"How old are you now?" This was a good question. On the surface, it seemed like a concern from an elder to a younger, but in the Puppet Realm, Xie Mingchi didn't think the ghost puppets were holding such intentions.
He Qi's mind was still filled with what his older brother had said: Don't answer anything anyone asks. He thought to himself that his brother truly had foresight. He stared at the food on the table, suddenly grinning at the people around him, then awkwardly picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
"It's so good, hehe, so much delicious food, hehe... ahh... mmm…"
At the table where everyone was waiting for Mr. Du to start eating first, He Qi had become quite a striking sight.
Of course, this made everyone at the table think that he wasn't quite all there.
Xie Mingchi silently sneered, thinking, as expected.
Mr. Du didn't hear an answer, and continued to stare at He Qi, his smile unwavering, looking very eerie.
Xie Mingchi estimated that He Qi couldn't take much more, so he spoke up: "He doesn't know how old he is."
Mr. Du's eyes sluggishly shifted toward Xie Mingchi.
"He's someone I picked up, doesn't know how old he is," Xie Mingchi stared straight at him, "Probably about the same age as me."
He paused for a moment, then added, "Or maybe even older."
Mr. Du's eyes moved back and forth between Xie Mingchi and He Qi twice, then he laughed a few times, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is... Please, everyone, feel free to eat..."
In the bizarre atmosphere, everyone hesitated but eventually started eating the food in front of them. Xie Mingchi seized the opportunity, casually bringing up: "Mr. Du, you must have worked hard to achieve what you have today, right?"
Mr. Du chuckled, "Yeah, it really was a tough period."
Xie Mingchi: "You gather the children every year for a visit, why is that?"
Mr. Du: "Ah, because children have limitless potential. Someone once said that letting them visit the homes of successful people might inspire their potential, so I just did it."
Xie Mingchi hummed in acknowledgment: "Do you have any beliefs, Mr. Du?"
This question caused a wave of unease among the others. Ghost puppets are often agitated by unresolved obsessions from their past lives, and no puppet master in the Puppet Realm is careless, fearing to provoke the gatekeeper ghosts. Yet this newcomer, without fear of death, kept asking!
Though some had noticed the photos on the first floor, they only dared speculate privately, trying to confirm their suspicions on their own. Who would be bold enough to ask for answers like Xie Mingchi did?
The others exchanged silent glances, and seeing Xie Mingchi's unnaturally red eyes, they all thought that this newcomer was simply asking for trouble.
After hearing Xie Mingchi's question, Mr. Du's smile briefly faltered. He pulled at the corner of his mouth, touched the Buddhist beads on his wrist, and said, "As a businessman, one always prays to the gods and Buddha, seeking blessings for wealth and good fortune."
Xie Mingchi smiled politely, "Yes, you're right."
Lunch ended in a strange atmosphere, and Mr. Du hurriedly left. After finishing their meal, Xie Mingchi and the others also left the dining room, preparing to head back to the first floor and take the elevator.
Before they could reach the restaurant door, Xie Mingchi heard a loud "thump," followed by a man's frantic scream.
"I don't want to find any soul thread or resolve any puppet realm stuff! Why the hell did I get chosen for this? Why am I stuck in this damn place? I want out!!"
Xie Mingchi leaned out to look and vaguely recognized him, remembering that next to him was a ghost puppet named Zhang Di, who called him Qi Luo.
A woman tried to advise him, "It's no use breaking down now! You've been in the Puppet Realm for a day already, getting out is the most important thing!"
Qi Luo grew even more agitated, "No! I don't want to! Two people died yesterday, and today more will die in the Four Corners game! That guy with the red eyes is crazily testing that Mr. Du, my teammates are all playing with fire, how am I supposed to get out of here?!"
Xie Mingchi's eyes twitched.
Red eyes, wasn't he referring to himself?
Wan Wuqiu stepped out, casting a cold glance at Qi Luo, then turned to block Xie Mingchi's view. "Don't mind him."
Xie Mingchi shook his head, signaling Wan Wuqiu not to block him, and continued to watch the emotionally unraveling Qi Luo.
Seeing that Qi Luo was beyond reasoning, the woman turned to Zhang Di and said, "You need to talk to your puppet master. Don't let him get so worked up and cause trouble."
Zhang Di, looking irritated, waved his hand dismissively. "Let him be! I've been trying to talk sense into him all day. What's the big deal about entering the Puppet Realm? It's like he's lost his mind!"
"Newcomers," Shen Finen said calmly, "Some newcomers are like this, they can't handle life and death in the Puppet Realm, and they clash with their own ghost puppets. In the end, they accomplish nothing… You guys are much stronger, can I ask how you manage to stay so calm?"
Aside from being a bit more inquisitive and cautious, Xie Mingchi's mental state was surprisingly stable.
He Qi proudly answered, "Of course! This is my brother! What storm has he not seen? This experience is just a bit odd, but watch my brother turn it into a song when we go back."
Xie Mingchi: "…"
What is this sudden sense of shame?
Zhang Di, unwilling to talk to Qi Luo, was ignored by Qi Luo. Such behavior was highly taboo in the Puppet Realm. Life here was already so fragile that you could lose it at any moment. The only thing you could rely on was your own ghost puppet. If you didn't trust your own ghost puppet, you were essentially alone.
Qi Luo was still hysterical: "Don't mind me! Don't mind me! You guys are all idiots, what the hell is this place? I'm done!"
He started climbing the stairs to the fourth floor.
Xie Mingchi's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted, "You can't take the stairs to the fourth floor from the third!"
"Shut up! Who needs your advice?" Qi Luo turned around, flipping him off before continuing up.
Xie Mingchi: "…Is he an idiot?"
He Qi also complained, "What kind of person is this? Isn't he just asking for death?"
Wan Wuqiu calmly said, "Some people always choose to cut off their own escape route. No matter what you say, they won't listen."
With Xie Mingchi's warning, the others realized the rules about the stairs between the third and fourth floors. Their faces turned pale with fear, and Zhang Di's expression stiffened. "Wait, don't—"
But before he could finish, Qi Luo had already reached the fourth floor, standing in front of their room. He yanked the door open.
Everyone's faces changed.
Behind the door, which should have led to the bedroom, were instead piles of little ghostly figures!
The ghostly figures bared their sharp white teeth, their mouths twisting into an eerie smile, and reached out, grabbing hold of Qi Luo's arms and head, forcibly pulling him inside.
"Ahhh—" Qi Luo screamed, struggling in vain as he was dragged into the room, and the door slammed shut with a "bang."
Outside, the others heard his cries slowly fade away, then fall silent.
At that moment, Zhang Di, who had been standing at the front, suddenly looked at his hands and body in terror, realizing they were rapidly being consumed and disappearing.
"No… no, please, no!!!"
He managed to scream once before disappearing from sight, leaving no trace behind.
When a puppet master dies, their ghost puppet vanishes as well.
At that moment, everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere became unusually heavy. There was an ominous premonition in the hearts of all. Xiao Shao sneered, "Newcomers are just newcomers, only good for causing trouble. Their deaths will only strengthen the power of the gatekeeper's ghost puppet! I really don't understand why someone would rush to die like this!"
She glanced at Xie Mingchi, her eyes full of warning, then turned and went downstairs. Only then did the crowd begin to disperse.
The woman who had been mediating sighed, as if lamenting. "Four dead out of fourteen people, and it's only the second day," Wan Wuqiu shook his head, "This isn't a good sign."
Xie Mingchi thought of what Xiao Shao had just said and frowned. "Then let's speed up the search for clues."
Wan Wuqiu looked at him and spoke after a long pause, "Qi Luo brought this upon himself. You don't need to feel bad."
Xie Mingchi was somewhat surprised. He indeed didn't feel good, but only because Qi Luo's rash actions had unnecessarily caused the death of a ghost puppet. It didn't seem worth it. He didn't expect Wan Wuqiu to see through this…
"Bro..." He Ci hesitated, trying to speak, "What did Mr. Du mean by that question earlier? Why did you say that? I clearly..."
"Shh," Xie Mingchi made a silencing gesture, stopping He Ci from speaking further. "Don't say it. He's listening."
He Ci looked around and indeed saw Mr. Du standing by the railing on the second floor, looking toward them. He instantly got goosebumps.
Xie Mingchi patted his arm, signaling him to follow, and the four of them walked in silence back to the first floor. They took the elevator back to the fourth-floor room and locked the door behind them.
After confirming that they were safe, Xie Mingchi finally spoke in a low voice, "I think I figured out the order in which Mr. Du kills."
He Ci's eyes lit up. "What is it? What is it?"
Xie Mingchi: "Age."
"The photos we saw on the first floor, the children in those pictures are likely the ones who came here each year and were harmed. The ghost children we saw behind the door earlier all had the faces of children who came here last year. But why children?"
Shen Fianian thought for a moment and said, "Because children are easier to deceive? They would be more scared playing the Four Corners game?"
Xie Mingchi shook his head. "There's another reason children are easier to deceive. Logically, younger children are more obedient. If they play a game, they would follow the rules more strictly. Mr. Du lured them here with their innocence, and every night, he would pick four people from the group of fourteen, starting with the oldest to the youngest. That's why the ones disappearing each night are the youngest ones."
"Those who are older might resist the game or struggle. As the earlier players disappear one by one, the psychological pressure on the others increases, making them more vulnerable and easier to control compared to when they first arrived."
"Also, if he's selling organs… children's organs would be more valuable."
Xie Mingchi had noticed this when examining the two bodies behind the picture frame. The woman appeared to be middle-aged, and while he wasn't sure whether he or Wan Wuqiu was older, the boy was definitely younger than Xie Mingchi.
After thinking this through, Xie Mingchi turned to Wan Wuqiu and asked, "How old are you?"
Wan Wuqiu was momentarily stunned, as if he hadn't thought about his age in a long time. After a moment, he responded, "How old are you?"
Xie Mingchi: "24."
Wan Wuqiu nodded and thought for a moment before saying, "I'm 27."
That made sense.
Xie Mingchi ignored Wan Wuqiu's pause and became more certain of his theory. "Among the fourteen people who entered the puppet world, not all of them are children. Therefore, Mr. Du can only determine the order of killings based on age. Besides He Ci, the youngest is that boy, and the woman is his ghost puppet. Perhaps because of their partnership, the woman bypassed others who were younger than her and became the first to play the Four Corners game."
He Ci seemed to understand, but also seemed confused. "But why did she skip me? I'm almost the same age as that guy..."
Xie Mingchi said, "Do you remember the question Mr. Du asked you at the restaurant?"
He Ci: "Yeah, he asked me how old I am."
"I initially suspected that he hadn't noticed your presence, so he didn't pick you the first night," Xie Mingchi let out a breath, "After coming to this conclusion, I had you pretend to be clueless. If I hadn't misled him just now, you would have been his target tonight."
He Ci broke out in a cold sweat, repeatedly patting his chest. "Oh my god, I'm really lucky. Thank you, CCTV, for the protection..." Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and raised his voice, "Wait a minute, bro, you were third last night, and the fourth person's gone... So tonight it's...?"
Your turn?!