Little Seven was skilled. He had the door open in no time.

The tattooed man led his three followers downstairs.

He remembered the left staircase still had pepper powder and glass marbles, and not knowing whether anyone had cleared it up, he took them down the right staircase just to be safe.

The way down was smooth.

Too smooth.

So smooth it left him in a cold sweat.

His brothers just assumed the children of the welfare home were sleeping soundly, but the tattooed man knew — Bai Youwei would never be caught without a plan.

Down the stairs was the first-floor corridor, and beyond that was the activity courtyard. Cross the courtyard and you’d reach the welfare home’s one large iron gate.

The four of them reached the gate, and all stopped short — the gate was locked.

A large iron padlock hung on the iron gate, with thick chains looped around it again and again.

No matter, though — Little Seven knew how to pick locks. Without a word he produced his tools and got to work.

The tattooed man kept scanning the surroundings, his heart uneasy. He was both worried Bai Youwei might appear at any moment, and unsettled by the feeling that just slipping out like this seemed somehow… unsatisfying for the audience.

If the show wasn’t exciting enough, there’d be fewer gifts — and naturally fewer points coming his way.

But staying…who knew what Bai Youwei might put him through.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, he felt that leaving wasn’t such a bad deal after all. According to Bai Youwei’s terms, if he escaped successfully before dawn, she’d split half the points with him.

“What the—!”

Big Fatty suddenly yelped, and the tattooed man nearly jumped out of his skin!

“Damn it! What are you shouting about?!” he hissed in irritation.

Then he saw Big Fatty pointing down the first-floor corridor, cursing under his breath. “Boss, that little witch is back!”

The tattooed man spun around, and sure enough — it was Bai Youwei.

She wore her rabbit mask, one arm cradling her rabbit plush, the other hand carrying the long black electric baton, walking straight toward them.

The tattooed man’s heart gave a violent lurch.

The sight of that mask made his scalp crawl. His eyes, nose, and throat all seemed to start burning again.

“Run!” He yanked Big Fatty and Little Seven, then called for A’Ping. “Find somewhere to hide first!”

“Hide?! The lock is already open!” Big Fatty — all bulk, like a small mountain — stepped in front of them with an imposing air. “Damn it, I don’t believe some little girl can do anything to us brothers!”

With that, he raised his blade and charged forward—

The tattooed man thought maybe this approach would actually work. The lock was already open. As long as Big Fatty bought them a little time, they could work their way through the iron chains wrapped around the gate and get it open!

But the chains were wrapped layer upon layer — no time to unwind them all. Before they could, Bai Youwei and Big Fatty made direct contact.

Thud! A heavy impact, and Big Fatty went down without even a scream — electrocuted flat.

The tattooed man’s fear finally took on a very real quality. He let out a loud curse, and without further hesitation grabbed A’Ping and Little Seven and sprinted for the teaching building on the opposite side!

A’Ping complained even as he ran: “Boss! You never said she had an electric baton!”

“Are you all blind?!” the tattooed man roared. “A stick that long and you couldn’t see it?! Did I need to spell it out for you?!”

Little Seven was in a complete panic, gasping as he ran. “Boss, where are we hiding?!”

The tattooed man led them up the staircase, and his mind cleared with unexpected calm. He analyzed quickly: “These buildings all have staircases on both sides. We go up this side, and when she follows, we circle down the other side. As long as we can get a few seconds’ lead… ten seconds — no, seven seconds is enough to get that iron gate open!”

“Where do we hide?” Little Seven asked again.

“Split up!” They were already on the second floor. The tattooed man didn’t hesitate, pushing the two of them toward the corridor. “I’ll go to the third floor and draw her attention. Once she goes up to three, you two circle straight down from the second floor! That’ll pull her back down, and I’ll have my opening to get away!”

A’Ping gave a firm nod. “Got it! Let’s do it! You’re brilliant, Boss!”

All three split off at speed!

The tattooed man rushed to the third floor and deliberately kicked a door open with full force. When he heard Bai Youwei’s footsteps on the stairs, he quickly ducked into the adjacent room.

—