"Let’s hear your thoughts." In the end, it was Xun Yi who broke the strange silence.
He glanced at Chang Zhao’s reaction, then adjusted his glasses, thinking to himself, This is ridiculous.
"We have too little information. Why don’t we search the house first?" Shen Jing suggested. "See if there are any clues left behind."
At Shen Jing’s proposal, He Yi’s expression turned subtly amused.
These people are just wasting time.
He’d already combed through all three floors of this house.
If they really wanted clues, they should just break into the room at the far left end of the second floor.
Too bad they didn’t have the guts.
"Fine." Xun Yi nodded. Given that the killer was nearby, he added, "Together or separately?"
His gaze swept over the others, waiting for an answer—until he noticed the E-rank slowly raising his hand. Xun Yi paused, meeting the E-rank’s eyes before asking hesitantly, "What is it?"
After Xun Yi spoke, Wen Shichun calmly told the high-level players about the scratches under the bed.
Leaning against the wall, He Yi narrowed his eyes.
Under the bed? He’d actually missed that.
His gaze shifted toward the E-rank. "You checked pretty thoroughly."
Once Wen Shichun finished speaking, the players exchanged glances. Finally, Xun Yi went into the room to examine the bed. When he returned, he addressed the group: "There really are scratches."
Then, his eyes turned back to Wen Shichun, confirming his earlier judgment. "They were made by a human."
Wen Shichun nodded. "The game scenario didn’t mention the owner of this house. Lin Zhe is only nineteen. Judging by the age of the oldest scratches, it’s unlikely he’s connected to whoever hid under that bed before. But given that this house might have been the site of multiple unknown incidents, the killer is probably someone who lives here—at least thirty-five or older."
But there was too little information about Lin Zhe.
The killer’s profile alone couldn’t rule out Lin Zhe’s possible ties to the house.
"Still, the computer in the room has the username 'LZ,'" Wen Shichun added. "The newest scratches might’ve been left by him."
Xun Yi had already agreed, "It would be even better if we could find information about the owner and residents of this house."
When they first entered, the furniture in the main hall had been covered with white cloth, making it clear no one lived here.
While the two were talking, no one had noticed yet that the dungeon's progress had silently increased from 0% to 5%.
"Then let’s follow the plan and search the entire house first?" Shen Jing chimed in from the side. "We’ll split into two teams—one for the first floor, and the larger group for the third floor."
The remaining players had no objections. Only the E-rank slowly raised his hand. Shen Jing looked at him, assuming he had doubts about the arrangement, and asked in a gentle tone, "What’s wrong?"
Wen Shichun glanced at the B-rank players, genuinely puzzled. "Aren’t your beds a problem?"
Ever since he mentioned the bed, none of these players had considered whether there might be something under their beds.
That was… strange.
But the moment he asked, he was met with several hesitant expressions.
Wen Shichun: ?
"Uh—" Chang Zhao was the first to speak up.
He glanced at his teammates, figuring they were all in the same situation.
He Yi, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, chuckled again, and even Yue Cheng gave Wen Shichun an apologetic look.
"My bed isn’t raised off the ground," Chang Zhao finally admitted.
Plain and simple—there was no space beneath it.
The other players nodded in agreement.
He Yi translated with fake sympathy, "Xiao Shi, only your bed has room for someone to hide under."
Ah, now that sounded familiar.
Not that it stopped him from enjoying the E-rank’s reaction.
Every clue so far pointed to that room being suspicious.
Would the E-rank be scared?
He Yi studied that flawlessly calm, beautiful face, a strange and almost malicious anticipation rising in his chest—only to be met with an icy, indifferent reply—
"Understood."
Wen Shichun didn’t react much.
The others didn’t say anything more.
Only He Yi seemed unsatisfied: That’s it?
***
In the end, the assignments were as follows: Xun Yi and the two female players would check the first floor, while Wen Shichun, Yue Cheng, and Chang Zhao would take the third floor. He Yi didn’t voice an opinion, still looking as idle as ever, but he followed behind Wen Shichun’s group.
After the four of them reached the third floor, they went through the rooms one by one.
As He Yi had mentioned earlier, the third floor was a recreational area and study.
Aside from the study at the far end of the right corridor, all the other rooms in the activity area were interconnected.
Unlike the lower floors, the items on the third floor weren’t covered with white sheets.
Some rooms had modern furnishings, and with the entertainment facilities inside, they had likely been renovated later.
After checking the area, Wen Shichun stopped by the window. He Yi had already sprawled lazily on a sofa, while Yue Cheng leaned against the pool table in the room, picking up the black 8-ball to fiddle with.
Chang Zhao walked over to the window and asked, "Something wrong?"
The moment he spoke, He Yi turned his head from the sofa and interrupted, "Xiao Shi, how many times have you been in a dungeon?"
At E-rank, he must’ve had at least a dozen dungeon runs by now.
He Yi was curious.
Hearing the conversation, Yue Cheng also lifted his head and looked over.
Wen Shichun raised his gaze, glancing at the idle group in the room, and replied coolly, "Aren’t we supposed to be investigators? Shouldn’t we contact the investigation bureau mentioned in the background?"
What kind of investigators would have this little information about a case? The current situation clearly lacked critical details.
The background emphasized their roles—they should at least know the missing person’s family and social connections, right?
The current situation is one of extreme inequality between known information and identity.
Thinking this, the person by the window grew increasingly cold in demeanor.
Wen Shichun remained silent: Seems this game isn’t very well-designed.
“...” Chang Zhao’s foot, which had been about to take another step forward, nearly slipped due to the beauty’s unexpected question. In the end, he barely managed to steady himself thanks to his exceptional reflexes.
Yue Cheng’s eyes, however, lit up with interest, as if he’d just heard an excellent suggestion… though Wen Shichun got the sense that his reaction was a little off.
On the sofa, He Yi burst into laughter upon hearing the E-rank’s question.
Wen Shichun frowned at their reactions. Could the organization mentioned in the background info just be set dressing?
He Yi laughed because, even if that investigation bureau did exist, how were they supposed to contact it? None of them even had a phone on them. Not to mention, he’d already checked the house’s internet and landline earlier.
All unusable.
They were completely cut off from the outside world.
This was a classic "locked-room mystery" scenario—
“Ding-a-ling—”
Before He Yi’s internal mockery could finish, a sudden telephone ringtone echoed through the connected rooms, coming from the far end of the hallway.
“Ding-a-ling—”
Eerie and unsettling.
“Ding-a-ling—”
Almost… mocking.
He Yi: “...”
?
As the phone continued to ring, the group quickly suppressed their earlier reactions. Moving swiftly but cautiously, they made their way toward the source of the sound.
—The study at the end of the corridor.
In the study, on the mahogany desk facing away from the balcony.
That landline was still ringing persistently.
He Yi stared at the phone like he’d seen a ghost—this thing had been nothing more than a decoration until now.
Yue Cheng, on the other hand, watched the landline with keen interest.
Who would call at a time like this?
Someone who knew this mansion’s number…
The killer—?
In the end, it was Chang Zhao who walked over and picked up the call.
But within seconds, the man’s expression changed.
He looked uneasy.
The moment Chang Zhao’s face darkened, He Yi pulled out a prop card and warily scanned their surroundings.
Yet Chang Zhao’s expression only grew stranger.
‘Who is it—?’
He Yi mouthed silently at Chang Zhao, who still held the receiver.
Wen Shichun and Yue Cheng’s eyes also fixed on the man with the phone.
Chang Zhao looked at his teammates, covered the mouthpiece with one hand, and said:
“…The Investigation Bureau.”
“They’re calling.”
He Yi: “?”
Wen Shichun’s eyelids lifted slightly at this.
That made sense.
Seeing Chang Zhao’s flustered state, he stepped forward and raised his right hand.
“Give it to me.”
He signaled for the other person to hand him the phone.
After taking it, his cool gaze swept over He Yi, who stood nearby looking rather pale.
What’s with these high-level players?
No idea.
...
By the time Wen Shichun put down the phone, Chang Zhao was the first to step forward and ask,
"What did they say?"
When Wen Shichun had asked for the phone earlier, Chang Zhao, still dazed by the call, had simply handed over the receiver without thinking.
Only after did he realize his mistake—how could he have handed such an important call to Xiao E?! But by then, it was already in Wen Shichun’s hands. Snatching it back would’ve been... well, awkward.
Mainly, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Fortunately, a glance at the other two in the study showed neither had objected. Soon enough, it became clear that Xiao E’s questions were not only methodical but straight to the point—a far cry from Chang Zhao’s own flustered performance earlier.
Now that the call had ended, Chang Zhao looked at Wen Shichun expectantly. Yue Cheng’s expression remained unchanged, still brimming with enthusiasm, while He Yi’s face had darkened slightly.
Wen Shichun glanced at them before turning his gaze toward the study door. Xun Yi and Shen Jing had also come upstairs, likely drawn by the earlier phone ring.
After Chang Zhao briefed them on the situation, the entire room of B-rank players turned their attention to Xiao E.
The call had indeed been from the higher-ups at the investigation bureau overseeing the case. Presuming they’d arrived by now, the call was meant to check in and gather updates.
Wen Shichun relayed the key information he’d obtained.
"Lin Zhe’s parents divorced when he was very young. Both remarried afterward. He was placed in his father’s custody by the court. Neither side of the family was well-off, and he had no particularly close relatives or friends—"
"Lin Zhe wasn’t the owner of this house."
At this point, that pleasant voice paused briefly.
It may sound even colder now.
But that doesn’t make it any less pleasant to the ear.
"The owner of this house is already dead."
T/N: In Chinese, "小" (xiǎo) is a common prefix used in nicknames or informal names, and it literally means “small” or “little".
