【Lucky Question Card: You may pose a question to any player once. The questioned player must answer correctly; failure to do so results in a 60-second penalty period of restricted movement. A second incorrect answer results in a 120-second penalty; a third results in a 10-second penalty, after which the restraint lifts on its own.】

As Bai Youwei’s words fell, text appeared on the blank card:

73567073 × 30791325 + 530351216 = ?

— Please answer the question.

Jiang Hao ground his teeth — how could he possibly work out a problem like this?!

He tried to struggle, pouring every last bit of effort even into his toes! Yet he still couldn’t budge a single inch!

Apart from being able to breathe, blink, and speak, every part of him was completely immobilized! His eyeballs in particular felt as though they had been bolted into place! He had no choice but to stare at the question card!

There was nothing to be done — he’d have to guess blindly.

Jiang Hao: “265… 790… 7…”

A message surfaced in his mind:

【Ding! Incorrect answer. You will be given another opportunity to answer after a 60-second penalty.】

Jiang Hao nearly coughed up blood from the frustration!

On the other side, Bai Youwei and Tan Xiao worked together to pull the steel pipe out from Shen Fei’s shoulder.

The metal pipe finally wrenched free, clattering onto the ground, and immediately a great gush of bright red jelly surged from Shen Fei’s wound, smearing all over Tan Xiao’s hands!

Tan Xiao’s hands were slathered in warm, slippery jelly, dripping down in thin strings — the bizarre texture made his scalp crawl and his hair stand on end.

“We’re done for — Youwei, he’s dying!” Tan Xiao called out in a flustered panic. “Brother Mo’s little brother is going to die! What do we do?!”

“Stop yelling!” Bai Youwei snapped impatiently. “Get the mud out!”

Tan Xiao blanked for a second, then remembered he was carrying the mud, and quickly dug it out from his jeans back pocket, pressing it against Shen Fei!

Bai Youwei was furious enough to scream: “You actually put the item in your back pocket?!”

Tan Xiao replied: “I don’t have any pockets on my shirt!”

Bai Youwei shot him a fierce glare.

Tan Xiao looked entirely innocent — and a little aggrieved.

Where else was he supposed to put it? In a bag slung over his shoulder like Youwei? He was a grown man — carrying a bag around would be too girly, wouldn’t it?

Shen Fei’s wound closed at a visible rate under the mud, but the injured bones and internal organs within would have to rely on his own natural recovery.

Jiang Hao stood rigidly fixed in place a few steps away from them, still frozen before that question card without a flicker of movement, without even a surplus expression on his face.

Tan Xiao glanced at him and asked Bai Youwei: “Should we take him down while we have the chance?”

Take him down?

Of course.

Bai Youwei was just about to nod when several clusters of fire suddenly rained down from directly overhead.

Looking up, she realized that the fire had spread over without anyone noticing — the decorative flags on the rooftops had caught fire, and other decorations were swaying precariously, ready to fall at any moment.

“Forget it.” Bai Youwei wrinkled her brow in frustration. “Let’s go — don’t bother with him. He won’t survive anyway.”

Shen Fei slowly pushed himself upright, his face stark white as he breathed steadily. “The cat is still nearby. We need to find a safe place as quickly as possible.”

They didn’t linger any further.

Tan Xiao carried Bai Youwei on his back, Shen Fei followed behind, and the three of them left together.

Jiang Hao’s eyes were fixed on the question, but his ears caught their every word with perfect clarity. His heart pounded with violent force, his chest seething with pent-up, furious rage!

A tongue of flame landed on his back. The intense heat quickly burned through his clothing, and the skin of his back seared with fiery, biting pain! Yet he could not move at all!

How absolutely infuriating!

Should he use a puzzle piece to leave the game?

…No, no. He couldn’t waste any more puzzle pieces.

He had to get more puzzle pieces and items — only then would this trip have been worth something.

The flames continued to burn steadily up his back, large drops of sweat rolling down his cheeks, and he could almost smell the scent of his own flesh being scorched.

Physical torment, psychological anguish — after enduring it for a full 6 minutes, he finally regained his freedom! He flung himself to the ground and rolled rapidly, clasped his two hands together, then snapped them apart — a bottle of water materialized from his palm —

—