The game had only just begun, and there were already too many problems to address all at once. Bai Youwei had no choice but to set aside her questions for now and find her room first.

The very next house was hers. The liquid crystal screen on the door displayed her name: Bai Youwei.

To think she’d ended up as neighbors with this Ogata Haru.

Bai Youwei rolled her wheelchair up to the sliding door. The spherical scanner above it read her face — then with a click, the lock disengaged.

Inside was a pure white room, laid out much like an ordinary hotel single room: one large bed, a private bathroom on one side, and an open-plan kitchenette on the other.

She pulled open the refrigerator. It was packed with food.

Chinese dishes like steamed buns, dumplings, and boxed meals sat alongside Western options: pasta, pizza, and salad. She had no idea what they tasted like, but the portions were generous — she wouldn’t have to worry about running out over the next two days.

Bai Youwei then checked the bathroom and shower area — and found no mirrors.

She thought about it for a moment and understood. This was the game’s first challenge for its players: preventing anyone from seeing their own eye color.

Even the glass sliding door at the entrance had been designed as frosted glass, which reflected nothing.

Curious, Bai Youwei decided to probe for any loopholes. She turned the faucet handle —

Liquid came rushing out.

Milky white. Slightly fragrant. It looked like… milk?

Bai Youwei’s mouth twitched slightly.

Surely not…

Was she going to have to survive the next two days drinking only milk?

She went back to the kitchenette and turned the kitchen tap —

Sure enough: milk again.

This batch even thicker and creamier than the bathroom supply.

It then occurred to her that there was a sea nearby — if she collected some seawater and brought it back, could it reflect the color of her eyes?

A loophole this obvious would almost certainly have been covered by other countermeasures. She should keep her focus on the game itself.

Bai Youwei let out a quiet sigh, lay down on the bed to rest.

There was still a long stretch of time before voting. Most likely all three factions were busy trying to consolidate their numbers right now.

They had no choice but to. Without knowing anyone’s numbers, blind voting too easily meant eliminating someone from their own side — which meant gathering their own people together first, then using the process of elimination to identify the numbers of the other two factions.

Anyone whose number had been exposed today was already a primary target.

Bai Youwei thought about Shen Mo’s two subordinates — Blue Eyes, the two of them. She wondered whether they would make it through the first round of voting…

Should she go ask for their numbers? That way, when she voted, she could avoid those numbers and keep from accidentally eliminating them.

But would they be willing to tell her?

With different factions, even simple things became complicated…

Bai Youwei felt a twinge of frustration.

It was the most awkward kind of relationship — not quite close, not quite distant. She wasn’t in a position to devote herself wholeheartedly to helping them, but she also couldn’t bring herself to coldly stand by and watch them fall. It was a headache.

Whatever the case, she still needed to find a moment to approach them privately and feel out where they stood.

Just as she had resolved to do so, she stepped out the door — and immediately spotted the silk-scarf woman from the Doctor’s group hovering nearby, peering around.

Most likely checking whether Bai Youwei was going to make contact with the Red Eyes.

Bai Youwei quietly made her own assessment, then raised a hand and waved. “Were you looking for me?”

The scarf woman snapped back to attention and fixed Bai Youwei with a stern look. “The Doctor called us over… Come on, it’s almost time — most people have already arrived.”

“Already?” Bai Youwei feigned surprise.

The scarf woman made no effort to hide her disdain, furrowing her brow as she said, “That’s because the other Yellow Eye players noticed we were forming a group and came to us on their own — of course that’s faster than if we’d tracked them down one by one. Let’s go. You’re the last one we’re waiting on.”

—