The carriage swayed and rattled along — no incline upward, none downward, the road surface feeling like raw, ungraded earth: rough and unsteady, jolting them the whole way.

They were shut inside the carriage, with no view of the outside world and no sound coming through from beyond.

Yu Yaqing tried knocking on the interior walls of the carriage — every plank of joined wood was thick and solid, impossible to break from the inside.

There was no way out, so the only option was to wait quietly.

Fortunately, the wait wasn’t long —

About a quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped.

The heavy doors swung open on both sides. Outside, the weather was fine — sunlight pouring down, vegetation lush and verdant.

Through the square frame of the doors, they could see a long narrow path, its surface marked by two shallow wheel ruts that stretched away into the depths of the forest.

Seven women in wedding gowns stepped out one by one.

The white hems of their skirts touched the ground and immediately picked up a layer of grime, lending them a slightly disheveled appearance.

When the last woman stepped down from the carriage, the doors creaked shut, and the carriage followed the winding path onward and disappeared from view.

Before them, a manor appeared — immense and magnificent beyond measure!

Vivid flowerbeds, golden paving stones, and a row upon row of beautiful rose-covered archways standing in quiet splendor, red petals swaying gently against their deep green leaves, as though offering a silent welcome.

“It’s so beautiful…” Cheng Qian couldn’t help but exclaim.

Yu Yaqing gave her a sardonic look. “Beautiful? If you die here, will you still think it’s beautiful?”

Hu Ya, speaking in perfect imitation of her superior’s manner, added: “Admiring the scenery while inside a game — I honestly can’t imagine what goes on in some people’s heads! I give her ten minutes before she dies without even knowing how!”

Cheng Qian was left red-faced, mortified and aggrieved. She bit her lip and defended herself: “I only said it in passing — was that necessary? We all entered this game together; we should be supporting each other…”

She blinked back tears and looked for allies, tugging at Zhao Lanfen’s arm. “Auntie Li, look at how they’re talking to me…”

“Oh, give it a rest!” Hu Ya said impatiently. “This is rich — you relied on men on the outside, and now that there are no men in the game, you want to rely on us? Do you know what self-reliance means? You have to count on yourself! Always! Do you understand?”

Zhao Lanfen, hearing this, immediately panicked. “Wait, wait! You’re in the security unit, aren’t you?! Isn’t your job to protect us?! You say ‘rely on yourself,’ but are you really just trying to wash your hands of responsibility?! I’ll have you know — my husband is the head of the logistics unit! You *have* to get me out safely!”

Bai Youwei had expected Yu Yaqing to snap back at the unit head’s wife, but instead, Yu Yaqing only frowned and replied, “Don’t worry — within the limits of my abilities, I’ll do my best to protect all of you.”

Hu Ya, though clearly still resentful, said nothing and fell in line with Yu Yaqing’s position.

Bai Youwei couldn’t help but quirk her lips.

So rank truly does trump everything — even Yu Yaqing was not immune…

Bai Youwei smiled to herself without a sound, wheeled forward, and left the others to their squabbling.

Zhu Shu stepped up beside her. “Need me to push you?”

“No.” She declined flatly.

She didn’t like being pushed — when someone else was at the handles, she lost control of her own direction. The only exception was Shen Mo. Perhaps it was because when Shen Mo was there, she was simply too comfortable to bother moving herself.

Su Man gave Zhu Shu a pat on the shoulder, her expression composed. “Stay behind me.”

Zhu Shu nodded.

The group made their way forward beneath the rose archways, and in the distance, they spotted a man — with a figure so tall his proportions seemed almost unnatural…

—