Du Lai laughed coldly. “I can see plain as day that you simply don’t want to make the trade! Once I come back with ten pieces, you’ll have some other excuse waiting for me!”

Bai Youwei spread her hands. “If you’re going to think that way, then this is pointless. I keep my word — always have.”

Du Lai gave a cold snort, bent down, gathered the puzzle pieces from the coffee table, and shoved them back into his pocket.

“Bai Youwei, don’t let greed be your downfall. I warn you — in this base, I dare say I’m the only one who can put together ten puzzle pieces. Nobody else comes close.”

Bai Youwei’s lips curved into a sweet smile when she heard that. “Du Lai, the wise adapt to circumstances. I’d advise you to take a clear look at the situation — in this base, I dare say I’m the only one who has an item like this. Nobody else comes close.”

Du Lai: “……”

He was seething with nowhere to put it. He walked to the door — then, unwilling to leave it at that, he stopped. It was as though a fierce internal battle had just concluded. He suddenly turned and walked back!

“Would one more be enough?”

Du Lai dug out all the puzzle pieces from earlier, then fished one more out of his trouser pocket and slapped it onto the coffee table!

Crack!

“Eight pieces! Not a single one more!” Du Lai said with barely contained frustration. “Six used, two unused — that is every puzzle piece I have!”

“Deal~”

Bai Youwei reached over, pulled the canvas bag toward her, and in one swift motion swept every puzzle piece from the coffee table into the bag.

Du Lai: “……”

Why did it feel like she had been waiting all along for him to up his offer?

Shen Mo picked up the doppelganger doll and tossed it gently into Du Lai’s hands: “Here. Your item.”

“Eight puzzle pieces, and two of them unused — tsk, tsk, tsk~” Bai Youwei finished putting away the puzzle pieces and looked at him with playful mockery. “Let me guess how you collected this many. The deaths of those players in Game 21 — you had something to do with that, didn’t you? Who knew — you’re quite the interesting character, good and bad all mixed in~”

Du Lai’s expression went flat. A dark flicker passed through his eyes.

Perhaps considering that there were no witnesses to testify against him, he made no immediate denial. He gave a mocking smile and replied in an ambiguous way:

“What could I possibly have to do with it? They died because they were fools. With or without puzzle pieces, the outcome wouldn’t have been any different.”

“You seem to know something.” Shen Mo frowned, studying him.

Du Lai curved his lips, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t know anything. The more you know, the faster you die — I understand that much at least~”

He tucked away the doppelganger doll, gave a casual wave to the people in the room, and said, “A pleasure doing business. Goodbye~”

Du Lai left cleanly and quickly, and soon was out of sight.

The moment he was gone, Tan Xiao couldn’t hold back. “Has that guy lost his mind?! One piece wasn’t enough, so he gave us two unused puzzle pieces! Two! Unused puzzle pieces! He just handed them over like that!”

Bai Youwei shot him a sideways glance, a cool, unhurried smile on her lips:

“He’s not crazy, and he’s not stupid. He’s confident he can take his puzzle pieces back. That’s why he dared to hand them over directly.”

Tan Xiao was baffled. “Huh?”

Shen Mo looked at everyone and said, “Tonight, lock all the doors and windows. Everyone rest inside the dollhouse. Leave no one outside.”

“Nothing left outside at all?” Bai Youwei’s tone was drawn out and leisurely. “Leave a little something out there, maybe. Being visited by a master thief is a rare opportunity — if we don’t prepare anything for him, wouldn’t he be terribly disappointed when he shows up?”

Shen Mo was somewhat helpless — but not at all surprised. He thought, if there ever came a day when she stopped stirring up trouble, he’d probably find that stranger than anything.

“What did you have in mind?” Shen Mo asked calmly.

Bai Youwei thought for a moment. “Hmm… a simple welcome ceremony?”

—