Slashing, hacking, stabbing — none of it had any effect!

This Duke was an absolute wall of iron and bronze! No matter which part of his body they attacked, he showed no sign of feeling pain! Even when they managed to inflict some small wound in the moment, it healed again almost immediately!

Never mind injuring him — they couldn’t even slow him down!

Yu Yaqing and Su Man had only paused for two or three seconds before the Duke had already dragged Cheng Qian up to the third floor —

The instant he reached the third floor, the half-dead Cheng Qian suddenly let out a cry — half sobbing, half roaring!

Like a final act of defiance in the face of death, her eyes flew wide open. She twisted her body to one side, and with every last ounce of her strength she hurled two beads at the Duke!

Two beads — one dodged by the Duke, the other striking him on the shoulder.

The Duke’s body shuddered twice from the pain, and a displeased low growl rumbled up from his throat. Then he dragged her forward without pause.

“Why…” Cheng Qian couldn’t accept the outcome. “Why didn’t it explode… Why didn’t it explode?! Why — !”

Zhu Shu, having caught up to them, was also unwilling to give up. She hurled three beads at once!

But fortune had stopped smiling on her.

Beads without a thunderous detonation effect could only cause the Duke pain; they couldn’t do any real damage.

He dragged Cheng Qian along, moving faster and faster.

The bride on the floor was crying out! Clawing! Struggling with everything she had!

She even looked as if she would have been willing to gnaw off her own blood-drenched arm just to get free!

But escape was impossible.

Cheng Qian was dragged to the location of the punishment room.

The stone wall rotated swiftly. The Duke hauled Cheng Qian inside — and then the stone wall sealed shut, one second before Su Man and Yu Yaqing could arrive —

Boom!

Yu Yaqing’s fist slammed into the wall.

The wall didn’t budge.

From the moment it closed, this section of the wall looked no different from any other wall. There was nothing to distinguish it.

Yu Yaqing refused to give up and shoved the wall again with all her strength. Su Man and Zhu Shu joined her and pushed together, but still nothing.

“This isn’t how it should be…” Yu Yaqing tried once more to force the wall to move. “Why can he go in but we can’t?!”

Su Man pushed for a moment, ran out of strength, and stopped to catch her breath.

From inside came Cheng Qian’s agonized screams.

As harrowing as Zhao Lanfen’s had been last night. Just as horrifying. Just as reverberant throughout the entire manor, drifting on and on without cease…

The three women looked at one another in silence.

Their eyes held helplessness, defeat, indignation — and a grief tinged with dread of sharing the same fate.

That they couldn’t save Cheng Qian was cause for regret, yes. But what was more devastating was that they had absolutely no recourse against that beast in human form.

“The game’s rules are limiting us — that’s why we can’t get in…” Zhu Shu stared at the wall and ventured a guess. “Maybe we can only enter this room during the day.”

Yu Yaqing considered for a moment, then nodded. “That’s quite possibly the case. Night is the Duke’s time. Day is the players’ time.”

“Let’s go. Go find Bai Youwei.” Su Man let out a long breath and walked back toward the lower floor. “Maybe she has an idea.”

Thinking through things was never her strong point. In the past she had always relied on Yan Qingwen for that; now there was no one but Bai Youwei.

When they reached the lower floor, she was right there — Bai Youwei, waiting for them by the staircase.

Su Man shook her head at her. “We couldn’t save her.”

Bai Youwei looked as though she had already anticipated this outcome. She asked with calm composure, “Did you get a clear look?”

“Yes.” Su Man nodded. “I sliced open his formal coat. The collar of the shirt underneath — it was indeed missing a button.”

Yu Yaqing was lost in confusion and asked them, “What button?”

Bai Youwei produced the button and gently tossed it over. Yu Yaqing reached out and caught it, finding a small button with a gold-trimmed edge resting in her palm — one that looked vaguely familiar.

“This is a button from Hua Jiang’s clothing. It seems there’s no doubt it’s the same person.” Bai Youwei said mildly. “Since killing him at night doesn’t work, let’s try during the day. The game will always offer people a way out.”

“Kill him?!” Hu Ya, who had been silent up to this point, suddenly cried out. “You’re that certain that killing Hua Jiang will clear the game? What if you’re wrong?!!”

—