The cat had gone to Shen Mo first!

Bai Youwei’s heart instantly clenched. She spoke to the other end: “Don’t engage it directly — find somewhere to hide!… Yu Yaqing, can you hear me? Come out of the theater now and head to the Ghost Ship to regroup with Tan Xiao!”

“Understood!” Yu Yaqing gave a brief, crisp reply, then went silent.

Shen Fei asked Bai Youwei: “Why are you sending her to the Ghost Ship?”

Why not send Yu Yaqing to the Crystal Tower to regroup with Shen Mo?

Wouldn’t two people be more capable of handling the stuffed cat together?

In the past, he might have questioned Bai Youwei outright — but now he instinctively trusted that she had a reason.

“One day I really must buy you a copy of *100,000 Whys* as a gift.” Bai Youwei studied the map, her voice cool as she explained: “I’m sending Yu Yaqing back to the Ghost Ship because I cannot let Mali think she’s been discovered. I need Mali to believe that our real target is the Ghost Ship — not the Crystal Tower.”

She paused, lifted her gaze, and looked directly at Shen Fei. “Think about it — if you were Mali, what would you do right now? Head to the Ghost Ship, or the Crystal Tower?”

Shen Fei thought it over seriously. “If I were Mali…”

If he were Mali…

Frail, helpless, pitiable little Mali, who could only protect herself by controlling her dolls.

Facing a group of players dead set on finding her, Mali had been hiding carefully in the Crystal Tower, with her rag dolls and stuffed cat stationed near the Ghost Ship to make the players think she was there.

But Mali hadn’t anticipated that someone would suddenly barge into the Crystal Tower.

In a panic, Mali calls her rag dolls and the cat over, wanting to kill or drive away the intruder, terrified of her location being exposed.

But the intruder hides — and two players suddenly head over to the Ghost Ship one after another.

What should she do? If she ignores the Ghost Ship entirely, the players will definitely suspect there’s nothing there! So even just for appearances’ sake, Mali would have to send her rag dolls and the stuffed cat to the Ghost Ship!

Shen Fei worked through all of this, and a dazed feeling came over him. He murmured: “If players show up at both the theater and the Crystal Tower at the same time, whichever place Mali attacks first is the one she’s most anxious about — the one she’s most desperate to keep from being exposed!”

“The cat is coming!” A sudden crash from the walkie-talkie — followed immediately by Yu Yaqing’s shout!

Bai Youwei spoke rapidly: “Shen Mo! Keep searching the Crystal Tower! The moment the cat leaves the Ghost Ship, circle around from the Crystal Tower to the Treasure Bay Theater — then retreat from the theater toward the Ghost Ship! No matter what, make sure Mali believes our target is the Ghost Ship! The Ghost Ship!”

More static and commotion from the walkie-talkie!

Something was clearly happening — shouts broke through in rapid succession!

Bai Youwei’s heart was in a panic, clutching the walkie-talkie and calling out again and again: “What’s going on over there?! What’s the situation right now?!”

More chaotic noise!

After a while, Yu Yaqing’s breathless voice came through: “It’s nothing… it’s Tan Xiao. Tan Xiao just fell into the lake — he’s okay, but his walkie-talkie is ruined.”

Then, after a pause: “The cat is gone.”

The stuffed cat had headed toward the Crystal Tower.

Shen Fei looked at Bai Youwei: “Mali must be in the Crystal Tower — otherwise there’s no reason for the rag dolls and the stuffed cat to let Tan Xiao and Yu Yaqing go! But the Crystal Tower has seven floors, and even if we know Mali is inside, it’ll take forever to find her! What do we do now?”

He was in a frantic rush, his mind working hard:

“Do we hide and wait for dawn? But if we hide, won’t Mali take advantage of us not being able to see her and move to a new location?…

Or should we keep watch nearby and follow the stuffed cat?

…No, that won’t work. It’s been running all over the place this whole night trying to eliminate us one by one. It won’t let us survive peacefully until dawn. At this rate of pursuit, everyone will be exhausted before long!”

—