The three of them turned to look at it.

Yan Qingwen, polite and gracious, smiled and said, “It’s our first time meeting, so it wouldn’t be fair to judge.”

Bai Youwei answered honestly: “My first impression was not good.”

Shen Mo added, “I don’t like pranks.”

The ball was furious: “You ungrateful humans! My game has the lowest clear rate, the widest coverage, and the most data of any doll game…”

It caught itself there — remembering what the rabbit-headed overseer had said about its game data being thin and one-dimensional. Its voice involuntarily dropped, and a flicker of defensiveness crossed it.

After a two-second pause, the ball let out a loud huff!

“Hmph! Regardless… you don’t know what you’re talking about!”

At that moment, Zhu Shu called out from the dining room: “Can you all take a look? Does this work?”

Everyone rushed over.

The three of them also stopped engaging with the overseer and headed to the dining table.

On the walnut dining table sat two small plush bears.

Brownish-grey velvet, with black button eyes and noses, and at each bear’s collar, a bow — red with black polka dots. The two bears looked nearly identical.

Li Li exclaimed in admiration, “Nice work, Zhu Shu — that’s impressive craftsmanship!”

Su Man pursed her lips and muttered sourly, “It’s just sewing on a bow — what’s impressive about that…”

Yan Qingwen picked it up and looked it over, then glanced at the others: “I think it’ll do. What do the rest of you think?”

Everyone came forward one by one to examine the bear.

Zhu Shu bit her lower lip, anxiously watching each person’s expression.

This was their only lifeline right now — she didn’t want to be the one who ruined it.

When no one raised any objections, the tension that had been building reached its peak. She clenched her palms and asked in a dry voice, “So… do we open the door now?”

Yan Qingwen looked at Shen Mo, his gaze asking for his opinion.

Shen Mo thought for a moment, then said, “If it goes wrong, the guest will rampage. Just to be safe, I think we should send the elderly, the children, and the women upstairs to hide.”

Yan Qingwen nodded: “That’s the right call.”

“I’m staying down here. Send Li Li upstairs — he’s useless anyway,” Su Man said flatly.

“Su Man!” Li Li’s face went bright red. “I’m at least a man — can you show some respect?!”

Su Man glanced at him sidelong, and for once her tone lacked its usual sharpness: “Li Li, I’ll admit your head is sharp. But this isn’t the time to prove something.”

“I’m not going up either,” Bai Youwei said.

Everyone looked at her.

“I’m in a wheelchair,” Bai Youwei said calmly. “No matter where I hide, it won’t be ideal. I’ll stay in the storage room on the first floor.”

The storage room was right beside the staircase — a tiny, windowless space, pitch dark inside, crammed with brooms, dustpans, mops, old cardboard boxes, ladders, and other odds and ends.

Shen Mo opened the storage room door. A musty, dusty smell hit them immediately. He frowned, then turned to look at Bai Youwei behind him:

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.” Bai Youwei’s expression was neutral. “Here will do.”

Shen Mo looked at her for a moment, then stepped inside and moved the bulkier cardboard boxes out to clear enough space for the wheelchair.

Cheng Weicai led Pan Xiaoxin and Zhu Shu upstairs to find somewhere to hide.

Their bodies had been upgraded through the labyrinth, but when it came to self-defense or actual fighting, they had neither technique nor experience.

Six people remained in the first-floor living room.

Yan Qingwen, Lu Ang, Su Man, Li Li — and Shen Mo and Tan Xiao.

The six of them each prepared themselves, ready to receive the dollhouse’s first guest.

Su Man unhooked a leather whip from behind her waist, stretching it out with an air of fierce readiness. Tan Xiao hadn’t brought his baseball bat in, so he picked up a large piece of firewood and tested its weight in his hands. Li Li also grabbed a piece of firewood and set one end of it in the fireplace to light it…

Bai Youwei waved at Shen Mo through the gap of the ajar door.

Shen Mo walked over. “What’s wrong?”

She took his hand and whispered, “The rabbit is charging. If anything goes wrong, I’ll have it help you…”