Morning light filtered through the windows of the outer room, casting fragmented spots of light onto the cold floor. The dead silence of the night was softly broken by the morning breeze.
As Ren Yi followed Player 2 out of the room, his fingertips instinctively brushed against the keyhole next to the doorframe.
It was empty. The key that had been inserted there, the one capable of locking the room, was long gone, as if it had never existed in the first place.
Player 2 was still in a terrible state. His eyes were bloodshot, his face was as pale as paper, and his footsteps were unsteady. He looked completely out of sorts, frequently glancing over his shoulder as if he felt something was constantly watching him from the shadows.
The terror from the previous night had clearly not faded. Although Ren Yi's words—"The sun is up"—had temporarily soothed him, they hadn't managed to fully dispel the unease rooted in his heart.
"Don't be so nervous," Ren Yi said, softening his voice with a touch of deliberate comfort. "It's obvious we're fine now."
Player 2 twitched the corners of his mouth but didn't speak; his shoulders only grew more tense.
He had stayed awake for most of the night, barely holding on until dawn. His mind was filled with thoughts of whether an Anomaly would suddenly appear or if he would be the next victim. He could only process half of what Ren Yi was saying.
The two walked one after the other toward the hall. The air was thick with the faint scent of dust, mixed with a trace of inexplicable chill.
The manor remained frighteningly quiet. Only their footsteps echoed through the empty corridors, sounding particularly jarring.
As soon as they entered the hall, they saw Player 1 and Player 5 already there, leaning by the fireplace and conversing in low voices.
When they saw Ren Yi and Player 2 enter, both paused. Their eyes instantly sharpened with wariness, and they instinctively stepped a bit further apart. Only after confirming there was nothing unusual about the newcomers did they relax slightly.
"You're here too," Player 1 spoke first, his voice somewhat raspy. "Did you run into any trouble?"
Ren Yi shook his head, his tone natural. "No, everything was normal. It's just that the key in the room is gone."
"Our keys are gone too." Player 5 pushed up her glasses, her voice thin. "It looks like we'll have to find them again."
As they spoke, Player 6 and Player 10 walked in one after another.
Finally, Zhang Qiuqiu entered. She was wearing Player 11's clothes, her expression calm and devoid of much emotion. However, a hidden trace of vigilance lurked in her eyes. Her gaze swept inconspicuously over everyone present before she gave a small nod as a greeting.
With that, all seven remaining people were accounted for.
The group instinctively looked around. The hall was silent—no bodies, no bloodstains. Everyone was standing there safely. In that moment, the realization hit them, and looks of uncontrollable joy broke out on their faces.
"Everyone's here! All of us are still here!" Player 5 was the first to speak excitedly, her voice trembling. "Last night was a peaceful night! We're safe!"
Player 10 was even more overjoyed. He slapped his thigh and said with a skip in his voice, "I knew the Locksmith was reliable! The Locksmith must have made a move last night!"
The fatigue on Player 1's face dissipated significantly. He nodded, sounding relieved. "That's right. Having a peaceful night is all thanks to the Locksmith. I was worried before that the Locksmith wouldn't be able to find the Anomaly, but I didn't expect him to be this capable. He stabilized the situation the moment he acted."
Player 6 frowned, her tone carrying a hint of rationality. "It's hard to say. It's also possible the Anomaly just didn't find an opportunity to strike last night, since we were all in our rooms."
"There's rule protection. But regardless, everyone surviving is a good thing. At least it gives us another day to find the keys and the Anomaly."
"I definitely think it was the Locksmith's doing!" Player 10 countered stubbornly. "The Locksmith must have protected the Anomaly's target."
Standing to the side, the focus finally returned to Player 2's previously vacant eyes.
He listened to the discussion in silence. Though his expression remained flat, a bit of color had returned to his face.
Ren Yi leaned against a nearby pillar with his arms crossed. A faint smile played on his lips as he watched the group discuss, though he was sneering inwardly.
Zhang Qiuqiu stood in a corner with a calm expression, occasionally chiming in with a word or two. Her tone was natural, perfectly playing the part of an ordinary participant.
The group discussed excitedly for a long while, their words filled with relief and anticipation. The nerves they had kept taut for two days finally relaxed slightly.
At that moment, the smile on Player 10's face grew even wider as he spoke with great delight.
"This is great! Since the Locksmith protected someone this time, we can rule out another person!"
"The person who was protected can't possibly be the Anomaly, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the previously lively hall fell into an instant silence. The atmosphere shifted abruptly, becoming somewhat eerie.
The smiles on everyone's faces froze. Their eyes filled with wariness and hesitation. The air seemed to solidify, leaving only the sound of their shallow breathing.
Player 10 also sensed something was wrong. His smile gradually vanished, and he scratched his head, asking in confusion, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
No one answered him. The temporarily eased atmosphere turned daggers drawn once again.
Just then, Player 2 forced himself to rally his spirits and spoke up to break the frozen air, his tone serious.
"Alright, let's stop talking about this. We'll save the detailed analysis for the meeting. Now isn't the time for this discussion."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group before continuing, "Everyone should have noticed that when we left our rooms this morning, the keys had already vanished."
"A single day in this place is far from normal. We don't know how long the daylight will last."
"So we must find clues regarding the keys as quickly as possible. Only by finding the keys can we gain more initiative."
Player 2's words snapped the group out of it. The hesitation and wariness on their faces faded, replaced by a sense of urgency.
He was right. The disappearance of the keys meant they could no longer rely on their rooms to lock themselves in. Once night fell, if they couldn't find keys and didn't have the Locksmith's protection, they would be in extreme danger.
The group fell silent. They glanced at each other warily, but no one took the lead to suggest moving together.
After all, everyone knew that in this game of life and death, no one could be fully trusted.
Rather than moving together and constantly watching their backs, it was more efficient and safer to act individually.
A moment later, Player 1 was the first to speak: "I'll go check the rooms on the east side of the second floor. I didn't search that area thoroughly before."
With that, he didn't linger. He turned and headed for the stairs with hurried steps, clearly wanting to find clues as soon as possible.
Player 5 hesitated, looked at the others, and said softly, "Then I'll go to the study on the first floor. Maybe the keys are there." After speaking, she also left the hall.
Player 10 frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "I'll take the west side of the second floor. There are more rooms there; maybe I'll find something." He then left quickly as well.
In the blink of an eye, only Ren Yi, Zhang Qiuqiu, Player 2, and Player 6 remained in the hall.
Player 2 looked at Ren Yi and said flatly, "Apologies, I might need to go back to my room to rest for a bit. You guys pick your own spots." He then turned and walked back, clutching his forehead.
Ren Yi looked at Zhang Qiuqiu and Player 6. Player 6 didn't seem to have any intention of leaving, as she was looking down, deep in thought.
Ren Yi remained silent for a moment before turning and leaving on his own.
Rate on N.U.
