Su Man asked, “Why do you say that — are you familiar with this Inspector?”

“I wouldn’t say familiar, but I’ve definitely seen it before.” Bai Youwei said lightly. “I entered a game once where the Inspector was the same entity. It seems to have a fondness for gaudy, flashy things — roses, afternoon tea, balls, pretty dresses, all manner of glittering, bedazzled trinkets…”

She paused briefly, brow furrowing, then continued: “But the extravagance is only on the surface. Cruelty is its true nature. What it loves most is watching players slaughter one another.”

Su Man let out a cold snort. “It really underestimates us. It thinks a single hint like ‘the last bride’ is enough to make us turn on each other? Should we warn Yu Yaqing’s group? We can’t let them fall into the trap.”

“There’s no rush — there should be something else coming…” Bai Youwei was lost in thought. “A women-only event — there ought to be some reason for that.”

She thought it over for a moment but couldn’t find a thread to pull. Looking up, she found the two women in front of her staring at her, and felt a flash of exasperation.

“Why are you looking at me?” Bai Youwei sighed. “Let’s go. While the Duke hasn’t returned yet, let’s search around first.”

The three women went out together.

In the central hall, they ran into the four members of Yu Yaqing’s group.

“Should we search the rooms?” Su Man spoke up. “This place is huge — why don’t we split up?”

Yu Yaqing glanced at her.

They had fought just yesterday, but now that they were all in the same game together, it was better to set aside old grudges for now.

Yu Yaqing gave a nod and answered crisply, “You take the left side, we’ll take the right.”

Su Man, Zhu Shu, and Bai Youwei went left.

Yu Yaqing, Hu Ya, and Zhao Lanfen went right.

Cheng Qian stood in the middle and hesitated for two seconds before ultimately following Yu Yaqing’s lead.

In truth, she wasn’t well-regarded in Yu Yaqing’s group. Hu Ya would mock her at the slightest opportunity, and Zhao Lanfen would speak up for her on the surface while only ever caring about her own safety.

But the three on the left…

One walked with a limp, one had an injured hand, and the third was a celebrity who only knew how to sing and dance.

No matter how you looked at it, staying with the security team leader’s group seemed far safer.

—

Twin spiral staircases on either side of the great hall, lush crimson carpet with dark embossed patterns, pure gold Baroque-carved banisters — walking up the stairs, one could see the glittering crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the hall like an inverted cake, tier upon tier, crystalline and magnificent, a breathtaking sight.

If they weren’t trapped inside a game, perhaps they would have paused to appreciate it for a moment.

But the game’s threat followed them like a shadow. No matter how beautiful the scenery, when it fell upon their eyes, it carried with it a strange, unsettling air of death.

The rooms on Bai Youwei’s side were all unlocked — twist the handle, push gently, and the door would swing open.

Inside: some rooms were piled high with jewels, others hung with magnificent garments, still others displayed all manner of expensive tableware, tables and chairs, mirrors, tapestries… a dazzling profusion of riches.

They opened 63 rooms in a row. By the time they finished, the initial awe had faded into numbness; they were nearly desensitized to all the gold and gems.

Su Man opened the sixty-fourth room.

This time, the room displayed row upon row of exquisite suits of armor.

Not only armor for people, but armor for horses as well, mounted on wooden frames. Knight’s armor was fitted onto the horse forms, as if a real rider and steed stood there — stately, grand, and full of imposing presence.

Zhu Shu unhooked a riding crop from the waist of one suit of armor and held it out to Su Man: “Could you use this?”

Su Man took it, tried it with her left hand, and found it awkward.

“We’ll keep it for now.” She fastened the crop to her own waist, then drew a sword from one of the suits of armor and gave it a few test swings to get a feel for it.

Voices drifted in from outside — by the sound of them, Yu Yaqing’s group.

The three of them stepped out of the room and found that it was indeed Yu Yaqing’s group. The corridors on either side of the floor formed a curved arc — if you started at one end and kept going, you’d eventually reach the other.

Yu Yaqing saw Bai Youwei and the others emerging from the room and asked, “Find anything?”

—