he exaggerated as if he detonated the audience. He used vivid body language to describe the "life and death contest", and even accidentally let himself become the protagonist of the fight, and the office burst into laughter again.

When Xiao Li's story is over, everyone is looking forward to the detector's judgment, "Boring score should also suppress Xiao Zhang, hey hey!" I silently calculated in my mind, did not expect the screen flashed again, showing "boredom score: 888", this time the score is lower than Xiao Zhang, but the atmosphere is rising like a tide. The alien's eyes gleamed with anticipation, and he was clearly curious about the story he was about to reveal.

"It looks like we're about to unlock the ultimate door to boredom." The alien lifted his chin, like a giraffe in an orchard, his eyes burning, "Next, your challenge is more exciting!" In such moments, the crazy atmosphere of the office and the new adventure about to begin gradually converge into an invisible force, making everyone feel that the ordinary life is actually full of infinite possibilities.

"Boring warriors, are you ready for the final challenge?" The aliens look excited, like they want to channel the boredom of the whole universe onto us. "Now, we're going to compete with each other to create the most boring gadget and see whose idea can pass the detector test!"

"The most boring thing? How difficult is that?" Xiao Li immediately retorted, clearly confident in the challenge. "I could bring a washing machine, for example, and see how boring the rumbling sounds are while cleaning!" He raised his hand as if the washing machine were right in front of him.

"Washing machines are not just any boring thing!" Xiao Zhang immediately interjected, "I say, if you want to bring something worse than a washing machine, just let people stare at the white wall." He made a serious thinking appearance, causing everyone to laugh again, "Look at the crack in the wall, that is really boring!"

"White walls are the limit, but this time we want a higher level of boredom." The alien tapped the detector with his finger, and there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, "You have to show your boring idea and tell why it is boring." Finally, the probe will give the final score!" He looked as if he had seen the future of the universe and looked forward to it.

Then a bold idea struck me. "Well, I can tell a story about being bored at work! For example, I was in the corner of my office the other day, staring at my iron chair, wondering about its color, its shape, even if it showed any signs of life." I tried to suppress my laughter and felt that my creativity was invincible.

"Great, it looks like our boredom is going to escalate today!" The aliens couldn't wait to see our inspiration, and the atmosphere in the office became more tense and hot. In the midst of this strange challenge, I felt that ordinary life and humor gradually merged, as if behind the boredom, we hid secrets and joys that we had not revealed.