Su Man’s mouth fell open into a perfect “O.”

Bai Youwei kept walking.

Su Man caught up with her and asked in stunned, stuttering disbelief: “Youwei, you — have you already cracked the code?!”

“Almost… just a little bit more to go.” Bai Youwei walked with her hands clasped behind her back, taking slow, measured steps. “If a few more characters like those turn up, I should be able to work it out.”

Su Man was overjoyed. “You’re incredible!”

Beside her, however, Zhu Shu’s face was shadowed with worry.

More characters like those appearing could only mean one thing — the killers had chosen a new target.

The killers had anesthetic agents provided by the game. They almost never failed. Even someone with Su Man’s level of physical ability would find it very hard not to fall prey to them.

So then — how were they to protect themselves in the meantime?

Lost in thought, she barely noticed they had already reached the door to their room. From downstairs, a man’s shouting suddenly broke through:

“Someone help! Quick — someone help!… Fire! Fire!!…”

Along with the voice came a scorched, acrid smell, drifting up through the stairwell.

All three women froze.

The inn was on fire?!

“Lu Yuwen!” Su Man panicked and rushed back into the room.

Zhu Shu thought of Yan Qingwen locked up downstairs, her face going white as she sprinted toward the staircase.

Bai Youwei frowned and caught up with her. “Don’t panic. The game’s setting wouldn’t be this fragile. Besides, the Commissioner hasn’t said anything yet — let’s see what’s actually happening first.”

Zhu Shu forced herself to steady her nerves, though her footsteps remained quick and urgent.

They brought Lu Yuwen down to the first floor. At the same time, other guests, having heard the commotion, were streaming out of their rooms.

The first floor was thick with black smoke — as if the building really was ablaze. The smoke blurred everyone’s vision, yet there was no sense of the scorching heat of actual flames. Someone opened a window, and the smoke billowed outward at once. A cold, damp rush of rain-chilled air flooded in, and everyone shivered in unison.

What had happened?

The Inspector stood at the kitchen doorway, demanding in displeasure: “What on earth have you been doing in there?!”

The cook was also at the kitchen doorway, shrieking: “Good Lord! Look what you’ve done! You’ve ruined everything!”

Everyone looked over.

Out of the kitchen charged a soot-blackened, chubby bald man, his face crimson with flustered rage, bellowing:

“I just wanted a snack! Two meals a day isn’t nearly enough — how was I supposed to know the stove would be so impossible to use?!”

For a moment, no one could find a single word to say.

All this for a snack…

The woman holding the baby gave him a blunt dressing-down: “Are you serious?! Couldn’t you prepare your own food and water before entering the game?! Running to the kitchen for a mid-session snack, and then filling the place with all this smoke! You frightened my baby!”

“Will you shut up!” The chubby bald man snapped back viciously. “If you have food, then give some to me! I haven’t had a proper meal in a full day!”

The woman’s eyes went wide with alarm, and she clutched her baby tightly and fled back to her room.

At that moment, the man from Room 404 came rushing downstairs, still buttoning his shirt, coughing a few times as the smoke hit his throat. He asked: “What happened? I was taking an afternoon nap and all I heard was people shouting.”

He then caught sight of the smoky disaster coming from the kitchen, his eyes going wide in shock. “How did it get like this?! What are you all just standing around for — go in and fight the fire!”

The Inspector said in a tone of seething irritation: “The fire has been extinguished, but the smoke has yet to clear. As for you, sir — you must face the consequences of what you have done. Clean up this kitchen immediately, or I will have you arrested on charges of malicious arson!”

The bald man pursed his lips, but didn’t argue. He nodded cooperatively enough. “Alright, Inspector…”

The little incident soon came to an end.

With nothing more to see, everyone drifted back to their respective rooms.

“Unbelievable — what an absolute mess…” Su Man grumbled, hoisting Lu Yuwen onto her back again and heading back up to the third floor.

Bai Youwei stared at the blackened kitchen — and then turned a pensive gaze toward the disheveled, chubby bald man…

Something about it felt strange. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what.