Three nails left in her hand. Seven suckers still unfilled.

The music box had been taken apart, the wheelchair taken apart — where else were they supposed to find nails?!

They had made it through spring and made it through summer; they were so close to clearing the game, and now were they really going to all die right here?!

Bai Youwei felt as though her brain was about to explode!

She was not willing to accept this!

She refused to lose! She would not accept it!!!

…

Those who lacked combat ability had all gone upstairs. The sound of urgent footsteps filled the house — thump thump thump, thump thump thump…

Yan Qingwen and Shen Mo remained on the first floor, prepared to buy time when the Nail-Tooth Beast went berserk, fighting to give their companions a chance to survive.

Su Man and Li Li stayed behind as well.

Li Li said: “I have beads. I can still throw a few at it!”

It was a life-or-death moment — Su Man hadn’t wanted to argue with him, but still couldn’t stop herself from snapping back: “Your glasses lenses are all scratched! What are you contributing?! Even with only my left hand I can throw better than you!”

Zhu Shu went up and came back down, clutching beads in her hand, standing at the foot of the staircase: “…I can help too.”

Yan Qingwen’s voice went sharp: “What is everyone doing?! Unless you have puzzle pieces, all of you get upstairs!”

“…Wait!” Bai Youwei suddenly called out.

Everyone looked at her.

Bai Youwei’s face was snow-white. Gripping an iron nail, she was slowly placing it into the Nail-Tooth Beast’s gaping mouth. “Li Li, come here…”

Li Li was taken aback, then grew indignant: “Don’t even dream about it! Just now I said I’d take over, and you insisted on fighting me for it! Now that the nails aren’t enough, you want to swap me in?! I’d have to be out of my mind!”

Bai Youwei had no patience for his noise, and snapped at full volume: “Shen Mo! Take his glasses — now!”

Glasses?

Li Li was startled again. Before he could even react, everything in front of him went blurry! Shen Mo had taken his glasses!

“Screwdriver!” Yan Qingwen called out, passing it to Shen Mo at once.

Li Li was bewildered: “Yan Ge…”

Yan Qingwen had no time to explain. He and Shen Mo together quickly unscrewed the temples from the glasses frame, then detached the two tiny screws supporting the nose pads — exactly four nails!

“Nails!” Su Man exclaimed, excitedly slapping Li Li on the back. “Li Li, you’re amazing!!!”

Li Li stood in a fog, reeling from the slap —

What had just happened? How had he suddenly become amazing? What exactly was going on, and why was Su Man praising him of all things?!

“That’s it!” Bai Youwei placed the last nails and let out a long breath!

The Nail-Tooth Beast closed its mouth.

Its iron-nail teeth rang out with a metallic snap-snap sound — snapped open, snapped shut!

It seemed quite pleased with the effect, and was no longer itchy. Still clacking its teeth together rhythmically, it turned around and ambled away…

People came trooping downstairs one after another, watching the door with bated breath.

The monster’s silhouette grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

It was truly gone…

…

The crystal ball on the floor slowly rose into the air. The childlike voice was as dark as it had ever been — like a demon crawling up from underground:

“You… actually cleared the game…

You… actually… passed through my doll house…”

The voice echoed hollowly. The sphere swelled and expanded.

Everyone cautiously stepped back, clustering together, watching the ball swell larger and larger. The snowflakes inside spun in a frenzied whirlwind — as though they might at any moment tear free from within it!

Until — boom!

A burst of white light!

The crystal ball shattered into a glittering dust of fragments. The snowflakes became solid, drifting one by one down into everyone’s open palms —

“Congratulations to all players on clearing this game. Total number of cleared players… ten.”

In the place where the crystal ball had been, a glowing white orb of light appeared.

The childlike voice, cold and stripped of all emotion:

“Settlement of game rewards now begins.

Each cleared player will receive one winter snowflake.

The player who received the most recognition from the guests may claim the title of ‘Master of the Doll House,’ becoming the doll house’s true owner.”