Xu Fang He quickly received the slip the Black man had sent over.

On the slip, six numbers were written this time: 3, 4, 5, 17, 29, 30.

Xu Fang He consulted everyone as usual. Learning that someone held Number 3, he crossed it out. He paused for half a second, then crossed out 29 and 30 as well.

Those present exchanged puzzled looks.

Xu Fang He replied flatly: “Decoys, nothing more.”

He then added: “There are still a few hours until Round Three voting. Everyone go back and rest.”

Someone hesitated and was reluctant to leave, saying to Xu Fang He with a worried expression: “Dr. Xu Fang, if we lose more members in Round Three, we’ll truly be…”

The yellow-eyes were down to just five people. Any more losses, and even if they held on through the final round of voting, winning the game would be impossible.

For the game’s clear condition was that after five rounds of voting, the survivors must all share the same eye color.

Five players left at the end, but not enough yellow-eyes — how could they possibly achieve uniform eye color?

Xu Fang He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed in meditation, and replied with unruffled composure: “Rest assured. I will handle this matter. Go back for now.”

Everyone had no choice but to leave, reluctantly.

Bai Youwei also wheeled herself away. As she exited, she heard two men talking in hushed voices:

“All that deliberate mysteriousness for nothing — if he’s going to say he’ll handle it, he should say how so everyone can hear…”

“I think he’s out of ideas. Last round he guaranteed not a single yellow-eye would be eliminated — and look what happened. We lost two people!”

“What are we going to do now… lose one more, and we’re truly finished…”

“Bamboozled by the blue-eyes, and then he goes on about Heaven’s punishment — honestly…”

“We never should have let him lead in the first place…”

The two men walked further and further away, grumbling and sighing as they went.

Bai Youwei watched them for a moment, then slowly wheeled herself back…

……

Coming to the door of her cylindrical room and about to open it, a figure slipped out from behind the building.

Bai Youwei immediately scanned her surroundings.

No one had followed. The area around her was utterly still, not the slightest sound to be heard.

She opened the door and beckoned the figure with a wave of her hand: “Come in.”

The one who had come was the red-eyed faction’s leader — the short-haired woman.

“The numbers they plan to vote for this round are 4, 5, and 17. The numbers Xu Fang He crossed out were 3, 29, and 30. I suspect his number is somewhere among 28, 29, and 30.”

As she spoke, Bai Youwei tore off a piece of paper and rapidly wrote down the numbers she had just mentioned.

The short-haired woman shook her head. “It won’t be 30 — 30 is a red-eye.”

Bai Youwei crossed out 30 and circled Numbers 28 and 29 with a mark of emphasis. “In the first two rounds, the largest number Xu Fang He ever listed never exceeded 27. I suspect his number lies between 28 and 29. Find a way to vote for both numbers next round.”

The short-haired woman looked at her with suspicion. “Are you really certain Xu Fang He is the X-Guest?”

“Not certain,” Bai Youwei answered candidly. “If it’s not him, it’s the Black man. There’s no third candidate.”

The short-haired woman was even more puzzled. “Why have you never suspected me? And why would you reveal your own number to me?”

— When the short-haired woman had called Bai Youwei an idiot, Bai Youwei had grabbed her wrist and asked if she was calling her by that name, deliberately stressing the word “me” — while using her finger to write the number “11” on the short-haired woman’s arm.

Bai Youwei said: “Because I tested you. You’re not the X-Guest.”

“You tested me?” The short-haired woman furrowed her brow, trying to recall. “…When was that?”

Bai Youwei smiled lightly. “Last night. I told you I suspected the Black man was the X-Guest. You said the Black man didn’t seem like it — that the white companion beside the Black man was more likely to be the X-Guest.

“If you were the X-Guest, upon discovering that I was suspecting the wrong target, you should have reinforced my incorrect conclusion — not tried to correct me. So you are definitely not the X-Guest.”