Zhao Lanfen and Cheng Qian’s screaming continued through the entire night.

Bai Youwei retrieved two small balls of cotton from inside her pillow, stuffed them into her ears, and went to sleep holding her rabbit.

She slept soundly and peacefully. Others tossed and turned, unable to rest.

Hu Ya rolled over on her bed and opened her eyes to stare at the darkened room, her heart refusing to settle.

Just now, Yu Yaqing’s key had failed to open the door. Did that mean the key in her own hand was the real one?

Or maybe… both keys were false?

No… no, that couldn’t be!

One of the two keys had to be real! Killing the Duke was not a viable method — and if the keys were also both fake, then how could the game possibly be cleared?!

Hu Ya couldn’t stop herself from sitting up in bed and squeezing the key tightly.

If the key was fake, handing it over would accomplish nothing.

If the key was real, she would have to consider whether the game only allowed one player to clear it — and in that case, she couldn’t hand the key over under any circumstances.

The final bride…

No matter what, she had to find a way to become the final bride!

Hu Ya got up, left the room, passed through the corridor, entered the hall, and came to stand before the sealed front door. She produced the key —

Click, click click…

She twisted the key left. She twisted it right. No matter how she twisted it, the lock wouldn’t yield.

She grew more and more frantic as she tried. She pulled it out and shoved it back in, over and over, but still the lock wouldn’t open!

“Why won’t it open… why… can it really be like Bai Youwei said, that it can only be opened during the day…”

She bit her lip, twisting the key while muttering to herself, and without realizing it a sheen of sweat had broken out across her forehead.

“Don’t bother trying.”

A voice came from behind her without warning.

Hu Ya gave a violent start and spun around — it was Yu Yaqing!

“L-leader,” Hu Ya said, flustered. “You… why are you here…”

Yu Yaqing didn’t answer. She only looked at her with cold eyes.

“Don’t you understand yet? Hua Jiang is the Duke in his daytime form. What he says cannot be trusted — he is deceiving us, trying to get us all killed in here!”

“I know…” Hu Ya forced a smile. “Of course I can’t trust what Hua Jiang says. I’m only here to try.”

“Only here to try?” Yu Yaqing fixed her eyes on Hu Ya’s. “Or are you trying to escape on your own? Hu Ya — what have I always taught you?! Hand over the key!”

Hu Ya stepped back half a pace and closed her hand around the key, returning it to her pocket:

“Leader — even though we’ve never entered a game before, we’ve overheard plenty of information about games from people at the exchange. In most games, it comes down to competition. Right now we both have keys. We should be working together to figure out how to win the game — so why are you letting them lead you around by the nose?”

“Hu Ya?” When Yu Yaqing saw this attitude from her, her heart seized with both shock and fury! Her voice grew even more severe!

“Have you lost your mind?! Do you truly think surviving to the end means you’ll get more rewards? Are you willing to betray your companions, to sacrifice others, for the sake of a reward?! Have you been brainwashed by the game?!!”

Hu Ya kept retreating, and said slowly, “I haven’t been brainwashed. I’m only doing what you taught me. Didn’t you always tell us to rely on ourselves — to be self-reliant and self-sufficient?”

Yu Yaqing said furiously, “That is not an excuse for hiding the key!”

“Why can’t you understand yet?” Hu Ya continued backing away. “…Right now I have the key in hand. I don’t need to rely on anyone — I can clear the game by myself! But you, Leader — I’m so disappointed in you… You talk endlessly about how women don’t need to depend on anyone, and yet look at yourself right now. Aren’t you the one who’s depending on them? Leader — they’re using you! They only have Su Man who can fight. Without you, they can’t kill the Duke at all!”

Yu Yaqing said sharply and low, “Only by killing the Duke can we leave this place!”

“That’s not right…” Hu Ya bit her lip, a wild, frenzied light flaring in her eyes. “Only by becoming the final bride can we leave this place!”

—