“Vote for Number 8!” someone suddenly proposed. “I saw it — that short-haired woman has an 8 on her shoe! She has blue eyes!”

“Number 27 works too! I saw it as well — Number 27 has red eyes!” another person added.

The bespectacled man beside the doctor said, “We need to vote out at least three in the first round. We’re still one short — who should we vote for?”

The rules of the game required five players to be eliminated each round. If they only eliminated two players from the opposing groups, the remaining three slots would likely fall within the yellow-eyed faction — yet they only had nine people (counting Bai Youwei, the fake yellow). Eliminating three from their own side would leave only six, meaning in the second round of voting they would only have six votes to work with. With so few votes, a comeback would be utterly impossible.

So in the first round, no matter what, they had to try to eliminate three outsiders!

“Regarding the numbers, I’d like to discuss something with everyone…” Xu Fang He spoke slowly. “The numbers we vote for must obviously avoid our own people’s numbers. However, since we’ve only just met, asking each of you to voluntarily reveal your own number might make everyone uneasy. So I have an idea…”

Dr. Xu Fang produced a sheet of paper and a pen.

“On this paper, I’ve written nineteen numbers. With nine of us, each person crosses out two numbers. Whatever numbers remain at the end will be the ones we vote for this round. Does everyone agree to this method?”

People murmured among themselves and nodded.

“Dr. Xu Fang’s method is excellent.”

“Indeed — this way no one has to reveal their own number.”

The bespectacled man spoke with a proud air: “I told you all along — following Dr. Xu Fang is never wrong. The doctor is different from those who only want to win! He genuinely thinks about everyone!”

Xu Fang He waved off the praise with characteristic humility and said with a faint smile: “A victory won by sacrificing one’s companions is meaningless. Having made it to the preliminaries, I imagine each of you has witnessed far too much ugliness and evil. Yet what did we gain from it?

“That which is ugly will only grow uglier; that which is evil will only grow more evil. If the Doll Game is Heaven’s punishment upon this world, then to seek redemption, we must hold a heart of compassion.

“My friends, selfishness and brutality are no path to long-term survival. If necessary, I am willing to sacrifice myself, distributing my puzzle pieces and tools among you all to buy you a chance at life. Only then would my existence carry any meaning…”

Everyone present was moved by these words, their expressions visibly touched.

Long exposure to life-and-death struggles in the game kept one’s mind under constant pressure, and tended to produce two types of people:

The first type had their humanity worn away by the game’s rules, transforming into cold-blooded killing machines.

The second type struggled desperately to escape but had no idea how to change their situation. These people might have some ability, but their hearts were weak and easily manipulated.

The woman in the silk scarf reddened around the eyes and said sincerely: “Dr. Xu Fang! Please, you must lead us forward!”

Bai Youwei: “……”

She quietly took stock of her surroundings. Of the eight people besides herself, at least six wore visibly moved expressions.

…What was going on here? Was she especially cold-blooded? Why did she feel not the slightest bit touched — only a sense that the other person was grandstanding and putting on airs?

That said, when Xu Fang finally mentioned distributing his puzzle pieces and tools to everyone, she did feel a tiny flicker of something… because she didn’t believe for a single second that someone truly selfless and full of a spirit of self-sacrifice could possibly show up at the Labyrinth War preliminaries.

The number of people who had died at this doctor’s hands must be quite considerable.

Bai Youwei watched Xu Fang He, surrounded on all sides by his admirers.

He took up the pen, drew two lines on the paper, and then passed the sheet bearing all the numbers around—

—