The situation reached a standstill.

Bai Youwei refused to ask. Hans’s side didn’t dare ask.

They’d assumed elimination simply meant being knocked out—not that it meant death.

No one wanted to die.

After a long discussion—perhaps an hour, perhaps two—with Bai Youwei on the verge of dozing off from the wait, Hans finally decided on a person.

“Robert, you’re up this time.” Hans instructed him. “Your question needs to be strategic. We don’t know who’s behind the door—might be Yulika, might be Mike… So it’s best to avoid anything technical. Ask about preferences, feelings, hobbies. Keep the question emotionally oriented. AI has no emotional reasoning—it’ll show cracks.”

The man called Robert had sunken eyes and a face full of dread. “Hans… can I… can I decline?”

He looked uneasily at the companion lying in a pool of blood, his voice growing fainter. “I’m scared I’ll mess it up… Hans, how about… you demote me? Demote me to a commoner…”

“Robert, don’t be afraid.” Hans gripped his shoulder firmly. “Nothing will happen to you. And even if something does, it won’t be in vain. Have you forgotten why we’re here? Do you want to go on living in a daze forever?”

The others encouraged him as well. “We have to give the King the best chance of survival. Robert—whether you succeed or not, you’ll be helping all of us. As long as Hans wins, that’s a win for every one of us!”

Robert hung his head, finally making up his mind. “Alright… alright. You’re right. We have to give Hans every chance.”

He gritted his teeth and typed his question on the screen:

【How are you doing today?】

Bai Youwei blinked in mild surprise. That was a good question—simple and clear on the surface, yet layered with complexity underneath. Perfect for distinguishing AI from a human.

The Clown referee announced cheerfully, “Question submitted. Two minutes to answer—please stand by.”

Hans gave Robert’s shoulder a light pat, as if to say: well done.

Bai Youwei sat on her cushion, one arm around her rabbit plushie, the other propping up her cheek. She was thinking: how was she going to ask her question?

How could she cut through the AI interference and find the exact person she was looking for?

Two minutes passed in a flash, and the five answers appeared on the doors again:

【A: Same as always. How about you?】

【B: I’m stuck in a room. I don’t know how my companions are doing.】

【C: Not great. I could die any moment.】

【D: I’m locked up in here! It’s awful!】

【E: Pretty good—a nutritious breakfast put me in a great mood all day.】

Everyone fell into stunned silence after reading the five answers. The AI’s capacity for imitation had surpassed all their expectations.

B, C, and D had even managed to simulate the mental state of someone locked in a room.

Bai Youwei felt a pang of sympathy for Robert, the one who had asked. This round’s answers were very difficult. From where she stood, A and E read like standard template responses, while B, C, and D all had potential to be real.

Which meant Robert had roughly a 33.33% chance of picking correctly.

Robert looked at Hans helplessly. “Which… which one do I choose?”

Hans thought carefully. “Could it be B… Locked in the room, confused about being alone, worried about his companions… What do you all think? Which should we choose?”

Everyone looked at each other.

No one dared make the call lightly—choosing wrong might as well be pushing a companion toward death.

Hans sighed in frustration. “Answer D has a very intense emotional charge—it could be D…”

“B or D…” Robert clenched his fist and stared at the answers, his nerves fraying. “Last round, someone chose B—and got eliminated…”

Robert walked to the door marked with answer D. He stretched out his right hand and closed it around the handle…

—