Everything was in place.

All that remained now was to take advantage of Mali and the cat being asleep and eliminate Mali!

Climbing onto the carousel was not a difficult feat for Yan Qingwen.

The difficult part was climbing up soundlessly without disturbing Mali or the cat.

Players who had previously tried to ambush Mali and the cat during the day had all failed, reason unknown, so Yan Qingwen didn’t hold too much hope for this attempt of his.

He was a person who viewed success and failure with great rationality. Right now he placed more hope in what followed failure — as long as the trap could be successfully triggered and Mali and the ragdoll cat were completely separated, then the effort of this operation would not have been wasted.

He gripped the raised carved decorations along the edge of the canopy, and just before vaulting himself up, he glanced to the left and right —

Shen Mo and Lu Ang were standing at their respective positions, ready. The moment the cat leaped down, they would immediately topple the fire basins from above and ignite all the wax oil!

And Bai Youwei sat quietly at Shen Mo’s side — if the cat’s counterattack was ferocious, she would use lightning to create a chance for them to retreat.

Yan Qingwen looked at them, and his heart suddenly grew very calm.

Attack or defense — everything was within calculation. He only needed to proceed step by step, following the plan he had designed.

Even if he failed, it was fine.

There was still Shen Mo and Lu Ang.

Even if they failed, it was fine.

There was still Bai Youwei.

Only by fighting together does one truly understand what kind of strength the trust and tacit understanding between teammates can bring.

He took a deep breath, his arms exerted force all at once, and his entire body vaulted high, landing steadily on top of the carousel’s canopy — then spun around swiftly!

Mali and the cat were sleeping.

The cat, with only one button eye remaining, had curled its enormous body around Mali, nestling her inside. Mali’s eyes were closed, her body was dull and dusty, even her hair was scorched and frazzled. The stump where Shen Mo had severed her arm showed not a trace of blood — instead it had a material resembling a enamel doll, with what appeared to be a steel-rebar-like skeleton embedded within.

The person and cat on the carousel had not been woken.

Yan Qingwen drew the axe bound to his shin, his eyes fixed tightly on Mali.

As long as he could chop off Mali’s head, it would all be over.

This looked straightforward enough — the little girl before him showed no sign of waking anytime soon, and the ragdoll cat was also quiet and still, showing nothing unusual.

So then — how had all the previous players died?

Yan Qingwen approached step by step, his thoughts churning incessantly, until only a single step remained between him and Mali, and yet he still sensed a danger lurking somewhere he hadn’t identified.

He didn’t believe the game would end this easily.

But exactly where was the danger?

The axe in his grip remained raised without striking.

He was thinking.

Then, inadvertently, he caught sight of the cloth doll pinned beneath Mali’s body — the doll with half its face exposed, those black eyes staring directly at him!

In an instant, every hair on Yan Qingwen’s body stood on end!

A wave of cold bored straight into his bones!

Mali was asleep, but she still had the doll!

The other dolls’ eyes had been covered, but Mali’s doll had seen him!!!

Yan Qingwen knew things were going badly — he simply stopped hesitating, raised the axe, and brought it down hard toward Mali!

Clang! —

The crisp ring of metal colliding!

An inverted triangular pyramidal spike shot out from Mali’s severed arm stump, forcefully blocking Yan Qingwen’s attack!

That steel spike came fast and hard — Yan Qingwen gripped the axe, the webbing between his thumb and index finger going numb from the impact.

“You wicked things…” Mali sat up, staring at Yan Qingwen with a cold, sinister look. “I’m going to squeeze all the jelly and stuffing out of your bellies!”

Yan Qingwen decisively abandoned the attack, turned, and fled! He vaulted off the carousel!

Mali immediately gave chase!

—